The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 72 Remote Farming Plan

Today was game day, and generally tactical training isn’t scheduled on such days, but today was an exception.

Because the team needed to run through some tactics designed for Hansen.

This was the highest level of training Hansen had received since arriving in Cleveland.

How do I describe this feeling? It’s like hitting overtime, exhilarating to the max.

He even kind of understood James now—the constant feeling of having the ball on the court, that’s what enjoying the game is all about.

Today’s training was semi-open; it was behind closed doors when they were running tactics, but once they started shooting practice, the reporters were allowed in.

After training ended, the reporters immediately surrounded Hansen.

The outside world was unaware of everything that had happened with the Cavaliers over the past three days, and as far as they knew, Hansen was on the trading block.

"There are a lot of rumors about you being traded," a reporter asked, "what do you think about that?"

So naturally, the reporters first question was related to that.

"I’m watching it standing up," Hansen chuckled, "sitting down is much more comfortable."

"Just kidding, don’t be so serious, I’m just playing basketball," he added after seeing the reporter stunned.

When someone’s in a good mood, humor comes naturally.

"I heard that the Grizzlies are trying really hard to get you," the reporter continued, "they’re even willing to trade OJ Meao for you, what do you think about that?"

Still similar questions, clearly Hansen’s joke wasn’t enough to satisfy the reporters.

Hansen was slightly surprised; he thought of Wallace and his good relationship with Ferry.

"Your information might not be very reliable; real trade rumors aren’t usually leaked in advance," Hansen continued to joke with the reporters.

After all, he couldn’t confirm that he wouldn’t be traded, that had to be clarified by Ferry himself.

"Paul Pierce said in an interview with NBC Sports Boston that they won’t make the same mistake again and he’ll teach you a memorable lesson, do you have any comments?" the reporter changed the subject.

"Did he really say that?" No wonder his hate metric had inexplicably surged in the last few days. It turned out Pierce was working for him remotely.

It seemed like his trash talk last time had hit the mark.

After seeing the reporter nod in confirmation, a sudden idea struck Hansen.

If he could find a player who liked to trash talk and could stir up the fans, and max out their hate metric, wouldn’t it mean when the teams encountered each other next time, like this time, he wouldn’t have to lift a finger and the hate metric would increase on its own?

Even if the hate metric was full enough and he cultivated the opposing player into the leader of his haters, wouldn’t he also have a high hate metric when not playing a game?

Well, let’s call it the "Remote Farming Plan"!

Of course, Pierce was not the most suitable candidate for this plan; Draymond Green (with his Golden State accent) was.

But Green was still playing at Michigan State University, and he’d have to complete four years of college before entering the NBA.

"Tell that trash-talking guy, he doesn’t deserve that nickname; I’m the true ’Truth’," Hansen said fiercely, his smile disappearing.

The nickname ’Truth’ had significant meaning for Pierce.

It can be said that if not for that nickname, Pierce would have just been an ordinary all-star without any memorable moments before forming The Big Three in Boston.

...

That night, at the Quicken Loans Arena, the arena was packed.

Although Cleveland’s fans were not as malicious as Boston’s, in their eyes, if the Celtics hadn’t formed The Big Three, the Cavaliers would have won the championship two years ago.

So every clash between these two teams, no matter the venue, was the center of attention.

During the pre-game warm-up, Hansen shot for a while, sinking consecutive threes, indicating he was feeling good from the perimeter.

After the on-site warm-up finished, they proceeded to the opening ceremony.

Hansen was the first to be introduced, and his entry was simple; as the announcer called out "77," he grabbed his jersey and swung it towards the camera.

"Ever since that shocking statement he made when he first joined the league, you might not know Hansen if you mention him, but when you mention number 77, you know exactly who you’re talking about."

After the opening ceremony, the starting players from both teams made their entrances.

When Hansen took the court, he found himself not matched up against Ray Allen, but against Pierce.

It seemed his trash talk before the game had had an effect.

"I hear you’re not happy in Cleveland, how about you come to Boston and hang with me?" Pierce started with his "concern."

"I think that’s possible, why don’t you go talk to him?" Hansen glanced over at James on the other side of the court.

"I mean well. LeBron can’t lead you to a championship; he’s been defeated by me."

Hansen couldn’t help but laugh at this.

While he was not a fan of James, where did Pierce get off saying that James was defeated by him?

"Thanks for the concern, but I don’t rely on others when it comes to championships," Hansen said, shifting his attention to Garnett, who was ready for the tip-off.

"You!" Pierce was immediately frustrated.

In the 2008 Finals, Pierce averaged 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, while Garnett averaged 18.2 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists.

By the numbers, they were quite even, but in terms of impact on the team, Garnett was streets ahead of Pierce.

Imagine replacing Pierce with another all-star—Celtics might still win a championship. But how many could replace Garnett?

Essentially, Garnett was a foundational piece, just like Duncan.

That was why the common opinion was that Pierce won the championship because of Garnett.

That hit a nerve.

Seeing Pierce agitated, Hansen knew his provocation had successfully started.

The whistle blew on the court, and O’Neal tapped the ball back to the half-court, and the Cavaliers took the offense.

Pierce’s focus was somewhat scattered now, Hansen’s words having breached his defense; he was pondering how to teach Hansen a lesson on the offensive end.

As for defense, he was well aware of Hansen’s tactical role in the Cavaliers—he was there to space the floor from the corner.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told him to "take a break" during their last encounter.

Moreover, Hansen was currently in the midst of trade rumors. If it weren’t to showcase him to others, he likely would have been removed from the starting lineup.

In fact, that was exactly the case. The Cavaliers’ tactic looked no different than before, Hansen was pulling up the space on the weak side, and James was preparing to attack on the strong side.

But just as he gathered his scattered attention, he suddenly realized Hansen was gone!

On a closer look, Hansen had already moved to a 45-degree angle, and Conningham had set up a screen.

As Hansen ran up, James’s pass arrived perfectly.

Garnett displayed his defensive prowess, quickly bypassing Conningham’s screen to confront him.

But then, Hansen executed a move like the one he had used in an inter-squad game—a maneuver we’ll call "The Conningham Screen."

He changed direction, moving the ball to the other side of the screen, and with Conningham in the way, Garnett was too late to react.

Before Pierce could get back in defense, Hansen decisively shot a three-pointer from the outside.

"Swish!"

The basketball went straight through the net.

Accompanied by the cheers of the home crowd, Hansen scored the first points for the Cavaliers.

Pierce had only just caught up to Hansen.

"I forgot to tell you something," Hansen looked at Pierce,

"I’m different now."