Basketball System: Hate Makes Me Unstoppable

After Han Sen nailed that floater, the Cavaliers took the lead for the first time that night.

Even as Thibodeau's "Jordan Rules" defense zeroed in on him, Han Sen carried the team, scoring Cleveland's first 10 points while his teammates struggled to find their rhythm.

When he stepped up to the free-throw line, the arena erupted in chants of "MVP! MVP!"

It wasn't the first time Han had heard that since returning to Cleveland, but it was the first time the chants echoed through Quicken Loans Arena in the playoffs—something the city hadn't experienced in five long years.

"This year's Bulls are strong," Shaquille O'Neal said from the commentary booth. "But they're still not on the Cavaliers' level."

Shaq's voice carried a weight of nostalgia. Five years ago, he sat on that same Cavaliers bench with Han, dressed in suits, both injured, as they watched their team face the Bulls in the first round.

Times had changed. Han was still wearing the Cavs' jersey, but Shaq had traded his seat on the bench for a spot at the TNT commentary table.

Han sank the free throw, pushing the score to 11-8.

The defensive chants boomed again, and the Cleveland faithful showed no signs of quieting down.

The Bulls' offense stalled once more.

Back on offense, Han signaled for a pick-and-roll with Garnett, eliciting another roar from the crowd.

Six straight possessions—Han had carried the Cavaliers' offense entirely by himself.

His stamina was surely taking a hit, but the look in his eyes sent a clear message:

I'm not stopping.

With Garnett setting the screen, Han cut sharply to the other side, drawing the Bulls' defense like a magnet.

Suddenly, he whipped the ball behind his back with his left hand. The pass flew straight to Kyrie Irving at the weak-side 45-degree three-point line.

By the time the Bulls realized what had happened, it was too late.

Kyrie had the cleanest look he'd seen all night.

He adjusted his feet, took his shot.

Swish!

Finally, someone other than Han got on the board.

Kyrie let out a rare roar, punching the air as he ran back on defense. The frustration of the first quarter washed away in that single moment.

The scoreboard now read 14-8, with the Cavaliers riding a 14-2 run over the past five minutes.

The Bulls ran a clean offensive set, and Covington got a wide-open look from the corner, but his three-point attempt clanked off the rim.

Momentum had shifted, and now it was the Bulls who felt the weight of pressure.

Han rested on the weak side while Kyrie orchestrated the next play.

With Garnett providing a high screen, Kyrie blew by Derrick Rose and attacked the basket. But the Bulls collapsed on him fast, forcing him into a contested layup.

The ball bounced off the rim.

Joakim Noah was ready to snatch the rebound—until a hand poked the ball away at the last second.

The ball sailed straight into the hoop.

Noah whipped his head around in disbelief, only to see Han Sen walking away with a calm expression.

How is it always him?

Does he ever get tired?

Does he ever leave?

With that putback, the Cavs pushed their lead to 16-8, edging closer to a double-digit cushion.

Thibodeau quickly called for a timeout.

As his players trudged off the court, Thibs unleashed his fury on Jimmy Butler, clearly upset with Butler's off-ball defense.

"Chicago is tough," Shaq said during the break. "I wouldn't call Noah's pre-game comments arrogant—they're one of the league's top-five defensive teams this season."

"But they can't stop Han," Charles Barkley cut in. "Han can do whatever he wants on the court."

The game resumed, and Rose and Noah ran a flawless pick-and-roll. Rose stopped on a dime and sank a mid-range jumper.

Kyrie tried to respond with his own jumper, but Gibson's aggressive closeout forced him to miss.

The broadcast displayed Kyrie's stats on the screen: 1-for-4 shooting, 3 points, 1 turnover.

It wasn't pretty.

Noah grabbed the rebound, and Chicago quickly pushed the pace.

Rose found Noah on the fast break. Noah then dished it to Butler, who nailed a right-side three-pointer—the Bulls' first triple of the game.

The crowd went quiet.

After years of injuries, Derrick Rose was no longer the "Windy City Assassin" who had captured the league's imagination.

But he'd evolved.

The flashy speed and acrobatics were gone, replaced by a slower, smarter, more deliberate style of play.

The score narrowed to 16-13.

Whenever the Cavs threatened to pull away, Chicago found a way to claw back.

Noah. Rose. Butler.

The Bulls never gave up.

At halftime, Cleveland led 48-41.

...

Walking toward the locker room, Malone caught up with Han.

"Twenty-four points, six assists," Malone noted. "Your numbers are MVP-caliber, but you're burning a lot of energy."

Malone's concern was clear.

Both of them knew the risks of relying too heavily on Han.

They'd chosen the one-star, four-shooter system together. They knew its strengths—and its glaring weaknesses.

If Han ran out of gas, it would all fall apart.

"I'm fine, Mike," Han reassured, stopping in the tunnel.

"Maybe Kyrie will step up in the second half," Han added with a hopeful smile, patting Malone on the shoulder.

...

Back from the break, Malone adjusted his lineup, replacing TT with JR Smith to roll out Cleveland's version of the "Death Lineup."

Garnett, despite being 39, stayed in to keep working on Noah's psyche.

The Cavs' possession opened with Kyrie getting a mid-range jumper to fall.

The coaching staff erupted in excitement.

Jordan didn't conquer the league alone.

It wasn't about Jordan being weak—it was about 48 minutes.

If Kyrie could grow into a Pippen-like co-star, it would make Han's job exponentially easier.

But their excitement was short-lived.

Butler nailed a three on the next possession, and Kyrie missed a contested floater on the following trip down.

Suddenly, Garnett muscled his way in for an offensive rebound.

He went back up for a putback but got swatted by Noah.

This time, Noah grabbed the ball and ripped it away from Garnett.

There was no mistaking the extra force behind that grab.

This wasn't about securing a rebound—it was personal.

As Garnett hit the floor, the referee's whistle blew.

Foul on Noah.

Noah stood over Garnett, glaring down at him with fire in his eyes.

On the floor, Kevin Garnett clenched his fists as he lay flat on his back.

Given his fiery reputation, everyone braced for him to get up and confront Noah.

But to everyone's surprise, he flipped over, braced himself with clenched fists, and started doing push-ups right there on the court!

The sight of Garnett doing push-ups on the hardwood sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Not one, not two — he kept going, completing seven push-ups before finally standing up.

"I'm good. I'm good," Garnett assured his teammates with a nod.

This wasn't just for show. It was his way of channeling his emotions without getting into unnecessary confrontations. The Cavs had the upper hand in the game, and Garnett knew that starting a fight would do them no favors.

But while Garnett was keeping his cool, Noah was losing his.

Still fuming from the call, Noah barked at the referee — earning himself a technical foul.

The boos from the crowd grew louder.

What happened next caught everyone off guard.

Instead of sending their best free-throw shooter to the line, coach Malone pointed directly at Garnett.

Garnett stepped up, took the ball, and sank all three of his free throws—flawlessly.

Even as he shot, he kept glancing toward Noah with a smirk, offering some friendly "trash talk" in between.

Noah was livid. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

...

Back on defense, Noah received the ball at the high post, ready to orchestrate a play. But instead of waiting for his teammates to get into position, he spun toward the basket and drove hard.

His bulky frame made it tough for defenders to react in time. He shrugged off Garnett and barreled toward the hoop.

Just as he thought he had a clear shot, a familiar figure soared in from the weak side.

Bam!

Han Sen swatted Noah's shot against the glass and snagged the rebound in one fluid motion.

Without missing a beat, Han Sen launched a full-court pass to a streaking Kyrie Irving, who caught the ball in stride and finished with a graceful finger-roll.

The crowd erupted again.

Thibodeau, ever the perfectionist, stormed the sideline, screaming instructions — or more likely, scolding Noah for his reckless drive.

The fiery coach's criticism seemed to fall on deaf ears. As soon as Noah received the ball on the next possession, Garnett started clapping his hands and taunting him.

"Come on, little kitty! Let's see what you've got!" KG bellowed, arms wide, egging him on.

If there's one thing KG excels at — aside from basketball — it's getting under people's skin.

Noah snapped. He forgot all about Thibodeau's yelling. His focus was solely on shutting Garnett up.

He went straight at KG.

"That's a terrible decision," Shaquille O'Neal said from the broadcast booth, shaking his head. "Even I wouldn't do that."

Garnett might have lost a step, but against someone like Noah, he still had plenty left in the tank. Predicting Noah's move, he slid into position, cutting off the drive and forcing a stop.

Noah tried to pivot into a hook shot, but he didn't notice P.J. Tucker sneaking in from behind.

Swipe! Tucker stripped the ball clean.

The Cavs launched another fast break. This time, Kyrie brought it up himself. As he crossed half-court, he saw Jimmy Butler closing in.

Without hesitation, Kyrie lobbed the ball toward the rim.

Han Sen flew in from the left, catching the pass mid-air and slamming it home with a gliding tomahawk dunk.

The "Han-to-Kyrie Connection" left the arena in chaos.

Even coach Malone was clapping from the sideline, clearly pleased.

His original game plan had been to slow the game down and play a more methodical half-court offense against the Bulls' stingy defense.

But seeing Han Sen's exhaustion from carrying the offense, Malone decided to switch it up, opting for a faster, small-ball lineup to reduce Han's workload.

So far, the strategy was paying off. The Cavs were outpacing the Bulls in transition, and the Bulls' famed defense couldn't keep up.

Score: 43-57. The Cavs opened the second half with a 9-2 run.

Malone's adjustments were working wonders.

And Garnett? His presence had been pivotal.

Oddly enough, Noah had once idolized KG. Their playing styles — and fiery tempers — were strikingly similar. But today, Noah was learning the hard way that you should never meet your heroes.

Thibodeau called for a timeout, pulling Noah out of the game for Nikola Mirotic.

The camera zoomed in on Noah as he sat on the bench, visibly frustrated but powerless to change anything.

...

Meanwhile, Derrick Rose and Mirotic executed a pick-and-roll on the next possession, with Rose finishing at the rim after shaking off Garnett.

The Cavs' small-ball lineup worked well in transition but the problem was that Garnett struggled to keep up with quicker guards.

Malone quickly signaled for TT to check back in.

As Thompson approached the scorer's table, the Cavaliers got another stop on defense.

Han Sen grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball upcourt himself.

Crossing half-court, he accelerated into the lane and soared over Taj Gibson for a vicious poster dunk.

The dunk was so savage that it left the crowd gasping.

Han Sen turned toward the Bulls' bench, a smirk on his face.

"Who said they'd beat me? I don't see them anywhere!" he shouted.

Noah, still seated on the bench, clenched his fists. His whole body tensed as he stared at Han Sen, veins bulging on his forehead.

He's driving me insane.

-End of Chapter-