Rivers didn’t do so, and there was a reason why Tony Allen had limited playing time on the Celtics.
Moreover, as a "master of historical comebacks," Rivers didn’t have the ability to adapt on the fly.
Hansen’s performance kept the Cavaliers close, and by the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 23.
Hansen had played the entire first quarter, contributing 13 points with a dazzling performance.
But since he had played the entire quarter, he had also expended a lot of energy.
During this period, it was Jamison leading the Cavaliers on the court.
On the other side, Rivers had put Garnett in play.
At this point, both teams were truly engaged in bayonet combat, without any regard for the next game.
It was during this time that James’s absence began to reveal its impact.
James’s staggered travel strategy was criticized, but this Cavaliers team really couldn’t keep up scoring during the bench rotation without him.
Originally, Jamison could have played that role, but Garnett was tightly restraining him.
As for Williams, he had only played one good game in this series so far.
Brown looked somewhat helpless at this point.
With Hansen in such good form, had James been able to play tonight, the Cavaliers would have likely won the game.
But that was James, and Brown could only choose to comply with James’s decision.
On the court, the Celtics executed brilliant teamwork, and Nate Robinson, who joined at the trade deadline, received an alley-oop from Garnett and thundered over Varejao with a powerful dunk.
Varejao instinctively fell to the ground, but the referee didn’t blow the whistle.
No matter how good an actor’s performance, it doesn’t always win the favor of the judges.
The scene turned turbulent, not just the score, but also the momentum of the game had shifted to the Celtics.
Out of necessity, Brown turned and called for Hansen, who had just been subbed out not two minutes ago.
Under these circumstances, Brown had no choice but to heavily rely on Hansen.
Hansen hadn’t even had time to put on his warm-up suit and quickly got up.
The energy the Celtics unleashed tonight proved they were the same team that had fought to Game 7 in the finals against the Lakers and narrowly lost.
Hansen didn’t disappoint Brown’s expectations and immediately drew a foul from Rashid Wallace with a breakthrough layup upon re-entering, stabilizing the team’s situation with both free throws made.
The next play, he directly blocked Nate Robinson’s dash to the rim.
With this defensive and offensive display, Brown couldn’t hide his excitement and punched the air on the sideline.
Hansen’s desire to compete tonight made him appear like a stabilizing force on the court. Fınd the newest release on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝘯𝘦𝘵
At halftime, the score was 45-42, with the Cavaliers holding a slight lead.
Hansen scored another 10 points in the second quarter, totaling 23 for the half.
During the halftime break, he didn’t return to the locker room but went straight to the medical room with the team physician for physical therapy.
He had rested only for 2 minutes throughout the entire first half.
If it were a regular season game, he could have handled this intensity, but tonight’s game was at the intensity of the finals, and his knees were already feeling sore.
He now fully understood why "Steel Bones" is a First Tier Talent, and why it required a full 2 million negative fan points to unlock.
In a way, the body is the ultimate talent.
No matter how good your skills are, without physical support, they amount to nothing.
Speaking of McGrady, if it weren’t for his back injury, his historical achievements would have never been the lowest among the Four Great Guards.
"I know my persuasion is useless, but I still want to say, if you keep playing in the second half, it’s likely your season will end here," the team physician said with a serious expression.
But Hansen could only give a wry smile.
"If that happens, I think I wouldn’t have any regrets," he responded.
Of course, he wanted to step onto the finals stage, as it would skyrocket his value.
But as for thirst for the championship, like he had once discussed with Ferry, he didn’t feel nearly as intense.
After all, he was just a rookie and, similar to Kobe, winning a championship is the most desperate desire of a team’s core player; this team belonged to James.
Moreover, he had already played enough in this series.
More importantly, seeing James gloating at courtside in the first half, he just couldn’t let him have his way; they had to win tonight’s game.
"But I’ve always been lucky," Hansen said, smiling.
The team physician, seeing his attitude, didn’t say anything more, as he knew what Hansen was fighting for tonight.
Were there really that many dumb or deaf people in the Cavaliers?
They just needed to pretend to be mute or deaf.
After the halftime break, both teams continued their struggle.
Although there was a rest during halftime, both teams started the second half with frequent missed shots.
Clearly, the fierce battle from the first half, and the physical toll it took, wasn’t something a mere 15-minute halftime could mend.
Unable to score baskets, both teams involuntarily started focusing their energies on defense.
This escalated the game’s intensity to a truly feverish stage.
From Hansen’s perspective, it felt like he was reliving that "historic" Lakers-Celtics battle from his timeline.
Hansen was even more thorough this time, only resting one and a half minutes at the beginning of the fourth quarter before having to go back in.
When the game reached the last two and a half minutes, the score was 72-69, with the Cavaliers maintaining a slim lead.
At this point, it wasn’t just a stabbing contest, it was a bare-handed brawl, with both teams gritting their teeth and persevering.