The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 421 - 217 So_2

Compared to the hollow compliments of the past, Randolph’s words this time were more sincere because they came from the heart.

Three years ago, Randolph was still entangled in the who-is-the-boss dispute with Hansen. But now, he was willing to be Hansen’s second-in-command.

Just like he said, he admired Hansen not only for his performance on the court but also for his spirit.

Such a player, he respected wholeheartedly.

"I am very glad to be in a team with six All-Stars," Randolph’s words were deep, and when it came to Hansen, the atmosphere became lively.

When a reporter was puzzled about where the Grizzlies got six All-Stars, Randolph quoted a classic phrase from LeBron’s fans, which brought a burst of laughter.

"Will you continue to defend Curry like this in the next game? I mean, that could significantly diminish your stats," the next question came from an ESPN reporter.

"We know you haven’t reached a contract extension with the team, and that might affect your new contract," the reporter added to make the question sound fresh.

Like the Grizzlies facing a hefty luxury tax, many people had forgotten about last summer when Hansen didn’t reach an early extension and was now in his contract year.

Other players in a contract year would try to get more stats. Hansen, on the other hand, did the opposite. Was he really afraid of getting too big a contract?

Clearly, no one would turn down money. The reason Hansen didn’t extend his contract last summer was that the Grizzlies didn’t offer enough money.

It wasn’t even entirely about the amount of money, as a max contract is a symbol of status.

If you are not even on a max salary, how can you talk about being the team leader?

"I will," Hansen replied simply with just two words.

The NBA management has some fools, but not all are.

As last season’s finals MVP and a three-time ticket king, the chances of Hansen not getting a max contract offer this summer were lower than the national football team making it to the World Cup.

"Draymond said before the game that he wanted to bury the Grizzlies. Now, do you have anything to say to him?" asked a reporter from NBC.

"I hope he enjoys the upcoming games," Hansen said, pausing,

"There’s not much time left for them."

After the first two games of the series, the Grizzlies and the Warriors moved to Oakland to continue with game three.

Joerger did not assign Hansen to guard Curry this time.

Hansen was willing to sacrifice his stats, but as a coach, Joerger needed to consider more.

In game one, with the Grizzlies’ offense out of sync, setting aside whether Hansen could guard an explosive Curry, as the head coach, Joerger couldn’t let the offensive core guard the opponent’s offensive core; that would only hasten a collapse.

But the situation was clearly different from game one. The Grizzlies had regained their form, and there was no need to go all out in every game.

Jackson made another starting lineup adjustment in this game, placing Landry back in the starting lineup.

He was turning into a mad scientist, always giving Joerger a little surprise.

Landry, known as "Birdman" and a former Rockets player, left a strong impression on East University fans for his tenacity. His career’s classic moment was getting his front teeth knocked out.

He was the opposite of Green, strong in offense but weak in defense. Although he lacked three-point range, he had mid-range shots up to 16 feet.

Green played pick-and-rolls on the court. After setting a screen, he usually just popped out, but his cutting into the offense posed a significant threat.

With him starting, the Warriors’ offense was somewhat better than the last game, and returning to home court, they played with more grit.

The two teams were in a deadlock for the first half, and then the game entered the classic Grizzlies mode.

The Grizzlies strengthened their defense in the third quarter, and it was then that Joerger assigned Hansen to guard Curry.

The Warriors scored only 16 points in the third quarter, and the Grizzlies pulled ahead.

Moreover, there was bad news for the Warriors in that quarter.

While being tightly defended by Hansen, Curry attempted a forced breakthrough and twisted his ankle again, forcing him to leave the game early.

Curry’s tactical position in Jackson’s system wasn’t high, but without Curry, everyone realized the Warriors had lost their mainstay.

It was proven that even if Curry didn’t handle the ball, his off-ball movement was a significant constraint on the opponent’s defense.

The Grizzlies easily won over the Warriors 97 to 85, bringing the series to 2-1.

After the game’s statistics, Hansen scored the highest with 28 points, while Curry, before exiting due to an injury, scored 18 points.

It is still unknown how much time is left for the Warriors, but Green’s time is certainly running short.

In this game, Green only played for 10 minutes, making one out of three shots, scoring 2 points, and getting 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Will Curry be able to play in G4?

This was the question that the Bay Area media was most concerned about after G3 ended.

Because the final quarter of G3 made them profoundly realize the importance of Curry to this Warriors team.

The answer to this question came the day before G4 began.

Curry would play G4 with an injection.

This news greatly boosted the morale of the Warriors team.

However, this was not the first time Curry had played with an injection this year, or more precisely, this playoff season.

In the first round against the Nuggets in G3, he had also twisted his ankle and then played with an injection to help the Warriors to a 3-1 lead.

When James made a comeback with the Knight, the morale boost brought about by Curry’s decision was similar.

Moreover, there was another piece of news that day that excited the Warriors fans.

David Lee, who had been ruled out for the season due to a hip flexor injury, announced that he would return in G4.

This operation, which could be called a medical miracle, undoubtedly gave the Warriors team another strong boost.

"It’s time for the Memphis people to know the real terror of the Warriors," Green voiced again on social media.

You’ve got to praise Green’s thick skin; his personality ensures he would stand out as the most dazzling among all of Hansen’s haters.

Amid the eager anticipation of the Bay Area fans, both teams commenced the G4 clash in Oakland.

Curry and Lee playing despite their injuries undoubtedly gave a huge morale boost to the Warriors team, with Thompson and Barnes hitting consecutive three-pointers early on, helping them to a perfect 6-0 start.

But, to everyone’s surprise, that was the only time they led the entire game.

Indeed, Curry fighting through the injury did elevate the team’s spirit, but his performance was mediocre due to the injury.

As for Lee, his return seemed more inspired by Curry, as he only played for 3 minutes in the entire game.

There was no medical miracle unless you pretend to be injured.

to 91, the Grizzlies defeated the Warriors, leading the series 3-1.

"Playing with an injection is a big risk for Stephen, but he is a warrior," Hansen highly praised Curry in the post-game press conference.

To be honest, as a transmigrator, he had not known about Curry playing through injections before.

He also didn’t know whether repeated injections could impact Curry’s career, especially since Curry isn’t known for his physical toughness.

So, he genuinely admired Curry’s choice.

Hansen’s statement was meant to praise Curry, but to his utter surprise, it brought him a wave of unexpected hatred.

This brings us to James, who had already been "sent fishing" by the Grizzlies.

When the Thunders were eliminated, James insisted on attending the post-game press conference despite his injury, uttering the classic phrase "It’s only basketball."

Although his statement met with much skepticism, the public could still understand him, as Brooks once said, injuries are unpredictable for athletes.

The result was that just after the playoffs, he began participating in various commercial activities non-stop, even performing dunks at these events, appearing totally unaffected by any injury.

This led to quite a bit of skepticism on social media.

So, Hansen’s originally commendatory words about Curry were directly interpreted by LeBron fans as mocking James.

Hansen couldn’t help but recall scenes from certain online forums back in his home country before he transmigrated.

Whenever you mentioned other players, it somehow always connected mysteriously to James; the word "thus" became a common phrase.

He once thought it was all LeBron haters setting the rhythm, but now it seems that the biggest LeBron haters are actually LeBron fans.