Then, he started sprinting toward the frontcourt at full speed.
Durant saw him coming and tried to help defend, but Hansen’s turn during his advance left him behind.
Uncle Drew’s talent was on full display at that mont.
By the ti the other Heat players realized what was happening, Hansen had already penetrated the inside, leaping high over the Heat’s last barrier, Perkins.
Perkins tried to stop him with a foul, but Hansen was already fully in the air, unstoppable.
"Bang!"
"Toot!"
The referee’s whistle and the sound of the ball smashing into the hoop rang out simultaneously.
It was an and-one poster dunk!
The montum at the venue, just suppressed by Durant’s three-pointer, instantly soared to its peak.
Scarlett’s expression was exaggerated, her hands covering her mouth.
She had seen Hansen play before, but today’s Hansen felt overwhelmingly fierce.
Especially considering they had hardly taken it easy last night.
"MVP! MVP!"
As Hansen walked to the free-throw line, the cheering from the stands was deafening.
At that mont, the LED screen once again displayed Hansen’s stats for the night.
Although he had been double-tead and hardly shot in the final quarter, his score had already reached 57 points.
After adjusting his breathing, Hansen sank the bonus free throw, helping the Grizzlies tie the ga once again.
The advantage of ’coasting’ earlier in the ga ant he had played a lot last night and tonight, but he still had energy reserves.
The Heat called for a tiout, with just the final 30 seconds left in the ga.
After the tiout, the Heat utilized the distractions of Durant and Ray Allen’s off-ball movents on the periter, finally having Wade drive inside to draw a defensive foul from Jamison, earning two free throws.
The Heat had too many clutch players in their lineup, making it very hard to guard every threat.
Wade stepped up to the free-throw line and, despite the disruption from the ho fans, made both shots.
With just the last 9 seconds left in the match, the Heat gained a critical two-point advantage.
The Grizzlies then called for a tiout.
The fans occasionally glanced at the scoreboard, their anxious expressions visibly clear.
But the viewers watching the Christmas ga on TV were definitely getting their money’s worth.
In the United States, the four major sports leagues don’t schedule gas on Christmas Day, except for the NBA.
Therefore, this ga was under global scrutiny.
After the tiout, the Grizzlies started executing their strategy.
Jamison and Little Gasol set consecutive picks for Hansen, with a very clear tactical intent to get the ball to Hansen.
And it was a mid-range tactical setup.
Joerger knew the team’s energy levels were online, looking for an opportunity for overti.
A two-pointer was definitely a better bet than a three-pointer; his choice was not wrong.
Hansen successfully got the ball but was t with strong interference from Wade the mont he shot.
Wade rembered everything said during the sumr’s training camp; he was not going to let Hansen win again!
"Clang!"
Hansen’s fadeaway shot evaded Wade’s strong interference, but in the end, the ball hit the front rim.
The Grizzlies’ last-second shot failed!
Before the fans could even begin to regret it, Little Gasol leaped high inside, snatching the offensive rebound over Perkins’ head.
Seeing Bosh collapse, he imdiately threw the ball out to Hansen on the periter.
Hansen caught the ball, with Durant charging fiercely towards him.
He could see the killer intent spilling from Durant’s eyes.
With precious little attack ti left, no ti for feints, he quickly jumped and shot.
Durant hit the brakes at the last mont and raised both hands high, though he badly wanted to block Hansen, he knew sending Hansen to the free-throw line would be equal to a ga-ender.
However, because of the forward montum, after he braked, his entire body was practically under Hansen.
Due to the Jones Clause, he was forced to swerve to avoid a potential technical foul, which unavoidably led to contact between the two.
The referee did not blow the whistle.
But Hansen didn’t notice the collision below him; all his focus was on his hands.
Even after feeling the impact on his lower body, he still maintained his three-point shooting posture.
The basketball left his hand as the sideline red light lit up.
He and the ball started falling almost simultaneously.
"Swish!"
As the ball swished through the net, he too landed on the court.
Durant, to the side, clutched his head in disbelief.
anwhile, FedEx Forum was filled with the cheers of Grizzlies fans.
The Grizzlies players on the court began running towards Hansen.
Hansen, having made the ga-winner, was ecstatic; he pushed Durant away, ran towards the scorer’s table, and leaped onto it.
"This is my house!"
A year later, he shouted that most iconic phrase once again.
Only this ti, he didn’t use "we" but returned to the "I" he’d used back during his ti with the Cavaliers.
shots, 22 hits, 9 three-point attempts, 4 made, 13 of 16 free throws, 61 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.
Setting a new career-high for points in a single ga, his first 60 , this score also broke the Christmas ga record of 60 points set by Bernard King in 1984.
Tonight, he had earned it!
The fans in the front rows furiously captured the mont with their phones; the venue was filled with shouts of "handso."
At that point, Scarlett’s gaze towards Hansen rippled once again.
If tonight’s ga were a movie, then Hansen was undoubtedly the hero who saved everything.
The Heat players appeared helpless at that point; feeling stronger yet unable to win made it a hard pill to swallow.
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