The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 617 - 301

Chapter 617: 301

But Jokic was the joker with a shocked face.

He didn’t like working overtime, but this time he wished he had more of it.

Jokic shined against the Spurs, making it look like he had a chance to compete with Towns for this year’s Rookie of the Year.

Even some fans exaggeratedly claimed that the Cavaliers already had "The Big Three."

But just a few days later, Jokic hit his "rookie wall."

Unlike Hansen when he first started, Jokic was now a player with very obvious strengths and weaknesses.

Previously, because he played as a substitute, opponents didn’t pay much attention to him, but after his brilliant performance against the Spurs, it was hard for opponents not to target him.

And this targeting was straightforward and aggressive, just like he encountered against the Spurs: Jokic was frequently singled out by opponents on defense, and his efforts to improve defense led him into foul trouble.

Foul trouble led to reduced playing time, which caused significant issues in his offensive performance.

After several games, Malone had no choice but to bench Jokic again.

The highs and lows of life are always thrilling, but fortunately, Jokic’s mentality was stable enough that he actually performed better after returning to the bench.

In the game against the Timberwolves, although he still committed 5 fouls and only played for 25 minutes, he managed to score 19 points, grab 6 rebounds, and dish out 4 assists.

Like O’Neal said, defense was what Jokic lacked the most; as long as he steadily improved, his success was just a matter of time.

The Cavaliers were not in a hurry with him; their core framework still revolved around Hansen and Irving, with Irving’s growth bolstering their capability to compete with the Heat and the Lakers.

Time had moved on to late December, and the stage was nearly set for the Cavaliers and Lakers’ Christmas showdown.

Over the past month, the League had pulled out all stops to promote this game.

Besides the Christmas showdown element, there was another key point: the Warriors’ record was astonishingly good so far.

After losing the opener to the Cavaliers, the Warriors then went on a staggering 21-game winning streak!

This included a direct clash with the Lakers.

Now, with a 24-2 record, the Warriors looked down upon the entire League and were another team, following the 2012-2013 Heat, that had a chance to reach 70 wins and challenge the Bulls’ historic 72-win record.

Such performance was hard for the outside world to ignore.

This season Silva clearly aimed to spotlight the Lakers in The West, so under these circumstances, he would inevitably ramp up the promotion for the Christmas showdown.

Or to say, if the Stern era was dedicated to crafting a 23 vs. 24 narrative, then Silva this season was aiming for 77 vs. 23+24.

This year’s Christmas showdown was set to take place on the Lakers’ home court.

Since the weather was nice, the Cavaliers, unlike the Lakers the previous year, were not flying to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve but planned to fly out early on the game day instead.

This schedule also allowed players to spend Christmas Eve with their families.

Although most of their families were not in Cleveland, as long as they could catch a flight to Los Angeles the next morning and join the team’s scheduled training, it was fine.

Of course, not all players would choose to do that.

For example, Jokic didn’t celebrate Christmas in Serbia, just like at East University, so naturally, there was no talk of Christmas Eve for him either.

On Christmas Eve morning, the Cavaliers went through their final practice before the Christmas showdown.

After the practice ended, the players returned to the locker room chatting and laughing.

Christmas is like the Spring Festival for Americans, and it is very joyful to reunite with their families during the festival.

However, just then, Hansen noticed that Powell’s mood seemed quite downcast.

His demeanor was a bit unusual.

Being a Californian, Powell could have flown back early to spend Christmas with his family, then meet up with the team the following morning.

Hansen turned and asked Conningham, who was nearby, and learned what had happened.

It turned out that that morning, Powell received a notice that he was being sent down to the development league; there was a game tomorrow, and he had to report in the afternoon.

Powell didn’t get much playtime with the Cavaliers, so it made sense for him to get experience in the development league.

It was just that the timing was a bit cruel, as this arrangement meant he wouldn’t have the chance to spend Christmas with his family.

Before long, the players had all trickled out, and Hansen was also preparing to leave.

However, he noticed that Powell was still there with his head down, not yet having left.

Hansen remembered his own experiences during the training camp and stood up to walk over to him.

Powell looked up.

It was then that Hansen realized Powell had been crying.

Seeing Hansen, Powell seemed to finally find someone to confide in and asked in a hoarse voice, "Why did they have to send me down today?"

He had worked hard to make it to the NBA, trained relentlessly, and now he didn’t even have the chance to spend Christmas with his family. What was the point of all his efforts?

Perhaps at that moment, he felt full of resentment towards the whole world.

Hansen didn’t know how to comfort the young man, but this was the treatment for a fringe player; no one would consider so much for you.

He could only advise, "Norman, if you don’t think you belong there, then prove it to them."

Hansen’s words were simple, but they made Powell pause.

The player in the game often loses perspective, while the spectator sees things clearly. Anger or crying wouldn’t solve anything. After all, he was just a second-round pick who could be discarded at any moment.

All he could do was what Hansen said, to go to the development league and prove he didn’t belong there.

After taking a deep breath, Powell wiped away his tears.

"Thank you, boss."

Hansen didn’t expect that a few words from him would restore Powell’s confidence. Perhaps, just like what he had felt initially, Powell was indeed a good young man who just needed a bit of encouragement.

In the end, he reached out to pat Powell on the shoulder and told him to keep it up.

Hansen invited Jokic to spend Christmas at his home.

It wasn’t favoritism, but rather in return for a Christmas gift suggestion that had worked wonders.

He had chosen a Bengal Leopard Cat as a Christmas gift for Ajalee, and as a result, that night, Ajalee had turned into a little wildcat.

Actually, to be more precise, the invitation was for Jokic and his girlfriend.

His girlfriend’s name was Natalia Mesic, who had come to the United States before Jokic and was now a sophomore at Seminole State College.

So, in a sense, Jokic coming to the NBA was also to be with his girlfriend.

Jokic’s eyes widened when he arrived at the gates of Hansen’s house—or more accurately, the manor.

The two 7s on the iron gates on either side represented Hansen’s jersey number 77.

Once inside, the property boasted seven buildings, as well as an outdoor pool, basketball court, tennis court, golf course, and even an outdoor helipad.

It was fitting for a home bought by Hansen, who spent over twenty million and more than a year rebuilding it, emphasizing personal flair with a healthy dose of extravagance.

Jokic spent the whole time staring around wide-eyed, his expression even more exaggerated than Hansen’s when he first visited O’Neal’s mansion.

After finishing the Christmas feast, Ajalee was teaching Natalia yoga, while Hansen and Jokic sat next to the dining table, drinking and chatting.

"Boss, you really make people envious," Jokic said, much more directly than Hansen had been.

With a max contract, living in a mansion, being a league superstar, and even having a rich, beautiful girlfriend—though his wealth couldn’t compare to that of a top billionaire, his job was just playing ball, and in terms of quality of life, he was unparalleled.

"One day, you’ll have it too," said Hansen with a smile.

Even if Jokic hadn’t come to Cleveland but went to Denver instead, he would still become the league’s number one in "history."

Unexpectedly, Jokic shook his head:

"I just want to earn enough money one day, then live in our hometown with Natalia, occasionally go to horse races, that would be the happiest thing for me."

—Divider—

①: The data is referenced from Jokic’s actual game data on November 18, 2015, when the Nuggets played the Spurs.