Chapter 74: He Opened Up a New Path.
At this moment, Pierce's expression was one of utter disbelief, as if speechlessness itself had reached its peak.
Why did Han Sen get 2 truths for scoring a basket, while he only got 1 for his?
Wait, why the hell was he even comparing his points with Han's in terms of 'truths'?!
Shaking his head hard, he confirmed that Han was just a freak.
Forget it. Arguing with this guy was just asking for trouble.
He turned his attention back to the game, already having made up his mind.
The Cavaliers were on offense again, with James continuing to handle the ball and initiate pick-and-roll plays.
Ray Allen's ability to fight through screens was decent, but his size couldn't match up with James, who was still able to penetrate.
The Celtics kept collapsing in on defense, and James continued to drive and dish.
However, this time, Pierce had already started to retreat as soon as James jumped to pass, so James didn't pass to Hansen but instead gave it to Williams on the perimeter.
Williams drove towards the basket, and Pierce quickly moved to help defend.
Although he didn't know why Williams was called "No-Pass Mo," he was well aware of his play style— a man with eyes only for the basket.
But, once again, things didn't go as Pierce expected. Halfway through his drive, Williams actually passed the ball.
And the recipient... was Han Sen again!
Even if they were trying to showcase him for a trade, did the whole team really have to keep passing to him?
How eager were they to get rid of him?!
Pierce was shocked, but that didn't stop him from following the ball towards Han.
However, after being caught out twice in a row, his defensive positioning was far worse than before.
As he rushed over, Han waited for him to get close, then used a pump fake to get past him and drove straight to the basket.
Earlier, Han had lobbed an alley-oop to O'Neal, so Perkins didn't dare to step out and defend.
But Garnett came over from the free-throw line to help out.
Despite losing some mobility, Garnett's reputation as a first-class help defender was well deserved.
Han Sen chose to make a slight change of direction and switched into a quick sidestep move.
This was the first time Hansen used his 'Euro Step' after hitting a bottleneck with his [Phantom Steps].
The clear difference was that his change of pace had become even faster.
Garnett hesitated for just a moment in his judgment, and Hansen had already shifted past him with a sharp change of direction, finishing with a low-handed layup.
Garnett, though, hadn't given up, attempting to use his long arms to block the shot.
Sensing this, Han Sen leaned into Garnett's body, causing Garnett to get pushed slightly off balance. His blocking hand ended up hitting Han's wrist.
All of this happened in a split second. Han was fouled on the play, losing his balance from the contact, and his shot's trajectory fell short.
The ball bounced off the front of the rim, hovered for a moment, and then rolled in!
Not only was he in good form tonight, but his luck was pretty solid too.
The referee's whistle came a bit late, but this was a 2+1 play that could easily make the highlight reel.
After losing his balance and falling to the ground, Han lay there, fist-pumping in excitement once he saw the ball go in.
Although the feeling came a bit late compared to the Christmas game, this was still incredibly satisfying!
O'Neal and Cunningham rushed over to help him up.
Once back on his feet, Han took a deep breath and walked to the free-throw line.
Garnett's expression wasn't too bad, knowing that his defense was already solid and that Hansen had relied quite a bit on luck to score.
But Pierce was genuinely frustrated at this point.
Han was arrogant and obnoxious, yet the Cavaliers kept feeding him the ball all night—and his luck was through the roof!
Was there no justice left in the world?!
Seeing Pierce standing there by the free-throw line, visibly annoyed, Han couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic.
Before the referee handed him the ball, he turned to Pierce and said, "Why don't we just stick with 'Truth'? You can be 'American Truth', and I'll be 'World Truth.' That way, we don't have to argue anymore."
Pierce glared at Han Sen so intensely it felt like he was stabbing him 11 times in his mind.
From that look alone, he knew he'd just earned his first dedicated hater.
By halftime, the Cavaliers were leading 54-44.
Han had just played the most dazzling half of his NBA career, racking up 25 points.
Whenever he was on the floor, the Cavaliers did everything they could to get him the ball, and he definitely delivered.
If he scored 25 in the first half, would he score 50 by the end?
Of course, it wasn't that simple.
When a player performs exceptionally well in the first half, the opposing team usually makes defensive adjustments during halftime.
That's why it's rare for players to replicate their first-half performance in the second half.
And against a team like the Celtics, known for their defense, even superstars like Kobe would struggle to maintain the same scoring pace.
Hansen was no exception.
Moreover, unlike their last meeting, where the Celtics had misjudged Han Sen's skills, this time they were more focused on adjusting their defensive strategy.
With the Cavaliers centering their offense around Hansen, the Celtics focused on cutting off the connection between him and the rest of the team.
They also exploited Han's weakness in finishing after penetrating, allowing him to get to the basket but disrupting his layup attempts.
Thanks to this defensive approach, the Celtics steadily closed the gap.
The Cavaliers were forced to shift their offensive focus, letting James take on more of the scoring load.
Then, something improbable happened.
James was lights out from the perimeter. After going 1-for-3 from three-point range in the first half, he went 3-for-6 in the second.
With this hot shooting, the Cavaliers ultimately defeated the Celtics 99-95, completing a sweep of the Celtics.
Post-game stats: Ray Allen led the Celtics with 18 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Pierce had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Garnett contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Wallace added 12 points and 2 blocks, and Rondo posted 8 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals.
For the Cavaliers, Han Sen had a career-high 31 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 turnovers, while James had 25 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, and 7 turnovers. Williams added 11 points and 5 assists, and O'Neal recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds, with 3 assists.
During the post-game press conference, Han and James were joined by the team's general manager, Ferry, which was unexpected and quickly caught the attention of the reporters.
"We've heard a lot of trade rumors regarding Han. Can you shed some light on the situation?" asked the first reporter to be called on, directing the question to Ferry.
"I want to make one thing clear— those are all just rumors. We never put Han on the trading block. He's always been off-limits."
Hansen nearly lost his composure at this.
So, was the first requirement to be an NBA General Manager, a thick skin?
Then again, you could round it off and say it wasn't wrong. The Cavaliers weren't planning to trade him after all.
With the trade confirmed as nothing more than rumors, the reporters naturally turned their questions towards Han Sen.
Despite not scoring much in the second half, Hansen still led the Cavaliers with a career-high 31 points.
"31 points— if you were to rate your performance tonight on a scale of 1 to 10, what score would you give yourself?"
It was a classic question, one that felt quite familiar.
"7 points." But his response was surprising.
This didn't seem like his usual style at all. Was he starting to have a problem with the number seven?
The answer, of course, was no. He was actually aiming to boost his hater count.
When a consistently arrogant person suddenly downplays their success, they're more likely to be criticized than praised for humility.
"Pierce scored 16 points tonight. You previously said that he didn't deserve the nickname 'The Truth' and that you were the real Truth. Do you have anything to add now?"
Khalil stood up and asked.
Han Sen smiled and said, "Yes, I still stand by that. But I think he can continue to call himself 'Half-Truth.'"
Typically, trash talk stays on the court, but not when it serves a purpose.
Khalil got his headline, having completed his task.
"How would you assess LeBron's performance tonight?"
The next reporter called on was from NBC Boston.
Despite Windhorst being held back by LeBron, the fact remained that he drew attention.
According to the previous agreement, Han Sen could have chosen to skip this question.
However, an idea suddenly came to his mind.
LeBron had indeed passed him the ball a lot tonight, and statistically speaking, his numbers were very Pippen-like. You could even argue that he had supported Han Sen.
What if he teased LeBron a little? How would he react?
Ahem!
After a light cough, Han Sen adjusted the microphone and sat up straight.
His posture showed he was ready to respond, and LeBron looked over curiously, thinking Han Sen would definitely skip the question.
"We used to define team leaders as the top scorers, like Jordan and Kobe. But LeBron can score, organize the team, and even defend. He's opened up a new path for what it means to be a leader," Han Sen said with a serious expression.
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