197: Chapter 197 The Emperor's Reign! The All-Powerful LeBron!

The Lakers take the ball out from the baseline.

Lin Feng slowly brought the ball across half-court.

The noise of the American Airlines Arena was like an invisible giant wave, crashing against his eardrums wave after wave.

Every Miami fan was doing their utmost to create any interference possible for their opponent.

Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged.

His gaze swept across the entire court.

The Eye of the Heavenly Emperor quietly activated.

In his field of vision...

The dynamics of the entire court, the muscle exertion of all players, and the subtle shifts in centers of gravity all became incredibly clear.

He saw the Miami Heat's defensive positioning.

It was an extremely oppressive, collapsing formation.

Chris Bosh and "Birdman" Anderson, two long-limbed big men, stood like two mobile iron towers, firmly guarding the paint.

Their defensive coverage was astonishingly large.

On the perimeter, Chalmers and Wade were like two hounds, constantly applying pressure and rotating.

Their speed was scalp-tinglingly fast.

Lin Feng couldn't find any easy shooting opportunities.

He could hardly even find a comfortable passing lane.

This was NBA Finals-level defensive intensity.

Every opening was fleeting.

Every moment of hesitation would be instantly swallowed up.

Lin Feng tried a change of direction.

Attempting to shake off Chalmers' defense.

But Wade immediately doubled him from the flank.

The two of them formed an airtight cage with their defense.

Lin Feng was almost forced to a stop.

In that critical moment...

He saw a tiny passing window.

With a flick of his wrist...

The basketball, like a butterfly flitting through flowers, zipped under Wade's armpit.

It accurately found Pau Gasol, who was calling for the ball at the high post.

It was an incredibly beautiful pass.

But the moment Gasol caught the ball...

Bosh's long arms had already obscured his vision.

Gasol could only opt for a fadeaway jumper.

His form was textbook.

His release was soft.

But under Bosh's heavy interference...

The basketball clanked off the front of the rim.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound rang out.

The rebound was snatched high out of the air by "Birdman" Anderson.

The Lakers' first offensive possession...

A failure.

Anderson slung the ball directly to LeBron James, who was already leaking out.

The Heat's counterattack!

James was like a heavy truck starting at full speed.

He drove the ball toward the Lakers' half-court.

Defending him was Artest.

One of the toughest, strongest perimeter defenders in the league.

Artest spread his arms and lowered his center of gravity.

His eyes were like those of a predator ready to pounce.

He wanted to use his body to give this arrogant Emperor a taste of his own medicine.

The two met near the free-throw line.

No flashy dribbling.

No unnecessary feints.

James simply dipped his shoulder...

And then, with his tank-like body, he slammed right into him!

"Bang!"

A dull thud.

Artest felt as if he had run into a wall.

No.

The wall had run into him.

An irresistible, massive force surged from his chest.

His base instantly lost its stability.

He couldn't help but take a step back.

That one step...

The defensive line was completely torn open.

James steamrolled past him.

Taking three large strides to the basket...

Facing Gasol, who had rotated over to help...

He leaped high into the air.

His arm, like a tensed bowstring...

Slammed the basketball fiercely into the hoop!

"Wham!"

The rim let out a painful groan.

At the same time...

The referee's whistle blew.

Defensive foul on Gasol!

The basket counts!

And one!

"And One!"

The entire American Airlines Arena erupted!

Fans waved their arms frantically...

Shouting "MVP" at the top of their lungs!

James beat his chest...

Letting out a beastly roar.

This was his power.

This was his dominance.

Lin Feng stood in the distance...

Watching this scene.

His brow furrowed slightly.

He had encountered many opponents with explosive athleticism before.

Like Westbrook of the Thunder.

Like Durant.

But they were completely different from the LeBron James before him.

It was a fundamental gap in the dimension of power.

If Westbrook was dynamite...

Then James was an unstoppable main battle tank.

He could destroy your entire defense in the most unreasonable way possible.

James stepped to the free-throw line...

And calmly sank the extra free throw.

5-0.

Lakers' turn to attack.

Lin Feng brought the ball up again.

This time, he became more cautious.

He constantly communicated with his teammates through eye contact...

Attempting to create an opportunity through more complex off-ball movement.

He saw Kobe using a screen to run toward the corner.

This was an opportunity.

Lin Feng didn't hesitate for a second.

He sent a bounce pass over.

The basketball flew accurately toward Kobe.

But just a second before the ball could reach Kobe's hands...

A dark shadow suddenly lunged out from the side!

It was LeBron James!

He had actually anticipated Lin Feng's passing lane!

He was like an omnipresent ghost...

Directing the team's rotations on the defensive end...

While also reading every passing intention of Lin Feng, the quarterback, like an elite NFL safety.

Steal!

After James intercepted the ball, he immediately launched a fast break.

His speed was incredible.

The Lakers players simply couldn't get back in time.

Everyone thought he would complete this coast-to-coast dunk himself.

But he didn't.

After drawing all the defensive attention...

He gave his wrist a light flick behind his back.

An incredibly stylish behind-the-back pass.

The basketball seemed to have eyes...

Accurately finding Chalmers, who had followed up to the three-point line.

No one was in front of Chalmers.

He took his time to adjust.

Jumped.

Shot.

"Swish!"

Nothing but net!

8-0!

The entire arena had become a sea of joy.

Offense.

Defense.

Playmaking.

In less than five minutes from the start...

LeBron James had shown the world why he was called "The King."

He could dominate the game in any way he wanted.

The Lakers' offense had ground to a complete halt.

Whether it was team cooperation...

Or individual isolation...

In the face of the Heat's suffocating defensive system...

It all seemed so pale and powerless.

Kobe tried to break the deadlock with his signature fadeaway jumper.

But the basketball missed the rim time and again.

Gasol was completely locked down by Bosh in the paint.

And Lin Feng was facing unprecedented defensive pressure.

He couldn't even find a single comfortable shooting space.

The lead was widening bit by bit.

Halfway through the first quarter...

The score reached 17-7.

The Lakers were already down by 10 points.

D'Antoni had no choice but to call a timeout.

The Lakers' bench was silent.

The players' faces were filled with gravity and frustration.

On the other end of the court...

The Heat's bench was relaxed and casual.

head coach Spoelstra was drawing up the next play.

Just then...

LeBron James walked over on his own initiative.

He interrupted Spoelstra.

He wiped the sweat from his face with a towel.

Then he extended a finger and pointed at the figure on the Lakers' bench opposite them.

That young Eastern man wearing the number 24 jersey.

Immediately after...

James tapped his own chest with his finger.

He made a gesture for a defensive switch.

He was going to guard that challenger himself.