Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 346: Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself
In the last quarter, Irving broke free from Hoiberg's coaching stick, and he started to attack the Cavaliers' defense frantically with the ball.

When his strategy didn't work, he chose to solve the problem in his own way.

At this moment, he vaguely resembled Allen Iverson.

The same self, the same rebellion, the same fighting alone.

Of course, there is the same ending.

108比99，骑士队击败公牛队拿下G3，把大比分改写成了3比0。

韩森得到55分10板5助攻，韦德14分7助攻，科沃尔13分，约基奇12分7板4助攻5犯规。

欧文31分，霍华德20分12板3助攻，巴特勒14分5板3助攻。

"When Nikola got in foul trouble and our shooters were cold, I thought we might not win the game tonight, but Han told everyone he was going to keep fighting until the others got back into shape, and then we all saw what happened, and that's what a great leader does, it's not just about how many points he scores."

In the press conference after the game, Ma Long praised Han Sen highly.

By the way, he also mentioned Irving:
"I never doubt Kyrie's personal ability. He played an irreplaceable role in our championship last season, but he still has a long way to go to become a team leader."

Even though the two had many conflicts before, Malone still gave Irving some very pertinent advice in the end.

Of course, whether Irving can listen to it is another matter.

Two days later, the Cavaliers defeated the Bulls 114-86, completing a 4-0 sweep of the Bulls.

Just like Hansen said, there is no fifth game in this series.

As the NBC article said, Hansen killed Nike's future.

Then, what Hansen is about to face is Nike's present.

In a sense, Hansen has entered a Nike copy this season.

As Nike's top star, Durant led the Celtics with sparks and lightning, sweeping out the Pistons and Raptors one after another.

Now, the two strongest teams in the Eastern Conference are facing off in the conference finals.

Cavaliers, Celtics, playoffs, Hansen, these words combined automatically awaken the memories of old fans.

Because Hansen's famous battle came from the series between the Cavaliers and the Celtics seven years ago.

With James absent due to injury, Hansen led the Cavaliers to eliminate the opponent and put an end to the Cavaliers 1.0 era like the ending of a piano piece.

That was also the series where the “who is your daddy” meme was born.

So this will be a unique series for both Cavaliers fans and Celtics fans.

However, before the series started, a piece of news attracted attention.

At the beginning of the playoffs, Celtics' Thomas suffered bad news.

His younger sister, Sheena Thomas, who was nearly 22, died in a car accident.

When a loved one passed away, theoretically, Isaiah Thomas should have rushed home to deal with the funeral, but he still insisted on participating in Game 1 against the Pistons.

After the incident was exposed by the media, it attracted strong attention from the outside world. While they felt unfortunate for Thomas, they also praised his professional attitude.

And G1 of the divisional finals happened to be his sister Sheena’s birthday, which made this game very special.

After the game started, Thomas seemed to be assisted by God, scoring points from inside and outside.

Seeing this, Stevens put all his pressure on him for the attack, and even Durant cooperated with him.

最终全场比赛下来，他33投18中，三分球12投5中，罚球13罚12中，全场轰下53分4板4助攻3抢断！

Under his leadership, the Celtics also defeated the Cavaliers 129-119.

Hansen scored 42 points, 11 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

"I couldn't hear anything, I just felt like I was alone in the gym. I felt like my sister was there, she was there for every shot... I felt like she was there helping me, I can't even describe those moments."

At the post-match press conference, Thomas also burst into tears.

“When Sheena left I wanted to give up for a while, but I will fight for her for the rest of my life.”

For a basketball player, this is the best way to pay tribute.

After this conversation was reported by the media after the game, it once again sparked heated discussions outside.

This is a warm moment for the NBA.

Of course, not for the Cavaliers.

After losing Game 1, the Cavaliers lost their home-court advantage in the series. If they still cannot win Game 2, the unfavorable situation that the Bulls experienced before will be what the Cavaliers will face.

On the second day after Game 1, the Cavaliers saw Hansen looking particularly serious.

During training, Hansen also beat up Covington, Tucker and others who were facing him, and he also trash-talked while beating them up.

Those who knew knew that it was Han Sen, while those who didn’t thought it was Jordan who was there.

But this was also the result of Hansen's experience in Memphis.

Han Sen doesn't like playing the villain, but because he has played the role before, he already has that side.

After training, Malone often talks to his teammates.

At this time in the past, it was basically Lu who came out to give some morale-boosting words.

But this time, after the team members gathered, Han Sen was not in the queue, but stood next to Ma Long.

Even an old knight like Cunningham had never seen such a scene before.

The team members looked at each other, wondering what Han Sen was going to do.

"I know Isaiah's experience is sympathetic, but that's not a reason for us to show mercy."

It is human instinct to sympathize with the weak, and you will see that the news media often create posters with the image of a weak person to gain attention and sympathy.

So after the incident involving Thomas was exposed by the media, the sympathy of the opposing players when defending him would turn into mercy.

Maybe it's a half beat slower when making up for the defense, or a half step slower when chasing the defense.

Thomas's outbreak is due to his condition, but it is also closely related to these.

And as Thomas said, he will fight for his sister for the rest of his life, which is more inspiring than Westbrook's KB bracelet or JR's deceased best friend.

Han Sen then raised his voice:
"I need everyone to do their best on defense in the next game. If anyone can't do that, no matter who it is, just sit on the bench!"

Han Sen's words were very domineering, but no one dared to say anything.

Even JR knew that the best option at this time was to shut up.

After scanning the crowd, Han Sen finally quoted Napoleon's famous quote:

"The playoffs are a man's war. Any thought of mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself."

After finishing the training, Hansen took Jokic to a nearby restaurant.

Jokic was also nervous at this time.

Han Sen had previously impressed him as an approachable leader, but today he was an out-and-out tyrant.

Especially after the lecture, he was singled out, which made him ready to be scolded. After all, when it comes to defense, he should be the worst one on the Cavaliers.

"Nikola, I need you to hold the ball more in the next game." Han Sen got straight to the point after sitting down.

If the defensive tone is set for G2's game, then what he, as the core, has to do is to take the lead and start from defense.

Doing both offense and defense like in the last game is not the best option.

But Jokic is a typical player who is strong on offense but weak on defense. Compared to asking him to play defense desperately, it is a better choice to let him be the fulcrum of offense.

Moreover, Hansen puts more energy into the defensive end, and the reduced offensive role will inevitably need to be transferred to Jokic.

This is also the reason why he let Jokic fight Howard in the interior in the last round of the series.

That’s what preparation for moments like this is all about.

Jokic nodded and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.

"Come on, Nicholas, for your horse," Hansen reminded.

"No problem, boss!" Jokic immediately became energetic after hearing this.

Han Sen couldn't help but smile and shook his head.

Basketball is a job and horse racing is a hobby, and Jokic interprets this point perfectly.

The NBA divisional finals are held alternately. On the day of the Eastern Conference Finals offseason, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals also kicked off.

In previous games, the Warriors swept all the way into the Western Conference Finals, including the Grizzlies who made it to the division semifinals again after three years; the Spurs won the victory after a difficult six-game battle with the Rockets.

It seems that the Spurs are no match for the Warriors. According to outside predictions, the Warriors have at least an 80% chance of advancing.

But when the game really started, it was shocking.

The Spurs took the lead over the Warriors by 14 points in the first quarter, and extended their lead to 20 points by halftime.

On the offensive end, Leonard and Aldridge scored both inside and outside, and on the defensive end, Leonard made James feel extremely happy.

Leonard, who is beginning to reach his peak, can be said to be another rare superstar in the league who is truly an all-rounder in both offense and defense after Hansen.

However, when the game entered the third quarter and the Spurs further expanded their lead to 23 points, an accident happened.

Leonard was tripped by Warriors center Pachulia during a shot and left the game injured and did not return.

The Warriors also seized the opportunity and eventually reversed the Spurs 113 to 111.

What made the Spurs even more desperate than the outcome of Game 1 was the injury report after the game. Leonard was ruled out for the season due to an ankle sprain.

The core player of the team is out for the season, which means the Spurs' season is over.

At the post-match press conference, Popovich, who had already learned of Leonard's injury, cursed and said that Pachulia had seriously violated sports ethics, was "not a human being," and was a guy who had done a lot of evil.

He even made a threat.

"If the Warriors don't have Curry, do you think they can still win the game?"

Then social media exploded.

Many people are criticizing Pachulia. After all, the Georgian plays very dirty, and the stepping action of taking two steps forward is also very obvious.

In fact, during the game, the referee had already called a technical foul on Pachulia based on the Jones Clause.

But such punishment is obviously too light compared to the rewards obtained.

However, while criticizing Pachulia, some people were also criticizing Popovich for being hypocritical.

Bowen's three assists on Carter are old stories. Grizzlies fans still remember Anderson's elimination of Gay. Later, Ginobili eliminated Paul, and Hansen shouted "I'm here to avenge CP3", which is a past event that fans still talk about with relish.

So in their view, the Spurs treated others in the same way before, and now they are being treated the same way. It is pure retribution.

And amid public opinion, Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown also mentioned another thing in front of the media. That is, after Leonard left the court, Aldridge also made a similar stepping action on Curry, but Curry dodged it flexibly.

In other words, Popovich is not just a threat, but has already done it, just not successfully.

This caused even more excitement on social media.

With Leonard out for the season, there is no suspense in the Western Conference Finals, but this war of words is destined to last a long time.

The Western Conference Finals was in full swing, and Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals officially started shortly afterwards.

In the last game, Malone arranged JR to defend Isaiah Thomas, but in this game, Hansen led the defense.

Hansen's speed cannot keep up with Thomas, but his prediction and shooting pressure make it difficult for Thomas to get a good chance to shoot.

This was verified when the two teams met in the regular season.

Although Thomas is in better shape now than during the regular season, Hansen was more focused tonight than he was then.

After Thomas' offense was repeatedly disrupted by Hansen, Stevenson had to shift the focus of the offense to Durant.

But the other players on the Cavaliers also played their best on defense tonight, with Covington and TT strangling Durant from inside and outside.

Although that didn't stop Durant from scoring, it caused his efficiency to drop significantly.

The referee's whistle was relatively loose tonight, and the intensity of the competition on the field was at its highest.

On the offensive end, Jokic also had the upper hand in the matchup with Towns.

In terms of strength alone, the two second-year players are actually not that different in strength, and Jokic only has an advantage in passing.

But in addition to strength, there is also character.

Although Towns' playing style is tougher than in "history", that cannot change his character.

In comparison, the gentle-looking Jokic is the more ruthless one when he gets excited. After catching the penalty scale, he uses all kinds of elbows to clear the way in the offense.

He used all his strength to attack Towns, no matter how Howard dealt with him in the last round.

The result is that after constant confrontation, Towns became scared.

When Towns got scared, the Celtics were forced to shrink when defending inside, and this led to Jokic's favorite mode.

Unlike Howard who plays low-post singles for scoring, he plays singles more for passing.

Hansen also easily got rid of Thomas and scored after receiving the pass from Jokic, and the Celtics' defense began to gradually collapse.

In the last game, Thomas was unstoppable on the offensive end, but in this game, he could neither attack nor defend, which perfectly demonstrated the advantages and disadvantages of short players.

As a last resort, Stevens had to replace Thomas with Claude.

Such adjustments improved the Celtics' defense, but facing the Cavaliers' high-pressure defense tonight, it also made it more difficult for Durant to score.

106 to 91, the Cavaliers finally pulled one back at home.

韩森31分10板6助攻4抢断3盖帽，约基奇25分12板7助攻，韦德16分4板3助攻，科温顿13分4板3抢断。

杜兰特33分，霍福德18分8板，唐斯16分11板，克劳德12分。

小托马斯在韩森的锁防下只出手了8次，8投3中得到13分3板4助攻。

(End of this chapter)