Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 299 Believe in the Process
Silva laughed out loud in the stands.

All things are difficult at the beginning, and this opening game has directly raised the attention of the season to a higher level.

Hansen and Curry did not leave immediately after shaking hands, but exchanged jerseys.

Although the game had a winner and a loser, it was just a regular season game. The fact that both players scored 50+ points in the same game was very memorable.

The two also accepted interviews from reporters on the sidelines together.

It doesn’t matter who wins or loses in this wave, what matters is that UA makes a lot of money.

Soon after they returned to the locker room after the interview, Lu Lai asked Hansen and Irving to attend the post-match press conference.

"Where's Kairi?"

It was not until Lu asked that Han Sen realized that he seemed not to have seen Owen since he came in.

"I just ran into him at the elevator. He should have gone back to the hotel first." Hawes wanted to say hello when he saw Owen, but was ignored by Owen.

Irving must be depressed after being completely defeated by Curry and failing to make a buzzer-beater.

Irving couldn't go to the press conference, so Hansen simply called Jokic and asked him to go with him.

Jokic was stunned. Wasn't this the treatment he received in the first game of his professional career?
"Boss, don't you need to call Kyrie?" Jokic couldn't help but ask on the way there.

"It's okay. He will be fine tomorrow." The title of "Boss" has been passed from person to person in the Cavaliers. It doesn't matter if Han Sen can't stop it.

Jokic was stunned when he heard this. Irving had coached him on basketball skills before, and he thought he was a nice person. He didn't expect him to have such a weird personality.

But soon he was no longer in the mood to care about Irving, because when he arrived at the press conference, the dark crowd made him tense up.

He actually played averagely tonight, with 7 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. He didn't know why Han Sen wanted him to come along.

Fortunately, after the press conference started, all the reporters' eyes turned to Han Sen.

Thinking that he was just going through the motions and wouldn't have to work overtime for too long, his mood suddenly improved a lot.

"What do you think is the key to the Cavaliers' victory tonight?" a reporter from ESPN asked Hansen.

"There are a lot of things, great outside shooting, aggressive defense, Coach Malone's lineup, and of course Nikola's play."

Hansen listed everything clearly, and Jokic nodded beside him to increase his sense of participation.

But when he noticed that all the reporters were looking at him at the end, he realized that Han Sen had mentioned him.

No, why did Han Sen choose him at the beginning of the interview?
He just wants to go through the process quietly!
Fortunately, he didn't have to answer anything, he just had to smile foolishly at the camera.

However, he soon stopped laughing because Han Sen gave him a comment.

"Nikola is going to be an All-Star in the future."

The reason why Hansen didn't mention the superstar is because Jokic now gives him a very Buddhist feeling, and it would bring too much pressure to him if he really said it.

But even though it was just an All-Star game, it had already caused a stir in the audience.

You know, besides Hansen, the only player on the Cavaliers who can be considered for an All-Star Game is Irving!
Jokic also widened his eyes.

You know, a few months ago, he was still worrying about whether he could play in the NBA, but Han Sen now says he can become an All-Star!
Thinking back on the past few months, Han Sen did favor him a bit too much.

He even learned from his recent conversation with Griffin that it was Hansen who suggested the team choose him.

So, why is Han Sen so optimistic about him?

He didn't understand, but he felt inexplicably guilty.

It’s like a worker is suddenly appreciated by his boss, and then realizes that he isn’t working hard enough and feels a little guilty.

"There was an additional action before you took your last buzzer-beater. Was it a tactical gesture?" asked a fan from the Bay Area.

"Tactical gestures?" Han Sen was amused by the reporter's question. It turned out that it could be understood in that way.

"No, that action doesn't mean anything."

Is there any point in pretending to be cool?

Pointless.

"What do you think of Stephen's performance? We noticed that you had a dunk duel in the game." asked a reporter from TNT.

This not only made Han Sen laugh again, but also caused laughter at the press conference.

"Stephen, I hope you will join me in the dunk contest." Han Sen also sent a sincere invitation to Curry to the camera.

……

The Cavaliers-Warriors matchup got the 2015-2016 season off to a good start, and UA also heavily promoted this UA internal battle through TNT and other media after the game.

But it wasn't just the game that attracted attention that day.

Because of the game between the Lakers and the Bulls that started later, the Lakers defeated their opponents 128-98 at home.

The Bulls' lineup has not changed much this season and last season, Rose is also healthy, and their defensive efficiency ranked in the top five in the league last season.

But they fell apart as soon as they came into contact with the Lakers.

Sometimes you really can't underestimate the impact that morale has on a team.

The reason why the Cavaliers were able to reach the finals last season, in addition to Hansen's performance, the most important thing was the morale boost brought by Hansen's return to the Cavaliers.

The key to the Lakers' ability to defeat the Bulls now lies in the buff brought by Kobe's retirement.

Because there was a back-to-back game the next day, the Cavaliers flew back to Cleveland that night.

Early the next morning, Han Sen arrived at the gym early for his first training session as usual.

With him were Cunningham and West.

After returning to Cleveland, Hansen continued his "Breakfast Club".

Then, just as they finished their strength training and were about to go for breakfast, Hansen saw someone who shouldn't be there.

Jokic.

This guy didn't even show up for training today!
No, that's not right, today it's a full hour earlier!
"Nicholas, did you set the alarm to the wrong time?" Cunningham leaned forward and asked.

Jokic scratched his head, then shook it.

"I think I should probably train more." He felt guilty about what Han Sen said at the press conference yesterday.

"That's a very correct idea." Cunningham immediately gave him a thumbs up and gave him a positive evaluation.

"Welcome to the breakfast club." Hansen then spoke directly to Jokic.

Jokic said "hmm", but then immediately said "hmm?"

What is The Breakfast Club?
After following Hansen and the others to the dining area and listening to Cunningham's explanation, Jokic realized that the so-called breakfast club was a training session before training every day.

His pupils trembled.

This...no!

But Han Sen had spoken, especially after Han Sen's statement yesterday, which made him realize how much Han Sen had helped him, he simply couldn't refuse.

He is regretting it so much now. Why did he have to come to training early when there were so many other things he could do?
Because it was a back-to-back game, Ma Long arranged a training session at 9 a.m. When the training session came, just as Han Sen said, Owen came to the training hall by himself.

Moreover, he was talking and laughing with others, no different from before.

Jokic was stunned, and a four-word evaluation of Irving immediately emerged in his mind: moody.

Hansen certainly didn't know what Jokic was thinking, but he knew Irving just needed some time to digest his negative emotions.

The Cavaliers' back-to-back opponent is the Trail Blazers.

Not only did the Trail Blazers lose Aldridge in the summer, but their starting shooting guard Matthews was also taken away by Dallas, which was a serious blow to the team.

Hansen also adjusted his playing style in this game, reducing ball possession and letting Irving play more.

One experience like that in last season's playoffs was enough. If they really want to win the championship in a season like this, it is not enough to rely on him alone.

Jokic is still a little young now, so the key still lies on Irving.

Last season, Irving was not allowed to practice for the sake of results, so he must be given enough opportunities this season.

If not for the regular season, when?
Then, Lillard became the unlucky guy.

Asked how big the difference in strength is between Curry and Lillard?
Perhaps that statement is the most accurate: Lillard's only advantage over Curry is that he is younger.

Let me put it this way, Lillard has played for four years in his career, and his shooting percentage has never been higher than Curry's three-point shooting percentage in any year.

He is currently an inefficient and bankrupt version of Curry.

Irving was frustrated by Curry's beating yesterday, and today he took out his anger on Lillard.

Not only did he make it difficult for Lillard on the defensive end, but he also put pressure on Lillard on the offensive end.

最终利拉德全场19投5中只拿到了17分，而欧文则是20投11中得到了29分，一扫揭幕战的阴霾。

And TT also played well. Because the Cavaliers used a small lineup for a long time, he played against his old rival Vucevic from last season more often in the interior.

然后在他的防守下，武切维奇16投也只有5中并且篮板只有8个，而他自己则是得到了11分13板2盖帽的数据。

Just as Hansen thought last season, after experiencing the baptism of the playoffs, several key players of the Cavaliers have grown to varying degrees.

The Cavaliers then defeated the Magic and Knicks in succession, achieving four consecutive wins at the start of the season.

Because the Heat unexpectedly lost to the Raptors in the opening game, the Cavaliers are temporarily ranked first in the Eastern Conference.

As a team that didn't make any big moves in the summer, their performance can be said to be quite outstanding.

However, they are not the ones that receive the most attention from the outside world. Even though UA has stepped up its publicity efforts, the Lakers this season already seem to have their destiny.

They also won four consecutive games at the start of the season, and their average margin of victory was 15+ points per game, including an away game against their arch-rival the Celtics.

Pierce returned to the Celtics this season, and that game was particularly eye-catching.

Especially before the game started, the Celtics sent a tribute video to Kobe at home. Even before the game started, the team gave Kobe an "old floor" representing the history of the Green Army as a gift, which was very moving.

You have to know that the Lakers and the Celtics are the league's most deadly rivals. Kobe can get this kind of treatment, which is the greatest respect he can get as a player.

And because it was the Lakers' first away game this season and Kobe's last time at the TD Garden, it was tantamount to the beginning of Kobe's "retirement tour."

Han Sen did not watch the live broadcast of the game, but only saw the post-match news report.

However, as a time traveler, he couldn't help but sigh when he saw the words written in the report.

Because in "history", the place where James knelt for the first time was the Celtics' floor.

It’s a pity that Kobe had passed away at that time, otherwise after seeing that scene, he would have said: You actually kneeled down to this broken thing that someone gave me?
Silva has scheduled another Christmas game this year between the Cavaliers and the Lakers, so even though there is still some time before the two teams play, Hansen will be asked about the Lakers' performance.

"Isn't it normal for the three of them to achieve such results as a team?"

Han Sen's answer seemed to say nothing, but it also seemed to say everything.

But his remarks also sparked heated discussions among fans.

"Kobe is already 37 years old, so your Cavaliers team also has Garnett, right?"

"Love is just a stat-grabber for a weak team. He is not a giant."

"It's a deal. From now on, don't say Irving is a giant. Irving is not as good as Love."

"Love can be strong, but not too strong."

"I think there is a way to perfectly resolve the debate. Nowitzki is the same age as Kobe. Why don't we let Nowitzki join the Cavaliers?"

"Orangutan hunters assemble? I'm going to call the police if you do that."

……

The Cavaliers started with four consecutive wins, but in the subsequent Western Conference road trip, they only achieved a record of 3 wins and 3 losses.

In terms of record, they were not only overtaken by the Heat, but also fell behind the Raptors.

This also caused them to be questioned by the outside world.

Among them, Ma Long was under the greatest pressure.

Because since defeating the Warriors in the opening game, Hansen's ball possession ratio has been decreasing in subsequent games, while Irving's ball possession ratio has been increasing.

But Irving's organizational ability is obviously not as good as Hansen's, which has caused many fans, including Han Mi, to question it.

"Obviously, Irving is not good at organizing, so why must he hold the ball? Isn't it better to be a pure finisher?"

"With this arrangement, Han Sen is not comfortable playing, Owen is not comfortable either, and the results are not good either. I don't know what they are trying to achieve!"

"It would be better to let Lu be the head coach. Malone can't even figure out who the strongest player on the Cavaliers is, and he is Hansen's mentor!"

……

These remarks hang over the Cavaliers players like an invisible net of pressure.

After returning to Cleveland, Hansen was also asked this question by fans when he participated in a radio show.

His answer consisted of only four words:
“Trust the process.”

Every team has its own comfort zone, and if they want to get better, they have to step out of that comfort zone.

And this process is bound to be tortuous.

Just like what Hansen said to Owen before: If the other side can be easily reached, it means it has no value.

Han Sen had already anticipated this after discussing it with Ma Long.

Repeating the path of last season, neither the Warriors, Lakers nor Heat are confident enough this season.

Irving was able to help Hansen share the pressure in the first three quarters, allowing him to enter the final quarter with sufficient physical strength. This is the ideal state for the Cavaliers.

Until that state is reached, some sacrifices in performance are acceptable.

Especially since they are not in the Western Conference now, where the team may fall out of the playoffs at any time, but in the Eastern Conference, with the Eastern Conference benefits as a foundation, the Cavaliers will never fall out of the playoffs no matter how hard they struggle.

(End of this chapter)