Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 344 Self-cultivation of workers
Listening to the shouting around him and then looking up to see the camera pointed at him, Owen's face looked very ugly.

Although he had not yet entered the league when Hansen jumped off the Boston technical platform, this sentence has appeared more than once since Hansen returned to Cleveland.

The most recent time was during last season's championship parade, when Malone used this sentence to mock James.

So of course he knew what that meant.

Before Hansen went to take the free throw, he walked straight towards Howard.

Howard looked puzzled about Irving's arrival.

Irving is a very self-centered person. To what extent is he so self-centered that he barely communicates with his teammates.

It may be unbelievable to say, but this was the first time Irving took the initiative to communicate with Howard.

"Dwight, you need to hold off Han."

Howard looked Irving up and down and frowned.

Are you teaching me how to play?
Even Hoiberg didn't dare to speak to him in that tone. How dare you, a young man who has only been in the league for a few years, do that?

When I was beating James and making him unable to leave the Eastern Conference, I didn't even know if your hair had grown fully!
Howard didn't answer and walked straight to the free throw line, leaving Irving standing there awkwardly.

This scene happened right in front of Gibson.

With Deng, Rose, Noah and others leaving the team one after another, Gibson, who entered the league in 2009 and has become the only remaining pearl of the Bulls team, couldn't help but smile bitterly at this time.

Irving was not wrong in what he said, because that was what Hoiberg asked for.

But the key lies in Irving's almost commanding tone of voice. Not to mention Howard, even he probably wouldn't be able to accept it.

This also seems to explain why Irving is unwilling to communicate with others, because he doesn't know how to communicate correctly.

When Hansen was shooting free throws, Gibson tried to communicate with Howard, but Howard, who was already unhappy, did not give Gibson positive feedback.

Isn’t Hoiberg’s current tactic to let him single out Jokic in the low post?
Hansen made the free throw and the score became 10 to 6, with the Cavaliers taking the lead.

The Bulls advanced to the frontcourt, and Howard continued to position himself in the low post with his back to Jokic.

This time Jokic's attempt to half-circle was unsuccessful, and Howard used his excellent upper body strength to hold him back.

This was a better chance than the previous one, but Irving didn't pass the ball inside.

Irving signaled to Sefolosha to come over for a screen, and Sefolosha used all his skills to finally delay Hansen. Irving also seized the opportunity to break through to the free throw line and completed a mid-range shot with a quick stop.

The basketball went into the net, and Irving showed his excellent form since entering the playoffs.

However, before the ball went in, the referee's whistle at the baseline had already sounded.

Then the referee made an offensive three-second violation and the goal was invalid.

Owen was stunned for a moment when he saw it, then turned around and walked back.

Howard seemed particularly excited at this time, waving his arms and cursing.

His meaning was very clear. If Irving had passed the ball to him just now, he would have scored another goal against Jokic.

Malone was amused at this time. He straightened his back and leaned over to look at the Bulls bench. After seeing Hoiberg frowning and standing up, he couldn't help laughing.

Finally, it was someone else's turn to experience what he had experienced!

In fact, looking back now, what Irving said at the time has already backfired.

Because Howard doesn't have Hansen's patience to tolerate him.

Hansen continued to cut in without the ball, using the same old trick to attract the attention of the Bulls' defense.

At this time, Jokic made a beautiful pass from east to west, looking in the direction of Hansen and passed the ball to JR who cut in from the baseline without looking at him.

There was an obvious mistake in the defensive communication between Irving and Howard at this time. One didn't chase and the other didn't make up for it. JR played 1 against 0 and performed a folding dunk for show.

The Quicken Loans Arena was boiling with excitement.

Hoiberg reached out and called a timeout.

JR excitedly ran up to Jokic and forced a chest bump with him to celebrate, and Jokic ran away.

Hansen glanced at the Bulls bench when he came off the court.

He didn't expect the Bulls to run into problems so soon, and he could even say he hadn't done anything yet.

But this is what Malone said, that championships are always accompanied by sacrifices, and winning the championship is not enough just by putting together great people.

After the timeout, Howard was replaced by Cristiano Felicio.

It seems that Hoiberg was unable to handle the problems of Irving and Howard, but made a passive choice.

This choice is also easy to make because Irving is the offensive core of the Bulls and it is impossible for him to be substituted.

This is good news for the Cavaliers because Howard is clearly suppressing Jokic. If he leaves the court, Jokic will have more room to play.

In fact, this is true, and Jokic then began to perform on both offense and defense.

Felicio and Jokic have many similarities. Both are second-year players, both are international players, and both are fat guys.

He is only 2 meters tall and weighs 06 kilograms. It should be noted that Jokic now weighs only about 121 kilograms.

Facing such players, Jokic has the advantage in height and flexibility, so he can naturally perform with ease.

However, this overall grid pick-and-roll, especially the dead screen, was really effective, and Irving also seized the opportunity to show his top-notch game form.

About 10 minutes into the first quarter, both sides began to rotate, and Hansen and Jokic were substituted off the court for rest.

Irving left the Bulls game, Howard returned, and Butler remained on the court.

Butler is also the endurance king certified by Thibodeau, the owner of the manor.

On the Cavaliers side, Malone also adjusted the rotation and put Nene into the rotation.

Nene's decision to stay also ensured the Cavaliers' rotation depth, because the players have different technical styles and need different people to match up with them.

Nene, a traditional inside player who is known for his boldness, is good at low-post confrontations. He is the most suitable player on the Cavaliers to match up with Howard.

Hansen then asked Jokic to sit next to him.

After Jokic sat down, he pointed at the court and asked Jokic to watch.

This section was a good on-site teaching for Jokic.

Howard is very strong, but not as strong as O'Neal.

Because Howard is strong in upper body strength, his lower body strength is average.

So when he met Nene, who also had a pair of strong arms, his performance in the interior was greatly constrained.

Of course, Hansen asked Jokic to watch not only defense, but also offense.

Wade was also holding back his energy tonight. He broke through to the inside and faced Howard's fake layup before turning around and making a layup.

Howard's ability to defend in the low post is not as strong as imagined. Not to mention Yao Ming and O'Neal, even Al Jefferson of the Hornets could make him run around in low-post singles.

His lack of lower limb strength makes it easy for him to be overwhelmed, which forces him to rely on his physical fitness to defend. This also makes him like a jumping man who is very afraid of technical inside players.

After the first quarter, the score was 28-20, with the Cavaliers leading by 8 points. In this substitute transition period, with Butler and Howard on the Bulls side, the Cavaliers held the score, which is a very positive sign.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Howard and Butler both went off the court to rest, but Irving came on the court at this time.

It seems that Hoiberg's current approach is to try to stagger the playing time of Irving and Howard.

This method cannot be said to be a good solution, but it is the only solution that can be found in a short period of time.

About five minutes into the second quarter, the main players from both sides returned to the court one after another.

The score at this time was 36 to 30, and Irving's excellent form allowed the Bulls to make up some of the points difference.

After coming back, Howard positioned himself in the low post, and the team's backup point guard McCaw passed the ball to the basket.

Jokic imitated Nene's defensive mode and tried his best to block Howard's upper limbs, but in the end he still failed to hold Howard.

Jokic is actually a bit like Yao Ming. He has good core strength and lower limb strength, but his upper limb strength is relatively weak, which makes it difficult for him to defend Howard in the low post.

However, this time he put more pressure on Howard. When Howard turned around and shot, he successfully interfered with the opponent with his long arms, and finally defended the ball.

The Cavaliers made a fast break. After receiving a long pass from Jokic, Hansen rushed to the frontcourt, scored a layup over McCaw, and caused a defensive foul by the opponent.

This 76ers best rookie made a stunning debut and was worthy of the title, but he has gradually become lost in the crowd because he has never been able to develop his shooting.

Before going to the free throw line, Hansen patted Jokic on the buttocks, affirming his defense just now.

When Han Sen made the free throw, the shouts of "who is your daddy" were heard again, and the camera was accurately focused on Irving who was resting on the bench.

Sure enough, arguing with players is actually a small matter, and firing random shots is the worst thing to do.

Irving was also tough this time. He stood up and asked Hoiberg to play.

Hoiberg nodded in agreement.

Hansen made the free throw, and then Irving called for a pick-and-roll on Gibson.

This time Howard did not position himself in the paint, but moved to the weak side.

Hoiberg's method did have some effect.

With the help of Gibson's pick-and-roll, Irving rushed to the basket and performed a long pull-up layup among the crowd.

This ball perfectly demonstrated Irving's personal offensive ability, and he single-handedly took the general's head amidst thousands of troops.

"boom!"

The only regret was that Han Sen blocked his shot.

Han Sen was too familiar with Irving's offensive style, and this kind of one-on-many situation was very easy to get into trouble.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Hansen grabbed the defensive rebound.

However, the Bulls retreated very quickly this time. When Butler saw Hansen chasing inside, he had already ordered his teammates to retreat.

The two sides switched to positional warfare, and Hansen directly signaled Jokic to take position in the low post.

For the Cavaliers, Jokic's performance is crucial with Irving leaving the team and Wade on the bench.

Because their biggest competitors are still the Warriors and Celtics, and Hansen alone is not enough to defeat opponents of that level.

Jokic also started to position himself with his back against Howard.

Although Howard suppressed him everywhere tonight, as a worker, he should cultivate himself and face the challenge head-on since it is something that must be done.

The scene was immediately filled with the booing of fans.

Jokic is indeed determined to become the next Hansen's man, and his courage is commendable.

Howard was also eager to try at this time. Jokic had been hanging him on the three-point line most of the time tonight. He had no place to use his energy, and now he finally got the chance.

Especially since he had just been blocked by Jokic, he had to return the favor double now!
The Bulls had no intention of double-teaming Howard because that would be an insult to him.

Jokic caught the ball and then started attacking Howard's calves with his big butt.

Although he didn't know Howard as well as Hansen did, his basketball IQ was high enough that he quickly discovered Howard's strengths and weaknesses while watching him off the court.

This time Howard was forced to lower his center of gravity, and Jokic seized this opportunity, turned left and then turned around for a layup.

Howard jumped up with all his strength. He possessed top-notch explosive power, and even if he was no longer at his peak, he could still jump in an instant.

However, what he didn't expect was that Jokic was still faking it. The moment he jumped, Jokic took a step up and down to pass him and successfully put the ball into the basket.

41:30.

The score difference on the field reached double digits!
Howard was so angry that he slapped his thigh. With such footwork and flexibility, for a moment, he seemed to see the figures of Jokic and Yao Ming overlapping!

The scene was instantly filled with the cheers of fans.

Although dunks and three-pointers are exciting, this kind of inside technique is also pleasing to the eye.

Of course, what’s more important is that challenging an opponent who is stronger than yourself and succeeding is quite inspiring.

Hansen was also very satisfied. He high-fived Jokic while retreating and made another promise to him: "If we successfully defend our title this year, I will give you the best racehorse in Serbia."

Jokic's eyes lit up instantly when he heard this.

The NBA season is very long, and he suddenly realized that in just over a month, he would be able to go horse racing again!

No amount of money or beautiful women could make him more excited at this moment.

Hansen retreated to the defensive end and began to increase his defensive intensity on Irving.

Gibson couldn't stop the pick-and-roll, and Irving couldn't get past Hansen, so he finally passed the ball to Butler.

Butler dribbled the ball to the basket and tried to draw a foul from Jokic, but Jokic was extremely focused at this time. Not only did he not get fouled, but he also seized the opportunity to knock the ball out of Butler's hand.

A very unexpected thing is that Jokic, as a power center, averaged 1.2 steals per game this season, which is more than his blocks. He is indeed the type of player who has no dynamic talent and has to work hard in other areas.

Butler also reacted quickly, protecting his hand exaggeratedly to make it look like he was hit.

However, the baseline referee was right in front of him, but the whistle did not sound.

Jokic quickly rushed forward to grab the ball, then passed it to Hansen.

The Bulls' defense was still very fast. Hansen was holding the ball and quickly went down to the frontcourt, but when he saw that he had no chance, he chose to slow down.

Just when everyone thought he was going to reorganize the offense, he suddenly accelerated and rushed to the basket again, and after attracting a double team, he passed the ball to the middle.

Jokic did not stop after passing the ball, but rushed forward with his head down. After receiving the pass from Hansen, he jumped up with the ball and performed a follow-up dunk.

"Oh!"

Fatty can fly too!

And after landing, Jokic rarely bent his arms and roared, spitting all over Butler's face.

That's the best horse in Serbia!
What better year-end bonus could there be than this!

(End of this chapter)