Durant’s cheeks puffed up as if they were inflated, even though he was clearly on top, in Hansen’s mouth it sounded as if he was the one getting thrashed!
No, he couldn’t let it go. If he tolerated this, how would he ever get by in the League?
He interrupted his teammate’s movement again, backing down Hansen and forcing a one-on-one post-up.
It was like he was a kite, being pulled back and forth.
And the string of that kite was firmly grasped in Hansen’s hands.
After giving his all to defend against Durant’s offensive attack, Hansen couldn’t help but reflect on how sometimes Durant’s character was just too straightforward.
Brooks saw that things weren’t going well and called Ibaka up from the bench.
During a dead ball on the court, Ibaka subbed in for Durant.
After Durant left the court, Brooks pulled him aside at the scorer’s table and started giving him advice.
Looking at Durant, who was bending over to listen to the instructions, Hansen thought Durant was rather lucky. At least he had Brooks as a coach early in his career, rather than Mike Brown.
Ibaka was Thunders’ first-round pick in 2008, but the Thunders had him develop for a year in the Spanish League before bringing him onto the team this season.
Although a rookie, Ibaka had shown top-notch defensive potential, whether in one-on-one post defense or help defense in the paint.
DJ White, the power forward that Thunders had given up the 18th pick for in a trade, was outperformed by Ibaka during the preseason.
After Ibaka came on, O’Neal’s performance in the paint was limited, and the Cavaliers’ offensive run ended in failure.
On the other hand, Westbrook showcased his talent, forcefully penetrating Williams to drive into the paint, drawing a defensive foul from O’Neal.
It was then that Durant re-entered the game, replacing Seferosa.
That’s right, he didn’t replace Ibaka.
Brooks’ substitution was intriguing—he knew they couldn’t defend the inside, so he decided not to bother defending the perimeter either and played an offensive game against the Cavaliers.
Hansen smelled an opportunity when he saw this.
James wasn’t guarding Durant, but Durant was guarding James, which meant that Hansen’s matchup on the offensive end was Seferosa.
"The Swiss Army Knife" wasn’t great at outside shooting, but his defense was lineup-grade, and he kept up with Hansen’s off-ball movements tightly.
But now, Brooks had subbed him out.
Westbrook made both free throws, bringing the score to 8-6.
The two teams were playing intensely, but the game was far from decided.
James didn’t continue passing the ball inside but instead called for O’Neal to set a screen-and-roll play.
O’Neal set a solid screen, but his movement speed only allowed for setting the screen without rolling away from the ball.
From the sideline, Brooks instructed Kostic to leave O’Neal and double James.
And at the same time, Ibaka also collapsed towards the basket.
James, who drove into the paint, encountered heavy opposition—even with an extra step, he couldn’t find an angle to shoot from and was trapped.
It was then that a familiar scene unfolded.
In this desperate situation, he spotted that familiar figure on the far end once more.
As James made his move, Hansen gave Conningham a look.
The two, who had been playing together since the Summer League, were in perfect sync, executing a high-side pick-and-roll on the weak side—Conningham effectively screened off Durant completely.
With Ibaka going for the help defense inside, Hansen got a completely open shot.
When he recognized that the figure was Hansen, James felt a sense of rejection inside. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽
Carrell’s news report had directly led to Varejao being kicked out of the starting lineup.
He wouldn’t have agreed to Hansen starting if Durant hadn’t been in such good form this season.
Still, he passed the ball out.
Rather than turn it over, he preferred an assist.
Unmarked, Hansen caught the ball and swiftly executed, making his first bucket of the night, also the first three-pointer.
This time he didn’t wait for James to celebrate, raising both hands first, facing Durant who had just gotten around the defense, and making the three-point celebration gesture.
Then, he provocatively put his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.
Just heard Brooks’ lesson, have you? How will you respond to this move?
Durant’s breathing quickened, his face flushed. When he turned back around, he took the ball and started another offensive against Hansen.
Brooks was sweating profusely on the sidelines; Durant was supposed to be the third-year pro, but he seemed more like a rookie in front of Hansen.
Durant’s jab step broke through Hansen’s defense, but just as he prepared to accelerate, Conningham’s help defense arrived.
He was forced to slow down and protect the ball, but at that moment, Hansen also came in for the double team.
His dribbling center of gravity was already high, and after being double-teamed, he dribbled it off his foot and out of bounds.
"You found yourself some help!" Durant fumed.
"His arms were sore from being up." Hansen pointed towards the baseline.
Ibaka, seeing both of their gazes bearing down on him, awkwardly lowered his hands.
In the Cavaliers’ offense, James continued to play the pick and roll with O’Neal, this time picking up speed and breezing past Kostic, leaping into the air ready to showcase his signature tomahawk dunk.
However, just at that moment, a figure went up to meet the ball in James’ hand with a block.
It was him, the very same Ibaka who had just been holding his arms up until they were sore.
James’ dunk was pushed forcibly down.
The sheer terror of Ibaka’s block can’t be overstated.
Although James managed to regain control of the ball quickly, Ibaka had stabilized his stance after landing.
After being blocked face-to-face, James was clearly a bit shaken. He faked once but seeing that Ibaka didn’t jump, he began looking for someone to pass to.
Then, he looked up and saw that familiar figure again.
Hansen had executed a whirlwind collaboration with Conningham, now positioning at the corner open again.
...Why is it Hansen again?
What are the rest of the Cavaliers doing?
What is Durant doing!
James really didn’t want to pass it that way, but he had no choice.
The pass was a bit low, almost hitting Hansen’s foot.
After bending down to catch the ball, Hansen saw the ferociously charging Durant, looking like he wanted to tear him apart as he fought through the screen.
Hansen wasn’t flustered. He faked a shot to shake off Durant, then took a step back and launched a three-pointer.
The ball passed through the net once again.
He had hit two three-pointers in a row.
All that about remaining unchanged in the face of Mount Tai collapsing before one’s eyes, or not blinking when a herd of deer passed by—nonsense!
"With defense like that, anyone could blow you up."
Hansen retracted his follow-through hand, and then yanked on Durant’s "kite strings" a bit harder.
If looks could kill, Hansen would have been sliced a thousand times over.
Durant, driving in to draw a foul on Hansen, only made one of two free throws after stepping up to the line.
His mentality was fluctuating so much that it threw off his shooting touch.
James, on another possession, observed his teammates early on as he saw the Thunders’ defense collapsing inside.
When he jumped up, he saw Hansen running through the baseline to the open spot and didn’t hesitate, slinging the ball over.
Although he was internally resistant, his body moved on its own. After all, who could refuse an easy assist?
This time, Durant was blocked by O’Neal underneath the hoop and could only watch helplessly as Hansen took the open shot.
Hansen’s three-pointer hit the mark once again.
With his barrage of threes, the score was now 17 to 7.
After scoring, Hansen pouted in Durant’s direction, picking up his jersey and shaking it.
The guy who said he’d blow me up—I’ve got more points than you!
No, I’ve got more than your whole team now, hey!
This scene was just captured by the photographer and displayed on the current LED screen.
The crowd was in an uproar.
In theory, when a player performs well on the court, even if it’s an opponent, it could arouse appreciation and admiration.
But Hansen, with that number 77 on his jersey, just made people want to target him!
①: The whirlwind collaboration originates from the NCAA Iowa State Cyclones and is a type of pick-and-roll tactic. Unlike conventional pick-and-roll tactics, it involves the guard setting the screen for a forward, which then leads to a spread out to the three-point line, later adopted as a regular tactic by the Warriors.