So Close Yet So Far.

"This is the greatest scoring performance ever!" Barkley couldn't sit still anymore.

He had expected Han Sen to hit 60 points, but he hadn't imagined he'd break Jordan's record.

And now, it wasn't just about breaking a record—the Cavaliers looked like they were about to win the game.

No, win the series.

No matter how many points you scored, no matter how spectacular your performance was, if your team lost, people would always call it stat-padding.

Even Elgin Baylor's 61-point game in the Finals didn't escape criticism because the series wasn't won.

But now, Han Sen and the Cavs were right on the verge of victory.

With 12 seconds left, the Heat had one final shot to win the game.

Spoelstra called his last timeout.

The Miami crowd was tense.

Many fans had begun praying.

For the Heat, even if they didn't win the championship this year, they still had one more season to make another run.

But losing the Eastern Conference Finals to this Cavaliers team?

That would be an unbearable pill to swallow.

---

The short timeout felt like it lasted an eternity.

When play resumed, both teams returned to the court.

The Cavaliers made a subtle adjustment—Garnett replaced Mo Williams.

The Cavs lineup instantly got bigger.

This unexpected move caught Spoelstra off guard, but with no timeouts left, he couldn't make any more adjustments.

The Heat inbounded the ball.

Their first play was a double-screen action for Durant.

But Han Sen stuck to KD like glue, and Gasol couldn't get him the ball.

Wade took the pass instead, looking to feed KD again, but Han Sen's positioning made the pass too risky.

Spoelstra's game-winning play had failed.

In a split-second, Gasol improvised, setting a high screen for Wade on the other side.

Wade, ever the seasoned veteran, took advantage of the screen, breaking free for a mismatch against Garnett.

Malone had subbed in Garnett to shore up rebounding and protect the paint, especially after TT had been called for a foul on a missed rebound.

No one knew if the refs would call another foul.

But Wade and Gasol were too experienced to let that weakness go unnoticed.

Wade blew past Garnett and attacked the rim, launching a high-arcing floater just before the buzzer.

The entire arena held its breath.

Miami's hero.

The man who brought the franchise its first championship.

Was he about to save them again?

---

But their hopes were quickly dashed.

Because Han Sen, who had anticipated the play, was already in position under the basket.

As the ball reached its peak, Han Sen soared.

Like a god reaching for the moon, Han Sen snatched Wade's floater out of the air.

The last flicker of hope for Miami fans was extinguished by the man who had tormented them for years.

BZZZ!

The final buzzer sounded.

The Cavaliers had won.

Against all odds.

With Irving out for the season.

In a series where no one believed in them.

---

"This is the greatest victory!" Shaq couldn't hold back his excitement.

His large frame leapt from his seat, as though he was still part of the Cavs team.

On the court, the Cavs players swarmed Han Sen, shouting and celebrating.

It wasn't a championship, but to this team, it felt just as monumental.

For most of these Cavaliers, this was their first playoff run.

For veterans like Mo Williams and Cunningham, the victory held even deeper meaning.

They had proven that the Cavs' past failures weren't their fault—

It was LeBron who wasn't enough.

The camera zoomed in on Han Sen.

64 points.

A legendary performance.

Han Sen had proven that he was the ruler of this era.

Even on a team that had never tasted success and with a lackluster roster, Han Sen had carried them to the Finals.

It was unprecedented.

It was shocking.

---

The Heat players rushed through the handshake line and quickly left the court.

They didn't have much time to process what had just happened.

Han Sen also left for the locker room right after the handshake.

He was exhausted and needed to recover.

At the post-game press conference, Han Sen and Malone faced the media.

"I wasn't thinking about any scoring record during the game," Han Sen said.

"I just wanted to make every shot and help my team win this series."

The media, of course, focused on his record-breaking performance, but Han didn't dwell on it.

After all, he wasn't someone who cared much about MVPs or personal accolades.

"But I'm feeling pretty good right now. Winning and breaking a record? That's a good night."

Breaking Jordan's record only made it sweeter.

Because surpassing Jordan was a multi-dimensional feat.

This was why LeBron in history always emphasized being first in every category.

Even as LeBron's career wound down, Jordan still topped most leaderboards.

Han wouldn't say it aloud, but he, too, aimed to rewrite those records.

When asked to rate his performance, Han gave a surprising answer.

"This wasn't my victory alone. No one can win a game by themselves. Without TT's rebounds, JR's threes, Delly's defense, and everyone else giving their all, we wouldn't have won this game."

It wasn't just humility.

Han was making a statement—just as Jordan alone wasn't enough in '86, basketball is a team sport.

---

The media frenzy exploded:

"Playoff 64: Han Sen Surpasses Jordan to Become the Greatest Scorer in History!"

"Turning the Impossible Into Reality: The Greatest Player Will No Longer Be No. 23, But No. 77!"

"The Two Most Important Days: Why Tyronn Lue Is the Highest-Paid Assistant Coach Ever"

---

Fans had thought Han's first-round performance against the Bulls was insane.

But no one expected him to take it even further in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Once again, he had four consecutive 40+ point games, including two 50+ games.

And one of those performances shattered Jordan's playoff scoring record.

It was the pinnacle of individual greatness.

A feat that seemed impossible to replicate.

Or maybe there was one player who could do it again.

Han Sen himself.

---

Upon returning to Cleveland after the Eastern Conference Finals, large crowds of fans gathered at the airport, welcoming their team like returning heroes.

The moment Han Sen appeared, the scene erupted into chaos.

Some fans even started chanting, "Emperor! Emperor!"

Though Han Sen had previously said he didn't like the title, it didn't stop fans from using it to express their fervent emotions.

It had taken Han Sen just one season to make the people of Cleveland forget the man who had spent seven years there.

Because compared to the self-proclaimed king, Han Sen was the true basketball emperor—the one who could lead them to success.

The media quickly captured this moment, spreading the footage across all platforms.

Even the NBA's official account released a poster of Han Sen's game-winner, captioned:

"The True Emperor."

Adam Silver was clearly unhappy with this result, but there was nothing more he could do.

He had already tried everything in his power, but in the end, nothing could stop Han Sen.

At this point, it really felt like destiny had taken over.

With endless reports flooding the media, some were ecstatic, while others were heartbroken.

---

In one corner of the country, LeBron James was suffocating.

He had endured a season of humiliation.

And now, not only had he failed to reach the Finals, but even the nickname he cherished most was being ripped away from him.

On social media, Chinese fans were already joking:

"LeBron is the Little Emperor. Han is the Emperor. There's no conflict there."

LeBron couldn't bear to imagine what it would be like if Han Sen really brought a championship to Cleveland.

It wouldn't just be Han's success.

It would be a complete denial of LeBron's legacy in Cleveland.

For a man who had been wandering from team to team, desperately chasing success, his Cleveland years were the only bright spot left in his career.

No. He couldn't let that happen!

He called Rich Paul and had him bring a 'new supplement'—one that LeBron had once scoffed at.

Next season, he would transform.

---

Meanwhile, reports of Han Sen's Eastern Conference performance continued, while the league began building hype for the upcoming Finals.

It was at this moment that everyone realized:

The three superteams Nike had built last summer were all eliminated before the Finals.

Holding The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, already halfway through the book, Stephen Curry finally understood Han Sen's words from earlier in the season:

"The Finals will be a civil war between the UA teams."

What had once seemed an impossible matchup at the start of the season was now a reality.

But the contrast between the two teams couldn't be more striking.

The Warriors boasted top-two offensive and defensive ratings, had two All-Stars, two All-NBA selections, two All-Defensive players, and the deepest bench in the league.

The criticisms of the Warriors' legitimacy had disappeared after they defeated the Lakers.

Even Barkley and Shaq had reluctantly admitted:

"The Warriors are the best team in the league this season."

For the Cavaliers, the Finals posed an even greater challenge than the Heat series.

Because Kyrie Irving wouldn't be playing.

Sure, Han Sen might score 64 points in a game. But could he do that every game?

On paper, winning a single Finals game seemed like an impossible task for the Cavaliers, let alone winning the championship.

But because of Han Sen, no one dared to count them out.

After the Eastern Conference Finals, Han Sen had become the man who made the impossible possible.

---

Game 1 of the Finals at Oracle Arena.

The game shocked everyone.

Theoretically, after such a draining series against the Heat, the Cavaliers—especially Han Sen—should've been crushed by the stronger Warriors in Game 1.

But reality proved that momentum and morale could carry over.

And the Warriors clearly weren't mentally prepared for the Cavs' intensity.

The game remained deadlocked for nearly the entire time.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter, when the Cavs' energy finally waned, that they lost.

In this game, Cleveland's small-ball lineup was no match for Golden State's.

Draymond Green was more versatile than TT, capable of spacing the floor on offense, which gave the Warriors a major advantage.

Game 2 played out similarly.

The Cavs played well, but once they ran out of tricks, they had no other way to win.

After two games, the Cavs trailed 0-2.

Even with Han Sen, some people started to believe Cleveland might not win a single game in the Finals.

But then, back in Cleveland, the Cavs pulled out something they hadn't been known for:

Defense.

Defense wasn't the Cavs' identity, but it had helped them win key playoff games throughout the season.

In Game 3, Han Sen took it upon himself to guard Curry.

Curry was instantly reminded of those days facing the Grizzlies, when Han locked him up.

Even though Kerr's system provided plenty of off-ball actions for Curry, Han's relentless defense made it hard for him to find a rhythm.

With the Warriors' offensive efficiency down, the Cavs finally had opportunities to run their fast break.

Of course, the Cleveland fans played a massive role.

Their non-stop chanting, just like during the Eastern Conference Finals, kept the players' adrenaline pumping.

The Quicken Loans Arena, once considered an ordinary venue, was now being called a 'house of horrors' for visiting teams.

Through sheer defensive effort and Han's 50+ point explosion in Game 4, the Cavs defended their home court, tying the series 2-2.

Once again, everyone was shocked.

But that was the Cavs' limit.

Adrenaline can make you fearless for a while, but the body will eventually pay the price.

Like Irving's injury, the physical toll became evident after the fact.

With the clear talent gap, the Cavs dropped the next two games, ultimately losing the series 2-4.

---

After Game 6.

Han Sen embraced Curry and offered his congratulations.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland crowd gave their team a standing ovation.

Though they hadn't won the championship, the Cavs had far exceeded expectations and given their fans a season to remember.

At the post-game press conference, Han Sen and Malone faced the media.

No one likes to lose, but as Han Sen once said:

"Failure shapes people in different ways."

Some will dwell on failures, while others will learn and grow.

This time, Han's words were different:

"We were so close."

Indeed, the Cavaliers were close.

They had beaten the Heat.

They had done the impossible.

They had sparked endless dreams among Cleveland fans.

While hypotheticals about Irving's health were meaningless, one thing was clear:

Next season, Cleveland would be stronger.

With Irving returning and the entire roster gaining valuable playoff experience, the future looked bright.

This season, the Cavs had been surprising.

Next season, they would be terrifying.

-End of Chapter-