The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 254 - 151: No-Look Passes That Can Be Completed Without Pretending

Chapter 254: Chapter 151: No-Look Passes That Can Be Completed Without Pretending

Of course, before heading to Miami, Hansen still had to ride the wave of popularity.

Especially now that the season had ended, he needed more hate to break into "First Gear" Talent.

He opened his social media and posted a status.

"The Mavericks will beat the Heat to claim their first championship in team history, and they will wrap it up within six games."

Before this, ESPN had conducted a survey in which the Heat were widely favored.

Even Stan had predicted that the Heat would win the championship after the Grizzlies had been eliminated.

They had good reason to believe this, as the Heat’s playoff performance had exceeded expectations.

They initially thought that after struggling during the regular season, the Heat would face the same issues in the playoffs.

But with exceptional defense, they defeated the Celtics and the Bulls 4-1 in succession.

Both of these teams, the Celtics had only two fewer wins than the Heat, and the Bulls were the League’s number one.

Especially during the series against the Bulls, the Heat lost the first game but then won four straight with enhanced defense.

The refinement of the playoffs had fully prepared the Heat for the finals.

In contrast, the Mavericks, despite the dramatic sweep of the Lakers, were dragged to six games by the Grizzlies, who were without Guy.

What was more devastating was that after the fierce battle with the Grizzlies, Nowitzki suffered a tendon strain in the middle finger of his left hand.①

Added to that, with the home-court advantage, the Heat indeed had the advantage of timing, location, and harmony.

After posting the status, Hansen just waited to harvest a wave of hate.

Because in the eyes of the media who favored the Heat, his unusual statement would certainly be met with scorn.

But after he actually posted it, the ensuing development left him with mixed feelings of laughter and frustration.

He didn’t gain much hate, but his account’s follower count saw a dramatic increase.

This had a kind of "I was just a bystander, but since you dissed James, we are friends" vibe.

At first, Hansen didn’t understand, but after thinking it over, he seemed to get it.

He had failed to distinguish between "media" and "fans."

It was like back before he had crossed over when political correctness was rampant in the western world.

Movies and games had to be done their way or else they would be boycotted and slandered by the mainstream media, and might even get hit up for "protection money."

Under that background, if a movie or game withstood political correctness and was of high quality afterward, fans would be ecstatic.

Now it was similar, Nike influenced the media, and the media were backing the Heat.

But fans wouldn’t have amnesia; after "The Decision", leaving aside how many LeBron fans turned into haters, the Heat became the big bad guys.

This big villain didn’t carry a positive connotation, in the basketball context of that era, the peak of super teams bundling together was generally frowned upon.

The charm of basketball lay in competition, not in who was craftier or better at taking shortcuts.

Indeed, what they did was allowed within the rules, but as there’s morality beyond law, fans also had their own internal bottom line.

Although they couldn’t confront the media, they had the freedom to choose.

Hansen realized that if he really wanted hate, he should have done the opposite as he originally did, thinking the Heat would sweep the Mavericks.

But there was no room for flip-flopping in taking such a stance.

However, gaining so many followers, and still growing, wasn’t such a bad thing.

The finals were set to start in Miami.

Hansen took the plane to Miami, but he wasn’t alone.

Swift’s new single had been released at the end of April; she finally had some time to rest.

And Hansen planned to enjoy some relaxation after a season of playing basketball.

So going to Miami with Swift was both to watch the finals and to enjoy a vacation in this tourist destination.

On the night of Game 1, Hansen and Swift appeared in the front row of the American Airlines Arena.

Their presence also drew cheers from the audience.

Swift was now hugely popular across America, a top celebrity; Hansen, having gone through the playoffs, was also formally in the star circle.

They were now considered a match made in heaven.

Before the warm-up for the game, Hansen went to chat with Nowitzki and asked about his finger injury.

Nowitzki was wearing a specially made finger guard.

"I don’t shoot with my left hand anyway," Nowitzki said with an optimistic attitude.

Hansen could only wish Nowitzki good luck.

Even though Nowitzki was not a lefty, for a shooter, an injured guide hand would inevitably affect his touch.

After talking with Nowitzki, Hansen returned to his seat, and the game started soon after.

Indeed, once the game started, Nowitzki’s shooting touch noticeably suffered, missing consecutive shots early on.

The Heat seized the opportunity to launch a streak of defensive counterattacks, gaining an advantage early in the starting period.

Watching the situation on the court, Hansen couldn’t help but remark that Spoelstra really was a highly competent coach.

This level of play could not be achieved by the same Heat team that had faced the Grizzlies in the regular season.

However, the situation turned around after the Mavericks’ bench came in.

That group of Mavericks’ substitutes was truly strong.

Especially O’Neal and Baria; one was big, the other was fast, and the Heat didn’t have many answers.

So the game was playing out very much like a replay of the previous Grizzlies versus Thunders match.