James’ expression changed instantly.
In fact, when Hansen had spoken up for him in that situation, he did feel the touch of "adversity reveals true friendship."
However, it was only after Frick Carter from his team reminded him that Hansen was being sarcastic that he realized it.
It was also Carter who reminded him to maintain the magnanimity of the Chosen One, which would put him on the moral high ground above Hansen.
Carter was his childhood friend and the smartest person in his team; the "decision" came from Carter’s prompting, so he did everything exactly as Carter said.
During the warm-up, he had approached Hansen to test him and had thought for a while that Carter’s plan was successful.
But now, it seemed like Hansen had been faking it all along.
This guy never intended to make it easy for him!
"No matter what, we will be opponents next season, and I’m looking forward to going head-to-head with you."
Hansen’s harsh words from the news conference popped back into his mind.
"I’ll allow you to call for a screen," a phrase he was familiar with; Hansen had used this trash talk to taunt Pierce when the Cavaliers played the Celtics.
It was a "blatant strategy"; if he called for the screen, he would immediately lose much of his momentum, but if he didn’t, it would be hard to break through Hansen’s defense.
Wasn’t one of the important reasons he had gone to great lengths to keep Hansen on the Cavaliers to avoid Hansen’s defense?
A whirlwind of thoughts rushed through James’ mind, but it all happened in an instant.
After that moment passed, he started looking for his teammates with the ball in his hands.
Hansen: As expected of you...
At this moment, he felt Pierce loomed much larger than James in his mind.
However, the Grizzlies’ defense remained tight, and James didn’t have a good passing option.
In the end, it was Wade who played the role of the dutiful man, working hard to get away from Guy and move towards James.
Suddenly, hope entered James’ eyes, which had been filled with despair.
Hansen instantly felt a surge of frustration—this was all too familiar to him.
Back in Cleveland, every time James blamed others, it was with that expression!
And a series of thoughts involuntarily popped into his mind.
"You know, Han is my good brother..."
"You know, Wade is my good brother..."
James really was a piece of work!
In the end, Guy still couldn’t keep up with Wade; their speeds were not on the same level.
James made a determined pass.
But just as the ball left his hands, a figure shot out.
Hansen had been ready and waiting for James to make that pass.
Why is it that when Nash and Rondo do the same drive and pass, it’s called art, but when James does it, he gets criticized for passing the buck?
Because more often than not, James’ passes were as predictable as his fake three-point shots, and opponents could see right through his intentions.
"Snap!" ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵
Hansen burst forward diagonally, intercepted the pass diagonally, then charged diagonally down the court.
Wade had already opened his arms to catch the ball, but all he saw was Hansen making a steal right before his eyes.
And the interception was so sudden that Wade didn’t even have time to chase after Hansen!
Hansen sprinted down to the front court for a layup.
Hansen had scored 6 points in a row since the start of the second half and had intercepted James twice in a row.
Hansen wasn’t just fearless against The Big Three; he was rubbing them on the ground!
"I wasn’t wrong when I called you a coward," Hansen confronted James as they retreated.
"You, the officially recognized top player in the League, don’t even have the courage to face someone ranked over a hundred?"
Hansen’s words contained no profanity but were the sharpest trash talk.
James’ face showed no change, but on the next possession, he completely detached himself from the Heat’s offensive system.
When Bosh passed him the ball, he just watched it go out of bounds, unresponsive.
Bosh clasped his head in his hands, while James numbly walked back.
Hansen shook his head in disappointment.
James’ psychological defenses were too fragile; with this mental fortitude, what kind of villain was he pretending to be? Who gave him the face to scream "not7"?
But then again, it made sense; had James’ mental fortitude been strong, he wouldn’t have come to Miami in the first place.
Spoelstra saved James once again. During the next dead ball, he substituted James out for Miller to rest.
After James left the court, Spoelstra turned to his assistant coach, David Fizdale, and explained something to him, who then turned to comfort James.
With James on the bench, the Heat played more fluidly under Wade and Bosh’s leadership, but they couldn’t close the gap like they had in the first half.
Hansen’s consecutive scoring had revved up the Grizzlies’ momentum.
By 10 minutes into the quarter, the Grizzlies led the Heat by a double-digit margin, 67 to 57.
Chances were high that the Heat would botch their season opener.
At this point, Pat Riley, sitting in the stands, stroked his chin in contemplation.
He had sensed something off during the preseason—it wasn’t so much a problem with the Heat as it was with James.
James’ status as the League’s top player might be debatable, but he shouldn’t be this ineffective.
After all, it came down to the uniqueness of this superstar.
Typical superstars could adjust to fit into a team, but James required the team to be built around him to showcase his abilities.
This was truly not a short-term fix.
Moreover, his gaze once again fell on the resting Hansen.
The kid he had had his eye on but hadn’t managed to draft had grown at an astonishing rate.