Such a scene, even for an old Cavalier like Conningham, is a first-ti experience.
The players all look at each other, unsure of what Hansen is planning.
"I know Isaiah’s experience makes him very sympathetic, but that’s not a reason for us to show rcy."
Human sympathy for the weak is instinctive, and you’ll see the news dia often creating an image of a weak poster to garner attention and sympathy.
So after Little Thomas’s situation was publicized by the dia, opposing players might show rcy when defending him.
Perhaps it’s being half a step slow in an assist defense, or half a step slow in chasing defense.
Little Thomas’s outburst has to do with his condition, but it’s also closely related to this.
Moreover, as Little Thomas said, he will fight for his sister for the rest of his life, which is more inspiring than Westbrook’s KB wristbands, or JR’s deceased friends.
Hansen raised his voice again:
"In the next ga, I need everyone to give their all on defense. If anyone can’t do it, no matter who you are, just sit your ass honestly on the bench!"
Hansen’s words were domineering, yet no one dared to talk back.
Even JR knew the best choice at this ti was to keep quiet.
After scanning the crowd, Hansen finally brought out a quote from Napoleon:
"The playoffs are a man’s war, any thoughts of rcy towards the enemy are cruelty to oneself."
After the training ended, Hansen took Jokic to a nearby restaurant.
Jokic was also feeling uneasy inside at that mont.
Previously, Hansen gave him the impression of being an amiable leader, but today he was an outright tyrant.
Especially after the speech, pulling him aside made him ready for a scolding.
After all, when it cos to defense, he’s probably the worst on the Cavaliers.
"Nikola, I need you to handle the ball more in the next ga," Hansen started bluntly after sitting down.
If they set a defensive tone for the G2 ga, his role as a core is to lead by example on defense.
Grabbing both offense and defense like last ga is not the best choice.
But Jokic is typically strong in offense and weak in defense, so instead of making him defend desperately, it’s better to use him as an offensive hub.
Moreover, Hansen’s increased exertion in defense reduces his offensive presence, which inevitably needs to shift to Jokic.
This was also why in the last series he had Jokic battling Howard inside.
That was preparation for such monts.
Jokic nodded and exhaled deeply upon hearing this.
"Co on, Nikola, for your horse," Hansen reminds him.
"No problem, boss!" Jokic replied with newfound vigor.
Hansen couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile.
Basketball is work, horse racing is a hobby, Jokic expressed this perfectly.
The NBA division finals alternate, with the East finals resting on this day as the West finals G1 begins.
In previous matches, the Warriors swept through to the Western finals, including beating the Grizzlies to reach the division semifinals for the first ti in three years; the Spurs went through a 6-ga struggle with the Rockets to barely win.
It seed the Spurs weren’t the Warriors’ match, and predictions gave the Warriors at least an 80% chance to advance.
But once the ga started, it was shocking.
In the first quarter, the Spurs took control and led the Warriors by as much as 14 points; by halfti, they increased their lead to 20 points.
Offensively, Leonard and Alderich were scoring inside and outside, while defensively, Leonard made Jas’ life miserable.
Entering his peak, Leonard can be said to be another truly all-round superstar in the league after Hansen.
However, when the ga reached the third quarter and the Spurs expanded their lead to 23 points, an accident occurred.
Leonard got injured from a foot-plant move by the Warriors center Pachulia, leaving the court and not returning.
The Warriors seized the opportunity to rally back and eventually won against the Spurs 113-111.
More despairing for the Spurs than the ga outco was the post-ga injury report, announcing Leonard’s season-ending due to an ankle sprain.
With their core player out for the season, it essentially ant the Spurs’ season was over.
At the post-ga press conference, knowing Leonard’s injury situation, Popovich cursed Pachulia, claiming he seriously violated sports ethics, called him "inhuman," and an all-around bad guy.
He even issued a threat.
"If the Warriors lost Curry, do you think they could still win the gas?"
Then the social dia exploded.
Many criticized Pachulia, as the Georgian does have a dirty play style, with his foot-plant move quite obvious.
In fact, during the match, the referees had already awarded a technical foul against Pachulia according to the [Jones Clause].
But compared to the reward gained, such a penalty was clearly too light.
While criticizing Pachulia, others accused Popovich of double standards.
Bowen’s three dirty plays on Carter were old stories, and Grizzlies fans still rember Anderson’s rough play on Guy, including Manu Ginobili’s act on Paul, with Hansen’s "I’m here for CP3’s revenge" becoming a well-known tale.
So from their view, the Spurs did it to others, and now the sa treatnt returned to them, considered karma.
Moreover, amid public debate, Warriors’ assistant coach Mike Brown ntioned another issue, that after Leonard left the court, Alderich also attempted a similar foot-plant move on Curry but was cleverly avoided by Curry.
In other words, Popovich’s threats weren’t just empty; he’d already tried but failed.
This further stirred social dia.
With Leonard’s season ending, the Western finals no longer hold much suspense, but the verbal battle is bound to last long.
With the Western finals buzzing intensely, the Eastern finals G2 also officially began soon after.
In the last ga, Malone assigned JR to defend Little Thomas, but this ga saw Hansen leading the defense.
Hansen’s speed couldn’t match Little Thomas, but his anticipation and the pressure he applied on Thomas’ shots made Thomas struggle to find good shooting opportunities.
This was already tested during their regular season matchups.
Although Little Thomas is now in better condition than during the regular season, Hansen’s focus tonight is even greater than back then.
After Little Thomas’s offense was consistently disrupted by Hansen, Stevens was forced to shift the focus to Durant.
But tonight, Cavs’ others also played fiercely on defense, with Covington and TT inside and outside forming a joint lock on Durant.
Though that couldn’t stop Durant from scoring, it significantly reduced his efficiency.
The refs were lenient tonight as well, with the ga’s intensity reaching its peak.
Offensively, Jokic also gained an edge in his matchup against Towns.
In pure strength terms, the two second-year players aren’t far apart, with Jokic holding an advantage in passing.
But beyond skills, personality counts as well.
Although Towns’ playing style is tougher compared to "history," his nature remains unchanged.
In contrast, the gentle-looking Jokic becos fiercer when toughened up, exploring the referees’ leniency, he opened paths with elbows in his attacks.
What Howard did to him in the last round, Jokic returned it all to Towns.
The result was that after constant confrontations, Towns backed down.
Once Towns caved in, the Celtics’ interior defense had to retract, bringing out Jokic’s favorite mode.
Unlike his low post battles for scoring against Howard, here Jokic’s post-ups aim more for passing.
Hansen also broke free of Little Thomas to receive Jokic’s passes and score easily, gradually breaking down the Celtics’ defense.
Little Thomas’s offense was unbeatable last ti, but this ga he couldn’t score and couldn’t defend, perfectly illustrating the pros and cons of short players.
Reluctantly, Stevens had to substitute Little Thomas with Crowder.
Such adjustnts enhanced the Celtics’ defense, but against the Cavs’ high-pressure defense tonight, it made Durant’s scoring even tougher.
to 91, the Cavaliers clinched the ho win eventually.
Hansen: 31 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks; Jokic: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists; Wade: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Covington: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals.
Durant: 33 points; Horford: 18 points, 8 rebounds; Towns: 16 points, 11 rebounds; Crowder: 12 points.
Little Thomas under Hansen’s lockdown only attempted 8 shots, making 3, for 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Reviews
All reviews (0)