The 2016-17 Season Draws to a Close.
"Championships always come with sacrifices, and DW's sacrifice tonight was the key to our victory. He showed the heart of a champion."
In the postgame press conference, Malone had nothing but praise for Wade.
Coming off the bench, Wade had contributed 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, second only to Han Sen's 41-point performance.
After finishing up with the media, Han and Jokić made their way back to the locker room.
Since it was an away game, most of the players had already showered and headed back to the hotel.
Wade, however, was still there—fully dressed, phone in hand, as if he had been waiting for something.
Han didn't beat around the bush.
"Did you get the apology you were waiting for?"
It wasn't impossible for LeBron to try to smooth things over. Maybe he'd invite Wade out to a club, let the media catch them having a good time, and let that serve as an unspoken 'explanation' for the in-game shove.
But Wade didn't say a word. He just shook his head.
Han smirked. "Guess to LeBron, outside of being 'my brother', you don't have much value anymore."
With history rewritten, Wade never won a ring with LeBron. Their so-called brotherhood? It wasn't worth nearly as much.
"You were right."
Wade finally set his phone down, exhaling like all the air had been knocked out of him. Then, a second later, his jaw tightened, and his cheeks puffed out.
"Man, that guy's a f***ing asshole!"
It takes years to truly understand someone.
But sometimes, all it takes is one moment to see them clearly.
And once you see them for who they really are? Everything else starts making sense.
Wade sat there, connecting the dots. The Miami years. The way he had stepped aside. The way everything had always been on LeBron's terms.
And now? Even after shoving him mid-air, LeBron didn't even have the decency to check in.
If Wade had just one championship to his name, he wouldn't have cared as much.
But in 2011? That was his ring.
The one LeBron had fumbled away.
Han could see it in Wade's face. He finally got it.
Han clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"He owes you a ring. This season, go take it back."
Wade had been the unluckiest star in the NBA—no active player had more runner-up finishes than him.
But he was also lucky.
Because, as Han said, he still had the chance to reclaim what was his.
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After their win over the Warriors, the Cavs continued their Western road trip.
It was one of the toughest stretches of the season, featuring a brutal Texas triangle—Rockets, Spurs, and Mavericks.
But for Han Sen, this trip would be unforgettable.
During halftime against the Rockets, Houston retired Yao Ming's jersey.
Han watched as James Harden charged toward Yao, recreating the iconic '220-pound flying hug' moment.
Han also got a chance to chat with Yao, who had officially been appointed as the President of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) earlier in February.
With Yao now in charge, Han's relationship with the basketball association was bound to change.
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The very next game, the Cavs faced the Spurs.
After the final buzzer, San Antonio held a jersey retirement ceremony for Tim Duncan.
This was Duncan's first public appearance since retiring the previous summer.
Aside from a few more gray hairs in his beard, he still had the same buzz cut, the same quiet demeanor.
Han had been invited as a special guest.
The NBA's current best player, paying tribute to the league's former best player—it had a poetic feel to it.
The Spurs' respect for Duncan was evident—the ceremony lasted 50 minutes, twice as long as Yao's.
Han didn't say much.
He just watched, listened, and at the end, embraced Duncan and offered his congratulations.
There was no need for Duncan to say "The future belongs to you."
Because the present already did.
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The final stop of the trip was Dallas.
Dirk Nowitzki hadn't announced any retirement plans yet.
Even though the Mavericks had fallen out of playoff contention, Dirk was determined to play until his body gave out completely.
And against the Cavs, he delivered a 25-point performance, officially surpassing 30,000 career points.
Dirk became just the sixth player in NBA history to join the 30K club.
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The Cavs wrapped up the road trip with a 3-1 record, finishing the toughest stretch of their schedule.
With the final month of the regular season approaching, their deep roster was proving to be a blessing.
Unlike other teams that had to push their stars to the limit, Cleveland could afford to rotate players and manage minutes to avoid injuries.
Still, Malone wasn't resting his key guys too much.
For one, they needed to stay in rhythm heading into the playoffs.
And two—
The Celtics were right behind them, pushing hard for that No. 1 seed.
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As April rolled in, the 2016-17 NBA regular season finally came to a close after more than five months of competition.
Warriors Finish with the League's Best Record (67-15)
Golden State once again topped the standings, led by their star trio:
- Stephen Curry: 27.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.2 APG, 47.2% FG, 43.7% 3PT
- LeBron James: 25.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 8.7 APG, 54.8% FG, 36.8% 3PT
- Klay Thompson: 23.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 46.8% FG, 42.2% 3PT
Notably, Klay had another historic scoring outburst in December against the Pacers. Two years after his legendary 37-point quarter, he exploded again—this time dropping 60 points in just 29 minutes on 21-of-33 shooting.
Meanwhile, Draymond Green had a solid defensive season but struggled offensively:
- 9.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 41.8% FG, 30.8% 3PT
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Spurs Right Behind at 61-21
San Antonio continued its tradition of excellence, finishing second in the West.
- Kawhi Leonard led the team with 25.3 PPG, making him the first Spur since Tim Duncan (2001-02) to average 25+ in a season.
- If nothing changed, the Spurs had found their next franchise cornerstone for the next decade.
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The Surprising Houston Rockets (55-27)
Houston defied expectations, finishing third in the West despite losing Chris Bosh for the entire season before it even started.
Without Bosh, a championship run was unlikely—but James Harden had a monster year after getting out of the Kardashian curse:
- 30.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 8.8 APG
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Thunder (50-32)
Oklahoma City landed in fourth place, though Carmelo Anthony had his worst scoring season since his rookie year (21.0 PPG).
The Thunder had quietly shopped him before the deadline but found no buyers.
However, Russell Westbrook had the most statistically dominant season of his career:
- 25.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 10.3 APG—A SEASON TRIPLE-DOUBLE!
- He finished the year with 25 triple-doubles, the most in the league.
For perspective—once upon a time, Ricky Davis intentionally shot at his own rim just to secure a rebound for a triple-double.
For most players, a triple-double was a rare feat.
For Westbrook?
He did it 25 times in one season—putting himself in conversations with Oscar Robertson.
Some media outlets even argued that a modern-era triple-double season meant Westbrook should be the MVP.
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Grizzlies (47-35, 5th in the West)
Memphis transitioned into a new era:
- Zach Randolph moved to the bench, while Marc Gasol and Nerlens Noel formed their new frontcourt.
- Mike Conley and Gasol had career-best seasons.
- Andrew Wiggins, however, was somewhat underwhelming—averaging 18.0 PPG in his third season, far from the superstar expectations many had for him.
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Jazz (6th), Clippers (7th), Blazers (8th) Round Out the Playoff Teams
All three secured playoff spots, though none were considered serious contenders.
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Pelicans' Twin Towers Experiment Fails (34-48)
One of the most talked-about moves at the trade deadline—the Pelicans pairing Anthony Davis with DeMarcus Cousins—didn't lead to wins.
Despite elite individual numbers from their bigs:
- Anthony Davis: 28.0 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 2.2 BPG
- DeMarcus Cousins (post-trade): 24.4 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.1 BPG
It wasn't the twin towers themselves that failed—the bigger issue was New Orleans' lack of perimeter offense and floor spacing.
Their roster was completely unbalanced—too much firepower inside, not enough outside.
If the Pelicans wanted this experiment to work, major changes were necessary.
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Cavs Dominate the East
Despite losing Kyrie Irving midseason, the Cavaliers actually improved their record from the past two years, finishing with 61 wins—marking Han Sen's first 60+ win season since returning to Cleveland.
Han once again led the charge with an MVP-level performance:
- 31.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 9.1 APG, 2.4 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 52.4% FG, 42.1% 3PT
Jokić continued to shine as his co-star:
- 18.5 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 6.1 APG, 49.9% FG, 32.4% 3PT
Meanwhile, Wade's numbers dipped coming off the bench, but his efficiency improved significantly from his time in Chicago:
- 16.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.2 APG, 47.0% FG, 33.0% 3PT
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Celtics (59-23) Finish Second
Boston was right behind Cleveland, led by their star trio:
- Kevin Durant: 25.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.4 APG, 51.6% FG, 41.9% 3PT (career-high)
- Isaiah Thomas: 25.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.9 APG, 46.3% FG, 37.9% 3PT (career-high)
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 18.3 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 BPG, 54.2% FG, 38.7% 3PT
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Raptors (51-31) Take Third
Toronto bolstered their frontcourt by trading for Serge Ibaka early in the season.
The move paid off, as DeMar DeRozan put up a career-best:
- 27.3 PPG (career-high)
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Bulls (50-32) Land Fourth
Chicago finished strong with their newly formed Butler-Irving-Howard trio:
- Kyrie Irving: 23.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.9 APG
- Jimmy Butler: 21.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.3 APG
- Dwight Howard: 13.5 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 1.6 BPG
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Wizards (49-33) Secure Fifth
Washington was led by their backcourt duo, both averaging the same 23.1 PPG:
- John Wall also led the league in assists at 10.7 APG.
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Pacers (6th), Pistons (7th), Bucks (8th) Round Out the Playoff Teams
This set up a first-round matchup between Cleveland and Milwaukee.
On paper, the 42-40 Bucks were a respectable 8th seed, much stronger than most bottom-tier East playoff teams from recent years.
But against the Cavs' 61 wins?
The 19-game gap between the teams spoke volumes.
Despite the obvious talent gap, this series drew massive media attention—for one reason:
Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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Before the regular season ended, Nike had locked him into a 9-year, $90 million extension, making him their second highest-paid athlete, behind Kevin Durant, putting him on the same tier as LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in terms of annual salary.
With Nike branding him as the next global superstar, ESPN went all-in on the narrative.
On paper, Giannis had an excellent year:
- 22.9 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.9 BPG, 52.1% FG
- Media hyped him as a 'revolutionary' player for the small-ball era.
But this wasn't what made the series go viral.
The real reason?
At the end of the season, Giannis appeared on an ESPN-sponsored live show, where the host asked about his NBA idol.
For NBA players, idol discussions are always media-friendly content—especially when a rising star 'validates' an existing legend.
Shaq constantly hyping up Jokić? That's why.
This ESPN segment? Same purpose.
Since the media had been linking Giannis to LeBron for years, they expected him to say it.
It was scripted for him to say it.
And yet, on live television, Giannis dropped a bombshell:
"Before entering the NBA, my idol was Allen Iverson."
That alone was already a curveball—an interior player idolizing a small guard wasn't common.
But then?
"After joining the league, my idol became Han Sen."
The host froze.
ESPN probably did too.
This was not in the script.
Giannis explained:
"When I entered the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies had just won back-to-back titles. I watched Han take down an all-time great Heat team. That's when I knew—if you're strong enough, there's no opponent you can't beat."
The reasoning was airtight.
No holes to poke.
But for ESPN, Nike, and the media machine—this was a PR nightmare.
For years, they had branded Giannis as 'the next LeBron'.
And now?
The man himself just said his idol was Han.
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Still, media narratives didn't change the reality of the matchup.
On the court, Milwaukee's roster, playstyle, and coaching staff were all levels below Cleveland's. No amount of branding could close that gap.
Cleveland swept Milwaukee 4-0 without much resistance.
Even so, Giannis had his moments, finishing the series with 24.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks per game. It was a strong showing, especially for a young player on a weaker team.
After the series, Han acknowledged Giannis' performance in the postgame press conference.
"He's already great, but there's a lot more he can unlock. He just needs to keep working on his game."
Han had complicated feelings about Giannis. As a time traveler, he remembered the player Giannis became—one with a history of dangerous closeouts and questionable plays.
The list of players who had suffered under Giannis' recklessness was long: Kyrie Irving, Kristaps Porziņģis, Anthony Davis, Clint Capela… the pattern was too clear.
The last superstar who had a track record like that was LeBron.
Even so, Han couldn't deny Giannis' rise was impressive. A mid-first-round pick, not a priority for his franchise, yet he had worked his way into superstardom.
Unlike some stars who had things handed to them, Giannis had genuinely earned his status.
Maybe this was why Nike's PR push worked so well.
And maybe—just maybe—Han being his idol could push Giannis down a different path.
But after what had happened with Kyrie, Han wasn't holding his breath.
None of it mattered now. The real playoffs were about to begin.
Next up, the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Cleveland vs. Chicago.
Han vs. Kyrie.