Capítulo 51: The Kite Runner.
"Achoo!"
Durant, who was training in the neighboring main arena, sneezed loudly.
In Oklahoma in November, the temperature was a bit chilly.
...
After finishing his extra evening practice, Han Sen returned to the hotel, took a shower, and then got into bed to check social media.
As expected, his social media was under heavy attack from haters.
"Blowout Durant? Who gave you that kind of face? You should take a good look at yourself!"
"Got lucky with a last-second shot and now you think you're invincible?"
"I was there in person. At that time, KD had already played eight rounds of one-on-one before facing Han Sen. He was running low on energy when they faced off."
"Han is a schemer. He studied KD's weaknesses and used the most shameless tactics. His win was anything but honorable."
"Today's KD has evolved. Han can't possibly guard him, let alone blow him out. That's pure fantasy!"
...
At first, Han Sen didn't think much of it, but as he kept reading, something started to feel off.
Back when he was trying out for the Thunder, the only people on-site were the Thunder staff and the rookies trying out.
It wasn't strange for one or two people at the scene to be online, but not all of them, right?
Also, the point about Durant's skill evolution— Han Sen had carefully researched it to notice. How could any random person online know about it so easily?
All these doubts came together, and suddenly, Han Sen understood.
Durant, that guy, was probably surfing the web intensively right now!
Realizing this, Han Sen switched to his alternate account and started engaging with Durant.
He figured out how to guard Durant.
...
The next night, the Ford Center, which can hold nearly 20,000 people, was packed.
The home team had an excellent start to the new season, Durant was playing explosively, and with the Cavaliers as the opponent, the game attracted a lot of attention.
The Cavaliers arrived at the arena earlier to warm up.
After a while of shooting, Han Sen felt a cold chill down his back, as if something eerie had locked onto him.
He turned around and saw Durant staring at him from across the court with a resentful look.
He recognized that look— it was the same person he had battled online the night before on social media.
Han Sen waved with a smile, while Durant snorted and turned away.
"Are you close with him?" O'Neal asked as he came over after seeing Han Sen's gesture.
"Not really," he smiled back, "but we'll get closer."
After the warm-up, the opening ceremony followed.
This was Han Sen's first career start, but since they were the away team, the introduction was brief.
"Number 77, Han Sen."
That was all the introduction he got.
But even that short introduction was enough to stir the crowd into booing him enthusiastically.
Whether it was the number 77 or Han Sen himself, both were good enough to attract hatred.
Once the opening ceremony was over, both teams revealed their starting lineups.
Cavaliers: Mo Williams, Han Sen, LeBron James, Cunningham, O'Neal.
Thunder: Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant, Jeff Green, Nenad Krstić.
O'Neal won the opening tip-off for the Cavaliers, and LeBron handled the ball, with O'Neal posting up for a shot in the low post.
This tactic was nothing new compared to the start of the season, but it worked effectively. O'Neal banked in a shot to give the Cavaliers the first points.
This success was partly due to the good spacing on the court, but also because the Thunder's interior defense was weak.
Krstić was a classic European big man, effective in scoring and mid-range shooting, and also good at setting up plays from the high post, but his defense and rebounding were average. His partner, Jeff Green, was a natural small forward playing the power forward position, making their help defense less effective.
Of course, the Thunder's good season wasn't built on defense, but offense.
The key to beating them was limiting Durant's impact.
The Thunder brought the ball across half-court.
"Look at me, I'm right here."
At that moment, Han Sen waved his hand towards Durant with a grin, looking as annoying as possible.
Durant, who was preparing for an off-ball play, saw this and, remembering last night's social media battle with "Han's fans," immediately switched to a one-on-one play.
Westbrook saw the change and quickly adjusted the play, handing the ball to Durant.
Durant caught the ball, turned to face the basket, and ignored Han Sen, pulling up for a jump shot.
Han Sen jumped to contest, but couldn't stop Durant from getting the shot off.
Durant showcased his hot form this season, as the ball swished through the net.
This was exactly what Han Sen had mentioned earlier— the increased difficulty of defending Durant. He couldn't force Durant to drive right like during the tryout.
Plus, Durant's shooting form had changed. Now, he shot with a more fluid and quicker motion, no longer bringing the ball across the right side of his face.
"So this is your idea of blowing me out?" Durant sneered after sinking the shot.
Han Sen shrugged without showing a hint of anger.
This annoyed Durant even more.
On the Cavaliers' next possession, O'Neal got the ball inside again, and this time, Durant collapsed into the paint to help. O'Neal, double-teamed, forced a foul on Krstić and earned two free throws.
The Thunder's lineup was imbalanced between inside and outside players.
O'Neal was playing comfortably, and even made both free throws.
Back on offense, Durant called for the ball again, not waiting for Han Sen to make any moves. This time, Han Sen stayed close, denying Durant an easy catch.
Westbrook dribbled over and handed the ball to Durant, clearing out the strong side for isolation.
At this point, Westbrook was still fresh off his rookie season and very much Durant's sidekick.
Durant caught the ball and, instead of pulling up, used a spin move to drive right before stopping for a quick jumper.
Han Sen stayed with him on this play and gave him plenty of contest.
But Durant was on fire, draining the shot over Han Sen's defense.
As he landed, Durant, pumped up with adrenaline, yelled at Han Sen, "It's a blowout alright, but I'm blowing YOU out!"
You could tell how much frustration he had built up.
Unfortunately for him, Han Sen had already turned and started running back on offense, leaving Durant's shout directed at empty air.
The arena's camera crew was quick to capture Han Sen's expression.
He still looked completely unbothered, causing the crowd to stir restlessly.
This guy's skin was as thick as the foundation you'd put on for makeup.
No, it wasn't that he was unfazed— his lips were curling into a smile!
The noise in the arena quickly turned into boos.
Han Sen's [hater points] was skyrocketing.
On the next possession, O'Neal drew a triple team when he got the ball, leaving Cunningham wide open on the baseline. Cunningham sank the shot cleanly.
6 to 4.
The Cavaliers maintained control of the game.
Durant continued calling for the ball.
At this point, he felt like a thousand-pound weight was crushing his chest. Only by destroying Han Sen could he release the frustration inside.
But this time, Han Sen made a sudden move from the side, intercepting Westbrook's pass intended for Durant.
LeBron dashed across the half-court and finished with his signature tomahawk dunk off Han Sen's pass.
"Kevin, don't get too caught up with Han!"
At that moment, someone from the Thunder bench shouted toward Durant.
Oops, busted!
Han Sen's eyes darted toward the source of the voice— Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.
He had almost forgotten about him.
The Cavaliers lost their last game to the Heat because Wade repeatedly exploited O'Neal in the pick-and-roll, not only finding his rhythm but also forcing Coach Brown to bench O'Neal.
Once O'Neal sat, the Cavaliers lost their interior advantage.
To avoid a repeat against the Thunder, the best strategy was to trap Durant in isolation plays.
Without playmaking skills, and with his stamina unable to match the output of Hakeem Olajuwon or Michael Jordan, Durant's one-on-one plays wouldn't be enough to carry the team.
That's why Han Sen had been picking fights on social media before the game and making little provocations on the court— to bait Durant into playing isolation all night.
And Durant, obligingly, had started falling for it, trying to prove something by attacking with the right-handed jump shots he hadn't mastered during the tryout.
Durant, out of respect for his coach, stopped calling for the ball.
But Han Sen wasn't about to let him off the hook.
How could he stop playing isolation so easily after promising to do it all night?
"Is this the blowout you were yelling about earlier? You've already chickened out after just one steal?"
Han Sen looked at Durant, his expression full of disdain.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder