Chapter 53: Making The Deal.
Durant couldn't break free from the kite string Han Sen held tightly all night. As a direct result, the Thunder's offense often found itself in the awkward situation of "one player attacking while four others watched."
The Cavaliers eventually won the game 102-86.
Durant scored a game-high 34 points, but he shot just 11 of 29 from the field and committed five turnovers.
Apart from Durant, only two other Thunder players scored in double figures—Westbrook with 16 points and Jeff Green with 11.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers had five players in double figures.
LeBron James posted a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. Shaquille O'Neal had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Mo Williams contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Cunningham added 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Han Sen played 33 minutes, hitting 6 of 10 three-pointers, achieving his first 20-point game in the NBA, along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
At the post-game press conference, Han Sen, O'Neal, and LeBron James all attended together.
With the "Big Three" performing so well, even in a packed press conference, none of them could be left out.
As soon as Han Sen sat down, he immediately spotted Brian Windhorst sitting in the audience.
As the season progressed, Han Sen had come to know that besides being an ESPN reporter, Windhorst was also the Cavaliers' beat reporter.
Without surprise, Windhorst was the first to be called upon for a question when the press conference started.
But what Han Sen didn't expect was that this time Windhorst didn't direct his question at LeBron James— instead, he asked Han Sen!
What, did the sun rise in the west today?
"Han, three of your six three-pointers tonight were assisted by LeBron. Does playing alongside one of the greatest passers in NBA history make the game easier for you?"
Han Sen squinted his eyes, realizing something was off.
He turned his head to look at LeBron, who was now gazing at him with an unfamiliar, gentle look.
Was this a test?
Or an olive branch?
Han Sen figured the latter was more likely.
Without his three three-pointers, LeBron would have had three more turnovers and might not have even secured a triple-double.
In such a situation, if Han Sen were LeBron, he'd also look to smooth things over.
As for their previous clashes, weren't those just... misunderstandings in the face of greater interests?
Moreover, Windhorst's question carried an obvious implication, and it didn't take much thought to arrive at a standard response:
"Playing alongside the greatest passer in NBA history— no, the greatest player in NBA history— makes the game easier than it's ever been."
Just thinking about it gave Han Sen goosebumps.
But the worst part was, once you compromise once, it would be like cheating—there would be countless more times.
However, if he refused LeBron's goodwill, he would undoubtedly face pressure again, and his spot in the starting lineup for the next game could become uncertain.
Not to mention, he'd be targeted by LeBron's fanbase: Our King, so magnanimous, treats you with such grace, and yet you dare to be ungrateful?
"I should add, Shaq also assisted me twice today, and Mo (Williams) assisted me once too. I really like the team atmosphere right now. It makes me feel that we have great chemistry, and we're a true team," Han Sen replied with a smile.
Whether or not LeBron was the greatest passer in NBA history wasn't the issue—two of the assists LeBron gave him tonight were out of necessity.
This showed that LeBron hadn't initially wanted to cooperate with him; Han Sen simply capitalized on the situation.
Although starting was tempting, Han Sen didn't want to become another Varejão.
As for being hated by LeBron's fans...
Wouldn't that be a blessing?
After leaving the press conference, LeBron walked quickly ahead, leaving the room.
"You didn't have to reject his goodwill like that," O'Neal remarked, even though he wasn't particularly fond of LeBron himself, he still put on a facade.
"I train too hard," Han Sen sighed.
O'Neal didn't understand.
"My knees are too stiff; I just can't kneel," Han Sen joked with a smile.
O'Neal was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter before slinging an arm around Han Sen's shoulders, talking about taking him out to a nightclub.
Han Sen didn't go to the nightclub with O'Neal. After returning to the hotel, he pulled out the [Hater System] and began to study it.
His performance as a starter today exceeded expectations, but the process went about as he had anticipated.
The more LeBron passed to him, the more points he scored.
So it was predictable— having rejected LeBron's goodwill today, he would likely get fewer chances to touch the ball in the next game, and thus, fewer points.
It felt like he was being given opportunities.
So now the situation was: either he continued to stand his ground and had no opportunities, or he could kneel and get more.
His mindset was the same as before— if he had wanted to kneel, he would have done so in the locker room that day.
But was there a way for him to stand tall and still get opportunities?
The answer: yes.
The most direct and effective way was to become the next "Kyrie".
Here, the name "Kyrie" is just a stand-in for a player capable of closing out games with individual talent.
LeBron's technical characteristics, especially at this stage, were very "Pippen-like." He could absorb a large number of possessions, organize the offense, and set a solid foundation in the first three quarters.
If he wanted to, he could become the best second option in NBA history.
Of course, becoming the second option wasn't an option for "The Chosen One."
So, in Han Sen's knowledge of "history," LeBron always had a somewhat disjointed style. He would put up spectacular numbers during regulation to solidify his status as the team's alpha but would still need a strong closer to win the game.
Only such a closer would make him willing to relinquish the ball in crunch time.
In other words, for Han Sen to avoid feeling like he was only being fed opportunities, he needed to— and could only— become the next "Kyrie".
The good news was that the foundational skills he had honed since his NCAA days, especially his ball-handling, were the prerequisites for becoming that kind of player.
Moreover, he had already started practicing elusive footwork during the off-season, so what he lacked now was simply elite finishing talent.
In the Hater System, first-tier talent was still somewhat "out of reach" for him at this point.
In comparison, second-tier talent seemed more attainable. The improvement brought by his previous talent, "Star Catcher," had been significant.
Currently, he had accumulated over 90,000 hater points.
The new points came partly from LeBron's fanbase due to his conflicts with Varejão and LeBron.
Another unexpected portion came from domestic fans.
Even though the FIBA Asia Championship had been over for nearly three months, some fans back home were still criticizing him for the national team's failure to win the title.
These people had no idea how the national team would continue to lower their standards in the future, eventually struggling to even compete with regional teams.
There were even calls for him to be excluded from the 2010 FIBA World Championship because he didn't contribute during the Asia Championship.
Some even suggested banning him from the national team, just like what had happened to Wang Zhizhi back in the day.
If it weren't for his deep-rooted patriotism, he would have announced his withdrawal from the World Championship right now.
Conveniently, he needed more hater points, and this situation could potentially boost them significantly.
Just then, Thomas sent him an email.
After his standout performance, the shoe sponsors had already updated their offers, eagerly awaiting his decision.
Unlike last time, given the challenges he would face moving forward, now seemed like the right time to sign a shoe deal.
Looking at the last brand name on the list and recalling how the fans back home felt about him, Han Sen suddenly came up with a new way to earn hater points.
He called Thomas.
Thomas quickly picked up, as he had promised to be available 24/7.
"Which brand are you going with?"
"UA (Under Armour)."
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