Basketball System: Hate Makes Me Unstoppable

Kevin Garnett's desire to play was intense, but Coach Malone wasn't in a rush to put him on the court.

On one hand, the five-out lineup had worked wonders against the Heat, and Malone was still experimenting with it in games, making Garnett's debut less of a priority.

On the other hand — and more importantly — Malone was cautious about using a veteran at the tail end of his career.

Garnett's skills were still there. But after tearing his right knee ligament in 2009, his legs had never fully recovered. His knee had become his biggest hurdle, robbing him of his explosiveness and slowing him down significantly.

Gone were the days when he could patrol the entire court on defense, covering large swathes of space. His age had also started catching up with him, with his availability becoming a concern. Last season, he played only 54 games, and this season, he'd suited up for just 42 so far.

From a pure performance standpoint, Bargnani was still the better player this season. But the Cavs traded him for Garnett because they feared Bargnani might choke under pressure, much like Chris Paul had in critical moments.

If they rushed Garnett back and he got hurt, the trade would've been for nothing.

The Cavaliers' first opponent after the trade deadline was the Washington Wizards.

With John Wall and Bradley Beal both growing into stars, the Wizards had become an Eastern Conference threat. They were performing even better this season, sitting at fifth in the East.

Their most notable roster change was swapping Trevor Ariza for Paul Pierce as their starting small forward.

This game had an interesting storyline.

The Boston Big Three had long disbanded. Ray Allen was semi-retired, while Pierce and Garnett were now meeting as opponents on different teams.

During warmups, Pierce and Garnett shared a long conversation at midcourt, catching up like old friends. Their bond remained strong, even if they were now wearing different jerseys.

When the game started, both teams quickly locked into a tight battle.

The Wizards weren't a pushover.

In addition to Wall, Beal, and Pierce, their frontcourt featured Nene "The One-Balled Warrior" and Marcin "The Polish Hammer" Gortat.

The Cavs were at a disadvantage in the paint, and they particularly struggled with defending the pick-and-roll.

Both Nene and Gortat were pick-and-roll maestros, and Wall's speed made it even harder for Cleveland to defend without switching.

But once they switched, Wall mercilessly attacked the mismatches, punishing the Cavs' bigs.

TT picked up two quick fouls, both drawn by Wall, and had to check out early.

As TT walked toward the bench, Garnett abruptly stood up.

This caught everyone off guard — he wasn't even on the active roster for the night.

But Garnett wasn't trying to sub in.

Instead, he immediately grabbed TT on the sidelines and started lecturing him.

"Play tougher."

"Be a man out there."

His words were loud and clear, and everyone heard them.

When TT reached the bench, he grabbed the towel handed to him and angrily threw it to the ground.

It wasn't clear whether he was more frustrated with his performance or pissed at Garnett's scolding.

The Cavs couldn't contain the Wizards' pick-and-roll in the first half.

But on the flip side, the Wizards couldn't stop Han's penetration and kick-outs either.

At halftime, the score was 54-54 — a deadlock.

Han was a bit late returning to the locker room after conducting a courtside interview.

On his way through the tunnel, he spotted TT lingering there.

The moment TT saw Han, he rushed over.

"KG's gotta chill, man! He's way too controlling!"

The Cavs' frontcourt was already their weakest link — Malone knew it, which was why he hadn't criticized them much during the game.

But Garnett wasn't holding back. Every time the bigs made a mistake, KG was in their ear immediately.

As Cunningham put it, Garnett acted like a "cranky old dad".

Unlike Han's days in Memphis, when he played the "bad cop" role to perfection, Garnett's age and new environment made his style feel more intrusive.

Han couldn't help but remember the rumors about KG punching teammates back in Minnesota.

When Han finally stepped into the locker room, he saw Garnett talking with Tucker.

"Paul struggles off the ball. He gets confused easily. You need to deny him touches as much as possible. And remember, his weakest shooting zones are the left elbow and the top of the key. Force him there."

Han overheard the conversation and was momentarily confused.

"Paul?"

It took him a second to realize Garnett was referring to Pierce.

That realization made Han pause in surprise.

The image of KG warmly chatting with Pierce pregame flashed in his mind.

Now, here he was, spilling all of Pierce's weaknesses without hesitation.

The contrast was jarring.

Han walked over and called TT to his side.

"Hey, you're up for free agency this summer, right?"

TT, still grumpy, nodded.

He and Kyrie Irving were from the same draft class. Kyrie had been the first overall pick, while TT was the fourth pick.

Last summer, Kyrie had already secured a max contract extension from the Cavs, but TT hadn't. He would become a restricted free agent this coming offseason.

"KG's a veteran with tons of experience. His entire career has been built on pick-and-rolls. He's an expert at defending them. You should learn from him — it'll help you a lot."

Han Sen's words left TT completely stunned.

He had been expecting Han to talk to Garnett and ask him to ease up on the criticism. Instead, Han flipped it around and urged him to take the initiative to learn.

"A man needs his pride. But setting aside your pride for a moment can earn you greater respect in the future."

Han knew this wasn't an easy pill to swallow, especially for someone as proud as TT.

TT didn't respond immediately. He hesitated for a while before eventually standing up and walking toward Garnett.

Han watched as TT approached KG.

There were two possible outcomes.

Either the two would argue, maybe even come to blows.

Or they would start a meaningful conversation.

After observing for a bit, Han noticed that things were moving toward the second outcome.

Maybe it was Han's words that had swayed TT. Or maybe TT realized that if he wanted a big contract, he needed to improve. Either way, he chose to lower his head and take the first step.

Whatever the reason, it was a positive development. In fact, this could be an unexpected benefit of having Garnett on the team.

Even if TT couldn't learn all of KG's defensive skills, any improvements on defense would be a big boost for the Cavaliers.

And that would be great news for Cleveland.

After all, Jokic might arrive in the NBA next season, but as a rookie, his role in the paint would be limited. TT would remain the key to their interior defense.

...

Second Half Begins

The game resumed after halftime.

Han Sen opened the half by posting up Bradley Beal and scoring easily, setting the tone for the Cavs.

On the next possession, the Wizards ran another pick-and-roll between Beal and Nene.

But this time, TT's defensive approach had clearly changed.

Instead of charging out early, he held his ground inside the paint, positioning himself to protect the rim. This way, he could limit Wall's driving lanes while still challenging any floaters or layups.

It worked.

Wall's layup missed, and TT grabbed the defensive rebound.

"Great job! That's it! Keep doing that!"

Suddenly, Garnett leaped to his feet from the bench, pumping his fists and cheering TT on.

The Cavs players on the bench couldn't hide their mixed expressions.

It was hard to process.

Wasn't this the same KG who had been tearing into TT with trash talk just a moment ago?

And now he was fervently cheering for him?

The contrast was jarring.

But Han Sen wasn't surprised. Watching the scene unfold, he knew his earlier assessment of Garnett was spot on.

KG wasn't "playing the villain." He had become one.

This wasn't malice. It was a deeply ingrained competitive mindset.

It was the same mentality that players like Jordan and Kobe had. They were hard on their teammates, not out of spite, but because they wanted to win.

They would scold teammates for mistakes and celebrate them when they performed well.

In their world, there were no "coworkers" or "polite formalities" on the court.

The only goal was to win.

Put simply, KG was a workaholic.

You wouldn't want a boss like him. But he could make your team better.

After confirming this, Han understood why Garnett chose to join the Cavaliers at the trade deadline.

Despite his age, KG's mentality hadn't softened. He wasn't looking for a comfortable end to his career. He wanted to compete.

In the original timeline, he had no choice in Brooklyn. The Nets wanted to win, but his abilities no longer matched his contract, leaving him with no options but to return home to Minnesota.

But now?

With a chance to join a competitive team, he took it without hesitation.

...

The Cavaliers dominated the second half, outscoring the Wizards 50-35 and securing a 104-89 victory.

The formula was simple: Han Sen was unstoppable offensively.

If the Cavs could tighten up defensively, they would win games.

It was a promising start.

The Cavaliers followed it up by defeating the Hornets, Sixers, and Knicks, extending their winning streak to four games since the trade deadline.

Sure, those teams weren't strong, but that's the East's benefit. Wins are wins, and the Cavs would take them.

Their next game, however, was a serious challenge — a rematch against the Lakers.

It was the second meeting of the season, and Coach Malone had finally decided to let Garnett make his debut.

With just over a month left in the regular season, Malone wanted KG to start building chemistry with the team.

The Cavaliers arrived in Los Angeles a day early for the game.

During the open practice session, a large number of reporters gathered.

After practice, the reporters swarmed to interview players. Kyrie Irving, who had shined during the Christmas game, and Kevin Garnett, who was about to make his Cavs debut, were both popular targets.

Of course, Han Sen drew the biggest crowd.

The first question wasn't about the upcoming game.

"Do you have any thoughts on Chris Bosh's situation?"

The biggest post-trade-deadline news wasn't about any deals but about Bosh's unfortunate diagnosis.

After the All-Star break, Bosh had been diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, forcing the Rockets to announce that he would miss the remainder of the season on February 22nd.

"I'm praying for him. I hope he recovers soon."

Han offered his well-wishes. He didn't know Bosh well, but nobody wanted to see something like this happen.

He also knew that this might signal the end of Bosh's career.

Then came the spicy question.

"Some people on social media are calling KG's move to Cleveland 'forming a superteam.' What's your take on that?"

Han grinned.

"I'm lucky. I'm always on a superteam."

His response stunned the reporters.

"I mean, when I was in Memphis, people said the same thing. They claimed we had five All-Stars on that team."

His comment got a good laugh from the reporters. After all, nobody considered the Grizzlies a contender anymore.

The final question:

"Will you participate in the dunk contest?"

"Yes, I'll join next year's contest."

"Are you sure this time?"

Han smirked.

"Tell LeBron I'll be waiting for him at the dunk contest."

Han directly called out LeBron, referencing James' comments from the All-Star break.

His bold statement sparked huge pregame buzz.

The league had already announced new voting rules, so Han had no reason to skip next year's All-Star Game.

And this public challenge put LeBron in a tough spot.

If LeBron refused, it would look like he chickened out.

But if he accepted, he wasn't confident he could beat Han.

Given LeBron's history of avoiding difficult challenges, Han guessed he'd ignore the invite.

But there was always a chance Nike might pressure LeBron to join for business reasons.

Han smiled to himself.

LeBron must be regretting running his mouth.

Because Han wasn't one to hold grudges.

But he always got his revenge.

...

The next night, Staples Center was packed to capacity.

The Cavaliers had been hot since the deadline, while the Lakers were riding a three-game winning streak.

During warmups, the cameras constantly focused on Han.

The Cavs were now second in the East, thanks to Han's leadership.

His personal stats were jaw-dropping: 32 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 9.2 APG, 3.1 SPG, 1.4 BPG.

It was clear — Han Sen was the undisputed best player in the league.

As the game approached, Han entertained the crowd by throwing down a between-the-legs, self-lob, 360 dunk.

The fans went wild, thinking it was another jab at LeBron.

But Han wasn't thinking about the dunk contest.

He was excited for something else.

After the game against the Pacers, he had finally reached a bottleneck with his [Magician] talent.

Tonight, at Staples Center, was the perfect stage to break through.

(End of Chapter)