Chapter 45: Cavaliers to the Rescue.
At the 9-minute mark of the game, the score was 21 to 31, with the Cavaliers already trailing by double digits.
By this time, both teams had made some substitutions, and during one offensive play, James bulldozed someone over.
Right at that moment, Brown turned and called out the names of Han Sen and Moon.
Is it finally time to play?
He stood up from the bench, took off his warm-up jacket, flexed his wrists a bit, and headed toward the scorer's table.
The worst thing about being a substitute is that sitting for too long makes your body a little stiff.
Just then, something very subtle happened within Han Sen's line of sight.
James helped up the person he knocked over, and that person lightly patted James on the butt as a thank you.
That pale and soft-looking person, short too... is that... J.J. Redick?
Only then did Han Sen realize that Redick was playing for the Magic at this point in time.
Speaking of which, the last basketball-related news he saw before his sudden death in his previous life was that Redick, who had only coached 9-year-olds, had somehow become the head coach of the Lakers.
Although James had worked with rookie coaches before, like Blatt and Ham, neither of them had prior NBA head coaching experience, but at least they had basketball coaching backgrounds.
What was even more surreal was that this news broke right after James collaborated with Redick on a podcast. James' team quickly denied involvement in the Lakers' coaching decision, and the media later revealed it was actually Anthony Davis' preference.
If people didn't know that James was a free agent at the time, even a 3-year-old might have believed it.
Seeing what was happening now, it really did seem like what James said — he and Redick were "high-EQ" players who admired each other.
A short whistle sounded from the sideline, and Han Sen and Moon subbed in for James and Old Parker.
At this point, the players on the court were:
For the Cavaliers: Delonte West, Han Sen, Moon, Varejao, and Ilgauskas.
For the Magic: Jason Williams, Redick, Pietrus, Ryan Anderson, and Marcin Gortat.
Han was immediately matched up with Redick. The moment the two locked eyes, they both saw something called disdain in each other's gaze.
The Magic were on offense, and with Howard resting, they shifted from a "four-out, one-in" strategy to a pick-and-roll offense, with Redick as the focal point.
Williams handled the ball, while Anderson and Pietrus spread the floor in the corners. Gortat set a solid pick, and Redick, who excelled at running, moved off the screen to get open.
The Magic's offense flowed smoothly, and as soon as Redick received the pass from Williams, he took a shot.
"Smack!"
At the moment Redick released the ball, Han Sen flew over Gortat like an eagle hunting a rabbit, swatting Redick's shot out of bounds.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
That volleyball-style block was just too cool!
As Han Sen landed, he looked at the dumbfounded Redick, raised his right hand, spread his index and middle fingers, pointed to his eyes, and then pointed at Redick after bringing the fingers together.
The message was clear: 'I'm watching you!'
Redick's face flushed instantly, as if to say: 'How dare you.'
The Magic resumed play with a sideline inbound, but this time, Han Sen completely locked down Redick's off-ball movement. Gortat set two screens but still couldn't free Redick.
To put it nicely, the Magic players were all doing their jobs. To put it bluntly, their offense was completely stagnant.
And Redick wasn't exactly Ray Allen. He could only shoot threes, and his off-ball cuts weren't a threat, making him easier to guard.
"White Chocolate" Williams had no choice but to try driving and dishing, but West's defense was solid, leaving him no room for flashy plays.
As Williams was about to get trapped, West quickly swiped the ball from him.
The Cavaliers pushed the fast break. West looked up and saw that Han Sen had already crossed mid-court.
Even James, sitting on the bench, widened his eyes at how fast the fast break was unfolding.
West threw the ball ahead, and Han easily finished the fast break with a two-handed slam.
The crowd roared once again, with Han's defense and offense fully drawing attention.
As they returned to half-court, Han Sen gave West a high-five and immediately praised him: "Nice pass."
The Magic's next offensive possession failed again. Redick, momentarily transported back to the 2008 Dream Team training camp. He was reminded of how Kobe relentlessly targeted him back then.
He couldn't understand why this Chink in front of him had such a big grudge against him.
On the Cavaliers' side, West was organizing the offense.
Pre-game, the coach wouldn't have drawn up every single play in detail; instead, he would outline the strategic concepts and how to start the game.
Aside from occasional in-game adjustments, most of the time, the point guard had to call the plays on their own.
Especially with the team's core players resting on the bench, the point guard effectively became the on-court coach.
West called a pick-and-roll for the shooting guard.
Han Sen had just given him an easy assist and was polite about it, so West had no reason not to return the favor.
Han Sen came off Ilgauskas' screen to take the shot.
This play was similar to the Magic's earlier offense, but Redick didn't have the same defensive abilities as Han Sen.
Han Sen got a decent look and took the shot before Pietrus could rotate to help.
However, the ball hit the side of the rim and bounced out.
Having just come off the bench, Han's hands were still cold.
The Magic quickly collapsed inside to fight for the rebound. Without Howard and with the soft Ryan Anderson at power forward, their interior rebounding was weak.
Varejao secured the offensive rebound.
Han Sen, seeing Redick also heading to the paint, quickly signaled that he was wide open.
Varejao noticed him but chose to ignore it.
This guy was bringing off-court grudges onto the court.
Clearly, he wanted to prove himself, and even though Gortat came over to help, he forced a hook shot anyway.
Clank!
As expected, his shot clanged off the rim.
There was another scramble for the rebound under the basket, and Ilgauskas, with his superior height, grabbed it.
As soon as he secured the rebound, Ilgauskas saw a figure darting in from the 45-degree angle.
With Gortat already under the basket, Ilgauskas didn't have a better shot than Varejao, so he quickly passed the ball, pushing Gortat away from the basket.
Redick noticed Ilgauskas' pass and turned to help.
The moment he turned, he saw the face of the person charging in.
Han Sen!
Han also noticed Redick, and instead of going for a layup, he immediately changed his mind after catching the ball.
Summoning all his strength, he leaped into the air, holding the ball with both hands, and aimed to slam it hard through the hoop, right over Redick.
Frustrated from being defended so tightly by Han Sen, Redick refused to become a mere background prop and tried to push Han mid-air.
However, he soon realized that Han Sen was far stronger than he had imagined.
Redick's arms were pushed back, and the force of the collision sent him flying backward.
Then, because of the height difference, Han Sen's thigh came down right onto Redick's face.
Boom!
Han Sen slammed the ball into the hoop with both hands, and the impact sent Redick tumbling to the ground.
As Han landed, he stepped right over Redick's fallen body!
The crowd exploded into wild cheers, while the fans in the front row were left stunned.
Han Sen, what a bold move!
Redick, his face flushed red after being stepped over, didn't dare stand up and start a fight.
High-EQ players often think too much.
Looking back at Redick's reaction, Han flashed a provocative grin.
His hostility toward Redick wasn't due to Redick becoming the Lakers' coach. That had nothing to do with him.
And it certainly wasn't because of James' "mutual admiration." He wasn't part of that admiration.
No, Han's real animosity stemmed from Redick as a person.
This guy not only discriminated against Black women but also openly used racial slurs in an official Chinese New Year's greeting video!
Weekly Power Status
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