Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 383: You Can Leave the Cavaliers to Jokic Without Worry

The Cavaliers have home-court advantage, and the Eastern Conference Finals will first be held in Cleveland.

Quicken Loans Arena was packed, and the spirits among Cleveland fans were at an all-time high.

We can now get a glimpse of Cleveland's dynasty, that incredible achievement.

The enthusiasm of the fans turned into thunderous cheers during the opening ceremony.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.

Cavaliers: Hansen, JR, Covington, TT, Jokic
Celtics: Irving, Bradley, Durant, Horford, Towns

The starting lineups of both teams are the same as in the regular season. The key still depends on the deployment of the coaches and the on-the-spot performance of the players.

Shortly after the opening, Stevens gave the Cavaliers a "surprise".

The Celtics' defensive strategy against Hansen is one-on-one defense!

Or to be more precise, Stevens was prepared to use a rotation battle to deal with Hansen.

Considering the experience of Hansen scoring 86 points in a single game in the Christmas game between the two sides, Stevens' choice is not so surprising.

After all, if you can't defend Hansen no matter what, you might as well switch to consumption, which can also reduce the consumption of players in other positions on the defensive end.

In the Christmas game, although Stevens' final choice allowed Hansen to make history, it also allowed the Celtics to narrow the gap in the end and see a chance to win.

In terms of offense alone, the Celtics' lineup is no less powerful than the Cavaliers.

In particular, they can also train Jokic in turn on the offensive end, leaving Hansen in a situation where he is fighting alone on the offensive end just like he did back then.

Of course, the risk of doing so is that there is a certain probability that they will be penetrated by Han Sen on the offensive end.

After all, with Han Sen's strength, it would be difficult to limit Han Sen if he was defended alone, unless he was of the same size as Leonard.

Malone also accepted the surprise from Stevens, allowing Hansen to go all out on the offensive end.

Since Hansen was able to beat the Celtics despite double-teaming in the Christmas game, he can do the same in the playoffs.

You know, Hansen holds the record for the highest score in a single playoff game.

At the end of the game, Hansen scored 55 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. Under his leadership, the Cavaliers defeated the Celtics 114-108 and got off to a good start.

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Stevens' strategy, but just like when you ask soldiers to die on the battlefield, they will instinctively want to survive. When Hansen keeps scoring on the offensive end, the players will subconsciously want to make up for the loss.

At the post-match press conference, a reporter questioned Stevens' defensive strategy, but Stevens did not give a direct answer.

This also caused Stevens to suffer a lot of doubts on social media.

After all, the Celtics have a strong lineup. It would be unfair if they lost because of the coach's failure.

After two days of rest, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals continued in Cleveland.

Then, the Celtics still used the strategy of defending Hansen alone.

This move also made Kenny Smith in the commentary booth couldn't help but question:
"Stevens is not a stubborn person, but he chose to be stubborn where he shouldn't be."

In the end, the Cavaliers defeated the Celtics again 108-103, changing the score to 2-0.

Hansen continued his high-energy performance, scoring 45 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

After the first two games of the series, Hansen averaged 50 points!
This performance made fans exclaim in amazement on social media, while also bringing doubts about Stevens to a climax.

Some Boston fans couldn't help but call for Stevens to be fired on social media.

It was humiliating enough that Hansen scored 86 points in his home court during the regular season, but in the playoffs he had to face a sweep.

It’s not that they cannot accept losing, but it is unacceptable for them to end up in such a situation with such a luxurious lineup!
Amid the huge public opinion, when Stevens returned to Boston and faced the reporters' questions again, he did not continue to evade, but gave a positive answer:
“I believe in my team and I believe in my players.”

It is obvious that Stevens is determined to carry his stubbornness through to the end.

G3 was played at the TD Garden.

Although some Boston fans raised doubts on social media, the TD Garden was still packed with people after returning to their home court.

The team with the deepest history in the league, this word means exactly what it says.

Moreover, the Celtics players may not have Jimmy Butler, but they have Jimmy Butler on every team. Even though they are trailing 0-2, their fighting spirit is still high.

It was in this game that Hansen's performance declined significantly, scoring only 34 points, and the Cavaliers lost to the Celtics 101-110.

Coincidentally, two days later, Hansen's performance improved and he scored 41 points, but the Cavaliers still lost to the Celtics 113-115.

The only difference from G3 was that the referee made several obvious biased calls after the game, which also changed the outcome of the game.

At the post-match press conference, Malone directly banged on the table to express his dissatisfaction with the penalty.

Han Sen also followed up and asked the league to investigate the referee.

But in fact, they all knew in their hearts that the league did not want the Cavaliers to complete this dynasty, which was something that could have been foreseen.

If they fail to suppress the Celtics on the field, it will easily become a 5 vs. 8 situation at the final moments.

After the first four games, the score was 2-2, and both sides returned to the same starting line and will face the decisive battle.

The night before the decisive battle, Han Sen practiced shooting in the training hall.

In fact, at this point in the fight, Hansen already knew what Stevens wanted to do.

Judging from the previous encounters, Stevens is by no means a stubborn person. At first, Hansen thought that he really chose the defensive strategy in order to reduce the consumption of other players on the defensive end.

But now it is obvious that Stevens wants to continue to consume him.

After all, reality is not a game. It's not like you can recover your energy after taking a two-day break after a game.

Especially in a divisional finals of this intensity, although he had many singles opportunities, the defensive intensity he faced was not low.

Instead of worrying about the outcome of a game, Stevens focuses on the entire series. His level is not limited to being a head coach, he is more than qualified to be a team president.

But even though he knew what Stevens wanted to do, at this point in the series, all Hansen could do was to continue playing like this.

This is no longer a contest at the strategic level, but a contest between Han Sen and himself.

He has to try to beat the Celtics first before he gets worn out.

Han Sen was training when someone unexpectedly came to the training center.

"Nicholas, you're not going to tell me you're here for extra practice?"

Compared to punching in and out when he first entered the league, Jokic has changed a lot now.

He would basically try his best to do whatever Han Sen and the coaching staff asked him to do, but Han Sen was still surprised that he took the initiative to come to the training center so late.

Jokic didn't expect Hansen to be here, but he seemed to want to find an opportunity to chat with Hansen, alone.

So after nodding, he looked at Han Sen and said, "Boss, if it was Kaili who stayed, wouldn't the situation be much better than it is now?"

Jokic's question was completely beyond Hansen's expectations.

He also put down the ball in his hand and motioned for the two to sit on the sidelines and chat.

Jokic may not have known the real reason why Irving left at first, but so much time has passed, and he is so smart that he can actually feel it from many details.

"Nikola, without you last season, it would have been difficult for us to defend the title." Han Sen sat down and shook his head.

Last season, the Cavaliers eliminated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals thanks to Jokic's buzzer-beater. Jokic's strategic significance in the finals was also visible to the naked eye.

"As long as the boss is here, both Kyrie and I could have done it last season." Jokic has a clearer understanding than anyone else.

"But now, I am holding the team back."

Han Sen’s strength is not about who can help him, but who can not hold him back.

The Celtics are now taking advantage of his weaknesses and targeting him to death, which is holding Hansen back.

"You are wrong." However, what Jokic did not expect was that Hansen directly denied his statement.

"Without you, we wouldn't have had such an easy time against the 76ers. The importance and role of the inside players to a team cannot be replaced by the outside players."

If there is no Jokic, the Cavaliers will let TT go against the twin towers of Horford and Towns?

No matter how many points Han Sen scored on the offensive end, it would not be enough to offset the points they lost on the defensive end.

Jokic is just not good at defending smaller players, but his ability to defend in the low post is not bad.

Jokic just smiled bitterly. He still felt that if Irving was there, he could greatly share Hansen's pressure on the offensive end. They should be leading at least 3-1 now.

Seeing Jokic's reaction, Hansen knew that there were some things that needed to be made clear before he left.

"Nikola, Carey talked to me once before he left. He asked me a question. I didn't answer him at the time, but now I can tell you the answer."

Jokic was curious.

"He asked me if he was not as good as you, and yes, he was not as good as you."

"I didn't answer at the time because I didn't want to make him sad, but that's the fact." Hansen knew Jokic was smart, so he explained a little more to prevent Jokic from thinking that he said that because Irving was no longer on the Cavaliers.

And this sentence also answers the question Jokic raised at the beginning. If Irving stays, the current situation of the Cavaliers will not get better.

"Don't deny yourself just because you have a little flaw. This is not what a leader should do. You have to understand that basketball is not only about skills, but also about spirit."

Han Sen then looked at Jokic seriously.

After spending several years with Jokic, he has come to know Jokic quite well.

Jokic is good at everything. He is talented and likable, but his love and devotion to basketball are really the lowest among all-time stars.

You can say that he doesn't need those things and can achieve success just by relying on his strength, but that is far from enough.

Since you have chosen the path of basketball, you need to maintain the proper respect for basketball.

Because when you don't respect it, it will also make you suffer.

Jokic nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing that Jokic had some understanding, Hansen then asked the key question: "Why did you suddenly think of coming to practice?"

"I want to give more help to the team." Jokic scratched his head.

In fact, to be more precise, he probably wanted to give Hansen some help on the offensive end.

After all, watching Han Sen fighting alone was like watching the department boss working overtime for department performance. He couldn't sit still.

Han Sen was stunned for a moment, then he patted Jokic on the shoulder and laughed heartily.

Jokic was stunned by Hansen's action.

He thought about what he had said. Was it worth Hansen being so excited?
"Nikola, haven't you noticed? You have started to think about the team!" Hansen smiled and patted Jokic's shoulder again.

For others, this is not a big deal, but for Jokic, whether it is punching in and out of get off work or completing tasks assigned by the team, it is all part of his job.

But now he takes the initiative to consider things at the team level, which is a very important step for him personally.

"It won't be long before you become a qualified team leader." Hansen then pulled Jokic towards him.

There is no need to worry about Jokic's strength, but strength alone is not enough to lead a team.

This is also the only thing Hansen is worried about when leaving the Knights.

But now that Jokic has made this change, Hansen can rest assured to hand over the Cavaliers to him.

Jokic felt a little embarrassed and subconsciously scratched his head.

But after putting his hand down, he couldn't help but ask, "But aren't you the leader of the team, Boss?"

This was the second time tonight that Han Sen associated him with the word leader.

But the leader of the Cavaliers is Hansen, and this is an established fact even when Irving was still on the Cavaliers!
As for him, he just wanted to follow Han Sen and do his job well.

The reason why I asked Han Sen that question tonight was because I felt that I had not done what I should have done.

Han Sen was stumped by Jokic's question.

However, he did not intend to say at this time that he would leave in the summer. Given Jokic's personality, that would affect his performance.

He let go of his hand, put away his smile, and looked at Jokic seriously: "I will leave one day. After I leave, will you be the leader of the team or someone else?"

Jokic was stunned for a moment.

Although he had never thought about this question, what Han Sen said was indeed true.

Even if he had never thought about it before, he would have to shoulder the responsibility when the time comes.

Based on this assumption, he really needs to be mentally prepared.

However, he still didn't quite understand why Han Sen said this at this time. After all, Han Sen was still a long way from retirement, and these words sounded like parting advice.

(End of this chapter)