Randolph and Hansen slapped hands forcefully after the dunk, shaking their heads as if they were a big Black Bear coming alive.
The montum of the Grizzlies surged in an instant.
"Tim, don’t guard out!" Popovich stood up and instructed Duncan at this mont.
Compared to shooting, Hansen’s breakthrough was even more threatening.
Following that move, the quality of the Grizzlies’ defense also rapidly improved.
Parker passed the ball to Duncan, whose shot, disrupted by Little Gasol’s flying block, went awry, and Randolph protected the rebound.
Randolph quickly passed the ball to Hansen breaking fast, but Hill, quick on his feet, fouled early, ruining the fast break opportunity.
The Spurs, as consistent powerhouses in The West, were outstanding in terms of experience and attention to detail.
Both sides returned to positional play.
Hill tried not to let Hansen set a screen with Little Gasol, but Little Gasol’s size was too imposing, and he failed.
However, Parker angled early toward the free throw line, not providing Conley with a good passing angle.
Seeing this, Conley decisively lobbed the ball down to Randolph in the post.
Randolph’s low post quick shot deviated, but he grabbed the offensive rebound again, feasting in the Spurs paint as he had done against the Lakers.
However, Duncan ca to help defensively this ti, and Randolph didn’t have a good chance for a second attack.
Instead, he passed the ball back to Hansen, who lingered at the free throw line.
Zone defense creates a nurical advantage in a specific area, limiting the opponent’s offensive strong points, but it naturally lags in rotation.
Though the Spurs’ rotation was swift, Hansen still found a montary open shot opportunity.
Such opportunities flickered by, especially against a team like the Spurs, and any hesitation made them disappear.
But Hansen seized this mont, shooting before Jefferson could close him down, much like Kobe had done earlier.
"Swish!"
Hansen’s mid-range shot once again pierced the net, stirring excitent in the crowd.
Even Popovich abruptly stood up from the bench.
The previous play might not have shown much, as it was nearly an open shot, but this ti Hansen’s capability conjured another image in his mind.
A useful fact since Popovich took over the Spurs in 1996: only a few players have scored 40 points against them.
Super scorers like Wade, McGrady, Durant hadn’t scored 40 points.
Nowitzki had only once.
But Kobe had done so five tis.
It wasn’t that his scoring ability was much stronger than other super scorers, but his skills were particularly effective against the Spurs.
The Spurs’ defense started relying solely on Duncan, and when he struggled with injuries, they leaned on a zone defense system.
But this zone defense is what so fans terd "Kobe’s happy defense".
Especially when the Lakers’ inside ga was strong, combining inside and outside plays, Popovich had virtually no solution for Kobe’s mid-to-long range shooting.
Whether it was the previous "OK" duo or this Lakers team.
Because it’s tough to limit Kobe with one-on-one defense, a fact that beca clearer after Bowen retired.
Tonight, there was no Kobe, but there was Hansen, producing a similar effect.
This made Popovich quite distressed.
Eventually, Popovich, the GOAT strategist, like before with Kobe, couldn’t find a good counter-strategy.
While Hansen’s offensive skills might not be as versatile as Kobe’s, his combined ability to drive and shoot was also hard to contain.
At 9 minutes into the first quarter, the scoreboard read 20-12, giving the Grizzlies an 8-point lead.
Hansen scored 8 points from the mid-range, making all four shots.
At this point, both teams began making substitutions, Hansen took a rest, and Manu Ginobili entered the ga.
Ginobili is one of NBA’s most unique players because he’s perhaps the only all-star level player who spent most of his ti as a substitute.
There were many reasons for this, but primarily it was due to the Spurs’ team configuration.
Having backcourt players like Parker and Ginobili, nobody could guard the opponent’s offensive spearheads effectively, so ultimately Ginobili made the sacrifice.
This season, because the Spurs lacked top periter defenders, they had to rely on him.
Before Ginobili entered the ga, Popovich pulled him aside and gave him so quick advice.
With the starting lineup not gaining an advantage, they relied on Ginobili’s performance to recover during the bench rotation.
True to his reputation, Ginobili used Split’s screen to snake his way around Haddadi and score a layup inside.
Turning their defense up, the San Antonio Spurs stunted the Grizzlies’ montum montarily, only for Manu Ginobili to slice through to the basket and toss a long behind-the-back pass to Gary Neil in the weak-side corner who effortlessly drained a three-pointer.
Roars of cheers erupted through the arena instantly.
Among the "GDP" trio, Duncan was the strongest but least entertaining, the real showstopper was "Demon Blade."
As an Argentinian player, you might lack skill, but you can’t lack flair.
to 17, the Spurs rapidly closed the gap.
"Defense! Defense!"
The chants for defense echoed from the crowd.
Hansen was just about to stand and ask Hollins to put him in to guard Ginobili.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, there was a dull thud on the court.
It was Guy breaking into the Spurs’ paint, delivering an explosive one-handed slam!
Hansen stood up without pausing, but as he rose, his action turned into a fist pump in celebration.
Not just him, the rest of the Grizzlies leapt up in excitent too.
And before they could even sit down, Guy delivered another shock on defense with a spectacular block, swatting Neil’s three-pointer right into the stands.
Hansen instantly grabbed the towel in his hand and started swinging it.
Truth be told, Guy’s overall strength was no less than Ginobili across from him.
After the block, an exhilarated Guy high-fived Hansen, who was waving the towel on the sidelines.
The Spurs’ offensive drive ended fruitlessly, and with the last possession of the quarter, Guy faced down Danny Green’s defense to nail a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
He was clearly pumped and frenzied, everything rolled into one!
At that, Popovich was so vexed he was practically clutching his head.
With no breakthrough in the starting period or in the reserve stint, it was a tough night for the Spurs.
By halfti, the Grizzlies led 45 to 38.
Although the difference wasn’t substantial, the montum was clearly with the Grizzlies.
Randolph had amassed 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Hansen also scored 14 points, together emulating mphis’s version of the "OK duo."
Returning from halfti, before the ga resud, reporters interviewed Popovich.
"Did you make any defensive adjustnts to Han during halfti?" Hansen’s performance in the first half was the focus, making it hard not to ask.
"No," Popovich answered curtly.
The ga continued post-halfti with the Grizzlies initiating.
Spurs girded themselves with a 2-1-2 zone defense.
Whether Popovich adjusted the defense to specifically target Hansen was unknown, but he definitely would not allow Randolph to dominate the paint anymore.
Seeing this, Conley quickly called for a new strategy.
Hansen, utilizing Little Gasol’s screen on the weak side, ca out to receive the ball, and at that mont, Hill’s defense changed. He opted to fight through the screen, aiming to block Hansen’s mid-range route.
So much for no adjustnts, not a word from crafty old Popovich could be taken at face value.
Hansen found an opportunity beyond the three-point line; Conley’s pass ca slightly slow. By the ti Hansen got the ball, Hill had already fought over the screen and lunged forward.
Hansen imdiately raised his hand to feign a shot, Hill fiercely lunged at him.
Hansen’s three-pointer was the Grizzlies’ most reliable, plus possessing the capacity to force the shot; if Hill was slow, Hansen could definitely make it.
But as Hill nearly reached him, Hansen just gathered the ball, then drove hard from the right, surging through.
All Hill could do was watch Hansen blitz past him.
Seeing Hansen pierce through, Duncan quickly surged out to defend, but wary of Hansen’s penetration, he dared not extend too far.
As Hansen reached the free-throw line, he opted for a sudden stop-and-shoot.
The [Giant Slayer] gave him remarkable stopping power, and the [Classical Master] gifted him with outstanding core strength and coordination.
After the sudden stop, his leap was utterly fluid.
In an instant, Popovich on the sideline saw jersey number 77 turn into 24.
Hansen shot in mid-air, the form was a thing of beauty.
"Swish!"
The basketball went cleanly through the net.
At that mont, the "Kobe happy defense" had clearly turned into the "Hansen happy defense."
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