CHAPTER 564: CHAPTER 277 HANSEN’S SENSATIONAL EFFECT_2

After more than two decades, Los Angeles people had the feeling of facing Jordan once again.

When a player could simultaneously threaten with scoring and passing, endurance was the only factor that could affect him.

Unfortunately, the Lakers would not witness Hansen running out of steam tonight.

Because even though Kobe erupted in the third quarter, they only managed an evenly matched quarter with the Cavaliers.

By the end of the third quarter, they were trailing the Cavaliers by more than 20 points, with a score of 79 to 99.

More glaring than the score was the free throw comparison, 33 to 8.

Tonight, they certainly made history, and even the referees couldn’t save them.

Moreover, an interesting incident occurred before the third quarter rotations began.

Because of the glaring disparity in halftime free throw stats, the referees consciously looked for whistles against the Lakers in the third quarter.

As a result, when James was called for a defensive foul and looked at the referee with open hands, Hansen approached the referee:

"You shouldn’t have called the foul on him, because you haven’t been calling it like that before. You need to maintain consistency in your calls."

Of course, Hansen wouldn’t stand up for James unjustly; he simply didn’t want the things he had said previously to happen. The glaring free throw numbers should be for the fans to see.

Although the referees had their agendas to consider, they had to take into account Hansen’s status in the league.

So, at the end of the third quarter, the free throw comparison still remained glaring.

Scott put James on the floor at the start of the fourth quarter in an attempt to catch up, but as James came up with an elbow strike and was called for a flagrant foul, the game lost its suspense early on.

The Cavaliers eventually won on the road, defeating the Lakers by 24 points with a final score of 124 to 100.

After the game, the stats showed Hansen with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 16 assists in three quarters, setting a career-high in assists. Irving had 18 points, and Garnett added 8 points and 4 rebounds.

For the Lakers, Kobe scored 24 points, James had 21 points but went to the line 16 times and made 11 of those, Mozgov added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

During the post-game press conference, Hansen and Garnett attended together.

Setting a career-high in assists, Hansen became the focus of reporters’ questions.

"I didn’t do anything special, it’s just that they had defensive problems, you know, they have two players on the All-Defensive Team."

Hansen downplayed his record-breaking performance, but he relished the opportunity to make sardonic comments.

After all, what he harvested was more tangible than mere popularity: the value of the naysayers.

"If it wasn’t for their coach’s defensive setup problem, then there must be an issue with how their defensive rosters were selected."

Hansen’s sarcasm stirred the audience.

Following his previous assertion that 23 + 24 77, Hansen once again targeted James and Kobe together.

After all, the notion that both of their All-Defensive selections were somewhat inflated was a semi-open secret.

And it was hard to refute Hansen’s comments, not just because of the inflated reputations, but because the Lakers’ defense against Hansen was null and void tonight.

Imagine the shame of allowing a player to get 16 assists in three quarters.

To put it colloquially, if the Lakers hadn’t played so poorly, Hansen’s assist count tonight would surely have exceeded 20.

"KG brought energy, he sparked the team’s defense, which is something you can’t see in the stats," Hansen subsequently praised Garnett’s performance.

Although being colleagues with a workaholic isn’t always pleasant, considering his experience from the previous season, Garnett seemed like the embodiment of his villainous persona, which would help the Cavaliers go further in the playoffs.

"I wouldn’t easily compare a player with Michael, because I’ve played against Michael in his prime, and my entire career I’ve been competing against Kobe, but now I want to say that Hansen is on the same level as Michael. He can do anything he wants on the court."

Garnett was clearly impressed by Hansen’s performance tonight.

After the game, the League’s official account posted a poster of Hansen’s game passes with the caption: "Witness the legendary journey of No. 77."

The phrase Hansen once used on social media to attract critics had now become officially endorsed.

In the final month of the season, Hansen put on a passing show with the Cavaliers.

Passing proved just as enjoyable as scoring.

And once you started savoring the process, it became hard to stop.

Some fans regretted that Hansen hadn’t dished out 20+ assists against the Lakers, and then he made up for it in the game against the Raptors.

points, 21 assists, the double 20 achievement had been reached.

As O’Neal said, it was Hansen’s show time.

The effect was sensational.

Hansen had left Memphis’s team basketball system for more personal showmanship, making everyone truly realize how powerful his individual strength was.

Or, to be more precise, this season he fulfilled all the fans’ fantasies.

He could score recklessly, pass the ball at will—the difference was just what he wanted to do.

People began talking about Hansen just like they once did about Jordan.

Gilbert must have been the happiest person at this time.

Because the performances that Hansen brought were constantly stimulating the Cavaliers’ market.

Quicken Loans Arena was packed every game, merch was selling like hotcakes, and among them, a "Hansen Bobblehead" toy sold over ten thousand units in one week.

Even many fans from other regions traveled miles to Cleveland, just to catch a glimpse of Hansen on the court.

It may sound unbelievable, but in just the first season of Hansen’s return to the Cavaliers, Cleveland, the declining industrial city, had begun to see signs of economic revival.

While this had a lot to do with the change in Hansen’s playing style, the Cavaliers management had clearly outperformed the Grizzlies in commercial operations revolving around Hansen.

Gilbert, after all, was in the loan business; he was spot on with customer demand surveys.

Besides the basic commercial activities, the Cavaliers had many operations this season to increase fan engagement.

For example, they started a radio program called "Zero Distance with Hansen", where fans could interact with Hansen up close on the radio, in addition to attending live games.

The program quickly became popular because not everyone could afford to go to the games, and some who could didn’t have the time.

Similarly, the Cavaliers created a project called "Face-to-Face with Hansen", where each month Hansen would pick lucky fans who had attended games and visit their homes with gifts.

These activities not only continually spiked the market but also greatly expanded Hansen’s influence in Cleveland.

Even, without any exaggeration, when James returned to the Cavaliers, some LeBron fans had gone to the airport to welcome him.

But now, for Cleveland’s fans, they knew only Hansen.

James? Sorry, I don’t know him.

After all, the home city of Akron’s son wasn’t Cleveland.

Gilbert also proposed a plan to the city government to renovate Quicken Loans Arena.

The old arena could no longer satisfy the crowds flocking in every day.

Beyond that, Gilbert planned to build a new, modern training and fitness center next to Quicken Loans Arena.

And what many may not have realized was that because Irving’s big contract would only take effect the following season, the Cavaliers hadn’t exceeded the luxury tax, or even the salary cap, this season.

With such a roster, the Cavaliers were already ranked among the top in The East.

Not to look too far into the future, but they had already made a killing just this season.

Two number one picks, an up-and-coming outside talent, plus three unprotected first-round draft picks - was it expensive to trade them for Hansen?

No! It was a steal!

If necessary, making Gilbert kneel to Hansen wouldn’t have been out of the question.

Of course, Hansen didn’t need it, or rather, when Hansen finally won that championship for Cleveland, without Hansen having to say a word, Gilbert might really kneel down to him.