The mood outside was pessimistic, but on the plane to Miami, the Cavaliers’ spirits were quite good.
Under Hansen’s invitation, they even played Texas Hold’em on the plane.
Forcing the Heat Team to a Game 7 was already a success for the Cavaliers.
Now they were under no pressure; they just needed to give their all in the remaining Game 7 battle. Check latest chapters at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
Losing was expected, winning would be miraculous.
As the Cavaliers were on their way to Miami, the curtain had fallen on the Western Conference Finals.
The Warriors ultimately defeated the Lakers 4-2, advancing to the NBA Finals.
At this point, Nike’s entire Western layout had collapsed, leaving only the Heat in The East.
After arriving in Miami, Malone took the Cavaliers for training at the American Airlines Arena.
The first thing they did was retrieve the money previously placed in the ceiling.
Lue didn’t immediately return the money to everyone; instead, he made a bet with the players.
"If we can win tonight’s game, I’ll return the money to you tenfold. Are you willing to take this bet?"
That bundle of money was 4,000 US Dollars, tenfold would be 40,000 US Dollars.
Even for Lue, the most expensive assistant coach in NBA history, this wasn’t a small sum.
But this was precisely what made it special.
If Lue, an assistant coach, was willing to take such a huge risk for tonight’s victory, what did they have to lose?
On game day night, the American Airlines Arena was packed to the brim.
However, the faces of the Heat fans were tense.
Theoretically, the Cavaliers had no chance tonight, but theory is just theory, just like in Game 1, where the Cavaliers turned the impossible into the possible.
As long as Hansen could play, who knew whether they could do it again?
Riley was also present, and this time he wasn’t sitting in the audience but behind the Heat players, in the row reserved for team staff.
Clearly, he was also very nervous tonight.
"The Cavaliers basically have no chance tonight." Barkley continued to favor the Heat, firmly supporting them throughout this series.
"While I also think the Cavaliers are unlikely to win, if they do, they’ll go down in history," O’Neal continued with his empathy.
If the Cavaliers indeed won, he would probably regret not accepting Hansen’s earlier proposal.
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both teams were announced.
Cavaliers: Delavadova, JR, Hansen, Tucker, TT
Heat: Dragic, Wade, Durant, Deng, Big Gasol
Irving wasn’t playing, and Malone unexpectedly started Delavadova, which essentially revealed that the Cavaliers’ attack would revolve around Hansen.
This straightforward approach was simple and forceful, but it also showed Hansen’s determination for the game.
Even with just a 3% chance, let alone one in ten thousand, he’d give it everything.
TT won the Cavaliers the opening possession.
The Heat started with a double-team on Hansen.
Considering that the Cavaliers’ offense relied on Hansen, double-teaming him was the optimal choice.
However, on the first possession, Delavadova hit a three-pointer off Hansen’s pass from the perimeter.
Delavadova’s talent is quite ordinary—he didn’t even enter the NBA through the draft.
But as Conningham told him when Hansen first returned to Cleveland, Delavadova was someone whose training intensity could match his.
Training wouldn’t enhance Delavadova’s talent, but it allowed him to do his best in what he was capable of.
A relentless defensive ability and a stable three-point shot when left open.
He was a typical 3D point guard, and that’s why Malone used him as a starter over Williams or West.
The Cavaliers tonight could only count on Hansen, and for Hansen to fully unleash his scoring prowess, he needed as much offensive space as possible—after all, no matter how strong you are, you can’t maintain high efficiency for an entire game while taking shots against multiple defenders.
Spoelstra didn’t change his defensive strategy because of Delavadova’s three-pointer.
But when JR also nailed a three following another assist from Hansen in the next Cavaliers’ offensive round, he wavered.
Remember, the Cavaliers had won Game 4 with a three-point shooting spree!
If it happened once, wouldn’t it happen again?
And it didn’t have much to do with whether Irving was playing or not.
So when Hansen had the ball for the third time in the frontcourt, he finally got a comfortable one-on-one opportunity.
Defending Hansen was Deng.
Deng’s defense is comprehensive, with talent, size, defensive experience and skill—his only weakness might be that he’s not as fast as he was when he was younger.
Hansen chose to play face-up, made a quick stop after a step, and took a jump shot.
Over Deng’s interference, Hansen sank the jumper.
And this marked the beginning of his scoring performance.
You could clearly feel that Deng, whether guarding Hansen with or without the ball, was contesting him physically as much as possible.
Clearly, this was part of Spoelstra’s strategy.
If you can’t double-team Hansen, then wear him down.
This was the same strategy Thibodeau had used in the first round and the Heat had used in the crucial "Heavenly King Mountain" battle.
But Hansen’s choice of offensive approach from the start showed that he was clearly prepared to counter this defensive strategy.
He was also avoiding elaborate moves to conserve energy during his offense.