The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 325 - 179 I’m Not Targeting Kobe

Chapter 325: Chapter 179 I’m Not Targeting Kobe

There was no surprise when Hansen received a $25,000 fine from the League after the game.

But the matter didn’t end with this fine.

The day after the game ended, Carrell published a vehement article on TNT: "The NBA, Dragged into the Abyss by Referees."

"The 2011 summer championship brought the NBA its biggest celebration in nearly a decade. Had it not been for the lockout, this season would have been unprecedentedly prosperous," Carrell wrote. "Instead, the referees are dragging the NBA into the abyss. When a commercial league loses its fairness, what reason does it have left to be loved by its fans?"

Carrell’s news story had one purpose: to blow up the incident.

Anyone with half a brain could tell that the issue of officiating standards couldn’t be disconnected from the League.

Only by making a big fuss could there be a chance to change the situation.

In fact, thanks to the off-court hype by Barkley and O’Neal, this playoff series already had very high visibility.

Speaking of O’Neal, he’d already cursed out the refereeing standards during the game, asserting that the referees had definitely taken money from the Lakers and threatening to give the referees a piece of his mind after the game.

O’Neal’s loss of composure was completely understandable: the outcome of this series was now intimately linked to his reputation.

Having played in the League for so many years, he had himself benefited from bad calls and could instantly tell a fixed game.

So, once Carrell’s article was released, it immediately sparked a huge controversy.

"Didn’t you Kobe fans always claim to be superior? Why do the Lakers now need the League to carry them?"

"We accepted our defeat to the Mavericks last year; after all, it was a historic Mavericks team. But wasn’t LeBron leading his team to the finals last year without any help from the whistleblowers a much stronger achievement than you needing the referees to make it to the conference finals?"

"When you benefited from wins over the King and the Jazz, did you see them complaining? Everyone is dirty, so stop pretending to be a white lotus."

...

LeBron fans needed the Grizzlies to eliminate the Lakers, and now they were displaying the principle, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," to the fullest on social media.

The situation was getting hotter by the minute.

Even during the Lakers’ routine public training, reporters asked about the issue.

The Lakers initially tried to brush it off, but relentless questioning by the reporters made it impossible.

Finally, when the question was posed to Kobe, he expressed his attitude: "The game should be left to the players to decide its outcome."

Kobe, after all, was not James; he still had pride.

Of course, one shouldn’t overlook the fact that O’Neal had now moved to the commentary booth and become TNT’s popular rookie.

If the Lakers really had to rely on officiating to beat the Grizzlies in the end, O’Neal could use this material to diss them throughout his entire commentary career.

Upon returning to Memphis, Hansen immediately began studying how to beat the Lakers.

The Lakers now had the match point, and the Grizzlies had no way back.

Even though Kobe had spoken out, he couldn’t predict the standard of officiating for the next game, after all, Stern’s considerations were different from Kobe’s.

So, to truly resolve the issue, they had to be psychologically prepared to play 5 against 8.

And he must be prepared.

Compared to the aging Kobe, Stern’s real favored one was still James.

It was foreseeable that even if the Grizzlies made it to the finals, they would face the same or even worse refereeing situation against the Heat.

In a sense, this was like getting used to it in advance.

Following the principle that "Three cobblers with their wits combined exceed the mastermind," Hansen pulled together the two players with high basketball IQs, Conley and Battier, to discuss.

In the end, the consensus among the three was crucial to defend Kobe tightly.

So far in the series, thanks to Paul’s key stable performance, the Lakers’ reliance on Kobe was even greater than imagined.

Allen had stepped up, and with Guy and Battier rotating, they were already doing well.

But now, with Kobe getting the calls, the situation changed completely.

"I’ll guard Kobe," Hansen finally said.

Conley immediately shook his head upon hearing this.

The Grizzlies’ reliance on Hansen might not be as strong as that of the Lakers on Kobe, but it wasn’t much less in the playoffs.

"I am the core of the team after all; they’ll have some reservations," Hansen added.

"It’s not impossible. Hansen could focus his energy on defense for the first three quarters and leave the offense to others," Battier suggested after careful consideration.

"No need, my stamina is fine," Hansen shook his head.

Okafor had been in good form since his return, and the Grizzlies’ low-post tactics were not effective; it was still more reliable to initiate tactics from him.

Battier was then surprised.

"We have no way out; I must do more."

Thanks to the growth of his teammates, Hansen hadn’t played a game this season where he had to carry the team alone.

But now that the Grizzlies were cornered, he had to step forward.

If they could get past the Lakers, the subsequent games would seem less daunting, giving them at least a sight of the endpoint.

In the end, Battier and Conley could only nod; they knew Hansen’s character. If he said he would do it, he would.

They then discussed defensive details further; after all, Kobe was in top form, and stopping him required more than one person.