The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 305 - 170: 2011-2012 Regular Season Ends

Chapter 305: Chapter 170: 2011-2012 Regular Season Ends

The game between the Grizzlies and Lakers had ended, but the discussion surrounding it hadn’t.

Despite Kobe saying after the game, "The Grizzlies gave us a good wakeup call," and praising Hansen’s performance at a crucial moment, the fierce rivalry during the game, and Hansen’s subsequent public mocking of Paul, propelled by the massive influence of Lakers fans, quickly escalated the animosity between the two teams.

Whatever Paul said before the game was unimportant now.

Of course, there was also a very important factor: the performance of the Grizzlies gave them a sense of urgency.

Although the outcome of a regular-season game can’t truly determine anything, everyone knows that this was just Randolph’s first game back, and he was playing as a substitute.

As Randolph gradually recovered, there was a real possibility that the Grizzlies could topple the Lakers.

Moreover, in the latest episode of TNT, when O’Neal shaved his head and the cameras focused on his shiny bald head, paired with the expressionless Kenny Smith sitting beside him, the show was explosive.

"I like the Lakers, but they disappointed me. Now, I just want to say: Memphis for the championship."

Even more dramatically, O’Neal ripped off the Lakers number 34 jersey he was wearing initially and then put on a Grizzlies 3q jersey.

How could one not say that O’Neal was a natural at stirring things up? This was another piece added to his post-retirement set of colorful jerseys.

But his antics just added fuel to the fire, making the feud between the Grizzlies and the Lakers grow even bigger.

After finishing the game against the Lakers, Joerger put Randolph back in the starting lineup.

However, Randolph’s performance didn’t meet expectations after his return to the starting lineup.

Theoretically, if Randolph as a substitute could score 20 points, then shouldn’t starting bring him back to last season’s dominance inside the paint?

That wasn’t the case. Randolph’s form was inconsistent after returning to the starting lineup.

This involved a ligament tear, an injury that fans were quite familiar with because many players had significantly declined in ability or even faded out of the NBA because of it.

There were two treatments for this type of injury: one was surgery to stitch up the torn ligaments, and the other was rest and medication to allow natural healing.

Randolph had a mild tear, so he chose conservative treatment.

But two months’ time only allowed him to play in matches, his on-court performance and feel were completely different from last season.

Like Duncan’s plantar fasciitis, it also took a whole summer halt to heal.

So it was difficult for Randolph to return to his form from last season.

Or to put it more concretely, Randolph was at most about 70% of his peak form.

During the game against the Lakers, his pick-and-roll plays with Hansen caught the Lakers off guard.

Even so, even a diminished Randolph was stronger than Speights and Faried.

And just as he showed against the Lakers, he was able to elevate his game by playing pick-and-roll with Hansen, which was already sufficient.

In fact, despite Randolph’s inconsistent form, the Grizzlies were on the upswing by the end of the season.

Hansen’s evolution, improvements from Little Gasol and Conley, Guy’s form, and bolstering the frontcourt were all visibly manifest improvements.

Randolph’s return was like adding the final piece to the puzzle; the Grizzlies started showing their claws and fangs, flexing their muscles in the NBA jungle.

In the last month of the season, they achieved a record of 10 wins and 2 losses, beautifully closing the season with a six-game winning streak.

April 26, 2012, the lockout-shortened season ended more than half a month later than usual years.

In the East, the Bulls secured a 50-16 record, topping the Heat’s Three Giants for the second consecutive season.

The Heat team took second place with 46 wins.

The Pacers ranked third with 42 wins.

The Celtics were fourth with 39 wins.

The Hawks ranked fifth with 40 wins.

The Magic ranked sixth with 37 wins.

The Knicks and 76ers were seventh and eighth respectively.

Despite the Heat not even topping the Eastern Conference, media heads like ESPN had already started campaigning for James’s MVP during the season.

Wade was absent due to injury, leaving James to lead the team through hardships;

Heat’s role players were underperforming, and James continued to carry the load;

James’s stats were comprehensive and efficient, among other aspects.

Was all this useful?

In the "history" Hansen knew, it was by leveraging these that James, despite only having the fourth-best record in the League with the Heat’s Three Giants, ultimately clinched the MVP.

But now, it was mostly useless.

Because the Lakers topped the league with a 55-11 record, Kobe played the most efficient season of his career, securing his second MVP trophy was almost certain.

The San Antonio Spurs followed closely with 50 wins in the second spot in the West.

The Thunders ranked third with 47 wins.

The Grizzlies ranked fourth with a record of 46 wins.

Hansen, in his third professional season, averaged 23.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game, with a shooting accuracy of 48.5% and a three-point shooting rate of 40.6%.

In fact, based on the Grizzlies’ performance at the start and end of the season, had Randolph not been injured, ranking third or even second wouldn’t have been a problem.

But injuries are part of the season, just as the Lakers would have performed better if Okafor had not been plagued with injuries.

Moreover, this year in the West, every team would have to battle fiercely to come out on top.

The Mavericks ranked fifth with 43 wins.

The Clippers ranked sixth with 39 wins.