Spoelstra helplessly shook his head at that mont, his expression identical to Popovich’s from earlier.
Hansen was not only capable of passing now but also seed quite willing to do so, which ant double-teaming him was not very effective.
But in a one-on-one scenario, Hansen would constantly seek out Jas.
Luckily, the situation was still manageable, as Randolph’s absence limited the Grizzlies’ advantage in the paint and didn’t force the Heat to revert to their regular lineup. At most, the two teams were equally matched on the court.
Indeed, that was the case. Although Jas’ low-post offense was sowhat contained by Battier, Jas also made use of pick-and-rolls, and he had Guy’s number.
The two sides exchanged the lead back and forth.
When it ca to the substitution phase, Hansen took a break, and Guy took the lead for the Grizzlies.
On the Heat’s side, Jas hadn’t rested at all and he didn’t seem tired in the slightest.
This seed a bit illogical, but upon closer thought, it made sense because Jas was changing his style of play to reduce his energy expenditure, especially in slashing through the defense.
As for his low-post plays, they were essentially mismatches rather than true one-on-one post-ups, which didn’t require as much physicality.
During this segnt, Guy felt like an off-road vehicle facing a tank on the court, clearly being dominated.
At the end of the first quarter, the Heat led 28 to 22.
Seeing this, Hansen geared up to enter the ga at the beginning of the second quarter.
Having been seasoned by last season’s playoffs, Hansen had so experience with staggering his playti.
Along with him, Faried also entered, marking the rookie’s debut in a regular-season ga for the Grizzlies with the 22nd pick.
The lineups on the court at this ti were for the Heat: Norris Cole, Mike Miller, Jas Jones, Jas, Haslem.
For the Grizzlies: Jordan Crawford, Tony Allen, Hansen, Jas Johnson, Faried.
Jas used a pick-and-roll to go back-to-back against Crawford, drawing a double team and then passing to Miller at the arc. Miller’s shot was thrown off by Hansen’s defensive interference and missed.
The Heat’s lineup was even more aggressive than their starting one, fitting the "One Star and Four Shooters" category, whereas the Grizzlies’ lineup was clearly more defensive.
Johnson secured the defensive rebound and imdiately passed the ball to Hansen.
After receiving the ball, Hansen quickly broke out, crossing Cole with a "Mysterious Step" and scoring with a one-handed slam.
The Heat’s defensive counter was ferocious, but Hansen’s rapid transitions were just as formidable.
Jas continued to target Crawford, quickly turning before the double team could set, though his footwork was a bit shaky, but he still made it to the basket.
Facing Faried in the paint, Jas leaped up to perform his trademark tomahawk dunk.
This kind of rookie was perfect for displaying physical talent, perhaps even intimidating them with his presence.
However, he quickly realized his miscalculation, as Faried didn’t dodge but instead boldly leapt up to et him—and seed to jump even higher!
It was too late for Jas to pull back, forcing him to try to dodge in mid-air.
But Faried grew even bolder, tracking the ball with his hand continuously.
Seeing no way out, Jas chose not to shoot and landed with the ball, stepping forward again to attempt a layup.
The referee didn’t blow the whistle.
Joerger, excited, gestured on the sideline that it was a traveling violation.
Not just him, Conley and Battier also signaled from the sideline.
But the referees chose to ignore it, a privilege of being a Nike frontman.
Just as Jas was about to smile, thinking he had scored,
"Bang!"
Amidst the gasps of the audience, Faried ca from behind Jas and blocked his shot with a powerful block!
Faried not only jumped high but also quickly.
From his earlier locker room deanor, one could say he was a bit of a troublemaker, but you could also argue he was assertive.
It was just that the Grizzlies had enough depth in their frontcourt this season, and he hadn’t been able to enter the rotation until now.
Randolph’s injury provided him with a chance, and he was eager to prove himself.
He didn’t care whether Jas traveled or not; all he wanted was to block Jas!
Taking advantage of Jas being disoriented, Faried grabbed the defensive rebound and imdiately passed it to Hansen.
Hansen then passed to Crawford, who had just moved beyond the three-point line.
Crawford swiftly moved forward, facing Cole with a layup attempt.
The move was beautiful in mid-air, but unfortunately, the ball spun around the rim and rolled out.
However, a second later, an uproar erupted.
Because a figure soared into the air, grabbed the slipped ball, and slamd it ho with a dunk!
The explosive physicality was unmistakably Faried’s!
Could this guy teleport?
At that mont, even Hansen couldn’t help but nod; he watched as Faried charged forward, his speed so fast it didn’t seem appropriate for a big man, truly worthy of being called an "Orc."
Seeing this, Spoelstra preemptively replaced Jas with Wade on the court.
In the past couple of rounds, the Grizzlies had scored consecutive points through defensive counterattacks, essentially beating the Heat at their own ga.
Wade had been reserved in attacking in the first quarter and was quite refreshed. His entry helped stabilize the situation for the Heat.
Before halfti, buoyed by Conley’s buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Grizzlies led 51 to 50.
Before the ga, Jas had said the Heat didn’t know how to lose, but the Grizzlies had just slapped them in the first half.
Hansen contributed 14 points, three rebounds, and eight assists, breaking his own assist record for a half.
Returning for the second half, Spoelstra made no changes to the lineup but adjusted the defense.
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