Chapter 588 - 85: Why Can’t The Goat Three-Peat as Regular Season MVP?

Su Xi was in high spirits, while Mike Brown was utterly passive.

Larry Brown was on pins and needles.

He felt as if he were on trial again.

Although the game wasn’t over, it was still too early to talk about victory or defeat.

However, Milicic’s improvement was plain to see.

It was as if Milicic had truly opened his Ren and Du Meridians. He seemed completely reborn. He was finally able to organically combine all his skills, forging them into a genuine style. Moreover, he could adjust to the opponent’s defense, constantly creating mismatches and launching effective attacks.

What’s more, his improvement on the defensive end was also obvious.

For a 21-year-old rookie—albeit an older one—the immediate impact he was having on the court was unbelievable.

It’s common knowledge that not all centers pan out, but when they do, they become a tremendous asset to any team.

"Does anyone still think Milicic is a bust?" Reggie Miller asked loudly on TV. "I think Detroit and Orlando should reflect on something. Could it be that they just don’t know talent when they see it? Or maybe, just maybe, those two teams couldn’t figure out how to read Milicic’s instruction manual?"

Reggie Miller, with his sharp, angular features, was truly a master of snide remarks.

His words were like slapping Larry Brown across the face, over and over, in public.

Everyone knew Larry Brown had refused to give Milicic a chance. Everyone knew he had adamantly declared Milicic had no future.

And yet now, Milicic was shining, while the legendary coach himself could only sit in the commentary booth as a TV analyst.

And most importantly, Milicic was shining brightly at Su Xi’s side.

In the entire basketball world, everyone knew that Su Xi was the greatest Waterloo of Larry Brown’s career.

The game continued.

Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James, and indeed the entire Cavaliers team, were going all out. They did create some spectacular highlights and even took the lead at one point.

But the Knicks always found a way to pull the score back in their favor.

The Knicks remained in control.

The first half ended.

The Knicks led 55-52, a 3-point advantage.

The lead wasn’t large, but it was enough to have the entire stadium rocking with chants of "MVP!"

Su Xi had 19 points in the first half.

Milicic had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in the first half.

He was simply everywhere.

While he couldn’t handle O’Neal in the post, nor could he stop Ilgauskas’s high-post jumper, neither O’Neal nor Ilgauskas could do anything about him on the other end.

He was essentially in a shootout with the two behemoth centers.

What’s more, he had Zach Randolph by his side.

However, for the Knicks, the most important thing about this game wasn’t the halftime lead. It was the fact that Milicic had perfectly integrated into the Knicks’ existing system. Milicic’s strengths had been woven into the fabric of the team; the Knicks could play fast when they wanted, and they had ways to slow it down, too.

Moreover, the interior defense formed by Milicic, Zach Randolph, and Su Xi was more than adequate.

The Cavaliers were in a difficult situation.

They realized their pre-game bravado had been misplaced. Although they still had the courage and confidence to win, a long-standing shadow of doubt began to creep back into their minds. ’What if the Knicks have another trick up their sleeve?’

Little Sheep Su Xi was known for his unorthodox strategies.

Therefore, they were somewhat silent on their way to the locker room.

Just then, an angry Shaquille O’Neal, walking ahead of the others, kicked a glass bottle on the ground... BANG!

The bottle shattered against the wall, sending shards of glass flying everywhere... SHATTER!

LeBron, who was walking behind him, was instantly cut by a sharp shard. Blood immediately began to well up from a cut on his right forearm.

He was the victim of a completely random accident.

The Cavaliers’ team doctor hurried over to bandage him. The wound was quite deep, so they quickly took him to get stitches.

And just like that...

He wouldn’t be able to play for the rest of the night.

ESPN’s cameras captured the entire incident, and when the footage was broadcast, fans were stunned.

Larry Brown said, "The Knicks’ luck is just too good."

But Reggie Miller said, "Congratulations to LeBron James. He gets to escape another thrashing."

Their two statements were diametrically opposed, clearly representing their respective stances.

When the second half began, James was already at the hospital.

The game didn’t become one-sided; instead, the intense battle raged on.

The Knicks relentlessly fed the ball to Milicic, letting him go one-on-one against the Cavaliers’ big men. He was well and truly using O’Neal as a sparring partner to level up his game.

O’Neal was very annoyed.

But he couldn’t get subbed out.

The score was still close.

And, in the last game, he and LeBron James had prematurely declared garbage time, which had already earned them a round of harsh ridicule from the New York Media.

Now, neither he nor the Cavaliers had a way out.

The only one who got to leave was the injured LeBron James.

O’Neal had no choice but to serve as a glorified sparring partner.

He knew the Cavaliers had no chance of winning.

The Knicks were toying with them like a cat with a mouse, building a small lead and then easing off, keeping them at a perfectly calculated distance.

The Cavaliers were furious, and O’Neal was practically fuming.

But there was nothing they could do.

They could only be led by the nose.

The game soon entered the fourth quarter, and O’Neal’s stint as a sparring partner was finally coming to an end.

After Milicic shook O’Neal with a beautiful move, he spun, drove to the hoop, and laid the ball in with a left-handed hook shot.

Mike Brown called a timeout and subbed out O’Neal.

At this point, with 2 minutes left in the game, the Cavaliers were down by 9.