By early April, the2014-2015 season officially came to a close, marking the end of a five-and-a-half-month marathon.

It was arollercoaster season, with thethree Nike-backed superteamsonly havingone team truly live up to expectations — the Miami Heat.

On the other hand,UA's two flagship teamsperformedbeyond anyone's wildest expectations.

TheGolden State Warriorsshocked everyone right from the start and maintained that momentumthroughout the entire season.

They finished with anincredible 67-15 record, setting anew franchise recordfor wins andcomfortably clinching the league's best record.

Stephen Curryaveraged24.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists, shooting animpressive 44.8% from three-point range. He emerged as one of theleading candidates for MVP.

Meanwhile,Steve Kerr, in hisrookie season as head coach, made history byleading his team to the most wins ever for a first-year coach.

Kerr'sbasketball philosophywasn't new, buthe found the perfect storm—a generational talent like Curry and a league shifting towards a three-point-centric game.

...

Western Conference Standings

Behind the Warriors,the Lakers secured the second seed in the Westwith a58-24 record.

There had been concerns aboutKobe Bryant's health, especially afterAnderson Varejao went down with a season-ending injury. But Kobeproved everyone wrong, playing70 gamesand averaging25.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assistson46.3% shooting.

LeBron Jamesalsostepped up, playing69 gamesand averaging26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists, with a shooting percentage of48.8%.

Despitelosing Chris Bosh for the season, theHouston Rocketsheld on to thethird seedwith a56-26 record, thanks totheir dynamic backcourt duo.

TheOklahoma City Thunderfinishedfourthwith52 wins, while theSan Antonio SpursandMemphis Grizzliesboth ended with55 wins, but rankedfifth and sixth, respectively.

The Thunder's fourth-place finish — despite having fewer wins than the Spurs and Grizzlies —sparked discussions about the outdated playoff seeding systemthat gavedivision winners priority.

Fans were calling forreform, arguing thatmodern broadcasting and travel no longer required such outdated rules.

ThePortland Trail BlazersandDallas Mavericksrounded out the Western Conference playoffs with51 and 50 wins, respectively.

Even without Han Sen,the West remained as competitive as ever.

...

Eastern Conference Standings

In the East,the Miami Heat dominated, finishing with a62-20 record.

Kevin Duranthad aphenomenal season, averaging28.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5 assists, shooting50.3% from the field. He was also consideredone of the top MVP candidates.

TheAtlanta Hawkssurprised everyone by finishingsecond in the Eastwith a60-22 record.

They went on animpressive 12-game winning streaktoward the end of the season, solidifying their position.

TheCleveland Cavaliers, led by Han Sen, finishedthird with a 58-24 record.

Han Sen deliveredone of the most dominant individual seasons in NBA history.

He averaged:

-31.5 points

-6.2 rebounds

-10.3 assists

-3 steals

-1.4 blocks

He shot51.6% from the fieldand38.5% from three.

Han Senclaimed the scoring title,assist title, andsteals title, becoming thefirst player in NBA history to lead the league in all three categories in the same season.

No one had ever done it before.

...

Players who had led the league inassists and stealsin the same season were relatively common —five players in total, withChris Paulbeing the most notable name.

Players who had led the league inscoring and stealswereMichael Jordan and Allen Iverson.

Butleading in scoring and assists?

That had only been doneonce, byNate "Tiny" Archibaldin the1972-1973 season, when he averaged34 points and 11.4 assists. Unfortunately, his team, theCincinnati Royals, failed to make the playoffs that year.

Han Sen became thefirst player ever to simultaneously win the scoring title, assist title, and steals title in the same season!

...

Behind the Cavs, theBrooklyn Netsfinished fourth with51 wins.

TheToronto Raptorsfollowed with49 wins, and theChicago Bullstook sixth with48 wins.

TheWashington Wizardssecured the seventh seed with46 wins, and theMilwaukee Bucksrounded out the playoff picture with41 wins.

TheCavaliers' first-round opponent?

The Chicago Bulls.

...

The day after the regular season ended, the Cavs helda training session at Quicken Loans Arenato prepare for their upcomingfirst-round matchup against the Bulls.

Withhome-court advantage, the series would begin inCleveland.

During practice,the arena echoed with Garnett's trash talk.

But halfway through the session,Garnett noticed something— the playersweren't slacking off; they weretoo tense.

It made sense.

Even withGarnett in the starting lineup,only he and Han Sen had playoff experience.

Kyrie Irving,Tristan Thompson, andPJ Tuckerwereall playoff rookies.

It was likediscussing human anatomy with a girl for the first time—the tension was inevitable.

After practice,Han Sen sat courtside to catch his breathwhenCunningham joined him.

Technically,some of the older Cavs players also had playoff experience.

Back in Han Sen'srookie season, they had made itto the Eastern Conference Finals.

ButCunningham wasn't here to talk about the playoffs.

He wanted to talk aboutthe MVP race.

TheMVPwould typically be announced after thefirst round of the playoffs.

IfHan Sen won it, he would become aback-to-back MVP winner.

And if he did it withtwo different teams?

He would bethe first player in NBA history to achieve that.

When Cunningham brought it up, Han simplystood up.

"Instead of wasting time thinking about MVP, why not practice with me?"

To Han,MVP didn't mean much. Theonly award he truly cared aboutwasFinals MVP— becausewinning that meant winning a championship, and it provedhis impact on the court.

Everything else?

EvenShaquille O'Neal only had one MVP.

Did anyone really thinkKarl Malone or Steve Nashwerebetter players than Shaq?

Instead of the MVP award, Han wasmore focused on the Bulls.

TheCavs and Bulls split their four regular-season matchups, each winningtwo games.

TheBulls started the season strong, butDerrick Rose's injurieshad caused them to stumble.

EvenJimmy Butler, who washeavily overused by Thibodeau, missedseveral games.

Now, bothRose and Butler were healthy.

The Bulls werearguably the most dangerous team in the bottom half of the East bracket.

TheCavs couldn't afford to take them lightly.

...

WhileHan Sen and Cunninghamstayed late after practice for extra shooting drills, theChicago Bullsarrived atQuicken Loans Arenafor their pregame workout.

After the Bulls'open practice,Derrick RoseandJimmy Butlerdeclined interviews, butJoakim Noahstuck around to face the media.

Noah, whosnatched the Defensive Player of the Year awardfrom Han Sen last season and madeFirst-Team All-NBA and First-Team All-Defense, had just come off the best year of his career.

This season,Noah hadn't lost a step, still putting updouble-doubleswithsolid assists numbers. He was alsothe Bulls' lone All-Starthis year.

When asked about the upcoming showdown with Cleveland,Noah radiated confidence.

"A lot of people haven't realized it yet, but this is the first time since 2011 that we're heading into the playoffs fully healthy. I don't care what the outside world says. I believe we're the best team. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying: If we stay healthy, we can beat anyone — including Han Sen."

The next question came fast.

"Like how you won DPOY last season?"

Noah smirked.

"Exactly, just like that."

For years, the Bulls had been anafterthought. AfterRose's injuryderailed their rise asthe "revival team", they slowly faded from the spotlight.

ButNoah's bold remarksdrew attention back to Chicago.

Maybe, just maybe, the Bulls had something special brewing this year.

After all, whileHan Senwasundeniably dominant, hisCavs roster was visibly weak.

Aside from anoverhyped former No. 1 pick (Kyrie Irving)and a39-year-old Garnett, the rest of the team wasmostly forgettable.

JR Smith?Sure, butmost people remembered him for his antics, not his play.

After finishing his drills,Han Sen headed to a local radio show—"Up Close with Han Sen".

Initially, Han treated theweekly appearancesasa chore.

But as time passed, he discovered that it wasfun— and more importantly,a goldmine for hate points.

The showattracted listeners from all over the world, not just Cleveland fans. That meantwild encounterswere a regular occurrence.

Some listenersasked about his personal life.

Someprofessed their lovefor him.

And, of course, somejust called to talk trash.

Despite thelong wait times and slim chancesto get through, people would stillwaste their shot just to yell obscenities.

Like today, for example...

The veryfirst callersounded like aclassic Chicago gangster. He didn't hold back.

"You'll NEVER surpass Michael! F*ck you Han!"**

Theradio host cut the call immediately, butHan couldn't stop laughing.

Then,he responded on air.

"Chicago will never have another Michael. The Bulls will never rise again. That's just the brutal truth."

Ding! Mission accomplished. More hate points added.

Thesecond callerwasa Memphis fan.

"When will your statue be unveiled?"

Han smiled.

"Maybe this summer."

Initially, he thoughtRobert Pera's statue announcementwas just a PR stunt to win over the Memphis crowd.

But it turned out,Pera was serious.

He had reached out to Han, even inviting him toparticipate in the design process.

Although Han hadbad blood with former owner Michael Heisley, histime in Memphis was filled with fond memories. He couldn't bring himself to turn downPera's heartfelt invitation.

Besides,having a statue before retirement?

That'slegacy material.

Thethird callerwas fromLos Angeles—a Han Sen fanfromLakerland.

It soundedweirdbutalso showed Han's growing influence.

"What's your take on the first-round matchup with the Bulls?"

Before answering, the hostbriefed HanonNoah's comments.

Han smiled knowingly. He wasn't surprised.

"I heard about Noah's encounter with KG,"Han began."Before he entered the league, he was a huge KG fan. When they first matched up, he tried to bond with KG. KG's response? 'Who the f*ck do you think you're talking to?'And then he spent the entire game trash-talking him."

Thecaller chuckled, then pressed on.

"So, are you gonna trash-talk Noah, too?"

Han grinned.

"No. But if he calls me 'sir,' maybe I'll go easy on him."

The next morning,Han woke up to a viral social media post.

ACleveland fan, who happened to be asci-fi enthusiast, had quotedLiu Cixin's famous novel "The Three-Body Problem":

"To destroy you, it is no concern of mine."

The fan'sinterpretation was spot-on.

WhetherNoah talked bigorshowed respect, Han's response would be the same:He would lead the Cavs to victory.

...

Ongame day,an hour before tip-off,Quicken Loans Arenawas already80% full.

Fanspiled in earlybecause Han hadrevived his old pregame routine from Memphis— anepic dunk contest-style warmup session.

It wasHan vs. JR Smith, two of themost explosive dunkersin the league.

Thehighlight?

Han's scorpion-tail dunk, whichbrought the house down.

Theenergyin the arena wasoff the chartsbefore the officialopening ceremony even started.

TheBulls' starting lineupwas announced first.

Rose, Butler, Covington, Gibson, and Noah.

WhenNoah's name was called,boos rained downfrom the crowd.

But Noah, ever the competitor,clapped along with the boos, soaking it all in.

Themental scars from KG's trash talkmight still linger, but they had alsotoughened him up.

Finally, it was time for theCavs' introductions.

Thecrowd roaredbefore theDJeven spoke.

And whenHan Senwas thelast to emerge,Quicken Loans Arena erupted.

Forfour long years, Cavs fans hadendured heartbreak— especially last season, when the teamjust missed the playoffs.

But now,their hero was here.

Finally,they were contenders again.

TheCavs' starting five:Irving, Han Sen, Tucker, TT, and... Garnett.

Despite beingcareful with Garnett's minutes,Coach Malonedecided tostart him tonight.

Why?

Perhapsinspired by Han's radio show comments,Malone played his own psychological game.

Noah once got roasted by Garnett's trash talk.

So, why notstart things off with that matchup?

-Chapter End-

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com