The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 416 - 215 This is Just Basketball

In the last game, James, who had furiously berated Westbrook, merely scoffed disdainfully when faced with concerns from his former teammate, Hansen.

This season, his series of actions had fully revealed what kind of person he was.

Perhaps, after his classic statement in 2011 about "life being unsatisfactory," the world had already glimpsed the true persona beneath his "king’s new clothes."

He had never been—nor would he now be—a person related to mental attributes.

Hansen immediately felt bored.

He thought he should be thankful to the Thunders—if they really faced the Heat from last season in the Finals again, he would realize the Finals weren’t worth looking forward to after all.

In the second half of the game, James did not appear on the court.

According to a message posted by Mancias on social media before the game, James had already sustained an ankle injury, and after playing through the first half, his condition worsened preventing him from competing in the second half.

Hansen heard the news from Tois during a timeout.

Not surprisingly at all.

It seemed his words had no effect on James whatsoever.

Well, not entirely—James did come up with an injury excuse he had never used before.

to 71, the Grizzlies swept the Thunders 4-0 to advance to the next round.

This round wasn’t much of a cliffhanger, even a series with a more direct large score margin ended up being the focus of the first round.

Moreover, it didn’t end with the game.

At the Thunders’ post-game press conference, James participated with his ankle wrapped in a thick ice pack.

"The team doctor advised me to sit out tonight’s game, but knowing the difficulties the team faced, I had to play. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to help," James said, shaking his head in apparent self-reproach.

"Why do you always get injured during crucial moments?" Carrell, mixing among the reporters, challenged James with this probing question.

James was stunned momentarily by this unexpected question.

Holding the microphone, he fumbled for words and couldn’t produce a coherent response.

As the atmosphere turned awkward, Brook came to his rescue.

"Injuries are beyond a player’s control. The higher the stakes of the game, the more intense the competition, and the greater the risk of injury," Brook interjected.

James turned to Brook with a grateful look, then climbed using the lifeline that Brook had thrown.

"You can check my attendance record. Before this season, I never missed more than ten games in any season," James continued.

Carrell wanted to ask more, but James already gestured for the next reporter.

"In the last season when you played with the Heat, you faced a sweep by the Grizzlies in the Finals, and this season with the Thunders, you experienced the same. What’s your take on that?" the next reporter from NBC stood up and asked.

This question made James cough involuntarily.

As tough as Carrell’s question was, a bigger one was coming.

No wonder even Hansen couldn’t criticize such media.

This time, Brook didn’t know how to assist; facts were the darkest.

After clearing his throat, James began:

"This is just basketball, at the end of the day, it’s just basketball."

...

James’s statement was much shorter than his previous "life being unsatisfactory" remark but stirred just as much controversy.

"If the Thunders had blacked out the Grizzlies, I believe LeBron would say: ’Basketball is everything to me, without it, my life would be meaningless.’"

"So what do you want LeBron to say? Can’t you see what kind of lineup the Grizzlies have? Three all-stars and two near all-stars, plus a former all-star off the bench. Isn’t it normal to lose with nearly six all-stars on the opposing team?"

"Would LeBron’s ankle have gotten injured at this point if it weren’t for Jones undercutting him at the start of the season?"

"The Grizzlies tonight clearly intended to force LeBron to drive; they knew he was injured. They’re the contemporary Spurs, the dirtiest team!"

"If I hadn’t watched the match, I almost would have believed it. How do you manage to believe your own lies?"

"Usually we say ’life is bigger than basketball’ when a player suffers a major injury or accident."

"LeBron has achieved something: at all three teams he stayed, they’ve been swept in the playoffs. His life really isn’t about basketball, it’s about being shaven bald."

...

After sending the Thunders fishing, the Grizzlies also had some downtime.

Before the first-round games, the players were full of anticipation for the series.

But after it was over, they found it utterly uninteresting.

Their earlier thoughts were correct, the first round might as well have been against the Rockets or the Jazz. freēwēbnovel.com

The Thunders hardly posed any challenge at all, and they felt no tension in their current state.

After resting for nearly a week, they finally faced their next round of games.

Their opponents were not the Nuggets, but the Warriors.

This was the only upset of the first round and also the most unexpected.

The Nuggets had won 56 regular-season games, while the Warriors had only 47 wins.

Moreover, in the first match of the series, not only did the Warriors lose, but their second-leading scorer and starting power forward, David Lee, suffered a hip flexor injury and was ruled out for the season.

Mark Jackson displayed some magic afterward; he opted for a big-small lineup, made Jarrett Jack point guard and Curry shooting guard. The Warriors reversed three games in a row, leading 3-1, and ultimately advanced with a 4-2 victory.