At halfti, the Lakers led the Cavaliers 51-45 in a tightly contested ga.
Kobe had scored 17 points in the first half, while LeBron racked up 14 points, satisfying fans' expectations for the 23 vs. 24 matchup.
Han Sen also seized his limited opportunities, going 3-for-3 from the field and scoring 7 points.
During halfti, Coach Brown was in his office preparing for the second half.
Halfti breaks typically last 20 minutes— 5 minutes for players to relax, 10 minutes for the coach to strategize, and the final 5 minutes for preparation.
At this mont, soone knocked on his office door.
"Co in," he called out while continuing to organize his materials.
The door opened, and Malone appeared.
"He has sothing he'd like to say to you," Malone said, stepping aside to reveal Han Sen behind him.
Brown checked the ti, knowing Malone and Han were close, and nodded.
Han entered the room, and Malone closed the door behind him.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward; the last ti the two had been alone like this was in the gym, and it hadn't been pleasant.
"You told before, if I had an issue, I should talk to you directly," he started, getting straight to the point.
Hearing this, Brown paused what he was doing. Han's delayed show of respect was appreciated, so Brown gestured for him to sit.
"I'm in good form. I need more ball ti," Han Sen said as he stood across from Brown's desk but didn't sit down.
Brown's face imdiately revealed a hint of difficulty.
He was already a starter, but when he was on the court, the ball was mostly in LeBron's hands, and sotis in O'Neal's. Even if Brown wanted to give him more touches, it wasn't possible.
"I understand your situation, so I'd like to co off the bench in the second half," He said considerately.
Brown looked at Han Sen in surprise, as if he were eting him for the first ti.
Was this the sa rebellious guy who used to butt heads with LeBron?
"But I have one condition," he continued, sowhat easing Brown's concern.
"Let's hear it," Brown said, sitting down himself.
"When I co off the bench, I want more ball control."
"That can be arranged," Brown nodded. Han's request was reasonable.
"Then I'm done," Han Sen said, turning and leaving the office.
Brown was stunned for a mont before laughing after he left.
Ever since the ga against the Celtics, Han had proven his ability to create plays with the ball in his hands. His first-half drive against Kobe tonight further showcased this.
However, the current rotation didn't fully utilize Han's talents.
But with Han Sen willing to co off the bench tonight, that problem was solved.
Brown couldn't go against LeBron's wishes, nor did he have the power to influence managent's decisions, but as the coach, he still wanted to win.
When the second half began, the Cavaliers adjusted their starting lineup, replacing Han Sen with old Parker as the starting shooting guard.
"Looks like Mike Brown realized No. 77 can't contain Kobe," analyst Mark Jackson comnted.
Under Han Sen's defense, Kobe had already scored 16 points in the first half.
But Jackson was quickly proven wrong.
Kobe exploded right out of the gate in the second half.
First, he hit a pull-up jumper over Parker from the baseline, then knocked down a mid-range shot off a Gasol screen, and followed it up by grabbing an offensive rebound, driving into the paint, drawing a foul on O'Neal, and sinking both free throws.
In just two minutes, Kobe had already scored 6 points.
These two minutes perfectly illustrated the phrase "no comparison, no harm."
Han Sen may not have been able to stop Kobe, but with Han on him, Kobe's shooting percentage in the first half was just 6-for-14.
However, with Parker defending, it wasn't a question of whether he could stop Kobe, but how badly he would fail.
Brown imdiately got a headache.
Now it was clear why Han had suddenly volunteered to co off the bench. He had set him up to fail!
But no one could deny that Han Sen had beco an indispensable player for the Cavaliers. Without him, the team's periter defense had dropped a level.
Moreover, Kobe wasn't forcing his shots anymore. His continuous scoring forced the Cavaliers to double-team him, allowing him to create opportunities for his teammates.
Even when he didn't have the ball, Kobe's off-ball movent on the weak side was drawing the Cavaliers' defensive attention.
By the 9-minute mark of the third quarter, the score had already ballooned to 77-59, with the Lakers outscoring the Cavaliers 26-14 in the quarter, expanding the lead to 18 points.
The Cavaliers were collapsing once again.
Both teams made substitutions at this point, with Kobe and Gasol sitting down for the Lakers, and LeBron taking a seat for the Cavaliers.
Han Sen checked into the ga.
The lineup on the court: for the Lakers— Farmar, Shannon Brown, Vujacic, Odom, and Bynum; for the Cavaliers— West, Han sen, Moon, Cunningham, and Ilgauskas.
Despite Han Sen catching Brown off guard earlier, Brown still honored their agreent.
Han looked refreshed as he entered the ga.
Did he want to win?
The answer was the sa as when he faced the Michigan State University back in the NCAA— if there's a chance, who wouldn't want to win?
But after being denied his chance to play at the crucial monts, whether they won or not wasn't up to him anymore.
Now, his priority was to break through the bottleneck of his [Phantom Steps].
Getting stronger himself was the most effective solution.
The Cavaliers had possession. West called for a pick-and-roll with Han Sen.
Han Sen received the ball after the screen, and Odom switched onto him.
At this point, Odom was still energetic and active on the court.
Han faked a shot, pulled the ball back, and accelerated to drive left.
Although Odom was known for his versatility, he was still a big man, and his foot speed couldn't keep up with him.
Additionally, both Cunningham and Ilgauskas had spread out to the periter, opening up space in the paint.
As Han Sen drove inside, only Vujacic rotated over to help defend.
The mont Han saw the Lakers' pretty boy, he didn't hesitate, charging forward.
Vujacic might be talented, as evidenced by his relationship with tennis star Maria Sharapova, and he was deadly accurate from the free-throw line, but his defense was questionable.
He tried hard but couldn't stop anyone.
Vujacic leaped to challenge Han Sen, but quickly realized he was in trouble.
Han soared into the air, completely ignoring him.
Boom!
Han dunked over Vujacic with both hands, the impact sending Vujacic sprawling out of bounds. Han Sen hung on the rim for a mont before landing.
Though they were down big, his dunk sparked a surge of energy for the Cavaliers.
Bynum's attempt to score inside was thwarted, and Ilgauskas grabbed the rebound, throwing a long pass to Han Sen, who had already bolted past the three-point line.
Han's instincts for fast breaks were on point, and only Brown managed to keep up with him.
The two raced down the court, drawing the attention of the Lakers' bench, including Kobe, who had stood up.
Brown had made a stunning chase-down block against the Hawks last year (even though it was ruled a foul).
As Han Sen approached the basket, he sensed the danger behind him.
He sped up for a layup, but as he released the ball, a shadow lood overhead.
Brown not only had impressive hops but also a quick second jump.
Han leaned into Brown mid-air, grabbing the ball with his right hand and executing a smooth reverse layup.
His large hands and improved body control allowed him to evade Brown's block and softly guide the ball into the basket.
After landing, Han turned toward the Lakers' bench, clenched his right fist, and made Kobe's signature celebration.
Taking down Vujacic or Brown didn't help him much, though. What he wanted was Kobe.
The crowd buzzed with excitent.
In the first half, Han had shone more on defense, but his offensive presence was now undeniable after coming off the bench.
Under his lead, the Cavaliers' energy was back, and their defensive execution improved.
Odom drove and dished to Farmar, whose three-point attempt was disrupted by Han, causing him to miss. The Lakers' offense fell flat once more.
However, this ti the Lakers quickly got back on defense, forcing the Cavaliers to slow down and set up their offense.
Han ran a pick-and-roll with Ilgauskas, and with his shooting touch now dialed in, he pulled up from three after the screen.
Bynum, wary of Han's drives, was slow to contest.
With nearly no pressure on the shot, Han's rhythm was perfect, and the ball swished through the net.
The score was now 66-77.
Han had single-handedly led a 7-0 run, cutting the Lakers' lead to 11 points.
The cara quickly focused on Han, and the big screen in the arena displayed his stats for the night.
He was 6-for-6 from the field, 1-for-1 from the free-throw line, with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and zero turnovers.
"No. 77 is tonight's Mr. Perfect. He's changed the ga," Mark Jackson admitted, finally changing his tone.
There was only a minute left in the third quarter.
But just then, the whistle blew for a Lakers tiout and Kobe returned to the court, adjusting his jersey as he stepped back into the ga.
The crowd erupted in cheers— the kind of cheers reserved for a hero's return.
He imdiately went one-on-one with Han Sen, driving to the basket and finishing with a difficult reverse layup, despite the strong defense from the latter.
Han Sen had put imnse pressure on the play, but Kobe was in exceptional form tonight.
What no one expected, however, was that as soon as they ca back down the court, Han Sen signaled for an isolation, ready to take on Kobe one-on-one.
The crowd's excitent reached a fever pitch— it couldn't be stopped.
It was supposed to be LeBron vs Kobe, but Han Sen was stealing the spotlight!
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