The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 326 - 179 I’m Not Targeting Kobe_2

Chapter 326: Chapter 179 I’m Not Targeting Kobe_2

Under the spotlight, two days later, Game 6 of the series between the Grizzlies and the Lakers kicked off in Memphis.

The FedEx Forum was at maximum capacity, with the fans raising various conspicuous signs.

"No fair game if you don’t blow the whistle properly," "Those who rig the game won’t leave Memphis intact," "We know your names"...

Although some fan signs were removed by the security personnel due to their blatant messages, Memphis’s violent element was on full display that night.

Many had forgotten just how chaotic this city could be.

And during the opening ceremony, it wasn’t just the referees that faced the jeers of the home crowd; even the Lakers were met with boos.

While the referees blew the whistles, the Lakers were the beneficiaries.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both teams were announced, unchanged from previous games.

But as the players entered the court, their expressions were solemn, and the atmosphere was tense.

Amongst the cheers of the fans, Big Gasol won the tip-off for the Lakers, and the game officially began.

Kobe looked slightly surprised when he saw that Hansen was guarding him.

However, at the start, he didn’t engage in any tactical movements, instead letting Paul organize the attack.

Paul was in good form, and after a pick-and-roll with Big Gasol, his breakthrough floater scored.

The Lakers took the early lead.

Hansen received the ball after a pick-and-roll and, facing a hard-charging Ci Shiping from behind, he changed direction to get past him.

He felt a clear tug on his jersey from behind.

It could only have come from Ci Shiping.

This was the change in refereeing standards; those who’ve been in the NBA long enough have learned to adapt to it.

And after playing for many years, those who can remain clean are indeed the minority. Even if not dirty, they’ve all learned the little tricks.

Because if others are using them and you don’t, you’ll be the one at a disadvantage in the end.

The referee didn’t blow his whistle. It seemed that Hansen and his teammates’ predictions were correct, Stern didn’t care about those influences.

After all, what’s the essential difference between your Grizzlies and the Jazz of yesteryear?

In the time it took for that brief tug, Okafor had fallen back to defend the basket.

Hansen didn’t stop his motion, facing Okafor with a flaming skyward leap, pulling up his knees as he jumped.

Although he seldom used dirty tricks, he’d seen plenty. Hasn’t he seen the pig run even if he hasn’t eaten pork?

In the end, Hansen, bearing Okafor’s contact, made the floating jump shot.

The referee was still silent.

At this point, Hansen had basically gauged the referee’s standard for the night.

There was bias, but it wouldn’t target the key players.

This was just as he had expected.

Why would that be?

The reason couldn’t be simpler; if you foul out the opposing key players, what’s left for the fans to watch?

Like the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, when the star player was fouled out, it was the only historical instance, mostly because Stern truly treated James like his own son at that time.

Paul and Big Gasol continued their pick-and-roll play, and this time, Paul dished the ball to Big Gasol.

Big Gasol also raised his arms high and drove toward the basket, but his shot was forcefully blocked by Little Gasol, who had fallen back under the hoop.

The focal point of this series was the matchup between Hansen and Kobe; the Gasol brothers’ encounter didn’t attract as much attention.

But for those who observed closely, Little Gasol was now able to rival Big Gasol on the court.

However, a belated whistle from the referee changed everything, as Little Gasol was called for a defensive foul.

Boos filled the air.

By the time Big Gasol approached the free-throw line, the entire arena rang out with chants of "Referee Sucks."

Big Gasol eventually made one of two free throws.

The referees, carrying out their duties, opted to ignore the fans’ protests, but it was hard for the players to remain unaffected by such an atmosphere.

The Grizzlies executed a high-low play, and Little Gasol, holding the ball at the free-throw line, suddenly turned and soared towards the basket to attempt a layup.

Okafor, in his defensive effort, fouled, and Little Gasol’s final shot hit the rim and bounced out.

The referee remained silent, but Randolph, with his long arm, completed the putback.

Little Gasol said nothing, just headed back down the court.

Clearly, after experiencing Heavenly King Mountain’s battle and knowing that protests were futile, the Grizzlies’ players were prepared for a tough game.

And having lost in such a way, although the others didn’t speak up like Hansen, they were certainly all fired up inside.

After seeing that Kobe still didn’t seem to want the ball, Hansen directly spoke up,

"Are you really as old as Shaq says, having to rely on the refs to win games?"

Hansen had faced off against Kobe several times and knew that Kobe’s resistance to trash talk was much stronger than Paul’s, but he also knew what kind of trash talk worked on Kobe.

Sure enough, Kobe’s expression changed instantly.

Shaq, old, relying on the refs—these words were like arrows shooting straight to his heart.

Although he had already made his stance clear in front of the reporters, the biased refereeing tonight made that stance seem ridiculous.

He started to move without the ball and gestured for Paul to pass it to him.

Even knowing that Hansen was setting a trap for him, he was determined to fill that trap himself.

After Kobe received the ball, he signaled for a clear-out, and the crowd started to boo.

The referees’ indifference allowed the Memphis fans to unleash their indiscriminate jeering.

Kobe initiated his offensive move, opting for a left-side breakthrough. As he reached the free-throw line, he made a quick stop, then turned and leaned back for a jumper.

This was one of his signature moves, one he had previously used to shake off Hansen.

However, Hansen’s focus tonight was extremely high. He kept pace with Kobe’s rhythm and jumped to block almost simultaneously with Kobe.

Kobe increased the lean of his fadeaway shot.

But Hansen’s hang-time exceeded his expectations, and by the time he was forced to take the shot while falling, Hansen’s hand had already smacked the ball as it left Kobe’s hands.

"Bang!"

Hansen blocked Kobe head-on!

The crowd instantly erupted into a frenzy.

Hansen’s defensive play was nothing short of spectacular.

More importantly, the referee didn’t blow the whistle.

This had been Hansen’s main objective in verbally targeting Kobe.

Since the referees wouldn’t show bias against him, he would simply let Kobe keep attacking him!

When Hansen got to the frontcourt, he realized that his defender had also become Kobe.

It was clear that his trash talk and block had got under Kobe’s skin.

If the Lakers’ head coach were still Phil Jackson, Kobe would not have engaged in an attrition battle with Hansen right from the start of Game 4.

But unfortunately, the Lakers’ current coach was Brown, whose defining characteristic, aside from a decent defensive acumen, was being a "nanny."

Just as he had coddled James in Cleveland, he did the same with Kobe in Los Angeles; he would never contradict a superstar on his team.

Naturally, seeing this brought a smile to Hansen’s face.

Game 4 showed that if he could hold his own against Kobe for the first three quarters, the Grizzlies had a great chance of defeating the Lakers in the fourth.

So, to ensure Kobe stayed focused on himself, Hansen also chose to call for the ball.

The crowd’s cheering began to swell.

Game 4 had made the Memphis fans realize that Hansen now had the strength to take on Kobe.

After Conley passed the ball, he also signaled for a clear side.

The camera panned to Kobe, whose eyes were filled with a murderous intent.

Hansen started his drive, but his consecutive attempts to break through could not penetrate Kobe’s defense, and he finally dribbled the ball back out to the top.

With Kobe’s quick footwork and intense focus, it was very hard to get past him easily.

After successfully defending against Hansen’s offense, Kobe started talking trash, "Come on! Is that all you’ve got?!"

Hansen took a light breath, pushed the ball with his right hand, lifted his left knee and pushed off the ground behind him, stepping out with a crossover move while quickly pulling the ball back with his left hand.

The move sent a surge of cheers rippling through the arena.

Because that was... the Sam God move!

Hansen’s explosive power was much quicker than Irving’s.

And he wasn’t finished; seeing only a subtle shift in Kobe’s balance, he closed the distance between them, executed a left-hand behind-the-back dribble, then took control of the ball with his right hand and quickly spun around Kobe to break through.

Kobe was completely faked out by the move.

Amidst the cheers of the fans, Hansen charged into the paint and slammed the ball into the basket with his left hand before Okafor could help on defense.

As he landed, Hansen performed his signature No. 77 jersey celebration move, and the FedEx Forum was completely electrified.

Defense against Kobe, offense mocking Kobe!

Hansen’s past one defense and one attack were dominantly impressive.

And beyond the performance, even more crucial was the emotion Hansen conveyed.

against 8? So what?

Tonight we can still win!