Early the next morning after the end of G1, Hansen was woken up by the sound of goat bleating.
He thought he was hallucinating until Ajalee beside him also had a puzzled look on her face, at which point he realized it was not an illusion.
Getting out of bed and walking to the edge, he looked down through the glass and finally saw a tied-up goat downstairs.
He put on his clothes and went downstairs, and immediately saw JR in the living room idly playing on his phone.
Hearing the footsteps, JR quickly put down his phone and stood up.
"You brought this?" Hansen pointed at the goat outside the door.
JR nodded: "I thought since we’re having a bonfire party later, this is a genuine Boer goat, Nikola said it’s perfect for making grilled lamb skewers."
But right after he said that, he immediately shook his head and explained: "No, it was my mom who told me."
By the end of his sentence, he was scratching his head in embarrassment.
Hansen now understood, this was Jokic’s idea.
Why would JR give him something?
It’s naturally to thank him for what Hansen said after the game last night.
The questions from reporters reflect the external attitude, and without Hansen’s words, even if the Cavaliers won the game, JR would have become the focus of criticism after the match.
So JR sent Hansen a gift to express his gratitude.
But gift-giving is an art, especially when it’s for someone like Hansen who lacks for nothing nowadays.
The goat’s symbolism is self-explanatory; its English acronym is GOAT, which stands for Greatest of All Time.
In the context of Hansen approaching surpassing Jordan in his final season, it has a hint of an early announcement.
Of course, more importantly, the reason JR provided made it impossible for Hansen to refuse, because he indeed holds a bonfire party each year during the finals, and because the Boer goat’s meat is tender and lean, it is the most suitable type of sheep for making grilled lamb skewers.
Jokic, this guy really uses his brain well.
"Thanks, just let everyone know about the bonfire party after tomorrow night’s game."
Hansen’s mood today is happy, not just because of JR’s goat gift, but more importantly, because Jokic is now helping teammates solve problems and increasingly taking on a leadership role.
This day’s training session, Hansen’s attitude was particularly serious.
The things he said after the game yesterday were not just for show.
Because, similar to when they played against the 76ers, the Pelicans are also the kind of opponent whose outcomes become unpredictable once the situation enters a stalemate.
The way they played in the first game won’t cut it, because although the Cavaliers won, it was a hard-fought victory, which instead boosted the Pelicans’ morale.
Before the finals started, due to James’s long-standing lack of victories, the outside world generally thought the Cavaliers could easily win.
But obviously, the Pelicans have more than just James; their league-leading defensive efficiency is undeniable.
Under these circumstances, for the Cavaliers to win this championship, they must crush the Pelicans’ confidence as quickly as possible.
Therefore, G2 becomes critically important.
Hansen didn’t discuss his ideas with Malone, but some things don’t need to be said to be understood.
The words Hansen spoke during the press conference were heard loud and clear, and combined with his reaction today, Malone easily guessed Hansen’s thoughts.
So after finishing the day’s training, Malone didn’t let Lue do the usual motivational speech but decided to take the stage himself.
"From the start of the season, we’ve all known they don’t want us to win this championship. They’ve tried every method, even ignoring our timeout requests. They’re afraid of us winning this championship! But the more they’re afraid, the more we need to show them! We must win this championship and deeply engrave Cleveland’s dynasty in the league’s long history!"
Malone’s motivational speech level obviously isn’t as good as Lue’s, but these heartfelt words were more stirring. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
The injustice the Cavaliers faced this season is real, and it’s something that can’t be changed and must be conquered.
Game 2 of the finals, Quicken Loans Arena was packed.
Hansen’s post-game comments earned him a hefty fine, but the additional effect of that $100,000 was Cleveland’s fans feeling the league’s targeting towards them.
And the emotion brought by that perception was anger.
They wouldn’t analyze and understand the league’s motives like Hansen and Malone; they simply wanted to vent their pure dissatisfaction after being purely angered.
And the best way to express that dissatisfaction was to channel it into passion for the home team.
Once G2 officially started, the Pelicans experienced an unprecedented amount of booing.
The decibel level of those boos left Pelican players somewhat bewildered.
Theoretically, although they lost the last game, they drew momentum, deserving respect from others, even Cavaliers fans as their opponents.
However, the crime of possessing precious and unfair treatment by the league can only cause Cleveland’s fans to vent those feelings onto the Pelicans as rivals.
On the contrary, Cavaliers players played more actively and aggressively on the court than they did in G1.
Even Jokic took the initiative to physically confront Davis.
Davis’s defensive abilities are strong, but as a power forward in terms of build, he still falls short compared to Jokic in terms of physical confrontation.
Of course, the key is Hansen, playing under a pg designation while performing sf tasks.
Not only did he continue to relentlessly defend James, but he also began to use screen plates to face off against James in offense.