Kobe Bryant'smental toughnesswas legendary. A man who once said,"I'd rather go 0-for-20 than 0-for-9"wasn't someone who crumbled under pressure.

What had happened so far didn't faze him. He calmly sank both free throws,cutting the Lakers' deficit to single digits.

But on the very next possession,Han Sen faced off against Jordan Clarkson. Seeing that the double-team wasn't coming immediately, Han spun gracefully into afadeaway jumperand knocked it down with ease.

Clarkson, thehalf-Filipino rookie, could do nothing butlook up in awe.

After hitting the shot,Han spread his hands toward Kobe's direction, as if to say,"What else can you do?"

Kobe couldn't be everywhere at once, andLeBron was practically a walking ATM for Han, coughing up easy points. Whenever the Lakers' defense waseven a step slowon rotations, Han effortlessly capitalized.

It looked eerily similar to thethird quarter of the Christmas game, when Han hadobliterated the Lakers.

The Cavaliers were ridinga wave of momentum, and it showed.

...

Kobe came back down the court andused a high pick-and-roll with Mozgov, freeing himself up for aquick mid-range jumper.

Hisphysical abilities had declined, but Kobe still refused tochase foulslike LeBron. He didn't rely onbaiting defendersto rack up points.

And honestly,no one would've blamed himif he had. Aging stars oftenleaned on their experiencewhen their athleticism waned.

Butthat wasn't Kobe. He was just asstubborn and obsessiveas Kevin Garnett.

Unfortunately, his shotdidn't fall.

Mozgov couldn't set a strong enough screento keep Han away, and Han'sagilityrendered size advantages meaningless.

To stop Han,you needed someone like Draymond Green— amobile bigwithjust enough sneaky physicalitytotoe the line of what the refs allowed.

The Cavaliers, however,failed to secure the rebound.

Mozgovcrashed the boards, grabbed the offensive rebound, andpowered through Garnettto score a putback.

At39 years old, Garnett clearly wasn't what he used to be. Hispre-game intensity and trash talkmade it seem like he was still theWolf King, butLeBron had been the only one fooled.

The Lakerscut the lead back to single digits, and Kobe switched back toguarding Han.

Han didn't give the ball to Kyrie. Hewent straight at Kobe.

Given his previous gestures and trash talk,it was clear Han was sending Kobe a message: "You're old."

But credit to Kobe — he managed toslow Han's drive, allowing his teammates to rotate over for help defense.

Unfortunately for the Lakers,Han wasn't just a scorer.

Withperfect timing, Hanwhipped a passaround Mozgov fromout of bounds, delivering it toTristan Thompson under the basket.

The ballspun like a tennis shot, hitting TT right in the hands.

Too easy.

BANG!

TTslammed it home with both hands, andLakers coach Byron Scott immediately called a timeout.

Despite facing Han during theChristmas game,Scott was still stunnedby Han'scourt vision and creativity.

"It's like Han leveled up his passing overnight,"Scott muttered to his assistants.

But it hadn't beenovernight—only three monthshad passed since their last meeting.

...

At thecommentary table, Shaquille O'Neal couldn't hold back anymore.

As aLakers legend, Shaq had seen his share ofMagic Johnson's passes, and while he never had the chance to play alongside Magic, he'd studied his tapes endlessly.

"This is Han'sShowtime!" Shaq declared.

TheShowtime Lakerswerefamous for their fast breaks and dazzling plays. Watching them waspure entertainment.

While this Cavaliers teamdidn't have the same depth of talent,Han was more individually dominant than anyone on those Showtime squads.

Shaq continued, "The Showtime Lakers had a system. ButHan IS the system!"

The only good news for the Lakers was thatthe rotation players came in, giving thema brief respiteasHan rested.

But it didn't last.

The momentHan checked back in for the second quarter, hishighlight reel continued.

On the first possession, hefaked a no-look pass, holding the ball high in one hand beforedropping it behind his back to a cutting Kyrie Irvingfor an easy layup.

TheStaples Center crowdwas alreadybuzzing.

It wasuncanny.

Outside the arena stood thestatue of Magic Johnson, but inside,#77 was running wildwithflashy passes and breathtaking assists.

There wasone major difference, though.

Magichad to pass to thrive.

Han? He passed because he wanted to.

If the Lakers tried toshut down his playmaking, he wouldsimply start dropping 50 on them.

...

At halftime, theCavs led 62-43.

Han already had adouble-double with 18 points and 12 assists.

After the second quarter,Lakers coach Byron Scottspoke to reporters.

"We need toreevaluate Han's passing threat," Scott admitted.

In the past, opposing teamsfocused more on Han's scoring. The general strategy wasto force the Cavaliers' other players to beat you.

Buttonight was different.

Han wasn't just scoring — he wascarving them up with passes.

"Shooting can be streaky,"Scott continued."But passing? That's pure skill."

Unfortunately, Scott'shalftime analysis didn't come with solutions.

Thesecond halffelt likedéjà vu for Lakers fans.

It was like facing Jordan all over again.

Whena player excels in both scoring and passing, the only thing that can slow them down isfatigue.

Butthe Lakers weren't going to outlast Han.

Even thoughKobe had a brief outburst in the third quarter, the Lakersonly managed to break even, playing the Cavsto a standstill.

When the quarter ended,the Lakers were still down by 20 points.

79-99.

TheStaples Center crowdwassilent.

They had come hoping tosee greatness.

They did.

It just wasn't wearing purple and gold.

...

Thefinal scorewasn't the most humiliating thing for the Lakers that night.

What stood out more was thefree throw disparity: 33 to 8.

Yes, theymade historythat night. But eventhe referees couldn't save them.

An interesting scene occurred right before thethird-quarter rotations.

Theglaring free throw differencefrom the first half must have caught the referees' attention because theystarted blowing more whistles for the Lakers.

At one point,LeBron was called for a defensive foul, and as hespread his arms and stared at the referee in disbelief, Han Sen casually walked over to the official.

"You shouldn't have called that foul," Han said, smirking. "You didn't call those earlier. You need to stay consistent."

Han wasn'tdefending LeBron— far from it.

He just wanted to make sure thatthe absurd free throw disparity stayed on display for everyone to see.

The officials, though tasked with ensuring certain outcomes,couldn't completely ignore Han's influencein the league.

So, by the time thethird quarter ended, thefree throw count was still as ridiculous as ever.

In thefourth quarter, Lakers coachByron Scott kept LeBron on the court, hoping to stage a comeback.

But those hopesquickly diedwhen LeBronelbowed JR Smithon a drive and got called fora flagrant foul.

Thegame lost all suspense after that.

TheCavaliers wonin a blowout:124 to 100— a24-point victory on the Lakers' home floor.

...

Post-Game Stats:

Han Sen:24 points, 5 rebounds, 16 assists (career-high)

Kyrie Irving:18 points, 5 assists

Kevin Garnett:8 points, 4 rebounds

Kobe Bryant:24 points

LeBron James:21 points (on16 free throw attempts, making11)

Mozgov:14 points, 11 rebounds

...

At thepost-game press conference, Han Sen andKevin Garnetttook the stage together.

With16 assists, Han had seta new career-highand naturally became thecenter of attentionfor reporters.

"I didn't do anything special," Han shrugged. "Their defense just fell apart. You know, they havetwo All-Defensive Team playersout there."

Hiscasual dismissalof the record was hilarious.

But when it came totaking shots at opponents,Han was in his element.

"Eithertheir coach screwed up their defensive schemes, orthe people voting for the All-Defensive Team have serious issues."

Han'smockery sent the room into a frenzy.

He'donce again fired shots at both LeBron and Kobe — at the same time.

After all,the flaws in their defensive accoladeshad long been anopen secret.

Andthere was no way to argue against Han's point.

Because theLakers' defense was atrocious.

Letting a playerrack up 16 assists in three quarterswasbeyond embarrassing.

Simply put:

If the Lakers weren't so terrible, Han's assists would've easily hit 20+.

Han didn't forget to praiseKevin Garnett, though.

"KG brought usenergy. Heraised our defensive intensity. That doesn't always show up in the box score."

Havinga workaholic like Garnettaround wasn't always pleasant, but Han understood his value.

Looking back at his own experience in Memphis, Han realized thatGarnett's fiery leadershipwas likea manifestation of his own villainous persona.

And that couldhelp the Cavs go further in the playoffs.

Garnett, meanwhile, was equally impressed with Han.

"I don't throw aroundMJ comparisons lightly," Garnett began.

"I played againstprime Michael.

I'vecompeted with Kobe my entire career.

But right now, I'll say this —Han is on that level. He can do whatever he wants on the court."

It washigh praise, andthe reporters ate it up.

Later that night, theNBA's official social media accountposted ahighlight reel of Han's assistsunder the caption:

"Witness the Legend of No. 77".

What made the post go viral was thatthe tagline was one of Han's own.

He hadoriginally posted that phraseon social media asa joke to bait haters.

Now,it was NBA-official.

Thefinal month of the seasonbecameHan's passing showcase.

Fans soon realized thatHan wasn't just about scoring.

Passing was just as thrilling— especially whenhe fully embraced it.

Once you startenjoying the process, it'shard to stop.

Some fans lamented thatHan fell just short of 20 assistsagainst the Lakers.

But hemade up for it against the Raptorsshortly after.

24 points and 21 assists.

Adouble-20 performance.

AsShaq put it: "This isHan Sen's Showtime."

Theimpact was massive.

Han's move from Memphis to Cleveland hadshattered the notionthat he needed ateam-oriented systemto thrive.

Fans now realized:Han's individual talent was enough to carry any team.

And more importantly:Han could be anything fans wanted him to be.

He couldlight up the scoreboard.

He couldcontrol the game with his passing.

It all depended on his mood.

People began todiscuss Han the way they once discussed Jordan.

No one talked aboutLeBron's return to Cleveland anymore.

ForCleveland fans,Han was their kingnow.

"LeBron who? Sorry, never heard of him."

...

Cavs ownerDan Gilbertcouldn't be happier.

Han's showmanship was fueling a resurgence in Cleveland's economy.

TheQuicken Loans Arenawassold out every night, andmerchandise sales skyrocketed.

One of the most popular items?

The"Han Sen Bobblehead", which soldover 10,000 units in its first week.

Fans fromall over the countrywere now traveling to Clevelandjust to watch Han play.

What once seemedimpossible— adying industrial city revitalized by basketball— wasbecoming a reality.

Gilbert proposed renovations to Quicken Loans Arenato accommodate theoverwhelming demand.

He also unveiled plans fora state-of-the-art training facilitynext to the arena.

Interestingly, despitethe Cavs' star power, theyweren't even over the salary cap.

BecauseKyrie's new contractwouldn't kick in untilnext season, the Cavs had managed tostay under the luxury tax.

And with the teamnow contending in the East, Gilbert wasraking in profits.

Looking back, histrade package for Han Senseemed like asteal.

Two No. 1 picks. A rising star.

Andthree unprotected first-rounders.

Was it expensive?

No.

In Gilbert's eyes:It was dirt cheap.

Ifkneeling before Hanwould've sealed the deal,Gilbert would've done it without hesitation.

And ifHan ever delivered a championship to Cleveland,Gilbert just might do it for real.

-End of Chapter-

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com