The Cavaliers’ favorite small lineup was at a disadvantage against the Warriors’ small lineup.
Green, compared to TT, could not only do more on the defensive end, but also create space at the perimeter on offense, giving the Warriors a much better offensive spread.
The flow of Game 2 was very similar to Game 1, the Cavaliers couldn’t be said to have played poorly, but once their trump card lost its effect, they seemed to have no other strategies.
After two games, the Cavaliers were down 0 to 2.
Even with Hansen, some began to feel it was unlikely for the Cavaliers to win even one game in the finals.
However, it was at this time, when they returned to their home court, the Cavaliers pulled out something they had shown before but many hadn’t paid much attention to: defense.
Defense was not the label of this Cavaliers team, but it was what helped them change the outcomes during many of the playoff games this season.
In Game 3, Hansen immediately took the lead in defending Curry.
Curry was also reminded of the feeling of being locked down by Hansen during their previous encounters with the Grizzlies.
Even though Cole had set up many tactics for Curry, Hansen’s close-guarding defense greatly diminished his performance.
Furthermore, the Cavaliers had not been able to counter-attack before due to their ineffectiveness against the small lineup, but with the Warriors’ offensive efficiency dropping, opportunities arose for the Cavaliers. Fınd the newest release on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
Of course, we can’t ignore the impact of the Cleveland fans.
Their continuous, unending cheers, like in the Eastern Conference Finals before, spiked adrenaline levels throughout the game.
Quicken Loans Arena was never associated with the term "Devil’s Home Court" in the past, but now they truly felt terrifying.
With the team’s desperate defense and Hansen’s explosive scoring of 50+ points under heavy defense in Game 4, the Cavaliers staunchly defended their home court, turning the series into a 2 to 2 tie.
This process shocked everyone once again.
However, this was all they could manage.
Adrenaline-fueled, people forcefully push themselves, but after the struggle, the physical toll is unprecedented.
Irving’s injury had actually been present during the game, though he was oblivious to it until after the match was over.
The gap in strength still led to consecutive losses in the following two games, ultimately with the Cavaliers being defeated by the Warriors 2 to 4.
After Game 6, Hansen hugged Curry and conveyed his congratulations, while the Cleveland fans in the arena gave their team the most encouraging applause.
Though they had not succeeded in the end, their team had given them the biggest surprise of the season.
In the post-game press conference, Hansen and Malone attended together.
No one likes facing defeat, but as Hansen had said before, failure shapes people differently.
Some say life is unsatisfying, some call us the number one losers.
Hansen didn’t fall into those categories this time and said something different from after past failures:
"We’re very close now."
Indeed, the Cavaliers had come very close this season.
They had defeated the Heat Team, achieving what seemed completely impossible, and this gave the Cavaliers fans boundless imagination.
Although it’s meaningless to speculate what might have happened in the finals if Irving hadn’t been injured, because without pushing to that extent, the Cavaliers couldn’t have beaten the Heat Team, but fans could truly savor the upcoming season.
Next season, Irving will return, TT and the rest of the team, having been baptized by this year’s playoffs, will rapidly grow.
This season’s Cavaliers team was a pleasant surprise, and next season’s team is something to look forward to.