Why Should I?

Han Sen got a chance for an additional free throw, and both teams made substitutions. For the Cavaliers, James was subbed back in.

This time, after James returned to the court, the Cavs began to gain the upper hand.

Even after both teams' main players returned to the game, this momentum was maintained.

Ultimately, the Cavaliers defeated the Celtics with a score of 95-89, securing the victory.

The Celtics had seriously misjudged Han Sen's abilities tonight, which left them in a very passive position.

Han had outstanding dynamic and static talents and could shoot from the perimeter. It wasn't easy to design a defensive strategy to contain him in such a short time.

Once Han demonstrated his strong ball-handling and isolation ability, the Celtics found themselves in a defensive dilemma.

If they continued to focus all their defensive resources on James as they did at the beginning, they wouldn't be able to stop Han Sen. But if they shifted their resources to target Han, they couldn't contain James.

Tony Allen was great, but since he had no offensive ability, the Celtics couldn't use him much during crucial moments.

In the end, the Celtics chose to stick with their original defensive strategy, and Han Sen's excellent performance helped the Cavaliers win the game.

The post-game stats showed James went 7-for-18 from the field, scoring 22 points, with 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 turnovers— almost a quadruple-double.

Han Sen, on the other hand, went 9-for-14, made 3 of 5 three-pointers, and hit 4 of 6 free throws, finishing with 25 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals— a new career-high in scoring.

This outstanding performance earned him another chance to attend the post-game press conference.

Boston was a special place, and although Windhorst was present, he didn't get the first question.

Naturally, the reporters focused their initial questions on Han Sen.

Han felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

His excellent performance tonight wasn't due to James' trust— several of James' turnovers occurred because he'd rather turn the ball over than pass to Han Sen— nor was it because of any strategic plan by the team. Brown hadn't drawn up a single play for him. It was all because he seized every opportunity and fought for his success.

This feeling was even more satisfying than scoring 25 points or breaking a record.

Moreover, many local Boston reporters showed respect when asking Han Sen questions.

This respect was something he earned through his performance.

After several rounds of questioning, Windhorst finally got called upon.

And then, something unexpected happened again— this journalist, known to be James' personal mouthpiece, asked Han Sen another question.

"You and LeBron showed great chemistry. How would you evaluate LeBron's performance?"

Great chemistry? Your sister! 

This was another blatant lie, fooling fans who didn't watch the game.

But... was this another attempt to win him over?

Han Sen turned to glance at James.

James kept his gaze forward, not looking at him.

But as Han turned back, he noticed James making a seemingly casual head movement.

It seemed Han's judgment was correct.

If he were in James' shoes, after tonight's game, he'd also try to continue winning him over.

In James' career, the best perimeter players with ball-handling and isolation skills he had teamed up with were Ricky Davis, Larry Hughes, and now Mo Williams.

Among them, the only one with a consistent perimeter shot was Williams.

A perimeter player with a reliable outside shot, who could space the floor when James had the ball and create their own shot when James couldn't break through— this was exactly the type of partner James wanted most.

This even included Kyrie Irving, James' "dream teammate", who was still playing at Montclair Kimberley Academy.

Not to mention, Han Sen also had excellent defensive skills.

Although Han's overall skill set couldn't yet match any of those mentioned, he had only been playing in the NBA for less than two months.

A voice inside Han urged him to say something nice to ease the tension between him and James. It wouldn't be groveling; it would just be for the sake of team unity.

However, at the same time, memories from the depths of his soul surged, reminding him that once you bow down, you can never stand up again.

This memory came from Anthony Davis.

But what Han Sen was thinking at this moment was: Why should I?

Yes, why?

Why should I, after such a targeted game, be the one to reconcile with the person who targeted me?

Should I manipulate myself into thinking this is some kind of high-level test from James?

'Congratulations, challenger, you've passed the test. I now formally announce that you're one of us.'

He couldn't do it!

And there was no need to.

He was a traveler from another world, someone who possessed a system. If this were a novel, he would be the protagonist.

Have you ever seen a protagonist compromise with someone who targets them?

And if this were a game world, James would just be a boss in his path to leveling up.

Although this boss might seem powerful at the moment, in the end, he would still be slain.

"LeBron did what he had to do," He finally replied.

He didn't attack James, despite how poorly James played under the Celtics' pressure or how annoyed he was by Windhorst's question. Few people would attack their teammates in such a setting.

In strict terms, his response was empty.

But it was enough to show his stance— he wasn't interested in making peace.

Moreover, he was prepared to lose his starting position again.

After all, it wouldn't be the first time they'd done that to him.

But he wanted to see if Brown could withstand the pressure and keep his job as the Cavaliers' head coach if Han Sen continued to allow Khalil to publish critical articles.

After the game against the Celtics, Han returned to Cleveland with the team.

When he arrived, Thomas was already waiting for him in Cleveland.

Thomas had already communicated with the team's general manager, Ferry. Over the next period, Han Sen would be very busy.

He would need to participate in the team's promotional events and also discuss endorsement deals with several major local brands to increase his influence in Cleveland.

Clearly, this was a reward he earned with his outstanding performance against the Celtics.

Sure enough, when you become stronger, many things come to you without having to ask.

Moreover, his "hater value" had skyrocketed in recent days.

Did his stellar performance win over the Boston fans?

Wake up, this is Boston!

Kobe Bryant didn't earn applause from Boston fans until his retirement; he was nowhere near that level after one game.

On the contrary, after the game, the local Boston media reported on his "insult to white people," including his arrogant behavior at TD Garden. He was now on Boston's blacklist.

In recent news, many local restaurants in Boston even had added him to their "banned" list.

However, none of this affected Han Sen's mood. Instead, it made him look forward to his next game against the Celtics.

The "hater value" generated from this matchup was much higher than from any other game.

He had previously worried about the cap on individual hater value and feared that the increase in new haters would be too slow. Now it seemed his concerns were unfounded.

After all, he hadn't even tapped into the largest fanbase in the NBA yet.

On December 25th, the annual Christmas game, the Cavaliers were one of the featured teams.

The other featured team was the defending champion, led by Kobe Bryant— the Los Angeles Lakers.