Chapter 714: Chapter 714
In the final quarter, Irving broke free from Hoiberg’s guidance and began a frenetic assault on the Cavaliers’ defense.
When the strategy failed to work, he chose to solve the problem his way.
In that moment, he seemingly had a shadow of Allen Iverson.
The same self-reliance, the same rebellion, the same isolationist play.
And, of course, the same outcome.
to 99, the Cavaliers defeated the Bulls and took G3, rewriting the series score to 3-0.
Hansen scored 55 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists; Wade had 14 points and 7 assists; Korver had 13 points; Jokic had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 fouls.
Irving scored 31 points, Howard had 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists; Butler had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
"When Nikola got into foul trouble, and our shooters went cold, I thought we might not win tonight, but Han told everyone he would keep fighting until others got back on track, and then we saw what happened. That’s what a great leader does, it’s not just about how many points he scores."
At the post-game press conference, Malone was full of praise for Hansen.
Incidentally, he also mentioned Irving:
"I never doubted Kyrie’s individual ability. He played an irreplaceable role in our championship run last season, but he still has a way to go to become a team leader."
Even though the two had many conflicts before, Malone ended up giving Irving some pointed advice.
Whether Irving would listen, of course, was another matter.
Two days later, the Cavaliers crushed the Cavaliers 114-86, completing a 4-0 sweep of the Bulls.
Just as Hansen had predicted, there was no Game 5 in this series.
And just as that NBC article had said, Hansen snuffed out Nike’s future.
Next up for Hansen was the present of Nike.
In some sense, Hansen had entered a Nike replica this season.
As Nike’s top star, Durant, leading the Celtics, also swept the Pistons and Raptors out of the playoffs.
Now, the two strongest teams in the East were set for a head-to-head collision in the conference finals.
Cavaliers, Celtics, playoffs, Hansen—these words together automatically evoked memories for old fans.
Hansen’s breakout series came from the Cavaliers vs. Celtics matchup seven years ago.
In the absence of James due to injury, Hansen led the Cavaliers to eliminate the opponent, much like the closing notes of a piano piece, marking the end of the Cavaliers 1.0 period.
It was also the series that gave birth to the "who is your daddy" meme.
So, whether for Cavaliers or Celtics fans, this would be a unique series.
However, before the series started, a piece of news caught people’s attention.
At the start of the playoffs, Little Thomas of the Celtics received terrible news.
His close sister, nearly 22-year-old Shina Thomas, passed away in a car accident.
In theory, with the death of a close family member, Little Thomas should have returned home for the funeral, but he persisted and played in G1 against the Pistons. Google seaʀᴄh 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
When that news got out, it drew significant attention, with people lamenting his misfortune while also praising his professional attitude.
Coincidentally, Game 1 of the conference finals was on the birthday of his sister Shina, making this game quite exceptional.
When the game started, Little Thomas played like a man possessed, scoring inside and out.
Stevens, seeing this, also put the offensive pressure entirely on him, even Durant cooperated with him.
In the end, he finished the game with 33 shots, hitting 18; nailing 5 of 12 three-pointers and making 12 of 13 free throws, scoring 53 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, with 4 assists and 3 steals!
With his lead, the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 129-119.
Hansen’s valiant effort with 42 points, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks was in vain.
"I couldn’t hear anything; I felt like I was alone in the training hall. I felt my sister was right there; with every shot, she was... I felt her helping me, I can’t even describe those moments."
In the post-game press conference, Little Thomas was in tears.
"When Shina left, I once thought about giving up, but I will fight for her for the rest of my life."
For a basketball player, this is the best way to pay tribute.
After the media reported these words, there was renewed outcry.
This is the warm moment of the NBA.
But, of course, not for the Cavaliers.
By losing Game 1, the Cavaliers lost the home court advantage for the series, and if they couldn’t win Game 2, then the unfavorable situation the Bulls previously faced would be what the Cavaliers encounter.
The day after Game 1, Hansen among the Cavaliers seemed extraordinarily serious.
During practice, Hansen dominated those matched up against him like Covington, Tucker, and others, while also trash-talking them as he went.
Those who knew, knew it was Hansen; those who didn’t might have thought it was Jordan on the court.
But this was also a product of what Hansen had gone through in Memphis back in the day.
Hansen didn’t like playing the villain, but having done so, he knew that side of him existed.
After practice ended, Malone routinely gathered the team to talk.
Normally, Lue would give the motivational speeches at this time.
But this time, after the team assembled, Hansen wasn’t in the lineup; he was standing beside Malone.