บท 95: Season Finale.
"God, he's like the 'Scorer's Table Terminator'!"
On the commentary panel, tonight's commentator, Barkley, dropped a golden line.
O'Neal had earlier dubbed Han Sen the 'Terminator', but that nickname had faded among the crowd. However, after Barkley's new spin on it, it seemed like the name was bound to stick, especially since this was the third time Han Sen had jumped onto the scorer's table— dating all the way back to his NCAA days.
This time, within a single series, he jumped onto the table twice, each time with a classic line. Now, with this new nickname, future opponents would likely be wary of whether their scorer's table would survive.
After shouting, Han Sen felt a rush of exhilaration. He let out a loud cheer, and as the fans roared, he jumped down again.
At this point, most of the Cavaliers players, except LeBron James who had already retreated to the locker room, gathered around the scorer's table, including even Varejao. Tonight's victory was truly inspiring!
After battling through the sea of reporters, one finally reached Han Sen.
"Han! Han! What are your thoughts right now?" The reporter had to raise his voice to be heard over the cheers of the fans and players.
"I told you, we won't be going back to Boston!" Han Sen shouted back.
The arena exploded once again.
Since the NBA's founding, there were very few players who could boast about taking down the Celtics successfully. But Han Sen, a rookie, had not only done it but was now acknowledged as Boston's nemesis— a feat possibly unmatched in history.
After the interview ended, Han Sen smiled and waved to the fans before heading toward the tunnel. But as soon as he stepped into the player tunnel, his expression twisted slightly, and he had to lean against the wall.
Cunningham, who had been all smiles, immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Help me to the medical room," Han Sen quickly said.
Ever since his game-winning play, something had felt off, and now it seemed like adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going. Cunningham quickly called over Jamison, and the two helped Han Sen to the medical room.
Once inside, the team doctor, who Cunningham had already fetched, started an initial examination.
Han Sen's knee was in a lot of pain.
After the preliminary checkup, the team doctor recommended they take Han Sen to the hospital for further tests. Without hesitation, Cunningham and Jamison, still in their uniforms, accompanied him to the hospital.
Meanwhile, back in the Cavaliers' locker room, the players were celebrating wildly. They felt unstoppable, some even imagining themselves lifting the championship trophy.
"Where's Han?" O'Neal asked, turning around, suddenly realizing the rookie's absence.
After further tests at the hospital, the final diagnosis came from the team doctor: "Mild ligament strain. He'll need at least two weeks of rest."
Both Cunningham and Jamison had complex expressions.
Two weeks meant Han Sen would miss the entire Conference Finals. And even if the Cavs made it to the Finals, there was no guarantee Han would be ready.
Han had played his heart out to lead the Cavs past the Celtics, but now it seemed like his journey had ended at the finish line.
"I told you, I've always had good luck," Han Sen said with a smile to the doctor.
While two weeks of rest wasn't ideal, it was the best possible outcome for an injury. And given that he had played heroically in three of the five games in this series, even if his season ended now, it would have been worth it.
Soon after, Coach Brown and General Manager Ferry arrived at the hospital after being notified by the team doctor.
The true extent of Han Sen's injury remained under tight wraps, as they didn't want to reveal anything before the Eastern Conference Finals. After some discussion, they decided to list Han's injury as "knee soreness, day-to-day."
Hearing this, Han Sen couldn't help but think, 'Doesn't this sound exactly like Kawhi Leonard?'
After receiving initial treatment, Han Sen returned home. Over the next week, not only could he not play, but he couldn't even train, which was a tough adjustment for someone so used to constant action.
Although Shaq and West visited him the next day, the visits were brief, and Han was left with a lot of time on his hands.
Bored, he began to think about things he'd overlooked during the playoffs. For example, were Rondo and the others now on vacation? He considered inviting them to Cleveland, but since his injury was still under wraps, it seemed like a bad idea.
Han, bored out of his mind, grabbed his phone. 'Maybe I'll check in with Swift,' he thought. After all, she did promise him a cake. He shot off a quick message:
"Hey, still owe me that cake 😜."
To his surprise, his phone buzzed almost immediately— a video call from her. He answered, and there was Taylor Swift, holding her phone up to show a massive concert stage behind her.
"Hey, Han! Guess where I am?" she said, flashing a big smile.
"Uhh... judging by that crowd, definitely not in Cleveland," Han replied, grinning.
Taylor laughed, "Nope! Brazil, actually. Rehearsing for a show."
"World tour, huh? Look at you, international superstar," Han teased.
"Yeah, Fearless tour. Been non-stop since April. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about your cake," she said with a wink.
Han chuckled, "You better not. I'm holding you to that."
"I know! Just wait till July, I'll be back then. We'll do it for real," she promised.
"Deal. Just don't expect me to help bake it," Han said, smirking.
"Oh, don't worry. You'd just mess it up anyway," she shot back with a playful roll of her eyes before saying, "Anyway, I've gotta run— stage calls! Rest up that knee, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, you too. Don't trip on stage," Han joked.
With one last smile, Taylor waved and hung up, leaving Han staring at the screen.
Smiling to himself, he set his phone down. At least she didn't forget.
Still, after the call ended, Han found himself bored again. He picked up his gaming console and started playing NBA 2K to pass the time.
It wasn't long before Khalil called him to talk about the All-NBA selections.
According to NBA rules, the awards weren't handed out in a ceremony, but rather announced throughout the playoffs. The last major award to be announced was the All-NBA Team.
The selections were divided into three categories: All-NBA, All-Defensive, and All-Rookie teams. Unlike the All-NBA teams, the All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams only had two selections each.
Being selected to the All-NBA First Team was considered one of the most prestigious honors, second only to MVP in terms of establishing a player's legacy.
Thanks to his regular season averages of 13.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, Han Sen had been named to both the All-Rookie First Team and the All-Defensive Second Team!
Joining him on the All-Rookie First Team were Brandon Jennings, Steph Curry, Tyreke Evans, and Taj Gibson.
Blake Griffin, who had dominated in Summer League, missed out due to injury. As for Hasheem Thabeet and James Harden, they hadn't played much during their rookie seasons.
It's worth noting that, in theory, these awards were supposed to follow positional designations. But in reality, the media didn't always stick to that rule.
"If you were American, you'd have made the All-Defensive First Team," Khalil said, expressing his frustration on Han Sen's behalf.
These awards were largely subjective. If an Eastern journalist were voting, they would naturally be biased toward Eastern players.
Still, the fact that Han Sen had made the Second Team, despite the bias, showed just how impressive his defensive play had been all season. Thanks in no small part to the contributions of superstars like Durant, Kobe, Carter, Pierce, and even Anthony, who had all struggled against him.
"Oh, and by the way, LeBron made both First Teams for the second year in a row."
Han Sen wasn't surprised. Media bias in favor of LeBron was no joke.
But Han didn't care much about these awards, even the All-Rookie First Team, because they didn't bring him any tangible benefits. What he did care about was the All-Defensive Second Team. According to his shoe deal with UA, this accolade would boost his contract from 2 million to 2.5 million dollars this year.
While it might not seem like much now, when invested in his previous financial plan, that extra money would grow into something substantial.
Han Sen's boredom didn't last long, as just two days later, the Cavaliers faced off against the Orlando Magic.
Han showed up at Quicken Loans Arena and, per the team's request, went out during warmups to take a few shots— just to throw the Magic off. Afterward, he changed back into his warm-up gear and took his seat at the far end of the bench as a VIP spectator.
Han's mindset was pretty relaxed. If the Cavs made it to the Finals, great— he'd love to play on that stage. If they didn't, that was fine too.
After all, if the Cavs didn't advance, it would only prove how important he was to the team.
In fact, after LeBron's sneaky play in Game 5 of the last series, Han was quietly hoping the Cavs would lose in the Conference Finals.
After all, if LeBron went to the Finals, only to fail spectacularly, wouldn't that be the most disgusting outcome imaginable?
(TL/n: For those unfamiliar, the Finals is the annual championship series of NBA. The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion.)
That said, Han thought the Cavs still had a good shot at winning.
The main reason, of course, was Shaquille O'Neal.
O'Neal proved against the Celtics that he was still going strong. Now, facing off against Dwight Howard, who he completely dominated, wouldn't that give him even more room to shine?
If the Magic were compared to a car, Howard would be the engine.
Once the engine is restricted, it's hard for the car to speed up.
What's more, they traded away the 'driver' (Hedo Türkoğlu) during the offseason.
Of course, it's not like the Magic have no chance at all. O'Neal's stamina is a big concern, and if the Cavaliers' offense struggles and the game turns into a fast-paced affair, Howard could still make a big impact in the paint.
Also, the Magic swept their way into the Eastern Conference Finals, and Vince Carter had been in great form since the second round, scoring over 20 points in three of the four games.
Who wins? Only playing the games will tell.
Then, the Cavaliers took Game 1 with a 96-88 victory.
O'Neal was outstanding, putting up 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
But stats alone couldn't capture his full impact. He made life incredibly tough for Howard on both ends of the court.
At the end of the day, Howard is still a player who relies on physicality. When that advantage is taken away, he's nothing more than a glorified role player.
Barring any surprises, Han would need to start preparing for the Finals.
After Game 1, the media gave O'Neal a lot of coverage, with the headline: "The Big Shaq's Fourth Act."
The first act was in L.A., the second in Miami, the third in Phoenix, and the fourth— though it might not last a full season— was shining in the playoffs.
Ever since coming back from injury, O'Neal had been red hot. As long as he got the ball, he never disappointed.
It's no exaggeration to say that, while Han was the main reason the Cavaliers eliminated the Celtics in the previous round, O'Neal deserved at least as much credit as LeBron.
Then came Game 2, where O'Neal couldn't get the ball.
LeBron had one of those classic 'the team lost, but I didn't' games, going 14-for-29 from the field, with 37 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 turnovers. But the Cavaliers lost to the Magic, 92-101.
And then LeBron had two more games just like that.
After four games, the Cavaliers, who had won the first one, suddenly found themselves down 1-3 to the Magic.
At this point, Han could only channel his inner Mamba and say, 'What can I say, man!'
It was absurd— so absurd it was mind-blowing.
Han thought LeBron's obsession with stats rivaled that of Wilt Chamberlain, the last player nicknamed "The Big Dipper".
If Han Sen were forced to analyze it, he'd say LeBron lost his cool after Han stole the spotlight in the first round, and O'Neal took it again in the second round.
But that wasn't even the craziest part.
The craziest part was that when the Cavaliers were down 1-3 and staring at another early playoff exit, Danny Ferry actually came to Han!
"You want me to come back early? Seriously"
Han wore an annoyed expression when he heard Ferry's request.
In this situation, Ferry wasn't trying to convince LeBron to let go of his obsession with stats. Instead, he came to ask Han to return early from injury?
Han didn't just refuse. He used a much firmer tone.
"Ferry, let's be real for a second. I got injured because of pushing too hard. Now you want me to gamble my career for a single championship? Nah, man. That's not happening."
Seeing Ferry about to speak again, Han cut him off again.
"And don't even try to guilt-trip me with that 'LeBron's playing through pain' stuff. Everyone's body is different. If my career gets screwed up, who's gonna cover that? You? The team? Yeah, didn't think so."
Han's situation was different from LeBron's. LeBron desperately needed this championship to crown himself, but Han was more focused on showcasing his talent.
The second round against the Celtics had already accomplished that. The rest was just icing on the cake.
Seeing his firm attitude, Ferry couldn't argue any further.
After all, as Han said, asking a player to play through injury was a form of moral coercion.
But Han never imagined what happened next. Just a day after he refused Ferry, Brian Windhorst published an article on ESPN, claiming the reason the Cavaliers were losing was because of Han's absence, and that no one could contain Vince Carter.
"If Han could return early, the Cavaliers still have a chance."
What the hell? Han was furious with LeBron.
Just like leaking his injury status before the season ended, they were already setting him up to take the blame before it was over.
Han immediately contacted Khalil, instructing him to publish an article titled, "In Basketball, What's More Important: Stats or Winning?"
Khalil, after working with Han for a while, had grown bolder.
And, more importantly, as Han's fame rose, so did his. If he had to quit over this, he could easily join TNT or another network.
So even before the season ended, the drama surrounding the Cavaliers was already in full swing.
Two days later, Dwight Howard fouled out, LeBron went off for 43 points, and the Cavaliers narrowly won Game 5 at home, 112-109.
Four days later, the Cavaliers lost Game 6 on the road, 84-96, and were eliminated 2-4 by the Magic.
When Han led the third-string team to beat both the first and second teams in practice, he declared that he was the player who could help the Cavaliers win. Without him, they wouldn't make the Finals.
At the time, even Han didn't realize just how prophetic those words would turn out to be.
With the Cavaliers' elimination, Han's rookie season officially came to an end.
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