Chapter 722: Chapter 722

Hansen’s performance picked up, scoring 34 points in three quarters, while Jokic contributed a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists over the same period.

The Celtics committed as many as 28 turnovers in that game.

At the post-game press conference, Stevens protested the actions of Cavaliers fans. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥

"That is something that should be banned, it’s against league rules."

Stevens’ face almost screamed "We’re here to play, not to be treated like kids."

To be honest, the NBA does have rules about this sort of thing. For example, when the Lakers visited the Bucks, someone brought out a "69" jersey aimed at Bronny, and James had protested it as an insult to his son since the NBA doesn’t have a #69 jersey.

But Stevens’ appeal is unlikely to get a response because, after all, fans pay to watch games live, which in some sense makes them the "patrons" of the league.

However, the league did issue a fine of $500 to the Cavaliers’ home court DJ the next day as a warning.

Of course, the Cavaliers will definitely pay this fine internally. Spending $500 for a win is well worth it for them.

After the King Mountain Battle, the Cavaliers headed to Boston with a 3-2 lead.

At that time, a piece of news broke that even moved Hansen a bit.

Little Thomas tried to play Game 6 through a painkilling injection but ultimately failed.

From a star player’s perspective, Little Thomas isn’t particularly strong, given his physical talent.

Iverson leading the 76ers to the finals was already the ceiling for shorter players.

Little Thomas has even less talent compared to Iverson.

However, his competitive spirit is certainly commendable.

But just like Kobe last season, not everyone will have a fairy tale ending.

In Game 6 at the North Shore Garden Arena, Boston fans were in an unprecedentedly high spirit.

This was the last home court game of the series, and no matter what, they had to defend it.

And as the game began, that emotion turned into a unified chant.

"handsome is a bastard!" (Hansen is a bastard)

Since the league couldn’t deal with Cleveland fans, naturally, they couldn’t deal with Boston fans either.

This was straight-out "let’s hurt each other!" in real life.

Moreover, Stevens started targeting Hansen even more thoroughly on the court.

Having found the previous methods didn’t work, he improved them. Besides forcing Hansen to pass the ball, he also restricted his passing opportunities.

This resulted in a 3-on-4 situation for the Cavaliers, but thanks to the home court’s spirited defense, they managed to gain some advantage at the start.

However, Malone didn’t sit idly by and brought in Wade early to replace JR, letting Wade handle the ball.

Wade came off the bench because the Cavaliers needed roster depth, which didn’t mean he couldn’t handle high-intensity games anymore.

Especially since Hansen was almost tying up the Celtics’ perimeter defense, Wade relentlessly tore through their defense.

But Stevens was stubborn; he’d rather let Wade score than have Hansen control the ball.

And you know what? His persistence paid off when both teams went into rotation.

Because without Wade, the Cavaliers clearly struggled to execute.

While the Celtics were without Little Thomas, without Wade, their bench wasn’t weaker than the Cavaliers’.

Malone ultimately had no choice but to extend the starters’ playtime.

This indirectly forced Stevens into making the same choice.

This Game 6 finally turned into a tug-of-war between the starters.

As their energy drained, both sides sought to attack the basket, and the defenses tightened around it.

When the game entered its final quarter decisive moments, players were diving all over the floor.

The audience felt like they were back to the games from the early 2000s.

With one minute left, the game was tied at 96.

Hansen received a pass from Jokic, charged into the paint, and completed a difficult layup with a double clutch amidst a double team.

After landing, Hansen was panting heavily; the intensity of this game even surpassed last season’s against the Heat.

On the return play, Durant’s contested shot missed, but Horford boxed out Jokic and grabbed the offensive rebound.

With players exhausted, the experience of the veterans started showing.

Horford passed the ball out again, and Durant received it for a catch-and-shoot.

The arena instantly filled with the cheers of fans.

Malone called a timeout.

After the timeout, Hansen executed an off-ball play, but Jokic made a passing error which Bradley seized to intercept.

The Celtics launched a fast break, and with quick wit, Hansen fouled Smart to stop it.

Because the foul count reached its limit, Smart was sent directly to the free-throw line.

The game took an unexpected turn, and Stevens quickly called a timeout.

Walking off court, Jokic held his head in his hands, filled with visible self-blame.

Hansen went over to ease his mind.

Jokic played so well that people forgot he was only in his second year.

Making a mistake at a crucial moment is normal for a second-year player; not making one would be unusual.

"In our country, you’d get fined for mistakes ." Jokic’s dejected words sounded both pitiful and amusing.

Hansen laughed and patted his head, "This is only Game 6. Even if we lose, we can win it back at home. Moreover, who says we’re going to lose?"

After the timeout, Smart shot his free throws.

He made the first one steadily.

His second shot hit the front rim but eventually went down.

This almost gave the fans heart attacks.

With 20 seconds left, the Cavaliers had nearly a full possession.

Wade brought the ball past half-court, passed it to Jokic at the top of the arc, and quickly cut into disrupt the defense while Hansen came around a Covington screen to receive the ball.

In the second half of the game, both teams used one big center and four perimeter players on the court.

Jokic didn’t make another mistake and successfully got the ball to Hansen.

However, the Celtics’ defense was focused entirely on Hansen. He didn’t have a good shot after receiving the ball.

Dribbling with a low stance, he drove inside.

As if he were a boat gliding across a lake, he created a ripple effect, pulling the Celtics’ defenders towards him.

Just as he broke past the free-throw line, Hansen suddenly threw a no-look, behind-the-back pass.

The ball whizzed past Celtics players’ heads and landed in Jokic’s hands at the top of the arc.

Jokic found himself wide open.

Malone’s tactical plan wasn’t to take a three-pointer; Malone wanted to secure a two-pointer and play for overtime.

Even Hansen hadn’t mentioned this to him before.

But Hansen did it anyway.

Jokic hesitated for a split second; anyone else would also have hesitated in this moment.

Especially since his three-point shooting this season wasn’t actually that good.

However, his eyes quickly filled with resolve.

Because Hansen had just said, even if they lost this game, they could win it back at home, so what was there to worry about?

Durant rushed back to defend, but Jokic released the three-point shot before he could be disrupted.

His shooting speed wasn’t fast, but the rhythm was very consistent.

A popular topic among fans was whether Yao Ming could adapt to the small-ball era and develop a three-point shot.

Jokic is actually the best answer.

For a big player, three-point talent is about soft touch. With someone as stiff as Howard, who looks like he’s throwing a discus, there’s no chance.

But Yao Ming, Jokic, and even Big Lopez are all big men with soft touches.

As the basketball reached its apex and started to descend, murmurs of excitement began to spread through the arena.

Because the ball’s trajectory seemed very precise.

With a crisp sound, the basketball pierced through the net like a cannonball!