Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 111 Dad Doesn’t Love Me Anymore
After the preseason ended, Mark Stein released the second edition of the team strength list based on each team's preseason performance.

The Lakers still top the list, while the Heat dropped directly to fourth place due to poor performance in the preseason.

The Grizzlies, on the other hand, moved up four spots to 4th place because of their win over the Mavericks.

This will naturally lead to another wave of controversy.

Some fans think that Stan is unprofessional and uses the preseason performance to measure the team's strength, which is ridiculous.

However, Stan did not post an explanation this time, because the regular season between the Heat and the Grizzlies is about to start, and he will have his own explanation then.

The league has carried out extensive publicity for this opening game.

The Heat officials also used promotional cartoons such as "Heat Burns Bear" to build momentum.

Regardless of whether the playing styles are restrained or not, the Heat are a championship contender, while the Grizzlies are not even a playoff team. The strength gap between the two teams is obvious.

The day before the game, the Grizzlies flew to Miami.

Han Sen sat in the front seat, next to him was Conley.

The two were talking about tomorrow's game.

This is their chance, but there is a high probability that they will become the first background board of the Heat Big Three.

"They are weaker than you think." Han Sen is a time traveler. Since this Heat team is the same as he knows, he knows the strength of this team better than anyone else.

He knew that the Heat had poor results at the beginning of the season, so all kinds of closed-door meetings and airplane meetings were held.

"That's just the preseason." Conley reminded that Hansen was underestimating his opponent by using the preseason.

Han Sen then realized that other people's perceptions were different from his, but...

“Teams that perform well in the preseason may not necessarily perform well in the season, but teams that perform poorly mean they have some problems to some extent.”

The most classic example is the Lakers' new F4 of Nash, Kobe, Gasol and Howard, who lost all preseason games and were eliminated in the first round of the final season.

Conley nodded. What Han Sen said did make some sense.

Just then, Gay suddenly came to them and signaled Conley to make room for him.

Han Sen looked puzzled. He was chatting happily with Conley, why did you suddenly interrupt?
I didn't expect Guy to lean over and act mysterious.

"Should I hold back when I play against LeBron?"

Han Sen had a question mark look on his face like O'Neal.

If you don't want to kill him, how dare you come to me? !
Unexpectedly, Guy handed him the phone.

Han Sen looked at his phone in confusion, and when he saw the content on it, he was stunned.

It was an interview that James had given earlier in a training session in Miami.

The reporter asked James what he thought about playing against the Grizzlies and having Hansen as an opponent.

There is nothing wrong with this interview question. After all, everyone knows that he and James were incompatible before they broke up.

The problem lies in James' answer.

"You know, Han is my good brother. We have fought side by side and defeated many opponents. We are just one step away from the championship. I know he has gone to a team he wants to go to. I wish him all the best in Memphis."

No, is James also a masochist like Carter?

And this is obviously unreasonable. How could James say such a thing when he and James are at loggerheads with each other?

“This is fake news.”

"Is it fake?" Guy scratched his head. This seems to be news released by ESPN's official website?
"That must be fake. Whether we can win tomorrow depends entirely on your defense, so don't hold back at all." Han Sen looked at Guy seriously.

Guy was stunned for a moment after hearing this, but after seeing Hansen's expression, he nodded vigorously.

After Guy left, Han Sen took out his phone and searched it.

This news is damn true!
It was at this moment that he suddenly slapped his head and remembered that he had forgotten something important.

During the free market period, in order to exchange for [Iron Bones], he posted a status to support James and gained a lot of black fans.

Think about it, when you are being scolded by everyone, and suddenly someone stands by your side, and that person had a bad relationship with you before, how would you feel?
A friend in need is a friend indeed!

Although James certainly wouldn't think so.

But for the sake of his own image, James will pretend to think so.

Then these words make sense.

"Actually, I think if you hadn't been injured, the Cavaliers would have really had a chance to win the championship last season." Conley sat back down.

Judging from his appearance, he should have communicated with Guy.

Han Sen didn't want to explain anymore. If he had experienced what he had experienced in the Cavaliers, he would never think that way.

He turned his head toward the window.

After a while he turned back and continued the topic that Conley had not finished talking about.

As he turned around, he had a new idea.

The Grizzlies are in a much better environment than the previous Cavaliers, but there is one thing they are inferior to, and that is the attention from the outside world.

Nike strongly supports James, so James has his own traffic aura, and the fact that Cleveland is a small market does not affect the outside world's attention.

So it was easier for him to earn hater points before, but it will become difficult in Memphis.

He had previously vowed to bring a championship to the Grizzlies, and this was one of his few chances.

At this time, wasn't James creating opportunities for him by saying those things?
Putting aside other things, after James said those words and then he embarrassed James on the court, wouldn't James fans be smearing him to death?

After arriving in Miami, Hansen and Rondo first went to Barry University.

Although Rondo has transferred schools, his teammates are still there. He invites them to dinner and gives them free game tickets, etc. It's just like before, just reminiscing about his youth.

Only one year has passed, some of them have graduated, and their number is now less than before.

During the meal, someone suggested that they all wear Hansen's No. 77 jersey at the game tomorrow, so that they would look more impressive.

Since they were willing, Han Sen did not refuse and asked Rondo to prepare some for them overnight.

By the way, his sneakers just happened to be on sale, so I prepared a pair for each of them, and they were both the coolest purple, just like his.

Then we can take a group photo after the game, and the picture will definitely be great.

The next night, on the shores of Biscayne Bay in Miami, the American Airlines Arena was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

The stadium was already packed with people and noisy.

The media area was already packed with people.

The debut of the Heat's Big Three is definitely the most anticipated event in recent years.

After Toews led everyone in shouting a slogan, the Grizzlies players trotted out of the player tunnel from the locker room.

As soon as Han Sen stepped into the stadium, he felt the enthusiasm that swept over him like a heat wave.

James' "The Decision" was criticized by almost the entire Internet, but only the Miami fans, who were the vested interests, were happy.

Most people in this world like to play the role of justice, but some people like to play the role of villains. The Heat and Miami fans are now such roles.

Han Sen soon saw the Barry University players in the audience.

They sat in a row wearing their No. 77 Grizzlies jerseys, standing out especially among the Heat fans.

But soon, Han Sen's gaze stopped on another No. 77 jersey.

Why is Swift in Miami? And wearing the No. 77 Cavaliers jersey?
Swift caught his gaze and reached out to greet him, her expression like she had a surprise for him.

Han Sen: Thank you!

Han Sen withdrew his gaze. Although there was a small problem, it did not have much impact.

But while he was warming up, James walked towards him.

“How are you doing in Memphis?”

Han Sen subconsciously glanced around and soon saw the camera.

James's ability to find cameras is like having his own GPS navigation.

However, that was exactly what he wanted. "Better than in Cleveland." Hansen smiled.

If you don't let James fans see that their relationship has improved now, how can they blacken him when he's on the court later?

"That's good, I wish you all the best."

James left after he finished speaking.

"Do you really want me to go all out?" Guy came closer after seeing this scene.

"Don't use nine points if you can use ten. This game is watched by the whole country and even the world. You must seize the opportunity." Han Sen said through gritted teeth.

Once Guy got the confirmation, he had no more doubts.

After the warm-up session, the scene quickly entered into the opening ceremony.

The Grizzlies took the court first as the visiting team.

Conley, Hansen, Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol.

Except for some sporadic boos when Han Sen came on stage, there was basically no reaction from other people at the scene.

The Grizzlies are not well-known in the league.

After the visiting team comes the home team.

Unlike the Cavaliers, the Heat's opening ceremony was full of technology.

The lights on the scene were swaying, background music was playing, and the flames were burning on the large LED screen, which was very domineering.

In addition, flamethrowers were specially brought to the scene, and with the audience holding large "HEAT" signs and waving flags, the scene was very grand.

Just from these arrangements, it demonstrates the power of the city of Miami.

This is the difference between big cities and small cities.

Of course, the most shocking thing was when the Heat players started to appear on the court.

The first to appear was James.

Because the Heat had retired the No. 23 jersey out of respect for Jordan, James was forced to change to No. 6 jersey.

James, Joel Anthony, Bosh, Arroyo, Wade.

In the official NBA player strength rankings, James, who won the MVP for two consecutive years, topped the list, surpassing Kobe. Wade ranked third after Kobe, and Bosh ranked ninth.

The unprecedented top three giants, with the aura of a boss overwhelming.

After the last three minutes of preparation time, the starting players of both teams were ready to take the court.

James found the camera and started throwing magnesium powder.

It was at this time that another very interesting scene was captured on the field.

The five starters of the Grizzlies stood together, except for Randolph who had the number 50, the rest of the players had overlapping numbers.

Conley is No. 11, Gay is No. 22, Gasol is No. 33, and Hansen is No. 77.

This kind of scene is the first time in NBA history.

After Hansen came on the court, he faced Wade.

The two of them just nodded and greeted each other.

This is a game they cannot afford to lose.

"beep!"

As the referee blew the whistle, Gasol Jr. jumped high and passed the ball back to the Grizzlies' half, and the game officially began.

Conley advanced to the frontcourt and organized the offense. After Randolph leaned against Anthony in the low post, the ball was passed to Hansen, who lobbed the ball in.

Anthony graduated from UNLV. As a center, he is only 2 meters tall, the same as Randolph, and is a standard short inside blue-collar worker.

His characteristics are solid chassis and strong mobility. He can quickly make up for the defense and has good blocking ability.

The Heat have Haslem and Ilgauskas on their roster. He must have some strengths to be able to surpass those two and become the starting center.

However, Randolph is not a rough guy like Howard. After observing Bosh being pulled out of the restricted area by Gasol Jr. with his back to the basket, he did not compete with Anthony in strength. Instead, he turned to the free throw line with Anthony's body as the axis, crushed Anthony with his body, advanced to the basket like a tank, and then made a close-range jump shot.

This is a real tank, a much heavier tank than James.

Anthony was suppressed and couldn't exert any strength at all. He could only watch Randolph score over his head.

The Grizzlies took the lead, and Wade took the ball and passed it to James.

There is no doubt that even if James joins the Heat, the Heat will still be Wade's team. This can be seen from the order of appearance at the opening ceremony. Wade is the one who opens the stage.

However, Wade has a more mature personality, and he will not treat James the same way Guy treated Hansen at the beginning.

On the contrary, he was very considerate of James' emotions and allowed James to find his feeling at the beginning.

After James received the ball, the other Heat players tried their best to create space for James to play one-on-one on the strong side.

Gay was not known for his defense after entering the league, so James is theoretically very confident in playing against him.

James also started to break through quickly, but what he didn't expect was that Gay rushed forward to confront him, preventing him from starting easily.

This defensive aggressiveness was somewhat beyond his expectations. Although he managed to squeeze past Gay with his physical advantage, his steps were obviously a bit messy.

Especially when he staggered into the restricted area and Randolph let go of Anthony to come over to assist in defense, he subconsciously stopped with the ball and then started the breakthrough.

This unconventional rhythm allowed him to successfully shake off Randolph, but just as he was about to shoot, the referee's whistle sounded.

James committed a traveling violation by rolling his hands alternately.

James held the ball with his hands spread out and looked at the referee with a puzzled look on his face.

The scene was also filled with agitation.

But in the end, James could only hand the ball to the referee and run back with a smile.

"Well done." Han Sen took the initiative to find Guy and high-fived him.

What he said before was not an exaggeration, because Gay's speed is simply not enough to keep up with Wade, so he is the only one who can defend Wade.

Now that Gay can exert this kind of defensive pressure on James, the Grizzlies have a great chance tonight.

The ball was exchanged and the Grizzlies continued to play positional defense in the frontcourt.

After receiving the ball, Randolph continued to play one-on-one with his back to the basket.

This time the Heat had help defense, and Randolph passed the ball to Gasol on the weak side.

Gasol Jr. broke through to the basket and James retreated and cut the ball.

The ball in Gasol's hand was cut away and the referee's whistle sounded again.

When the referee pointed his finger at James, the scene became restless.

James was called for another defensive foul!
James first held his head, then took off his braces and went to the referee to explain.

But the referee didn't pay much attention to it, just pointed at Gasol's red arm to indicate that James' cut hit his hand.

The audience was filled with boos. This was the Heat's home court! The referee was clearly targeting them!
However, the boos did not last long, because the big LED screen at the scene replayed the previous round, and it was indeed James who hit Gasol and caused him to lose the ball.

James shook his head helplessly.

These balls were never blown before.

Han Sen was immediately amused.

Because he remembered his experiences during training with the Cavaliers.

"There's no whistle in this kind of game."

That was the catchphrase of Lloyd Pierce, the Cavaliers' top assistant coach at the time.

The Cavaliers treat the league's favoritism as a daily training routine, so it is naturally impossible for James to change those bad habits.

But who can guarantee that such favoritism will always exist?
Obviously, something has changed with James' "The Decision".

(End of this chapter)