Basketball System: Hate Makes Me Unstoppable

The American Airlines Arena was electric that night.

Even though it was just a regular-season game, the excitement among Heat fans mirrored that of Knicks fans years ago—when there's a chance to watch the home team finally defeat the man who has tormented them for years, it's an opportunity no one wants to miss.

Sitting courtside was Heat president Pat Riley, the man most eager for this game.

Back when he was a coach, he had no answer for Jordan. And as an executive, he'd been unable to overcome Han Sen. If Han hadn't been traded by the Grizzlies, Riley would've retired last summer.

But this year? This year, there was no excuse for the Heat to lose to this Cavaliers team.

If they did, Riley might as well retire on the spot and hang Han Sen's No. 77 jersey in the rafters alongside Jordan's, as he once did for MJ.

Because it was a marquee matchup, the TNT trio was there to broadcast it live.

During pregame predictions, both Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith favored the Heat. Even Charles Barkley, who usually backed Han Sen, tempered his tone:

"Han has burned a lot of energy over the past week. For the Cavs to win tonight, they'll need to play above themselves."

As Barkley spoke, the cameras cut to Han Sen warming up.

He was cracking his knuckles, but unlike what many expected, his expression wasn't tense. He looked relaxed and eager.

No one knew where his confidence came from, but seeing his demeanor, some Heat fans in the arena suddenly felt that this game might not be as secure as they thought.

...

The starting lineups were announced after the pregame ceremony.

Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, Han Sen, PJ Tucker, Tristan Thompson, Spencer Hawes

Heat: Dwyane Wade, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Luol Deng, Pau Gasol

The Heat had undergone a significant adjustment period at the start of the season. Now, this lineup was their most successful.

With the crowd's cheers ringing out, Gasol tipped the ball to the Heat's side, and Wade brought it up to start the game.

Gasol received the ball at the right elbow, posting up to initiate the offense.

The Heat's decision to sign Pau Gasol after letting Chris Bosh go had proven to be a brilliant move.

Gasol was averaging 18.5 points per game—his highest since the 2010-11 season—along with 11.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists, both career highs. He even averaged two blocks per game.

Coach Erik Spoelstra had given him a leading role, and Gasol was thriving in his second prime.

The Cavaliers didn't double-team him at the start. Gasol, in his signature post-up style, scanned the floor before spinning toward the basket and powering through for a layup.

Hawes couldn't handle Gasol's physicality and could only watch as the ball went in.

In today's NBA, where dominant centers are rare, Gasol had the strength advantage.

The Heat struck first.

Back on the other end, Kyrie took the ball. He danced past Wade with a series of crossovers but was met by Deng's help defense. Forced into an early floater, Kyrie missed under pressure.

This Heat lineup resembled the LeBron-era Heat, with Deng playing a similar help-and-cleanup role that LeBron once had.

But this team had something different—the presence of Gasol as a secondary playmaker allowed them to replace Mario Chalmers with Thabo Sefolosha, bolstering their defense.

Gasol continued to orchestrate. This time, he handed the ball off to Durant, who pulled up for a jumper and nailed it.

Durant had been hyped since his pregame trash talk with Han Sen.

More importantly, compared to the LeBron-era Heat, this lineup was much more potent offensively.

Four minutes in, the score was already 12-3.

Kyrie struggled to handle the pressure, and his decision-making wasn't as sharp as it had been during the Christmas game against the Lakers.

But the Cavaliers' bigger issue was on defense. The Heat had too many scoring threats and excellent ball movement. It was nearly impossible to guard everyone at once.

Spoelstra's game plan was evident—avoid Han Sen at all costs. Most of their plays initiated on the opposite side of the court to prevent Han from providing help defense.

As the first quarter unfolded, Heat fans finally relaxed.

If Han Sen were still with the Grizzlies, they might have worried. But this Cavaliers roster? Not a chance.

"Even if Michael joined this Cavaliers team, they wouldn't beat the Heat," Kenny Smith offered a rational analysis.

"But Han's aiming to surpass Michael," Barkley reminded them.

Just then, Han Sen took the ball and ran a pick-and-roll with Thompson.

After TT rolled to the rim, Han Sen pulled up for a mid-range jumper.

His shot was so decisive that Deng barely had time to react.

With Sefolosha tracking Thompson, Han had a brief window to shoot.

Swish!

Han Sen's mid-range jumper hit cleanly. For him, an uncontested mid-range shot was practically a guaranteed bucket.

Contrary to popular belief, Han's recent scoring spree wasn't solely about proving a point to American fans.

His 58-point performance against Boston? Sure, that was for the headlines.

But after the Thunder game, Han's understanding of the four-out, one-in offense evolved.

Previously, he prioritized creating shots for his teammates, letting them find their rhythm first. After all, the success of this system depended on spacing and perimeter shooting.

Now, Han approached it differently—he attacked first.

By establishing himself as a scoring threat, he forced defenses to collapse earlier and more aggressively, creating better looks for his teammates.

Because when it came to shooters, the difference between elite and great was their ability to hit shots under pressure.

Guys like Klay Thompson, Ray Allen, and Stephen Curry thrived on contested shots.

But players like PJ Tucker or Spencer Hawes? They needed clean looks.

Han had started adjusting his passes accordingly, prioritizing open shots for teammates like Tucker and Kyrie, who had shown higher catch-and-shoot accuracy.

Still, defense remained a challenge.

The Heat's offense was relentless. Deng's off-ball cut drew a foul from Hawes.

Malone made a surprising adjustment, subbing in JR Smith for Hawes.

The message was clear: improve defensive rotations.

But this came at a cost—the Cavaliers were now undersized, leaving TT to handle the brunt of the interior defense.

It was the first time Malone had deployed this lineup all season, a sign of how desperate he was to contain Miami's offense.

Deng hit both free throws.

Back on offense, Han Sen switched things up—posting up Sefolosha.

With the smaller lineup, the Cavaliers had more spacing.

Sefolosha held his ground, but Han used a turnaround fake, followed by a quick spin move to draw contact.

Even though Sefolosha stayed grounded, Han's relentless drive drew a foul.

Heat's defense was feeling the pressure.

Unless they sent help earlier, there was no stopping this aggressive version of Han Sen.

"Scoring is like momentum—once a player gets rolling, it's hard to stop. Han's had a heavy workload this past week, but his hunger for points hasn't faded," Barkley said, his confidence steadily growing as he watched the game unfold.

Erik Spoelstra rose from the bench, stepping toward the sideline. He could sense Han Sen's unrelenting scoring intent tonight.

Han calmly sank both free throws. On the ensuing possession, the Cavaliers forced a stop and quickly launched a fast break. Han orchestrated a no-look bounce pass—"East looks, West delivers" style—to a cutting Kyrie Irving, who finished the layup.

The Cavaliers' current lineup bore a striking resemblance to the Warriors' "Death Lineup"—faster defensive rotations and lethal transition opportunities whenever they secured a stop.

9-14.

The gap had narrowed to just five points.

Spoelstra immediately called for a timeout.

"If the Heat make it to the Finals, this game might be a preview of what they'll face against the Warriors," Kenny Smith analyzed.

"If the Heat do make the Finals, they'll win the title. You can't win a championship with jump shots," Barkley retorted without missing a beat.

"Charles is right. Jump shooting doesn't win championships," Shaq surprisingly agreed.

Coming out of the timeout, the Heat adjusted their offense, running through Pau Gasol in the low post.

Tristan Thompson played tough defense, and although TT didn't give up much ground physically, Gasol showcased his finesse, banking in a hook shot over him.

It was clear that TT wasn't as effective as someone like Draymond Green—who combined physicality and a disruptive wingspan to truly challenge opponents in the post.

Gasol's basket helped the Heat regain their footing. On the next possession, they double-teamed Han Sen early.

What came next stunned everyone.

Han Sen pulled off a classic Rondo move, faking a behind-the-back pass before slicing through the defense.

But unlike Rajon Rondo, Han had explosive athleticism to back it up—once he broke through the defense, he took flight and threw down a thunderous one-handed slam.

11-16.

The five-point gap remained, but more importantly, Han had personally scored six straight points.

"You know, what do you think being the All-Star vote leader really means to a player?" Shaq asked the panel.

Han's recent scoring spree wasn't directly tied to losing the All-Star vote, but it was triggered by that event.

"Nothing," Barkley replied bluntly.

"It means he's popular and well-loved," Kenny Smith offered a more measured response.

"But that's all it means," Barkley added with a shrug.

Meanwhile, the Heat's offense continued clicking. Gasol drew help defense in the post and dished out a perfect pass to Sefolosha, who drained a corner three.

Maybe Barkley was right. If the Heat reached the Finals, they could secure their first championship of the post-LeBron era.

Because when a small-ball lineup can't contain its opponents in the half-court, there's no speed advantage to exploit.

On the next possession, the Heat doubled Han Sen even earlier.

This time, Han didn't fake a pass. Instead, he executed a move straight out of Jason "White Chocolate" Williams' playbook—a no-look elbow pass to PJ Tucker in the corner.

The arena gasped. It was easily the most spectacular pass of the night—possibly of the season.

Tucker, wide open, took a moment to set his feet and nailed the corner three.

As he retreated on defense, Tucker and Han exchanged a hard high-five.

Truth be told, Tucker was probably a little nervous. Missing that kind of shot would have been criminal.

The Cavaliers' defense tightened up once more. Gasol kicked it out to Dwyane Wade, who pump-faked from beyond the arc and drove inside.

But to everyone's surprise, JR Smith wasn't fooled. He swiped the ball away as Wade drove past, and Kyrie quickly scooped it up.

The Cavaliers launched another fast break.

Wade hustled back to contest Kyrie's layup, forcing him to miss.

But just as Wade was about to grab the rebound, a shadow loomed over him.

BANG!

Han Sen followed up with a ferocious putback dunk, sending Wade flying out of bounds.

16-19.

For the first time since the opening tip, the Cavaliers had cut the deficit to a single possession.

The Heat fans, who had been so confident moments ago, now felt a familiar sense of dread creeping in.

"Why won't he just let us win for once?!"

Back on defense, the Cavaliers forced another miss. Gasol's hook shot rimmed out, and Tucker—rebounding like a true small-ball power forward—secured the ball.

The arena buzzed with nervous energy. It was the first time all night that the Heat had gone scoreless on consecutive possessions.

The Cavaliers' confidence and energy, driven by Han Sen, were palpable.

On offense, Han drew another early double-team. This time, he calmly dribbled behind his back, causing every other player on the court to hold their breath.

Because no one knew what he was going to do next.

It turned out to be a simple behind-the-back pass to JR Smith, who remained the only person on the court who wasn't tense.

Because JR's brain simply doesn't process pressure.

Wade scrambled to contest the shot, but it was too late.

Han Sen had delivered the ball to the best available shooter at the perfect moment.

SWISH!

The net barely moved.

19-19.

The Cavaliers had just put together a 16-7 run, tying the game.

The LED scoreboard flashed Han Sen's stat line:

8 points, 3 assists.

And that was all in the span of just five minutes.

The four-out, one-in system has its flaws—it's vulnerable when the shooters are cold. But when the system is firing on all cylinders, its ceiling is limitless.

The difference lies entirely in the core ball handler.

The Cavaliers' roster this season wasn't much better than last year's Knicks, but the results weren't just different—they were worlds apart.

Because the true difference-maker was Han Sen.

-End of Chapter-