Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 313 "Devil" Riley

When the third quarter of the game ended, Raptors fans received good news and bad news.

The good news is that Casey adjusted the lineup, replacing Scola with Terrence Ross, and stabilized the situation on the court, preventing the Cavaliers from taking the game away in a wave in the third quarter;

The bad news is that because the Raptors still retain hope of winning, it means that Hansen, who had already scored 51 points at the end of the third quarter, will continue to play in the fourth quarter, which greatly increases the probability of them becoming the new background board.

When the Raptors were deadlocked in the fourth quarter under the leadership of Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson, many fans couldn't help but want to call Casey.

After all, the victory or defeat of a playoff game is only temporary, but becoming a new background board is a lifelong thing!

They already have the highest scoring background in the NBA regular season, so the highest scoring background in the playoffs should be left to the Miami team!
Unfortunately, Casey couldn't catch it.

However, when the main players returned in the final quarter, Casey adjusted his defensive strategy and began to double-team Hansen again.

It seems that although he didn't receive the call from the fans, he had already communicated with them.

Of course, from a tactical perspective, the other players on the Cavaliers did not play much in the first three quarters and were likely to face a cold spell. Suddenly adjusting their defensive strategy at this time was an opportunity for them to close the gap.

Facts have proved that Casey is indeed capable of bringing the Raptors to this level.

After the Raptors suddenly adjusted their strategy, the Cavaliers did miss shots from the outside.

The Raptors also took the opportunity to make a wave of attacks to narrow the gap to single digits.

Just when the fans thought they were about to receive another good news, Hansen adjusted his playing style.

He started playing more off the ball!
Although the score between the Cavaliers and the Pacers seemed quite different, it was a great help to the Cavaliers.

Among them is the off-ball tactic that Han Sen picked up.

Because of Irving and Jokic's passing ability, it still worked even though they didn't practice it much.

Before playing against the Pacers, we couldn't feel its power because of Allen and George, but when we met the Raptors, neither Carroll nor DeRozan could keep up with Hansen.

When there was one minute left in the game, the expressions of the fans at the scene were completely desperate.

Because Hansen shook off Carroll without the ball and rushed into the inside to make a layup, his personal score reached 63 points.

This number tied Hansen's single-game playoff scoring record set against the Heat last year.

And this is not the end.

In the final moments, Terrence Ross fouled Hansen who was breaking through and sent him to the free throw line.

Hansen made both free throws, and a new NBA playoff single-game scoring record was officially born in Toronto!
The interesting thing is that the player who defended Kobe back then and the player who helped Hansen set a new record now are both named Rose.

The Maple Leaf fans at the scene held their heads in despair.

Not only did the Raptors lose the game in the end, but they also officially became the double background board for the regular season and playoff scoring records!

"Toronto can stimulate players' desire to score more than New York." Even Mike Breen, the most old-school living fossil commentator, couldn't help but joke in the commentary booth.

114比106，骑士队拿下G4，大比分来到了3比1。

They are just one step away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

Two days later, the Cavaliers returned home to face the Raptors.

Casey used an absolutely thorough defensive approach against Hansen in this match: box-1.

As the name suggests, it is to use defense to surround the players like a box.

This defensive method not only restricts the ball handler's shots, but also limits his activity area. It is a more radical defensive method than Jordan's rule.

It is most common in elementary or middle school leagues, where teams generally only have one scoring point.

Casey felt that the last game was too embarrassing, but he obviously went too far.

韩森这场比赛只出手了13次，得到23分，但是骑士队以113比87大胜猛龙，大比分4比1强势挺进东决。

Their opponents had also been determined long ago, with the Heat having swept the Pistons and Celtics in succession.

The Celtics' inside strength has improved significantly after trading for Horford. In fact, their record after the trade deadline is second only to the Heat and Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, and their true strength should rank third in the Eastern Conference.

But they failed to win a single game against the Heat, which shows the strength of this Heat team.

Because the Heat had home-court advantage, the Cavaliers flew to Miami the day before the Eastern Conference Finals.

When the plane landed at Miami International Airport, Hansen felt like home.

This is the place where he has spent the longest time, besides Memphis and Cleveland, and it is also the city where he has visited the most.

After getting off the plane, he first received a pop-up message about the war situation in the west.

Kobe returned to his peak in the seventh game and scored 41 points, leading the Lakers to eliminate the Spurs 4-3 and successfully meet the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

After the Warriors tied with the Thunder 2-1, Curry returned and won two games in a row to advance first with a score of 4-1.

In the East, the Heat play the Cavaliers, and in the West, the Lakers play the Warriors.

In this trance, the fans felt like they were going back in time.

After taking the bus from the airport, Malone and the players went directly to the American Airlines Arena.

From this action, we can see that Ma Long is under a lot of pressure now.

When I got off the bus, I happened to see the Heat finishing their training.

When Han Sen saw Wade, he came over to chat with him.

I got some information from Wade last year, so I might as well get some information from him indirectly this year.

However, some of Wade's words left a deep impression on Hansen.

"Han, I've been waiting for this day all this season!"

Last year's loss to the Cavaliers bothered him more than any of his previous losses in the Finals.

After all, that was a series that looked like they would never lose, and it was also the closest they had ever been to the championship.

"Me too."

Just as he had thought before, if the Cavaliers want to win the championship this season, the Heat is the hurdle they must overcome.

Before the conference finals began, the league announced the winners of the season's best team.

In addition to Hansen's stable selection into the first and second teams, Irving was also selected into the best third team for the first time in his career.

Last season, Irving was a player whose fame was greater than his ability, but this season he has lived up to his reputation.

In addition, Jokic was also selected into the All-Rookie First Team for his outstanding performance.

"Nikola, it seems I don't need to buy you a horse." With these honors, Jokic will receive a lot of endorsement contracts in the summer.

"Horses in Sombor are very expensive." Jokic didn't have Powell's idea of ​​saving money for Hansen.

Han Sen certainly wouldn't break his promise, but in addition to the horse, he felt that if the Cavaliers could really win the championship, he should give the fat man something more valuable.

The next night, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals started.

After the game started, Wade and Irving took the lead, and they successively used breakthroughs to open up the situation for their respective teams.

Soon after, Hansen and Durant also started to score mid-range shots.

Both teams played at the finals level of offense and defense after the opening. The Heat fans at the scene were full of surprise.

Because the growth of the Cavaliers is astonishing, Irving's bold and aggressive appearance is completely different from the young man who only knew how to break through last year, and Jokic did not perform like a rookie at all in the confrontation with Gasol.

The Heat had a lot of firepower, but the Cavaliers were evenly matched with them in the starting lineup.

However, the subsequent development of the game was beyond everyone's expectations.

Theoretically, the Heat have a lot of players who can play this season, and they should expand their rotation and use the depth of the lineup.

But Riley not only compressed the rotation lineup, for example, Chalmers only played for 2 minutes in the first half, but also extended the playing time of the starting players.

This operation is puzzling.

However, one direct effect of this is that Ma Long also had to extend his playing time as a main player.

Because if he didn't follow up, the Heat would have been able to widen the score in one go.

An indirect effect of this is that the Cavaliers can no longer use their small lineup to play fast offense and defense in the third quarter.

Because they continued to consume so much energy, they didn't have enough energy to play in the fourth quarter.

But even if Malone didn't do that, there was still a very obvious watershed in the game when the game entered the decisive moment of the fourth quarter.

Only Hansen from the Cavaliers could score, while the Heat's offensive remained unabated.

This also led to their eventual defeat of 116 to 126.

At the end of the game, the Heat players celebrated wildly around their head coach Riley.

Just like Wade said before the game, they have been waiting for a moment like this all season, a moment of revenge.

When the G1 match ended that night, Hansen got the video of their G1 match against the Heat.

After watching it over and over again, he discovered something he hadn't realized either before or during the game.

In terms of lineup, the only change for the Heat compared to last season is that Vucevic was replaced by David West, and Joe Johnson was added.

In terms of morale, they are indeed eager to win, but the Cavaliers are not weak either.

But in addition to lineup and morale, the biggest change for the Heat comes from their execution on the court.

The Heat made almost no mistakes throughout the game, and they basically seized all the opportunities they had.

It's not just Durant and Wade, but also role players like West and Joe Johnson who came off the bench.

It's not just a matter of player ability. Take Johnson for example. He averaged only 11.8 points per game for the Nets this season, and his shooting percentage was only 40.6%. His competitive state can be said to be the worst in his entire career.

But after coming to the Heat, his shooting percentage increased to 51.8%, and even his three-point shooting percentage was 41.7%.

This also includes David West, who averaged 11.7 points per game for the Pacers last season and his shooting percentage was a career-low 47.1%.

But this season his shooting percentage with the Heat is 54.5%.

The Heat's strong teammates can give them better opportunities, and their scoring efficiency will indeed be improved, but not that much.

The bigger reason for this change comes from Riley.

Riley’s nickname during his managerial career was “The Divine Calculator”, but his nickname during his head coaching career was “The Devil”!
The devil here does not refer to how terrible the other person is, but his training method.

The intensity of training when he was coaching was completely unbearable for ordinary players.

The most vivid proof is that O'Neal complained bitterly at the beginning, and then he decisively ran away when he had the chance.

To put it bluntly, this has something to do with Riley's understanding of basketball.

In his opinion, in low-end games, the strength of the lineup is important, but in high-end games, when the game reaches a critical moment, the players' instincts are the key.

Whether your core players can score the key ball and whether role players can seize open opportunities all depends on instinct.

And that instinct comes from daily training.

This coaching style has both advantages and disadvantages.

The downside is that most superstars don't want to play this game with you.

After all, in essence, the relationship between players and teams in the NBA is a partnership rather than an employment relationship.

The advantage is what Han Sen sees now. The more the fight turns to bayonet fighting, the stronger the Heat becomes.

And because there will be no next season if the Heat fail, even the stars are willing to endure it.

So this Heat team is much stronger than the one last season.

Even as long as they can make it to the finals, they have a great chance of winning whether facing the Warriors or the Lakers.

After watching the video, Hansen went to the training hall for more practice.

He originally thought that the Cavaliers players had grown and it would be easier to play against the Heat than last season.

But now it seems that he has to do better than last season to have a chance.

When he was halfway through training, his cell phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Ma Long calling.

After telling the other person where he was, he continued training.

When it was over, Ma Long just happened to come to the training hall.

Two people sat on the sidelines and chatted.

"That guy is really a devil." Malone sighed.

Obviously, he should have discovered what Hansen discovered.

Han Sen looked at Ma Long and sensed confusion in his eyes.

The gap between the Cavaliers and the Heat now is not in player ability or tactical details, but in basketball philosophy.

Can you change the iron-blooded style that Riley has spent a season to build by just adjusting between games?
Han Sen looked away.

In fact, he didn't know how to beat the Heat, but he had too many similar experiences and he knew how to deal with the mentality at this time.

"Mike, when facing the devil, what humans need is courage."

Although that does not necessarily mean that the devil can be defeated, it can enable people to unleash the greatest energy.

As it is said in "The Three-Body Problem", courage is the greatest hymn of mankind.

This is also the motto that Hansen has followed throughout his career.

Ma Long turned and looked at Han Sen for a long time, then nodded thoughtfully.

Han Sen always has a power that makes people believe that the impossible can become possible.

Two days later, the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavaliers and the Heat continued at the American Airlines Arena.

The Cavaliers made adjustments to their starting lineup.

Irving, JR, Hansen, Tucker, Jokic.

Malone brought out the Cavaliers' trump card at the start of the game.

(End of this chapter)