Chapter 737: Chapter 737
But just like Jokic apologized to Hansen before Game 4, he knew better than anyone who was the real culprit for the Cavaliers’ loss.
Since it was his mistake at work, he is now fully committed to helping the team win tonight’s game.
Hansen seized the opportunity to feed the ball inside, Jokic caught the ball and easily scored over Makao.
Jokic had a strong desire from the start, and Hansen frequently set up screens to pass the ball to him.
What Malone said after Game 4 was true. In fact, even though he came off the court early, Hansen’s output in Game 4 was substantial.
Jokic starting off strong is good news for the Cavaliers.
However, back on their home court, the Warriors’ offensive performance was much better than in Cleveland.
The scores of both teams were climbing alternately.
This situation was something Cole was happy to see.
When both teams moved into the substitution phase, Iguodala came on to match up against Wade, plus James, ensuring the Warriors didn’t fall behind even during this substitution phase.
At the end of the first half, the score was tied at 58.
This King Mountain Battle was the most intense since the finals began.
Once halftime was over, the third quarter became especially crucial.
Cole put Iguodala back in the starting lineup this quarter, preparing for the Madness of Warriors, aiming to secure the win in one go.
The Cavaliers certainly wouldn’t sit idly by. Malone stood on the sideline at the start of the second half, continuously micro-managing the team’s defense.
This quarter was a clash between offense and defense.
Ultimately, the Cavaliers once again proved their defensive strength.
Hansen on Curry, Covington on James. These two matchups were able to suppress the Warriors from going wild.
Both sides returned to a familiar defensive battle.
And when the game reached this point, James’ passive state triggered, and all the defensive pressure of the Warriors shifted onto Green inside.
Green’s constipated expression indicated that he was surely cursing James, but unlike the last game, he didn’t argue with James.
This was likely due to a private communication by the Warriors’ coaching staff to Green.
Or rather, they temporarily suppressed Green’s dissatisfaction.
This was the Cavaliers’ chance to widen the score gap.
It was also at this time that Hansen displayed an unrivaled presence on the court.
He first completed a savage defensive play on James, forcing James from the three-point line to near midcourt, and successfully anticipated the pass route to make a steal while James tried to pass.
James tried to retake the ball but was knocked to the ground by Hansen’s quick transition.
Amid the crowd’s uproar, Hansen performed a one-handed gliding windmill slam in transition.
Next, in the half-court offense, Hansen bypassed Iguodala and executed a difficult aerial reverse layup against Green.
And this was just the beginning.
The defensive intensity on both sides was very high during this period, making scoring difficult for others, but Hansen not only scored consecutively on offense but also frequently contributed on defense.
It felt like he was on a different level than everyone else.
This was unlike any previous gap in strength.
It was evident from the frustrated expressions on Iguodala and Green’s faces that they were clearly a bit discouraged defensively.
Actually, forget about the Warriors, Hansen also felt like he was in a very special state.
That feeling was as if his movements were a bit faster than anyone else on the court, and he could even sometimes predict the defenders’ actions.
This was the first time he had experienced such a sensation.
If there was a word to describe it, he was almost ’omnipotent’ at that moment.
Kobe’s eyes also lit up at this moment.
Besides his wife and daughter, he was accompanied by his old partner Garry Vitti to the scene today.
"Han has entered that state," he turned to Garry Vitti and said.
The state they were referring to is called The Zone. Updates are released by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
If they were to tell Hansen now, "You’ve entered The Zone," Hansen’s first reaction would definitely be: "Have you two also watched ’Kuroko no Basuke’?"
However, what Hansen didn’t know was that this state indeed exists in real life.
Or rather, it was a term coined by Jordan and later borrowed by Fujimura Toshinori.
Just like the ’Air Catch Three-pointer’, it has appeared in NBA games as well.
Jordan described this state as "a near-transcendent state," where you can freely switch attack modes, and in this state, the opponent’s moves appear slower, revealing defensive gaps completely.
Kobe also found out about this state after experiencing a similar event to Hansen and consulted Jordan.
They even discussed how to control entering this state.
First, you must train hard so that your basketball skills allow you to perform with ease on the court. Not all skills must be mastered, but the ones you have mastered must be fine.
Secondly, you must have ample endurance, because this state usually only appears once your body is fully active. This distinguishes it from being just "on a hot streak."
Lastly, it has a significant relation to one’s psychological state, only appearing when your subconscious desire reaches a sufficient level.
Inspired by their conversation, Kobe filmed an ad titled "Enter The Zone."
Their final conclusion was that this state has stringent entry conditions, cannot be controlled artificially, but once entered, it’s unstoppable.
For example, Klay Thompson’s 37 points in a quarter was actually in that state.
Hansen wasn’t aware of these things, but ever since he started feeling that way, he almost single-handedly dominated the Warriors.
There was even a classic scene on the court: the Triple Spread.
When Hansen easily broke through James and scored a 2+1, he spread his hands at James, James spread his hands at the referee, and Cole spread his hands at James.
By the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers had taken a 96-80 lead over the Warriors, leading by as much as 16 points.
Hansen contributed 24 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in this quarter alone, numbers that most players can’t achieve in an entire game.
By the end of the third quarter, Cole sat back on the bench and seemed to have given up.
How could one play against that?
Moreover, that wasn’t even the worst part for the Warriors.
Because Cole put Iguodala in the starting lineup in the third quarter, expecting to dominate the game, but instead not only failed to achieve his goal, he also had to face a weak substitute rotation.
Additionally, Hansen’s performance in the third quarter not only shocked the opponents and Warriors fans but also greatly boosted the morale of the Cavaliers.
Wade was instantly back to his Game 1 level of performance.
Leading the Cavaliers, he quickly widened the gap to 20+.
This resulted in the Warriors’ main players not needing to return, as the game was already over ahead of schedule.
Even though James was dissatisfied and requested Cole to let him back on to chase the score.
But ultimately, the Cavaliers triumphed over the Warriors with a commanding 121-104 victory, winning the King Mountain Battle.
"I have nothing to say about tonight’s game. For us now, what we need to do is to strive to win Game 6,"
At the post-game press conference, Cole skipped commenting on the game entirely.
Generally, after a game, one needs to summarize the experience, but there was nothing to summarize about this game.
Because Hansen was simply unstoppable tonight.
"Han secured our victory tonight."
Malone was equally straightforward on that side.
Although Hansen’s stats for the night showed only 47 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks, the data could not capture the changes in the situation he caused.
"What we need to do next is grab the championship trophy on our home court."
Malone also expressed his outlook for Game 6.
Last season, because of the Lakers’ quick loss, Cleveland fans didn’t get to witness an on-the-court championship celebration.
This year, they have that opportunity.