The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 226 - 139 "Memphis has no number 23, but they have number 77"_2

Chapter 226: Chapter 139 "Memphis has no number 23, but they have number 77"_2

Hansen couldn’t break through from the right to the basket.

He didn’t do that either, after two steps forward, he suddenly stopped, gathered the ball, and then made a mid-range jumper.

Mid-range was his strongest weapon now, more importantly, his stamina could no longer support him diving into the basket.

At this time, Durant also exceptionally reigned in his movement, then almost simultaneously jumped with Hansen.

Different from the previous rounds of Hansen defending against Durant, which were almost mirror-like, Durant’s longer arms and greater defensive intimidation made the difference.

He had overcome the mountain, but destiny still lay ahead.

He could see Durant’s determined face, the talent gap between them meant that even an earlier shot wouldn’t surpass Durant.

The cheers from the fans began to sound, Durant had also blocked Hansen!

However, soon, those cheers turned into gasps.

Because they saw Kobe...no, they saw Hansen making an in-air adjustment to dodge, avoiding Durant’s block and making an incredible shot before falling!

What was the greatest improvement by the Classical Master? It was the core strength that even Swift feared.

And it’s that core strength that is the prerequisite for completing such a difficult move.

As for the rest, leave it to the gentle touch of the hand.

The basketball passed beside Durant.

Durant’s eyes widened as he turned and saw the basketball drawing a parabola.

"Swish!"

The crisp sound of the net, like the hammer of a sentence being pronounced.

No such thing as destiny, it’s just a stepping stone on the path to legend!

to 101!

In the final 20 seconds, the Grizzlies had a 3-point lead.

Brooks called for a timeout.

"God!" Barkley had gone crazy.

It wasn’t just because of the incredible basket by Hansen, but Hansen’s series of plays during the crucial moments.

No, perhaps it included the entire fourth quarter, Hansen had played the whole final period!

At this moment, the LED screen also displayed Hansen’s stats for tonight.

shots, 14 made, 3 out of 9 three-pointers, 11 out of 12 free throws, 42 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 steals, 1 block, 4 fouls, a new playoff scoring record.

This performance matched Durant’s.

Remembering A. Smith’s words, Barkley couldn’t help laughing and saying,

"Memphis doesn’t have 23, but they have 77!"

"Achoo!"

Hansen sneezed on the bench.

His voice also interrupted Hollins’s tactical layout.

Hansen signaled him to continue.

Hollins’s emphasis was on limiting Durant’s chances to receive the ball.

Compared to the Grizzlies’ last offense, the Thunders were much easier to defend.

Because only Durant in the Thunders’ team was reliable from the three-point line.

Seferosa had been okay in this series, but he was not like Battier, who could make crucial shots.

As for Westbrook, I’d trust me being Qin Shi Huang over him.

G1, when the Grizzlies were stably leading by 5 points, it was also because of this.

Coming back from the timeout, the Thunders’ screen set on the front was clearly aimed at passing to Durant.

With a 3-point deficit, Brooks couldn’t play around much.

Under the Grizzlies’ defense, Durant ultimately didn’t receive the ball.

Due to the 5-second violation for passing, Westbrook could only pass to Ibaka first, then enter himself to handle the ball.

seconds left, even if Durant wasn’t given the ball the first time, there was a second chance.

But just then, a very ear-piercing voice rang through the court.

"Let him shoot, he has no three!"

Hansen had used an extremely low-level tactic.

Just like he had made Durant shoot before.

Conley took it seriously and left Westbrook a meter away.

Westbrook at this moment had the same shadow area in his heart as Durant did before.

But unlike Durant, who had self-control, Westbrook was overtaken by passion.

Seeing that Durant still hadn’t gotten free, he turned around and shot directly!

"Don’t shoot! Russell, don’t shoot!" Brooks’s voice came, but it was too late.

The basketball flew straight toward the hoop.

"Dang!"

The ball clanged against the rim and bounced out!

Randolph protected the defensive rebound.

Ibaka could only commit a foul on the spot, sending Randolph to the free throw line.

At this point, there were only 9 seconds left in the game.

Brooks looked somewhat desperate.

The light had disappeared from Durant’s eyes.

Still, he walked over to Westbrook, pulling his head into an embrace to console him.

Although there were high external expectations for them, this was only their second time in the playoffs.

Randolph’s free throws.

Oklahoma City fans, with their already hoarse throats, madly tried to create a distraction.

Randolph made both free throws.

A trivial piece of knowledge—Randolph last played in the playoffs during the 2002–2003 season, when his regular-season free throw percentage was 75%, but it reached 89% in the playoffs; this season, his regular-season rate was 75%, but it had reached 88% in the current playoffs.

Clearly, he wasn’t just padding his stats; he merely needed the stage.

With Randolph’s successful free throws, the game was effectively over.

Oklahoma City fans finally deflated like a burst ball.

They had every advantage—home ground, harmonious teamwork, and even Durant performing his career-best—but they still lost the game!

The Grizzlies’ bench had already started celebrating.

Hansen was welcomed like a hero.

"There are 9 seconds left, Miller once scored 8 points in 9 seconds," yet Hansen remained calm.

Joerger gave Hansen a covert thumbs-up.

After the timeout, the last 9 seconds saw no change in the score, Durant’s long three-pointer missed, and Little Gasol grabbed the rebound and held it high, as the Thunders gave up on committing further fouls.

The Grizzlies finally began to celebrate wildly.

Hansen was surrounded in the middle, screaming loudly.

Although he was already exhausted, he seemed to have been infused with endless energy, shouting and raising his right hand.

Though the road to advancement was tougher than expected, they had finally won!

And just like he had said before the game, this match had allowed them to transform.

When the brief celebration by the Grizzlies ended, the players exchanged final handshakes.

Westbrook outright skipped Hansen during the handshake.

Hansen paused and then shook his head with a smile.

This duo from the Thunders must be two of the most genuine characters in the NBA.

"Train together this summer?" Hansen said with a smile while shaking hands with Durant.

This earned him an eyeroll from Durant.

It seemed that training session wouldn’t happen.

"Sorry..."

Hansen wanted to say more, but Durant had already quickly slipped away.

It was a pity; he had wanted to apologize for possibly preventing Durant from getting to drink the "celebratory water," only if Scarlett had said that Durant would win the 2011 championship.

He could only shake his head helplessly in the end.

But he truly had other plans for this summer.

Because, barring any surprises, the NBA lockout was about to start.

During the post-game press conference, Hansen and Randolph attended together.

Besides Hansen, Randolph’s performance was also crucial for the Grizzlies’ victory.

Simply speaking, if Hansen and Durant’s scoring canceled out, Randolph’s stats of 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists were a notch above Westbrook’s 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists.

"Hansen is the strongest teammate I’ve encountered since entering the NBA, buddy. He’s absolutely the best, and I just need to stand there and watch him score," Randolph said while adjusting his headband, smiling like a child.

This raises a question—why do LeBron James’s teammates eventually rebel, while Kobe’s teammates rarely do?

Because possession and shooting opportunities are two different concepts.

If you had to choose, would it be touching the ball only a few times per game and having to shoot immediately upon receiving it, versus handling the ball often but without many scoring opportunities?

The answer is clear—being a role player, most have the awareness to pass the ball to the strongest on the team to finish, but the key is that they need to feel involved, not just responsible.

One of the purposes of designing basketball tactics is to get more people actively involved on the court.

Although Randolph scored less than Hansen, many of the Grizzlies’ plays were initiated by him, and his sense of involvement was no less than that of Hansen.

"I’m genuinely not exaggerating, I think Zack isn’t far off from TD; he should be considered in the top three forwards in the league discussions, man, he’s a thousand percent underrated," Hansen praised Randolph when asked about his performance.

"Speaking of TD, your next opponent will be the San Antonio Spurs. What would you like to say?" the reporter prodded Hansen.

"That’s exactly the matchup I want," Hansen said with a fierce look in his eyes.