Professional Alignment.  

The Cavaliers' first opponent in the Summer League was the Lakers. The Lakers were one of the few teams in the tournament that had an even weaker lineup than the Cavaliers.

As the defending champions, the Lakers had a stable roster and no room to develop new rookies, having traded their first-round pick to the Knicks this year.

The only somewhat notable player on the Lakers' Summer League roster was Adam Morrison, the third overall pick in the 2006 draft. Morrison was the first player Michael Jordan picked after becoming a part-owner of the Bobcats, and his playstyle was modeled after Larry Bird.

In his rookie year, Morrison averaged 11.8 points on 37.6% shooting. In his second season, his numbers dropped to 4.5 points on 36% shooting. After being traded to the Lakers last season, his stats plummeted further, averaging just 1.3 points per game.

Having played three seasons in the NBA and still participating in the Summer League, Morrison's long hair was likely more memorable than his basketball skills.

Despite the matchup between two weak teams, the 3,000-seat arena was packed to capacity. A large number of media reporters were also in attendance. Anyone unfamiliar with the situation might have thought they'd mistaken the Lakers for the Clippers, whose number-one draft pick, Blake Griffin, was a highlight reel of powerful dunks and was extremely popular.

During warm-ups, the camera stayed focused on Han Sen, drawing waves of boos from the crowd. Han Sen's "popularity" in this Summer League rivaled that of a number-one draft pick.

Michael Malone, standing on the sidelines, could only shake his head. He had heard about Han Sen's bold words at the press conference. But now, seeing him laughing and chatting with his teammates on the court, completely unaffected, Malone found him even more puzzling, especially after their conversation on the plane.

The Summer League doesn't have any opening ceremonies. After the warm-up, the starters immediately took the court.

The Cavaliers started with possession. Cunningham, catching the ball at the high post, made a quick move, stopped on a dime, and swished a jump shot. The power forward from Villanova was technically sound. If not for his barefoot height being just about 2 meters, he wouldn't have fallen to the 30th pick in the first round.

After five minutes of play, the Cavaliers led 12–8, with Cunningham scoring 8 points, although he had already committed two fouls. Luckily, the Summer League allows for 10 fouls before fouling out.

As for Hansen, he had only registered one assist and no other stats. It wasn't that he was purposely trying to generate [hater points], but rather that he was still adjusting to the intensity of the game.

NBA scouts may sometimes misjudge a player, but their reports are generally professional. One critique of Han Sen during his NCAA career was his "lack of high-level competition." The intensity of this Summer League game, outside of the tactics, exceeded even that of the NCAA Division I league.

Expecting Hansen to dominate right out of the gate as he did at Barry University was unrealistic.

"Am I seeing things? Is number 77 even on the court?" 

"If he retires now, he could replace Charles Barkley on TNT." 

"You're right. At least he's got the looks of a 'pretty boy'."

Even the Summer League had commentators, and the two in the booth had already begun making jokes.

Sensing an opportunity, Morrison knew why the arena was packed tonight, and he could see that Han Sen was struggling to adjust to the game's intensity. If he could capitalize on this, he might regain some of the spotlight.

When the ball was passed to Morrison, he didn't take an immediate shot. Instead, he called for a pick-and-roll, maneuvering Han Sen right in front of him. As Han Sen appeared before him, the crowd erupted in mocking whistles.

Everyone in the building wanted to see Han Sen embarrass himself, and Morrison was giving them just that.

When Han saw Morrison, he felt a twinge of sentiment. He was very familiar with him, not because of memories from his past life, but because they had both played for Gonzaga University.

Although they hadn't crossed paths— 'Hansen' joined Gonzaga in 2006, the same year Morrison entered the NBA— Morrison was a legendary figure at Gonzaga, having averaged 28.1 points per game in his junior year, leading the NCAA in scoring.

What made Morrison's feat even more remarkable was that he had achieved it as a diabetic. This wasn't meant as an insult but as a sign of respect. In competitive sports, diabetes is a serious condition, but Morrison had still reached incredible heights.

Hansen respected Morrison, but not enough to sacrifice himself for Morrison's redemption. On the contrary, seeing Morrison's choice of play, he felt this was the perfect moment.

Morrison initiated his attack, full of deceptive moves. Although modeled after Bird, his style was more akin to Paul Pierce.

However, none of his fakes worked. Hansen was quick on his feet, with fast reactions, and he didn't gamble for steals. Realizing he couldn't trick Han Sen, Morrison opted for a post-up and fadeaway, his signature move.

Jumping into the air, the crowd gasped as Morrison took the shot. With his retro hairstyle, for a split second, Morrison did look a little like Larry Bird.

Smack!

But the next moment, Han Sen swatted Morrison's shot out of bounds. The gasps turned into stunned silence. Morrison's athleticism was severely lacking, and his vertical couldn't support the steep angle required for the fadeaway.

"You picked the wrong guy," he said to Morrison, offering a bit of advice. 

But Morrison heard it as trash talk. When the ball was inbounded, he once again drove at Han Sen, this time more decisively. After a fake at the free-throw line, he stepped forward toward the basket. 

Smack!

Once again, Han Sen swatted his shot out of bounds. The crowd was shocked— Morrison was blocked twice in one possession! 

Though Morrison wasn't considered a successful NBA player, he had still played three years in the league! 

"I told you, you picked the wrong guy," Han Sen reminded him.

Morrison's game resembled Pierce's, but he lacked Pierce's strength and upper body power. Against an athletic defender like Han Sen, his fakes were useless.

The Lakers' possession ended in failure, and on the next play, Han Sen used a screen from Cunningham to hit a three-pointer, scoring his first points of the Summer League.

The intensity of the game, Han Sen realized, was a blend of skill, strategy, and how the referees called it. After five minutes of play, Han had adjusted to the officiating, which allowed him to avoid the foul trouble Cunningham was facing and play effectively on defense.

Han Sen also noted that the Summer League wasn't very tactical, so simple plays could easily create scoring opportunities, giving him a solid foundation for his offense.

As the crowd's murmurs grew louder, his presence on the court intensified. His defense was particularly suffocating, applying pressure not just to his matchup but through constant help defense as well.

The Lakers, already a weak team, fell into a long scoring drought. Watching this, Malone couldn't have been happier.

Ever since Mike Brown became the Cavaliers' head coach, the team had turned into a defense-first squad. That defense had taken them to the 2007 NBA Finals. Last season, they had the league's lowest points allowed, at 91.6 per game.

For a player to get opportunities on the Cavaliers, they had to be strong on defense. Han Sen, an unproven rookie, was showing he could do just that from the perimeter.

At this point, Malone didn't mind if Han Sen was a bit of a loudmouth because the Cavaliers desperately needed players like him!