Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 170 You can always trust Paul at critical moments

Randolph was called "team poison" before coming to the Grizzlies, and Hansen was also described as a "cancer" by James fans when he was in the Cavaliers. O'Neal is worthy of being a nickname giant.

Thanks to the outstanding performance of the "poison combination" of Hansen and Randolph, the Grizzlies and the Lakers were evenly matched in the starting lineup.

Moreover, Hansen was substituted out for rest with three minutes left in the first quarter, and his physical condition seemed to be much better than the last time they met.

The changes brought about by Randolph's return are obvious.

Another impact of this was that it extended Kobe's playing time on the Lakers, and Kobe had to play the entire first quarter.

In terms of salary structure, the Grizzlies have paid a "rookie bonus". Gay and Randolph will both receive $1500 million this season. Gasol and Conley are under the new labor agreement, with large salary increases and low starting salaries. Their first-year salaries will be $1300 million and $800 million respectively, and the total for the four is $5100 million.

As for the Lakers, Kobe Bryant gets 2500 million, Gasol gets 1800 million, Paul gets 1600 million, and Okafor gets 1200 million. The total for the four of them is 7100 million.

From this difference, we can conclude that although the Lakers are not as strong as the Heat, their salaries are no different from those of the Heat, and their bench strength is not much better.

Although Dunleavy is a quality signing, he is not the type to attack with the ball.

On the other hand, the Grizzlies' bench strength this season has improved qualitatively compared to last season.

The biggest change is naturally Gay's comeback. Leading the team by traveling during off-peak hours has greatly improved the team's performance.

Moreover, in the interior, Speights and Faried are much stronger than Haddadi and Johnson last season.

Especially this kid Faried, after finding his direction, he became an inside version of Westbrook on the court, and he has a strong ability to infect his teammates' emotions.

So at this time, the Lakers' backcourt duo must keep one of them on the court, and it must be Kobe.

Otherwise, the Grizzlies could have really widened the score in this period.

However, Kobe is in really good shape this season, and his ability to travel during this off-peak period is completely overflowing.

Of course this is good news for the Grizzlies, after all, the game has to be played in four quarters.

At the end of the first half, the two teams were tied at 58.

"Now we can conclude in advance that this Grizzlies team will be one of the favorites to win the championship this year!" Barkley opened a bottle of champagne at halftime.

There are only a handful of teams in the league that can push the Lakers to this extent this season.

After the half-time break, the intensity of the game remained the same.

The Lakers first took advantage of the Grizzlies' consecutive missed shots from the outside and beat the Grizzlies 8 to 2.

Seeing this, Joerger replaced Randolph in advance. The "poison combination" continued to exert its strength, and the Grizzlies immediately responded with a 9-2 wave.

The intense competition also created a constant atmosphere of tension on the field, and the referee had to tighten the standards of penalties.

The fans had a great time tonight. Whether watching it in person or online, this nationwide live broadcast was definitely worth the price of the ticket.

When the game came to the last five minutes, the two sides were tied at 108 again.

Hansen then played a pick-and-roll with Randolph. After receiving the ball, Randolph threw it directly against Barnes' help defense. The Grizzlies took the lead.

This was also his 20th point tonight. Although he came on as a substitute, his performance was not that of a substitute at all.

"Defend! Defend!"

Although it was still early for the game to end, quite a number of fans had already stood up and the cheers were deafening.

The Grizzlies' defensive intensity on the court was also at its maximum. The Lakers failed to create any chances in two consecutive tactics. Paul finally passed the ball to Kobe.

Kobe held the ball and played against Gay, then made a sudden stop and turnaround jump shot after changing direction.

Gay did not lose his position on defense, but Kobe was faster than him and still completed the shot facing the defense.

"Shh!"

His shot went into the net again, and this was his 36th point tonight.

And after returning to the defensive end, he switched defense with Metta World Peace.

When Han Sen was playing pick-and-roll with Randolph again, he used the [puppy step] to get in front of Han Sen and prevented Han Sen from being misplaced.

There have been and will be many "poison combinations" mentioned by O'Neal in the league in the past, but in fact, as long as the defender is not blocked and switching does not occur, the so-called poison choice will naturally not appear.

Kobe took a defensive stance, ready to face Hansen one-on-one.

Han Sen did not rush to attack. He dribbled the ball back to the three-point line and made tactical gestures.

After Randolph got into a good position in the low post, he passed the ball in.

Kobe didn't expect Hansen to make this choice. He turned around to see if a double-team was needed in the paint.

But at this moment, he suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing past his eyes.

When he turned around, he saw Han Sen cutting in while he turned his head!
This time he grasped the timing very well, and he was also very energetic after fighting for so long, so he couldn't start that fast. By the time he started chasing, he had been left behind by a body length.

Randolph immediately passed the ball back to Hansen and blocked Okafor.

Gasol tried his best to rush to the basket, but when he finally got there, Hansen had already jumped into the air, raised the ball with his right hand and smashed it directly into his face.

"Oh!"

Before he could reach out to react, Han Sen slammed the ball into the basket.

The cheers at the scene exploded instantly.

Randolph excitedly ran up to Hansen and patted his head hard.

Hansen dunked over Gasol, which was considered as revenge for his previous performance.

Han Sen looked back at the surprised Kobe and said with a smile, "I'm not 21 anymore."

This trash talk that lasted for more than a season even made Kobe laugh.

Then, when Kobe came to the frontcourt to receive the ball, Hansen also switched to defend him.

Han Sen has not only become more mature, but he is also still as brave as before in taking responsibility at critical moments.

After the strong side was cleared, Kobe chose to play a back-to-the-basket single, moving his feet continuously before his signature turn and fade-away shot.

Hansen defended very well, and he could clearly feel that Kobe's speed was slower than before.

Finally, under the strong interference of Han Sen, Kobe's backward shot hit the basket.

Kobe is about to turn 34. He can still play the entire game, but if he wants to attack and defend at the same time in the fourth quarter, his efficiency will inevitably decline.

Hansen held the ball in the frontcourt and passed it to Randolph. This time he didn't cut in. Randolph turned around in the low post and his shot missed when facing Gasol Sr., but Gasol Jr. made a direct dunk and scored.

114:110.

With three minutes left in the game, the Grizzlies extended the lead to four points.

The Lakers' age brings experience advantage, but when the war of attrition reached the end, the young Grizzlies began to show their age advantage.

Hansen began to restrict Kobe from receiving the ball. Paul couldn't pass the ball to him, so he played a pick-and-roll with Gasol. However, he missed the fadeaway mid-range shot due to Randolph's interference.

Gay jumped high to grab the defensive rebound, and the momentum of the game clearly shifted to the Grizzlies.

"The Grizzlies' performance tonight made the Lakers look old!" O'Neal seemed to be completely unconcerned about his upcoming head shaving.

Conley passed the ball to Hansen again. This time, Hansen signaled to clear the strong side, and then asked Gasol Jr. to move to the high position to set a screen.

In terms of the quality of pick-and-roll, the best player on the Grizzlies is actually Marc Gasol Jr., and pick-and-roll is a compulsory course for European inside players.

Kobe was blocked and Hansen quickly broke through Gasol.

Gasol was forced to retreat again and again, and Hansen made a quick stop and shot from mid-range.

But the moment he pulled it up, he felt someone attacking him from his weak side.

When I glanced out of the corner of my eye, it was Kobe who was blocked by Gasol Jr.

Kobe's willpower in the game is truly amazing.

Hansen leaned back in the air to adjust the angle to avoid Kobe's block.

This is not his best shooting method, but his excellent waist and abdominal strength allows him to maintain a perfect hand shape when shooting.

The ball drew a parabola higher than usual, and then began to fall. "Swish!"

Han Sen hit this difficult shot!

With sufficient physical strength, he maintained a pretty good touch until the final quarter.

The scene was in an uproar again.

After Hansen hit this mid-range shot, the Grizzlies' lead had reached 6 points, which was also their biggest lead tonight.

The balance of victory and defeat has tilted infinitely towards the Grizzlies.

Kobe pulled the jersey into his mouth and took a deep breath.

Then, he dribbled the ball directly to the front court and signaled to move away.

The Lakers' lineup this season, coupled with their best record in the league, makes them look invincible.

But now the Grizzlies are shattering that filter.

And once they do, they will become the Lakers' most troublesome opponent in the West.

So Kobe doesn't want to lose, and can't lose.

He chose to break through facing the basket, and then used his signature move when he broke through to the free throw line, a sudden stop, turn and fade away after falling.

When Han Sen pounced, Kobe met him and shot the ball.

There was a commotion at the scene; Kobe's goal pulled the Lakers back from the edge of the cliff.

After landing, Han Sen became more determined to improve his footwork in the summer.

If footsteps are used well, they can make up for the decrease in speed caused by lack of physical strength.

Hansen continued to play pick-and-roll with Gasol in the frontcourt, but this time when he broke through, Kobe quickly returned to his defensive position.

It’s still about footwork. Kobe’s [puppy step] allows him to deal with pick-and-roll very well.

Han Sen did not continue to call for a pick-and-roll, but instead took advantage of a time difference.

No matter how well Kobe moves or how delicate his steps are, he is always in motion and his center of gravity is swinging.

He took advantage of this and when his left hand was hovering the ball and his right hand seemed to be about to shoot, he suddenly made a drastic change of direction to the right.

Classic Buddha worship.

After [Uncle Drew] approached the bottleneck, Hansen was able to complete some dribbling moves that he couldn't do before.

Kobe made a jumping move, and although he finally reacted and retracted it, it was too late.

Hansen passed Kobe and broke into the inside. After seeing that Gasol was about to retreat to the basket, he made a quick stop and shot.

"Shh!"

The score difference returns to 6 points again!
With two minutes left in the game, the Lakers called a timeout.

Brown saw Kobe's physical problems, and he was also a professional in using timeouts to help the team leader recover his physical strength.

Of course, a two-minute timeout can't really restore much physical strength. After the Lakers came on, Paul launched a wave of offense.

Paul continued to look for Randolph's defensive weakness, and this time he had a great opportunity after the pick-and-roll.

But he still failed to hit the ball!

And when Gasol Jr. secured the defensive rebound, he saw Hansen rushing out of the three-point line.

The Lakers were unable to react to this change in rhythm, and Gasol Jr. directly made a long pass.

After Han Sen received the ball, he quickly made a fast break, and the cheers from the audience could no longer be stopped.

After looking back and seeing that no one was catching up with him, Han Sen began to slow down and then performed a crotch-changing dunk.

The last time Hansen used this dunk was when he played against the Spurs. At that time, he did it to vent his anger, but this time it was obviously a celebration.

"Oh!"

The moment the ball hit the basket, the FedEx Center was in a state of excitement.

Lakers? No more than that!

This dunk allowed the Grizzlies to extend their lead to 8 points with one and a half minutes left in the game, and also sealed the game.

In the end, the score on the field was fixed at 121 to 114.

When the game ended, the scene fell into carnival, and the Grizzlies players were also there shouting.

The Grizzlies not only achieved what Hansen said by "winning back", but they also used this game to prove that they could beat the Lakers when they were in full form.

Building this kind of self-confidence is more meaningful than winning the game!

赛后的数据统计，科比27投14中空砍38分，保罗14投7中得到16分9助攻，大加索尔19分11板，奥卡福12分8板。

韩森29分6板10助攻，兰多夫20分11板，盖伊18分，小加索尔14分15板3助攻，康利14分5助攻2抢断。

Hansen and Randolph attended the post-match press conference together.

"It feels great to be back on the court. I know my teammates have been through a tough time and it feels great to be able to fight alongside them again." Having also returned from injury, Randolph's speaking skills are obviously much better than Gay's.

"Han is so strong now. I feel he can do anything he wants to do. I'm glad he is my teammate and not my opponent." Of course, the familiar mutual praise also returned, and he did it much more naturally than Gasol Jr.

"Zach is still Zach. If he hadn't been injured, he would have been the starting All-Star player in the Western Conference. Who did you say would replace him? Of course it would be Griffin. He's just a kid who can perform dunks." Han Sen did not forget his number two anti-fan leader.

Of course, Hansen's anti-fan value has started to rise after he said that. The Lakers and Griffin are the flesh and blood of Los Angeles fans.

"What do you think is the key to the team's victory tonight?" The reporter continued to ask Han Sen.

Randolph's outstanding performance? Kobe's physical problems? Or is it?

"Chris Paul." Hansen gave an answer that the reporters were completely surprised by.

Fortunately, he quickly gave his explanation;

“You can always trust Paul when it matters.”

Tsk, the reporters finally understood what Han Sen was saying!

However, after Paul's arrogant remarks before the game, Hansen's response was understandable.

Moreover, it is impossible to refute it.

Because in the last five minutes, Paul's stats were only 3 of 1, and apart from a layup when the game was already decided, he had no achievements before that.

You know, Paul is best at pick-and-roll, and Randolph is most afraid of pick-and-roll. With Kobe on the court to contain him, the defensive pressure Paul faces is much less.

If Paul could have made a mid-range shot and given Kobe some support, the outcome of the game might have been different.

But this is Paul, and as Hansen said, as an opponent, you can always "trust" him.

In fact, Han Sen was very familiar with Paul's failure at critical moments.

Moreover, unlike the impression of fans that Paul is always injured and unlucky at critical moments, Paul will inexplicably perform abnormally at critical moments even if he is not injured.

In the "history" that Hansen knows, Paul is the star player who has been reversed the most in NBA history. He has been reversed 8 times in his playoff career, 4 of which were after leading 2-0, echoing Doc Rivers.

And they have been cooperating with each other for a long time.

So at the celebration party where Rivers was crowned the "Master of Comebacks", no one dared to pick up their chopsticks until Paul showed up.

In fact, the more realistic data is that Paul has 3 wins and 5 losses in the seventh game in his career.

Of course, there is also the most classic experience when he led the team to a 58-point loss to the Nuggets in the playoffs during his peak period. His statistics in that game were 4 points, 6 assists and 6 turnovers.

So there is no such thing as bad luck all the time. Even if there is, it is just survivor bias. Paul's performance is essentially due to his weak psychological quality.

Because their mental strength is not strong enough, they dare not take action at the critical moment, and even if they take action, their hands will shake subconsciously.

After all, Paul still lacks an opportunity, an opportunity to be teammates with James like Hansen did before.

(End of this chapter)