The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 275 - 158 "Hansen Doesn’t Pass the Ball"_2

Chapter 275: Chapter 158 "Hansen Doesn’t Pass the Ball"_2

Blair, under the basket, had just been beaten and dared not to rush out, but Jefferson on the weak side contracted early to help defend.

Popovich had just adjusted the tactic and since he hadn’t called it back, they still had to decisively double-team.

Hansen’s momentum in the breakthrough remained strong, but just after the Spurs’ double-team had formed, the ball suddenly disappeared from Hansen’s hands!

Popovich’s eyes sharply narrowed, and he quickly stood up.

Because he had been closely watching Hansen, wondering how he had passed the ball, he saw what Hansen had done.

Hansen was looking at the hoop, successfully deceiving Duncan and Jefferson, but he made a seemingly casual movement to pass the ball to the corner.

It was a no-look pass!

His understanding was being refreshed.

Especially after he stood up and saw that Guy caught the ball right at his chest, which allowed Guy to immediately take the shot.

What he thought impossible was now happening right before his eyes!

"Swish!"

Guy made the basket and excitedly shouted.

He had been injured in January last year; it had been exactly a year, and the feeling of scoring immediately upon his return was exhilarating.

On defense, he also found Hansen.

Hansen had gained his second assist of the night and received two forceful high-fives.

Popovich then came back to his senses.

He looked at Hansen again, feeling a chill up his spine.

This time, it wasn’t because of Hansen’s intimidation, but because of Hansen’s change.

Even if Hansen had suddenly passed after jumping earlier, he wouldn’t have been so surprised, but a no-look pass clearly meant absolute confidence in his passing ability.

A summer, although extended by the lockout, had made this all too unbelievable.

After a series of successful plays, the morale of Grizzlies had also started to rise.

Duncan’s turn-around post-up was countered by Little Gasol’s help defense.

Turning back, Hansen took the ball, with Randolph pulling out from the inside to the high post to set a screen.

After breaking past Blair, Hansen charged straight towards the basket.

By this time, Duncan had already returned to defend under the basket and faced Hansen with open arms.

Hansen turned his head in Little Gasol’s direction, and Duncan followed his gaze.

The no-look pass that Hansen had executed in front of him earlier had also surprised him.

The next second, Hansen jumped up to meet Duncan.

A combination of a quick shot and movement, he really excelled at using such changes to catch his opponents off guard.

However, Duncan turned back around; his long arms waved at Hansen.

This was Duncan at 34, free from injuries; it wasn’t easy for Hansen to score in front of him.

Yet, the next second, Hansen dodged in the air with a Euro step and finished with an underarm layup from beneath Duncan’s arm.

The shot was difficult, but the ball seemed to have a set trajectory, hitting the board perfectly, and then dropped into the net steadily.

A [no-look pass that one could pull off without pretending] had enhanced the coordination and flexibility of his fingers, also adding to his grip on finishing such shots.

After scoring, Hansen turned around while retreating and shrugged at the San Antonio Spurs’ bench.

Popovich was green with anger.

Hansen was now seizing every opportunity to ride his face.

Seeing this, Hansen started laughing; he liked seeing Popovich annoyed yet helpless at dealing with him.

So, you’re good at targeting, huh? Where’s your targeting now?

And Zhuge Vich, a Popovich who relied on Duncan to become a notable coach, what qualifications does he have to be associated with a chancellor?

At most, he’s somewhat similar to that old turtle across the court.

Sima Vich would be a better comparison!

At a critical moment, Duncan executed a low post-up, turn-around hook shot off the board, and hit again.

7-6, the Spurs were only one point behind.

Hansen played a few possessions on the weak side and then rested, while Guy ran out to receive the ball and made a drive.

However, facing Duncan’s help defense, he couldn’t get through and passed the ball back to Hansen.

In the second drive, seeing Duncan help over, Hansen and Guy exchanged glances.

Guy’s ball IQ was average, but he had spent over two months in Hansen’s training camp, and the two had developed enough understanding.

Hansen understood with just one glance, and he immediately charged towards the basket.

Hansen saw his chance and feigned a move, then with his right hand, he tossed the ball high above the basket.

Guy, led by the ball, soared up, his long arms enveloping it...

"Boom!"

He performed a violent alley-oop.

That leap, that arm span, that explosive visual impact, caused the entire stadium to erupt into chaos.

Last season’s playoffs did not feature Guy on the Grizzlies, and such alley-oops were impossible.

Of course, Hansen was even more important.

Hansen could already shoot and penetrate last season, which gave the San Antonio Spurs plenty of headaches, but now he could pass too!

Popovich looked grim and didn’t say a word.

His theory was not wrong, but the key issue was that the Grizzlies had not only changed because of Randolph.

Though Randolph had weakened, the return of Guy combined with Hansen’s improvement took the Grizzlies’ strength to a new level.

Especially Hansen, his legs had gotten even thicker!

After landing, Guy was ecstatic, going as far as to exclaim "F**k yeah!"

Popovich called for a timeout.

This time, Guy ran straight up to Hansen and bumped chests with him.

At the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read 24-20, with the Grizzlies in the lead.

Although Randolph was not in great form, having been subbed out early by Joerger to rest, the Grizzlies were performing vibrantly under Hansen’s coordination.

At the start of the second quarter, Hansen rested off the court.

With Guy back, Hansen no longer needed to stagger his playing time like in the last season’s playoffs.

On the court for the Spurs: TJ Ford, Manu Ginobili, James Anderson, Matt Bonner, Split

And for the Grizzlies: Jordan Crawford, Tony Allen, Guy, Battier, Przybilla

Ginobili’s European Step move was slightly off.

Allen defended well, but Ginobili’s penetration had issues too.

The waist affects explosiveness significantly, and the European Step relies on explosiveness.

Turning back, Guy saw his defender was Anderson, his eyes gleaming brightly.

He signaled to create space and back Anderson down.

His back-to-basket skills were not perfected, but with his physical advantage, it was enough against Anderson.

After getting Anderson to lower his center of gravity, he turned towards the free-throw line and broke through.

When he was a meter away from the basket, he elevated with both hands pulling the ball high.

Split was slightly held back by Przybilla, and by the time he got back, all he could do was stretch out his arm, then he just became part of the poster.

Guy glided through the air, pulling the ball behind his head to dodge, then slammed the ball into the basket with a powerful two-hand dunk.

"Boom!"

The huge sound echoed through the speakers, agitating the crowd.

Tonight, Guy was unrecognizably fierce.

They were used to seeing Guy take one step with the ball, fail to break through, then pull up for a difficult fadeaway shot.

But tonight, Guy started the first quarter with an impressive alley-oop dunk, and now, he delivered a soaring dunk over another player.

Those who knew realized it was Guy, those who didn’t might think he was Carter!

The Grizzlies’ bench erupted, and Hansen, holding a towel, swung it enthusiastically.

Perhaps time had made fans forget just how exhilarating it was to see Guy play staggered minutes.

Couldn’t beat Duncan? Couldn’t beat little Split either?

Not to mention, fueled by previous grievances, tonight Guy was even more thrilled, truly battling fiercely.

While pondering this, Guy on defense gave Ford a huge volleyball-style block.

Then, turning back, Guy drove hard against Anderson like James, stormed down to the basket, and scored an and-one.

After scoring, unable to contain his emotions, Guy let out a tirade at Anderson, earning a warning whistle from the referee, which abruptly hushed him.

Hansen found this amusing.

He wasn’t wrong earlier calling him Sima Vich.

With Popovich assigning Anderson against him, wasn’t that just provoking Guy further, like giving him a "Bloodthirst" buff?