Chapter 793: Chapter 793
The Cavaliers have the home court advantage, and the Eastern Conference Finals will first commence in Cleveland.
Quicken Loans Arena is packed to the brim, with Cleveland fans’ enthusiasm at an unprecedented high.
The monumental achievements of Cleveland’s dynasty are now within sight.
The fans’ passion transformed into a thunderous cheer during the opening ceremony.
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both teams were announced.
Cavaliers: Hansen, JR, Covington, TT, Jokic
Celtics: Irving, Bradley, Durant, Horford, Towns
The starting lineups are the same as in the regular season; the key lies in the strategic coaching and the players’ live performance.
Not long after the game started, Stevens gave the Cavaliers a "surprise." This update ıs available on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚑𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥
The Celtics’ defensive strategy against Hansen was man-to-man!
More precisely, Stevens intended to use a rotating defense to deal with Hansen.
Given Hansen’s previous single-game record of 86 points during their Christmas matchup, Stevens’ choice wasn’t entirely unexpected.
After all, if there’s no stopping Hansen, it’s better to wear him down, and it reduces defensive strain on other positions.
During that Christmas game, although Stevens’ final choice allowed Hansen to make history, it also let the Celtics narrow the point gap and see a chance of winning.
Offensively, the Celtics’ lineup is as powerful as the Cavaliers.
Particularly, they can target Jokic on offense, leaving Hansen to battle alone on attack as before.
Of course, the risk with this approach is that there’s a chance Hansen could break them down offensively.
After all, given Hansen’s prowess, unless defended by someone like Leonard with matching size, restricting Hansen is no easy feat.
Malone welcomed the surprise from Stevens, allowing Hansen to unleash his full firepower on offense.
If Hansen could break through the Celtics’ double-teams during the Christmas game, he could do it again in the playoffs.
It’s known that Hansen holds the record for the highest points in a single playoff game.
Ultimately, Hansen smashed 55 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and had 10 assists, leading the Cavaliers to a 114-108 victory over the Celtics to take the lead.
Stevens’ strategy seemed flawless, but just as one wouldn’t send soldiers to their deaths knowingly, players instinctively provide help defense when Hansen kept scoring relentlessly.
At the post-game press conference, when questioned about his defensive strategy, Stevens did not provide a direct answer.
This led to a lot of criticism aimed at Stevens on social media.
Considering the Celtics’ strong lineup, if the coach held them back, it would be an undeserved loss.
Two days later, the Eastern Conference Finals’ Game 2 continued in Cleveland.
Then, the Celtics persisted with the man-to-man strategy against Hansen.
This move prompted Kenny Smith at the commentary desk to question:
"Stevens is not a stubborn person, but he has chosen to be stubborn in a place he shouldn’t be."
Finally, the Cavaliers defeated the Celtics again 108-103, bringing the series score to 2-0.
Hansen continued his stellar performance, scoring 45 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
After the first two games, Hansen was averaging 50 points per game!
While fans were in awe on social media, criticism of Stevens reached a peak.
Even some Boston fans couldn’t help but call for Stevens to step down on social media.
Allowing Hansen to score 86 points at their home court in the regular season was humiliating enough, and now facing the possibility of a sweep in the playoffs was unacceptable.
The fans could cope with losing, but seeing such a luxurious lineup play was intolerable!
Amidst external pressures, when faced with further questioning upon returning to Boston, Stevens did not dodge but responded directly:
"I trust my team, and I trust my players."
It was clear Stevens was intent on sticking to his persistence to the end.
Game 3 took place at North Shore Garden Arena.
Despite some Boston fans questioning on social media, the North Shore Garden Arena remained packed upon returning home.
The team with the deepest history in the league, just as the words suggest.
And the Celtics’ players didn’t have Jimmy Butler but played as if they each were Jimmy Butler, still fighting valiantly despite the 0-2 deficit.
In this match, Hansen’s performance noticeably dropped to just 34 points, and the Cavaliers lost to the Celtics 101-110.
Coincidentally, two days later, Hansen bounced back with 41 points, but the Cavaliers fell short, losing 113-115 to the Celtics.
Unlike Game 3, there were noticeably biased officiating calls that changed the outcome of the game.
At the post-game press conference, Malone pounded the table expressing dissatisfaction with the officiating.
Hansen also called on the league to investigate the referees.
But in their hearts, they knew the league wasn’t keen on the Cavaliers achieving this dynasty; it was something long expected.
If they couldn’t outperform the Celtics on-court, it would easily turn into a 5-on-8 situation in the final moments.