Basketball System: Hate Makes Me Unstoppable

After sinking the shot, Kyrie Irving celebrated with his signature "pistol holster" gesture, igniting a deafening roar throughout the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

While Irving's earlier bull-headed play left some fans scratching their heads, his performance tonight was undeniably electrifying.

With that last three-pointer, Kyrie had already racked up 10 points in the quarter. He was clearly determined to steal the spotlight tonight!

"Defense! Defense!"

The crowd was fully alive, their energy fueling the Cavaliers' defensive efforts.

Cunningham, although not as physically imposing as TT in the paint, brought his own advantage: speed.

Against an opponent unwilling to play through the low post, his agility allowed for faster rotations on defense—exactly what the Cavs needed tonight.

The Lakers struggled to execute their plays. At the last second, Kobe received a bailout pass from LeBron but missed the shot. Their offense stalled, and the Cavaliers seized the momentum.

A chance to widen the gap loomed. If they could sink another three-pointer, the lead would balloon.

During this transition, an amusing scene unfolded.

Kobe gestured to LeBron, who appeared hesitant.

The Cavs pushed forward, and everyone quickly understood their exchange.

LeBron had taken over as Han Sen's defender!

This matchup instantly lit up the arena with cheers and laughter, even drawing chuckles from the commentators.

The long-awaited duel between these two stars was finally here.

Han Sen grinned, signaling for an isolation play before squaring up against LeBron.

LeBron's eyes darted nervously. Who could blame him? Being repeatedly blown past like a traffic cone was demoralizing.

Still, he couldn't outright ignore Kobe's instructions.

While LeBron hesitated, Han Sen attacked with a quick crossover, blowing past him toward the basket.

Though the jerseys on their backs had changed, the result hadn't.

Irving's recent three-pointer had spread the Lakers' defense thin, and Han Sen effortlessly reached the rim.

LeBron attempted a desperate chase-down block, but Han Sen spun mid-air and hammered the ball home with a thunderous dunk.

14–6. The lead had grown to eight points.

Scott had no choice but to call a timeout.

During the break, Kobe pulled LeBron aside for a stern chat.

It was clear he was addressing that defensive sequence. While failing to stop Han Sen was understandable, allowing him to blow by without any resistance wasn't.

LeBron's expression said it all—he was listening, but not really. He resembled a student enduring a lecture, zoning out while nodding along.

Play resumed with Kobe taking matters into his own hands, but his fadeaway jumper over Tucker missed the mark.

Thankfully, Varejao was there for a putback, cutting into the lead.

Bargnani's performance was solid overall, but his lifelong struggle with rebounding remained glaring. A 7-footer averaging fewer than five boards per game? Hard to explain.

Han Sen went right back at LeBron.

This time, LeBron sagged off into a more conservative defensive stance.

When Han Sen pulled up for a mid-range jumper, LeBron lazily waved a hand at the ball before turning to box out for a rebound.

Swish!

The ball found the net, but Kobe's piercing glare found LeBron.

It was only then that LeBron realized he hadn't absorbed a single word of Kobe's lecture during the timeout.

LeBron, however, shrugged it off and quickly inbounded the ball, pretending not to notice.

"Kenny, you were half-right earlier," Barkley quipped, trying to suppress his laughter.

"It is a multiple-choice question, but only for Kobe."

The commentary booth erupted in laughter again.

Despite all this, no one could've predicted that Kyrie Irving's performance tonight would eclipse LeBron's.

Kobe pressed on, drawing contact on another drive to the basket and earning free throws. He was visibly winded.

At this stage of his career, his stamina wasn't what it once was, and games like this took their toll.

Scott made a substitution, bringing in Boozer for Frye.

Boozer, of course, had a history with the Cavaliers. Drafted by Cleveland as the 34th pick in 2002, he showed promise in his first two seasons.

But in the summer of 2004, after a verbal agreement with the Cavs' front office, Boozer reneged on their handshake deal. The team had declined his third-year team option to sign him to a six-year, $41 million contract, only for him to jump ship to the Jazz for $61 million instead.

The Cavs had no leverage, as Boozer became an unrestricted free agent once the option was declined.

Before LeBron's arrival, Boozer was considered the ultimate "traitor" in Cleveland sports.

Ironically, LeBron might've drawn inspiration from Boozer's betrayal when he orchestrated his own move to Miami. A lineage of sorts, just like his nod to Ricky Davis' infamous antics.

The Lakers inbounded the ball, and Boozer immediately made an impact with a strong post-up move against Cunningham, finishing with a bank shot.

Han Sen kept the pressure on with his signature drive-and-kick game, though Bargnani missed his corner three this time.

LeBron secured the rebound, and Boozer went back to work in the post. His trademark fadeaway jumper was money, cutting the deficit to 12–16.

Han Sen, well-acquainted with Boozer's game, knew what to expect. During Boozer's Jazz days, his deadly mid-range game had caused nightmares for Yao Ming.

Despite being 33, Boozer still had plenty left in the tank. His presence sparked the Lakers' offense, and Scott's adjustments began paying off.

Cunningham became the weak link in the Cavs' lineup. While the Lakers couldn't stop Han Sen, forcing Cunningham off the floor would achieve the same goal.

Han Sen called for a pick-and-roll with Cunningham, exploiting Boozer's defensive liabilities.

LeBron had already checked out mentally on defense, happily letting the screen take him out of the play.

Boozer, knowing he couldn't match Han Sen's footspeed, dropped back in coverage.

Sensing an opportunity, Han Sen pulled up for a mid-range jumper.

What happened next was beyond anyone's expectations.

LeBron, who'd been screened, suddenly shoved Cunningham into Han Sen.

This wasn't just switching defense; LeBron was attempting some next-level "push-your-teammate" strategy!

Caught off guard, Cunningham crashed into Han Sen. Despite the contact, Han Sen drained the jumper.

The whistle blew—a 2+1 play.

LeBron's unorthodox defense hadn't escaped the referee's notice.

LeBron threw up his hands in protest, but the call stood.

As the replay played on the arena's big screen, the crowd erupted in boos.

Han Sen stepped to the line, ready to convert the and-one.

"Not easy playing with LeBron, huh?" Han Sen shot Kobe's words from earlier right back at him—right in front of LeBron himself.

As someone who had been through the experience of playing alongside James, Han's jab was irrefutable.

Kobe's expression was priceless. By nature, he should've been furious, but James's string of plays had left him too exasperated to muster any real emotion.

In the end, he just pursed his lips and turned away.

"Don't be mad; this was your choice," Han added, delivering a brutal finishing blow straight to Kobe's pride.

If Kobe hadn't agreed, not even Nike's grand plans could have landed LeBron on the Lakers.

+10 Hater Points.

Kobe couldn't hold it in anymore.

After Han sank his free throw, Kobe took the ball on the other end, waved his teammates away, and signaled for an isolation against Tucker. A quick crossover and a powerful drive later, he was in the paint.

But Han had already rotated over to help.

Han wasn't the type to stir things up without taking responsibility.

Under his contest, Kobe's shot clanged off the rim.

Han grabbed the rebound and immediately pushed the ball upcourt. A behind-the-back dribble evaded LeBron's defensive effort, and at midcourt, Han launched a bullet pass to Kyrie Irving.

Kyrie caught it on the move, scanned the court, and, with a glance back at Han, lobbed the ball toward the backboard.

When Kyrie's adrenaline is pumping, even he can dish out highlight-worthy assists!

Han soared in, caught the rebound off the glass, and finished with a thunderous windmill slam.

The crowd at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse erupted into whistles and cheers.

12-21.

The momentum the Lakers had briefly regained thanks to Carlos Boozer's earlier basket now seemed on the verge of collapsing again.

Byron Scott was forced to call another timeout.

Kyrie and Han slapped hands with visible intensity. Kyrie was hyped.

After the timeout, both Kobe and Han subbed out for a breather, leaving LeBron and Kyrie to lead their respective squads.

With the familiar staggered rotations, LeBron finally found his chance. Driving into the paint, he drew a foul and earned a trip to the free-throw line.

As LeBron stepped up to shoot, the boos from the crowd began to rain down.

It was at that moment Kyrie did something completely unexpected.

He waved his arms, encouraging the crowd to get louder.

The boos doubled in intensity.

Han couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

LeBron froze for a moment, turning to see Kyrie's antics, his face darkening with frustration.

The distraction worked—his first free throw clanged off the rim.

He managed to make the second, finally scoring his first point of the game.

But as soon as LeBron finished, Kyrie ran a handoff play with Spencer Hawes and drained a three-pointer right in Jeremy Lin's face.

That brought his total to 13 points in the first quarter, leading all scorers.

On his way back down the court, Kyrie turned to LeBron and yelled, "You guys can't stop me!"

It was clear—tonight, Kyrie had it out for LeBron.

LeBron, now fully riled up, called for a screen from Steve Blake on the other end. After slipping the pick, he posted up Kyrie and demanded the ball.

"If I can't handle Han, I can handle you," he seemed to say.

Their size difference was undeniable, but Kyrie, now fully in his zone, didn't even let LeBron back him down. He poked the ball loose and out of bounds.

Kyrie's reaction? Pounding his chest and shouting to the heavens.

Even Han stood up from the bench to applaud.

Defense has always been Kyrie's Achilles' heel, but tonight, Kyrie wasn't just Kyrie—he was Kyrie the Immortal!

LeBron's mounting frustration finally boiled over. He shoved Kyrie and yelled, "That's the last time! The LAST time you disrespect me!"

Kyrie blinked, stunned, while Han couldn't help but burst out laughing.

LeBron and his eternal obsession with "respect."

Kyrie glanced at Han, saw him laughing, and joined in.

"Are you not calling a foul for that?" Kyrie looked to the referees, referencing LeBron's shove.

The officials stayed silent. With LeBron's temper already on the brink, calling a foul that might eject him would surely ruin the marquee Christmas game.

The Lakers inbounded the ball, and LeBron executed a pick-and-pop with Boozer, opting for a mid-range jumper.

The unexpected shot caught Spencer Hawes off guard, leaving him sagging in the paint. LeBron's jumper fell cleanly—his first field goal of the night.

LeBron turned to face the camera, flexing his right arm and exuding an aura of dominance.

If you only watched the highlights, you'd think he was putting on a clinic.

On the other end, Kyrie called for a screen from James Johnson. The Lakers' strategy was to trap him, but Kyrie's speed shredded the double team.

Unlike earlier, this time Kyrie drove straight at LeBron.

Sensing an opportunity, LeBron leaped for his trademark chase-down block.

But LeBron underestimated Kyrie's bag of tricks.

Kyrie "No Layup Without a Switch-Hand" Irving used a mid-air adjustment, switching the ball from his right to his left hand, and banked in a gorgeous jelly layup.

The arena erupted again, but this time it was different. From start to finish, Kyrie's play was designed to humiliate LeBron.

LeBron's cries for respect only fueled Kyrie's defiance.

The cherry on top? After the bucket, Kyrie turned, looked LeBron dead in the eye, and shrugged.

Yes—that shrug. The Han Sen special.

The crowd went berserk.

LeBron, now completely unhinged, shoved Kyrie to the ground.

This time, the refs couldn't ignore it. They whistled LeBron for a Flagrant 1 foul.

Byron Scott immediately subbed LeBron out to cool him down.

Meanwhile, Kyrie's teammates picked him up off the floor, and his face was plastered with a grin.

The boos and jeers rained down from the stands.

Han took a moment to glance at the scoreboard.

15-26. A double-digit lead.

It seemed… tonight, he wouldn't need to step back in.

-Chapter End-