His strength lay in a robust underpinning, paired with strong mobility that allowed him to quickly close in on defense; his shot-blocking skills were not too shabby either.
The Heat Team had Haslem and Ilgauskas, yet he had surpassed them to beco the starting center, which certainly spoke volus about his remarkable abilities.
However, Randolph wasn’t a rough-and-tumble type like Howard. Upon noticing Bosh being drawn out of the paint by Little Gasol, he didn’t wrestle with Anthony for strength. Instead, using Anthony’s body as a pivot, he spun towards the free-throw line, mowing down Anthony with his body like a tank advancing to the basket for a close-range floater.
This was a true tank, much sturdier than Jas.
Anthony was so overwheld that he could only watch as Randolph scored over his head.
The Grizzlies took the lead, and turning back, Wade passed the ball to Jas.
Undoubtedly, even with Jas at the Heat, it remained Wade’s team, a fact evident from the order of appearance in the opening ceremony—Wade was the final presentation.
Yet, Wade’s character was more mature; he didn’t treat Jas the way Guy initially treated Hansen.
On the contrary, he was very considerate of Jas’s feelings, letting Jas get a feel for the ga at the start.
After receiving the ball, the other mbers of the Heat Team spread out as much as possible to give Jas space for a strong-side one-on-one.
Guy hadn’t been known for his defense since entering the League, and theoretically, Jas should have a good handle on him.
Jas quickly began his drive, but, unexpectedly, Guy lunged forward to challenge him, not letting him start easily.
This aggressive defense surprised him, and though he managed to push past Guy due to his physical advantage, his footwork was clearly a bit ssy.
Especially when he stumbled his way into the paint and Randolph left Anthony to help defend, he instinctively stopped with the ball then restarted his drive.
This unusual rhythm helped him shake off Randolph, but just as he was about to shoot, the whistle from a sideline referee blew.
A traveling violation due to Jas’s alternating hand rolls.
Jas looked at the referee with the ball in his hands, his face full of confusion.
The arena erupted into restlessness.
In the end, Jas could only hand the ball to the referee and jog back with a smile.
"Well done," Hansen said, proactively going over to high-five Guy.
He had maintained that Guy’s defense was crucial—not an exaggeration—as Guy’s speed was utterly incapable of keeping up with Wade, so it had to be him defending Wade.
Now, with Guy putting such defensive pressure on Jas, the Grizzlies had a great chance tonight.
The ball changed hands, and the Grizzlies moved upcourt to continue their set play.
Randolph received the ball and continued his back-to-the-basket one-on-one.
This ti, with the Heat Team helping on defense, Randolph passed the ball to the weak side where Little Gasol was.
Little Gasol drove towards the basket, and Jas cut back to swipe at the ball.
The ball left Little Gasol’s hands as the referee’s whistle sounded again.
When the referee pointed at Jas, the unrest in the arena grew.
Jas was called for a defensive foul again!
Jas first held his head, then removed his mouthguard to approach the referee for an explanation.
However, the referee paid little heed, rely pointing to Little Gasol’s reddened forearm to indicate that Jas had hit his hand when swiping at the ball.
The arena was filled with boos—this was the Heat’s ho court! The referee was clearly targeting him!
But the booing didn’t last long because the big LED screen in the arena replayed the recent play; it was clear that Jas had indeed hit the hand, causing Little Gasol to lose the ball.
Jas helplessly shook his head.
Such plays weren’t usually called in the past.
Hansen couldn’t help but find amusent.
It reminded him of his experiences during internal training sessions with the Cavaliers.
"Such plays wouldn’t be called in a ga either."
That was the catchphrase of Lloyd Pierce, the first assistant coach of the Cavaliers at the ti.
The Cavaliers treating league favoritism as routine training, Jas was naturally not likely to change those bad habits.
But then, who could guarantee such favoritism would persist?
Clearly, with Jas’s "Decision", so things had already subtly shifted.
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