"55 points! How did you do it? I mean, you just had back-to-back 40+ games!"

The postgame reporters wereecstatic. After all,Han Sen's 55-point performance in the playoffsrankedninth in NBA historyfor 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".

Onlythree players in historyhad ever scored40+ 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, andthe deadliest kind of confidence.

His message was clear: ifTom Thibodeaukept using this defensive strategy, Han wouldn't hesitate to keep putting upmonster numbers.

As for fatigue? That wasn't a concern.

After all, Han wasonly 25 years old.

...

After a two-day break,Game 4resumed at theUnited Center.

Interestingly, theanti-Han signsthat had flooded the arena duringGame 3were nowalmost nonexistent.

At the end of the day,fans care more about what you do than what you say.

And after watchingHan 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" defensefrom Game 1, throwingmultiple defendersat Han andforcing the ball out of his hands.

Thibodeau also found a way to counter theCavs' Death Lineup, subbing outTaj GibsonforMike Dunleavyto go with afour-out, one-in formation.

It was a strategy that resembled the way theGrizzlies once countered the Heat.

Thibodeau's adjustments werespot on.

But what he didn't anticipate wasKyrie Irving's awakening.

After watching Han'sheroic performancesin the first three games,Kyrie finally stepped up.

WithHan drawing constant double-teams, Kyrie took23 shots, making10 of them. He also attacked the rim, getting to thefree-throw line five timesand sinking9 of 10 free throws.

Kyrie finished witha career playoff-high 30 points.

After being inHan's shadowfor three games,Kyrie finally found his moment.

Han, meanwhile, scored28 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.Winningwas all that mattered.

And with the Cavaliers nowleading the series 3-1, they wereone win away from advancing.

After theGame 2 loss, the Cavaliers had faceda storm of criticism. Pundits claimed they weredestined to fail.

But now, aftertwo road victories, the narrative hadcompletely flipped.

Han wasthrilled, and for good reason—Kyrie finally showed up when it mattered.

If Kyrie could maintain that level of play, theCavs had a real shot at the title.

ButKyrie's success didn't last long.

...

InGame 5, he deliveredhis worst performance of the series, shooting3-of-14and scoring just11 points.

Thibodeau wasn't one to leta player's weaknessesgo unexploited. Hetargeted Kyrie relentlessly, forcing him intotough shotsandlimiting his impact.

Meanwhile, the Bulls showedincredible resilience.

Aftera quiet series,Derrick Rose exploded, scoring30 points, grabbing7 rebounds, and dishing7 assistson10-of-26 shooting.

Despite Rose's performance, the game remaineda back-and-forth battle.

Withfive seconds left, the Cavs weredown by three.

Han, guarded byJoakim Noah, calmly rose up from beyond the arc anddrilled a game-tying three-pointer.

But withfive seconds left, Rose took the ball, useda screen from Noah, and launched abank-shot three-pointerat the buzzer towin the gamefor the Bulls.

Final Score: Bulls 101, Cavaliers 98.

The series now stood at3-2, heading back toChicago.

...

"This wasRose's night. He deserved this win," Han said at the postgame press conference.

ThoughRose wasn't known for his three-point shooting,superstars always find ways to make the impossible happen in big moments.

It was no different fromJordan's six three-pointers in a Finals half—sometimes, it was justtheir night.

But Han wasn't done.

"However, we're not going back to Cleveland."

...

Two days later, the Cavaliersclosed out the series in Game 6, winning94-74in Chicago toadvance to the second round.

From the opening tip,Coach Malone went with the Death Lineup, andHan Sen went full Memphis mode,guarding Rose full courtfrom the start.

In doing so,Han completely shut down Rose, holding him to just9 pointsfor the game.

It was arisky strategy, given how much the Cavs relied on Han offensively. But Hanbet on his defense, andit paid off.

The Cavaliers playedtheir best defensive game of the season, using the Bulls' owndefense-first identityagainst them.

The series exposed a keyweakness in the Bulls' small-ball lineup.

WithNoah on the floor, the Bulls didn't have areliable interior scorerto punishTristan Thompson. That allowed the Cavs tofully commit to their Death Lineup.

However, the Cavs receivedbad news early in the game:

Kyrie collided with Jimmy Butlerandinjured his knee, leaving the game afterjust 12 minutes.

Thankfully, postgame tests showed it wasjust a sprain.

He would needtime to recover, butno surgerywas required.

...

After the game, Hanvisited Kyriein the locker room.

Seeing Kyrie's injury triggereda memoryfrom his past life.

Though Han was atransmigrator, he wasn't awalking encyclopedia. His memories of"history"only surfaced duringkey events.

Seeing Kyrie's injury reminded Han of the2015 Finals.

In that timeline,Kyrie had fractured his left kneecap in Game 1, which not only ended his season but alsopermanently affected his athleticism.

That injury had stemmed fromplaying through a prior knee injury, forcing Kyrie toplay hurtuntil 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 forat least two weeks, and theConference Finalswould already be underway by then.

"Do you really think I can't make the East Finals without you?" Han asked with a calm confidence thatleft Kyrie speechless.

In truth,Han could carry the team past the first round on his own. The only difference was thatwithout Kyrie, the series might have gone toseven gamesinstead of six.

"Get healthy. That's what matters most."

Han didn't wantjust any version of Kyrie—he neededthe best version of Kyrie.

And that could only happen if Kyrie washealthy.

...

The day after the Cavaliers advanced to the second round, thefirst round of the NBA playoffsconcluded for both the East and West.

In the East, the Cavaliers' second-round opponent would be theAtlanta Hawks, who defeated theWizards4-2.

Elsewhere:

-Netseliminated theRaptors4-1.

-Heatswept theBucks4-0, marking theirthird consecutive postseason meetingwith the Bucks.

All the higher seeds in the East advanced.

...

The West, however, wasmuch more chaotic.

WarriorsandLakershad comfortable series, both winning 4-1 against theMavericksandTrail Blazers, respectively.

But both theRocketsandThunderwereupset.

The Thunder were routed, losing 4-1 to theSpurs.

The Rockets played well but ultimately fell to theGrizzlies3-4.

The Thunder's loss wasn't surprising. They hadbenefited from the playoff format, securing a higher seed despite beingweaker than the Spurs.

As for the Rockets, their defeat was more understandable—theylost a key big man to injury, and when facing a team like the Grizzlies,you need a strong interior presence.

Even withoutHan 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 theNike-sponsored teamswas eliminated in the first round—something no one anticipated at the start of the season.

Second,Chris Paulonce again failed to reach theWestern Conference Finals.

Third, the playoffs reignitedcriticism of the playoff seeding system, prompting the NBA to announce anew rule change: starting next season, division winners would no longer be guaranteed a top-four seed.

Lastly, theGrizzlies and Lakers—longtime playoff rivals—would face each other again. However, this time, theGrizzlies no longer had Han Sen.

...

Before the second round began, the NBA announced theregular season MVP.

The top three contenders were:Stephen Curry,Kevin Durant, andHan Sen.

-Curryhad the worst stats of the three but led theWarriorsto the league's best record. 67 wins.

-Han Senhad the best stats but the weakest team record. 58 wins.

-Durantfell 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 crownedMVP for the second consecutive season!

...

Upon hearing the results,Han was visibly surprised.

The NBA was still very much aNike-driven league. He hadn't expected to beatDurantin the voting.

HadNike lost its grip?

Had themedia forgottenhow Hanclashed with thembefore?

The reality was simpler:Han had barely edged out the win, but the victory underscored justhow insane his season had been.

Han averaged32 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals, leading the league inscoring, assists, and steals—an absolutelydominant stat line.

And his impact on the Cavaliers was undeniable.

During a TNT segment,Charles Barkleysummed it up perfectly:

"If the Cavs didn't have Han, forget about 58 wins—would they even make the playoffs?"

The comparison toJordan's 1987-88 seasonwas clear.

That year, Jordan averaged35 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, leading the league inscoring and steals, and carried the Bulls to an unexpected50 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 thattransformative factoris singular, the title ofMost Valuable Playerbecomes indisputable.

Han's MVP win also reflected hisfirst-round dominance.

He averaged an astonishing40.5 points per gameover six games againstone of the best defensive teamsin the league—the Bulls.

There was no padding; Han's numbers were entirely legitimate.

...

Of course, Han's MVP sparked controversy.

Critics pointed to theCavs' 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, claimingmedia biasfrom includingplayoff performancesin aregular season award.

In response, the NBA announced a significant change: starting with the2016-17 season, all voting would concludebefore the playoffs, with aHollywood-style awards showto follow.

The move confirmed what many already knew:

Adam Silver listens to feedback, whereasDavid 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, thesecond round tipped off.

The Cavaliers announced thatKyrie Irving would miss the entire series, which thrilled Hawks fans.

After all, the Hawks had won60 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 samedefensive intensitythey'd shown against the Bulls.

While four Hawks players scored in double figures, none scored more than15 points.

Meanwhile, Han Sen dropped30+ points and dished out 13 assists.

Under his leadership,JR Smithscored 18 points, and evenP.J. Tuckerchipped in 13.

Was Kyrie important? Of course.

ButHan Sen was indispensable.

The Hawks' system relied on team play and lacked a truego-to scorerin 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 Hancomplete control of the game.

Within a week, the Cavaliersswept the Hawks 4-0, advancing to theEastern 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 justplayoff pretenders.

During the sweep, the NBA announced the winner of theDefensive Player of the Year (DPOY)award.

After narrowly missing out last season,Han Sen claimed the 2014-15 DPOYwith hisstellar defensive performancesthroughout the season.

-End of Chapter-

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com