CHAPTER 565: CHAPTER 278 THE 2014-2015 SEASON CONCLUDES

As April began, after a lengthy five and a half month schedule, the curtain on the 2014-2015 season officially closed.

It was a season full of ups and downs, with Nike-sponsored super teams built during the offseason, only the Heat’s performance lived up to expectations.

However, the two teams sponsored by UA outperformed expectations, displaying a more stunning performance.

The Warriors shocked everyone with their performance at the start of the season, and that kind of performance lasted the entire season.

They eventually achieved 67 wins, breaking the franchise record for wins while easily topping the league.

Curry averaged 24.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 44.8%, making him a popular candidate for the regular-season MVP.

Cole also became the coach with the highest number of wins for a rookie season in NBA history.

Cole’s basketball philosophy was not new, but encountering Curry and a time of rule changes ultimately led to the Warriors’ success.

The second team in the West was the Lakers, who, thanks to a push in the latter half of the season, ended up with 58 wins.

At the start of the season, there were concerns among fans about Kobe’s health, which peaked after Varejao’s injury.

But in the end, Kobe held on, playing in 70 games and averaging 25.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 46.3%.

James played in 69 games, averaging 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 48.8%.

The Rockets were third with 56 wins, and despite Bosh being out for the season, they still held on to that spot with the performance of their backcourt duo.

The Thunders were fourth with 52 wins.

The San Antonio Spurs were fifth with 55 wins.

The Grizzlies also had 55 wins, ranking sixth.

Despite the Thunders having fewer wins than the Spurs and Grizzlies, they remained in the upper half due to the rule that the first in the division must be among the top four in the league.

This unfair result also sparked discussion among fans about the playoff format.

Just like how the Finals’ 2-3-2 game format was limited by transportation levels at the time, this format was due to broadcasting limitations.

Now with advanced broadcasting technologies, fans are also calling for a change in this format.

The Blazers with 51 wins and the Mavericks with 50 wins were seventh and eighth, respectively.

Hansen’s move to the East only caused the Grizzlies’ competitiveness to decline, but it didn’t affect the still intense competition in the West.

On the Eastern side, the Heat topped The East with 62 wins.

Durant averaged 28.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5 assists per game with a shooting percentage of 50.3%, and he was also seen as a hot candidate for this year’s regular-season MVP.

The Hawks were second in The East with 60 wins.

The Hawks encountered a hot streak at the end of the season, achieving a 12-game winning streak.

The Cavaliers finished third in the standings with 58 wins.

Hansen had the most explosive season of his career.

He averaged 31.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 3 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 51.6%, and a three-point percentage of 38.5%.

He secured the titles of Scoring King, Assists King, and Steals King for the season!

The last person to do this... sorry, there was none.

The most to have ever achieved the Assists King and Steals King titles was five, and among them, the well-known Paul was still striving for the Western Conference Finals.

Those who claimed the Scoring King and Steals King were Jordan and Iverson.

The sole person to get both Scoring King and Assists King was known as "Little Elf," the 1.85-meter-tall Nate Archibald.

He averaged 34 points and 11.4 assists in the 1972-1973 season, but his team, the Cincinnati Royals, ranked eleventh and didn’t make the playoffs.

Hansen was history’s first player in a season to simultaneously win the Scoring King, Assists King, and Steals King!

So although the Cavaliers didn’t have the best record, Hansen was also a hot candidate for this year’s regular-season MVP.

The Brooklyn Nets ranked fourth with 51 wins.

The Raptors stood fifth with 49 wins.

The Bulls were sixth with 48 wins.

The Wizards placed seventh with 46 wins.

The Bucks rounded out the eighth spot with 41 wins.

The Cavaliers would face the Bulls in the first round.

On the second day after the regular season ended, which was also the day before the playoffs began, the Cavaliers trained at the Quicken Loans Arena in preparation.

With the home-court advantage, the matchup would take place in Cleveland.

The arena echoed with Garnett’s trash talk, and today’s Cavaliers training session was full of issues.

By the latter half of the training, Garnett quieted down quite a bit as he realized it wasn’t an attitude problem but rather that the players were too tense.

And that was understandable; even counting Garnett as a starter, the Cavaliers only had him and Hansen with playoff experience among the starting five.

Players like Irving, Thompson, and Tucker were all playoff greenhorns.

It’s like discussing human anatomy with a girl for the first time; nervousness is uncontrollable.

Once training ended, Hansen took a seat on the side to rest, and Conningham joined him.

There were also the Old Cavaliers with playoff experience.

During Hansen’s rookie season, they had made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

But Conningham wasn’t discussing the game the following day with Hansen; they were talking about the MVP.

The MVP selection usually results in an announcement after the first round, and if Hansen managed to claim it, he would achieve back-to-back MVP honors.

Even more so, if that accomplishment came with the descriptor "different teams," he would be the first in history to do so.

"With that time, you might as well join me for more practice," Hansen said as he stood up again.