Moreover, no one else from the team participated in the skills competitions this year; Hansen had to go alone.
The good news was, Little Gasol finally made his coback after being sidelined for two months.
In the two months without him, even though Hansen pushed his scoring average to over 30 points a ga, ranking first in the League, the Grizzlies’ record had still slipped significantly compared to the start of the season.
Although they were still in second place, they were now four wins behind the Spurs. The Rockets were hot on their heels, just one win away.
Little Gasol’s return had an imdiate impact; in a crucial ga against the Rockets, he scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists, thoroughly outplaying Vucevic and helping the Grizzlies to clinch the victory.
The Grizzlies took advantage of this montum to go on a 6-1 run before the All-Star break.
However, the Spurs were really on top of their ga this season, and in the end, the Grizzlies couldn’t surpass them.
On the day of the All-Star Ga, Hansen and Rondo took a flight together to New Orleans.
This was the second ti in seven years that the All-Star Ga was held in New Orleans; the previous ti was to promote the city’s reconstruction after the hurricane, and this ti it was because of the franchise forrly known as the Hornets, now renad to the Pelicans, a condition of the team’s sale plan at the start of the season.
After arriving in New Orleans, Hansen started attending nurous events.
The Grizzlies weren’t doing great this season, but his dominant offense and defense performances had only increased his popularity.
Not just UA, but other brands he endorsed also seized the opportunity to ramp up their marketing efforts during the All-Star festivities.
By the ti the first dia Day of the All-Star events arrived, Hansen joined the other All-Stars in the activities.
"lo is the kind of teammate everyone wants to play with. We’re playing in a simpler and more relaxed way compared to last season; that’s been key to improving our record."
Westbrook, who preceded Hansen, spent the season doing nothing more than dissing Jas in addition to playing basketball.
When it was Hansen’s turn, reporters from other areas suddenly flocked around, making for an impressive scene.
Although Hansen had led his team to back-to-back championships and consecutive fmvp awards, because of his stats, the dia hadn’t paid that much attention to him.
But this season, his stats exploded, and he seed poised to challenge for the title of the League’s best player, greatly increasing dia interest.
Once Hansen sat down, the questions from reporters were endless.
Of course, they mainly focused on two topics. The first was the pursuit of the three-peat, especially since the Grizzlies seed to be in precarious shape this season.
On this issue, Hansen’s response was exactly the sa as before.
"We’ll get it done."
The second question was about the comparison between Hansen and Jordan.
The word ’three-peat’ was heavily associated with Jordan, especially since Hansen’s defensive performance this season made him the periter player closest to Jordan in many years.
"Since Michael retired, there have been many dubbed ’the next Jordan.’ You now seem to be the closest one, will you catch up to him?"
"No."
Hansen’s response surprised the journalists; after all, he was known for being outspoken.
However, his next statent sent the room into turmoil.
"I’ll surpass him and beco the greatest player in history."
—Divider—
All-Star starters, The West: Hansen, Kobe⊕, Anthony, Griffin, Love
Reserves: Curry, Harden, Paul, Westbrook, Parker, Nowitzki, Alderich
Head Coach: Popovich
The East starters: Irving, Wade, Durant, Jas, Howard
Reserves: Wall, Paul George, Joe Johnson, Derozan, Millsap, Bosh, Noah
Head Coach: Vogel
Note: Kobe was absent due to injury, and his All-Star spot was taken by Anthony Davis, with Popovich choosing Curry to start in Kobe’s place.
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