章 56: Phantom Steps.
In just one week, Han Sen's "hater value" skyrocketed from over 90,000 to 160,000.
China boasts a large crowd, so the "hater value" increased rapidly as well.
Of course, part of this surge came from James's fans. After Han Sen refused his goodwill, his fans began to target and criticize him. Later, as his playing time decreased and his performance declined, the negativity from that side only intensified.
Regardless, Han Sen could finally redeem a new talent. He accessed the "hater system," scrolled to the second tier, and directly exchanged his 160,000 "hater points" for [Phantom Steps].
[Phantom Steps]: A talent that enhances explosive power, change-of-direction speed, and body coordination.
Explosive power is the key to determining the speed of a breakthrough. Change-of-direction speed is self-explanatory. As for body coordination, it affects the stability of a layup.
Han Sen's previous struggles with breakthroughs were fundamentally due to insufficient explosive power and coordination.
Now, all of this was addressed in one go.
Additionally, since he had already been practicing breakthroughs, it could be expected that he would reach the talent bottleneck faster than he did with [Star Catcher].
The next day, Han Sen began targeted extra practice with Cunningham.
Cunningham was also working on controlling fouls on defense, so they quickly clicked.
However, after some training, Han Sen realized that practicing with Cunningham wasn't yielding the desired results. It wasn't that Cunningham's defense was bad, but rather, as a big man, his footwork couldn't match that of a perimeter player. This led to Han Sen easily beating him after a short time.
"I can't stop you," Cunningham eventually admitted, realizing the practice wasn't beneficial for him either.
Left with no choice, Han Sen had to find a new partner.
On the Cavaliers' perimeter, aside from himself, the other solid defenders were old Parker and Delonte West.
Old Parker was kind and hadn't clashed with Han Sen, but since they were in direct competition for the starting shooting guard spot, it wasn't suitable.
Han Sen eventually chose West.
West, a 2004 rookie who joined the league a year after James, was now 26 years old, as he had played three years of college ball before entering the NBA.
Though he had been with the Cavaliers for two years, West was not favored by James or his entourage due to his introverted nature.
Unlike old Parker, West mainly competed for playing time with another of James's "blade-bearing guards," Daniel Gibson.
So, even though they were both guards, West didn't directly compete with Han Sen.
When Han Sen was coming off the bench, he had good chemistry with West, and even after being pulled from the starting lineup by Coach Brown, they still frequently played together. They were familiar with each other.
Thus, when Han Sen approached West for extra practice to compete for more playing time, and even gifted him an extra pair of customized headphones, West readily agreed.
Once Han Sen started training with West, he quickly recaptured the feeling of training with Dwyane Wade.
Despite his shorter height, West was a formidable defender, even posing a pressing defensive threat with his quick hands.
After all, West had mismatched against Hedo Türkoğlu and Rashard Lewis in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Magic.
Previously, the Cavaliers had players like Pavlovic and Szczerbiak, who were big and could defend the perimeter. Yet, West kept them on the bench, showing his value.
A month quickly passed, and it was now mid-December. With only about ten days left until the most important American holiday, Christmas, Han Sen had made significant strides in his breakthrough ability due to his intense month of training.
With his strong physicality, West was beginning to struggle to defend him.
Of course, Han Sen was still far from reaching his bottleneck. This meant that if he wanted to improve further, he would have to face stronger opponents on the court.
Before the game against the Wizards that day, Han Sen and West squeezed in some extra practice in the afternoon.
After their training, the two walked back to the locker room while chatting.
However, as soon as they entered the locker room, their conversation abruptly stopped, and they both froze.
A woman was rummaging through a locker near the entrance of the locker room.
The NBA has strict rules about locker room access, and even staff members aren't allowed in without permission, let alone a woman.
Could it be that someone had broken into the locker room?
Still sweaty from their workout, both were shirtless. Han Sen quickly put on his jersey, while West stood there in shock.
The woman turned around, her eyes lingering on West's bare torso for a moment before she spoke.
"Don't worry, I'm Gloria James. I'm just here to pick up something for my son."
She spoke politely, but both Han Sen and West widened their eyes in shock.
This was James's mother!
Han Sen quickly gestured for West to put on his shirt. West, finally snapping out of it, hurriedly dressed.
The atmosphere became slightly awkward, and after a brief greeting, the two sat down at their respective spots.
Not long after, Gloria James left the locker room with what she came for.
Han Sen shook his head in disbelief. NBA locker rooms are off-limits to outsiders, including family members of the players.
James surely knew this. It wasn't just a disrespect to Coach Brown's authority, but it also trampled on the team's rules.
That night, the Cavaliers hosted the Wizards.
The Cavaliers' performance had been inconsistent over the past month, and they were now third in the Eastern Conference, behind the Celtics and Magic, which fell short of fan expectations.
As for the Wizards, despite the return of Gilbert Arenas, with their trio of Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler all back, they were still struggling. After years of turmoil, their strength and morale were at rock bottom, including enduring a six-game losing streak.
Facing such an opponent, the Cavaliers and their fans were eager to vent some frustrations.
However, once the game began, the Cavaliers disappointed once again.
Shaquille O'Neal sat out due to knee soreness, and the starting lineup relied heavily on James's drives and kicks. Unfortunately, both Mo Williams and old Parker couldn't hit their outside shots, clanking them off the rim repeatedly.
This forced James to relentlessly drive inside, relying on free throws to score points for the team.
On the Wizards' side, Arenas returned the favor with his own bricks from outside. However, Jamison was on fire, not only dominating his matchup against Cunningham but also drawing multiple fouls on Ilgauskas.
Jamison might not have been a big-name player, but Han Sen was aware of his achievements. He was a member of the 20,000-point club, had made the All-Star team, and would later be traded to the Cavaliers, only to see his career plummet.
But watching Jamison's performance on the court, it was clear that his individual skill and impact were significant, and he was in top form.
If the Cavaliers were to trade for him as Han Sen knew, it would be a massive upgrade.
The two teams played evenly in the first quarter, and Han Sen got his first minutes at the start of the second quarter.
The Wizards' bench wasn't particularly strong, and during this period, Han Sen and West helped the Cavaliers extend their lead to double digits.
However, after just five minutes, Han Sen was subbed out.
That was his situation now—despite the external pressure, Coach Brown, adhering to James's demands, strictly limited Han Sen's playing time.
After three quarters, the Cavaliers trailed the Wizards 72-75 heading into the final period.
It was this last quarter that completely shattered the spirits of the home crowd.
The Cavaliers were outscored 19-33 in the final quarter, losing by 17 points with a final score of 91-108.
Before the game even ended, Cleveland fans began booing in frustration.
This dissatisfaction soon turned into a chant: "Brown, get out!"
This wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment reaction. For over a month, Brown had been stubbornly sticking to his rotation despite external pressure.
Han Sen had played exceptionally well tonight, but with only 15 minutes of playing time and the team losing to a lowly opponent, the fans could no longer tolerate it.
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