The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 423 - 218 "I’m Here to Avenge CP3"_2

The Grizzlies had truly cemented themselves as a super team.

And you said they didn’t have The Big Six!

The Western Conference Finals between the Grizzlies and the Spurs were about to kick off, and the pre-game hype was meticulously unfolding.

Although the two teams hadn’t met in the last season’s playoffs, the divisional semi-finals from two years ago were tumultuously noisy.

Tripping, the coach’s injury exit, crippling, "it was intentional"... these were just like keywords in a small movie, where merely associating them could conjure up many scenes.

Adding to that, the Spurs’ way of overcoming the Lakers was also riddled with controversial elements like tripping, making the clash between these two teams predictable.

Of course, at this time there were plenty of fans who were just watching the drama unfold, as they considered this a clash between the two "dirtiest" teams in the league.

So, before the series began, the open training sessions of both teams attracted a lot of journalists.

After Hansen finished his training, he was completely surrounded by reporters.

Among them, some mentioned Paul’s situation.

It was hard not to talk about him, as the prevailing opinion was that the Spurs had progressed to the Western Conference Finals by crippling the competition.

Hearing this, Hansen also appeared righteously indignant.

"You know, Paul is one of the players I admire the most. His skills are amazing, and I deeply regret not being able to face him again in the playoffs. I’m also outraged by what happened to him and I’ll take revenge on his behalf."

Hansen’s words were embarrassing, given how everyone knew about his heated verbal spats with Paul back in the day.

But those verbal spats were hardly worth mentioning compared to tripping and such egregious acts, so Hansen’s choice to opt for the lesser of two evils was understandable.

It was unclear what complex feelings Paul, who was recuperating at home, might be experiencing at this time.

The Grizzlies had the home court advantage, and the first game of the Western Conference Finals would kick off in Memphis.

During the pre-game warm-up, the cameras were quick to focus on Hansen.

As the "Spurs Killer," his performance in this round would be a decisive factor.

At this time, the TNT Big Three finally made their appearance in the commentary booth, and tonight, instead of speculating on the win or loss, they discussed Hansen’s potential score.

"40 points, he has no reason to score below this number," Barkley remarked, adopting a stance of not needing analysis, just results.

"30 points, Kobe’s average score in the last round didn’t even reach this number," O’Neal quipped, never forgetting to diss Kobe.

"I don’t think Han will perform too well in the series. The Spurs no longer rely heavily on zone defense, their defensive resources give them more options," Smith commented earnestly, but he was also the one who hit the nail on the head.

Without those mid-range open opportunities that appeared from zone defense, scoring high against the Spurs wasn’t going to be easy.

Before Hansen took on the Spurs, Kobe had already set an example.

After the opening ceremony, the starting line-ups for both sides were announced.

The Grizzlies still stuck with their regular five, profiting from the rest they had during the regular season, which kept them unusually healthy.

Spurs team: Parker, Green, Leonard, Duncan, Split

Before the game started, the camera swept over Popovich, whose face was brimming with confidence.

However, as the game actually began, his brow quickly furrowed.

The Grizzlies were playing absolutely differently than what he had anticipated.

The Grizzlies’ usual strategy was an inside attack followed by a combination of inside and outside, very much like the Spurs’ style.

But tonight, after winning the jump ball by Little Gasol, the Grizzlies’ first offense displayed something different.

Randolph and Little Gasol both moved to the weak side, then waited for the strong side to clear up before Hansen, from the high post with his back to Green, asked for the ball.

Including Guy, who was positioned in the strong-side corner, it rather resembled a triangle offense.

Popovich didn’t know what Joerger was planning, but he didn’t rise to call for help defense.

The Grizzlies were a team of collaborative play; if he called for help defense, it could activate the entire Grizzlies team.

Letting Hansen single-handedly tackle the game might not be a bad thing for the Spurs.

Of course, he dared to make this choice also because, as mentioned earlier, he was very confident in the team’s current one-on-one defense resources.

Green and Hansen were both full-sized shooting guards, possessing both speed and physical confrontation, and Green’s defensive progress had been rapid under the Spurs’ coaching staff.

Hansen jumped to catch the ball and started his solo play back to the basket.

Feeling the strong pressure from Green, he quickly spun towards the free-throw line side to break through.

His decision was extremely resolute; Green couldn’t adjust his defensive position in time.

However, Green didn’t give up on defense. As he chased after Hansen, he quickly reached from behind trying to swipe the ball.

This was one of his specialties, as offensive players, having passed him, would focus on the help defense and often fail to notice him.

During the last round against the Lakers, Kobe had also been caught in his tricks.

Only this time, to his surprise, his initial back swipe failed.

As he made his move, Hansen deftly dodged with a left-hand change of direction, then got off a floater before Duncan could step up to help on defense. It went in.

Was that... a coincidence?

Green wasn’t sure.

When the next defensive round came, Green tried to intercept the ball again but still ended in failure.

A single occurrence might be a coincidence, but twice made one suspicious.

Did Hansen have eyes in the back of his head?

Obviously, Hansen didn’t have such an ability; he clearly had studied Green.

Compared to Leonard, who was a key focus of the Spurs’ development, Green was seen as just a minor character in the eyes of the outsiders.

The only thing that caught the public’s attention was his 42.5% three-point shooting rate during the regular season, which even went up to 46% in the playoffs.

But Hansen was a transmigrator. He knew that Zhang Tielin’s defensive skills were not weak, so he had studied him well before the game.

So, Green’s consecutive failures were not unjustified since he wouldn’t have expected that Hansen, a Finals MVP, would study someone like him before a game.

After getting past Green, Hansen’s layup drew a defensive foul from Duncan, and he went to the free-throw line.

At that moment, Popovich called Green over to the sidelines for some advice.

Hansen made both free throws and started with a quick 4 points, looking good.

Parker and Duncan played a pick and roll, but the shot, disturbed by the defense, missed; the Grizzlies were indeed putting strong defensive pressure from the start.

Turning back, Hansen kept the ball and continued to post up on Green.

This time Green’s defensive approach had changed; he wasn’t as aggressive as before.

It seemed Popovich had given Green some urgent defensive tips on the sidelines.

After feeling the change with his back, Hansen didn’t rush to turn around but instead gave Green a couple of hard knocks.

He then repositioned his pivot foot, and spun towards the three-point line.

Green thought Hansen was faking and didn’t jump. Unexpectedly, Hansen just pulled back and faded away for the shot.

By the time Green, with hands raised, lunged forward, it was too late.

And the position was such that even Spurs’ help defense couldn’t get there in time.

"Swish!"

Hansen’s shot went smoothly through the net.

The Grizzlies’ fans erupted, and Hansen had quickly scored 6 points!

Popovich was frowning by now.

Hansen’s start didn’t just feel like a matter of good or bad form; it was the momentum, seemingly intent on crushing Green right from the start.

Parker and Duncan executed another pick and roll, and this mid-range shot went in, finally putting points on the board for the Spurs.

Turning back, Hansen continued to handle the ball high up!

By this point, not just Popovich, everyone else could feel it too, the message Hansen was sending from the start was very direct.

Either the Spurs help defend him, or watch him explode against Green.

Despite the pressure, Popovich showed his stubbornness without signaling any help defense.

Seeing no support coming, Hansen unapologetically continued his solo drive, spun towards the baseline for a jump-stop shot.

This time Green managed to catch up with his leap to disrupt.

But Hansen caught the ball, turned back around, and brushed past Green, then banked a layup in.

As the ball went through the net again, Green’s face couldn’t hide his distress.

Although covering Kobe last round wasn’t easy as Kobe usually starts by facilitating for others, taking over when plays failed, it was still a style that suited the aging Kobe, focusing on conserving energy.

But Hansen, relying on his youth, was recklessly aggressive from the start, aiming to blow past him.

Could Hansen’s words before the game be true, that he was here for vengeance for Paul?

—Divider—

First Team: Paul, Hansen, Kobe, Durant, Howard

Second Team: Wade, James, Duncan, Anthony, Griffin

Third Team: Westbrook, Harden, Paul George, Bosh, Randolph

All-Defensive First Team: Paul, Tony Allen, Kobe, Ibaka, Noah

Second Team: Conley, Hansen, Paul George, Duncan, Little Gasol