LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 283: MVP & DPOY.
"55 points! How did you do it? I mean, you just had back-to-back 40+ games!"
The postgame reporters were ecstatic. After all, Han Sen's 55-point performance in the playoffs ranked ninth in NBA history for a single game—and that didn't even include the context of his consecutive 40-point games.
If you added a classic "LeBron-style qualifier", then Han had achieved yet another "NBA first".
Only three players in history had ever scored 40+ points in three straight playoff games: Jerry West, Michael Jordan, and Bernard King. Now, Han Sen was part of that elite club.
Han's response?
"You'll get used to it."
There it was—a subtle flex, and the deadliest kind of confidence.
His message was clear: if Tom Thibodeau kept using this defensive strategy, Han wouldn't hesitate to keep putting up monster numbers.
As for fatigue? That wasn't a concern.
After all, Han was only 25 years old.
...
After a two-day break, Game 4 resumed at the United Center.
Interestingly, the anti-Han signs that had flooded the arena during Game 3 were now almost nonexistent.
At the end of the day, fans care more about what you do than what you say.
And after watching Han drop 55 points in their house, no one wanted to risk provoking him further.
For Game 4, Thibodeau made adjustments again.
He returned to the "Jordan Rules" defense from Game 1, throwing multiple defenders at Han and forcing the ball out of his hands.
Thibodeau also found a way to counter the Cavs' Death Lineup, subbing out Taj Gibson for Mike Dunleavy to go with a four-out, one-in formation.
It was a strategy that resembled the way the Grizzlies once countered the Heat.
Thibodeau's adjustments were spot on.
But what he didn't anticipate was Kyrie Irving's awakening.
After watching Han's heroic performances in the first three games, Kyrie finally stepped up.
With Han drawing constant double-teams, Kyrie took 23 shots, making 10 of them. He also attacked the rim, getting to the free-throw line five times and sinking 9 of 10 free throws.
Kyrie finished with a career playoff-high 30 points.
After being in Han's shadow for three games, Kyrie finally found his moment.
Han, meanwhile, scored 28 points, but it didn't matter—the Cavaliers cruised to a 106-91 victory, their largest margin of the series so far.
...
Postgame Press Conference
At the postgame press conference, Han was all smiles—more than he'd been after any of the previous games.
"If I could, I'd love to have nights like this all the time," Han joked.
For Han, records were just numbers. Winning was all that mattered.
And with the Cavaliers now leading the series 3-1, they were one win away from advancing.
After the Game 2 loss, the Cavaliers had faced a storm of criticism. Pundits claimed they were destined to fail.
But now, after two road victories, the narrative had completely flipped.
Han was thrilled, and for good reason—Kyrie finally showed up when it mattered.
If Kyrie could maintain that level of play, the Cavs had a real shot at the title.
But Kyrie's success didn't last long.
...
In Game 5, he delivered his worst performance of the series, shooting 3-of-14 and scoring just 11 points.
Thibodeau wasn't one to let a player's weaknesses go unexploited. He targeted Kyrie relentlessly, forcing him into tough shots and limiting his impact.
Meanwhile, the Bulls showed incredible resilience.
After a quiet series, Derrick Rose exploded, scoring 30 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and dishing 7 assists on 10-of-26 shooting.
Despite Rose's performance, the game remained a back-and-forth battle.
With five seconds left, the Cavs were down by three.
Han, guarded by Joakim Noah, calmly rose up from beyond the arc and drilled a game-tying three-pointer.
But with five seconds left, Rose took the ball, used a screen from Noah, and launched a bank-shot three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for the Bulls.
Final Score: Bulls 101, Cavaliers 98.
The series now stood at 3-2, heading back to Chicago.
...
"This was Rose's night. He deserved this win," Han said at the postgame press conference.
Though Rose wasn't known for his three-point shooting, superstars always find ways to make the impossible happen in big moments.
It was no different from Jordan's six three-pointers in a Finals half—sometimes, it was just their night.
But Han wasn't done.
"However, we're not going back to Cleveland."
...
Two days later, the Cavaliers closed out the series in Game 6, winning 94-74 in Chicago to advance to the second round.
From the opening tip, Coach Malone went with the Death Lineup, and Han Sen went full Memphis mode, guarding Rose full court from the start.
In doing so, Han completely shut down Rose, holding him to just 9 points for the game.
It was a risky strategy, given how much the Cavs relied on Han offensively. But Han bet on his defense, and it paid off.
The Cavaliers played their best defensive game of the season, using the Bulls' own defense-first identity against them.
The series exposed a key weakness in the Bulls' small-ball lineup.
With Noah on the floor, the Bulls didn't have a reliable interior scorer to punish Tristan Thompson. That allowed the Cavs to fully commit to their Death Lineup.
However, the Cavs received bad news early in the game:
Kyrie collided with Jimmy Butler and injured his knee, leaving the game after just 12 minutes.
Thankfully, postgame tests showed it was just a sprain.
He would need time to recover, but no surgery was required.
...
After the game, Han visited Kyrie in the locker room.
Seeing Kyrie's injury triggered a memory from his past life.
Though Han was a transmigrator, he wasn't a walking encyclopedia. His memories of "history" only surfaced during key events.
Seeing Kyrie's injury reminded Han of the 2015 Finals.
In that timeline, Kyrie had fractured his left kneecap in Game 1, which not only ended his season but also permanently affected his athleticism.
That injury had stemmed from playing through a prior knee injury, forcing Kyrie to play hurt until his body gave out.
With that in mind, Han made a decision.
"Rest. Completely. Don't come back until you're fully healed," Han told Kyrie.
"But…" Kyrie hesitated. If he took the time to recover, he'd be out for at least two weeks, and the Conference Finals would already be underway by then.
"Do you really think I can't make the East Finals without you?" Han asked with a calm confidence that left Kyrie speechless.
In truth, Han could carry the team past the first round on his own. The only difference was that without Kyrie, the series might have gone to seven games instead of six.
"Get healthy. That's what matters most."
Han didn't want just any version of Kyrie—he needed the best version of Kyrie.
And that could only happen if Kyrie was healthy.
...
The day after the Cavaliers advanced to the second round, the first round of the NBA playoffs concluded for both the East and West.
In the East, the Cavaliers' second-round opponent would be the Atlanta Hawks, who defeated the Wizards 4-2.
Elsewhere:
- Nets eliminated the Raptors 4-1.
- Heat swept the Bucks 4-0, marking their third consecutive postseason meeting with the Bucks.
All the higher seeds in the East advanced.
...
The West, however, was much more chaotic.
Warriors and Lakers had comfortable series, both winning 4-1 against the Mavericks and Trail Blazers, respectively.
But both the Rockets and Thunder were upset.
The Thunder were routed, losing 4-1 to the Spurs.
The Rockets played well but ultimately fell to the Grizzlies 3-4.
The Thunder's loss wasn't surprising. They had benefited from the playoff format, securing a higher seed despite being weaker than the Spurs.
As for the Rockets, their defeat was more understandable—they lost a key big man to injury, and when facing a team like the Grizzlies, you need a strong interior presence.
Even without Han Sen, the Grizzlies still had their "Twin Towers"—Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The Rockets simply couldn't keep up.
The Rockets' loss sent shockwaves through the league:
First, one of the Nike-sponsored teams was eliminated in the first round—something no one anticipated at the start of the season.
Second, Chris Paul once again failed to reach the Western Conference Finals.
Third, the playoffs reignited criticism of the playoff seeding system, prompting the NBA to announce a new rule change: starting next season, division winners would no longer be guaranteed a top-four seed.
Lastly, the Grizzlies and Lakers—longtime playoff rivals—would face each other again. However, this time, the Grizzlies no longer had Han Sen.
...
Before the second round began, the NBA announced the regular season MVP.
The top three contenders were: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Han Sen.
- Curry had the worst stats of the three but led the Warriors to the league's best record. 67 wins.
- Han Sen had the best stats but the weakest team record. 58 wins.
- Durant fell somewhere in between, with strong stats and a solid record, only five wins behind the Warriors.
The voting results were tight:
- Curry: 21%
- Durant: 23%
- Han Sen: 26%
Han Sen was crowned MVP for the second consecutive season!
...
Upon hearing the results, Han was visibly surprised.
The NBA was still very much a Nike-driven league. He hadn't expected to beat Durant in the voting.
Had Nike lost its grip?
Had the media forgotten how Han clashed with them before?
The reality was simpler: Han had barely edged out the win, but the victory underscored just how insane his season had been.
Han averaged 32 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals, leading the league in scoring, assists, and steals—an absolutely dominant stat line.
And his impact on the Cavaliers was undeniable.
During a TNT segment, Charles Barkley summed it up perfectly:
"If the Cavs didn't have Han, forget about 58 wins—would they even make the playoffs?"
The comparison to Jordan's 1987-88 season was clear.
That year, Jordan averaged 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, leading the league in scoring and steals, and carried the Bulls to an unexpected 50 wins.
The Bulls' record that season was worse than the Cavs' this year, yet Jordan still won MVP.
MVP criteria may vary, but ultimately, transforming a team is what truly defines value.
And when that transformative factor is singular, the title of Most Valuable Player becomes indisputable.
Han's MVP win also reflected his first-round dominance.
He averaged an astonishing 40.5 points per game over six games against one of the best defensive teams in the league—the Bulls.
There was no padding; Han's numbers were entirely legitimate.
...
Of course, Han's MVP sparked controversy.
Critics pointed to the Cavs' fourth-place finish in the league standings, questioning whether a player from a non-elite team deserved the award.
Fans also criticized the voting process, claiming media bias from including playoff performances in a regular season award.
In response, the NBA announced a significant change: starting with the 2016-17 season, all voting would conclude before the playoffs, with a Hollywood-style awards show to follow.
The move confirmed what many already knew:
Adam Silver listens to feedback, whereas David Stern ignored it entirely.
Silver was a reformer, though opinions varied on whether those changes were for better or worse.
...
While debate over Han's MVP raged on, the second round tipped off.
The Cavaliers announced that Kyrie Irving would miss the entire series, which thrilled Hawks fans.
After all, the Hawks had won 60 games, two more than the Cavs, and now Cleveland was without one of their stars.
It seemed like the Hawks had the series locked up.
The Hawks were in for a shock.
The Cavaliers brought the same defensive intensity they'd shown against the Bulls.
While four Hawks players scored in double figures, none scored more than 15 points.
Meanwhile, Han Sen dropped 30+ points and dished out 13 assists.
Under his leadership, JR Smith scored 18 points, and even P.J. Tucker chipped in 13.
Was Kyrie important? Of course.
But Han Sen was indispensable.
The Hawks' system relied on team play and lacked a true go-to scorer in half-court situations. Without a strong counter to the Cavs' defense, their offense stalled completely.
Defensively, the Hawks weren't on the Bulls' level, giving Han complete control of the game.
Within a week, the Cavaliers swept the Hawks 4-0, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Even Han was surprised by the sweep; he'd expected the series to last longer to give Kyrie more time to recover.
But it turned out the Hawks were just playoff pretenders.
During the sweep, the NBA announced the winner of the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award.
After narrowly missing out last season, Han Sen claimed the 2014-15 DPOY with his stellar defensive performances throughout the season.
-End of Chapter-