June 5, 2015. Once again, LeBron James and Link met on the stage of the Finals.
James sat in the visiting locker room at FedExForum. Everything here was deeply familiar to him, so familiar that it almost felt like his home court.
After all, he had spent time here in the summers of the past two years. Of course, this place had not left him with many pleasant memories.
"Everyone, get ready. I need you to bring your strongest physicality from the moment you step on the court and seize the initiative right away! This is FedExForum, one of the hardest places to conquer in the entire league. So we have to be fully prepared!"
Blatt was giving his pregame speech, but it did not seem to be having much effect.
At that moment, assistant coach Tyronn Lue stepped forward.
"Hey, did you see the two championship banners hanging outside FedExForum just now? Think about it. Those banners would look incredible hanging in our home arena too. The last time Cleveland won a championship in any sport was in 1964. Fifty-one years have passed. Cleveland needs to be reborn. So let's go!"
Tyronn Lue did not shout slogans like Blatt, but clearly, the players responded better to his approach.
James especially—the man who had grown up in Cleveland—seemed to light up. He was like a sports car spinning its tires at the starting line, ready to explode forward at full power the instant the light turned green.
After Tyronn Lue finished speaking, the Cavaliers players stormed out of the locker room one after another, fired up and brimming with rage.
Indeed, everything Tyronn Lue had done was for the good of the team. He had done nothing wrong.
But for head coach David Blatt, that moment was incredibly awkward...
When