บท 188: Broken.
LeBron James…didn't get it.
Fine, Han Sen thought, he might as well treat James and Gay as operating on the same comprehension level.
By the time Han Sen had already made it back to half-court, James finally sat down and realized what had happened, slamming his fist onto the bench in frustration, making the entire Heat bench, including Coach Spoelstra, jump in surprise.
Haslem stepped in as the team's 'mom,' attempting to soothe James's mood.
After the timeout, both teams rotated players in, giving Han Sen a chance to rest.
Current Lineups:
- Heat: Norris Cole, Mike Miller, LeBron James, Josh McRoberts, Haslem
- Grizzlies: Conley, Tony Allen, Gay, Speights, Faried
Allen took the primary defensive role against James.
Coach Joerger had anticipated that James would stagger his playing time and prepared for it.
James got the ball at the high post, immediately backing down Allen.
His first push was solid; the weight difference forced Allen to lower his stance as James turned baseline for a jump shot. Lacking grace, sure, but it created a decent look.
And he sank it.
This move reminded Han Sen of Game 6 footage against the Celtics, where James made several similar shots.
When he has the physical edge, that turnaround jumper is becoming dependable.
It's not surprising, though. Since the start of the season, James's post-game has noticeably improved with much more backing down tactics.
If he hadn't made any progress by now, that would have been shocking.
The problem? Allen isn't going to be effective guarding James.
Unlike guarding Durant or Kobe, Allen can't leverage his strength advantage with the weight disparity.
And true to that, after another successful Heat stop, James switched sides and backed down Allen again, this time hitting a turnaround jumper toward the free-throw line.
Coach Joerger had seen enough, calling up Battier from the bench.
Speights missed a mid-range shot after a pick-and-roll, but Faried grabbed the offensive board, drawing a foul from McRoberts and earning a trip to the line.
Battier subbed in for Allen as Faried hit one of his two free throws.
When James saw Battier on him, he started moving off the ball. But Battier stuck close, refusing to give James any space.
So James returned to the high post, calling for the ball.
Joerger signaled Conley for a quick double, but with a fake pass, James sent Cole cutting to the weak side, clearing the strong side for an iso.
With a quick turn and burst, he bulldozed past Battier and, after Faried was boxed out by Haslem, threw down a monstrous tomahawk dunk over Speights.
This is James's element — staggered rotations, where he can thrive. And tonight, he's showing the full range of his versatility, displaying even more power than last season.
From what Han Sen knows of 'history,' this season is considered James's peak in personal form.
Why didn't he perform as well as a starter?
Look at Memphis's starting lineup: three defensive guards on the perimeter and two towers inside.
Even Kobe or Durant would hesitate. Expecting LeBron James to shine against that kind of defense? Unrealistic.
But games last 48 minutes, and with the Grizzlies' bigs wearing down faster, this lineup has limits.
End of Q1 Score: 16–22.
The Heat closed the gap.
At the start of the second quarter, the Heat subbed Wade in, while Joerger put Han Sen in for Gay. The margin hovered between 6 and 8 points.
Four minutes into the quarter, both teams brought back their starters. The score stood at 22–28, with Memphis still in control.
James called for the ball beyond the arc, locked eyes with Gay, then unexpectedly rose for a three.
Gay didn't see that coming, leaving him a step behind.
Swish!
As the net snapped, James pounded his chest and roared, firing up the crowd.
A player's confidence often syncs with his performance, and James's recent stretch had brought back his swagger.
Like his Game 6 against the Celtics, where he started shaky but caught fire when they rotated Pietrus in.
The Heat trimmed the lead to a single possession. Defensive intensity surged as the Heat locked in.
Down low, Randolph couldn't get a clean position as Haslem clamped him tight, so Conley called Han Sen up to receive the ball.
Despite Wade's aggressive defense, Han Sen used a screen from Gasol to catch the ball, though Wade was still in his face.
If anyone deserves All-Defense honors, it's Wade.
With Kobe aging, Wade's unmatched for guards, blending speed, strength, experience, and defensive skill. Getting past him at full power is tough.
Han Sen might have a size advantage, but his post moves are raw, and facing Wade would be draining.
His choice? Find his buddy.
Gay was already sprinting over for the screen.
One of Wade's weak points is navigating screens, and now, whether James liked it or not, he ended up right in front of Han Sen.
Han Sen dribbled, eyeing an opening.
James, all fiery confidence moments ago, suddenly looked less certain.
It's understandable.
Back in the season opener, Han Sen got past James easily. With his [Uncle Drew] talent maxed, slipping past him now was like bypassing a traffic cone.
James immediately called for help.
The crowd reacted with jeers.
Who calls for help before they've even tried?
Wade tried closing in, but Han Sen had already faked right and slipped left along the free-throw line.
By the time James turned around, Han Sen was gone.
James could only trail him from behind.
Han Sen, undeterred, drove into the paint, coolly executed a floater, and watched it drop as James's hand caught nothing but air.
Glancing at James, Han Sen shrugged.
They both shrugged, but the meanings were worlds apart.
When they got back on defense, Han Sen signaled Gay, then matched up against James.
Memphis's starting lineup didn't lack inside help. The issue was perimeter defense.
Like Allen, Han Sen could limit James's first step, even with his added size, he wasn't worried about James backing him down.
Seeing this, James seemed to lose his desire for the ball.
A dose of reality.
But Han Sen had his own way of making it work. "DW just doesn't have it."
LeBron was mostly immune to Han Sen's trash talk by now, but this one actually got his attention.
Could Han be eyeing the Heat?
It was a creative idea. With Wade already showing signs of wear this season, Han would make a worthy replacement.
The Heat's future would look even brighter—plus, Han and the team had some history.
But Han's follow-up hit nothing like that. It was a brutal swerve that knocked any ideas LeBron had right out of his head.
"You know, when Pippen dropped 8 points, Jordan could still get 45 and carry the team to victory. But DW... he couldn't handle that."
Now, LeBron understood. The word '8 points' was too loaded to ignore, especially when Han was comparing Wade to Pippen.
But he couldn't argue with it.
Saying he wasn't Pippen would imply he was better than just an 8-point game.
But to prove he was better than that would be admitting he was purposely holding back to shift the power balance.
It was like a red-hot, poisoned, razor-sharp boomerang aimed straight for his heart—no way out.
And then, something surprising happened.
LeBron laughed.
He actually laughed!
"So what?" he shot back, his rare comeback delivered with a pointed look over to Wade, who was trying to shake off Gay and break through.
The message was clear: Wade was okay with stepping back from being "Jordan."
That familiar frustration from the regular season started to rise in Han again.
Han Sen almost wanted to crack open Wade's head, see what misguided ideas were swirling inside.
But he quickly composed himself.
This wasn't the regular season; this was different.
Looking straight at LeBron, Han continued, "So I'm curious—are you gonna get thrown out like Pippen did?"
LeBron's smile froze.
Han's other jabs had rolled off him easily enough; he could shrug them off, toughen his skin.
Just like in his classic 'Life Is Tough' speech: the sun will rise tomorrow, and he'd still be living his kingly life.
But this?
This cut too close to his biggest worry.
If the Heat didn't win the championship, they risked becoming the quickest superteam to be dismantled.
Pat Riley wasn't one for sentimentality.
He traded Shaq to the Suns without a second thought for the ring Shaq had brought to Miami.
And here they were, facing a second consecutive failure.
If it came down to breaking up the team, LeBron wasn't even sure he'd be the one to stay. Worse, if he were traded, he might not get to choose where he ended up.
This all circled back to a crucial thing he lacked: a no-trade clause.
That's why Kobe's contract gave the Lakers front office fits every time he threatened to leave. He had that power. James didn't.
If he got traded, it wouldn't just be a disruption; it would be a forced exit—maybe to a team he didn't even want. It would throw his career plans, his off-court branding, everything, into chaos.
"We're gonna beat you," LeBron finally replied.
Han Sen smirked. James's trash talk game was kindergarten level.
Two words were all he needed to fluster James further: "Will you?"
Wade managed to beat Gay, but his floater rimmed out thanks to Gasol's help defense.
After Wade's deferment this season, he'd only really taken clutch shots, which had led to the predictable: injuries.
It was subtle in the regular season, but now, in the playoffs, his decline compared to last year was clear.
In the transition, Han took the ball and set up yet another screen for Gay.
Whatever Wade's thinking didn't matter—the point was to beat the Heat, and the more brutal the win, the better.
Han faced LeBron once again. This time, he didn't rush to attack; instead, he dribbled LeBron up to the three-point line.
"You really think a fluke over an undercooked Pacers team and one hot game against a washed-up Celtics squad makes you title-worthy?"
As he scoped out the Heat's defensive setup, Han pushed further.
"Do you remember 2007? When you got swept in the Finals?"
For years, the East and West had been in different leagues.
If the Big Three in Boston hadn't come together, the West would've had a monopoly on the title.
+5.
Han's Hater System finally kicked in.
That '07 sweep—Han could tell it was a festering wound in LeBron's mind.
With LeBron distracted, Han seized the moment. A quick move left him past LeBron in a flash.
With no time for the Heat to adjust, Han pulled up for a mid-range jumper and sank it smoothly.
Damn, LeBron's like a Memphis street at 4 a.m.—clear and wide open!
But Han's talk wasn't over yet.
Brushing past LeBron after the shot, Han leaned in with another stab.
"All these years, coasting in the East, eating up easy games, forming a superteam—and you still couldn't claim first seed. Imagine if you got traded to the West—how do you think that'd go?"
LeBron understood better than anyone that the East had been his cushion.
Especially when he thought of what Han didn't need to say: Han was already proving himself in the West.
If Han stayed dominant in the West and LeBron couldn't measure up, it wouldn't just ruin his plans—it'd cast doubt on his entire legacy.
As they set back up on defense, Han noticed the change in LeBron's expression. That cocky confidence had faded completely.
Han had done what he set out to do.
He and Gay swapped defensive assignments again.
Wade, seeing Han switch back, passed to Chalmers, who then swung it over to LeBron's side.
During the Heat's half-court set, Wade and LeBron usually split the court—one strong side, one weak—making it nearly impossible for Han to help on LeBron without traversing the entire half-court.
LeBron tried to back down Gay in the post.
Gay held firm, bracing against LeBron's drive.
But LeBron lost control of the ball on the turn, letting it slip from his hands.
Gay, still digging in, saw the loose ball land right in his lap.
His eyes lit up, hungry for this gift-wrapped chance, and he sprinted down the court.
Glancing back to check, he saw Han locking Wade out and LeBron not even trying to chase him down—just Chalmers giving it a shot.
This gave Gay an extra boost of speed, enough to soar into a warhammer of a tomahawk dunk.
Boom!
The ball blasted into the hoop, and the entire FedEx Forum exploded.
25-34.
The Grizzlies had stretched the lead again!
Spoelstra called for a timeout.
Gay dashed over, crashing his chest into Han's in a show of pure adrenaline.
He didn't know exactly what Han had said to LeBron, but he could feel it: the LeBron he'd just defended wasn't the same guy who'd been launching threes in his face.
So maybe, in addition to 'Don't make Han mad,' the Grizzlies' opponents should add one more line to their playbooks:
Whatever you do, never talk to Han Sen during the game!
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