LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 29: The Spurs of the East
After snapping their losing streak, LeBron James finally let out a sigh of relief, and so did the Cavaliers' management.
LeBron had been applying serious pressure on the front office, leaving them in a tough spot. But they already had targets in mind for roster upgrades—only the final terms needed to be negotiated.
Following the Magic game, the Cavaliers had just two more games left in November.
The team collectively relaxed, having survived that brutal three-game skid.
Jay Sun also needed some recovery time—not just physically, but mentally.
After all, if even a 40-minute class can make you zone out, imagine how draining an NBA game must be.
Since the Cavaliers had temporarily found their rhythm, the next two games went smoothly without any surprises.
On November 27, the Cavs beat the Wizards 113-87, getting their revenge from the previous loss.
John Wall? Not the same beast from before.
Because this time, Jay was on him the entire game.
Wall finished with just 6 points and 7 assists.
Jay? Absolutely exhausted.
Then on November 30, the Cavs defeated the Pacers 109-97, who were without Paul George.
The Pacers' leading scorer was David West with 14 points, but Kevin Love completely outplayed him with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Jay had modest performances in both games—12 points in one, 14 in the other.
He wasn't scoring a lot, but his buckets always came at crucial moments, leaving the opposing team in despair during the fourth quarter.
With a record of 11-3, the Cavaliers wrapped up November in strong fashion.
On December 4, 2014, the NBA announced the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November:
Jay Sun.
In November, Jay averaged 17.9 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game.
As expected, the Western Conference Rookie of the Month went to Andrew Wiggins.
In the East, Jay's biggest competition was Jabari Parker.
But Parker didn't remain a concern for long.
On December 17, Jabari Parker was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Hearing the news, Jay didn't have much of a reaction. But for Wiggins, it seemed to awaken something inside him.
Parker's injury cleared the path for Jay to dominate the Rookie of the Month awards in the East.
Now it was a showdown:
Jay Sun vs. Andrew Wiggins.
One would win Rookie of the Year. The only condition? Both had to stay healthy.
As December began, the Cavs kept rolling. They went on a five-game winning streak to start the month.
The streak ended on December 12, with a 94-103 loss to the Thunder.
The main reason?
LeBron rested that game.
The Cavs had a back-to-back set, and with their current form, LeBron needed to manage his body.
One loss was acceptable—no one made a big deal out of it.
The next day, the Cavs barely scraped by, beating the Pelicans 119-114.
Tyreke Evans dropped 31 points and 10 assists, while Omer Asik grabbed 14 rebounds, completely dominating the Cavs' interior.
But the most frustrating player?
Ryan Anderson.
He scored 30 points, hitting 8 three-pointers!
The Cavs were almost shot to death—again.
Fortunately, in the fourth quarter, Jay took it upon himself to guard Anderson.
With his Defensive Anchor badge in full effect, Anderson missed three consecutive threes.
Without his outside shooting, Anderson turned into a standing cone on the court.
LeBron took over down the stretch with relentless drives to the basket, securing a narrow victory for the Cavs.
Final stats:
LeBron James: 41 pointsKevin Love: 21 points, 10 reboundsKyrie Irving: 17 pointsJay Sun: 18 points
After beating the Pelicans, the Cavs had another easy win over the Hornets.
Then came December 18, back at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Their opponent?
The Eastern Conference leaders—the Atlanta Hawks.
This was a marquee matchup—a battle for the top spot in the East.
The Hawks arrived in full force, with a complete lineup.
The game began with the Hawks running their signature team-oriented offense.
Dennis Schröder drove inside for an easy layup off a perfectly executed play.
Jay continued his defensive assignment from the last time they played the Hawks, sticking close to Kyle Korver. But that left Kyrie without help defense.
On the next possession, Kyrie tried to answer with a drive of his own—only to be met by Al Horford, who swatted his shot away.
Watching the Hawks' fluid ball movement, Jay couldn't help but think:
"No wonder they're called the Spurs of the East."
Once again, the Hawks used a well-rehearsed play to get Schröder into the paint.
Neither Kevin Love nor Anderson Varejao was much of a shot-blocker.
And Horford?
Horford was always doing those little things that didn't show up on the stat sheet but made a huge impact.
On the next Cavs possession, LeBron went for a forceful drive, only to have his shot disrupted by Paul Millsap.
Luckily, Jay was right there to grab the loose ball.
With a quick spin move, he finished the layup.
The next few possessions went back and forth, but the Hawks consistently created better looks through their system—except for Korver.
Jay held Korver scoreless in the first quarter, forcing him into just two attempts, both misses.
Still, the Cavaliers were in trouble.
The first quarter ended with the Hawks leading 34-26.
In the second quarter, Jay remained on the floor, orchestrating the offense.
Schröder, who had been effective in the first quarter, was neutralized by Jay's defense.
The Hawks shifted their focus to the frontcourt, where Millsap and Horford took turns posting up.
The Cavaliers fought back, with Jay and Love running constant pick-and-rolls.
Jay's Acrobat and Slasher badges came in handy as he weaved through the defense for layups.
Love, meanwhile, kept knocking down long-range shots, forcing Horford to step out of the paint.
With the lane more open, Jay had even more room to operate, occasionally sneaking in a three-pointer.
Jay exploded for 15 points in the second quarter, leading the Cavs to a 39-26 quarter win.
At halftime, the Cavaliers led 65-60.
After the break, Jay and Love rested while Kyrie and LeBron led the team.
What happened next caught everyone off guard.
Shelvin Mack went off.
This Hawks bench player, who averaged just 5.4 points per game, suddenly caught fire.
In the third quarter alone, Mack went 6-for-6 from three, scoring 18 points.
The Cavaliers were stunned.
Kyrie looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Maybe the earth really is flat…"
By the end of the third quarter, the Hawks had taken control, leading 90-80.
Heading into the fourth, the Cavaliers were down by 10 points.
Tyronn Lue knew it was time to stop holding back.
He sent out the strongest lineup to start the final quarter.
On the first possession, LeBron held the ball on the wing while Jay ran to the opposite corner.
LeBron spotted Jay's movement and understood immediately.
Driving inside to draw the defense, LeBron kicked the ball out to a wide-open Jay.
Jay caught it, rose up, and released.
Splash.
Three-pointer, good.
In that moment, Jay felt like he could become the Cavs' fourth star.
The Hawks, meanwhile, left Mack on the floor, hoping he'd continue his hot streak.
He didn't.
Jay clamped down on Mack, completely taking him out of the game.
With Mack neutralized, the Hawks reverted to their inside game, feeding Horford in the post.
Horford muscled his way past Varejao for an easy bucket.
On the next possession, Kyrie got the ball from LeBron.
He hesitated, then took a three.
Brick.
Kyrie was now 0-for-3 from deep, with just 9 points.
It was clear he would face heavy criticism after the game.
With five minutes left, the Cavs still trailed by five.
LeBron glanced at the scoreboard, then at Kyrie's slumped shoulders.
Shaking his head, he drove to the rim once again.