The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 638 - 309: 2015-2016 Season Ends_2

Chapter 638: Chapter 309: 2015-2016 Season Ends_2

The Raptors followed closely behind the Cavaliers with 56 wins, ranking third, with DeRozan and Lowry both delivering the best seasons of their careers.

The Celtics secured the fourth spot with 50 wins, surging into the top half of The East with a string of consecutive victories.

Following them, the Hawks and the Hornets both ended up with 48 wins, ranking fifth and sixth respectively.

The Pacers claimed the seventh spot with 47 wins and would face off against the Cavaliers in the first round.

The final spot in The East went to the Pistons with 44 wins, after they emerged victorious in a crucial game against the Bulls.

The Bulls, on the other hand, had their worst season in recent years, ending with just 42 wins, a record that would have been enough to secure a playoff spot in The West.

The injury to Noah left their frontcourt looking highly unstable, and even though Ross played in 66 games this season, he was no longer the miraculous "Windy City Rose," and thus, could not push the Bulls any further.

Facing the Pacers in the first round was an outcome Hansen hadn’t anticipated.

The Pacers started the season welcoming back George and also signed Monta Ellis from the Mavericks, who had performed well last season. Their early games were promising.

The reason they ended up here, besides The East being more competitive than previous years, had its origins in a "who gets in the hole first" incident.

In the "history" known to Hansen, there was an event involving supermodel Eliza Jane and seven The Suns players playing ball together.

It is not uncommon for players to search for women off the court to play ball with.

For them, it’s akin to grabbing a fast food meal together after busy work.

However, when they’re eyeing the same "playmate," the inevitable question arises: "who gets in the hole first."

George and Hibbert encountered this problem.

One was the team’s more esteemed leader, while the other was a towering giant from Dick University; neither was willing to back down, eventually leading to a fistfight.

As a result, Hibbert, who was already performing poorly due to new rules, averaged just 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks this season.

George, despite averaging a career-high 23.1 points, also suffered a career-low shooting percentage of 41.8%.

In truth, if Hansen were to weigh in on the matter, he’d think it should have been George who went first.

It’s not about status within the team, but rather, if they had gone sequentially, both could have had an experience.

Returning to the Pacers, despite some internal issues, their defensive strength was formidable and their overall capability was no worse than last year’s Bulls team.

In such a competitive season, they would be an opponent capable of inspiring the Cavaliers to elevate their game, and also allowed for a comparison with the previous season to see how this year’s strength had changed.

Before the season commenced, the League announced the season awards for the last time during the playoffs.

As usual, the first batch of awards revealed were Coach of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Sixth Man of the Year.

The Coach of the Year was a no-brainer – Cole, who missed out last season, received it this time around.

The Most Improved Player went to CJ McCollum of the Blazers.

The Blazers’ playoff berth this season, despite losing several key players, was largely due to McCollum’s exceptional performance, in addition to The West’s overall decline in strength. From an average of 6.8 points last season, he now averages 20.8 points, becoming Lillard’s right-hand man.

The Sixth Man of the Year was a surprise—going to Jokić!

Honestly, Hansen hadn’t seen this coming at all.

But on reflection, it made sense, as Jokić only secured a starting spot in the second half of the season, having started merely 23 games; he met the criteria for the Sixth Man award.

And the final voting for this year’s Sixth Man was interesting.

Jokić was elected with 29.5% of the vote, closely followed by Iguodala with 24.62%.

As a comparison, this season Iguodala averaged 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1 steal, which falls short of Jokić’s performance.

The day before the playoffs kicked off, the Cavaliers were training at home, relaxed and prepared.

When Jokić groggily arrived at the Breakfast Club, and Conningham congratulated him, he was utterly bewildered.

He probably had no clue about the award.

And his first reaction upon learning about his win was so absurd it nearly made Hansen choke on his meal.

"Uh... is there a prize money?"

The guy must have thought that, after following Hansen to the dunk contest and winning some cash, all NBA awards should come with a payout.

The answer, of course, was no.

But, you could also say there was.

Because receiving these honors meant enhancing one’s fame, and fame meant endorsements, which brought in far more money than just tens of thousands of US Dollars.

"The playoffs come with a bonus," Hansen informed Jokic at that moment.

Jokic’s eyes, previously a bit unfocused, suddenly lit up.

Hansen wasn’t bluffing—the NBA indeed had playoff bonuses, with each round bringing a cash reward.

For example, the team that would ultimately win the championship this year would receive a bonus amounting to 2.46 million US Dollars.

Although this bonus would have to be divided among the team and the coaching staff and allocated according to contribution,

without a doubt, if they were to win the championship, Jokic’s share would certainly be much more than 50,000 US Dollars.

"I’m full."

Not long after, Jokic was the first to stand up and then prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Conningham asked, filled with curiosity.

"I’m going to practice extra," Jokic said as he turned his head, "For the bonus!"

Conningham smacked his forehead, while Hansen couldn’t help but laugh.

Why are workers indifferent? Why do they like clocking in and out on time? Is it because they’re not proactive at work?

No, at its root, it’s because they’re not paid enough.

If a company clearly defines performance-linked bonuses, then treating "the company as my own" is a common occurrence.

Just like salespeople in various industries.

The Cavaliers’ routine public practice was in the morning, and the Pacers arrived in the afternoon.

When the Cavaliers finished training and came out, they just happened to see the Pacers’ bus parking in the parking lot.

As Hansen was preparing to leave, someone called out to him; then, they ran over to greet him.

Tony Allen, Hansen’s backup during his Grizzlies tenure, also had a good off-court relationship with him. This year, they would be directly opposing each other on the court.

While chatting, Hansen felt another gaze on him; he turned his head and saw it was Paul George.

From that gaze, Hansen could feel an intense fighting spirit.

This look had taken Hansen by surprise.

The summer George entered the league was the same summer Hansen went to The West.

And when Hansen came back to The East, George had just suffered a leg fracture.

So before this season, their number of on-court confrontations was actually very limited.

But now, looking back, George had played very hard during the games against the Pacers this season, and his performance was good, too.

It seemed, just like Irving facing James, George was also triggered by some passive attributes when playing against him.

However, unlike Irving and James, there was no off-court conflict between them.

So if you had to say those attributes came from somewhere, it was probably like Hansen’s challenge to Kobe; it was the challenge from a younger player.

This was somewhat at odds with the George that Hansen remembered.

Because what left the deepest impression on Hansen about George was his specifiying his next team during his contract year.

But maybe "history" had started developing in a different direction the moment Hansen returned to Cleveland.

George, Derozan, the frustration they felt back then in The East was largely due to James continuously forming The Big Three teams.

When someone keeps succeeding by taking shortcuts and you, as a "victim," remain indifferent, that’s not being tough; it’s being foolish.

After all, why should they be allowed to form a super team and not me?

But now, with James still wandering, the Georges may not make the same choices as they did in "history."

They want to beat Hansen, just like they once wanted to beat Jordan. That has always been the spirit of the NBA.