Durant had been unable to shake off Hansen’s "kite string" all night, resulting in the Thunders’ offense frequently falling into the awkward situation of "one playing while four watched."
The Cavaliers ultimately won the ga, 102 to 86.
Durant scored a ga-high 34 points, but he only made 11 of 29 shots and had 5 turnovers.
Apart from him, only two other players on the Thunders scored in double figures: Westbrook with 16 points and Jeff Green with 11 points.
In contrast, five players on the Cavaliers scored in double digits.
Jas had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists; O’Neal had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists; Williams had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists; Conningham had 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Hansen played for 33 minutes, making 6 of 10 three-pointers, scoring his career-first 20 points, and also contributing 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
The post-ga press conference was attended by Hansen, O’Neal, and Jas.
With "The Big Three" performing exceptionally well, even the crowded press conference venue couldn’t leave any of them out.
As soon as he sat down, Hansen spotted Windhorst sitting among the audience.
Over the course of the season, he had learned that in addition to being an ESPN journalist, the other had yet another role: a beat reporter for the Cavaliers.
Without any surprise, the first to be called upon for questions at the press conference was still this guy.
What Hansen never expected, however, was that this guy would bypass Jas and instead, ask him first!
What, did he not check when he left ho this morning? Is the sun rising from the west today?
"Hansen, out of your six three-pointers today, three were assisted by LeBron. Does playing alongside one of the greatest passers in NBA history make the ga feel easier to you?"
Hansen squinted his eyes, sensing that sothing was off.
He glanced at Jas and noticed that the latter was looking at him with a gentleness he had never seen before.
Was this a test?
Or an enticent?
Hansen thought the latter was more likely.
Without his three-pointers today, Jas would have had three more turnovers—not to ntion, he might not have secured a triple-double.
Under such circumstances, if he were Jas, he’d also attempt to win him over.
And all the previous conflicts? Weren’t they just... misunderstandings in the face of mutual interest?
Moreover, Windhorst’s question was loaded with enough implications that a standard answer would easily co to mind:
"Being able to play alongside the greatest passer in NBA history, no, the greatest player, makes the ga feel easier than at any ti in the past."
Thinking this, Hansen felt a wave of goosebumps all over.
And what was worse was that such a thing was like having an affair: once you do it the first ti, countless tis follow.
But if he rejected LeBron’s overture, he would surely face suppression again, and whether he would start in the next ga was uncertain.
And predictably, he’d be vilified by LeBron fans: Our king forgives and honors, yet you refuse the offered dignity?
"I want to add that Shaq also assisted on two baskets, and one was from Mo (Williams). I really like the current team atmosphere. It makes feel like we all have great chemistry—we are a true team." Hansen replied with a smile.
Whether Jas is the greatest passer in NBA history is beside the point; out of the three assists he gave Hansen, two were forced passes.
That demonstrated Jas didn’t intend to cooperate with him from the start; it was purely Hansen catching the "hot potato."
And although starting was tempting, he didn’t want to beco another Varejao.
As for being blacklisted by LeBron fans...
Isn’t that a welco misunderstanding?
Erging from the press conference, Jas quickly walked ahead to leave.
"You didn’t have to reject his kindness like that," said O’Neal, who, despite not being particularly fond of Jas, still maintained appearances.
"I’ve been training too hard lately," Hansen sighed.
O’Neal didn’t understand.
"My knees are too stiff to kneel," Hansen said with a smile.
O’Neal was montarily stunned upon hearing the words and then burst into laughter, hooking his arm around Hansen’s shoulder and again proposing a night out at the club.
Hansen didn’t go to the club with O’Neal; after returning to the hotel, he took out the Anti-Fans System to study.
His performance as a starter today was a bit better than expected, but the process was almost as predicted.
The more Jas passed to him, the higher his score was.
It was foreseeable that, having now rejected Jas’ goodwill, he would have fewer opportunities to catch the ball in the next ga, and naturally, his scoring would also decrease.
This was the feeling of being "fed" that had been ntioned before.
Now, the situation was that he could either continue standing with no opportunity, or "kneel" to have one.
His internal thoughts were the sa as before—if he had wanted to "kneel," he would have done so back in the locker room that day.
But was there a way for him to stand and still have opportunities?
The answer was yes.
The most direct and effective thod was to beco an "Irving."
The na here was just a placeholder, representing players who could rely on their individual abilities to end gas in critical monts.
Jas’ technical characteristics, especially in this period, were very "Pippen-like." He could handle a large volu of ball possessions, was skilled at organizing, and could build a very good foundation in the first three quarters.
If he wanted to, he could beco the best second option in NBA history.
Of course, becoming a second option was impossible for the "Chosen One."
Therefore, according to the "history" Hansen knew, Jas felt a strong sense of disconnection.
He would put up very beautiful stats during regular ti to ensure his status as the team’s leader, but at the sa ti, he needed a powerful terminator to help him win gas.
Only such a terminator could willingly cede ball possession to him in the final monts.
In other words, to break free from the feeling of being "fed" on the Cavaliers, Hansen needed to—and could only—beco an "Irving."
The good news was, among the fundantal skills he had been strengthening since his NCAA days, dribbling was the foundation for becoming such a player.
Together with the "Mysterious Steps" he had begun practicing in the off-season, what he actually lacked now was just a top-tier breakthrough talent.
In the Anti-Fans System, the First Tier talent was "out of reach" for the current him.
In comparison, Second Gear was more practical for him; the improvents brought by the "Star Catcher" previously had been trendous.
Right now, he had accumulated over ninety thousand anti-fans points.
Among these, a part of the new anti-fans points ca from LeBron fans, the friction produced between Jas, Vallejo, and himself earlier.
Another part, which he might not have expected, ca from dostic fans.
Even though it had been nearly three months since the Asian Championship, there were still fans at ho blackening his na because the n’s basketball team had not won the championship.
These people truly didn’t know how the national team would gradually break through the bottom limit in the future, eventually even not being able to beat the regional league teams.
There were even discourses suggesting that he should not participate in the 2010 n’s Basketball World Championship because he didn’t put in effort during the Asian Championship.
Moreover, so had gone even further, directly proposing to ban him from the national team, just like what happened to Wang Zhizhi back in the day.
If it weren’t for the patriotism deep in his bones, he would almost want to announce his withdrawal from next year’s World Championship right now.
Just right, he was short of anti-fans points, and this might just fill the gap.
It was at this mont that Thomas sent him an email.
Following his impressive performance, those shoe sponsors couldn’t wait to update their offers.
Different from last ti, since they could now foresee the challenges he would face, it was an appropriate ti to sign a shoe endorsent contract.
Looking at the list of brands, and rembering the attitude of dostic fans toward him right now, he suddenly had a new idea for earning anti-fans points.
He made a call to Thomas.
Thomas picked up quickly, just as he had assured he would be online 24 hours a day.
"Which brand are you planning to pick?"
"Under Armour (UA)."
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