The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 330 - 181 "Tell CP3, I’m going to the Western Conference Finals again

Chapter 330: Chapter 181 "Tell CP3, I’m going to the Western Conference Finals again

"He did it! Hansen did it!" From the commentary booth, O’Neal jumped up excitedly.

His little shark had preserved the victory!

The previously quiet FedEx Forum instantly exploded.

The Grizzlies’ players rushed onto the court, heading straight for Hansen.

They had won.

Not only did they beat the Lakers, but they managed to win 5 against 8!

So what if you favor the other side, so what if you give the ball rights to the Lakers, in the end, we’re the winners!

Hansen had already dashed to the scorer’s table and skillfully jumped onto it.

In front of him were the frenzied Memphis fans.

Behind him, his equally crazed Grizzlies teammates.

"Screw the Lakers! Screw the referees! This is Memphis!"

Hansen cursed, pointing down at his feet.

"That’s Hansen for you!" O’Neal shook his head there.

If he had been on the court, he would have definitely grabbed Hansen’s head and fiercely nibbled on it.

No, he regretted it; he should have played another year, he should have joined the Grizzlies for another year!

After calming down a bit, Hansen made a listening gesture.

The somewhat fading noise at the venue exploded once again.

Tonight, Memphis would be a night of revelry!

When the staff came over to remind him, Hansen finally jumped down from the scorer’s table to perform the post-game handshake with the Lakers players.

It was also then that he noticed Paul had disappeared.

Was he pulling a James, disappearing down the player’s tunnel after a loss?

After the game, at the press conference, Hansen became the focal point for all the journalists.

The moment he made that game-winning steal, overcoming the unfair calls to lead his team to victory, had inevitably made tonight another highlight of his career.

"If the officiating continues like this in the next game, I’m not sure if we’ll play properly."

However, when all the spotlights were on Hansen, he didn’t talk about his game-winning play but instead made a shocking statement.

It went beyond simple complaints about the calls—it was a threat.

And no one thought Hansen was just talking, last season’s playoff incident with Manu Ginobili’s injury was proof.

After the press conference, Hansen received a call from Thomas; the league office had gotten in touch with Thomas.

Basically, they were reminding Hansen to watch his words.

"It’s not like I said we definitely can’t play properly—it all depends on certain conditions."

"How should I reply to them?" Hansen’s response essentially meant he didn’t accept the league office’s warning.

"Just reply with the exact words I used." Were they expecting us to stay silent even after an evidently biased officiating?

Hansen didn’t believe Stern would actually suspend him over his comments.

If that were to happen, he’d better be prepared to pay some fines for his teammates.

Tonight was definitely going to be sleepless.

According to TMZ, the chief referee, Scott Foster, was assaulted by an unknown assailant when leaving the FedEx Forum, and the perpetrator was extremely professional—no marks were visible on his face, but the victim ended up in the hospital.

Furthermore, there was a follow-up report stating that the family members of the on-duty referees had received threatening phone calls.

The chaotic Memphis was showcasing its tumult post-game.

Carrell also published an article titled "Hansen Saves the NBA" in the night.

In the article, he lashed out at the referees.

"This is the ugliest game; the referees are outright insulting players and fans—they are the ones who should be jailed!"

In line with the principle of stirring things up, Carrell exaggerated every detail.

This also earned Hansen quite a few haters.

However, on social media at the time, those supporting Hansen clearly outnumbered those against him.

Because Hansen’s game-ending style was too emblematic of American individualistic heroism.

Moreover, the spread of all this was unexpectedly fast and wide.

Even the league was somewhat unable to control the situation.

Under various pressures, the league announced a "last two minutes referee report" the next day, acknowledging that the last call about ball possession was a mistake.

Although it was merely a way to save face, it did reveal the league’s stance.

It was foreseeable that outright biased officiating wouldn’t occur in the next pivotal Game 7.

Moreover, after all this commotion, the final Game 7 between the Grizzlies and the Lakers garnered much greater attention.

The Grizzlies’ players were also fully prepared.

Even though the game was in Los Angeles, they were confident enough to clinch the victory.

However, just before their departure to Los Angeles, news broke that left everyone stunned.

According to TMZ, based on an anonymous source, Paul had suffered a finger contusion during the final moments of Game 6, putting his participation in Game 7 in doubt.

Although the news came from an entertainment media like TMZ, since it’s a local media in Los Angeles, it was largely reliable.

Furthermore, fans who had watched Game 6 also knew that Paul had indeed hurt his finger while attempting a steal against Little Gasol.

Even this aligned with Paul’s absence from the post-Game 6 handshake.

For the Grizzlies, this was an unexpectedly joyful development.

Although Paul wasn’t at his best in clutch moments, the Lakers’ foundation couldn’t do without him.

This also led to fans expressing their sentiments on social media again: in critical moments, you can really trust Paul unconditionally!

On the plane to Los Angeles, the faces of the Grizzlies’ players couldn’t hide their joy.

After securing Game 6, it seemed like everything started to fall into place; winning this Game 7 would be hard to avoid.