Chapter 78: He's Better Than Jordan.
111-104.
With a 26-19 performance in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers defeated the Heat on the road.
The Heat were still the same team with the same style, but the difference was Han Sen.
Last time they faced each other, he wasn't even a starter, playing just 18 minutes. But tonight, he played 38 minutes.
Han's relentless defense on Wade made it difficult for the latter to use pick-and-rolls to attack O'Neal like before.
Furthermore, the Heat's 'Big Q' Quentin Richardson, due to injuries and a lack of defensive effort, was a disaster when matched up against LeBron James.
Add in Beasley's negligible help defense, and Wade was forced to help more defensively.
This led Wade to grab several steals, but the energy he spent on defense caused him to have a poor fourth quarter.
In the end, he shot only 11 of 26, contributing 24 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 6 turnovers.
Post-game statistics: Beasley had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Heat; Jermaine O'Neal had 17 points and 3 rebounds; Chalmers had 14 points and 6 assists; Richardson had 0 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 fouls.
For the Cavaliers, LeBron James scored 34 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 9 assists; Cunningham scored 18 points (a career-high); Shaquille O'Neal had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists; and Mo Williams added 13 points and 3 assists.
Han Sen made a strong comeback, shooting 10 of 15 from the field, 5 of 7 from three, and scoring 25 points, along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals, all while his former Barry University teammates cheered him on.
During the game, Han had a standout moment when he dribbled past Beasley, drove into the paint, and scored an and-one layup over Jermaine O'Neal.
After the game, Han Sen signed his jersey and gave it to Rondo, who had come to support him with his girlfriend.
Thanks to his outstanding performance, he was once again invited to attend the post-game press conference.
Since the self-deprecating '7 out of 10' rating he gave himself last time didn't generate as many haters as he had expected, Hansen decided to completely let loose when faced with a similar question this time.
"11 points," he said, giving himself a score beyond the maximum. One extra point didn't hurt his confidence.
"LeBron gave you a lot of opportunities tonight. How would you evaluate the performance of the league's best player?" came a question from... Khalil.
He had been waiting for this.
"Honestly, in some ways, I think LeBron is better than Michael Jordan," Han Sen declared, causing an uproar in the room.
James, upon hearing Jordan's name, couldn't hide his excitement.
"LeBron is a better three-point shooter. He went 2 for 4 from three tonight. He's more versatile than Jordan."
Han spoke with conviction, though in his heart, he quietly apologized to the Basketball God— this was all for the sake of attracting haters.
Even though Han tried to clarify, the commotion in the room didn't die down; it only grew more intense.
Because at this moment, even though Nike and the media were hyping LeBron, he was still chasing Kobe Bryant, not Jordan.
Stern's narrative of '23 vs. 24' was built around this.
But now, Han Sen had skipped Kobe entirely and directly compared LeBron to Jordan? At this point in time, it was a bit premature.
LeBron, however, was more than just excited— he was glowing.
Can you guess why LeBron chose number 23?
"I heard you're looking for sponsors recently. If you need help, feel free to ask me," LeBron said to Han Sen with a flushed face after the press conference.
"No need," he refused bluntly and walked away without looking back.
LeBron watched his retreating figure, just like Malone and O'Neal before him, unable to figure him out.
While taking a shower, Han Sen noticed his number of haters was increasing at an astonishing rate.
This excited him.
His earlier statement had been accidental, but this time, it was intentional.
After returning to the hotel, Han Sen logged into social media on his computer to check the situation.
Sure enough, his social media had exploded.
"LeBron's three-pronged attack? Daring to compare him to Jordan? He should look in the mirror and see what he really is!"
"Versatile? Don't make me laugh! Don't you know Jordan once averaged 32.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists for a season? Can LeBron ever do that?"
"Are you just obsessed with stats? Weren't you talking about leadership in a new path? You can't score in the clutch, so what kind of leader are you?"
"Why not just say LeBron is the GOAT already? Seriously, you have no shame!"
"You still claim not to be a LeBron fan? Your brain must be honey-soaked if you can say something like this! How many favors did LeBron give you under the table?"
"Being around LeBron really turns people bad! If a guy calls himself the king, there's no way the people around him are normal!"
"First, understand how many rings Kobe has and how many LeBron has before you start talking about Jordan, you LeBron fanboy! Oh wait, LeBron doesn't even have a ring!"
...
A glance at the comments revealed mostly Kobe fans.
While '6 Billion Kobe Fans' was just a figure of speech, during this period, they were the NBA's largest fanbase and terrifying in numbers.
But more surprising than the Kobe fans were the LeBron fans' reactions.
They were torn. On one hand, they had to fight the Kobe fans; on the other hand, they had to find time to argue with Hansen.
"Are you out of your mind comparing our king to Jordan? You're just inviting hate for him!"
"This guy is so sinister. LeBron has never claimed to be better than Jordan, but you're forcing the comparison and throwing him into the fire!"
"I get it now. This guy isn't just a LeBron hater; he's a masterful, covert hater!"
"You're sneaky and devious! Stop putting our king on a pedestal! All he wants to do is play basketball!"
...
The rationality of some LeBron fans caught him off guard.
They weren't the fans he remembered.
But then again, this was understandable. At this time, LeBron hadn't yet made 'The Decision'. He was still the 'Chosen One' and had some genuine charisma.
It was worth remembering that quite a few LeBron fans stopped supporting him after 'The Decision', probably including these people.
This won't do.
If his intentions were exposed after the first attempt, how would he continue racking up hate points in the future?
Hmm, it was time to dust off those 58 burner accounts.
Han began logging into his alternate accounts and diving into the familiar world of manipulating popular comments.
"You really a LeBron fan? Daring to say our king isn't on Jordan's level? LeBron is destined to be the GOAT!"
"Exactly! LeBron is the chosen one. Kobe is nothing more than a gatekeeper of the top 10 in history. He doesn't deserve to be compared to our king."
"What's wrong with you guys? Don't you remember why we love LeBron? At 17, he said he didn't want to be the next Kobe, so why should he be the next Jordan? He wants to surpass them all and rank first on everyone's list!"
...
The next morning, when Han Sen woke up, he discovered that his hater points had increased by over 10,000 overnight!
To put it in perspective, he had racked up 10,000 points in total while at Barry University, and that had taken him quite some time.
This proved that his strategy of lifting LeBron up to knock him down was not only effective but beyond expectations.
It was truly a new path for earning hater points.
A slight disappointment, though, was that the [Hater System] didn't have a rental feature.
Because after what he said last night, LeBron ended up getting more hate than he did.
If Han Sen could somehow rent out the system to LeBron while still being the one to benefit, the thought alone was exhilarating.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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