The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 109 - 91 World-Famous Paintings (Two in One)_3

That had always been considered the most shameful battle in James’ career.

But compared to the game at hand, that really seemed like nothing.

The teams entered the intermission.

Differing from the usual routine, today it wasn’t Brown making the halftime adjustments but Malone, and James wasn’t even in the locker room.

One could easily guess with their toes that Brown was off giving James some psychological guidance.

The results proved that while Brown might only be a utility man for the Cavaliers, he was a qualified one.

Nobody knew what he did, but by the second half, James’ state was clearly warming up.

During the beginning stretch of the third quarter, James scored two baskets and even pulled off a block against Pierce, shooting 9 for 2 and finally bringing his stats up to a presentable 10 points.

Hansen also found his shooting touch after halftime, sinking a three-pointer from the perimeter and steadily hitting a floater on a drive to the basket.

Together with O’Neal’s drawing power in the paint, the Cavaliers carried the momentum from the previous game into this quarter, scoring 30 to 20.

By the end of the third, they were leading the Celtics by as much as 13 points, with a score of 86 to 73.

If they continued at this pace, the Cavaliers were inches away from taking match point with a 3 to 1 lead.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Hansen and O’Neal were still resting off the court, while James was leading the team on the floor during this stretch. freewebnøvel.coɱ

With James’ state showing signs of improvement, he needed to pad his stats on the court a bit more.

How could 10 points be fitting for the "Chosen One’s" stature?

But James once again fell into a slump during this phase, either making a turnover or missing shots.

Under his "leadership," the Celtics continually cut the lead, narrowing the gap to within 5 points, forcing Brown to call a timeout.

At this point, Hansen was really speechless looking at Brown, because he was actually arranging for West and James to play together again.

This guy obviously wouldn’t deliberately antagonize James; it could only be said that his tactical decisions tonight were really dumb.

And maybe it was James’ overly dramatic performance that threw him off as well.

After the timeout, Hansen and Jamison continued to suit up, but this time Rivers was on point, and he had Garnett switched in early.

Fortunately, Hansen regained his touch, stabilizing the Cavaliers’ lead during this stretch under his guidance.

After that, both sides gradually brought their main forces back in, and the situation became incredibly tense.

With two minutes left in the game, the Cavaliers were clinging to a 110 to 108 lead over the Celtics.

Rivers continued to employ the Hack-a-Shaq strategy at this point, sending O’Neal to the free throw line.

Amidst the interference of the Boston fans, O’Neal again made both free throws.

That brought his scoring to 26 points, mirroring his peak performance tonight.

Ray Allen’s three-pointer from the perimeter was off the mark, but O’Neal secured the defensive rebound. With less than a minute left in the game, the Cavaliers had a great chance of sealing the win tonight.

James started calling for the ball to attack.

This scene reminded Hansen of Christmas Day, when Brown put James in for the last attack.

If James could score a "clutch shot" now, the post-game media coverage would have something to hype up.

However, dreams are full and reality is skinny.

James’ performance tonight, at such a crucial moment, just wasn’t there. He drove in only to meet a blockade, and the ball was cleanly stripped by Garnett.

The Celtics launched a fast break, with Rondo scoring on a layup and bringing the score difference back to just 2 points.

Now only 30 seconds remained till the end of the match.

Brown didn’t call a timeout, and James attempted to hold the ball again, but this time Hansen suddenly found himself back on Christmas Day, shouting that familiar phrase to Williams, "Give me that damn ball!"

Hansen held the ball briefly to let the time dwindle, then ultimately shoveled it inside. O’Neal bulldozed his way to a foul and stepped to the free throw line.

The Cavaliers were leading now, and with O’Neal feeling it, wanting to clinch the win was as simple as feeding him the ball.

O’Neal stepped up to the free throw line, and if he made both shots, the Cavaliers would have been sure to win.

O’Neal wiped the sweat from his hands. At such a moment, both his physical and mental strengths were truly being tested on his free throws.

His first shot hit the front of the rim but luckily crawled in.

However, his second shot still veered off.

You couldn’t expect O’Neal to perform like Jordan at the free throw line; going 8 for 10 earlier was already an exceptional performance for him.

Garnett grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Celtics called a timeout.

Now the Celtics had a chance to drag the game into overtime.

After the timeout, as Rondo advanced to the frontcourt, the Celtics started their strategy.

Brown’s judgment was that the Celtics would set up Pierce, their biggest heart, but Rivers proved to be on point again this time. Utilizing Pierce as a decoy, he set up Ray Allen with a play.

James had a clear defensive lapse at that moment, actually losing track of Ray Allen.

Hansen was drawn to the weak side by Pierce, and it was too late to think of helping on defense.

Ray Allen, swift as a flash, tied the game miraculously with 3 seconds left on the clock.

"Damn!"

The North Shore Garden Arena erupted, Brown called a timeout, but Hansen couldn’t help but let loose an expletive.

Tonight, he and O’Neal were like two men floundering in the water, desperately swimming towards shore, but underneath them, James was like a water ghost, each hand pulling on one of their legs.

This was truly fucked up!

"I’ll take the game-winner," Hansen said directly to Brown as soon as the timeout was over.

And interestingly enough, this time he stood between Brown and James, cutting off the possibility of James snatching the tactics board.

Brown looked at James, who said nothing.

In the end, Brown nodded his head.

James had played miserably tonight; if they lost the game again, it would be another "milestone of sadness."

So winning was always better than losing.

After the timeout, the arena was filled with distracting noise.

"Stick to him! Stick to Han!" Thibodeau shouted from the sidelines, bypassing Rivers, to his players on the court.

Though just an assistant coach, Thibodeau’s judgment of the game tonight was clearly more accurate than that of Rivers, the head coach.

Hansen was chased from front and back, unable to find an opportunity.

At that moment, he couldn’t care less, and after a counter run, he forcefully shoved off Ray Allen, who was closely following him.

The referees didn’t blow the whistle; they chose to leave the game in the hands of the players.

After shoving Allen off, Hansen forcefully shook off Pierce, then sprinted towards the sideline.

Williams’s pass came just in time, and Hansen, receiving the ball, rapidly took the shot before Garnett could reach him.

The ball flew into the air, and the red light at the edge of the court had already lit up.

Although it was an extreme shot, Hansen’s whole motion was fluid, and more importantly, his gaze was devoid of any sign of nervousness or panic. Instead, it seemed to reflect a Bloodthirst-like desire.

It was as if such a scene was tailor-made for him!

The basketball spun toward the basket, and as the ball reached its peak and began its descent, fans in the arena couldn’t help but reach out and clutch their heads.

Because the trajectory of the ball seemed very accurate.

As the basketball began to fall, Hansen had already turned around with his hands held high.

"Swish!"

The sound coming from behind was the sweetest sound in the world.