Life Isn’t Always Fair.

He remembered that the Mavericks disbanded right after winning the championship.

One reason was the team's age; even if they kept the original roster, it would have been difficult to defend the title.

The other reason was related to salary issues.

Even though Cuban was willing to invest in the team, there were still limits to everything.

This was also tied to the lockout that year. When it ended, the new agreement introduced a new luxury tax system.

In simple terms, the old system fined teams by a set amount based on how much they exceeded the cap, but under the new rules, the fines increased progressively, nearly doubling in some cases.①

Oh, and he remembered another reason why Cuban didn't keep the roster together: he was eyeing the 2012 free-agent market, where both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams might become available.

So, was this Cuban making empty promises to the players before the new deal was finalized? Or was it just wishful thinking on the players' part?

Han Sen thought it was more likely the latter. Even if the new labor agreement hadn't been reached yet, an owner like Cuban would have had a pretty good idea of where things were headed.

After finishing his call with West, Grover showed up, and they quickly got to training.

By the time he was completely exhausted, Han Sen sat down on the sidelines to rest.

He picked up his phone and saw a missed call and a message from Shaq.

Opening the message, it was a thank-you note, and Shaq mentioned wanting to invite him to a yacht party over the summer.

He was genuinely grateful. Without him, Shaq wouldn't have secured his fifth championship.

Han called Shaq back, and they chatted for a while.

During the call, Shaq also confirmed his plan to play one more year.

Shaq's contract with the Mavericks was for two years, with a player option for the second year.

Even though Shaq was dealing with numerous injuries, having Chandler to hold down the front lines made it easier for him to come off the bench.

"Don't rush it. You're only in your third year. Michael hadn't even made it past the first round in his third year," Grover consoled Han Sen.

Han just smiled without responding.

But Kobe won a championship in his fourth year, and as for Jordan, that's just grinding on a bad team.

"Tim, do you think the Mavericks will keep their current roster?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

Grover's answer surprised Han Sen, and his explanation made him realize some "history" was changing.

"Their biggest challenge in the playoffs came when facing you guys. A team like that deserves another shot."

In the "history" Han knew, the Mavericks had pulled off an upset to win the Finals.

But now, things were different. If you looked at the Mavericks' playoff journey this year: 4-1 against the Nuggets, 4-0 against the Lakers, 4-2 against the Grizzlies, and 4-1 against the Heat.

While it wasn't as dominant as the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, Grover's point was clear: the Mavericks had a chance to run it back.

And on top of that, the Mavericks achieved this while missing their starting shooting guard, Caron Butler.

Just like how Grizzlies fans were excited about Gay's return, the Mavericks with Butler back were worth watching too.

As for the luxury tax, it wasn't as exaggerated as it seemed. The key was Cuban's perspective.

So, was this a butterfly effect caused by his presence?

If that was the case, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him.

After all, losing to the Mavericks this year had left him with a bitter taste.

If the Mavericks disbanded, he wouldn't even have a shot at revenge.

But now, he did.

The thought of it instantly recharged Han Sen's exhausted body.

He called out to Grover to continue training.

That night was destined to be anything but ordinary.

While Han Sen and Grover were doing extra drills, social media was exploding.

Not everyone was rooting for the Mavericks to win, but them beating the peak Heat Big Three wasn't just inspiring—it was electrifying.

But amidst the celebration of the Mavericks' championship, the mockery of LeBron hit its peak this year.

It wasn't because of the infamous "taking my talents to South Beach" or other memes. It was because of what LeBron said at the post-game press conference.

A reporter asked him, "After losing in the Finals, a lot of people are happy. Does that bother you?"

"Not at all. At the end of the day, those people who want to see me fail, they'll wake up tomorrow and still have the same life they had today. They still have the same personal problems. I'll continue to live the way I want to and do the things I love. My family and I will still be happy. Those people might be happy for a few days or a few months because of my failure, but they have to go back to their own harsh reality."

That was LeBron's response, essentially turning his online critics into offline targets.

"When Michael lost to Detroit, he said: 'I got beat up, and I wanted to dull the pain. I wanted revenge.' When Kobe lost to Boston, he said: 'I'm the number one loser.' When Han lost to Dallas, he said, 'No one wants to face us next season.' When LeBron… what the hell did you just say?"

"I seriously don't know what's going on in LeBron's head. Was he taken over by aliens?"

"Is this surprising? Every other LeBron statement you've seen was written by his PR team. This time, they didn't have time to script it. This is his real thought process."

"See, this is why education is important. The league limiting high school players from entering the NBA was the right call."

"Come on, you guys are being too harsh. Miami lost because of chemistry issues. Do you really think the Mavericks can beat them again next year?"

"I'm not sure about Dallas, but I genuinely think Memphis can. They reached the Western Conference Finals without Gay, and their style counters Miami's. If they meet, the result could be insane."

"Hey guys, I found what Han said after losing to UNC back in his NCAA days: 'There are no eternal winners in this world. Most of the time, people are losers. Learning how to deal with failure is just as important as winning.' Now that's a real role model!"

"Alright, I'm switching to Team Han. This guy's just too cool. I'm off to buy a pair of UA shoes!"

But it wasn't just on social media.

Due to the time difference, when CCTV-5's sports news aired the next day, the host's remarks sent Chinese fans into a frenzy.

"Typically, the fourth quarter is the measure of a superstar, and in this regard, LeBron has faced endless criticism. When the most disappointed king still hasn't found his crown, shouldn't he be searching for Han Sen in the fourth quarter instead?"② 

When Han Sen woke up after training, he found his social media had gained tens of thousands of new followers overnight.

What the heck happened?

He opened his social media, pieced together the situation, and couldn't help but laugh at the CCTV broadcast.

Due to his past experience as LeBron's teammate, the fans naturally shifted from mocking LeBron to praising him, seamlessly switching gears.

But he wanted haters, not fans.

However, it was then that he remembered LeBron's infamous "The Decision."

If he pulled a similar stunt, he'd rack up enough hater points to get that dribbling upgrade.

With this thought, he opened his social media.

But then his hand paused.

No angle came to mind.

In the past, he could have just posted, "The Heat lost, but LeBron didn't." But this time, there wasn't a single thing to praise about LeBron's Finals performance.

After racking his brain, Han Sen finally managed to come up with something.

"LeBron is only 26 years old, and he's already been to the Finals twice. He deserves respect."

After posting that, Han Sen tossed his phone aside and went back to training. 

When he came back, he checked his hater system and saw that his hater points had increased a bit, but not much.

And when he reopened social media, he felt helpless.

"Look at what Han Sen said. That's what you call educated speech."

"If being a runner-up is an honor, should Baylor and The Logo be in the top ten of all time?"③

"Pat Riley, consider trading LeBron for Han. As a D-Wade fan, I just can't accept LeBron dragging him down like this."

"Wallace: Do I look like a fool?"

… 

Man, these people really aren't happy with their lives! 

But Han Sen also realized it was tough to get hater points off LeBron's situation right now.

Seeing this, Han Sen decided to play his trump card.

The next day, fans woke up to a bombshell on Han Sen's social media.

"I'm a better than LeBron!"

Classic Han Sen, but he went further. Under this post, he pinned a comment where 'someone' laid out his case in a very mathematical way:

Given:

1. The Heat are universally recognized as a stronger team than the Grizzlies.

2. Against the same opponent, the Mavericks, the Heat lost 1-4, while the Grizzlies lost 2-4.

3. In 5 games against the Mavericks, LeBron averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.7 steals. In 6 games against the Mavs, Han Sen averaged 28 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.2 steals.

Conclusion: Han Sen > LeBron.

It wasn't just social media. Right around the same time, Khalil published an article titled, "If You Replace LeBron with Han, the Heat Would Have Won the Championship," which added fuel to the fire.

This sparked a massive debate.

LeBron had started the season as the league's official number one player, while Han Sen was ranked outside the top 100.

There wasn't supposed to be any comparison between the two, but after this year's playoffs, it was hard to deny Han outplayed LeBron.

When Han Sen woke up and saw his hater points skyrocketing, he grinned.

"You're using one series to make this comparison? You're just hating for the sake of it. No matter how poorly LeBron plays, he's still way out of your league."

"A guy who couldn't even reach the Finals mocking a guy who did?"

"I'm done with this! Han's just a second-year player. He'd probably piss his pants in the Finals!"

"You have no idea how hard it is to perform under that kind of pressure. LeBron's struggles in the Finals were all because of the relentless media criticism."

"Always clout-chasing the King, huh? If you've got what it takes, make it to the Finals and beat the Heat! If not, shut up and sit down!"

"Even though I hate to admit it, if the Heat had Han this year, they probably would've won."

…

A few days later, the Mavericks held a massive victory parade.

Han Sen showed up—not to share in the joy of their championship but to reinforce his own hunger to win.

The streets of Dallas were packed. This was undoubtedly the most iconic day in the city's sports history.

Han felt a growing anticipation, hoping to bring a similar celebration to Memphis.

Like Dallas, Memphis was one of the few franchises still without a championship.

During the final speeches of the parade, Mark Cuban took the stage.

He talked about all the challenges the team faced over the past year, and then he closed with the team's new rallying cry:

"Let's do it again!"

This caught Han off guard but also confirmed what Grover had told him earlier.

Cuban really wanted another run.

This made Han even more excited for the new season.

…

The old CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) was set to expire on July 1st, but before that, the first major event of the 2011–2012 season had arrived: the 2011 NBA Draft, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

This draft was a signal of the transition to Brooklyn. Until the Nets' new arena was completed, the draft would be held at their current home.

After finishing last in the East and second-to-last in the entire league, the Cavaliers won the lottery and secured the number one pick.

The Timberwolves, who finished dead last, landed the second pick, while the Jazz got lucky with the third pick.

As for the Grizzlies, they finished last season with the eighth-best record in the league, giving them the 22nd pick.

Han Sen wasn't part of this year's draft, but it still had an impact on him.

Why? Because of the Cavaliers.

"Who will the Cavaliers pick?" was the most obvious question of this draft.

The overwhelming favorite to go first was Kyrie Irving.

Even though Irving only played 11 games in college, he averaged 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, shooting 59% from the field and 45% from three.

With a flashy playing style, elite handles, a reliable shot, and aesthetic offense, Irving was the perfect modern guard and the most marketable top pick since LeBron.

That's why, when Cavaliers GM Chris Grant was asked during the draft whether Han Sen's playoff performance made them feel they had missed out, he gave a firm response:

"No, because we already have our future."

Grant believed Irving could be a player like LeBron and lead the Cavaliers to a new era.

After finishing his workout, Han Sen caught up on the draft news.

When he saw Grant's comments, he felt nothing. Han knew better than anyone what kind of leader Irving would be.

He mainly paid attention to the Grizzlies' picks.

Besides the 22nd pick, the Grizzlies also had the 52nd pick.

There were no surprises with the 22nd pick: the Grizzlies selected Kenneth Faried, a power forward from Morehead State University.

As for the 52nd pick, the Grizzlies didn't make a selection but instead made a trade.

They sent Sam Young and the 52nd pick to Portland in exchange for center Joel Przybilla.

With Shane Battier likely staying next season, Young had no place on the team anymore, so his trade was expected.

By addressing both their frontcourt needs through the draft and a trade, it was clear the Grizzlies' front office had championship aspirations after last season's run to the Western Conference Finals.

—End of Chapter—

①: The 2011 CBA luxury tax: 1.5 times for amounts over $5M, 1.75 times for $5-10M, 2.5 times for $10-15M, 3.25 times for $15-20M, and an additional 0.5 times for every $5M above $20M.

If a team exceeds the tax threshold 4 times in 5 years, all rates increase by 1x. For instance, if the Lakers exceed the cap by $19M, they previously paid $19M. Under the new rules, it would be $44.68M or $64.58M if they trigger the repeater tax.

②: LeBron scored a total of 11 points in the 4th quarter over 5 Finals games. In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, Han scored 12 points in the 4th quarter alone.

③: Elgin Baylor and Jerry West hold the NBA record for the most runner-up finishes, with 8 each.