Your Finals Opponent Is…
"I blew this game. It's all on me."
Wade's eyes were bloodshot.
For the first time in years, he emotionally unraveled after a game.
A reckless 3+1 foul, a crucial missed free throw in the final seconds.
Even he probably couldn't believe how many mistakes he made.
Tonight, he wasn't just a liability—he was the reason Miami collapsed.
And worse?
It was as if he personally ended the Miami Heat era.
"I did everything I could. I owe Miami nothing."
Durant's words sounded like a farewell.
And Wade?
It felt like someone had just shoved a dagger deeper into his already bleeding wounds.
Because this year was different from every other year.
In the past, they could always say—
"We lost this time, but we'll come back stronger."
But now?
There was no 'next time'.
This was the end of the road.
"Will you guys be back next season?"
An ESPN reporter asked the most meaningless question of the night.
"Let's see what happens this summer."
Durant was as good as gone—
Miami simply had no way to improve further.
But there was a small chance he'd stay—
After all, he didn't have many better options, and staying in Miami meant signing the biggest max contract in NBA history.
Right now, Miami was nothing more than his backup plan.
---
"THE REFS RUINED THIS GAME! THEY MISSED THE FINAL FOUL!"
Riley lost control once again, screaming at the officials.
Had Wade's foul on Jokić been called, Jokić would've gone to the free-throw line.
A rookie center in the clutch?
The chances of him missing at least one were high.
Even if Jokić hit both, Miami would still have the final possession.
And with Durant's touch tonight?
They'd either win it at the buzzer or at worst force overtime.
As for his own instructions to foul Han Sen before he could shoot a three?
Well… since that never happened, why bring it up?
"Coach Riley, will you honor your preseason promise… and hang #77 in the rafters at Miami's arena?"
A TNT reporter fired off the most brutal question of the night.
This wasn't something Han Sen himself had pushed for, but it was a question that carried weight.
Like how a certain indie game didn't need an award to prove its greatness—
but if you're gonna give it a golden robe, well, it's still a golden robe.
Riley, who had been raging seconds ago, suddenly froze.
The question hit deep.
For a brief moment, he looked completely lost.
"…Next question."
He refused to answer.
---
As the Heat left their press conference, they crossed paths with Han Sen and Kyrie Irving,
who were walking in for their own interviews.
Both had been sensational tonight—
Han Sen: 47 points, including an insane 17-point burst in the final 90 seconds and the logo three-pointer buzzer-beater.
Kyrie: 31 points, carrying the Cavs through the first three quarters.
And of course, Durant's 48-point masterpiece couldn't be overlooked either.
There was a winner and a loser, but this was a game that deserved to be called great.
Han Sen took a moment to speak with Wade before giving him a pat on the shoulder.
Wade wasn't just mourning tonight's loss—he was mourning the end of an era.
Durant was brought in via trade, but Wade?
He was the last surviving member of the Big Three.
No doubt—
The past six years had been a failure.
His legacy didn't take a hit, but it didn't rise either.
---
"Nobody believed we still had a chance in the last 90 seconds," Han Sen told reporters.
"But I've always liked a quote from The Godfather—'Never say impossible. Nothing is impossible.'"
The entire room tensed up.
If it wasn't clear before, it was now—
Han Sen was throwing shade at Riley.
And yet, this line felt so natural coming from Han.
After all, it was eerily similar to the inscription under his statue.
"Kyrie has grown into his own man. He was one of the biggest reasons we won tonight. Without him, we don't take this game."
Despite yelling at Kyrie mid-game,
Han gave him nothing but praise afterward.
Classic leadership—
"Win as a team, lose on my shoulders."
"You've led the Cavs to back-to-back Finals appearances—something never done in franchise history. Would you rather face the Lakers or the Warriors?"
A reporter from NBC threw the question.
Han Sen's response was deadly simple.
"Doesn't matter who. The goal is the same—championship."
With that, the press conference ended.
---
Walking back to the locker room, Kyrie couldn't help but ask—
"Do you really think they'll hang your jersey in Miami's rafters?"
Reporters had asked Han the same question they asked Riley.
Han chose to dodge it—just like Riley did.
He simply shook his head.
"I don't know. I'm not Riley."
But based on what he knew of the man?
Probably.
Because Riley still wanted to stay relevant in the league.
If he didn't, he wouldn't have said "The end of my coaching career"—he would've just retired completely.
A true mastermind always leaves himself a backdoor.
---
The media coverage exploded.
Han Sen's performance defied logic, leading many to debate whether he was on track to surpass Jordan.
The ring count wasn't there yet—Han was still three titles short.
But context mattered.
Cleveland was a sports wasteland.
Winning there was like trying to land a 360 windmill dunk—insanely difficult.
Even past NBA stars who played there—Luol Deng, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson—had left for better chances.
Winning in Cleveland?
It meant more.
TNT went all in, officially ranking Han's '90 seconds, 17 points' alongside:
- T-Mac's '35 seconds, 13 points'
- Reggie Miller's 'Miller Time' moments
as one of the three greatest miracle moments in NBA history.
Meanwhile, the Dan Gilbert kneeling meme flooded the internet.
Normally, a team owner bowing to a player would be ridiculous—but after witnessing Game 6?
Nobody questioned it.
In fact, some Cavs fans posted pictures of themselves
watching the game on their knees.
It was memes becoming reality.
But Then… Breaking News
The next morning, this historic game was overshadowed—
Because over in the Western Conference Finals…
The Lakers won again.
---
In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, at the Lakers' home court, Stephen Curry experienced something he never had before—
Fouling out for the first time in his career.
If Dwight Howard was watching, he was probably howling with laughter.
Finally, someone else knew what it felt like.
Back when the Lakers got swept by the Mavericks, fans joked that LA should have tried to pull off a 5v4 comeback.
But now?
The Lakers, who were once down 1-3, were actually pulling off a real comeback against the Warriors.
And this time, it wasn't just a meme—
It was something that had a lot of people furious.
"They're trying to get us out. They got paid off. They're a bunch of b*tches!"
Draymond Green let it all out in the postgame press conference.
And honestly?
Even if they had whistled Draymond out instead of Curry, it still would've been a better outcome for the Warriors.
Compared to David Stern's era, Adam Silver's way of handling things was too damn blatant.
Watching the flow of the game, it was clear—if Curry hadn't fouled out, the Lakers probably wouldn't have won.
So yeah, the league was dead set on getting Golden State out.
Han Sen didn't hold back either.
"There has never been a more disgusting game. Give the game back to the players!"
Curry wasn't someone who usually voiced his emotions publicly—Draymond was the Warriors' loudspeaker.
But when it came to calling out the league?
Draymond had no pull.
Han Sen?
Han Sen's words carried weight.
And this wasn't just about supporting Curry as a fellow Under Armour guy—
Han Sen was pissed because he wanted to face the Warriors for revenge.
If the league really eliminated them, who the hell was he supposed to settle the score with?
Fight the air?
---
Two days later, Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals tipped off at Oracle Arena.
The East was already settled—but the West had gone to war.
With controversy from Game 6, this game had all eyes on it.
Han Sen?
He watched it live.
Golden State came out firing.
Draymond and Curry hit back-to-back threes, making it clear—they were ready to finish this.
And this time?
The officiating was normal.
Han Sen's influence mattered—when he called out the league, they had to keep things clean.
But as the game went on, the Lakers forced it into their own pace.
They did more than just double-team Curry.
On offense?
They had LeBron and Kobe take turns isolating Curry one-on-one.
It was exactly what Riley had done to Han Sen in the Eastern Finals—taking targeted defense to the extreme.
Only Curry's frame wasn't built like Han Sen's.
He couldn't power through this kind of relentless attack.
---
As the game wore on, Golden State's two biggest flaws became clear.
1. Their interior was a disaster.
After Bogut went down, they had to start Ezeli—but he got dominated by Mozgov. That forced the Warriors to go small-ball more than they wanted.
2. Harrison Barnes fell apart.
Since Game 5, Barnes had been in a complete shooting slump.
- Game 5: 2-for-14
- Game 6: 0-for-8
- Game 7: Missed his first two threes.
This allowed the Lakers to completely ignore him and collapse on Curry and Klay.
Without offensive flow, the Warriors had to expend everything on defense.
Curry's weakness on D was exposed, but small-ball's strength had always been rotations and team defense.
Meanwhile, on offense?
Draymond had the game of his life.
9-for-8 from three. 11-for-15 overall. 32 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists.
But it wasn't enough.
Because Curry and Klay never found their rhythm.
And then—Kobe happened.
With the final possession, Kobe hit the game-winner.
Lakers 93, Warriors 91.
In his retirement season, Kobe had personally carried the Lakers to the Finals.
---
"ARE YOU F*CKING SERIOUS?"
Han Sen lost it when Kobe's shot went in.
It felt like déjà vu.
Like when Kobe lost the 2008 Finals, then spent an entire year preparing for a Celtics rematch…only to get Orlando instead.
Han Sen had been waiting for revenge against Golden State.
And now?
It was the Lakers.
Still, he sent Curry a text—a small message of encouragement.
Golden State lost Game 7 because of their own flaws.
But if Draymond hadn't been suspended earlier in the series, the Warriors would've already been in the Finals.
And while a 73-win team not making the Finals was cruel,
According to Jordan fans' logic…
Not making the Finals means never losing in the Finals.
By that standard, wasn't this a good thing?
At least this way, no one could call them the '73-win runner-up Warriors.'
After texting Curry, Han Sen sat back and thought.
Playing the Lakers wasn't so bad.
A clash against Kobe in his final season was still a dream matchup.
But more importantly—
LeBron James.
The thought alone made Han's blood boil.
If he could win this title, with all of LeBron's old teammates at his side…
And force LeBron to watch as he lifted the trophy in front of him?
That would be the most satisfying and most poetic thing in the world.
Han Sen got up immediately and headed to the gym.
Because this could go one of two ways.
If Han won, he'd make sure LeBron never got a ring. But if LeBron won, then his fans—and even Nike—would go insane.
Forget 'One ring and he's better than Jordan'—the media would scream 'One ring and he's better than Han Sen.'
This Finals?
It wasn't just about a championship.
It was about legacy.
And Han Sen wasn't about to let anyone rewrite his.
Time to lock in.
---
While Han Sen was grinding in the gym, ESPN's hype machine was already in full motion.
- "The Greatest Comeback in NBA History."
- "LeBron Led the Series in Five Major Statistical Categories."
- "The First Team to Defeat a 71+ Win Team."
Forget about the fact that multiple teams have come back from 1-3 before.
And don't ask why they're calling it 71 wins instead of 70.
The point is—just hype it up.
And this was just the Conference Finals.
If the Lakers actually won the championship?
Then expect headlines like—
- "The Greatest Championship in NBA History."
- "One Ring Greater Than Jordan."
---
With the matchup set, the NBA's marketing engine roared to life.
Sure, it wasn't Warriors vs. Cavaliers,
so there was no revenge narrative anymore.
But when it came to storylines?
Lakers vs. Cavaliers had plenty.
- Kobe's Last Dance – His final shot at proving 6 > 5.
- Cleveland's Title Drought – The chance to bring the city's first Big Four sports championship.
- LeBron vs. Han Sen – A rivalry years in the making.
- LeBron vs. the Cavs & Gilbert – The ultimate grudge match.
- 77 vs. 23 & 24 – The Christmas Day showdown now becoming the NBA Finals.
- Delly's Betrayal – Matthew Dellavedova, the former Cav turned Laker.
If one had to summarize this Finals in a single phrase—
It would be 'The NBA's Super Bowl.'
---
Of course, a pre-Finals poll was mandatory.
And so were player interviews.
After the Western Conference Finals, both Kobe and LeBron were asked about facing the Cavaliers.
LeBron: "Playing them doesn't mean anything to me. I have no memories of that place. My only goal is my first championship."
Years of Cleveland's resentment had completely hardened LeBron.
By now, he knew—no amount of goodwill would change anything.
So he didn't bother being polite anymore.
And even if he wanted to reconcile with Han Sen,
Nike would never allow it.
So instead, he chose to play the villain.
Though, let's be real—he wasn't all that convincing at it.
Compared to LeBron, Kobe's response was much simpler—
"Unless they carry me off this court, no one is stopping me from finishing this."
If Kobe won this ring—
- He'd achieve 6 > 5.
- He'd tie Jordan in championships.
- And Kobe fans would have legitimate ammo for the GOAT debate.
For Kobe personally, this would be the fairytale ending to his career.
The Last Dance.
The Last War.
One final battle for the throne.