Before the ga seven showdown between the Thunders and the Grizzlies began, all other first-round matchups in the League had ended.
Bulls defeated Pacers 4-1, Heat defeated Sixers 4-1, Celtics swept the Knicks 4-0, Spurs won over Hornets 4-2, Mavericks beat Nuggets 4-1, Lakers ousted Blazers 4-2.
The only upset was Hawks defeating Magic 4-2, which was consistent with Stan’s prediction.
At this point, this ga seven had beco particularly attention-grabbing, given that it also related to whether Stan could achieve legendary status off the court.
The Grizzlies had garnered their largest viewership since their establishnt.
Many dia had begun predicting the final result.
Except for a few like Stan and Barkley, most people favored the Thunders to make a coback.
After all, the current situation was entirely in the Thunders’ favor, with their morale at its peak.
In contrast, the Grizzlies weren’t the type of explosive team, and losing ga 6 essentially ant they had already lost.
"Who can save mphis? Perhaps only Michael Jordan, but there’s no number 23 in their team."
Prominent comntator A. Smith sighed during the show, as the Knicks were swept out, and he could only vent here.
"I know the challenges we will face tonight will definitely be the toughest since we entered the playoffs."
In the locker room before the ga, Hansen gathered his players together for a pre-ga pep talk.
It was his first ti since his crossover; he hadn’t done it in Cleveland because they had Jas, nor in mphis because they had a locker room leader like Battier.
But this ti he knew he had to say sothing because he could foresee the difficulty of the ga.
"Make no doubt, this will be our ’do or die mont’, but it is also our opportunity, for only through a baptism of blood and fire can we beco truly strong, only by defeating our opponent in such a desperate situation can we transform into a championship team."
Hansen wasn’t very accustod to this kind of thing as he rarely did it, but what was clear was, the players were either nodding or restraining their impulses; it was effective.
He finally looked around his teammates and shouted the Grizzlies’ slogan:
"Let’s beat them harshly!"
The players shouted in unison and then ran out of the locker room together.
At the Ford Center Arena, where the atmosphere was bustling, the emotions of the fans swept through every corner like a heatwave of sumr.
Last year at this ti, they were eliminated by the Lakers in the first round.
But now, they were just one step away from the team’s first playoff victory in Oklahoma City.
As long as they could defeat the opponent who they had beaten severely last ti!
Additionally, they could also beco the ninth team in NBA history to turn around a series after being down 1-3.
The Grizzlies players ran into the arena prepared ntally, yet they were still overwheld by the intensity of the Oklahoma City fans.
Every word Hansen said in the locker room was not exaggerated; if they hadn’t been ntally prepared, they might have been scared stiff.
Hansen’s gaze wandered the stands, and he quickly spotted his target.
Amid the sea of white, a spectator in the front row wearing the Grizzlies’ blue jersey number 77 stood out.
Swift had paused her songwriting to hurry to Oklahoma City to cheer him on.
He walked over and chatted with Swift, and this scene was broadcast on the arena’s LED big screen, instantly causing a stir.
Durant, originally warming up, looked up after hearing the reaction and saw this scene.
His eyelids involuntarily twitched.
He wanted to drink Scarlett’s bathwater, yet here was Hansen flaunting his relationship with Swift.
Damn it!
After the warm-up, the venue moved to the opening ceremony.
The fans fully unleashed their emotions, the explosive cheers intimidating.
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups were announced.
Grizzlies: Conley, Hansen, Battier, Randolph, Little Gasol
Thunders: Westbrook, Seferosa, Durant, Ibaka, Perkins
The Grizzlies had adjusted their starting lineup, with Battier making his debut in the starting five after joining the team.
Durant rubbed his hands with enthusiasm as he entered the court.
Allen had made him quite uncomfortable in the previous gas, and tonight he was finally going to enjoy himself.
Yes, eliminate the Grizzlies and let Hansen go ho and cry in Swift’s arms!
Amid the cheering of the fans, Ibaka won the jump ball, securing the Thunders the right to attack first.
Durant got into position and called for the ball back against Battier, going for a direct iso after receiving the ball.
The cheers of Oklahoma City fans were already resounding; their enthusiasm tonight was boundless.
After receiving the ball, Durant turned around; he knew shooting over Battier wasn’t a good option, but driving was right.
A change of direction to the right and a sudden stop, but then he saw Hansen coming over to help defensively.
This forced him to speed up his shot prematurely.
"Dang!"
After being disrupted, Durant’s shot clanged off the rim.
Little Gasol secured the defensive rebound.
The Thunders quickly fell back on defense, but the Grizzlies still didn’t play fast.
As they pushed up to the front court, Randolph called for the ball on the low post.
The Grizzlies’ style seed unchanged from before, but subtle details showed so adjustnts.
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