Chapter 2238 - 42: See You in Las Vegas

Chapter 2238: Chapter 42: See You in Las Vegas

[Sitting on the bench, Cavaliers assistant coach Mike Mansias took out a water-soaked towel from the box.]

Beside him, LeBron James lowered his head, silent, staring at the floor in a trance. Mansias placed the towel on James’s neck, and the water dripped down his neck, mixing with sweat and soaking through his jersey.

The sweltering United Center in Chicago resounded with the referee’s whistle as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls continued to battle after 57 minutes, still tied.

James raised his head, pain visible on his face, and removed the towel from his neck, walking out from the crowd on the bench.

Game six of the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Cleveland Cavaliers were just one win away from the 2007 finals.

This was the second overtime between the two teams, with only 22 seconds left until the game’s end.

The ball was given to LeBron James, the core player of the Cavaliers, whose performance in the series had been outstanding.

In the pivotal game five, questions about who was the real leader of the Cavaliers between him and Gilbert Arenas seemed to have been answered.

James scored 44 points in a single game, helping the Cavaliers defeat the Bulls at the Quicken Loans Arena, securing the Cavaliers’ first-ever East Finals series point.

The whole of Cleveland was going crazy for James, with the team just one win away from their first-ever finals in franchise history.

However, in Chicago, at the United Center, the Cavaliers faced the Bulls’ strongest resistance.

This tenacious team was unwilling to give up easily, having surprisingly eliminated the Boston Celtics in the semifinals.

Midseason trades with the Trail Blazers for Michael Redd proved correct.

The new Michael in Chicago had shaken off injury troubles and played at an All-Star level.

The lineup featuring Ben Wallace, Sidrich, Redd, Luol Deng, and Emeka Okafor was tough and powerful.

They had no superstars, but their teamwork and defense were what carried them to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The battle between the two sides went into the second overtime, and neither could end the game quickly.

James held the ball, watching as time slowly ticked away.

At this moment, he felt invincible.

He was drenched in sweat, his stamina already at its limit.

Tonight, his teammates performed below expectations, with Arenas struggling under the Bulls’ strong defensive pressure.

Until the start of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were trailing the Bulls by 12 points.

When everyone thought the series was headed for game seven, James stepped up.

Breakthroughs, fast breaks, dunks, mid-range jumpers, even the not-so-good three-point shots became James’s weapons to turn the game around.

Neither Ben Wallace nor Emeka Okafor could stop him.

James’s physique was beastly, and once he charged, no one could stop him.

James had already set eye-catching playoff records, leading the Cavaliers past the Detroit Pistons in the first round in 2006, then losing to the Boston Celtics in the second round, which was acceptable at the time.

This playoff run saw his performance improve even further, as the leader battle between him and Arenas gradually became clear through this playoff.

James could average 28 points per game, and in the first round, they crushed the Washington Wizards before beating the New Jersey Nets in the second round.

The unexpected loss of the Celtics and the early exit of the Heat showed the Cavaliers the hope of the finals.

Taking on the Bulls in the first two games, the Cavaliers unsurprisingly secured two victories, leading 2-0 and putting themselves in excellent shape.

After losing game three at the United Center, the Cavaliers had the opportunity to rewrite the series score to 3-1 in the fourth game.

The game was fiercely contested, with the Cavaliers trailing the Bulls by 2 points in the final seconds.

James chose to pass the ball to his teammate Marshall, hoping he would hit a game-winning three-pointer.

Marshall’s precise three-point shot had been the game-winning key against the Nets.

But this time he missed the excellent corner three-point opportunity.

Marshall was at his best shooting position, and James knew that very well.

But Marshall was just a role player, and he missed, but no one would blame him.

Fans and media targeted James, criticizing him for passing the ball.

This has been a problem that has troubled James for years.

On the one hand, James was hailed as the Cavaliers’ best player, receiving praise for his game vision and brilliant assists.

On the other hand, people believed he should decide the outcome in key moments himself rather than relying on other teammates or Gilbert Arenas.

In their four seasons together, Arenas often took the last shot responsibility.

This was one of the important reasons for the heated discussion on who was the team’s core between them.

According to the standards at the time, great players and core players must have the courage to take the last shot.

The series turned into a 2-2 tie, from a possible 3-1 to 2-2.

Criticism poured in, with the Cavaliers’ number 23 constantly being compared to the number 23 above Chicago.

Game five back at the Quicken Loans Arena, James trained alone three hours early.

He hoped to practice shooting on the court before fans arrived to ease his tension.

An hour before the game started, he, as usual, had an interview with the media and said that this was "the most important game of my life".

Regarding the last shot of Game 4, James explained, "I just do the right thing. When taking the last shot is the right thing, I will not hesitate to shoot."

He silenced the doubters with his outstanding performance, securing the match point in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The day after this game ended, the Las Vegas Radiance beat the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals.

Ah Gan entered the finals for the 12th time in his career, aiming for his 12th championship trophy.

Everyone is talking, everyone is hoping that Cleveland’s number 23 can stop that myth.

People don’t want to see that man take the championship throne once again.

James was suddenly carrying a lot of pressure, hope, and expectations.

But James couldn’t worry about all that; he first had to escape the heat of the United Center in Chicago.

The Bulls used extremely tough defense, constantly wearing down the Cavaliers’ players.

They tormented their opponents, tormented themselves, and even tormented the audience.

Scott Skiles abandoned the offensive mindset, pushing the defense to the extreme.

"I’m tired, sore all over, not in good shape, I can’t catch my breath, I feel terrible." After Game 5, James said post-game.

Before boarding the team’s return flight, he needed intravenous treatment to replenish his energy.

From this point alone, his body couldn’t compare to that of the god.

Was he surprised by how far the Cavaliers came?

"I’m not surprised," he said. "What’s there to be surprised about?"

As early as eight months ago, when the 2006-2007 season training camp started, James began talking about winning the championship.

In the summer, the Cavaliers attracted powerful veterans like Mike Finley and Chris Weber.

Rookie Gibson caught the Cavaliers’ attention early on; his playoff three-pointers were as crucial as Marshall’s.

Arenas was a hot scorer in the League, and though only 22, James felt he was capable of anything.

The Eastern Celtics were the biggest obstacle, but they were caught in internal strife.

Rick Carlisle’s coaching was becoming more adept; he had championship experience.

When was the last time a Cleveland professional sports team made it to the League finals?

In 1964, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship, winning the League title.

There were two more occasions, in 1995 and 1997, in MLB, when the Cleveland Indians entered the World Series.

As for the NBA, the Cavaliers had yet to taste the finals.

Now, LeBron James had a chance to make history.

He held the ball, with time ticking away.

The Bulls players were exhausted too, without the energy to proactively double-team.

They were also wary of James’s passing and Arenas’s shooting.

The time came down to single digits, 9, 8, 7, 6...

James finally moved, holding the ball and making a forced breakthrough from the front, challenging the internal defense built by Ben Wallace and Okafor.

Luol Deng in front of him was like a piece of paper being pierced, and he easily broke into the three-second zone.

Wallace and Okafor both lunged forward, double-teaming when James was still far from the basket.

James gathered the ball like a tiger charging towards the basket, causing chaos amidst the muscular collisions underneath.

There were many feet on the floor, everyone squeezing towards the ball to try to decide the game’s outcome.

James protected the ball, squeezed below the basket, and with his left hand, made a bank shot layup, evading the blocks by Big Ben and Okafor!

The ball went in! The Cavaliers took the lead! The Eastern champion was about to be born.

Although Ben Wallace and Okafor spun their hands continuously, signaling to the referee about traveling.

But the referee was unmoved, and the Bulls had no more timeouts, only 1.2 seconds left.

A long inbound pass from the backcourt, Sindrich received the ball but couldn’t get it off, and the game was over.

James burst out of the court, hugging Rick Carlisle.

He was ecstatic, then hugged the two veteran Chris Weber and Finley.

Finally, he shook hands and hugged Arenas; it was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ night to shine.

James vaguely saw Michael Jordan watching the game from the VIP box high up in the United Center.

He seemed to be saying, see you in Las Vegas.

——Excerpted from 2007 publication, "The franchise: LeBron James and remaking of the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS" by Terry Pluto.