Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 731 - 259: As Long as He Fights, I Won’t Fight!_3

Then, Durant changed the subject and said, "But if in such an important game, LeBron James only scores 8 points, then we are destined not to beat this Warriors team."

8 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists.

James, who was usually the first to shirk responsibility, never expected that Durant would so bluntly place the blame for the Knicks' opening game loss squarely on his shoulders.

Yes.

James admitted that his performance in this game was not good.

But isn't the reason for his poor performance due to his teammates not providing enough help?

"I did only score 8 points, but I also only attempted 9 shots in the game." James argued in his own defense, "I haven't found my scoring touch yet, and if you watched the game, you'll see I focused all my energy on the defensive end." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Defensive end?"

In response to James' claim, Durant retorted on the spot, "What LeBron said about focusing his energy on defense, does that mean even a rookie like Jimmy Butler can score 14 points over him?"

"'KD's accusations against me are somewhat harsh."

James, unable to understand why Durant was being so strict with him, said, "We are a team, he should trust me more."

"Trust? What more trust does he want from me?"

After choosing to break ties with James, a feeling of immense liberation overcame Durant as he said, "In Cleveland, LeBron wanted more trust; in New York, he also wants more trust. So the question arises, why hasn't LeBron ever thought about why he can never gain trust?"

During the interview session, noticing that Durant and James had completely fallen out, the reporters excitedly asked, "'KD', LeBron says your accusations have made him very sad, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Durant considered what Qin Yue would do if faced with such a situation, and decisively responded, "Sad? If he's feeling that way, then for the remainder of the finals, he doesn't need to play."

"'KD', do you mean you're going to DNP LeBron?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Plus, I believe we'll play even better without him," Durant said, "If I remember correctly, he's lost twenty-one consecutive games to Messiah, hasn't he?"

The first game of the finals ended.

Durant and James' post-game fiery exchange (indicating James being single-sidedly scolded) suddenly became the focal point of public attention.

"After 'KD' publicly expressed his desire for the Knicks to DNP him, LeBron said in an interview that 'KD' has no right to decide whether the Knicks play him or not." — ESPN News Headlines

"People close to LeBron indicate that after the first finals game, 'KD's public criticism of his teammates is causing division and disintegration in what was once an excellent team atmosphere for the Knicks." — The San Francisco Chronicle

"The split between 'KD' and LeBron has already cast a shadow over the Knicks' prospects for this year's finals. But objectively speaking, even if 'KD' is 1% at fault, doesn't LeBron bear 99% of the responsibility for his poor performance in the first final game?" — The New York Times

Before the start of the second finals game, Knicks' head coach DAntoni suddenly felt a headache.

Because Durant's strong stance on DNPing James was far beyond what the Knicks coaching staff and management had anticipated.

"If he plays, I won't."

In a Knicks emergency team meeting, Durant stated adamantly.

...

PS: The update, although late, is here. (By the way, Ah Qiao's prediction in the group was spot on, wasn't it? Assuming external factors are set aside, as long as the Warriors didn't withstand the fifth game, the Rockets completely have hope of making a comeback despite being 1-3 down. As for the Clippers and Nuggets series, as strong as Yuezi may be, Ah Qiao still favors the battling war god Ka in a game seven.)