In the final quarter, Irving broke free from Hoiberg’s guidance and began a frenetic assault on the Cavaliers’ defense.
When the strategy failed to work, he chose to solve the problem his way.
In that mont, he seemingly had a shadow of Allen Iverson.
The sa self-reliance, the sa rebellion, the sa isolationist play.
And, of course, the sa outco.
to 99, the Cavaliers defeated the Bulls and took G3, rewriting the series score to 3-0.
Hansen scored 55 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists; Wade had 14 points and 7 assists; Korver had 13 points; Jokic had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 fouls.
Irving scored 31 points, Howard had 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists; Butler had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
"When Nikola got into foul trouble, and our shooters went cold, I thought we might not win tonight, but Han told everyone he would keep fighting until others got back on track, and then we saw what happened. That’s what a great leader does, it’s not just about how many points he scores."
At the post-ga press conference, Malone was full of praise for Hansen.
Incidentally, he also ntioned Irving:
"I never doubted Kyrie’s individual ability. He played an irreplaceable role in our championship run last season, but he still has a way to go to beco a team leader."
Even though the two had many conflicts before, Malone ended up giving Irving so pointed advice.
Whether Irving would listen, of course, was another matter.
Two days later, the Cavaliers crushed the Cavaliers 114-86, completing a 4-0 sweep of the Bulls.
Just as Hansen had predicted, there was no Ga 5 in this series.
And just as that NBC article had said, Hansen snuffed out Nike’s future.
Next up for Hansen was the present of Nike.
In so sense, Hansen had entered a Nike replica this season.
As Nike’s top star, Durant, leading the Celtics, also swept the Pistons and Raptors out of the playoffs.
Now, the two strongest teams in the East were set for a head-to-head collision in the conference finals.
Cavaliers, Celtics, playoffs, Hansen—these words together automatically evoked mories for old fans.
Hansen’s breakout series ca from the Cavaliers vs. Celtics matchup seven years ago.
In the absence of Jas due to injury, Hansen led the Cavaliers to eliminate the opponent, much like the closing notes of a piano piece, marking the end of the Cavaliers 1.0 period.
It was also the series that gave birth to the "who is your daddy" .
So, whether for Cavaliers or Celtics fans, this would be a unique series.
However, before the series started, a piece of news caught people’s attention.
At the start of the playoffs, Little Thomas of the Celtics received terrible news.
His close sister, nearly 22-year-old Shina Thomas, passed away in a car accident.
In theory, with the death of a close family mber, Little Thomas should have returned ho for the funeral, but he persisted and played in G1 against the Pistons.
When that news got out, it drew significant attention, with people lanting his misfortune while also praising his professional attitude.
Coincidentally, Ga 1 of the conference finals was on the birthday of his sister Shina, making this ga quite exceptional.
When the ga started, Little Thomas played like a man possessed, scoring inside and out.
Stevens, seeing this, also put the offensive pressure entirely on him, even Durant cooperated with him.
In the end, he finished the ga with 33 shots, hitting 18; nailing 5 of 12 three-pointers and making 12 of 13 free throws, scoring 53 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, with 4 assists and 3 steals!
With his lead, the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 129-119.
Hansen’s valiant effort with 42 points, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks was in vain.
"I couldn’t hear anything; I felt like I was alone in the training hall. I felt my sister was right there; with every shot, she was... I felt her helping , I can’t even describe those monts."
In the post-ga press conference, Little Thomas was in tears.
"When Shina left, I once thought about giving up, but I will fight for her for the rest of my life."
For a basketball player, this is the best way to pay tribute.
After the dia reported these words, there was renewed outcry.
This is the warm mont of the NBA.
But, of course, not for the Cavaliers.
By losing Ga 1, the Cavaliers lost the ho court advantage for the series, and if they couldn’t win Ga 2, then the unfavorable situation the Bulls previously faced would be what the Cavaliers encounter.
The day after Ga 1, Hansen among the Cavaliers seed extraordinarily serious.
During practice, Hansen dominated those matched up against him like Covington, Tucker, and others, while also trash-talking them as he went.
Those who knew, knew it was Hansen; those who didn’t might have thought it was Jordan on the court.
But this was also a product of what Hansen had gone through in mphis back in the day.
Hansen didn’t like playing the villain, but having done so, he knew that side of him existed.
After practice ended, Malone routinely gathered the team to talk.
Normally, Lue would give the motivational speeches at this ti.
But this ti, after the team assembled, Hansen wasn’t in the lineup; he was standing beside Malone.
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