Fame > Skill

The Seattle Supersonics inbounded from the backcourt, getting the ball to Luke Ridnour, who quickly dribbled across half court.

The moment he crossed midcourt, Luke Ridnour immediately looked for Ray Allen.

This time, Ray Allen once again tried to use a screen to shake off Larry Hughes, but Larry Hughes was alert this time. He slipped around the screen in time and caught up to Ray Allen, not giving him any opportunity.

But the Seattle Supersonics had more than just one weapon. Besides Ray Allen, they also had Rashard Lewis.

Rashard Lewis, positioned in the low post, suddenly took off toward the perimeter.

The ball arrived as he did.

The instant Rashard Lewis got free, Luke Ridnour sent the pass his way.

Only then did Rashard Lewis's defender, LeBron James, react and immediately rush out to contest him.

But it was already too late. Rashard Lewis drew back and let the shot fly smoothly.

The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air.

Swish.

The ball dropped cleanly into the basket.

Rashard Lewis hit the three-pointer.

The score became 4-6!

Su Yi: ￣□￣｜｜

Unbelievable. This guy had lost his man again.

All he ever thought about was grabbing rebounds or looking for chances to block shots.

After all, that was how he could rack up stats. As for staying on his man or helping on defense, he would never waste too much energy on that.

No stats, and it took effort.

He shouldn't be called a bigger Dream Chaser Green. He should be called a smaller Dream Chaser Green.

His defensive ability wasn't even half of Dream Chaser Green's.

"Don't lose your man! Guard your own assignment!"

Eric Snow couldn't help shouting at his teammates.

As for who he was talking to, everyone knew.

LeBron James: "..."

Of course, Su Yi wasn't about to be the one to speak up. To be honest, the Cleveland Cavaliers were merely a stepping stone for him; sooner or later, he would leave this place.

As for his current relationship with LeBron James—just coworkers.

They had no private interactions whatsoever.

Although he had now become the team's offensive centerpiece, he still tried his best not to clash with LeBron James.

LeBron James had been forced to compromise, but a starved camel was still bigger than a horse.

After all, he had always been the darling of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Push him too far, and he would bite.

Su Yi a few years from now naturally wouldn't be afraid, but right now, he was only a rookie.

For a basketball player, results and honors were the foundation of everything.

So whenever Su Yi saw LeBron James miss a defensive assignment like this, he only complained about it inwardly and saw no need to say it aloud.

But Eric Snow was different. He was, after all, a veteran of the league and had even made the Finals.

LeBron James might have been unhappy, but there was nothing he could do to Eric Snow.

The game continued. The Cleveland Cavaliers inbounded again, getting the ball to Eric Snow, who dribbled across half court.

As soon as he crossed midcourt, Big Z came up, trying to set a screen for Eric Snow.

Nick Collison followed him out as well.

The moment Nick Collison stepped out, the Seattle Supersonics' paint was completely empty.

LeBron James, in the left corner, spotted the opening and took off, blowing past his defender in an instant and cutting into the Seattle Supersonics' interior.

"Pass it!"

He shouted as he cut.

Eric Snow, who had been about to use the screen to drive, immediately flicked his wrist and bounced the ball to the cutting LeBron James.

After catching the ball, LeBron James rose high into the air and slammed it toward the rim midair.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash—

LeBron James threw down a one-handed tomahawk dunk.

The score was tied at 6-6!

After scoring, LeBron James immediately flexed his muscles toward the stands.

LeBron James understood things very clearly now. If he wanted to reverse the public narrative, he had to play well and use Su Yi to win the championship.

Once he had a championship, he could market himself like crazy and escape his current predicament.

Seeing LeBron James drive into the paint and finish with a one-handed dunk, Su Yi was not surprised in the slightest.

This guy did have some ability—at most, All-Star level. Anything higher was beyond his reach.

Back when he was version 1.0, Su Yi neither liked nor disliked him. But ever since he left the Cleveland Cavaliers to form a superteam with the Miami Heat—

All sorts of shameless antics had made Su Yi find him increasingly disgusting, even hateful.

His fans were just as disgusting.

Sure enough, birds of a feather flocked together.

You stated the facts, and they said you were hating. You talked about what happened on the court, and they insisted on attacking you over off-court matters. You fought back, and they said you were spreading rumors!

Su Yi shook his head and quickly turned to get back on defense.

LeBron James appeared to have scored two points on that possession, but in reality, the team was down one!

After all, he had blown his defensive assignment on the previous possession and cost the team three points. Then he scored two on this possession. Back and forth, the team had lost one point.

That was also why LeBron James's plus-minus was never very high.

The game continued. Led by the Dual Guns, the Seattle Supersonics repeatedly opened fire from beyond the arc. Rashard Lewis in particular had shot 39% from three this season!

In the first half of this game, Rashard Lewis went 5-for-8 from three, good for a 62.5% three-point percentage!

Led by Rashard Lewis, the Seattle Supersonics held a 54-48 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers at halftime, ahead by six points.

Huff, huff, huff!

Back in the locker room, Su Yi panted heavily.

In the first half, Su Yi had likely covered the second-most distance of anyone on the court.

The player who had run the most was naturally Ray Allen. Not only was he responsible for sticking to Su Yi on defense, but he was also the offensive focal point.

That took a tremendous toll on Ray Allen's stamina.

In the final minute of the first half, Ray Allen missed two consecutive threes due to fatigue.

Otherwise, the lead might have gone into double digits.

"Su, how are you feeling? You'll be okay in the second half, right?"

The moment Mike Brown entered the locker room and saw Su Yi panting heavily, he hurried over to ask.

"I'm fine. I can't go down before Ray Allen does."

Su Yi spoke between breaths, his tone firm.

Su Yi believed that in the second half, there would definitely come a time when Ray Allen could no longer keep up with him.

When that happened, the opportunity would be his.

Little did he know, Ray Allen had the very same idea.

In Ray Allen's eyes, Su Yi was the Cleveland Cavaliers' only hope of turning the situation around.

(LeBron James: What about me?)

The situation was extremely favorable for the Seattle Supersonics. As long as they played steadily, there would be no suspense—they would win this game.

"Lewis, you've got the hot hand tonight. Remember to take a few more shots in the second half."

Ray Allen looked at Rashard Lewis and teased him.

"No, no, my touch is only decent. It's just that the guy guarding me is such a terrible defender. He keeps giving me opportunities. I'm really grateful to him."

Rashard Lewis said with a smile.

Just from the first half alone, Rashard Lewis finally understood why so many stars around the league disliked LeBron James. This guy's reputation far exceeded his ability.

The brief halftime break ended, and both teams returned to the court.

The second half was about to begin.