The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 321 - 177 The Floor is a Bit Slippery_2

Chapter 321: Chapter 177 The Floor is a Bit Slippery_2

In fact, Hansen was one of only three players who had scored over 50 points in a playoff game.

Kobe, once again, managed to pull up for a jump shot after getting past Guy, but this time, his shot finally went askew.

Turning back, Ci Shiping gritted his teeth and finally caught up with Hansen, but Hansen easily got past him with a change of direction in front of his body.

This time, Okafor was able to come up for the block in time, but Hansen flicked the ball to Randolph, who scored on a close-range bank shot.

On the way back, Hansen high-fived with Randolph.

Brown on the sidelines was frowning deeply.

As Hansen’s former coach, he was very familiar with Hansen’s technical characteristics.

But Hansen felt very different tonight.

Earlier, because of the mismatch, he didn’t feel it as strongly, but the way he got past Ci Shiping just now, was easier than crossing an empty street in the early morning.

Was it that Ci Shiping really couldn’t keep up, or had Hansen evolved again?

He didn’t know, so he chose to call Barnes off the bench.

Coincidentally, on the Grizzlies’ side, Joerger was also preparing a substitution adjustment.

Although it wasn’t yet time for Guy to rotate out, his defense against Kobe tonight was ineffective.

However, the player he called wasn’t Battier, but Allen.

Guy couldn’t keep up with Kobe mainly because of his footspeed, and Battier’s was even slower.

Of course, Joerger hadn’t forgotten Allen; it’s just that Allen’s weaknesses were too evident, and his presence would compress the offensive space.

But now to defend Kobe, they had to sacrifice offense.

Allen hadn’t expected to get playing time so early tonight; he was excited, and he subconsciously glanced at Hansen on the court.

He thought it was an opportunity Hansen had fought for him.

Guy committed a foul on Kobe, but it was an early foul, so Kobe didn’t get a chance at free throws.

At this moment, the whistle blew from the sidelines, and both teams made their substitutions.

Allen replaced Guy, Barnes replaced Ci Shiping.

The Lakers had an inbound play, and the Grizzlies’ substitution had an immediate effect.

Kobe’s offense since the start was primarily based on off-ball pindown tactics; Guy’s slower movement allowed Kobe to create opportunities frequently.

But Allen was a master at navigating screens, so it was much harder for Kobe to receive the ball as easily as before.

Paul chose to pick and roll with Big Gasol and then pass it to Big Gasol, whose layup was directly blocked by Little Gasol.

In the fight for the loose ball, Allen got the possession.

What Hansen didn’t know was that his actions had brought a lot of unexpected effects, the morale of the Grizzlies tonight was exceptionally high.

"Whoop that trick!"

The fans’ cheering and shouts also began to ring out in the arena.

Conley continued to set up plays for Hansen, but Barnes got through the pick, who is the best defender on the Lakers team apart from Kobe.

Hansen’s fake look at the basket didn’t fool him, so he simply dribbled back up to the top and then signaled to clear out.

The game opened with both sides going on the attack, the Lakers’ scoring had already dried up, now it was up to the Grizzlies to continue their run.

Barnes didn’t look back at the situation behind him; his thinking was rather simple – cut off Hansen’s offense, and leave the defense to his teammates.

Hansen made his move, choosing to take the right path.

Barnes quickly backpedaled to maintain his defensive position.

But Hansen suddenly pulled back to the left with an under-the-leg crossover, creating a swift gap between them.

And after creating the space, he looked up at the basket again, seemingly ready to pull up for a mid-range jumper.

Barnes lunged forward in an effort to contest the shot; he knew the distance was close enough for Hansen to get off his shot.

Unexpectedly, Hansen quickly changed direction and got past him.

And because his explosive power was strong, unlike Irving, who could be caught even after a breakthrough, by the time Barnes landed, Hansen had already made it to the basket.

Okafor tried to play help defense, but Hansen’s quick floater gave him no chance.

to 10.

The Grizzlies had established a two-basket lead.

As the arena erupted into cheers, the LED screen displayed Hansen’s stats for the night.

for 4, 8 points, 1 assist.

This familiar stat line immediately brought back memories of the Grizzlies versus Mavericks Game 1.

Could it be that just after one series, Hansen was set to exhibit his uncanny shooting touch again?

The answer, however, wasn’t quite that simple.

Because a closer look would reveal that Kobe’s offense tonight was all shooting, while Hansen was primarily driving to the basket.

If we’re talking about shooting touch, Kobe might still be the better shooter tonight.

This was also precisely why Hansen was so eager to push "Uncle Drew" to the limit.

Because shooting touch is always hit or miss.

One of the most famous principles in basketball ideology is "the closer to the basket, the higher the shooting percentage", compared to shooting, breaking through relies less on touch and is a more reliable way to score.

That’s also why Kobe’s scoring drought continued, yet he could still keep producing points.

This time, Kobe posted up Allen in the frontcourt, receiving the ball with his back to him.

Hansen’s scoring streak continued, and he planned to keep the points coming.

Of course, there was another reason: Allen was a nobody, how could he be stopped by a nobody?

Kobe played the back-to-the-basket solo, quickly shaking off his defender with a turnaround fadeaway.

"Snap!"

But before he could fully rise, he felt a lightness in his hand—Allen had actually stolen the ball!

In theory, since Allen had done well defensively against Durant in the playoffs last season, he was expected to get more opportunities with the Grizzlies this season.

However, Guy’s return changed all that, leading to him being not only underused but marginalized.

But every cloud has a silver lining; this marginalization made him less of a focus for opponents, allowing him to have a similar effect as Baria did in last year’s finals.

The Grizzlies were pumped up; after Allen’s steal, they launched a fast break, with Conley scoring a flying layup from Hansen’s pass.

"Defense! Defense!"

Deafening chants for defense began to fill the arena; the Grizzlies were gaining momentum!

Kobe continued to call for the ball, and Allen stuck with him.

This time, after Kobe received the ball, he turned around, placing the ball in front to tempt Allen to reach, but Allen didn’t bite.

Eventually, Kobe drove the ball for a breakthrough, Allen following him relentlessly.

Kobe pulled a quick stop-and-fake, but Allen wasn’t fooled.

Finally, after a series of shooting fakes, Kobe launched a fadeaway jumper, with Allen jumping up to contest.

Kobe’s shot, under Allen’s tough defense, veered off the basket.

The struggle for the rebound ended with Big Gasol poking the ball out of bounds, turning over possession to the Grizzlies.

Hansen laughed and went over to pat Allen’s head hard.

Allen’s performance tonight reminded him of the "historical" 2010 finals he knew, which was Allen’s breakout series.

Because of his presence, the Lakers-Celtics showdown never happened in this world, and Allen naturally lost that opportunity.

But now, on a different stage, Allen displayed a similar effect against Kobe.

Indeed, true gold shines everywhere.

And he was also happy for Allen; whether he stayed or left, demonstrating his worth in the playoffs was crucial.

In the Grizzlies’ frontcourt offense, Conley kept looking for Hansen.

Barnes was screened by Little Gasol, and with Conley’s pass already on its way, Paul quickly moved to cover Hansen while Kobe switched to Conley at the first chance.

With Allen on the court, the Lakers could afford to leave him unguarded on defense.

Hansen had just received the ball and was about to initiate when Paul pounced on him.

And even before he could close in, Paul’s hand was already reaching for the ball in Hansen’s grip.

To claim Hansen’s trash talk hadn’t affected him would be impossible; under Kobe’s pressure, he dared not make a move, but feeling uncomfortable was inevitable, so seeing the instigator Hansen, he only wanted to embarrass him.

As the reigning steals leader, Paul was quite confident in his timing for snatching the ball.

Paul’s attempt to steal was perfectly timed, catching Hansen off guard, but just as Paul was about to make contact with the ball, Hansen dodged it with an extreme crossover!

This move perfectly showcased the improvement in Hansen’s ball-handling skills after reaching his threshold with "Uncle Drew".

At the moment Hansen dodged Paul’s steal, he saw Paul slip due to too much momentum.

Without pausing, Hansen crossed the ball back again.

Paul tried to reach again, but a shift in center of gravity combined with slipping caused him to fall backwards.

Paul didn’t succeed in the steal, instead, he was shaken off his feet!

The audience was already erupting in cheers.

After dropping Paul, Hansen stopped the ball, adjusted, and took a mid-range shot.

"Swish!"

The ball went through the net once more.

The venue was filled with cheers.

to 14.

The Grizzlies were not only establishing a lead, but they were widening the gap!

After the basket, Hansen maintained his shooting pose, and as he lowered his hand, he saw Paul getting up off the floor. He couldn’t help but say:

"I know, the floor is a bit slippery."

—Divider—

①: Hansen, Ray Allen, Iverson (not officially retired).