The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 67 "You Guys Need Me Too Damn Much!" (Part 1)

Chapter 67: Chapter 67 "You Guys Need Me Too Damn Much!" (Part 1)

Before going on the court, Hansen chatted with Javad Williams for a moment.

After the players from both teams entered the court, Brown finally realized that something was wrong because Hansen was guarding James!

Hansen was a shooting guard; he was supposed to match up against Parker.

Malone also had a look of concern.

Although in terms of height, Hansen, at 2.01 meters in shoes, was not much shorter than the 2.03-meter-tall James, the weight difference between the two was significant.

James was a heavy small forward, weighing 111 kilograms when he first entered the league, and he had gained some weight during the off-season, reaching 113 kilograms.

Even after gaining weight over the summer, Hansen was only 100 kilograms.

With such a weight difference, if James really charged, Hansen was going to be knocked flying.

The game started immediately, with Pierce officiating the previous game, and this time Malone took on the role of temporary referee.

Refereeing, which required running on the court alongside the players, was a physically demanding task, and the assistant coaches certainly could not match up to professional referees in this aspect.

The game started quickly, with O’Neal knocking the ball back and Team One initiating the attack.

James did not participate in the first round of offense, but rather Williams took the ball and performed a pick-and-roll with O’Neal.

O’Neal’s pick-and-roll took up a large area, and Williams’s shot was decisive, but unfortunately, his touch was not too good today.

The basketball smashed against the rim and out, with O’Neal unable to get back under the basket, and the rebound was secured by Jackson.

After Team Three pushed to the frontcourt, Hansen called for the ball, and West promptly passed it to him.

Hansen was guarding James, and of course... James was not guarding Hansen.

Hansen glanced at Old Parker and signaled for the strong side to clear out before explosively breaking through.

Old Parker had good defensive experience and could handle physical play, but his older age meant slower footwork.

Moreover, the more important reason, and why Hansen dared to do this, was that during the Christmas showdown, his "Wave Riding Skill" had reached a bottleneck.

Hansen dashed past Parker using sheer speed, then met the defense of O’Neal head-on by throwing his body into the air.

O’Neal’s massive build was like a wall, bouncing Hansen back, but Hansen managed to take a shot before being repelled.

The ball didn’t go in, but Malone’s whistle sounded.

O’Neal went over, reached out a hand to pull Hansen up from the ground, but didn’t say anything.

He could fully feel Hansen’s determination in that play.

Hansen shook his arm, his hand did not tremble, and he made both free throws.

Team Three took the lead, and on the return play, Williams continued to run the pick-and-roll with O’Neal, choosing this time to break towards the basket.

Danell Jackson was too slow to move and could not keep up, but at that moment Hansen helped defend the rim, blocking Williams’s angle for the layup.

But then, with a bounce pass, James cut in from the right side, caught the ball, and was about to dunk.

Hansen turned around, without a moment’s hesitation, he went to provide help defense.

The two bodies collided—Hansen was sent flying out of bounds, but James’s shot was also disrupted.

Malone’s whistle blew again, marking a blocking foul on Hansen.

Compared to Pierce, Malone’s officiating was clearly more impartial.

But with two fouls occurring in the opening rounds, the confrontation between Team One and Team Three was far more intense than the previous game between Team One and Team Two.

The man who caused this situation was now being pulled up from the ground by his running teammates.

After getting up, Hansen took a long breath and coughed twice; James’s physique was truly fearsome.

Luckily, he had retreated early to lessen the force.

"My fault, I should have switched," Javad Williams patted his chest, taking responsibility.

Hansen was a starting player yet playing with their group of substitutes; this was already creating opportunities for them.

Hansen nodded and did not say much.

James made one of two free throws, and Team One scored as well.

On Team Three’s offense, Hansen immediately called for Jackson to come out and set a pick-and-roll.

Jackson was only 2.06 meters tall but weighed 115 kilograms, so the quality of the pick-and-roll was not bad.

This time, O’Neal didn’t drop back but chose to rush forward.

Hansen deftly changed direction and slipped past him, then rapidly drove towards the basket.

At that moment, he seemed to really have entered the martial world of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," his feet performing the Wave Riding Skill as he weaved through the crowd.

But as he attacked the basket, James’s help defense arrived.

And, timing his jump, James was ready to deliver his signature chase-down block.

However, he underestimated Hansen’s current finishing ability.

Hansen performed an in-air layup adjustment to avoid the block, switching to a left-handed underhand layup to securely place the ball in the basket.

After reaching the bottleneck of the "Wave Riding Skill," his coordination had further improved, and his movements seemed even more effortless.

to 1.

No one expected Team Three to start the game against Team One like this.

Or rather, no one expected Hansen’s penetration to have reached this level.

And on Team Three’s side, the entire morale was clearly different.

Strong teams need good team cooperation; what do weak teams need most? A cornerstone!

And right now, Hansen was their cornerstone.

The most significant change brought about by the morale boost was the increased aggressiveness in defense.

O’Neal demanded the ball below for a post-up play, and he executed the move with determination. However, after turning around, he was double-teamed by Hansen, who committed a resolute foul to disrupt the play.

O’Neal stepped up to the free-throw line; he hit only one of the two shots.

Hansen continued to handle the ball, with old Parker still in front of him.

This time, after Hansen blew past Parker, both James and O’Neal rushed over to help defend.

Seizing the opportunity, Hansen passed the ball to Jackson on the baseline.

Although he hadn’t unlocked any passing-related talents, passing and ball handling were basic skills he had practiced since his NCAA days.

This type of play where he drove into the defense to draw the double team and then passed to a teammate waiting at an open spot wasn’t particularly difficult.

Jackson, unguarded, directly went up for a layup and scored.

Despite being a bench player, he was still an NBA player, and a gimme like that would be hard to miss.

to 2.

Brown was getting restless and stood up to walk to the sideline.

"Watch the help defense!" He didn’t dare to scold O’Neal, only daring to yell at Conningham.

But more important than who he was yelling at was the fact that he was yelling in the first place.

These internal training matches didn’t have coaches calling the shots, but Brown was still directing the first team.

Clearly, he was anxious.

Not just because it was embarrassing for the starters to be losing to the bench, but more importantly, he realized that Hansen was out to trouble James today.

If James were to lose today, he couldn’t imagine what a scene it would be.

James finally held the ball.

He too sensed that Hansen had come prepared today.

But as soon as James got the ball, Hansen stuck close to him in defense.

Their earlier collision taught Hansen that if he let James build up speed, he would have no chance of stopping him.

James couldn’t shake off Hansen.

Though Hansen wasn’t as fast as Tony Allen, he wasn’t much slower either, and he had a much larger frame than Allen. James tried to use his body to push through Hansen several times but couldn’t create enough space to start.

With the weight Hansen had put on, along with the boost from talents like "Star Catcher" and "Wave Riding Skill," his defense against James was surprisingly effective.

Unable to penetrate past Hansen, James had to call for a pick and roll.

O’Neal came out high, setting a pick as large and solid as a wall, just as before.

Hansen, however, circled right behind O’Neal, clearly expecting James to shoot.

James made a decisive choice, immediately pulling up for the shot.

However, as expected, James’s shot hit the back rim and bounced out.

Because O’Neal had pulled up high to set the pick, Jackson was once again in position to defend the rebound.

And this time, the third team even launched a defensive counterattack with West driving the ball down the court in a fast-break, assisting Javad Williams, who scored with a layup.

to 2!

Brown couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his brow.

He looked up at the timer, the good news being that they had only been playing for five minutes. As long as the first team found their offensive rhythm, there was still plenty of time.

James continued to control the ball. This time, he skipped the probing and went straight for a pick and roll, specifically calling for a screen from Conningham.

Compared to O’Neal, Conningham had range, and his picks could draw away the defender. He didn’t have to be forced into taking a shot.

James’s thinking was correct, and he executed it well, accelerating toward the basket the moment the pick was set.

However, Hansen was also strong at navigating picks; he stuck close to James as he accelerated.

The result was that James got started, but not entirely, moving as if he was carrying a mountain on his back.

He could only exert force to break free from Hansen in the paint, going up for a layup in three steps.

But without building full speed, Hansen wasn’t so easily brushed aside.

In the end, after taking two steps, James was forced to stop under the basket and, with a second effort of force, he managed to push off Hansen and lay the ball in the basket.

On the sidelines, Malone’s whistle blew.

"and one!" Brown couldn’t help but exclaim excitedly.

James also swung his fist downward with force.

The six-point gap seemed big, but with the additional free throw, if made, the gap would be reduced to just three points.

However, at that moment, Malone’s hand signal shocked everyone.

He made a rotating motion with both fists across his chest, the signal for a traveling violation!

Brown’s eyes instantly bulged like brass bells.

Was that a travel call, or was it not, Malone? If not, put Pierce in!

Did James travel?

Obviously, after taking two steps and then another footfall, it was a clear case of traveling.

But the crux of the matter was that such plays wouldn’t be called against James in an official game!

Just like Pierce wouldn’t call Varejao for illegal screens during the offseason training camp, why call something in practice that wouldn’t be called in an actual game?!

Malone remained composed, signaling the ball for the third team.

"I have never tried to be LeBron’s friend, nor will I indiscriminately praise him. I am a coach. If he fails to do his job, I will treat him like any other player."

As Hansen knew, Malone was a man of principle.