"Mike Brown, do sothing! You're letting Han score too much!" Barkley said, sounding a bit desperate.
"Charles, if you surrender now, I'll let you keep your shorts on when you go streaking," Shaq laughed.
"There are four quarters in a ga; you're celebrating too early." Barkley seed to have forgotten his previous smug attitude.
"The Grizzlies have this in the bag tonight. That's the wisdom of a five-ti NBA champion."
Barkley puffed up, clearly irritated—he couldn't stand it when Shaq kept bringing up those five rings as if his life depended on it.
In the next possession, Kobe Bryant finally scored, choosing the simplest play: he ran off the ball, caught it, and shot over Tony Allen's tight defense.
Allen was excellent at navigating screens, but even he couldn't eliminate every gap, giving Kobe just enough space to release his shot.
Allen's height limited his defensive reach, turning Kobe's attack into a direct display of talent.
Though Allen's defense surprised him, Kobe showcased his elite adaptability.
When Han Sen drove with the ball next, Kobe left Allen to double-team him.
Just as Barkley was about to praise Kobe's move, he had to swallow his words because Han didn't back down. He advanced, pushing the ball forward in a quick, 'split the trap' move!
This maneuver was risky for losing control, but Han Sen demonstrated perfect dribbling skill.
Although the ball left his hands, he spun it just right, slipped past the double-team, and regained control.
Such an agile move, typically seen from smaller guards, drew gasps from the audience.
On the sideline, Brown finally realized: Han Sen had evolved!
Okafor ca to help, but Han Sen took off, passing under Okafor's arm mid-air to a wide-open Randolph, who scored easily off the glass.
Han Sen may not have been as explosive as in Ga 1 against the Mavericks, but he was still unstoppable.
Chris Paul then connected on a mid-range shot after a pick-and-roll with Pau Gasol.
Next ti down, with Brown signaling, Barnes gave Han Sen a big cushion, clearly forced to respect Han Sen's drive.
Without hesitation, Han Sen shot. Barnes' late contest had no effect.
Swish!
He hadn't taken many shots, focusing mostly on driving, but that helped him build up his shooting rhythm.
...
Paul's floater fell after a pick-and-roll, bringing him into rhythm, and when Han Sen took the ball again, Kobe switched to guard him.
Judging by Brown's expression, it wasn't his idea—L.A. needed Kobe's offense more than his defense.
Especially this early in the ga, over-exerting Kobe would lead to a repeat of their regular-season ga against the Grizzlies, where he ran out of steam in the final quarter.
But Kobe had his reasons.
If he couldn't contain Han's offense, the Lakers would fall behind early, potentially losing control of the ga before the fourth quarter even arrived.
The Grizzlies were on a roll, with players willing to step up, so exhausting Kobe's stamina could shift the odds.
Han Sen received the pass from Conley, with Kobe pressing up on defense.
Han Sen didn't rush to attack, holding the ball in his right hand and leaning forward.
Though Kobe's All-Defensive accolades were sotis disputed, his one-on-one skills were solid.
For Han Sen to get past him, he'd need to do it decisively.
With an intense stare, Kobe clearly disliked Han's one-handed ball-holding stance.
Han Sen gave a triple-threat fake, then quickly dribbled to his right.
Kobe matched him step for step, his footwork tight and agile, keeping close.
Han Sen pulled back through his legs but couldn't shake Kobe, who stayed right with him.
This ti, Han gave a slight glance at the rim while adjusting his grip on the ball, then crossed left with a 'shammgod' move.
Kobe didn't jump, but his forward lean gave Han Sen just enough of an opening to blow past him.
With the [Uncle Drew]'s potential unlocked, Han Sen executed these moves with improved speed and agility, letting him breeze by defenders like Paul and now Kobe.
Kobe chased but couldn't catch him, as Han Sen accelerated toward the basket, leaping over Okafor for a massive dunk.
The FedExForum erupted.
More thrilling than the dunk was seeing Han Sen outplay Kobe!
From tta World Peace to Barnes to the double-teams and finally Kobe, the Lakers had exhausted their defensive options—all without success.
Han Sen's shooting had shown that dropping off him was a mistake, so L.A. had no clear answer for him tonight.
But Kobe wouldn't be Kobe if he gave up after one failed defense. His relentless pressure eventually wore down Han Sen's efficiency, though Kobe paid the price in stamina.
Fortunately, Chris Paul's offense kept the Lakers within striking distance.
In the fourth quarter, the score stood at 89-100, with the Lakers still in it.
Both Han Sen and Kobe, drained from earlier efforts, took a back seat, leaving the closing monts to the fans' favorite: Paul's clutch ti.
Paul's first shot over Randolph went in, cutting the lead to single digits.
Pau Gasol stepped up defensively, blocking Marc Gasol's inside attempt.
With this sequence, the Lakers looked poised to make a run.
The mphis crowd erupted with defensive chants, unwilling to let victory slip away.
In the chaos, Paul fumbled a pass ant for Pau Gasol, and it ended up in Marc Gasol's hands instead.
Marc led the break, with Gay charging downcourt for a tomahawk dunk.
The Grizzlies, led by Han Sen for the first three quarters, still had energy to spare.
That dunk deflated L.A.'s montum.
Then, after Chris Paul's floater missed, Conley drew a three-point foul on Paul, converting all three free throws.
With a few critical plays, the lead stretched to 14, and the Lakers fell.
The Grizzlies never trailed after the three-minute mark, finishing with a 112-101 win and tying the series at 2-2.
This was the first ga in the series with a double-digit margin, and mphis ca out on top.
Postga stats showed Han Sen had 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists, with five Grizzlies in double figures.
Kobe scored 32 points, and Paul had 26 points and 10 assists, but their struggles in the clutch led to the Lakers' defeat.
At the Lakers' press conference, Kobe was asked about the key to the ga.
"We couldn't contain Han. He played a great ga, and we need to lock him down next ti."
Kobe knew just how influential Han was, even if his numbers didn't match his Ga 1 performance against Dallas.
When asked about the Lakers' fourth-quarter struggles, Kobe took the bla, interrupting the glance journalists gave to Chris Paul.
"It's on . I didn't step up in the fourth." This response contrasted sharply with his post-Ga 1 remarks.
After the Lakers, the Grizzlies held their press conference.
Reporters noticed Han Sen wasn't there; Tony Allen and Marc Gasol appeared instead.
Although Han's performance warranted him being there, he'd given the chance to Allen, who deserved the spotlight after a strong ga.
"I should have used Tony earlier. If I had, we might be up 3-1," Joerger praised him.
"I often train with Han, and most of the ti he's on offense while I defend him. That has taught a lot about how to guard top-level guards," Allen ntioned, actively crediting Han Sen when discussing his own defense.
Though in reality, their training benefited Han Sen more, there was mutual growth.
More importantly, he believed tonight's opportunity was sothing Han Sen helped secure for him.
And with Han letting him attend the press conference, it created a beautiful misunderstanding.
This outco wasn't what the Lakers wanted, but it was exactly what fans were excited to see.
With the series tied, the next ga beca a critical turning point. For a series this closely watched, it was bound to add even more suspense.
Notably, this was the Grizzlies' first ti reaching such a pivotal ga in a playoff series.
Previous series had either ended 3-1 or 1-3, so they hadn't reached this situation before.
The sa was true for Han, who, during his ti with the Cavaliers, had only played in one playoff series against the Celtics, which hadn't reached this stage.
...
Two days later, the Grizzlies and Lakers moved to L.A. to resu the clash.
From the start, the Lakers showed their adjustnts.
Kobe saved his energy for offense rather than clashing with Han on defense.
Both teams defended fiercely, and as the ga developed into a shootout, Joerger brought in Allen early.
Before the ga, ESPN had reported that Kobe spent two days watching all of Allen's ga footage. This might have been an exaggeration, but Kobe clearly put in the work.
Yet Allen still managed to contain Kobe effectively.
Soon, Allen was hit with two defensive fouls, disrupting his rhythm.
Han couldn't help but protest to the refs, pointing out that both Allen and Conley were among the cleanest defenders in the league, and the fouls called barely counted as contact.
But the refs didn't budge.
It wasn't just Allen's fouls—the refs overlooked minor fouls against Han as well.
The ga's officiating was clearly biased beyond the usual ho calls.
Would LeBron be the only one to benefit from the rumored 'league favoritism'?
The answer was no.
Dwyane Wade's free throw surge in the 2006 Finals after Ga 2, and Kobe's average of 17 free throws in the 2008 Western Conference Semis against the Jazz, were also clear examples.
Even Kirilenko, who usually averaged fewer than two fouls a ga, fouled out four tis in that series.
These cases mirrored LeBron's in the 2009 series against the Magic—the only difference being that Wade and Kobe won, while LeBron didn't.
Controlling the whistle is one of the easiest ways to influence a ga; it's why so many gas end up feeling like '5 vs. 8.'
This officiating approach had been openly admitted by retired NBA referees, who revealed the league's practice of reviewing stars' footage to adjust 'missed' calls in their favor.
At this mont, if David Stern had a Finals matchup he dread of, it would surely be Lakers vs. Heat.
The long-awaited '23 vs. 24' matchup was a storyline he'd dread of, and with both teams stacked, it promised explosive ratings and enormous revenue.
In this pivotal ga, the Lakers finished with a staggering 43 to 16 free throw advantage, ultimately securing a 110-100 win.
After the ga, Han Sen didn't hold back at the press conference.
"I don't even know what the f**k these refs are watching, but it's damn clear they ca out with one job tonight: hand this ga to the Lakers," Han spat, barely able to contain his fury. "Standards? The only standard they had was making sure we got screwed over."
When one reporter cautiously asked how he felt going into Ga 6, Han didn't hesitate.
"Bring it to mphis. We'll handle s**t on our own court."
With that, he shoved back from the podium, ignoring the chaos of questions behind him, and stord out without a second look.
-End of Chapter-
Translator's notes:
Split the Trap: In basketball, splitting the trap is an advanced ball-handling move used to escape a double team.
When two defenders close in to trap the ball handler, the offensive player executes a quick, precise dribble directly between the defenders.
This move requires excellent timing, agility, and control, as the ball handler must quickly slip through the defenders' reach before they fully close the trap.
The 'split' opens up the court, allowing the player to keep the offensive montum, often leading to a scoring opportunity or a well-positioned pass.
Reviews
All reviews (0)