At that time, no one knew what kind of mood LeBron James was in when he left Oracle Arena, and no one knew how he spent the night and the days and nights that followed for a long time.
Because he missed the three-pointer, the Clippers successfully overturned the Golden State Warriors in the tiebreaker, completed a huge comeback from a 1:3 deficit, won the Western Conference championship for four consecutive years, and reached the NBA Finals. finals.
After the game, the media and fans, who were originally prepared to devour the whale's corpse, pointed their fingers at James, and criticism and ridicule came like snow flakes.
Adding insult to injury and adding salt to the wound is what most people like to do. Human nature is what it is. What’s more, how could a big game like the NBA be without this delicious dessert?
The photo of James missing the last three-point shot and then standing there in a daze, chewing on his braces, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in May and became a tragic photo that cannot be ignored in the NBA this season.
Many years later, when LeBron James, who had fulfilled his dream of a championship, recalled the scene that night, he still vividly remembered it, and it was heart-piercing, but he could smile with relief and answered the host's question, saying: " I would say that was the most important shot of my career."
Host: "Yes, if you can make that shot, your destiny will be changed."
James shook his head: "No, no, I'm not saying what would happen to me if I made the shot, so that shot is very important. I mean, this shot is very important, and it is also very important if it was not made. It taught me how to endure failure, how to stand up again, and not be destroyed by failure.”
Host: "But...I would venture to say that this is not your first failure."
After speaking, the host laughed, and James also laughed, but then he suppressed his smile and said seriously: "This is indeed not the first time I have failed, but I admit that this is the first time I have realized that I really I lost, completely lost. On this basis, on the basis of admitting that I lost, I stood up again. This is different from before. Before, I would feel that even though I lost, it was glorious. , I lacked some luck, my teammates were too bad. But I didn’t this time, I did lose. That was the most difficult summer for me, the most difficult."
When saying this, James' expression was distant and heavy, but in the end he smiled: "Fortunately, I finally got what I wanted and became the person I should be."
Host: "Winning the championship."
James shook his head: "No, it's about becoming a hero in your own life."
But in the summer of 2015, James was clearly not a hero, not even the Los Angeles Clippers.
It's not because the Clippers didn't win the championship. On the contrary, in the finals in June, the Clippers swept the Atlanta Hawks and successfully won the championship, completing their fourth consecutive championship that shocked the past.
This is the only four consecutive championships since the Celtics won eight consecutive championships in the 1960s.
This four consecutive championships allowed the Clippers to successfully surpass the Bulls and Lakers and become a unique dynasty team in NBA history.
But an indisputable fact is that the ratings of this year's finals are even lower than the Western Conference Finals, and lower than last year's Clippers vs. Nets game - after all, the Nets had Kobe last year.
The four games were uneventful. The Hawks didn't struggle or resist much. They were pushed to the ground by the Clippers. The points difference exceeded 10 points in three of the four games.
Last year, in order to return to their home court to win the O'Brien Cup and complete three consecutive championships, the Clippers specially played one game and returned to Los Angeles for the fifth game to enjoy the cheers of the fans.
This year, the Clippers were exhausted in the Western Conference Finals and didn't want to play any more in the Finals, so they simply ended their opponents in Atlanta and successfully won the cup.
The Finals MVP went to the always expressionless robot Kawhi Leonard. Compared with the passionate and popular superstars in the past, Leonard really lacked some personality.
Therefore, after the finals, some media commented, "Except for the four consecutive championships, this finals was nothing to watch."
"Is the NBA just a one-man show for the Los Angeles Clippers?"
"Fans don't want to watch L.A. teams in the Finals all the time."
Even after the exciting and intense Western Conference Finals, a writer said afterwards, "This series was intense enough but not exciting. The Clippers won the series, but this was not a game that American audiences liked to watch. In fact, this series gave What leaves the deepest impression is James' failure, not the Clippers' success, which is a problem in itself."
Because the Clippers won the championship, they appeared on the cover of Time magazine in June. However, the person on the cover was neither Min Congda nor the posters of the Clippers players. Instead, it was Clippers female owner Shelley Sterling, and the Clippers built Super Arena - Huawei Center.
The title of the special report is neither "Four consecutive championships" nor "The NBA's most successful female owner" but "A summer without heroes."
This report implies that the Clippers' team-talented players' style of play is destroying the drama of the NBA, turning the reality show of heroism into a stage of utilitarianism.
"The Celtics in the 1960s were great, but the reason why the NBA became so strong was that in the following decades they tried their best to prevent the birth of such a team. Even Michael Jordan had to take a two-year break to entertain the fans. I have the appetite to come back and win three consecutive championships.”
The four consecutive championships did not allow the Clippers to gain more fans and praise. On the contrary, people began to attack the Clippers, believing that such a team has reduced the visibility of the NBA and made fans no longer want to turn on the TV to watch NBA games.
As for why Shelly Sterling is on the cover, in addition to the success of the Clippers, it is also because of Sterling’s growing influence in the Los Angeles business and sports circles. She used the Clippers’ championship to build her own She has become the sports queen of Los Angeles - it is reported that she has plans to invest in the acquisition of the Los Angeles Galaxy.
At the same time, the title of the huge Huawei Center Arena will expire next season, and Shelly Sterling has started to change the name of the arena to the Shelly Sterling Center.
This is an achievement that many male bosses have not achieved, and it also demonstrates Shelly Sterling's huge ambition.
Although she is over seventy years old, Shelly Sterling still shows great energy and extraordinary ambition. She seems to be unleashing all the resentment she has endured for the past 50 years after Donald Sterling's death.
People even speculated whether Shelly would plan to run for the US election in a few years.
However, some critics pointed out that the Clippers' success pointed out the corruption, hypocrisy and incompetence in the American professional sports circle.
A layman who landed in the air with unknown origins used just 6 years to build what may be the most powerful basketball empire in NBA history - because judging from the current personnel and salary structure of the Clippers, even if they cannot win five consecutive championships , and winning the championship later is basically a sure thing.
And what do most of those professional managers who earn millions in annual salary, claim to be professional, and are busy every day doing for a living?
They make so many transactions, look at so many new players, and make so many signings every year. It turns out that most of them are in vain.
A special report by ESPN also pointed out that the NBA is a small circle of grass-roots teams full of personal relationships, private favors, inbreeding, perfunctory work, solidified classes, and serious discrimination against women.
In the past, one of the signature promotional stories of the NBA was "Poor boys from the slums counterattack." There were many black players from single-parent families who became superstars and successfully changed the destiny of themselves and their families. It can be said to be very inspirational and encouraged many poor families. The child keeps himself clean and plays well in order to change his destiny.
But now, and in the foreseeable future, such situations may become increasingly rare.
More and more stars and second-generation players are entering the league, relying on personal relationships rather than ability to squeeze out other people's job opportunities.
Players are okay in this regard. After all, playing on the court depends on true ability. You are Jordan's son. If you are not capable, you are not good. (Even so, the resources obtained by the second generation of stars are incomparable to ordinary players.)
But outside the court, in those training, management, and coaching positions, how many people are closely related to it?
Smart-Min's example proves that doing nothing is much better than being busy all the time.
A well-known black sports commentator said: "Smart Min's existence is like a knife, cutting through the flashy and rigorous shell of the NBA, allowing people to see the emptiness and rotten stinking side inside."
Some fans even said that half of the many managers and scouts of NBA teams would be fired without affecting the normal operation of the team.
Because of the uproar in public opinion, Min Congda himself had to stand up and say that the Clippers have never been in the habit of firing employees, and the Clippers' success is inseparable from the efforts of every employee.
He also said in the interview, "The world does not always operate in a completely ideal and logical way. We are not God. We can only do the things in front of us. It is difficult for you to decide as a result."
There is some truth to this, but it sounds a bit harsh. After all, this is four consecutive championships.
Min Congda was not only the team's general manager, but also the coach. He took over the Clippers halfway and won the most difficult of the four championships.
Min Congda's personal reputation reached its peak this summer, becoming the hottest figure in the American sports circle.
However, in July, the free market is about to begin. People believe that the Clippers will show off their skills in the free market. They want to further consolidate the Clippers empire and win five consecutive championships. Shelley Sterling wants to become a strong sportswoman. James -When Harden was going to win the regular season MVP and James was going somewhere else, a brief message was published in the sports section of the Los Angeles Times:
"Smart Min resigned as head coach and general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers. It is rumored that he will take an important position in the NBA."
The news of general managers and coaches resigning and changing jobs is not big news in the sports sector. Fans are more concerned about superstars changing families, teaming up, and trading.
But Min Congda is extraordinary. He single-handedly created the Clippers empire and achieved brilliant achievements. Now is his most glorious moment. Why did he suddenly step down from the position of general manager?
The Los Angeles Times published the news, but they did not give a detailed report.
The sports section's editorial office was buzzing with calls, but they could only say that they knew about the incident, but they didn't know the details or the whole story. Everything would have to wait until Smart Min held a press conference to announce the specific situation. .
The Clippers media department also received a large number of calls and emails, including many inquiries from fans about why Smart left suddenly and what position he would take in the league.
The Clippers stated that this was Mr. Smart's personal decision. Clippers officials, including management and owners, had just learned of the news and were very shocked. The specific situation would not be known until the press conference.
Min Congda's new home was quickly surrounded by reporters. Everyone wanted to know in advance why Smart left the Clippers, what position he would take in the league, and why he wanted to work for the league.
As a result, after two days of squatting, reporters discovered that Min Congda and his family were not at home at all, and the house was quickly put up with a "for sale" sign.
It seems that Min Congda is really leaving Los Angeles.
On July 4th, the American Independence Day, NBA-Batman sent out a tweet: Smart Min has officially left his position as general manager and coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. His next job will be assistant vice president of the league, press release The meeting will be held in New York tomorrow.
Min Congda himself also updated his Twitter account, saying: "This will be a new beginning."
(The book is not finished yet)
(End of chapter)
