The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 359 - 192 Grizzlies Champions!_2

Chapter 359: Chapter 192 Grizzlies Champions!_2

At the time, in front of the television, many fans were also cheering for their success, just as they had for the Mavericks last year.

They might not all be Grizzlies fans, but anyone who opposes the Heat’s Three Giants makes them happy.

The charm of competitive sports lies in the competition, and how many people like those who take shortcuts?

So there was nothing more enjoyable than watching those who took shortcuts fail.

At this time, back in East University, fans were truly plunging into jubilation.

The national basketball team was not dependable, but they could still see someone from East University conquering the NBA, which was their proudest moment.

Those who had once criticized Hansen were now sending him the loudest cheers.

"Brother Hansen, we were young and blind before, but now we are all your die-hard fans!"

After a brief celebration, the Grizzlies and the Heat conducted their post-game handshake.

Wade was red-eyed at the moment, losing was not unacceptable, but being swept was a true humiliation, especially for The Big Three to be swept.

Hansen initially did not want to say anything, as he had made his words very clear last summer, but thinking of how Wade had helped him a lot, he couldn’t help but embrace Wade and whispered in his ear,

"Don’t let the pigeon end up occupying the magpie’s nest."

If Wade understood the culture of East University, perhaps mentioning "pigeon occupying the magpie’s nest" would have sufficed.

But it was a timely reminder, as no one could guarantee that Riley would eventually choose to trade James.

After the handshake, the Grizzlies players went to the locker room to change into their championship shirts.

When Hansen got back to the locker room, he saw Johnson, who had been waiting there.

"Are you alright?" Hansen asked with concern.

"You should ask if LeBron has any problems," Johnson replied with a smile.

Hansen burst into laughter, then embraced him.

As for whether James had any problems— who cared!

The Grizzlies celebrated for a second time in the locker room.

Joerger enjoyed the second champagne shower of his Grizzlies career.

This time Hansen gave him a shower from head to toe with a bucket.

But he himself also suffered a champagne shower from his teammates, and the whole locker room erupted into chaos.

When they came out with their clothes changed, everyone’s hair was drenched.

At that point, the stadium already had less than half of the fans remaining.

The hardcore Heat fans had already left, and those remaining were neutral or supporters of the Grizzlies, there to witness the upcoming championship moment.

A stage had been set up in the middle of the field.

Besides David Stern, Hansen also saw another person he had long heard of, Bill Russell.

This legendary player, highly respected by O’Neal, appeared even more benevolent than on TV.

Russell also looked very healthy, full of vitality.

Once everything was ready, the lights focused on the center of the field, and the award ceremony began.

"First, we want to thank the Miami Heat, for showing spirit of effort and persistence."

Thanking the losing side— a NBA tradition, but Stern’s comment made the Grizzlies players laugh.

But it was not Stern’s fault, after all, it’s challenging to find positives in a team that was swept.

"Now, let us congratulate the Memphis Grizzlies, the 2012 NBA champions, and this is their first championship in franchise history!"

As Stern made the announcement, the venue erupted into cheers.

As Barkley once said, the Heat’s Three Giants are good guys; they have now allowed both Dallas and Memphis to make breakthroughs from zero.

Amidst the cheers, Stern handed the championship trophy to Grizzlies’ owner Michael Heisley.

It was actually Hansen’s first time seeing his own boss.

There’s a wide variety of NBA owners’ personalities— some are extremely enthusiastic about their teams, like the widely known Mavericks owner Cuban; others treat the team just as an investment.

Actually, the latter is the majority, because becoming an owner isn’t about whether you love basketball, but whether you have the money.

Of course, Heisley was certainly happy at this moment.

The team’s victory definitely helped the market, meaning more revenue.

He smiled and raised the championship trophy, the Grizzlies players also reached out towards the trophy, confetti shot around, marking the Grizzlies’ championship moment.

As Heisley passed the trophy to Wallace, who then passed it to Joerger and the rest of the Grizzlies, the team members began to shout excitedly.

Only by touching the trophy did they truly realize that this moment was not a dream.

They, from the small basketball city of Memphis, a team that hadn’t won a single playoff game two years ago, were now NBA champions!

It felt like a dream.

Sideline staff were busy with the final tally for the FMVP vote, and reporters began interviewing key figures from the Grizzlies.

From the owner Heisley to the general manager Wallace, to head coach Joerger, and then Hansen.

"You are the first player to win a championship in your junior year since DW, and you defeated DW’s led Heat, how do you feel right now?"

"I like your question," Hansen replied positively as he took the microphone.

"When I arrived in Memphis, I said I wanted to bring a championship to this city, and I think no one took it seriously at that time, but now, I only want to say this: Grizzlies champions!"

When Hansen raised his right hand, the venue overflowed with cheers from the fans.

At this moment, Wallace beside him was smiling the most exaggeratedly, he still remembered urging Hansen to be modest back then when Hansen insisted they would win the championship.

Now looking back, it was he who had been too timid.

The world doesn’t fear big talk, it fears those who can follow through.

Even if it initially was bluster, it truly ended up being incredible.

After the interview ended, the staff handed the envelope containing the FMVP results to Stern.

This result wasn’t much of a surprise.

The key statistics for the Grizzlies in the finals were as follows:

Hansen averaged 28 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5 assists, with a shooting percentage of 51.4%, three-point shooting percentage of 40.2%;

Randolph averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of 48.2%;

Little Gasol averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, with a shooting percentage of 55%;

Guy averaged 12 points and 4 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of 47%, and a three-point shooting percentage of 38.4%;

Conley averaged 9.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 2 steals, with a shooting percentage of 45.4%, three-point shooting percentage of 40.1%.

Stern opened the envelope and announced the final decision.

"The recipient of the 2012 Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy is Hansen."

Russell picked up the FMVP trophy from the table and handed it to Hansen.

He even gave Hansen a hug voluntarily.

"You kicked their asses hard," then to Hansen’s surprise, Russell whispered something rather vulgar.

But Hansen couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

It seemed like Russell was really down to earth.

Of course, this also shows just how much the old generation of players disliked seeing stars like James at their peak banding together.

As Hansen lifted the FMVP trophy over his head, it wasn’t just the fans cheering; his teammates from the Grizzlies were also sending loud cheers for him.

They knew the sacrifices and contributions Hansen made, and no one deserved this honor more than him.

Hansen then delivered his own award acceptance speech:

"During the regular season, we only won against the Heat with a buzzer-beater, but now we’ve swept them, and the biggest difference is, we had Zack."

Hansen’s opening remarks caught people off guard but also drew cheers.

Of course, it surprised Randolph, who didn’t expect Hansen to mention him there, and especially not in such length.

When the camera shifted to him, he blushed and punched the air with his fist.

"When Zack was absent, our inside game was shaky, but Mark held down the whole paint area for the team, transforming from a regular player to defense squad level."

"We all know how important Rudy is to us; if he had been here last season, we would have been back-to-back champions by now."

...

"Mike (Bibby) brought us experience, and we all haven’t forgotten what he did for the team in Game 3."

However, what was unexpected was that Hansen ended up mentioning every single team member, and not just by name.

Cheers and intermittent laughter filled the venue.

This was probably the longest FMVP speech, but also the most special one.

When the cheering finally settled, Hansen finally turned sideways to his teammates and said:

"This isn’t my MVP trophy, because without any of you, we couldn’t have succeeded; what I want to say is, we are all MVPs!"