Unattainable Love.

Reddick was definitely the most unfortunate person tonight. After suffering the humiliation between his legs and choosing to endure it, Han Sen showed no signs of letting him off.

In the next round, Han pressured Reddick into stopping the ball, then directly stole it. Reddick tried to shield the ball, but not only did he fail, he was also pulled down to the ground.

Han's posture made it seem like he was about to tear Reddick apart.

Fortunately for Reddick, a belated whistle saved him as the referee called for a jump ball.

Boos erupted from the crowd. Han had already gained control of the ball and was about to go for a fast break when the referee's whistle finally sounded.

But behind the boos was their growing admiration for Han, the rookie.

The fans didn't know the backstory between the players on the court. They only saw a rookie playing with intense effort, and they loved it.

In fact, it wasn't just the fans who were captivated by Han's energy.

Han Sen won the jump ball against Reddick, giving the Cavaliers the final offensive opportunity of the quarter.

West once again called for a three-point play from the shooting guard position.

Han Sen used the screen to get open, but this time Reddick fought hard to push through and maintain his defensive position.

Reddick was the 11th overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2006 draft. As a lottery pick, he had never performed up to expectations. Last season was his peak, but he averaged only 6 points per game. This season, being a contract year, and getting humiliated like this in the first game, he was likely on his way out of the NBA.

So, he had to show some improvement, even in areas he wasn't strong in, like defense.

Han ignored Reddick, caught the ball, jumped, and shot a three.

After running around the court and dunking twice, Han Sen's hands were on fire.

Seeing this, Reddick leapt up to contest the shot.

But the difference in height and physical ability, along with the Cavaliers' regular three-point practice, made Reddick's contest meaningless.

Swish!

The crisp sound echoed through the arena as Han Sen nailed his first career three-pointer (not including pre-season).

At the same time, the LED scoreboard in the arena displayed Han Sen's stats for the night.

2 minutes and 58 seconds on the court, 4 shots, 3 made, 7 points.

This scoring efficiency was explosive.

After scoring, Han Sen raised his hand in a three-point celebration and, as he turned, shouted toward the Magic's bench:

"Are you guys even guarding me? How many times are u gonna let me score??"

The thrill of playing the game was real, but so was his collection of haters.

The Magic players' faces turned pale, especially head coach Stan Van Gundy, who looked visibly upset.

A rookie daring to be so arrogant!

Satisfied with his rising number of haters, Han Sen spread his hands toward the Magic bench with a smirk.

The Magic failed to convert on their final possession, and the first quarter ended with the score at 28–31.

Thanks to Han Sen's 7 points at the end of the quarter, the Cavaliers had turned the game around.

"Are you telling me this guy is a rookie?"

"They traded just J.J. Hickson for him? This has to be the best trade they've made in the past decade!"

Tonight's commentators were TNT's dynamic duo, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, and Barkley was already singing Han Sen's praises.

Although it had been over half a year, Barkley still vividly remembered when Han Sen, self-proclaimed as the best shooter in the NCAA, had recommended himself to him.

As Han came off the court, Coach Malone discreetly gave him a thumbs up.

Just as he had thought, Malone fully supported starting Han Sen. Whether paired with LeBron James or Shaquille O'Neal, Han Sen's fit was perfect.

But ultimately, it was LeBron's opinion that had the final say.

Still, Han's performance was exceeding all expectations.

As the second quarter began, both teams made substitutions. The Magic swapped out Reddick for Vince Carter, while the Cavaliers brought in O'Neal and Cunningham to replace Varejao and Ilgauskas.

Coach Brown wasn't about to go against LeBron's wishes, but he didn't have anything against Han Sen either.

No defensive coach would dislike a player with good defense.

Besides, in the pre-season, Han and O'Neal had shown great chemistry, so Brown subbed out O'Neal earlier in the first quarter to ensure they'd play together now.

The Cavaliers had possession, and West lobbed the ball inside to O'Neal. O'Neal posted up Gortat, then turned and scored off the glass.

The Magic didn't double-team O'Neal on that possession— not because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't.

Of the four other Cavaliers on the court, three were reliable perimeter shooters, and the only inconsistent one, Moon, was positioned in the weak-side corner. Pietrus couldn't possibly help from across the court.

After the basket, O'Neal smiled and pointed at West, clearly delighted. It was probably the happiest he had been since joining the Cavaliers.

And with that score, the Cavaliers had cut the deficit to just one point.

…

In Memphis, at the FedEx Forum.

Wallace was discussing Allen Iverson's situation with his assistant.

Signing Iverson had been an important move for the team in the summer. Along with acquiring Zach Randolph from the Clippers, the Grizzlies were aiming for the playoffs this season.

But Iverson's insistence on starting was creating a dilemma for them.

"Isn't there a Cavaliers game tonight?" Wallace suddenly remembered.

The assistant nodded.

At that, Wallace put aside his work, sent his assistant off, and opened his laptop to watch the live stream.

…

"Kid, you're too arrogant."

On the Magic's possession, Carter held the ball in one hand, facing Han Sen, speaking in a condescending tone.

After all, he had just trash-talked the entire Magic bench— it was hard to let that go.

"I'm already holding back a lot," Han replied with a smile.

There were only a few guys on the Magic's bench, and without a chance to make headlines at a press conference, Han wasn't interested in the small number of haters.

Carter's face instantly darkened. He had seen it all over the years, but he had never encountered such a cocky rookie.

Tonight, he had to teach him a lesson!

He signaled for everyone to clear out.

The Magic had traded for Carter to solve their perimeter isolation issues, and once he waved, the strong-side players immediately cut along the baseline, giving him plenty of space to operate.

Han Sen, however, remained calm.

If he were facing Kobe, Wade, or even Durant, he might feel a bit of pressure.

But at this point in his career, Carter wasn't in the same league.

Although Carter had once been the face of the league, after several ankle injuries caused by Bruce Bowen's dirty plays, he had fallen from superstardom to being just an All-Star. With age further eroding his explosiveness, he had devolved into a secondary star reliant on perimeter shooting. That's why the Nets had traded him.

Of course, just because Han Sen disrespected Carter mentally didn't mean he would underestimate him on the court.

In fact, after their brief exchange of trash talk, he focused entirely.

Dominating Reddick didn't mean much— any capable player could do that— but if he could hold his own against Carter, he wouldn't just win the trust of the Cavaliers' coaching staff; he'd win the respect of over 20,000 Cleveland fans in the arena.

To become famous, you had to make a name for yourself.

Carter dribbled, and Han immediately pressed up on him.

Carter was the least versatile scorer among the "Big Four Shooting Guards." His post-up game was weak, and his mid-range shooting was inconsistent. He excelled at driving and three-point shooting.

Now that his explosiveness had waned, Han's focus was on defending his three-point attempts.

Carter chose to drive right.

His first step was long, which was his signature move on drives.

However, Han didn't let him get by. Though playing tight, Han Sen had been prepared with side steps and kept up with him.

Failing to break free with his first step, Carter's driving threat plummeted.

Realizing he couldn't shake Han, Carter opted for a step-back jumper from mid-range.

Carter's ball handling was often underrated, and this time he successfully created some space for the shot.

But Han reacted quickly, jumping almost in sync with Carter, providing strong defensive pressure.

Clang!

Carter's shot bounced off the rim.

The ball, however, went straight into Gortat's hands, who grabbed the rebound and passed it back outside to Williams. The Magic retained possession.

"You can try again," Han said with a friendly reminder to Carter.

A rush of blood surged to Carter's head.

Han wasn't taking him seriously at all!

Carter leaned his back into Han, signaling for the ball.

This time, he went for a post-up.

He intended to use his physicality to bully Han Sen.

But he soon realized that Han's strength was far greater than he had anticipated.

After two attempts to back him down, not only had Carter failed to make any progress, but Han had actually pushed him further out.

The crowd began to whistle mockingly.

Carter ultimately decided to pull up from the free-throw line with a fadeaway jumper.

Han anticipated his move perfectly, lunging forward early.

Carter still managed to shoot, but this time the ball was clearly deflected.

Block!

The Cavaliers' in-house announcer, Ahmaya, excitedly shouted, igniting the crowd.

Shaquille O'Neal recovered the loose ball.

As for Han Sen, he raised his hand toward the Magic bench again, showing three fingers.

"If I block you three times in a row, how about you sit out the rest of the game?"

Han Sen's taunt was like rubbing salt to his wound. Carter was thoroughly rattled.

…

Watching Han Sen dominate, Wallace felt both excited and emotional.

First showing his offensive skills, then his defensive prowess— his performance was a perfect match for all the effort he'd put into the draft.

In fact, after the summer league this year, Wallace had approached Ferry again, increasing his offer in an attempt to trade for Han Sen.

However, since Han was personally requested by LeBron, Ferry ultimately declined his offer.

Now, with such a brilliant debut, the Cavaliers were even less likely to trade him.

This truly was... an unattainable love!