The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball
Chapter 378 - 200: The Declaration of Allegiance

Chapter 378: Chapter 200: The Declaration of Allegiance

Actually, whether it was Westbrook or James, they could all tell that Hansen was trying to sow discord.

But just like Hansen’s strategy against Paul last season, recognizing it and it being effective are two different things.

James couldn’t back down because doing so would admit that it was Westbrook’s team.

Westbrook was in the same boat; management already favored James, and if he didn’t fight for it himself, he would end up being traded just the same.

Both of them were in a difficult position.

Seeing that something was off, Brooks hurriedly called a timeout.

The new season had only just begun two minutes ago, and if a dispute within the team erupted now, he, as the head coach, might as well pack up and leave immediately.

The home fans of the Grizzlies were also keen on stirring things up, starting to heckle raucously.

As Stan had analyzed, the Thunders were strong, but their level of play would still depend on how well the two ball-dominant superstars could mesh.

And right now, that didn’t look promising.

During the timeout, Sacre and Livingston were all looking at Hansen, intentionally or otherwise.

Hansen’s maneuver had left a significant impact on them.

In the NBA, there’s this concept of a persona, which isn’t only something James has; Jordan’s basketball deity, Kobe’s 4 AM ethic, Mamba mentality, and so on.

This made it feel as though they weren’t human, but gods.

They were endowed with a "divine" nature by the league and the media.

Even to maintain their divinity, they would act with high prestige both on and off the court.

By contrast, Hansen seemed more human.

You couldn’t imagine Jordan, Kobe, or James clapping the way Hansen did just now.

It seemed they could understand why the Grizzlies, with many odd personalities, would be led by Hansen, someone who hadn’t even finished his rookie contract.

Gods are to be admired from afar, but humans naturally draw close to one another.

Hansen noticed their gaze and turned his head, but his attention was caught by the scrolling advertisement behind them on the technical table.

"East University Adi King..."

Few in the audience would recognize the Chinese characters, but they caught Hansen’s attention intensely.

You know, he had actually bought a pair of those knockoff shoes in his previous life.

You see, the Grizzlies management didn’t need to be all that capable; once you win a championship, companies from East University queue up to throw money at you.

The timeout ended, and the game continued.

Westbrook started with the ball, and James was placed in the corner.

Hansen was surprised by this, wondering what magic Brooks had used to get James to concede.

Westbrook continued with the pick-and-roll, and this time Conley moved in early, but Westbrook, seeing an opportunity, took a quick jump shot and made it.

Randolph was double-teamed in the low post and passed the ball out; Little Gasol caught it mid-range and, with a fake pass to shake off a defender, took a shot and hit the responder.

The Grizzlies were off to a hot start, fully displaying the strength of the defending champions.

Back on the other end, Hansen switched defense with Guy and went over to catch up with James.

"How come you’ve fallen so far, to the point you’re second fiddle to Russell?"

Hansen’s trash talk was still lethal, but James had no reaction.

It was clear that since the Finals trash talk exchange with Hansen, James had learned to automatically tune out anything Hansen said.

The Thunders still had the ball in Westbrook’s hands, and he continued the pick-and-roll with Little Lopez.

This time Conley tried to go over the screen, but Little Lopez blocked him, allowing Westbrook to fake out Little Gasol with a pump fake and then drive into the paint against Randolph, finishing the play with a layup.

Westbrook was pumped after scoring, swinging his arms back and forth in his signature "rock the baby" motion.

In this moment, he fully embodied the trait of an "emotional player."

When he lacked confidence, he hesitated, making you feel like he was a burden to the team, the player who most successfully defended Durant.

But when he was confident, he only thought about how to get the ball in the basket and could use his impressive athleticism to perform well.

Regardless of what Brooks did, the situation on the court was Westbrook taking the ball away from James, and now he was hot.

And what’s more, Westbrook’s emotions began to spread to his teammates, and the intensity of the Thunders’ defense was noticeably improving.

Little Gasol’s hard drive was blocked by Ibaka’s help defense, and Ibaka got the rebound.

Suddenly, two figures from the Thunders dashed past the three-point line.

Hansen decided to cover Westbrook, who had received the ball.

To his surprise, once past half-court, Westbrook chose to lob the ball to James, who was further ahead.

James scored on a fastbreak dunk.

Tied at 8.

The Thunders had a small surge, pulling the score back even.

At this moment, Hansen looked at Westbrook, reconsidering his assessment.

As a transmigrator, in what he knew of "history," Westbrook and James had played together on the Lakers.

That picture was hard to describe; it was like trying to fit a two-prong plug into a three-prong outlet-it’s not about whether you can fit it, but rather that both are plugs, and if you force them together, you’ll end up with a short-circuit.

But clearly, Westbrook now wasn’t the same as he was back then.

At this point, he hadn’t started chasing stats; what he wanted more was to win the game.