After the tiout, Westbrook held the ball and charged through, throwing himself into the air against Little Gasol and winning two free throw opportunities.
He didn’t care at all about landing; the way he fell looked quite painful.
Just like Jas charging in, Westbrook was much more decisive.
Jas and Ibaka went to help Westbrook up.
But sothing interesting happened at that mont. Westbrook had initially reached out his hand, but upon seeing Jas, he suddenly rolled over, propped himself up off the floor, and stood up.
Hansen walked towards the free-throw line, and upon seeing this, was stunned for a mont before bursting into laughter.
Westbrook’s emotional intelligence was not low, so whether he had ball conflicts with Harden or Jas, he never let it show off the court.
But just because he didn’t show it didn’t an it wasn’t there, especially after what had just happened with Hansen provoking Jas without any response.
Although Westbrook’s style of play was sowhat like Jas’s, their personalities were as different as night and day.
It’s okay to be less skilled when playing, but you can’t be a coward.
He must have really looked down upon Jas from the bottom of his heart.
Amid the noise of the ho crowd, Westbrook made both free throws.
And turning back, he suddenly burst from the side, blocking Randolph’s shot.
He jumped very high and after grabbing the ball, he sprinted like soone with a rocket booster from the backcourt to the frontcourt, rising up for a gliding two-handed slam dunk.
After dunking, Westbrook roared with his head thrown back, inciting a stir in the arena.
The Thunders had almost been destroyed by the Grizzlies, but Westbrook, with his individual ability, dragged them back into the ga after the tiout.
Conley dribbled past the halfway line and passed the ball to Hansen; the Grizzlies needed to stabilize.
Hansen continued to play pick-and-roll with Carter.
Jas pushed Afflalo forward, but Hansen took the opportunity to change direction to the right and burst toward the lane.
Little Lopez ca in to help on defense. As the two closed in, Hansen slipped the ball to Little Gasol cutting through the middle.
Little Gasol raised his arms sky high, dunking the ball over Little Lopez.
The previously silent arena erupted once more with cheers from the fans.
Westbrook no longer paid attention to Jas, after a pick and roll with Little Lopez, he exploded with speed again toward the Grizzlies’ inside.
This ti, Gasol made a smart defensive choice by collapsing early to the basket since he guessed Westbrook wasn’t going to shoot.
And he guessed right, Westbrook once again confronted Little Gasol under the basket.
Gasol just raised both hands without moving, while Westbrook exhibited his athleticism, going up for an underhand layup while contorting his body.
But as the ball was rising, Hansen ca over to help on defense, snatched it in mid-air.
And upon landing, Hansen imdiately initiated a fast break.
This ti Afflalo managed to get back on defense.
The two charged toward the frontcourt, with Hansen putting the ball behind his back to get past Afflalo, then he leapt up for a reverse layup, smashing the ball into the basket.
This play showed off Hansen’s incredible combination of ball-handling and physical ability.
After landing, Hansen too waved his arms, signaling for an even louder cheer from the ho fans.
With the deafening cheers of the audience, the montum the Grizzlies had lost due to Westbrook’s performance was instantly revived.
Westbrook had the drive, but clearly, he alone couldn’t shake the Grizzlies’ team.
The final score was 108 to 96, as the Grizzlies easily secured the opening ga of the series.
The Grizzlies’ shooting percentage for the entire ga was an impressive 55%, with a lead of over 20 points by the third quarter end.
Stan once again beca "Octopus", and the Grizzlies were only slightly sweaty.
In post-ga stats, the Grizzlies had five players scoring in double figures, with Hansen leading the ga with 30 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists in three quarters.
On the Thunders’ side, Westbrook had 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists over three quarters, while Jas had 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Why did Jas seem to have little presence on the court, yet his stats were almost the sa as Westbrook’s in the end?
That’s classic Jas for you. Although he doesn’t stand out during the starting period, his staggering of play is strong.
And in the final quarter, despite the large point difference, he played the full quarter, helping the Thunders reduce the gap.
If there had been a fifth quarter, it’s believable that the Thunders still had a chance.
At the post-ga press conference, Hansen and Little Gasol appeared together.
"Tonight, the difference in free throws between the two teams was 31 to 16. I don’t know what my players are supposed to do to avoid getting fouled," Joerger didn’t skip the issue of fouls even with the win.
"Russell gave us quite a bit of trouble. I won’t say we are proud in defeat, but his will to fight as the Thunders’ leading star is admirable," Hansen didn’t skimp on his praise for Westbrook.
If Durant were still on the Thunders, they really would have been a challenge.
But on the other hand, if Durant hadn’t left, Westbrook might not have evolved so soon.
However, Hansen’s words ant sothing else to the reporters.
What did he an by the Thunders’ leading star? Based on the stats, the Thunders’ leading star was clearly Jas!
After the ga, the dia reported on Hansen’s comnt, earning him a lot of negative points from black fans, but it also sparked extensive discussions among fans.
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