Chapter 332 The Sixth Battle of the Eastern Finals
Losing the game made the entire Cavaliers team very depressed.
After the game, James also publicly stated at the press conference: The team must find a way to cure O'Neal's injury as soon as possible!
Without O'Neal, the Cavaliers are not a complete team.
We need O'Neal!
If I lose the series because O'Neal can't play, then I have to think about my future!
As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the Cavaliers panicked!
It doesn't matter whether we win or lose the series. Whether we can win the championship this season is a trivial matter, but if James leaves, it will be a big deal!
With James here, the Cavaliers are a strong team, and as long as people watch, they can sell tickets!
If James leaves, the Cavaliers will have nothing!
Although the NBA is a business league and the owner is always the largest, superstars are always a scarce resource and cannot be bought with just money.
So you must listen to what James says!
After the game, O'Neal had an MRI, and the results came out quickly.
Sprained foot, soft tissue injury, minor fracture, need to rest for three to four weeks.
It will be impossible to play basketball in the short term.
If you want to heal O'Neal's injury, the only possibility is to find Deng Fang.
James had approached Deng Fang before, and the results were very good.
It is precisely for this reason that James spoke out after the game and requested that O'Neal be cured as soon as possible.
Without Deng Fang, it would have been impossible for O'Neal to recover in a short time!
But it costs a lot of money to seek treatment from Deng Fang!
Who pays for it?
James is impossible!
James didn't even pay a penny for his own medical treatment!
Not to mention O'Neal!
O'Neal paid for it himself?
How can it be!
O'Neal is 38 years old and is likely to retire after playing this year.
You are about to retire, so why bother spending a lot of money on medical treatment?
It doesn’t mean it won’t be better if you don’t spend money!
It just takes a little more time!
The only one who can pay is the Cavaliers owner.
But O'Neal's salary this season is as high as 20 million US dollars, which is more than James!
James only earns 15.78 million this season!
In the past, Deng Fang's price for medical treatment was half of the player's salary, but the day before yesterday, Deng Fang said that now the price for medical treatment would be doubled.
Because it’s time for the finals!
The Warriors have advanced to the finals.
If the Cavaliers reach the Finals, they will be the Warriors' opponent.
To treat the opponent’s main players, of course it’s appropriate to ask for more!
Half of O'Neal's salary is 10 million, doubling it is 20 million!
The boss’s money didn’t come from the strong wind!
The general manager of the Cavaliers contacted Deng Fang immediately and asked cautiously.
Not surprisingly, Deng Fang gave an offer of 20 million.
This requires the life of the general manager of the Cavaliers!
No need to ask about this price, the boss will definitely disagree.
But Deng Fang would not let go.
I have dealt with Deng Fang before. Deng Fang is very tight-lipped and says whatever he wants!
After working hard with Deng Fang for a long time, the general manager of the Cavaliers did not let Deng Fang ask for a penny less!
In desperation, the general manager of the Cavaliers hung up the phone.
Let’s go and see!
How else could it be.
…
On May 26, Game 5 between the Cavaliers and Magic began.
This game was played at the home court of the Cavaliers. It was also the battle of Tianwang Mountain in the series. It was very important to both the Magic and the Cavaliers.
Although it is the home court of the Cavaliers, it is obvious that the morale of the Cavaliers is not as good as that of the Magic.
Why?
First of all, it's because the Magic lost two games in a row.
Just like in a game, once a team that is lagging behind equals the score or takes the lead, their morale will soar and their fighting power will be extremely strong.
At this time, the coach of the team that is being overtaken will usually call a timeout to interrupt the opponent's rhythm and allow the players to calm down.
The same situation applies when a big score is tied.
Falling behind 0:2, and then pulling back two games in a row. In this case, the team that tied the score must have high morale and amazing combat effectiveness.
In addition, there is another reason, and that is O'Neal's injury.
The only player on the Cavaliers who can match up with Howard in terms of tonnage is O'Neal.
But O'Neal is injured!
It would be okay if only O'Neal was injured. After all, the Cavaliers' boss is James, and there are not many tactics surrounding O'Neal.
But James' speech after the last game made the Cavaliers players very hurt.
What?
James is leaving?
If we lose this series, our leader may leave?
Then why should I work hard?
When the tree falls and the hozens scatter, the boss is leaving, what future do I have if I stay here?
Accompany a group of rookies to level up?
Especially after hearing the news that the general manager of the Cavaliers did not agree to Deng Fang's offer, the Cavaliers players were even more discouraged.
Did you see that what the boss values most is money!
Not the championship!
Then why should I work hard?
What a great money to go to a new team!
What should I do if I get injured if I try my best?
It's better to find a way out for yourself.
Playing with such a mentality, one can imagine the Cavaliers' performance.
Although Mike Brown poured tons of chicken soup, and although James also performed very bravely, the Cavaliers players could not stand up to the disorientation, and the team played very sluggishly.
Offense can rely on superstars for a period of time, but defense cannot be done by one person.
Howard is still brave, and the Cavaliers can't guard Howard.
Double-checking Howard requires quick defense changes, but it's difficult for the Cavaliers to do this in this state.
If you don't double-team, Howard will be allowed to wreak havoc on the inside. If you double-team, Howard will miss the outside.
The result is loss both internally and externally.
After the first quarter, the Cavaliers were already 15 points behind!
When the substitutes came on in the second quarter, the Cavaliers played even more disorganized.
At halftime, the Cavaliers trailed by 25 points!
After 5 minutes of the third quarter, the Cavaliers were already trailing by more than 30 points!
James also took the initiative to foul and took the rest.
The game lost its suspense.
In the end, the Magic defeated the Cavaliers 113:82 on the road, and the score became 3:2!
Losing the game at home, the Cavaliers are in danger of elimination, and the series is at stake.
…
After the game, the Cavaliers general manager contacted Deng Fang again.
If you want to stabilize the morale of the military, you must satisfy James' wishes. If you want to satisfy James' wishes, you must cure O'Neal's illness.
But only Deng Fang can do this!
This is the only one, no other branches!
Even though he hated it so much, the general manager of the Cavaliers couldn't do anything about it.
The general manager of the Cavaliers contacted Deng Fang for no other reason than to bargain.
See if you can get a little less!
When doing business, you have to bargain. How can you get the price you say?
But Deng Fang did not relent at all.
I didn't let go before the fifth game. Now that you have lost, the price will be even higher!
Didn't you hang up the phone last time in hopes that the team would win the fifth game, and then use it to blackmail me?
Look, we won, we didn't need O'Neal to win!
Forget it if you don’t give me treatment!
Even if you make less, you still make money!
It’s better than making no money at all!
If you don’t lower the price, I won’t seek treatment from you, and you won’t make a dime!