Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 276 I Always Stay in the Super Team
Garnett had a strong desire to play, but Malone was not in a hurry to let him play.

On the one hand, Malone had tasted success with the five-small lineup when playing against the Heat before, and he is now experimenting with it in the game, so he is not so anxious for Garnett to play.

On the other hand, and more importantly, he is cautious about treating a veteran who is at the twilight of his career.

Garnett's skills are actually not lost, but after he suffered a torn ligament in his right knee in 09, his knee became his biggest obstacle.

Not only did that make him lose his explosiveness, but his speed also dropped significantly. Now he no longer has the ability to sweep large areas on the defensive end.

As he got older, his attendance rate began to decline. He only played 54 games last season and only 42 games so far this season.

Bargnani's condition and overall strength this season are definitely better than Garnett's. The Cavaliers traded him because they were afraid that he would fail at critical moments like Paul.

If we are too hasty and Garnett gets injured in the end, it would be a waste of time and effort.

The Cavaliers' first opponent after the trade deadline is the Wizards.

With the growth of Wall and Beal, the Wizards have become a strong team in the Eastern Conference. Their performance this season is better than last season and they are currently ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference.

The biggest change in their lineup compared to last year is that the starting small forward was replaced by Pierce from Ariza.

So this game is also very interesting. Ray Allen, one of the original Boston Big Three, is already semi-retired, and the remaining Pierce and Garnett both left Boston and met each other on their new teams.

During the pre-match warm-up, the two chatted for a while in the midfield.

The two of them have a very good personal relationship.

After the game started, the two teams quickly fell into a stalemate.

The Wizards are not weak. In addition to Wall and Beal on the outside, and Pierce, the inside is also a combination of "Lone Testicle Warrior" Nene and "Polish Hammer" Gortat.

The Cavaliers are at a disadvantage in the paint, and especially had big problems defending the pick-and-roll tonight.

Nene and Gortat are both masters of pick-and-roll, and Wall is too fast, which forces the Cavaliers to passively switch defense when facing pick-and-roll.

Once a mismatch occurs due to a switch in defense, Wall can always punish the Cavaliers' inside players.

TT was injured by Wall in two consecutive rounds and had to leave the game early.

Just when TT left the court, Garnett stood up from his seat.

This move surprised his teammates, as Garnett was not on the team's active roster tonight.

However, he was not going to go on the court, but instead pulled TT off the court and started to attack on the sidelines.

"Hit harder", "Play like a man"...

The teammates heard these words clearly.

When he returned to the bench, TT received the towel and threw it to the ground.

I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t play well tonight or because I was annoyed by Garnett’s criticism.

The Cavaliers failed to defend the Wizards' pick-and-roll in the first half, and conversely, the Wizards failed to limit Hansen's breakthrough points.

At the end of the first half, the two teams were tied at 54, and the game was evenly matched.

When the game returned to halftime, Han Sen was a little late because he was interviewed by reporters on the sidelines.

Just as he walked into the player tunnel, he discovered that TT was still there.

Seeing him come in, TT immediately came over to complain to him:
"KG is too controlling!"

The Cavaliers' inside line was not strong to begin with, and Malone was well aware of this, so Malone, the head coach, didn't say anything in the first half.

But Garnett, whenever they make a mistake, he'll point it out right away, just like Cunningham said, like a dad.

And although they both played villains, unlike Hansen, Garnett is old now and has joined a new team. His behavior can easily make people feel resentful.

Now the players are giving him face so it’s hard for them to say anything, but as time goes on some conflicts are bound to arise.

Han Sen couldn't help but think of the rumors about Garnett beating up his teammates when he was in the Timberwolves.

When they returned to the locker room, Hansen saw Garnett communicating with Tucker.

"Paul's off-ball awareness is not good. He is always easily confused. You have to limit his receiving the ball as much as possible. Also, his offensive cold zone is on the left side of the free throw line and the top of the free throw arc. You can try to force him to those two areas."

Han Sen approached and heard what the two were saying. At first he didn't realize who "Paul" was referring to. After he finished listening, he realized that Garnett was talking about Pierce.

After realizing this, Han Sen was stunned for a moment.

Recalling the warm scene when Garnett and Pierce reminisced before the game, and then thinking about the moment when he told Tucker about Pierce's weaknesses without reservation, the contrast was very strong.

Han Sen came back and called TT to his side.

"You're going to be a free agent this summer?"

TT was a little confused by Han Sen's question, but he nodded anyway.

He and Irving entered the NBA in the same year. Irving was the No. 4 pick and he was the No. pick.

Irving had been offered a maximum salary extension by the Cavaliers last summer, but he did not, and he will become a restricted free agent this summer.

"KG is an experienced veteran who has been playing pick-and-roll throughout his career. He is an expert in how to defend against pick-and-rolls. You should learn more from him. It will be of great benefit to you."

Han Sen's words completely stunned TT.

He wanted Han Sen to help communicate with Garnett so that he would be scolded less, but he didn't expect Han Sen to persuade him instead.

“Men need dignity, but putting down their dignity temporarily is to gain more respect from others in the future.”

Han Sen knew that this would be difficult, especially since TT had a rather arrogant personality.

TT did not express his opinion, but after hesitating for a while, he stood up and walked towards Garnett.

Han Sen turned his gaze towards TT, watching him walk up to Garnett.

Two situations may occur now: the two people may quarrel or even have a physical conflict, or the two people may start to communicate.

After observing for a while, he found that things finally developed in the second direction.

Perhaps Han Sen's words moved TT, or perhaps he realized that he needed to perform better if he wanted to get a big contract, so he finally chose to lower his head.

Either way, it's a good thing, or it can be said that this is an unexpected gain for Garnett coming to the Cavaliers.

Not to mention really learning all of Garnett's skills, but as long as TT can learn some defensive skills from Garnett, his strength will be greatly improved.

And that would be good news for the Cavaliers.

After all, even if Jokic enters the NBA next season, the role he plays in the interior as a rookie will still be limited, and TT will still be the key to the team's interior.

After the half-time break, the two teams continued their game.

Hansen took the lead for the Cavaliers by backing down Bill.

Turning back, Bill continued to play pick-and-roll with Nene.

However, this time TT's defensive choice was obviously smarter. He did not rush forward early, but instead stayed in the three-second zone. This not only limited Wall's layup, but also interfered with Wall's jump shot.

Facts have proved that his change was effective. Wall's layup was deflected by TT's interference and missed the basket. TT also protected the defensive rebound.

"Well done! Just do it!" At this moment, Garnett excitedly stood up from the bench, waving his fists at TT to cheer him on.

At this time, the expressions of those sitting on the sidelines of the Cavaliers were exactly the same as Hansen's in the locker room.

Because compared to the trash talk Garnett threw at TT in the first half, the sense of abnormality was too strong.

It's hard to imagine someone doing this in the same game.

However, after seeing this scene, Han Sen knew that his previous judgment was correct.

Garnett is not playing the villain like he did before, but he has become a villain so far in his career.

This kind of evil is not bad, but a paranoid character formed by competitive consciousness.

Similar players include Jordan and Kobe. Most of the time, they are strict with their teammates in order to make them better and to win.

They will directly reprimand their teammates when they have problems, and will also cheer them on when they perform well.

In their worldview, there is no such thing as a colleague relationship or social etiquette on the field, and the purpose of all actions is to win.

In layman's terms, this is actually a workaholic.

You don't want to have them at work, but they can make your department better.

It was after confirming this that Hansen could understand why Garnett chose to join the Cavaliers on the trade deadline.

Because his personality does not change with age, he does not become a Buddhist.

In "history", he had no choice in the Nets. The Nets wanted competitiveness, but he could no longer provide the competitiveness that matched the contract. He had no choice but to go home.

But now, there is still a chance to join a competitive team, so he will naturally choose this.

The Cavaliers outscored the Wizards 50-35 in the second half and eventually defeated the Wizards 104-89.

Hansen's performance is difficult to limit, so as long as the Cavaliers improve their defense and limit the opponent's offense, they will be able to win.

This was a good start, and the Cavaliers then defeated the Hornets, 76ers and Knicks in succession, winning four consecutive games after the trade deadline.

Although the opponents are not very strong, this is the benefit of the Eastern Conference, and it is always good to win.

Their next game is a tough one, against the Lakers, which is the second match of the season between the two teams.

It was in this game that Malone was finally ready to let Garnett play.

The season is now in its final month, and he needs Garnett to start integrating with the team.

Because this time it was an away game, they arrived in Los Angeles a day in advance.

During the team's open training session, a considerable number of reporters came to the scene.

When the training was over, they all gathered around.

Irving, who performed well in the last Christmas game, Garnett, who will make his Cavaliers debut tonight, and head coach Malone were all interviewed by reporters.

And of course Han Sen.

The first question the reporter asked was not about tomorrow night's game.

"Do you have anything to say about what happened to Bosh?"

The biggest news in the league after the trade deadline was not the performance of the teams that underwent the trade, but Bosh's unfortunate experience.

During an examination after the All-Star Game, a blood clot was found in his lungs. Just a few days ago, on February 2, the Rockets announced that Bosh was out for the season.

"I pray for him and hope he gets well soon."

Hansen still sent his blessings to Bosh. Although he and Bosh had no intersection, no one wanted unfortunate things to happen.

Although he knew that Bosh was not far from retirement after this situation.

"There are some people on social media saying that KG joined the Cavaliers to form a team. What do you think of this statement?"

"I'm lucky because I always stay in a super team." Han Sen's answer stunned the reporter.

"When I was in Memphis, they said there were five All-Stars there."

Hansen's answer successfully made the reporters laugh. Now no one outside thinks that the Grizzlies are still a championship contender.

“Will you still participate in the dunk contest?”

"Yes, I will participate in the dunk contest next year."

"Are you sure this time?"

"Tell LeBron I'll be waiting for him in the dunk contest."

James paced Hansen during the All-Star weekend, and Hansen directly called him out by name.

His remarks also sparked heated discussions before the game.

After all, the league has officially announced a new voting mechanism, and Hansen's request has been responded to. He has no reason to miss next year's All-Star Game.

Moreover, this kind of public challenge puts James in an even more dangerous position.

Because if James said he would not go, it would mean that he was a coward, but if he went, he would not be very sure that he could beat Hansen.

However, given James' personality of kneeling down when he is dissatisfied with a penalty, he will most likely choose to ignore Hansen's invitation.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that Nike will consider letting him participate in the war from the perspective of business warfare.

James should be regretting his words now, because Hansen is not a petty person, but he will take revenge.

The next night, the Staples Center was packed.

The Cavaliers have won consecutive games after the trade deadline, and the Lakers are not bad either. They lost first and then won, and they just won three games in a row.

Mozgov's arrival brought rim protection to the Lakers, and the Lakers' defense has improved significantly.

During the pre-match warm-up, the camera frequently focused on Han Sen.

The Cavaliers won consecutive games before and after the All-Star Break, which allowed them to move up to second place in the Eastern Conference.

You know, the Cavaliers have missed the playoffs for the past four years, and Hansen has fully demonstrated his ability to lead the team this season.

而且他这赛季的个人数据也极其夸张，场均32分6.1板9.2助攻3.1抢断1.4盖帽。

Whether in terms of performance or statistics, he is undoubtedly the best in the league.

In the camera, Han Sen not only looked relaxed, but also showed off his ability to dunk by turning around and switching hands during the warm-up, which caused a stir at the scene.

Fans thought he was inviting James to the dunk contest again.

But in fact, Han Sen’s excitement had nothing to do with that. The dunk contest was just for fun.

He was excited because after the game against the Pacers, his "Magic" finally reached a bottleneck.

And tonight, at the Staples Center, is a great opportunity to showcase it.

(End of this chapter)