Chapter 790: Chapter 790

When the 76ers players stepped into the arena and felt the fans’ unwavering and even more intense support, the confidence on their faces was even more palpable than at the beginning of the series.

As the game started, Hansen quickly noticed the differences in the 76ers from Game 2.

Tonight, the primary defender on him for the 76ers changed from Simmons to Butler.

Although Butler couldn’t truly stop Hansen, the defensive pressure he applied was clearly greater than Simmons’.

Moreover, Simmons switched to guarding the power forward spot, tussling with TT under the basket.

Despite the size mismatch, he could fully leverage his help defense mobility playing at the four.

This formed a new defensive chain: using Butler to limit Hansen’s chances of driving to the basket as much as possible, and if he did break through, Simmons would swiftly provide help defense and retreat.

Even though this might give TT some opportunities under the basket, it was unlikely for the 76ers to be dominated by TT there.

The ultimate result of this new defensive chain was that Hansen’s offense shifted towards back-to-the-basket fadeaways, which lowered his scoring efficiency on the offensive end.

As the game progressed, amid the roaring cheers of Philadelphia fans, the 76ers began to show their hunger for victory. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩

It was a moment when diving out of bounds for a loose ball led to a tumble into the audience, a moment when a defensive lapse was countered by a powerful chase-down block from behind, and even a moment of fierce argument after a failed defensive possession.

The 76ers were conveying something to their home fans, something called [striving], also known as [growing].

At the end of the third quarter, for the first time in the series, they were locked in a fierce struggle with the Cavaliers.

Even at the start of the fourth quarter, under Butler’s leadership, they began to build a lead.

On the Cavaliers’ bench, Hansen was resting, with sweat constantly beading on his forehead.

The 76ers played surprisingly well tonight, catching even Hansen off guard.

It’s like a battle where after two formations are broken, the third formation can regroup and launch a counterattack, which is quite rare.

The consequence of this was that, to withstand the 76ers’ counterattack, Hansen’s stamina consumption in the first three quarters far exceeded the plan.

Not until six minutes into the final quarter did Malone have Hansen take the court again.

At this point, the score was 95 to 103, with the 76ers leading by 8 points.

The camera showed Embiid on the court.

Embiid now exuded confidence and anticipation.

Experiencing such a comeback game greatly enhances a player’s mindset.

As Brown said, even if the 76ers ultimately couldn’t beat the Cavaliers in the series, having this experience would make them incredibly strong in the future.

Hansen returned, and the 76ers continued to stick to their previous defensive strategy, with Butler also doing his best to limit Hansen’s drives.

However, Hansen didn’t choose to go one-on-one with Butler as before; instead, he signaled for a pick-and-roll with Jokic.

Just when the 76ers expected Hansen to wait for a mismatch and run an iso play, Hansen suddenly changed direction, bypassing Embiid and attacking the basket.

Simmons quickly helped on defense, but this time Hansen didn’t pass; instead, he protected the ball and directly drove in against Simmons for the layup.

And on defense, Hansen also started directing his teammates on their defensive positions.

The 76ers wanted to defend their home court; everyone could realize that at this point.

But Hansen knew he couldn’t let them succeed because if that situation arose, the series would inevitably become fierce.

Hansen’s exemplary role quickly took effect, at least making the Cavaliers more active defensively than before.

Moreover, Simmons’ inability to shoot threes was a significant liability.

In his rookie season, Simmons attempted 11 three-pointers but hit none, with a 0% success rate.

So, when Hansen defended him, he gave him a three-meter cushion.

If James was a bigger Green, then Simmons was a smaller James.

And when left wide open, Simmons had a bewildered expression.

It’s not the first time he’s been left open ; since the playoffs began, from the Bucks onward, he’s consistently been left open on the perimeter on offense.

Embiid took a shot under pressure in the post with Hansen double-teaming.

Simmons cut to the basket, but with Hansen providing enough pressure on Embiid’s pass, Embiid couldn’t get the ball through, opting instead for a baseline fadeaway.

The ball hit the rim and bounced out, with Simmons grabbing the offensive board.

But when he attempted the putback, Hansen returned, precisely timed, and blocked his shot.

In Simmons’ draft report, there was belief he could develop shooting ability.

However, Simmons hasn’t developed it, or more accurately, didn’t make the effort to because he felt his talent was enough.

Everyone is different; with a privileged background and never having faced hardships, he even quit playing football simply because a coach placed him in a position he didn’t want to play; expecting him to become a diligent trainee is unrealistic.

But relying solely on talent, Simmons met someone like Hansen with enhanced talent and could only falter.

The Cavaliers executed a fast break; Wade received a pass from Hansen, laying it in.

The 8-point gap closed to just 4 points in an instant.

In the clutch moment, the 76ers still turned to Butler, who after a pick-and-roll with Embiid attacked inside, faking out Jokic to draw a foul on the latter, sinking both free throws.

On the next possession, after Jokic’s pick-and-roll, as he received Hansen’s pass and scored against Butler, it was again Butler who drew a foul on TT with the same tactic.

With four consecutive free throws, Butler helped steady the 76ers’ nerves.

The 76ers’ mindset gradually calmed down.

Embiid even chased down TT with a massive block on defense, roaring with intensity.

You could feel that the light in Embiid’s eyes was brighter than ever before.

With the game down to the last 30 seconds, Butler’s crucial shot was off under the interference of Hansen’s help defense.

On the return, Covington missed an open opportunity for a tying three, but Jokic grabbed the offensive rebound, scoring strongly against Embiid’s defense.

There was contact by Embiid, but the referee didn’t blow the whistle.

The league didn’t want the Cavaliers to continue winning championships; such details would accompany them throughout the season.

A 1-point difference, with the last 15 seconds, the 76ers called a timeout.

After the timeout, Hansen switched onto Butler.

Butler was restricted by Hansen and couldn’t receive the ball; the 76ers passed the ball to Embiid, and the Cavaliers chose to double-team him.

At this moment, Simmons cut to the basket, and Embiid found the chance to dish it to him.

The play was beautifully executed, and after catching the ball, Covington was too late to chase him, and the oncoming help defense from JR hadn’t arrived yet either.

However, at this time, facing an open basket, Simmons made an unexpected choice.

He didn’t finish the close-range shot; after a moment of hesitation, he passed it to the outside to Crowder.

This is the true "Little James!"

Crowder had a decent opportunity, but since he hadn’t been much involved in the offense in the final quarter, he couldn’t capitalize on it.

Jokic secured the defensive rebound, and the Cavaliers called a timeout.

At this moment, the eyes of the Philadelphia fans were filled with despair.

Though if Crowder had made that three-pointer, the game would have lost suspense, just like earlier when Covington missed an open shot, the performance of role players in clutch moments is highly unpredictable.

If Simmons had made that shot directly, a 3-point lead would have made a huge difference.

Because with only 4.2 seconds left, if the 76ers had a 3-point lead, they’d only need to defend the three, which would likely clinch the game for them steadily.

But now, when facing Hansen’s team, all their efforts throughout the night are likely to go in vain.