Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 636 - 218: Wild East, Consecutive MVPs! (Only 1 update today because it’s Ah Qiao’s birthday)

The Warriors effortlessly advanced to the second round.

This allowed Qin Yue and his teammates not only more time to rest but also sparked their interest in studying the progress of the Eastern Conference playoffs first round while waiting for their next opponent.

As expected, the Hawks, without Tyson Chandler, became the first team in the East to be eliminated.

Although Josh Smith from the Hawks always considered himself the 'Atlanta Xiaoxin,' his playing style actually made him resemble more of a 'poor man's James.'

In the first round of the playoffs, when the poor man's version met the original, Smith was naturally suppressed in all aspects by James.

And the Knicks won the first three games against the Hawks, almost effortlessly reaching match point.

However, this series, which was supposed to be without suspense, took an unexpected turn in the fourth game.

The reason was...

Durant, who was trying in every way to align himself with Qin Yue, suggested to the coach and his teammates before the start of the fourth game, "Brown has a clear advantage in his matchup against Josh, we should give him more control of the ball, he needs a more perfect performance to prove himself."

Give him more control of the ball.

He needs a performance to prove himself.

That evening, although James was pleased Durant was considering him, he didn't like Durant's condescending tone.

However...

In front of the 'New York Messiah' Durant, James currently had no room for being choosy.

"Brown, do your best!"

"I will, thank you, 'KD'."

Even if he felt some discontent towards Durant in his heart, James still had to greet him with a smile.

Why?

Because James's personality dictated that to maintain his dignity, he couldn't possibly fall out with Durant at such a moment.

Just like when Qin Yue first entered the league, James told him that.

All along, gaining power respectably through locker room politics is what James excels at.

In Cleveland, James respectably sent away the overly ambitious Ricky Davis.

In history, James respectfully relieved Wade, known for his 'Zhao Yun-like courage,' of his military power.

In later years, when returning to Cleveland, James didn't even need to take action; with off-court marketing as the Chosen One leading the championship back to the city of defeat, he successfully established himself as the life mentor of Owen.

And in the more distant future, when facing the naive and simple Davis, whose brows seemed to exude wisdom, James even developed a whole new manner of playing.

Under the guise of helping Davis quickly grow to become the head of the Lakers, the credit for winning all belonged to me, and when losing, you were the head of the family. Until Qin Yue's crossing, James was still firmly holding his power in the Lakers.

In short, you can smear everything about James, but you absolutely cannot question his dominance in locker room politics.

And in the fourth game, the role that James barely gained in this Knicks team as the ball-handling core almost brought a perfect personal performance for Knicks fans.

Throughout the game, James tallied 38 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

However, the reason this performance was only almost perfect...

Mainly because Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, unwilling to be swept out, teamed up for a career-defining performance.

The former, despite Iguodala's deathly grip, explosively scored 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The latter, for that evening, sank nine three-pointers, collecting a total of 35 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists.

When the Hawks' backcourt dual-core shone brightly, leading the team to claw back a game despite being down 0-3, the ever-critical New York media immediately questioned the tactical adjustment the Knicks voluntarily made in this game.

The New York media couldn't understand why D'Antoni changed the Knicks' prior tactic of having Iguodala as the ball-handling core in the starting lineup, and structuring the rotation around Harden.

Even though James's personal performance in this fourth game was commendable, in the eyes of the New York media, had the Knicks steadfastly continued with their previous tactic, they should be discussing the Knicks' next-round opponent by now.

"Mike D'Antoni, please give the ball back to Iguodala and Harden! Stop indulging in your fanciful tactical experiments!"

In the fifth game, the Knicks, back at Madison Square Garden, heeded the New York media's pre-game advice, and with a decisive victory that night, smoothly progressed to the next round.

However...

Looking over this series, James's mood was nonetheless far from happy.

Because the game in which the Knicks played entirely around him, where he was the central figure, just happened to be the only game they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Even though in that game, the reason the Knicks lost was mainly due to the stellar form of ISO Joe and Deron.

But in contrast to the other four blowouts, even James himself began to doubt himself.

"Brown, I won't allow you to doubt yourself!"

On the night of advancing to the second round, having noticed James's low spirits, Durant took the initiative to comfort him by saying, "I've always recognized your personal ability, without your assistance, we wouldn't go far."

Assistance, once again assistance.

Despite Durant's comfort, James couldn't understand why this young man's way of speaking was so annoying that it repeatedly reminded him of Qin Yue.