The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 210 - 132 Memphis Fairy Tales (Requesting Daily Votes!)_3

Chapter 210: Chapter 132 Memphis Fairy Tales (Requesting Daily Votes!)_3

Looking at the Thunders, Harden, a sophomore, possessed far superior talent and experience.

The Thunders caught up during this period, and by the time the main players returned in the second quarter, both teams were back on equal footing.

When Han returned to the court in the second quarter, he expected Brooks to make some changes, but the Thunders still defended him tightly.

Now Han was sure, Brooks wasn’t underestimating Randolph, he was actually holding him in very high regard, guarding him as if he were Kobe!

Because both coaches persisted, the score difference alternately increased during the match rounds.

By the final critical moments of the last quarter, with one minute left in the game, the Grizzlies led 104 to 102.

The Thunders held the ball possession, Durant positioning himself high to perform a classic isolation play.

Tonight, he had scored 33 points with 10 out of 21 shots, despite four turnovers, facing a relentless defense from Allen and Battier, displaying his formidable superstar strength.

This time, Durant chose to back down in an isolation play.

His post-up moves differed from Kobe’s and, of course, James’s as well; he didn’t opt for much physical confrontation, focusing more on creating better shooting space.

He indeed managed to do so, as Allen could only provide limited interference when defending him in this manner.

However, just as he shot, another figure suddenly soared over, interfering with his shot at the last moment.

It was Han, the one who had said he’d cover for Allen!

"Clang!"

Durant’s shot, disrupted, missed the basket, and Little Gasol secured the crucial rebound.

Thirty seconds remaining in the game, the Grizzlies still led by 2 points and held ball possession.

Durant cursed, prompting Hollins to call a timeout.

After the timeout, Hollins substituted Battier for Allen.

Randolph continued to position in the low post, but this time, the Thunders tightened their defensive help.

Trailing by 2 points, their only hope for a win was to hold off this play, a situation where Brooks couldn’t afford to let Randolph shoot easily.

Randolph passed the ball out to Conley on the perimeter, who then passed it to Han.

As soon as Han received the ball, Durant switched to defend him.

From Durant’s resentful look, it was clear that he had initiated the switch.

Having defeated Han all throughout last summer, he was overly confident.

Han changed direction, shaking him off...

Durant’s advantage was his height and wingspan, not speed.

But Han quickly met Seferosa’s help defense; during the pause just before, as it was a defensive round, Brooks had subbed him in for Harden.

Seferosa’s help defense was timely and precise, fully showcasing defensive strength.

However, as soon as Han saw him, he didn’t hesitate for a second and swung the pass to the strong side corner.

Hm, that was Battier’s usual position. Even without looking, he knew Battier would be there.

The pass was a bit low, but luckily it wasn’t aimed at his feet. Battier bent down and successfully caught the ball.

Seferosa attempted to recover, but Battier’s shot was decisively quick.

The hearts of the fans in the stands rose to their throats.

They’d rather let James drive to the paint than leave Battier open in the corner, his strongest spot.

The arc of the basketball was perfect.

"Swish!"

As expected, Battier’s corner three went up before Seferosa could defend, and the ball went cleanly through the net.

to 102.

Following the score, Battier, unusually excited, ran to Han for a chest bump celebration after Brooks called a timeout.

The figure spreading his arms and pouncing forward was unmistakably "Batman."

With 10 seconds left in the game, the Thunders were behind by 5 points, and the outcome was essentially already determined.

Indeed, that was the case. After coming back from a timeout Durant attempted a three-pointer but missed, and Randolph grabbed the rebound and clung to it, effectively ending the game.

The Grizzlies players began to wildly celebrate, just like Hansen had only learned after Battier arrived, this was Memphis’s first playoff victory in team history.

At the post-game press conference, Randolph, Hansen, and Battier all attended together.

Although the stage was a bit crowded with an extra person, Randolph and Hansen didn’t complain at all; they even let Battier sit in the center spot.

Randolph, who had the best performance of the night with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, was the first to be asked.

"This is our way of playing; we defend fiercely every round and then keep attacking their defense."

Besides Randolph, Little Gasol also had an outstanding performance tonight with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Grizzlies’ twin towers blew up the Thunders’ inside line tonight.

After questioning Randolph, the reporter turned to Hansen.

"In your first playoff game for the Cavaliers, you scored 33 points, but tonight you only contributed 15 points for the Grizzlies. Do you have anything to say about that?" no need to look, this was a reporter from ESPN.

"You can skip this kind of question next time." Hansen was not polite, but he still answered for the last time,

"My goal is to help the team win, not to chase stats."

"Next journalist." Then, he directly indicated that the ESPN journalist could sit down.

"Why did you choose to pass the ball at the last moment?" asked a journalist from NBC.

Hansen glanced at the journalist, thinking the ’B’ on his badge was redundant.

However, perhaps because of his experience with the Cavaliers, he suddenly remembered that old acquaintance.

Perhaps that was the reason this NC journalist asked such a question.

You can always learn something from a great player; that’s a famous saying in the NBA.

"Shaun once told me he returned to Memphis to help the team win a playoff game, and I believe him."

Hansen was very serious when he said this, while Battier, who was originally smiling, felt his nose sting unconsciously.

He hadn’t expected that not only did Hansen remember what they talked about, but he also gave him the opportunity to achieve it himself.

"Shaun, we all know you once played for the Grizzlies, but unfortunately, you couldn’t bring a playoff victory to the team. Now having done it yourself, what does it mean to you? Or how do you evaluate Hansen’s final pass to you?" The reporter smoothly posed the question to Battier.

By this time, Battier couldn’t control his emotions and his eyes turned red.

"Hansen just wants to win. Everything he does is for winning. I know some may say Hansen passes too little, but everything he does is for winning."

Yes, Hansen himself was not aware that he probably had the lowest average assists per game among the outside core players of all 30 NBA teams.

Compared to him, Durant could be considered a master organizer.

From Hansen’s point of view, this was because the Grizzlies’ tactics revolved around the inside play, and knowing his own passing could easily lead to turnovers, he chose to finish more often. But to outsiders, it looked like he simply didn’t pass much.

"Tonight, our opponents guarded him very tightly. He devoted more energy to defense and containment, and he did those best."

Battier continued to praise Hansen because he realized that with Hansen’s ability, he could have continued to attack the basket at the last moment.

Even if he could not make the basket, with Hansen’s finishing ability, he could likely draw a foul. Getting on the free-throw line would make no big difference between leading by 4 or 5 points at that time.

"And then you saw, Hansen passed the ball to me. Maybe he doesn’t pass often, but he knew I was there, perhaps he didn’t see, but he still passed the ball to me..."

Battier suddenly laughed as he spoke and then emphasized,

"Hansen passed to me! And then I made that three-pointer."

Battier’s subsequent comment elicited laughter from the journalists.

They could completely imagine Battier’s surprised emotions when catching the ball.

"Making that three-pointer was incredible for me, like something out of a fairy tale, but I think, I’m perhaps no longer satisfied with just winning one playoff game for this team."

Battier’s closing statement earned a round of applause.

Hansen also clapped because he knew Battier’s heart now belonged to Memphis again.