Kevin Garnett's desire to play was intense, but Coach Malone wasn't in a rush to put him on the court.
On one hand, the five-out lineup had worked wonders against the Heat, and Malone was still experinting with it in gas, making Garnett's debut less of a priority.
On the other hand — and more importantly — Malone was cautious about using a veteran at the tail end of his career.
Garnett's skills were still there. But after tearing his right knee ligant in 2009, his legs had never fully recovered. His knee had beco his biggest hurdle, robbing him of his explosiveness and slowing him down significantly.
Gone were the days when he could patrol the entire court on defense, covering large swathes of space. His age had also started catching up with him, with his availability becoming a concern. Last season, he played only 54 gas, and this season, he'd suited up for just 42 so far.
From a pure performance standpoint, Bargnani was still the better player this season. But the Cavs traded him for Garnett because they feared Bargnani might choke under pressure, much like Chris Paul had in critical monts.
If they rushed Garnett back and he got hurt, the trade would've been for nothing.
The Cavaliers' first opponent after the trade deadline was the Washington Wizards.
With John Wall and Bradley Beal both growing into stars, the Wizards had beco an Eastern Conference threat. They were performing even better this season, sitting at fifth in the East.
Their most notable roster change was swapping Trevor Ariza for Paul Pierce as their starting small forward.
This ga had an interesting storyline.
The Boston Big Three had long disbanded. Ray Allen was semi-retired, while Pierce and Garnett were now eting as opponents on different teams.
During warmups, Pierce and Garnett shared a long conversation at midcourt, catching up like old friends. Their bond remained strong, even if they were now wearing different jerseys.
When the ga started, both teams quickly locked into a tight battle.
The Wizards weren't a pushover.
In addition to Wall, Beal, and Pierce, their frontcourt featured Nene "The One-Balled Warrior" and Marcin "The Polish Hamr" Gortat.
The Cavs were at a disadvantage in the paint, and they particularly struggled with defending the pick-and-roll.
Both Nene and Gortat were pick-and-roll maestros, and Wall's speed made it even harder for Cleveland to defend without switching.
But once they switched, Wall rcilessly attacked the mismatches, punishing the Cavs' bigs.
TT picked up two quick fouls, both drawn by Wall, and had to check out early.
As TT walked toward the bench, Garnett abruptly stood up.
This caught everyone off guard — he wasn't even on the active roster for the night.
But Garnett wasn't trying to sub in.
Instead, he imdiately grabbed TT on the sidelines and started lecturing him.
"Play tougher."
"Be a man out there."
His words were loud and clear, and everyone heard them.
When TT reached the bench, he grabbed the towel handed to him and angrily threw it to the ground.
It wasn't clear whether he was more frustrated with his performance or pissed at Garnett's scolding.
The Cavs couldn't contain the Wizards' pick-and-roll in the first half.
But on the flip side, the Wizards couldn't stop Han's penetration and kick-outs either.
At halfti, the score was 54-54 — a deadlock.
Han was a bit late returning to the locker room after conducting a courtside interview.
On his way through the tunnel, he spotted TT lingering there.
The mont TT saw Han, he rushed over.
"KG's gotta chill, man! He's way too controlling!"
The Cavs' frontcourt was already their weakest link — Malone knew it, which was why he hadn't criticized them much during the ga.
But Garnett wasn't holding back. Every ti the bigs made a mistake, KG was in their ear imdiately.
As Cunningham put it, Garnett acted like a "cranky old dad".
Unlike Han's days in mphis, when he played the "bad cop" role to perfection, Garnett's age and new environnt made his style feel more intrusive.
Han couldn't help but rember the rumors about KG punching teammates back in Minnesota.
When Han finally stepped into the locker room, he saw Garnett talking with Tucker.
"Paul struggles off the ball. He gets confused easily. You need to deny him touches as much as possible. And rember, his weakest shooting zones are the left elbow and the top of the key. Force him there."
Han overheard the conversation and was montarily confused.
"Paul?"
It took him a second to realize Garnett was referring to Pierce.
That realization made Han pause in surprise.
The image of KG warmly chatting with Pierce prega flashed in his mind.
Now, here he was, spilling all of Pierce's weaknesses without hesitation.
The contrast was jarring.
Han walked over and called TT to his side.
"Hey, you're up for free agency this sumr, right?"
TT, still grumpy, nodded.
He and Kyrie Irving were from the sa draft class. Kyrie had been the first overall pick, while TT was the fourth pick.
Last sumr, Kyrie had already secured a max contract extension from the Cavs, but TT hadn't. He would beco a restricted free agent this coming offseason.
"KG's a veteran with tons of experience. His entire career has been built on pick-and-rolls. He's an expert at defending them. You should learn from him — it'll help you a lot."
Han Sen's words left TT completely stunned.
He had been expecting Han to talk to Garnett and ask him to ease up on the criticism. Instead, Han flipped it around and urged him to take the initiative to learn.
"A man needs his pride. But setting aside your pride for a mont can earn you greater respect in the future."
Han knew this wasn't an easy pill to swallow, especially for soone as proud as TT.
TT didn't respond imdiately. He hesitated for a while before eventually standing up and walking toward Garnett.
Han watched as TT approached KG.
There were two possible outcos.
Either the two would argue, maybe even co to blows.
Or they would start a aningful conversation.
After observing for a bit, Han noticed that things were moving toward the second outco.
Maybe it was Han's words that had swayed TT. Or maybe TT realized that if he wanted a big contract, he needed to improve. Either way, he chose to lower his head and take the first step.
Whatever the reason, it was a positive developnt. In fact, this could be an unexpected benefit of having Garnett on the team.
Even if TT couldn't learn all of KG's defensive skills, any improvents on defense would be a big boost for the Cavaliers.
And that would be great news for Cleveland.
After all, Jokic might arrive in the NBA next season, but as a rookie, his role in the paint would be limited. TT would remain the key to their interior defense.
...
Second Half Begins
The ga resud after halfti.
Han Sen opened the half by posting up Bradley Beal and scoring easily, setting the tone for the Cavs.
On the next possession, the Wizards ran another pick-and-roll between Beal and Nene.
But this ti, TT's defensive approach had clearly changed.
Instead of charging out early, he held his ground inside the paint, positioning himself to protect the rim. This way, he could limit Wall's driving lanes while still challenging any floaters or layups.
It worked.
Wall's layup missed, and TT grabbed the defensive rebound.
"Great job! That's it! Keep doing that!"
Suddenly, Garnett leaped to his feet from the bench, pumping his fists and cheering TT on.
The Cavs players on the bench couldn't hide their mixed expressions.
It was hard to process.
Wasn't this the sa KG who had been tearing into TT with trash talk just a mont ago?
And now he was fervently cheering for him?
The contrast was jarring.
But Han Sen wasn't surprised. Watching the scene unfold, he knew his earlier assessnt of Garnett was spot on.
KG wasn't "playing the villain." He had beco one.
This wasn't malice. It was a deeply ingrained competitive mindset.
It was the sa ntality that players like Jordan and Kobe had. They were hard on their teammates, not out of spite, but because they wanted to win.
They would scold teammates for mistakes and celebrate them when they perford well.
In their world, there were no "coworkers" or "polite formalities" on the court.
The only goal was to win.
Put simply, KG was a workaholic.
You wouldn't want a boss like him. But he could make your team better.
After confirming this, Han understood why Garnett chose to join the Cavaliers at the trade deadline.
Despite his age, KG's ntality hadn't softened. He wasn't looking for a comfortable end to his career. He wanted to compete.
In the original tiline, he had no choice in Brooklyn. The Nets wanted to win, but his abilities no longer matched his contract, leaving him with no options but to return ho to Minnesota.
But now?
With a chance to join a competitive team, he took it without hesitation.
...
The Cavaliers dominated the second half, outscoring the Wizards 50-35 and securing a 104-89 victory.
The formula was simple: Han Sen was unstoppable offensively.
If the Cavs could tighten up defensively, they would win gas.
It was a promising start.
The Cavaliers followed it up by defeating the Hornets, Sixers, and Knicks, extending their winning streak to four gas since the trade deadline.
Sure, those teams weren't strong, but that's the East's benefit. Wins are wins, and the Cavs would take them.
Their next ga, however, was a serious challenge — a rematch against the Lakers.
It was the second eting of the season, and Coach Malone had finally decided to let Garnett make his debut.
With just over a month left in the regular season, Malone wanted KG to start building chemistry with the team.
The Cavaliers arrived in Los Angeles a day early for the ga.
During the open practice session, a large number of reporters gathered.
After practice, the reporters sward to interview players. Kyrie Irving, who had shined during the Christmas ga, and Kevin Garnett, who was about to make his Cavs debut, were both popular targets.
Of course, Han Sen drew the biggest crowd.
The first question wasn't about the upcoming ga.
"Do you have any thoughts on Chris Bosh's situation?"
The biggest post-trade-deadline news wasn't about any deals but about Bosh's unfortunate diagnosis.
After the All-Star break, Bosh had been diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, forcing the Rockets to announce that he would miss the remainder of the season on February 22nd.
"I'm praying for him. I hope he recovers soon."
Han offered his well-wishes. He didn't know Bosh well, but nobody wanted to see sothing like this happen.
He also knew that this might signal the end of Bosh's career.
Then ca the spicy question.
"So people on social dia are calling KG's move to Cleveland 'forming a superteam.' What's your take on that?"
Han grinned.
"I'm lucky. I'm always on a superteam."
His response stunned the reporters.
"I an, when I was in mphis, people said the sa thing. They claid we had five All-Stars on that team."
His comnt got a good laugh from the reporters. After all, nobody considered the Grizzlies a contender anymore.
The final question:
"Will you participate in the dunk contest?"
"Yes, I'll join next year's contest."
"Are you sure this ti?"
Han smirked.
"Tell LeBron I'll be waiting for him at the dunk contest."
Han directly called out LeBron, referencing Jas' comnts from the All-Star break.
His bold statent sparked huge prega buzz.
The league had already announced new voting rules, so Han had no reason to skip next year's All-Star Ga.
And this public challenge put LeBron in a tough spot.
If LeBron refused, it would look like he chickened out.
But if he accepted, he wasn't confident he could beat Han.
Given LeBron's history of avoiding difficult challenges, Han guessed he'd ignore the invite.
But there was always a chance Nike might pressure LeBron to join for business reasons.
Han smiled to himself.
LeBron must be regretting running his mouth.
Because Han wasn't one to hold grudges.
But he always got his revenge.
...
The next night, Staples Center was packed to capacity.
The Cavaliers had been hot since the deadline, while the Lakers were riding a three-ga winning streak.
During warmups, the caras constantly focused on Han.
The Cavs were now second in the East, thanks to Han's leadership.
His personal stats were jaw-dropping: 32 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 9.2 APG, 3.1 SPG, 1.4 BPG.
It was clear — Han Sen was the undisputed best player in the league.
As the ga approached, Han entertained the crowd by throwing down a between-the-legs, self-lob, 360 dunk.
The fans went wild, thinking it was another jab at LeBron.
But Han wasn't thinking about the dunk contest.
He was excited for sothing else.
After the ga against the Pacers, he had finally reached a bottleneck with his [Magician] talent.
Tonight, at Staples Center, was the perfect stage to break through.
(End of Chapter)
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