Basketball System: Hate Makes Me Unstoppable

"You're not afraid I'll learn from you and surpass you?" Han Sen was surprised when he learned that Wade was about to teach him his signature move, the Eurostep. 

"Don't be overconfident." To Han Sen's surprise, Wade immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm. 

Once the training started, Han realized Wade was being realistic. 

Skills, though built on certain core elements, ultimately depend on the person using them. 

Take the fadeaway shot for example: Kobe was the closest to mastering it like Jordan, but even his version wasn't as threatening as Jordan's. 

Similarly, Olajuwon's Dream Shake was something he taught openly, but no one else could dominate the league with it. 

Wade's Eurostep is essentially a variation of the traditional move. 

The key difference is that Wade adds a deceptive little change of direction before the Eurostep, making it difficult for defenders to predict whether he will continue in a straight line or use the Eurostep. 

What's hard about it is that the deceptive move must feel threatening enough to mislead the defender, and after that, the player must still have the explosiveness to transition into the Eurostep. 

This requires a lot of skill in both driving to the basket and athletic explosiveness. 

He learned the move, but for now, there was still a big gap between his version and Wade's. 

"You're better than I thought," Wade unexpectedly complimented him. 

"Is that sarcasm?" 

"Not at all. Your explosiveness is still lacking, but your ball-handling has improved." 

That was probably due to Han Sen's previous focus on ball handling and passing skills. 

After finishing Wade's personal training session, Han packed up and returned to Cleveland. 

On the flight back, he checked the [Hater system], which he hadn't looked at in a while due to his intense training schedule. 

He got quite a shock. 

In the two months since he last checked, his hater score had increased by over 50,000! 

Unlike before, most of this came from domestic fans, due to the national basketball team. 

In the final of the FIBA Asia Championship, China lost badly to Persia, marking the first time they had lost in the tournament since 1975! 

The real reason for the loss was simple: Yao Ming couldn't play, and without him, they couldn't contain Haddadi. 

But domestic fans didn't see it that way. To them, the 'Great' Chinese national team was a world-class team, and even without Yao Ming, they should still dominate Asia. 

Han Sen's absence became the perfect scapegoat. 

If he hadn't refused to play for the national team, would they have lost? 

He never imagined he would be considered so essential. 

To be honest, Han Sen didn't think he would have made a difference if he had played; after all, he couldn't have matched up against Haddadi. 

But fans didn't care about that. They had already started to criticize him, so why not continue? 

Especially since Han Sen had already been blacklisted by many of them. 

Still, despite this unfair blame, Han was actually happy about the situation. 

After all, it meant an extra 50,000 [hater points]! 

Han Sen and Cunningham were required to report to the team a day early to organize their lockers. 

When Cunningham saw Han Sen at the arena, he was shocked. 

Han Sen had bulked up significantly since the last time they met. 

As a trainer, Han Sen didn't just gain weight — he gained muscle. 

This time, it wasn't Ferry who led them on the tour but a staff member from the general manager's office named David Griffin. 

Under Griffin's guidance, Han Sen entered the Cavaliers' locker room for the first time. 

Having lived in Miami and been inside the Heat's locker room, he couldn't help but compare the two. 

This one felt a bit old. 

With its yellow retro lockers, white tile walls, and stainless steel clothes rails, he felt like he was in a bathhouse. 

Upon entering, they immediately saw LeBron James' nameplate. 

LeBron's locker was right next to the entrance. 

This intrigued Han Sen. Normally, the spot by the door would be the least convenient, with people constantly coming and going, and it would offer the least privacy. 

"The four corners of a locker room are usually reserved for special arrangements. Two of those spots are quieter, while these two are better for media interviews," Griffin explained thoughtfully to Han Sen and Cunningham. 

Han looked at the spots he mentioned, noticing that Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas occupied the quieter corners, while the more public spots near the door were taken by Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James. 

It seemed that in an NBA locker room, the corners were the prime locations. 

Then, he noticed that the lockers next to LeBron and Shaq were empty. 

"These will be your lockers. This one was previously used by J.J. Hickson, and the other was Darnell Jackson's," Griffin said. 

Jackson was a second-round pick last year, a big man who had also played with Han Sen in Summer League. 

Griffin's meaning was clear: rookies were generally placed near the team's stars, so they could assist them. 

Griffin then pulled out nameplates for Han Sen and Cunningham, placing them in the slots above their respective lockers. 

Cunningham's locker was next to O'Neal's, while Han's was beside LeBron's. 

"Dante, let's switch places," Han said, reaching for his nameplate. 

"Wait a second," Griffin stopped him and gestured with his eyes, hinting at something. "Rookies usually compete for this spot." 

"Is there a rule that says I have to stay here?" He frowned. 

"Not really," Griffin said, glancing at his paperwork. It only mentioned assigning the two of them to these positions. 

But it was common knowledge within the Cavaliers that LeBron had specifically requested Han be placed next to him. 

"Then it's fine," Han said, already removing his nameplate. 

Griffin hesitated but didn't say anything more. 

After explaining a few more locker room rules, Griffin left. 

"Thanks, Dante," Han Sen said after they switched nameplates. 

"Thanks? That guy just said people would kill for that spot," Cunningham said, pointing to LeBron's locker. 

Given what Cunningham had heard from those bar-hopping friends of his, as well as Han Sen's mentioning of LeBron when standing up for him, he knew he didn't like LeBron. 

"Let's go train." 

Han Sen sat down, already changing into his workout gear. 

"Now?" Cunningham looked surprised. 

Han nodded, already getting ready. 

He hadn't expected that, upon arriving in Cleveland, he would immediately be categorized as LeBron's lackey, with even his locker assigned accordingly. 

It seemed like hardly anyone in the Cavaliers organization wasn't LeBron's "friend". 

Given the circumstances, more arrangements were surely on the way. 

He needed to get stronger, and quickly— only the strong have a say.