NBA: LeBron James wants to team up with me

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The game officially began, with Bosh winning the tip-off and the ball returning to the Heat.

Chalmers dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it to Wade.

As Wang Chong had predicted, the Heat had put a lot of effort into studying the Bulls. After all, the Bulls were their biggest obstacle on the road to the championship.

After learning that the Bulls struggled to defend players who could break through and create scoring opportunities, they immediately developed a tactical play with Wade as the focal point of their offense.

Once Wade had the ball, facing Danny Green's defense, he chose to accelerate and drive without hesitation.

In fact, Wade had a serious knee issue during the 2010-11 season, but he was still relatively young at the time. Although the injury affected his explosiveness, he could still sprint across the court like a flash.

Wade's first step was lightning quick, and Danny Green didn't react fast enough. By the time Green tried to catch up, Wade had already gotten a step ahead of him.

Fortunately, the biggest difference between Green and Billups was Green's height of 1.98 meters (6'6") and his wingspan of 2.08 meters (6'10"), which allowed him to use his reach to contest the ball even when out of position.

Wade also noticed that, although he had passed most of Green's body, the defender was still leaning to the side, and he even tried to swipe at the basketball from behind.

This forced Wade to switch the ball to his other hand mid-move, which slowed his progress and reduced the distance between them.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. In just two seconds, Wade had already entered the paint, and Gasol was waiting under the basket.

Having followed Danny Green to the side, Wade now had to contend with Gasol's defense in front of him, forcing Wade to attempt a difficult layup.

But Wade was not Rose. While Wade's strength and impact were certainly superior to Rose's, in terms of staying in the air and core strength, Wade was not as effective.

Although Wade's tricky layup successfully avoided Danny Green and Gasol's blocks, his shot missed the basket, and Garnett grabbed the defensive rebound.

"..."

After landing, Wade looked at Danny Green, furrowing his brow slightly.

During the regular season, the Heat played the Bulls four times, and Wade had faced Green, but in just one offensive possession, he felt that his opponent's defensive skills and experience had clearly improved to another level.

This was likely due to the training they had undergone in the first two rounds of the playoffs, particularly in the first round, where the Bulls' opponents were weak. As a result, the main Bulls players played fewer minutes, allowing the bench players, like Danny Green, ample training opportunities. These young players had made significant improvements in their game, to the point where Wade now felt a bit threatened.

The Bulls attacked, and after Curry brought the ball past half-court, he waited for his teammates to get into position before passing it directly into the paint.

Gasol caught the ball under the basket with Joel Anthony's back against him. He turned smoothly and lifted the ball to score. Anthony leaped desperately to block it, but his height and skill gap meant he could only watch as Gasol made the easy basket.

This sequence caused a sinking feeling for everyone on the Heat's bench.

It seemed that the Bulls had no intention of holding back. They were attacking the Heat from the start and focusing on the Heat's biggest weakness.

However, this dynamic was mutual. Wade also went straight for the Bulls' weakness at that moment. The Bulls' actions were just a courtesy.

2:0, Gasol gave the Bulls the lead.

The ball changed hands, and the Heat attacked again. Wade once again broke through with the ball. This time, with better preparation, Wade accelerated, beat Green, and made a shot over Gasol's defense, scoring.

The Heat's offense in the opening rounds was led by Wade. This situation was almost identical to when the Bulls faced the Knicks in the second round, except that the opponent had shifted from Rose to Wade, but the threat was nearly the same.

But the Heat's defense was much sharper than the Knicks'.

Wade was personally responsible for guarding Curry, while Wang Chong was glued to James the entire game.

With the same Big Three setup, the Heat's Big Three were still a level stronger than the Knicks' Big Three.

However, the Bulls were not at a disadvantage. Replacing Danny Green with the starting position was not in vain. Wade's shooting percentage wasn't as high as expected. Despite his smaller stature, Gasol's offensive presence in the paint started to take control of the game.

At the end of the first quarter, Wade had made 4 of 9 shots, scoring 11 points, including free throws.

For the Bulls, Gasol made 4 of 6 shots and 2 of 2 free throws, totaling 10 points.

While the score between the two teams was relatively close in the first quarter, with the Bulls leading by only 2 points at 27-25, the local fans weren't nervous about the tight score.

Why panic? Wang Chong hasn't even begun to show his strength yet.

During the regular season games between the Bulls and the Heat, Wang Chong often played conservatively in the early quarters, saving his strength for the crucial final minutes, when he would unleash a wave of attacks to overpower his opponents.

The playoffs would be no different. No Bulls fan or Wang Chong doubted his ability to score in crunch time.

The Heat clearly understood this. As they watched Wade exert his strength, the team could only hang with the Bulls, knowing they would eventually have to contend with Wang Chong. They began to get anxious.

But impatience didn't help the game. On the contrary, it disrupted the team's offensive rhythm and widened the point gap to over 5 points.

To the outside world, the Heat's Big Three represented a massive threat and were considered very strong opponents. However, in Wang Chong's view, the Heat hadn't yet established James as the first tactical core and had instead allowed Bosh to play that role. The Heat's full-court press and fast-break tactics, which had begun in the 2011-12 season, simply weren't enough to threaten the Bulls.

Wade, in his prime, was no weaker than James, but it had to be admitted that, after suffering a severe knee injury, Wade's dominance on the court wasn't as strong as James'.

The idea of an "eight-point military power" might be nonsense in itself, but it was actually correct in terms of results. If the Heat hadn't used James as their primary tactical core, they might not have won the next two consecutive championships. If that had happened, the Heat's Big Three would have been reduced to a joke.

Moreover, the Bulls' lineup was definitely not inferior to the Heat's Big Three.

At halftime, the score was 51-44, with the Bulls leading by 7 points.

Wang Chong had made 4 of 8 shots in the first half and 1 of 3 from beyond the three-point line. His shooting touch was somewhat average, with 11 points.

However, even with Wang Chong only scoring 11 points at the half, the Bulls were still 7 points ahead of the Heat. This showed that the Bulls had fully taken control of the game, even without Wang Chong's additional scoring power.

"Facing the Heat's Big Three" was proving no easy task.

The game entered the third quarter, which had always been the period the Heat feared the most.

The Heat's starting lineup was strong, thanks to their Big Three, but the downside was a lack of talent on the bench. Fortunately, the special nature of the playoffs allowed James to remain on the court, leading the Heat.

In the first half, since Wade had been the primary scorer, James hadn't expended much energy. As Wade sat out for a break, he became the Heat's sole offensive focal point.

But Wang Chong on the Bulls' side wasn't finished either. Unlike other players, he had boosted his physical skill value to 99, and like James, who hadn't concentrated much on offense in the first half, Wang Chong still had plenty of physical strength left.

As a result, at the start of the third quarter, the battle on the court became a direct showdown between Wang Chong and James.

Having been rivals for many years, the two were very familiar with each other's styles. James knew exactly how Wang Chong would play and also understood what kind of attack he would use.

Standing outside the three-point line with the ball, James faced Wang Chong's defense and opted for the most straightforward approach: using raw strength to break through.

Wang Chong, with his absolute advantage in height and wingspan, was at a disadvantage against James in terms of strength.

In fact, there were very few forwards who could compete with James in terms of power, even Artest, known for his strength, was slightly inferior.

James, during his 1.0 phase with the Cavaliers, was a bit more agile. To ensure his speed wasn't compromised, he had kept his weight around 110 kg (242 lbs). After joining the Heat, especially after their disastrous first year, James began adding weight for more impact. His weight eventually exceeded 120 kg (264 lbs), which was comparable to many of the league's heavy centers.

Some have said that James' two consecutive MVP seasons with the Heat marked the peak of his career. He reached his peak both offensively and defensively, becoming the most complete warrior.

Although James didn't weigh more than 120 kg now, his strength was still something Wang Chong couldn't withstand. A slight physical contact caused Wang Chong to stagger backward.

James barreled through toward the basket like a

tank and launched a dominant, axe-like dunk. After landing, he performed his signature "King Step" celebration, pounding his chest and shouting, drawing cheers from the Bulls' fans.

Wang Chong couldn't help but roll his eyes.

This guy really knows how to add drama to himself. Why all the theatrics?

After receiving the ball from the baseline, Wang Chong quickly dribbled it past half-court, and James immediately glued himself to him like a piece of tape.

Just as James knew how to break Wang Chong's defense, Wang Chong had a way to deal with James.

Switching the ball to his opposite hand and accelerating, Wang Chong used his slick ball-handling to dodge James' front defense, heading straight to the paint before performing his signature mid-range jump shot.

James reacted in time, stopping and jumping to block the shot. However, the significant height and wingspan difference between the two prevented him from touching Wang Chong's shot.

"What—!"

The basketball swished through the net and went in. Wang Chong calmly retreated to defense, as if nothing had happened, starkly contrasting James, who had just dunked and celebrated like he had won the game.

In the next possession, James continued his charge toward the paint, aiming to score aggressively, but this time Wang Chong didn't back down and fouled him immediately.

Wang Chong might not be able to stop James when he's charging full throttle, but he could still foul him before he could accelerate.

James stepped up to the free-throw line and made 1 of 2 free throws.

Now it was Wang Chong's turn to attack again. This time, Wang Chong opted for a three-pointer from outside, utilizing pick-and-roll screens from his teammates. With the help of his multiple badges, Wang Chong nailed the shot with a high success rate.

In the next round, James' offensive attempt was again halted by a foul from Wang Chong. With his third foul of the game, Wang Chong wasn't concerned; James probably guessed what Wang Chong was thinking.

"Does this guy want to use fouls to mess with my offensive rhythm? How many fouls can he commit in one game?"

Thinking this, James couldn't help but take a deep breath at the free-throw line, wanting to slap Wang Chong back with two free throws.

But sometimes, the more you try to make something happen, the less likely it is to succeed.

James' first free throw hit the back rim and bounced out. He couldn't make two free throws. Quickly adjusting his mindset, he made 1 of 2 free throws.

But... "Bang!"

No matter how much he feared it, James missed his second free throw, and Wang Chong grabbed the defensive rebound.

Wang Chong raced toward the Heat's offensive zone. With the "Fast Break Finisher" badge active, Wang Chong moved at high speed, crossing the three-point line with James in pursuit.

James, backpedaling, kept a close eye on Wang Chong's movements. His many battles had allowed him to vaguely predict Wang Chong's next move.

"This guy is definitely going to shoot a three!"

Thinking this, James immediately stopped and sprinted toward Wang Chong, trying to prevent him from taking the shot.

However, Wang Chong merely stopped a little outside the three-point line, then suddenly lowered his body, passed James, and drove straight into the paint. He leaped and slammed the ball down with a powerful dunk.

"Boom—!"

James had misjudged the situation, but this wasn't entirely his fault, as it had happened many times before. Receiving a faceful three-pointer from Wang Chong had created a psychological shadow, causing him to misstep defensively by halting his movement too early.

Wang Chong seized this and blew past James in one step.

This tomahawk dunk could also be seen as a counterattack to James' previous dunk.

End of this chapter

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