Chapter 1063 - 341: I Thought I Was Here to Assist Him

Words : 1288 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

After one possession, James tried to take the shot himself. He forcefully drove against Roger but didn’t reach the basket, stopping suddenly at mid-range for a jump shot. Stupid choice. A player on the court should avoid doing what they’re not good at, because that’s exactly what your opponent wants to see. As expected, the basketball hit the rim. The game continued, and as time passed, James’s awkwardness increasingly grew. If LeBron James’s poor performance in their last encounter was due to his confusion, his helplessness, his fear. Then tonight, LeBron James undoubtedly proved one thing: even when not lost, he still had no answer for Roger. It was clear the number 23 from Cleveland played very hard tonight, trying his best to score for the team, but under Roger’s defense, all his efforts were in vain. You wouldn’t know the first possession, LeBron James faced Roger drenched in sweat. The emotionless number 14 in front of him spread his arms wide, just like a relentless machine throughout the entire quarter. James initiated, accelerated to the left, then tried to change direction to get past Roger. But after a crossover, he couldn’t control the ball, causing it to fly out of bounds directly! "Another turnover, Roger’s defense today left LeBron with no dignity. The first quarter had been played for eight minutes, and LeBron James still had zero points. He had his chances but missed both free throws. This game could qualify the Cavaliers for the playoffs, but their leader faltered at this crucial moment." Mike Breen’s tone was not excitable. For some reason, he wasn’t surprised by LeBron James’s performance. In the ensuing two minutes, James still had no score, until Roger was subbed out in the first quarter’s tenth minute, LeBron James broke through against the replacement Jason Richardson, scoring his first basket of this game. But one score came too late; unless you’re Ben Wallace, no competent star player should score only in the tenth minute after a game starts. By the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers were still trailing by 11 points. During the break, Michael Reed began to encourage the actual spearhead of this team: "LeBron, don’t be discouraged, we have a lot of time left, we still have the chance to secure our playoff spot today!" The entire first quarter was held up by Michael Reed for the Cavaliers, but his efforts alone clearly couldn’t take down the Warriors. So he needed the number 23 he assisted to stand up again. James nodded, clenching his fists tightly. But in the second quarter, when Roger returned, reality once again slapped him hard. In the first possession of the second quarter, James got past the overly oppressive Roger, but when he jumped to attack the frame, Marcus Camby directly swatted the basketball away! This is why Roger wasn’t afraid of James breaking through at all; if your team’s rim protection is strong enough, then feel free to press LeBron. Even if he breaks through, it’s fine, the big guy behind you will handle everything. "For LeBron, this was a hellish game. It could have been his great moment, imagine, as a rookie in a playoff qualifier, delivering an outstanding performance to earn a valuable playoff ticket for the long-fallen hometown team. If LeBron James achieved these, all doubts about him would break, but now... The point is, this wasn’t the first time LeBron disappointed in a crucial game! He had many chances to make himself great, but he missed them, and it wasn’t because of poor teammates, those missed opportunities can only blame him. No doubt, LeBron is a good kid. He doesn’t do drugs, never offends others, has no criminal record, doesn’t get caught speeding every other day. Yet, his overall performance makes him seem like a disappointing kid, very disappointing!" Mike Breen expressed his true feelings; the NBA needs good kids, that’s for sure. Look at how the publicity given to Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James is unequal because of Anthony’s gang background, the league didn’t dare to overly promote him. But fans don’t just want good kids; they want good kids who can win games. Mike Breen felt James was like Dr. J, Dr. J was certainly great, when he drove past opponents you felt excited, when he smashed the ball over opponents’ heads you cheered for him. But he never had the killer gene, could never make opponents pay when they left him open. He lost too many critical games in the playoffs, and only when he met Moses Malone was his career saved. You can’t question Dr. J’s historical status, he’s one of the greatest players ever, with sparkling personal stats. But so what? He was never the ’winner’ in people’s minds; he always lacked ’that thing.’ LeBron James is simply a Cleveland version of Dr. J. But what was the initial expectation people had for LeBron James? It was Michael Jordan or Roger, and LeBron James’s team willingly accepted that expectation, letting number 23 ride the wave of fame. You could even say, it was such expectation that landed LeBron James that astronomical star player contract. And now? He received the blessings’ of those expectations yet couldn’t meet them. The disparity was simply too great. LeBron James was still trying hard, finally, in the third minute of the second quarter, driving strongly past Roger and scoring in a layup amidst contact. But that was his only field goal in the second quarter. Michael Reed couldn’t do it alone, by halftime, the Cleveland Cavaliers were down by 18 points. They ultimately couldn’t keep it close by the halftime break. In the second half, something heartbreaking for Clevelanders happened — Michael Reed lost his touch. In the first half, Tayshaun Prince didn’t do badly defending Reed, but the former championship shooter hit too many irrational shots. In the second half, that magical touch disappeared. This was understandable, Michael Reed was just LeBron James’s lieutenant. If the lieutenant did all the work, what’s the main general for? Where was Cleveland’s main general? Tormented by Roger’s defense. When James was stuck in the quagmire, the hot-handed Allan Houston sank three consecutive three-pointers, within the first five minutes of the second quarter, extending the gap to 32 points. In the game’s pace of this era, the outcome seemed all but settled. Five minutes later, Hubie Brown temporarily benched all the starters, Roger glanced at a dejected LeBron James and spared no sympathy in his comment: "LeBron, thanks for arrogantly standing me up this summer, thanks for not letting Reebok sign a trash player." After speaking, Roger glanced at the big screen showing his playtime and then sat back on the bench, patting Spoelstra’s shoulder with a smile. "Look, exactly 25 minutes." Eventually, the Cavaliers narrowed the gap to just 8 points against the Warriors’ rotation, but could not reverse the game within regulation time. to 89, the Golden State Warriors continued their successful rotation strategy, securing a win in the Bay Area, while the all-out effort Cleveland Cavaliers fell short of securing a playoff berth. At the post-game press conference, Michael Reed, who scored 33 points, looked at LeBron James, who only had a 30% shooting rate and 18 points, and made a perhaps unintentionally but highly sarcastic joke to the reporters. "I thought I was here to assist him." The entire press conference burst into laughter, except for LeBron James beside Reed, who couldn’t force a smile. He didn’t care if the reporters were making fun of him because, after this game, he was completely consumed by one emotion. He was now filled with hatred. He hated Roger. His hatred for Roger even surpassed that for Michael Jordan.

Chapter 1063 - 341: I Thought I Was Here to Assist Him

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