The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 40 Incoming Call

Hansen waved his hand as he took to the court, and James stopped biting his nails, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

He had sensed that Hansen was not someone easily tamed since the locker room incident where they had swapped positions.

Because since his debut, no one had dared to defy him like that.

And after Hansen had blocked him during a training session, he was even more certain of it.

He was a person who couldn’t stand the smallest provocation, just like when Ricky Davis dared to ask him to carry his shoes, acting as if he were the boss; James told the guy to piss off and later had the media spin the greatest lie: "I thought he was here to help me."

In fact, that statement wasn’t even said by Davis during his tenure with the Cavaliers, but after he was traded to the Celtics.

The original words were: "I felt that LeBron James was a good addition to help me score better, I thought we could connect on the court. Contrary to what people think, I love this kid, and now being beside Paul Pierce, this allows me more open shot opportunities."

What Davis meant was not important, the key was that his words could be taken out of context to cover up the fact that it was James who had forced him out.

So, after Hansen had publicly blocked him, he was prepared to get Brown to teach Hansen a lesson.

It was only after Ilgauskas came over to persuade him, explaining the pros and cons, analyzing what a top 3D player like Hansen really meant for him, and guaranteeing that Hansen wouldn’t cause further trouble, that he dropped the idea.

However, Hansen’s ostentatious manner now reminded him uncomfortably of Hansen’s infamous number 77 statement when he first arrived in Cleveland.

The spotlight on the Cavaliers could only shine on him; he could not tolerate anyone else sharing even a bit of it.

Yet at this moment, there was someone whose reaction was completely opposite to James’.

O’Neal, seeing Hansen’s high-profile demeanor, smiled, pointed at him, and even took the initiative to high-five him as he walked by.

This was the most direct form of acknowledgment.

Just as James now liked to make rookies carry his shoes, at this stage of his career, he actually preferred these young players with a tough demeanor.

Williams made both free throws, bringing the score to 20-12.

The Bobcats pushed forward into their frontcourt setup.

Hansen was matched against Henderson, a repeat of their confrontation at Charlotte trials.

The defensive level of the Bobcats was noteworthy in the league, but their offensive capability was somewhat limited.

Team leader Gerald Wallace was also a type stronger in defense than offense, leading to a heavy reliance on tactical plays for their offense.

But basketball tactics can be difficult to execute against strong defensive teams, and in the end, it boils down to individual player ability.

That was why Brown had inserted Henderson into the starting lineup.

Henderson’s one-on-one capability and his mid-range shooting added a valuable dimension to the Bobcats.

From this perspective, the Bobcats inviting Curry and Henderson to try out, and then Jordan choosing Henderson after Curry was picked, was not the wrong approach.

In fact, Henderson was also the Bobcat’s most active player on offense tonight, scoring mid-range points several times through pick-and-roll plays, particularly exploiting O’Neal’s defensive weakness, and had already scored a team-high seven points.

This round, the Bobcat’s tactics were stymied again, finding no opportunities, and under Felton’s signal, Henderson started to set off-ball screens with Dio.

By now, Dio was stocky but with the mobility of a small forward, making the screen plays very effective.

Earlier, Parker had been blocked by him, unable to get past.

This time, however, Dio’s screen ended in failure.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t set it well, but that Hansen had simply cut through it.

A clear advantage Hansen had over Parker was his youth.

Young players have faster reactions and quicker footwork.

Henderson received the ball but didn’t find a good opportunity to shoot.

On the Cavaliers’ bench, Brown watched the scene and couldn’t help nodding as he stroked his chin.

Like Brown from the opposing team, he was not much for offense, but he was an expert at defense.

He also knew that starting Varejao and O’Neal together compressed the team’s offensive space, but O’Neal’s defense was too poor now, an interior defender was necessary on the floor; it was a trade-off.

However, what Hansen had just done gave him another line of thought.

Protecting an interior line that couldn’t move out didn’t necessarily require an inside partner; a strong defensive player on the outside could do the job too.

At this point, O’Neal was also visibly pleased; he was no longer constantly getting shot at.

With not much time left on the Bobcats’ shot clock, Henderson signaled for a clear-out and chose to go one-on-one with the ball.

Knowing Hansen’s quick lateral movements, he opted for a backdown play.

Only he quickly realized something was amiss.

During the tryouts in Charlotte, his most effective method against Hansen had been to play with his back to the basket followed by a turnaround fadeaway, but now... he couldn’t budge him!

Hansen’s defensive capabilities had completely surpassed their previous level.

And at the instant he forced a turnaround, Hansen keenly seized the moment to steal the ball.

The Cavaliers quickly launched a defensive counterattack, with Hansen tossing the ball to Williams charging at the forefront, who, shaking off Wallace’s pursuit, scored easily with a fast layup.

Then, on the next defensive play, Henderson found an opportunity to take a shot, but with Hansen’s interference, the ball still missed the basket.

The Bobcats, or rather Jordan’s thinking, wasn’t wrong, but what they overlooked was that a player selected twelfth overall in a weak draft, by virtue of their talent, wasn’t fit to shoulder the heavy duty of an offensive core.

However, this time the Bobcats’ transition defense was quite quick, and the Cavaliers didn’t manage to push through a counterattack, shifting instead to a set offense.

Williams successfully fed the ball to O’Neal in the low post.

Dio’s help defense arrived soon after.

O’Neal’s passing ability wasn’t bad, and he was used to being double-teamed in the low post, having developed an instinctive response.

He quickly slipped the ball to Varejao at the free-throw line.

Varejao had a completely open shot but didn’t dare to take it. After dribbling a step forward, he lobbed the ball back to O’Neal.

But as O’Neal caught the ball again, Chandler slapped it out of his hands, resulting in a turnover.

Hansen had seen enough and directly confronted Varejao, shouting without a trace of personal animosity, "What are you afraid of? Why wouldn’t you shoot?!"

Even if Varejao had missed that shot, O’Neal was under the basket, capable of overpowering Chandler one-on-one to grab the rebound.

In the end, Varejao’s hesitation led to a turnover.

"Shut up, rookie, talk after you make a shot!" Varejao’s face turned red; it was not up to Hansen to question him.

"Get back on defense, idiot!" Hansen spat out before quickly retreating.

He merely disliked James, but for a lackey like Varejao, he felt pure contempt.

The Cavaliers’ offense bore no fruit, and the Bobcats, in turn, were defended into a 24-second violation.

The collision between two defensive teams somewhat reminded spectators of the 2004 Finals between the Pistons and the Spurs.

This time, the Cavaliers executed a triangle offense, clearing the strong side and having Parker lob the ball from the 45-degree angle to the inside.

But as soon as the ball was lobbed, the Bobcats preemptively doubled.

The less Varejao dared to shoot, the bolder the Bobcats’ double-teams became.

O’Neal, forced to play high to prevent another disruption, found his movements hampered.

His footsteps no longer as nimble as in his prime, and with a preemptive double-team, he was effectively cornered as he turned around.

Just when it seemed this offensive play would again prove fruitless, O’Neal spotted Hansen moving on the perimeter and hurled the ball to him.

Hansen had initially been lying in wait in the weak-side corner.

But as O’Neal caught the ball, he had moved to the weak-side 45-degree angle.

The Bobcats’ defensive focus was on the strong side and didn’t notice Hansen’s movement.

By the time they reacted, Hansen already had the ball in his hands.

Still, the Bobcats’ defensive capabilities were indeed strong, with Wallace already racing towards Hansen at full speed.

Hansen, seeing this, didn’t hesitate, calmly jumping and releasing his shot.

Wallace, a step behind, could only contort in mid-air to avoid him.

"Swish!"

A crisp swoosh sounded, marking Hansen’s first successful field goal in his NBA career (including preseason games).

It had to be admitted that Brown’s three-point training method greatly improved a player’s resistance to defensive pressure during shooting.

After making the shot, Hansen turned towards Varejao, spreading his hands.

I made it, so what now?

Varejao’s face turned green.

Yet O’Neal was thrilled.

He ran up to Hansen, wrapped his head in his arms, and planted a kiss on it.

Defensively he could prevent the opponent from scoring, and offensively he could hit outside shots to create space—Hansen and he were damn electric!