Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 322 Manba Out
Strictly speaking, James was born in Akron, which is not the same place as Cleveland.

So there is no connection between Hansen's words "Go home" and Cleveland.

But if we look at it from the perspective of a player's career, the Cavaliers can barely be considered the starting point of James' career.

So this hot comment really has the feeling of "You are such a fucking talent."

Of course, James would definitely not think so.

After he was double-teamed by Hansen and Kobe, the side effects of the drug came on.

He went directly against Han Sen on the defensive end.

He seemed to have something to prove.

The scene also began to be filled with overwhelming booing from the fans.

This is the first time such a scene has been played out since the finals came to Cleveland.

There is nothing more worth looking forward to than this!
After holding the ball with one hand at the 45-degree angle of the three-point line and indicating to move away, Hansen also launched an attack amid the cheers of Cleveland fans.

He changed direction in front of his body and suddenly accelerated to break through on the right, followed by a sudden stop and a step back.

His entire finishing move is very wide.

James tried hard to catch up, but in his anger he ignored the speed difference between them.

This caused Han Sen to stop suddenly, his feet shook, and he was knocked to the ground!
The whole place immediately burst into laughter.

However, this was not the end. After shaking James off, Hansen did not shoot immediately. Instead, he waited until James stood up before making his shooting move.

This scene seemed familiar to the fans at the scene.

When Hansen first returned to Cleveland as a Grizzlies player, he did the same thing to James' former bodyguard Gibson.

But this time it was James himself!
James' mind was instantly filled with anger, and he pounced on Hansen when it was obvious that it was impossible to stop Hansen.

Han Sen completed the shot and James also hit Han Sen's arm.

The sound was clear and audible, and the referee's whistle sounded instantly.

"Shh!"

The next second, the sound of the network being connected was heard.

Not only did the ball go in, but it was also a 3+1.

The laughter at the scene instantly turned into cheers.

Han Sen also made a listening gesture after landing. The cheers suddenly increased in decibels and resounded through the sky.

Kobe looked at the scene in front of him with a serious face, and he suddenly realized that what he had done before was meaningless.

Because even if James gets tough, he doesn't have the ability to change the game.

In other words, James himself does not have the ability to lead a team to win the championship. What he needs is a team that can win the championship without him.

Kobe did not give up, but after Hansen made that 3+1, the momentum of the game had completely shifted to the Cavaliers' side.

Even with the help of the referee, the Cavaliers still won the final victory with a score of 118 to 108.

And they won the game tonight with a free throw ratio of 20 to 38. Just like Hansen said on the radio, what determines the outcome of the game is not the scale of the calls, but the performance of the players.

And after winning two home games in a row, they changed the score to 3-1 and successfully got the match point!

This was a decisive victory.

The Cavaliers are just one step away from their first championship in team history, and the city of Cleveland is just one step away from achieving a breakthrough from zero.

G5 will return to Los Angeles.

Match point means that the Cavaliers may win the championship at any time, so discussions from the outside world also began.

In the latest episode of TNT, the Big Three had a heated discussion on whether the Lakers still have a chance to win.

"No team in NBA history has ever been able to come back from a 1-3 deficit in the finals, and the Lakers will not be the next one." As a former Lakers star, O'Neal did not act like a Laker at all at this time.

"Of course, you can also believe that they can complete the final comeback with a score of 5 to 4." He even joked.

But this is completely understandable. After all, he doesn't want Kobe to complete 6>5 at the buzzer, and he feels very involved in this Cavaliers team.

"This is a bit surprising." Barkley was surprised by this fact. After all, such records cannot be confirmed without checking.

"But the Lakers just did it in the Western Conference Finals this year, and they may do it again." Barkley seems to particularly enjoy standing on the opposite side of the Cavaliers this year.

"No one on the Cavaliers has been suspended, and there have been no major injuries. I think at the latest, they will lift that historic trophy in Cleveland." Kenny Smith, as a rational person, also made a rational analysis.

His words also opened up the topic of everyone's predictions.

4-2 is considered the most likely outcome, and of course it is also the best outcome for Cavaliers fans, because it means they can witness the first championship moment in team history at home.

Of course, the Cavaliers players don't think so.

Because if they are forced to a 3-2 situation, it means that they will have to fight to the death in Game 6. After all, if they lose and go to Los Angeles for a game , their chances of winning will be much smaller.

We have to mention another person here, Zhang Jike, a well-known table tennis player from Tokyo University.

He is best at playing this kind of unfavorable game, especially the 1-3 game. As the lagging party, psychologically, as long as the score is dragged to 2-3, the pressure will be on the opponent because the opponent has to win. If it reaches 3-3, the opponent's mentality has actually collapsed.

So G5 is a must-win for the Cavaliers.

Of course, the same is true for the Lakers, who have no way out.

The day before Game 5, the Lakers held an open training session at the Staples Center.

Kobe participated in the first half of the Lakers' training, and sat on the sidelines to rest during the second half of the full-court competition.

This also made reporters alert.

It is uncertain whether James is really injured, but Kobe has actually suffered a lot of injuries this year.

Especially since entering the playoffs, he has been dealing with injuries to his elbows and knees.

After all, a 38-year-old's body is not that of a 28-year-old. The deterioration of body functions increases the risk of injury.

Reporters asked about Kobe's injury.

"I'm healthy and I'm going to play in Game 5. Like I said, nothing can stop me from playing unless I'm lying down and leave the court."

Putting aside his character and basketball skills, Kobe's will to play is on the same level as Jordan.

"We have done it once, and of course we have the opportunity to do it a second time." Kobe also showed an optimistic attitude towards the current situation.

He can only be optimistic. James did not perform well in the finals. As the remaining backbone of the Lakers, if he did not do that, the Lakers would face a crushing defeat in G5.

G5 Staples Center was packed with people.

But compared to their previous enthusiasm, there is now more sadness on the faces of the Los Angeles grandfathers.

Especially when the pre-game camera showed this year's championship trophy and the staff present.

It is not a pleasant feeling to watch others lift the trophy at home, and it is the opponent's historic championship.

Before the game, the camera was frequently focused on Kobe.

When Kobe was warming up before the game, he simply shot a few baskets and then sat down on the sidelines.

His eyes are firm in front of the camera, but he also gives people a sense of vicissitudes of life, like a hero in his twilight years.

The moment the Lakers reached the Finals, he had the possibility of a fairy-tale ending.

But at this point, he is likely to end up like his idol, Jordan, whose fairy-tale All-Star run was ruined by him, in a regrettable way.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another, and there were no changes from the previous game.

But after the game started, Kobe made his changes.

He did not go all out at the start like he did in the previous game, but just played containment on the weak side.

He didn't even match up with Hansen on the defensive end, but gave that task to Dellavedova.

He may want to save his energy for the second half, after all, that is when the game is decided. The good news is that James' performance has improved since returning to his home court.

And the other Lakers players performed well.

When the first quarter ended, the two teams were tied at 29.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Cavaliers suddenly launched an 8-0 offensive, forcing Scott to call a timeout.

The attack wave was created by two veteran Cavaliers, Williams and Cunningham.

At the last moment, their desire to win was stronger than ever before.

However, the Cavaliers did not completely widen the score in this quarter because of Love's performance.

The giant who had the least presence in this finals, or to be more precise, had an excellent touch from the outside, after losing weight.

He made four three-pointers in the first quarter, helping the Lakers keep the score close.

At the end of the first half, the score was 58 to 55, with the two sides tied.

Judging from the performance in the first half, everyone on the Lakers except Kobe played well, and it was their best game since entering the finals.

This also turned the Lakers fans' originally worried expressions into passion.

When they came back from the halftime break, they shouted the most classic slogan at the beginning of the second half:
"Let's go Lakers!"

But after the fight started for a while, the shouting was suppressed by Han Sen.

After entering the finals, Hansen's overall performance was mediocre. In the first four games, he averaged only 29 points, 6.5 rebounds and 9 assists per game, and his scoring was much lower than in the Eastern Conference Finals.

On the one hand, he put more energy into the defensive end, and on the other hand, the Lakers did not put as much pressure on him as the Heat.

But the Lakers played well tonight and he started to perform well.

Because if the Lakers could drag the game into the fourth quarter, they might be able to create a miracle as they were playing at home.

Dellavedova couldn't stop Hansen, so the Lakers could only use more help defense and double-teaming, but they still couldn't stop Hansen.

Hansen scored 10 points in a row with his breakthroughs and shots, and his personal wave extended the score to double digits, also stopping the Lakers.

The Lakers fans at the scene were also very agitated.

The oppressive feeling brought by Han Sen is even more suffocating than that brought by Jordan back then.

During the timeout, the camera turned to Kobe again.

Kobe's stats tonight were also displayed on the big LED screen at the scene.

He has only scored 8 points so far.

When the Lakers needed Kobe the most, Kobe failed to step up.

It was not until this time that the three giants of TNT who came to the scene to commentate realized something.

Kobe's series of abnormal behaviors tonight were not because he wanted to save his energy for the second half, but simply because his performance was affected by injuries!
Looking back at the details before the game, this is the most reasonable explanation.

However, just as the Big Three came to this conclusion, after returning from the timeout, Kobe finally started his offensive mode.

He first scored his first goal after returning in the second half with a signature turnaround shot.

Then, after missing a shot from the outside, he rushed directly into the three-point line to grab a long offensive rebound, and then made a quick stop and mid-range shot to score two more points.

His 20-year professional career has honed his mid-range skills and enabled him to score even if his physical functions have deteriorated.

He even completed a tough 2+1 after breaking through.

Kobe scored 8 points in just two and a half minutes.

There was only cold determination in his eyes.

At this moment, fans feel that the king of Los Angeles, the Black Mamba they need most is back!

The Lakers temporarily stabilized their position, but still failed to close the score.

Because Han Sen is still scoring.

When Hansen pointed the ball at Dellavedova from outside the three-point line and rushed into the inside, and suddenly burst out and slammed the ball into the basket through Frye, the eyes of the Lakers fans were full of despair.

Even James on the court had fallen into a state of confusion.

They successfully forced Han Sen out tonight, but they could never beat Han Sen like that.

Love's vigorous pick-and-roll created a three-point opportunity for James from the outside, but James still chose to pass the ball to Kobe.

Kobe no longer had time to complain about James' weakness; he took the ball and broke through to the basket.

The Cavaliers also realized that he was shooting from the outside and their defense was pressed very far to the outside.

Kobe rushed into the inside, jumped high and confronted Jokic before completing the shot.

"when!"

The basketball hit the front of the basket and went out of the basket. The referee blew the whistle, indicating that Jokic had committed a defensive foul.

Jokic held his head helplessly.

But at this moment, a huge commotion was heard at the scene.

After completing the breakthrough, Kobe fell to the ground and did not get up for a long time, and his expression looked very painful.

The referee reacted and quickly stopped the game.

The large LED screen on site began to replay the previous round.

Kobe obviously didn't control his body well when he was falling, and he twisted his ankle at a large angle.

The TNT Big Three's guess was correct. In his early years, Kobe did special research on landing in order to avoid Bowen's tripping. Under normal circumstances, he would not be injured in this situation.

In other words, it was obvious that something went wrong when he jumped and exerted force due to an injury.

In fact, it is incredible that Kobe can still perform like this in the finals after a brutal series with the Warriors.

Kobe was eventually carried to the bench by his teammates. He looked helpless and the situation did not look optimistic.

The fans at the scene were all holding their heads. It was obvious that Kobe's fall meant the end for them.

According to the rules, if Kobe is injured, the Lakers can designate someone to take free throws in his place.

But just when Scott turned around to look for someone, something happened that no one expected.

Kobe gritted his teeth, stood up from the bench, left the supporting hands of the team doctor and teammates, limped onto the court, and walked to the free throw line.

Everyone at the scene was shocked by this scene.

What a willpower!

Then there was overwhelming cheers.

When Kobe really stood on the free throw line, he looked at the referee with firm eyes to indicate that he could shoot, and when the ball came into Kobe's hands.

"Kobe! Kobe!"

The scene was filled with the Lakers fans' uniform cheers, and there were even tremors in the cheers.

Kobe made two free throws amid the cheers of the fans, helping the Lakers to catch up to 80-86.

Then he left the field with the help of the team doctor.

Before leaving the pregame, he stopped and blew a kiss to the Lakers fans.

Then he took his hand off the team doctor's shoulder and walked into the player tunnel by himself.

He didn't die lying down in the end.

His back was the last scene he left for everyone on the NBA court.

(End of this chapter)