The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 253 - 150 "No One Wants to Face Us Next Season" _2

Chapter 253: Chapter 150 "No One Wants to Face Us Next Season" _2

But the Grizzlies, just as Hansen had said after Game 1, might lose, but they would never give up.

This point was very clear in every game of the four games played so far, even though they had both wins and losses, they had never been so far behind that it was garbage time.

It was because of this that they played a game in Game 5 that took everyone by surprise.

Although they didn’t start with a lead like in Game 4, they were always neck and neck with the Mavericks.

Or it could be said that they had learned from the lesson of Game 4 and hadn’t fought as fiercely in the beginning.

And this deadlock, or rather, tussle, eventually gave them the opportunity.

Even though there were issues with their stamina in the fourth quarter due to the depth of their roster,

Hansen and Randolph worked together midway through the fourth quarter to deliver a fatal surge, which led them to ultimately defeat the Mavericks 106 to 100, bringing the series to 2-3.

"This team deserves everyone’s respect!" This time, it wasn’t Barkley but ESPN’s most senior commentator, Mike Brin, who had witnessed countless teams rise and fall, who uttered this sigh.

Because of roster depth, and because of game experience, the Grizzlies were at a disadvantage against the Mavericks, but they didn’t play any weaker than the Mavericks.

In Game 6 of the series, both teams returned to Memphis to face off.

The Grizzlies didn’t change their style much from the previous game, but Nowitzki once again found himself in an unstoppable mode.

Perhaps only the words Hansen had once said during the series against the Spurs could explain Nowitzki’s performance this season.

His body has a superstar button, but unlike Duncan, it hasn’t rusted, which allows him to push it periodically.

By the end of the third quarter, Nowitzki had already scored 30 points, helping the Mavericks build a double-digit lead.

Yet the Grizzlies continued to display their resilience. Their starters came on early and in the relentless cheering of the home crowd, they stubbornly caught up in the fourth quarter.

Hansen alone scored 12 points in the final quarter, and his game-tying three-pointer just before the end took the game into overtime.

However, by the overtime period, the prolonged playtime of their key players had pushed them to their limit.

Nowitzki alone scored 9 points, dominating the overtime.

With just 6 seconds left in overtime and the Grizzlies still trailing the Mavericks by 7 points, Hollins chose to substitute his starters off the court.

Rounds of applause and cheers erupted on the scene.

Although in the end, they regretfully didn’t manage to overcome the Mavericks, every game they played, including tonight’s, deserved praise.

Because they never tried to give up on any night.

Such a team had established a team culture of "courage" and "resilience."

This is truly the mark of a successful team building.

At this moment, Hansen looked at the court, his eyes full of unwillingness.

If only he could be stronger, the Grizzlies might have won the championship this year.

"Beep!"

The final whistle blew, and the Grizzlies players began to rise.

Hansen also stood up.

Suddenly, rounds of cheers broke out.

"Whoop that trick!"

Hansen looked up, only then realizing he was on the LED big screen.

"Whoop that trick" has two meanings, much like listening.

The first, which the fans chanted the most, was "Beat them."

But at this moment, that clearly wasn’t the intended meaning; instead, it meant "Well played."

The reason for the chant starting when Hansen appeared on the LED screen,

was because the person who had built up the culture for this team, was none other than Hansen!

Before Hansen arrived, the Grizzlies hadn’t made the playoffs for four years.

But with his arrival, Hansen led the Grizzlies through numerous challenges to the Western Conference Finals, making franchise history!

Now, no one would think any more that Hansen’s initial promises to bring a championship to the Grizzlies were a joke, because he truly gave them hope.

Moreover, the Grizzlies are so young.

The neighboring Thunder team has limitless youth, and aren’t they just as much?

After the game during the handshake ceremony, Nowitzki took the initiative to give Hansen a hug.

"You are the person who gave us the most trouble this year."

Nowitzki’s words came from the heart.

He originally thought that playing the Lakers would be the toughest, but the Lakers turned out to be a pushover.

However, the resilience shown by the Grizzlies really made him dare not relax for a moment.

"You’re speaking too soon," Hansen reminded him.

Before their series had ended, the Heat had already swept the Bulls 4–1 and advanced to the finals.

"You know that playing against strong opponents can make a person stronger," Nowitzki said with a significant implication.

"I look forward to it."

Hansen was also curious to see what would be different this year with the same two opponents.

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

"You were able to contribute an average of 28 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in this playoff series, which is quite impressive for a sophomore player. How would you rate your performance?"

Hansen was the second-best performer in this series after Nowitzki, who averaged 32 points and 6 rebounds per game.

"When you lose a game, the stats mean nothing," Hansen replied, clearly not in the mood.

"Your performance deserves a 9 out of 10, even though you guys lost," the reporter continued to prod Hansen for a rating.

"There’s no such thing as an honorable defeat; the fact is we lost," Hansen signaled the next reporter.

"Was Guy’s absence a reason you lost the game?" a reporter from ESPN asked.

It was evident that the Grizzlies had issues with reserves, and Guy had been the key reserve player leading the team.

"No, injuries are no excuse, they are never an excuse. We just didn’t perform our best. We should have taken Game 4, but we didn’t, and that was crucial."

"We all know you swept the Heat during the regular season, which means you might have had a strong chance at the championship if you had reached the finals. Does that leave you with any regrets?"

Hansen’s eyes wavered for the first time when the reporter asked this.

Who wouldn’t have regrets? They had a much higher chance of beating the Heat than the Mavericks did.

But such regrets are pointless, just like he said, because they simply didn’t get past the Mavericks.

"No, because this is just our first season playing together, next season we will be back."

As he said this, Hansen raised his head with a look of unwavering determination:

"Next season, no team will want to face us."

...

After returning to the locker room and saying farewell to his teammates, Hansen’s second season officially came to an end.

Although there were some regrets, now was not the time to dwell on the past.

He needed to plan for the summer.

During the playoffs, Rondo and Thomas had sent him messages, and as he suspected, a league lockout this summer was nearly unavoidable.

For most, this would be bad news, but for him, it was actually a benefit.

Because it means more time to train.

And he had already figured out how to spend this long summer.

Based on what he knew, during this lock-out summer to keep fit, many would go overseas to play, or if not, to other leagues, with the Drew League being the most popular.

Hansen didn’t want to go as it was a waste of time and mostly ineffective.

His plan was similar to Wade’s past approach; rent a gym and gather some people to train together.

Previously, he didn’t have the influence, but after this playoff run, he did.

And after the NBA lockout, players couldn’t use their team gyms, making it easier to gather people.

Even the expenses had been figured out.

UA could definitely handle the finances, and it was money well spent.

Selling documentaries and promoting shoes among players were surefire profitable ventures.

After all, UA was actually in dire need of a potent spokesperson; relying solely on him was not enough.

Of course, before that, Hansen still let Rondo score some front-row tickets for the finals.

Though he hadn’t made it himself, this historically most dramatic (fun-packed) NBA finals was something he wanted to witness firsthand.