The ga had not truly ended.
Hansen’s three-point shot was decisive, but because of its decisiveness, it left the Thunders with 5.8 seconds on the clock.
That ti was enough for the Thunders to complete a coback.
The key to victory lay in the last round.
Hollins arranged the defensive tactics, planning a double team on Durant, an area in which he excelled.
Coming back from the tiout, the Thunders made a lineup change, Brooks substituting DeQuan Cook for Perkins.
At this point, the Thunders’ lineup on the court: Westbrook, Harden, Cook, Durant, Ibaka.
This looked like adding a spacer on the court, but seeing this change, Hansen pulled Conley aside before going on the court.
Thanks to their frequent communication, they exchanged information in a very short ti.
The Thunders’ inbound play from the frontcourt sideline, with Harden throwing the ball in.
Durant ca out using Ibaka’s screen, a move that appeared to be a routine positioning tactic.
But after coming out, Durant didn’t reach for the ball; instead, he set a pick-and-roll in place.
Westbrook quickly cut to the basket off his pick-and-roll, and Harden also faked, sending the ball intended for Durant down low.
Brooks’ tactical design was extrely clever, aiming to catch the opponent off guard.
But it was not surprising, since Westbrook’s performance that evening was noticeably better than Durant’s.
Moreover, the Thunders were down by two points. A three-pointer would be the best option, but that was also the Grizzlies’ defensive focus.
Conversely, scoring a two-pointer could push the ga into overti, and of course, the closer to the basket, the higher the success rate.
Besides, with Westbrook’s penetration capability, even if the Grizzlies’ defense reacted, there was a high probability he could draw a foul and get to the free-throw line.
Brooks showed his ability as a top coach.
However, the ball did not reach Westbrook.
It was stolen by Conley!
Conley anticipated Harden’s pass and made the critical steal!
After the steal, Conley imdiately spotted Hansen, who had dashed past the three-point line, and flung the ball towards him.
Hansen holding the ball, sprinted forward.
He wasn’t looking to fast-break but to evade the Thunders’ pursuit.
The steal happened so suddenly, the rest of the Thunders didn’t react in ti, and by the ti they thought to chase, it was too late.
Because the one with the best chance for a chase down, Westbrook, had been set up with a backdoor cut and was just completing his stop.
In the end, a short whistle blew from the sideline, and the Thunders failed to commit a successful foul on Hansen.
The Grizzlies, after an overti struggle, defeated the Thunders 105 to 103, winning G3, and scoring their first-ever ho court victory in team history!
After the whistle, Hansen flung the ball into the air and then ran in front of the scorer’s table.
This move excited Barkley from the comntary booth so much that he stood up.
Here it cos, here cos the "terminator" of the scorer’s desk!
Hansen jumped onto the scorer’s table and, pointing down at the court beneath his feet, shouted out loud:
"This is our house!"
This is our ho turf!
Unlike his ti in Cleveland when he said "my" instead of "our," Hansen chose the latter because tonight was not about his individual heroism, but about the triumph of team basketball.
Cheers resounded throughout the FedEx Forum.
Gradually, the distinctive chant of mphis began to rise from the crowd.
"Whoop that trick!"
The cheering, accompanied by Hansen’s raised and clenched fists, marked mphis people’s mont of victory celebration.
In the post-ga press conference, Hansen and Conley attended together.
Hansen had contributed 35 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals that evening, while Conley added 18 points and 8 assists to his account.
"In G1, you chose to pass to a teammate in the final monts, but tonight you hit a key three-pointer in both regulation and overti. What prompted this change?"
Due to Hansen’s standout performance, he had beco the object of eager questioning by the journalists.
Hansen glanced at the reporter, again from NBC; he felt like asking the staff to kick their journalists out next ti, always asking these no-good questions.
As the team’s core, who would choose to pass when there was a chance to finish the ga?
Even if it was a pass, there was a distinction between being proactive and reactive. Knowing your teammate was open for the ball when double-tead—that’s a smart pass. Forcing a pass when seeing no chance—that’s passing the buck.
"I’m not LeBron, and I’m not Kobe." But Hansen chose the most controversial response.
Imdiately, there was a stir among the audience. Hansen had managed to throw shade at two, yet it seed entirely fitting.
"The Grizzlies started the ga passively but then turned the situation around. Did the coaching staff make any adjustnts?"
Hansen was speechless. Those kinds of questions should be directed at Hollins! Why ask him?
He simply gestured for the no-good reporter to sit down.
"I noticed that you had a brief exchange with Conley at the end of the ga. What did you two discuss?"
Hansen looked at this TNT journalist. Isn’t this question much more interesting?
"We discussed the tactics they might play. Mike then made an incredible steal afterward. He might be the smartest guy on this planet," Hansen said, not lacking in his ability to give complints compared to his ability to give snarky remarks.
Conley, a bit embarrassed on hearing this, picked up the microphone in front of him:
"Actually, it was Han who noticed this. I just did what I could."
At the last mont, it was Hansen who suggested Brooks might set up Westbrook for the ga-winner.
He had simply agreed, because substituting Perkins ant giving up the offensive rebound, which was unusual. It was more likely they were creating space for Westbrook to cut inside the lane.
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