Chapter 376: Somebody Call the Cops!
(TL/n: Hey everyone, I wanted to share something I've been thinking about.
Throughout the story, I've been using "Han" as the main name for the protagonist, but I recently learned that "Han" is actually considered the family name. That makes "Sen" the first name, and I've started using it in this Chapter instead.
I'm curious—does "Sen" feel natural, or does it sound off compared to "Han"? Should I switch back, or is it worth continuing with this change? Let me know your thoughts after reading.)
As Malone had predicted, when J.R. switched onto Kyrie Irving, the Celtics abandoned their "1-5" pick-and-roll strategy. Instead, they shifted away from targeting Nikola Jokić in mismatches through "1-2" pick-and-rolls involving Han Sen. It wasn't a tactical sacrifice—it would've been outright self-sabotage to force Irving against Sen when J.R. was already on him. [1]
With Han Sen liberated on defense, he was free to wreak havoc on offense.
And the Cavaliers needed him to.
Even though the Celtics had dropped their relentless targeting of Jokić through screens, they didn't let up in exhausting him in other ways.
This Boston lineup—led by Irving and Kevin Durant—thrived on elite isolation scoring. While neither Irving nor Durant was known for two-way brilliance, their ability to punish defenders with pull-up jumpers made them uniquely dangerous. Add in Al Horford's expert screen-setting and spacing, and Jokić couldn't simply retreat into the paint like a traditional big man. He was forced to chase and contest, draining his energy possession by possession.
J.R. and Covington managed to limit the damage to an extent, but expecting them to completely neutralize Boston's offensive juggernauts was unrealistic.
As Jokić absorbed the defensive workload, his offensive production naturally dipped. But that's what made him special: when he couldn't dominate as a scorer, he turned into a maestro, orchestrating the Cavaliers' offense from the top of the key.
This setup allowed Han Sen to flip the switch into full-on scoring mode.