Malone was furious.
Han could tell the mont he walked in.
Malone had never been one to back down, not even in front of superstars.
Back when he was an assistant, he had no problem blowing the whistle on LeBron Jas for traveling in practice.
Now, as the Cavs' head coach?
He wasn't about to start letting things slide.
"I'm benching Kyrie," Malone stated, his voice sharp.
Han didn't even blink. He expected this.
Malone didn't tolerate distractions.
His coaching philosophy was simple—no one was above the team.
Let Kyrie get away with this, and the entire locker room would feel it.
This was why the pre-reboot Lakers had failed. Too many unchecked privileges, too little accountability. When one guy was untouchable, the whole structure collapsed.
But Malone wasn't just venting.
He had co to Han for a reason.
This wasn't college—NBA coaches couldn't just bench a star player without consequences.
Even great coaches like Phil Jackson had to manage egos carefully.
Only guys with front-office power, like Popovich or Pat Riley, could make these calls alone.
So Han asked the real question:
"How many gas?"
Malone's response was firm.
"Until he apologizes."
A flexible punishnt.
If Kyrie apologized before the next ga? He wouldn't miss a single one.
If he refused? Indefinite suspension.
The second scenario was a disaster waiting to happen.
Han knew Kyrie too well.
He wasn't the type to back down.
Which ant Malone needed Han to step in.
---
That night, Han invited Kyrie over for dinner.
Kyrie sounded excited when he picked up the call.
He had been to Han's house before—for team gatherings, for celebrations.
But a personal invite? That was new.
After dinner, the two sat by the fireplace.
Cleveland's November nights were freezing, but the warmth of the fire made the conversation feel almost... comfortable.
Until Han got to the point.
"Kyrie. Why did you really miss practice?"
His voice was calm. But direct.
There was no dodging this.
Kyrie hesitated. Then shrugged.
"It's not a big deal, man. I just missed one practice."
Han's expression darkened.
That was the problem.
Kyrie didn't see the issue.
Han exhaled.
"I don't care about the flat earth stuff."
Kyrie blinked, caught off guard.
"You believe whatever you want. That's your right."
For a mont, Kyrie looked relieved.
But then—
"The only condition is—it can't hurt the team."
Han's voice turned sharper.
"I promised Cleveland a dynasty. I'm giving it everything I have. I expect everyone else to do the sa."
Kyrie finally understood.
Han wasn't just a supportive teammate.
He was the standard.
And he expected the sa from everyone else.
---
Two nights later, Cleveland faced the Chicago Bulls.
Kyrie was officially listed as 'out' due to illness.
Except—he didn't even show up to the arena.
Normally, after Han's talk, Kyrie should have known what to do.
But this was Kyrie.
He didn't think like most people.
When Malone later told Han that Kyrie still refused to apologize, Han didn't hesitate.
"Then bench him."
Kyrie responded by not even traveling with the team to Chicago.
---
The Bulls had restructured their roster in the offseason—signing Wade and Pau Gasol to create a veteran-heavy core.
But the experint was already failing.
Gasol's decline was obvious.
Wade, without his signature explosiveness, struggled as a primary playmaker.
Without Kyrie, Cleveland still dominated.
And after the ga, Han noticed sothing in Wade's eyes.
The fire was gone.
Wade had left Miami to prove Pat Riley wrong.
But now?
It was clear—there would be no revenge tour.
Cleveland then continued their road trip, defeating:
- Portland
- The Clippers
- The Lakers
A 4-0 West Coast run before returning ho.
---
While in Los Angeles, Han saw sothing hilarious.
Kobe murals still covered the city.
But now?
There were just as many anti-LeBron street paintings.
So depicted LeBron crying.
Others? LeBron getting knocked out by Jas Johnson.
Los Angeles wasn't just full of old-heads.
There were regular Lakers fans too.
And those fans?
They despised LeBron for leaving.
According to reports, during the Warriors-Lakers season opener, LeBron had been booed all night.
After the ga? He imdiately took a flight out of L.A.
Han laughed.
LeBron had created his own worst enemy.
---
Cleveland's next opponent was the Boston Celtics.
Before the ga, Malone gathered the team in the locker room.
"Kyrie has apologized."
Which ant—he was back.
Han believed Malone.
If he said Kyrie apologized, then it was real.
But he also knew sothing else.
Winning changes everything.
Cleveland had gone on a streak without Kyrie.
And Kyrie?
He wasn't stupid.
If the team kept winning without him, people would start asking—
"Do they even need Kyrie?"
No player wants to be seen as replaceable.
So whether he wanted to or not—Kyrie had to co back.
And with Boston up next?
After how badly Isaiah Thomas had torched him on opening night?
Kyrie definitely wanted revenge.
---
The ga was in Boston.
Before tip-off, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were chatting at midcourt, both grinning as they talked.
Clearly, they were close off the court.
But for Malone?
This was a must-win.
The Cavs were defending champions—if they couldn't take down an elite team like Boston, they might as well pack up and sell potatoes.
So from the opening tip, Malone made his intentions clear.
Han Sen was assigned to defend Isaiah Thomas.
At this point, Han couldn't really be classified as a shooting guard anymore.
He was a do-it-all periter force.
- In small-ball lineups? He played small forward and defended opposing wings.
- On offense? He ran the Cavs' one-star-four-shooters sche like a point guard.
- Now? He was taking on the opponent's lead guard.
He covered three positions seamlessly.
With Han locking up Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie was freed up defensively—and it showed.
His offense looked way sharper than the season opener.
Especially when posting up Isaiah.
With his touch, there was no way Isaiah could guard him 1-on-1.
Boston had to send help, forcing their defense to rotate.
But the Cavs' ball movent was crisp.
They kept pulling the Celtics apart.
Forced to adjust, Brad Stevens played his trump card—the Durant-Thomas pick-and-roll.
A damn near unguardable action.
KD wanted a title. He was willing to do whatever it took.
And physically?
He was stronger this season.
By crunch ti, he and Han were going back and forth, trading blows like two gladiators.
When both teams started trapping them to force the ball out of their hands, the ga mirrored the season opener.
But this ti?
Kyrie delivered.
Whenever Isaiah Thomas scored, Kyrie answered right back.
And in the end—
Cavs 126, Celtics 122.
Cleveland took revenge.
- Han Sen: 45 points
- Kyrie Irving: 27 points
- Nikola Jokić: 17 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists
- Kevin Durant: 40 points
- Isaiah Thomas: 23 points
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 20 points, 10 rebounds
- Al Horford: 9 points, 12 rebounds
At the postga press conference, Malone made it clear.
"When Kyrie's healthy, we can beat anyone."
It was a direct nod to Kyrie's impact.
No matter how frustrating he was off the court—in gas like these, he was indispensable.
The win, combined with Malone's public praise, helped ease tensions between Kyrie and the Cavs.
---
While most of the dia had focused on Kyrie's drama, sothing else had been quietly unfolding.
During Kyrie's DNP stretch, Cleveland had kept winning.
Because Nikola Jokić was evolving.
- Against Portland? He recorded his first 20-10 ga.
- Against the Lakers? He dropped 24 points in three quarters.
As the saying went—opportunity favors the prepared.
Give a player more touches, and they'll put up numbers.
But the difference between a role player and a star?
Their ceiling.
Jokić still had flaws—
- Foul trouble was an issue.
- Turnovers increased with more ball-handling.
- His three-point shot had dipped.
But none of that changed what was clear.
The kid was special.
This was only his second season, and yet—he was already shining like gold.
On TNT, Shaq had seen enough.
He openly compared Jokić to Han's sophomore season, even declaring—
"Jokić is gonna be the next Han Sen."
---
As December hit its midpoint, all eyes turned to one event—Christmas Day.
This year's Christmas ga was in Cleveland.
The Cavs hyped it up early.
On Christmas Eve, they hosted a special fan event at the arena—
Han, Kyrie, Jokić, and the team's core players put on Santa hats and personally handed out gifts to fans.
Jokić, with his big fra and goofy expression, looked like Santa Claus' oversized grandson.
But the highlight?
A mini-ga called "Power Wins Prizes".
A punching machine.
Hit hard enough, and you'd knock over a cartoon king wearing a crown.
Do that?
You won Christmas Day tickets.
Not front-row seats, of course.
But with Cavs' tickets skyrocketing in price, fans were lining up for a chance.
Winning, however, wasn't easy.
Very few managed to land a punch strong enough.
So naturally—when the event ended?
The Cavs' players took their shots.
And the winner?
Jokić.
It caught so by surprise.
But those who understood basketball weren't shocked.
Jokić wasn't great at defending small guards—
But in the post? He had always been strong.
Low-post defense required power.
His athleticism wasn't flashy, but his strength?
Elite.
He casually handed his winning ticket to a nearby female fan.
She imdiately hugged him in excitent.
And just like that—Jokić turned red.
Standing beside him, Natalija, his longti girlfriend, watched with narrowed eyes.
Han chuckled.
"Yeah... Jokić's gonna have a long night."
---
Ga day arrived, and Cleveland was electric.
For the third straight year, Han Sen was part of the NBA's Christmas Day showcase.
His presence in these pri-ti matchups said everything about his rising global marketability.
And inside the packed arena?
Cavs fans were already buzzing.
Because tonight?
They had one special Christmas tradition—
Booing the hell out of LeBron Jas.
His jersey had changed—from Lakers to Warriors.
But the hate remained.
After all—
As Han once said—
LeBron was still building Cleveland's dynasty.
Even if he didn't know it.
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