Kobe beca known as the "Spurs Killer," not just because of his mid-range shots against a unified defense.
Even without Paul, Kobe still managed to force a Ga 7 in G6 through a scoring spree.
The San Antonio Spurs’ help defense rotations were excellent. They weren’t afraid of penetrators or team play, but they dreaded these mid-to-long range isolation players.
Of course, blowing past both Green and Leonard was no easy feat. Despite their youth, they had already caused Kobe significant trouble in the previous round.
However, Hansen’s performance had far exceeded expectations.
Hansen made both of his free throws.
to 12.
Duncan’s mid-range bank shot after the pick-and-roll finally put points on the board.
Turning back, Popovich finally signaled for help defense on Hansen.
The premise of "too much isolation hurts the team" is based on low isolation efficiency.
With Hansen scoring in 6 out of 7 possessions, the Spurs might really end up letting through an 81-point ga like the Raptors did if they kept defending like this.
But Hansen had no intention of backing down.
He passed the ball to Little Gasol before the double-team closed in, then he continued to cut through the double-team without the ball toward the basket.
Little Gasol’s pass was on point; Hansen drew a defensive foul from Split with his layup and went to the free-throw line once again.
"MVP! MVP!"
As Hansen made his free throws, the cheers of the fans in the arena beca unstoppable.
With the chants surrounding him, Hansen made both free throws again, personally accounting for the first 14 points of the ga!
The defensive chants continued on-site, and just as Duncan held the ball waiting for Parker to make his move, Conley precisely tid it and stole the ball!
The Grizzlies launched a fast break off the steal, with Conley driving fast and then dishing the ball to Hansen, who was following in the middle.
Hansen jumped, twisted his body in mid-air to avoid Leonard, and slamd the ball into the basket with one hand.
The FedEx Forum truly erupted, not with thousands, but with over ten thousand people waving their yellow towels, creating an overwhelming roar.
Popovich called for a tiout.
The LED screen displayed Hansen’s stats for the night.
shots, 6 made, 4 free throws, 4 made, 16 points.
points straight from the start!
Even the comntators were ecstatic.
Especially Barkley, who was hyped up.
"Now let reintroduce him, owner of God’s 77-point basketball record, technical area terminator, Spurs Killer, Mayor of Holy City Hansen!"
During the tiout, Hansen sat down, took the water and towel Sacre handed to him imdiately, adjusted his breathing, and took a big sip.
Now the sweat was pouring from his forehead.
Although the match had just started, those intense, continuous isolations were rapidly draining his stamina.
But from a results standpoint, it was well worth it.
Because now, the montum entirely favored the Grizzlies.
What was more important was that the Grizzlies had gained control of the ga. It was now the Spurs who had to consider how to defend, rather than the Grizzlies figuring out how to break the Spurs’ defense.
After the tiout, the San Antonio Spurs subbed in Manu Ginobili and Dio, replacing Green and Split.
Ginobili made an imdiate impact too, his stop-and-shoot mid-range jumper after a pick-and-roll with Dio hit its mark.
to 16.
Even though the Grizzlies started overwhelmingly, the Spurs were keeping the score close with their scrappy scoring.
Popovich’s strategy was clear.
Normally speaking, Hansen couldn’t keep scoring like this forever. All they had to do was weather this storm and wait for Hansen’s scoring run to break.
Leonard then adopted a defense to limit Hansen’s receptions.
When Hansen ran to catch the ball at the three-point line, Ginobili quickly ca over for the double team.
Popovich’s strategy was clear: start without double-teaming and then double team relentlessly.
Conley passed to Guy, but Duncan ca out to disrupt Guy’s catch, causing him to lose the first scoring opportunity when he finally controlled the ball.
After the ball left Hansen’s hands, everyone truly felt the Spurs’ defensive prowess.
In the end, Guy chose a turnaround fadeaway jump shot.
Under Duncan’s pressure, the ball hit the back of the rim and bounced high before veering off.
As Duncan turned around to grab the defensive rebound, another figure soared through the air and caught the ball before him.
He reached out to block the shot, but it was too late.
"Bang!"
In the stunned gaze of the fans on site, Hansen broke away from Leonard and Manu Ginobili, charging into the paint and dunking over Duncan!
He fulfilled the promise he made years ago, completing a dunk over a Duncan not plagued by plantar fasciitis!
The FedEx Forum exploded once again.
Hansen landed and could not hide his excitent as he shook his jersey and roared.
The strategy was set before the ga, and the scoring at the opening was beyond expectations, but his current performance was sothing he hadn’t foreseen!
He could fully feel his energy depleting, yet it seed as if new energy was constantly erging from within his body, a signal of exhilaration—he was on a high!
Popovich’s expression had widened in disbelief at that mont.
Even Kobe hadn’t managed an 18-point streak right from the opening when facing the Spurs.
This wasn’t being on a high; this was madness.
Turning back to the ga, the Grizzlies’ defensive intensity continued to increase.
Parker’s break was intercepted by Conley again; if Conley hadn’t stepped out of bounds in his rush for a fast break, the Grizzlies would have had another defensive stop.
The Grizzlies’ defensive intensity was not just because playing the Warriors helped them regain their focus for the ga, but also because Hansen’s miraculous performance allowed them to invest more energy on defense.
Hansen was destined to soar tonight; they couldn’t lag behind him.
The ball ultimately ended up in Manu Ginobili’s hands for the Spurs.
"The Mayor of Sacred City in good tis, and Demon Blade Manu Ginobili in dire tis."
Manu Ginobili sliced through the defense with a serpentine drive to the basket after a screen.
But just as he avoided Little Gasol and went for a bank shot, a shadow suddenly sprung behind him, pressing his shot against the backboard.
It was Hansen, still Hansen!
Not only was Hansen present on offense, but he was there on defense too!
Fans in the stands couldn’t help but clutch their heads.
At this mont, they had forgotten to swing their yellow towels, not knowing how to express their emotions!
The ball ended up back in the Grizzlies’ possession as the Spurs’ offense was thwarted once again.
Hansen continued to be tightly guarded by the Spurs, allowing Guy to seize the mont and drive in. Seeing Duncan move to help on defense, Guy passed the ball to Randolph.
However, Randolph’s shot veered off the basket under the disruption from Dio.
Even though Dio wasn’t as tall as the starting Split, he moved faster.
Luckily, Little Gasol was there to grab the offensive rebound under the basket.
Instead of rushing a second shot with Duncan approaching, he passed the ball back out to Conley to reset.
Then, in that mont, Conley saw Hansen breaking free.
The Grizzlies’ last offensive play had disrupted the Spurs’ defensive formation, creating an opening for Hansen to receive a pass.
Conley passed the ball without delay.
Though the pass was tily, Leonard had recovered and lunged back at Hansen, with Manu Ginobili also moving from the top of the arc to provide help defense.
The Spurs’ defensive execution was fully on display at that mont.
This ti, Hansen chose not to pass but took advantage of Leonard’s imbalanced stance right after lunging at him. He leaned back against Leonard, then spun toward the baseline, the opposite direction of Manu Ginobili’s help defense, and shot a fadeaway.
Manu Ginobili’s help was too late, and although Leonard put in a valiant effort, he couldn’t reach the high fadeaway.
The ball flew over Leonard’s head toward the hoop.
Fans unconsciously held their breath.
It wasn’t a ga-winning shot, but it was even more thrilling than one.
The shot was difficult, but its arc was true.
"Swish!"
The crisp sound of the net, amplified by the speakers, set the FedEx Forum ablaze.
The cara showed Popovich, whose widened eyes conveyed the impact he felt.
"What else can I say, buddy?" Barkley was at a loss for words at the comntary table.
Hansen had scored the first 20 points straight against the San Antonio Spurs!
Was it God playing basketball in jersey number 77? That didn’t seem enough; Hansen’s performance was historically phenonal tonight!
"You can tell Hansen and CP3 have a really good relationship!" O’Neal expressed his sentint at the ti.
Because of Hansen’s previous comnts, Paul was also watching the live broadcast of the ga, curious to see what Hansen was up to.
Listening to O’Neal’s comntary and watching Hansen raise his hands in celebration beyond the three-point line—
Hansen was truly amazing, I’m in tears.
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