Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 437 - 145: Costs and Repayment, Awkward Perimeter Combination (5K - , Please Subscribe and Vote) _2
The previous dynasty team in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers, was relatively fortunate.
Because when O’Neal was sidelined due to injury, the Lakers still had Kobe to lead the team.
Ma Long didn’t want to say that the Lakers’ luck at that time mainly owed to them having a second-in-command fully committed to both offense and defense, but without Kobe, it would have been far from easy for the Lakers to get through those tough times.
Additionally, Phil Jackson, who had previously led the Bulls to two dynasty runs, was more experienced compared to Ma Long at that moment.
By comparing O’Neal’s and Kobe’s regular-season playing time in the second and third championships, it isn’t hard to find...
Old man Jackson wasn’t just "meditating" on the sidelines. He had deliberately adjusted O’Neal’s and Kobe’s playing time in the regular season of 01/02 early on.
Of course, if Davis hadn’t been sidelined due to an unexpected injury in the preseason training camp, Ma Long would definitely have more room to maneuver in the new season.
It’s just that...
The fallout from Davis’s injury and the Warriors’ various injuries in the new season were perhaps the price they were paying for winning two consecutive championships previously.
In any competitive sports arena, no dynasty team can maintain long-term dominance with the same lineup.
And the high injury risk of key players is merely one of the necessary costs for temporary dominance.
...
December 25th.
The Warriors held their annual Christmas game at home.
Their opponents were the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the "Ah Zhan" duo.
As the NBA runner-up last season, the Cavaliers successfully got rid of O’Neal through trade, and acquired Allen Iverson to assist James, experiencing the growing pains of gelling since the new season started.
Iverson was responsible for providing offense in the starting lineup, while Mo Williams led the bench...
On the surface, the Cavaliers seemed to have a more powerful offensive firepower.
But in actual games, Iverson’s overly aggressive personality deeply troubled James, who had once idolized him.
Indeed, young James was obsessed with Iverson.
In various public occasions, James mentioned more than once that he often imitated Iverson’s dribbling in games.
"Allen is my role model, I’m glad you can see my crossover is similar to his, in fact, I think my dribbling breakthrough has many similarities with Allen."
But past admiration doesn’t mean the current James can tolerate Iverson trying to seize control of the ball and the team from him.
This being Iverson’s last peak season in history...
Just as Qin Yue remembered, Iverson maintained an outstanding competitive state this season.
His shooting percentage, three-point percentage, and true shooting percentage all hit new personal career highs.
However, Iverson inevitably squandered some shots on the court.
Especially when Iverson rushed to the basket for a hero finish...
James couldn’t comprehend why Iverson found it so difficult to score on plays that seemed effortless to him.
This season, with further weight gain, James achieved a nearly 75% finishing rate at the basket.
Many times, in James’s view, if the overly aggressive Iverson could look at him more, the Cavaliers could play more efficiently on the court.
Furthermore, as James’s status improved, he disliked Iverson’s habit of saying wherever he went, "Look, this is my little brother LeBron."
If it were his rookie season, James wouldn’t mind Iverson’s eternal high-and-mighty speech style.
But now, James felt that Iverson wanted to prove to others that the Cavaliers traded for him to make him the star and assist him.
And most frustratingly, due to Iverson’s esteemed status in the black basketball community, James had to pander to the arrogant Iverson. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
For example, during the warm-up phase of this Christmas game.
Already secretly becoming "superficial brothers" with Qin Yue, James didn’t want to greet him.
But Iverson decided for him, saying, "Hey, Brown, why don’t you go and say hi to your good brother?"
Thus...
James had no choice but to accompany Iverson to the Warriors’ half-court with a forced smile.
After half a year, looking at James’s increasingly robust physique, Qin Yue found himself looking slim in comparison.
He’s indeed the "Executive Deputy GOAT" from my memory!
Qin Yue knew well that typically, wing players of the same height who reached James’s weight wouldn’t manage a dribble breakthrough, let alone even walk smoothly.
But not only could James bear such weight, but from the Cavaliers’ games this season, he even maintained impressive speed and agility.
In Qin Yue’s eyes, if you still claim James’s physical talent isn’t at the historical level, it’s basically blind criticism.
In the Warriors’ half-court, Qin Yue and James exchanged a few brief words.
As for Iverson?
Qin Yue largely ignored his presence.
Qin Yue had never held a favorable view of Iverson and even found him slightly repulsive.
Qin Yue’s dislike for Iverson originated from his various negative behaviors in China during his money-grabbing visits in the future.
To the NBA star devoid of professional ethics, Qin Yue truly couldn’t understand why Iverson had such high popularity.
