Chapter 52: Mind Says No, Body Says Yes.
Durant puffed out his cheeks, feeling as though he had just been inflated like a balloon. Clearly, he had the upper hand, but from Han Sen's words, it sounded as though he was the one getting beaten up!
No way! He couldn't let this slide. If he did, how could he continue to thrive in the league?
Once again, Durant interrupted his teammates' movements, backing Han Sen down to force a one-on-one play.
At that moment, he felt like a kite being repeatedly tugged back and forth.
And the string of that kite was tightly held in Han Sen's hands.
After successfully defending Durant's attack, Han Sen couldn't help but reflect on Durant's overly honest nature at times.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Brooks called Ibaka off the bench.
When a dead ball situation occurred, Ibaka subbed in for Durant.
As Durant sat down, Brooks immediately pulled him aside for some stern coaching.
Watching Durant bow his head and listen to the lecture, Han Sen felt that Durant was somewhat lucky. At least early in his career, he had Brooks as his coach instead of Mike Brown.
Ibaka was a first-round draft pick for the Thunder in 2008, but they had kept him in the Spanish League for another year of training before bringing him into the team this season.
Though a rookie, Ibaka had shown top-notch defensive potential, excelling both in one-on-one post defense and as a rim protector.
Back in pre-season, the Thunder had traded away power forward D.J. White, giving up the 18th overall pick, largely because Ibaka outperformed White and took his spot.
Once Ibaka entered the game, O'Neal's dominance in the paint was limited, and the Cavaliers' offensive surge fizzled out.
On the other end, Westbrook showcased his personal talents, powering through Williams to drive into the paint, drawing a foul from O'Neal.
At that moment, Durant was subbed back in for Sefolosha.
That's right—he didn't sub out Ibaka.
Brooks' decision was quite intriguing. Knowing that their interior defense was struggling, he didn't worry about defending the perimeter either. He was gearing up for a shootout with the Cavaliers.
However, Han Sen sensed an opportunity.
LeBron wasn't guarding Durant, but Durant was guarding LeBron. This left Han Sen to face Sefolosha on offense.
The "Swiss Army Knife" wasn't much of a shooter from the perimeter, but his defense was elite. He was sticking to Han Sen like glue, tightly tracking his off-ball movements.
But now, Brooks had taken him out.
Westbrook made both free throws, bringing the score to 8-6.
Both teams were playing intensely, but it was far from the point where the game would be decided.
LeBron stopped dumping the ball into the post and instead called O'Neal over for a pick-and-roll.
O'Neal set a solid screen, but with his current mobility, he could only set the screen and couldn't effectively roll to the basket.
Hearing Brooks' instructions from the sideline, Krstic left O'Neal to help trap LeBron.
At the same time, Ibaka collapsed into the paint for additional help.
LeBron, driving into the crowded paint, couldn't find a shot angle, even after taking an extra step. He was trapped.
And then, something familiar happened.
In the midst of this, LeBron caught sight of a familiar figure on the weak side.
Just as LeBron was about to make his move, Han Sen exchanged a quick glance with Cunningham.
The two had developed a solid understanding from playing together since summer league. With a pick-and-roll at the high post on the weak side, Cunningham completely blocked Durant from reaching Han Sen.
With Ibaka collapsing to help protect the rim, Han Sen found himself wide open.
Seeing who it was— LeBron instinctively rejected the idea.
The previous news article by Carrill had directly led to Varejão being benched.
If Durant hadn't been playing so well this season, LeBron wouldn't have agreed to let Han Sen into the starting lineup.
However, he still passed the ball.
Better to secure an assist than to turn it over.
With no one defending him, Han Sen quickly took the shot and made his first basket of the night—a three-pointer.
This time, he didn't wait for LeBron to celebrate. He raised his hands first, flashing the three-point celebration in Durant's direction just as Durant fought through the screen.
Then, with a taunting gesture, Han Sen put his finger to his lips, signaling silence.
"Let's see how you deal with this after just hearing Brooks' lecture."
Durant's breath quickened, his face flushed red. As soon as they got back on offense, he attacked Han Sen again with the ball.
Brooks was sweating bullets on the sidelines. Durant was the third-year player, but against Han Sen, he looked more like a rookie.
Durant used a drag step to blow past Han Sen's defense, but just as he prepared to accelerate, Cunningham rotated over for help.
Forced to slow down and protect the ball, Durant found himself double-teamed as Han Sen came over to trap him.
Durant, whose dribble was already high, lost control under pressure and dribbled it off his foot and out of bounds.
"You needed help!" Durant fumed.
"His arms were getting tired," Han Sen replied, pointing toward the baseline.
Ibaka, noticing both Durant and Han Sen staring at him, sheepishly lowered his raised arms.
The Cavaliers resumed their offense, with LeBron again using a pick-and-roll with O'Neal. This time, LeBron picked up speed, blew past Krstic, and soared into the air for his signature tomahawk slam.
However, right then, a figure leaped up to meet LeBron at the rim.
It was him— the one who had just raised his arms until they were sore. Ibaka.
Bang!
LeBron's dunk attempt was emphatically blocked.
Ibaka's block was ferocious.
Though LeBron quickly recovered the ball, Ibaka landed firmly and regained his balance.
After that massive block, LeBron appeared rattled. He faked a shot, but seeing that Ibaka didn't bite, he began looking for a teammate to pass to.
Then he looked up and saw that familiar figure again.
Han Sen, after executing a whirlwind pick-and-roll [1] with Cunningham, had rotated to the corner for another open look.
"...Him again? What is the rest of the Cavs doing? What about Durant?"
LeBron really didn't want to pass that way, but he had no other choice.
The pass was low, nearly hitting Han Sen's feet.
Han Sen bent down to grab the ball just as Durant, fighting through the screen with a murderous expression, came barreling toward him.
But Han Sen remained calm. With a fake shot, he sent Durant flying by and took one dribble before launching a three-pointer.
Swish!
The ball sailed through the net again.
He had hit two three-pointers in a row.
'So much for being calm in the face of disaster, and not flinching at the sight of chaos.'
"With defense like that, anyone could torch you," Han Sen muttered, pulling on the kite string a little tighter.
If looks could kill, Han Sen would've been torn apart by now.
Durant attacked again, drawing a foul from Han Sen, but he only made one of two free throws.
His mood swings were affecting his shooting rhythm.
LeBron drove again, but this time, seeing the Thunder collapsing on defense, he was already scanning for teammates.
When he jumped, he saw Han Sen cutting along the baseline to find space on the far side.
LeBron didn't hesitate, sending the ball flying toward him.
Although LeBron still resisted the idea, his body had moved instinctively. After all, who could resist a free assist?
This time, Durant was blocked by O'Neal in the paint and could only watch as Han Sen took the wide-open shot.
Swish!
Han Sen's three-pointer went in again.
With that flurry of three-pointers, the score had widened to 17-7.
After scoring, Han Sen puckered his lips toward Durant, tugging on his jersey and shaking it proudly.
"You said you'd destroy me? I have more points than you. No, actually, I have more than your whole team!"
This scene was immediately captured by the camera and displayed on the giant LED screen.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement.
Normally, an outstanding performance on the court, even from the opponent, would be admired and respected.
But Han Sen, with his number 77 jersey swaying on the screen, just made people want to boo him!
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[1]: The whirlwind pick-and-roll is a play that originated with the Iowa State Cyclones from the NCAA. It's a screen play, but unlike a typical pick-and-roll, the guard sets the screen for the forward, who then pops out to the three-point line. The Golden State Warriors later adopted this play as one of their standard tactics.
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