Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 185 Memphis at Four in the Morning
The Grizzlies eventually defeated the Thunder 108-96 on the road.

According to post-match statistics, Durant scored 29 points, Westbrook scored 27 points but only made 26 of 10 shots, and Harden scored 16 points.

Five Grizzlies players scored in double figures, with Hansen contributing 5 points, 27 rebounds and 7 assists.

The score showed the gap in strength between the two teams, but more importantly, as Durant said, the appearance that "the Grizzlies made it to the Western Conference Finals because of Paul's injury" made the Thunder clearly unprepared mentally for the game.

It's like thinking you're facing a black bear, but finding out it's a brown bear.

Does the Thunder have no chance at all?

Obviously not. From the course of the game, we can see that their victory over the Spurs was not based on luck, and the Spurs are not as bad as Barkley and O'Neal said.

In fact, in addition to promoting Leonard and trading for Jackson this season, the Spurs also signed Boris Diaw in the buyout market.

The former "French Magician" expanded into a "flexible fat man", but became the most suitable inside player for Duncan except for "Admiral" Robinson.

The Thunder defeated the Spurs 0-2 after being beaten 4-2 by the Spurs, relying on Brooks' tactical adjustments to defend against Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll.

The next game will depend on the Thunder's adjustments.

After two days of rest, the game between the Thunder and the Grizzlies continued at the Ford Center.

Shortly after the start of this game, the Thunder showed their adjustments.

The Thunder pushed Durant to the four position and played a small lineup.

This seemingly unreasonable lineup had a miraculous effect in the beginning. Randolph was double-teamed and made a mistake when he was playing one-on-one in the low post, and was also robbed by Durant once.

The Thunder also relied on defensive counterattacks to launch an attack wave.

In fact, the two teams are essentially battling in rhythm. The Grizzlies find it difficult to keep up with the Thunder's defensive counterattacks.

But once the Grizzlies stabilized, this small lineup seemed a bit funny.

Because if Ibaka is used, he can't defend Gasol in the low post, but if Perkins is used, he basically loses the ability to assist in the three-second zone.

It's not just putting one big guy and four small guys to make it "one big and four small". The Heat, as they have been doing this season, have a defensive system, but the Thunder don't have that.

Of course, the most important thing is that after Randolph gradually regained some feeling, Durant became an ATM in front of him.

Brooks' adjustment failed and he had to switch back to the twin towers lineup.

In the starting period, the Grizzlies, like in G1, still firmly held the advantage on the court.

However, once the game entered the substitute transition period, the situation changed dramatically.

The change comes from Harden.

Harden was in good shape in G1, and he looked even better tonight. Not only did he score frequently with his signature Euro-step and step-back jump shot, but he also had a good touch from the outside.

And when Joerger sent Allen to defend him, he frequently made wonderful passes to assist his teammates in scoring.

While Hansen's strength was improving rapidly, Harden's progress was also significant.

In the "history" that Han Sen knows, Harden went to the Rockets this summer, and it felt like he suddenly "opened up his Ren and Du meridians" and turned from a sixth man into a league superstar.

This is obviously not the case. Harden's change is actually the same as McGrady's.

Before going to a new team and getting more ball possession, they had actually shown core potential in their parent team.

This also became the X factor of this game.

Hansen scored a game-high 36 points, and the Grizzlies scored no less than the previous game.

But the Thunder eventually pulled back with a 113-108 victory.

哈登全场13投10中，13罚10中得到30分，杜兰特和威斯布鲁克也分别贡献34分和23分。

In this battle between talent and team, this time the talent had a greater effect than the team.

This game is also a great inspiration for the Thunder. They cannot defend the Grizzlies by defense. The only possibility of winning is to outsmart the Grizzlies by offense.

This may also be the biggest weakness of this Grizzlies team. The twin tower lineup will not have too many rounds, and their scoring has a limit.

"I said we will finish the battle in five games." The victory in this game also made Durant full of confidence again.

Two days later, the two sides moved to Memphis to continue the G3 competition.

The Grizzlies also made tactical adjustments in this game, passing the ball to Hansen more often from the start of the game.

One impact of the Thunder's victory in Game 2 is that the Grizzlies took them more seriously and treated them as opponents of the same level as the Lakers.

As a result, after half a quarter, the Grizzlies almost defeated the Thunder.

The advantage of Hansen focusing on offense is that other Grizzlies players can focus more on defense.

Joerger's defensive strategy tonight was also very targeted, which was to tightly clamp Durant and let Westbrook shoot from outside.

Westbrook really dares to shoot. His ball possession has increased a lot this season, coupled with the Thunder's star one-on-one tactics, although his efficiency is not very good, his statistics are at the same level as Hansen, and his self-confidence is overflowing.

As a result, the Grizzlies' basket almost deflected.

Seeing this, Brooks had no choice but to replace Sefolosha with Harden in advance.

But unlike the previous game, Harden did not get much ball possession after he came on the court, and the ball was still concentrated in Westbrook's hands.

This is a bit confusing. After all, Harden was in such good shape in the last game, he should have the ball more.

However, Hansen, who had experience as a knight, quickly came to his senses.

The Thunder's Big Three, the Thunder's Big Four, it sounds like they are bound together as one.

But is it really that?
Or, is it really possible?

Westbrook plays with the ball at his core, and Harden also plays with the ball at his core. There will inevitably be conflicts over ball possession between two people with similar playing styles.

Before Harden grew up, the two's playing time was basically staggered and this conflict was not obvious.

But now that Harden has become stronger, such a conflict is inevitable.

In fact, this kind of conflict occurred between Hansen and Gay when Hansen came to the Grizzlies.

Even this season, the conflict still exists, and Gay still thinks about his declining ball possession status during training games.

This is something that is completely unavoidable. After all, NBA players are colleagues. Ball possession means data and money. It is impossible for a human being not to care.

The reason why the Grizzlies were able to suppress that kind of conflict was actually very simple, because of Hansen’s sacrifice.

The Spurs, similar to the Thunder, also relied on Ginobili’s sacrifice as the sixth man.

But could Westbrook be as expendable as Hansen and Ginobili?

Of course not!
If possible, he wouldn't be the one whose pursuit of data is second only to James.

So what seems unreasonable on the field is actually quite reasonable.

Harden looked frustrated after he couldn't get the ball.

When the first quarter ended, the Grizzlies were leading the Thunder by 30 points, 16 to 14.

The situation was extremely unfavorable, and Brooks once again used a small lineup.

He still wanted to drive the team's offense by actively speeding up, but the effect was still unsatisfactory.

However, his adjustment made one person feel happy.

Randolph frequently scored through low-post singles.

In fact, as the playoffs progress, Randolph's physical condition is gradually recovering. This is inseparable from the Grizzlies' current focus on Hansen and the growth of Gasol.

Without having to frequently serve as a tactical fulcrum for low-post offense, his energy consumption in the game is much less.

But time moves forward, and it has been more than three months since his comeback.

He just needed some opportunities to find his playoff feel, and Brooks gave it to him.

The Thunder never recovered from the opening deficit in this game, losing 88 to 106.

2 to 1, the Grizzlies took the initiative in the series.

However, this time, the Grizzlies players seemed much calmer. Even Gay didn't say to Hansen "We will be the champions" as he did before.

This year's championship journey has been a growth experience for everyone on the Grizzlies.

Not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of mentality.

Two days later, the G4 between the two sides will continue in Memphis.

Han Sen woke up a little earlier than usual. He took out his phone to check the time. It was not yet four in the morning, more than half an hour earlier than usual.

Although the mentality is adjusted well, the body will have some instinctive physiological reactions at this critical point.

After all, the finals are getting closer and closer to them.

Friends who often get up early should know that this kind of time is quite awkward. If you get up directly, you will feel that you have not slept enough, but if you take a nap, there is not enough time.

In the end, Hansen got up and drove to the FedEx Center.

After getting in the car, he was stunned when he saw the time on his phone which read 4:03.

If it were James, he would probably take a photo and post it on social media with the caption: No excuses, work hard.

Um, and then add a crown.

He was driving through the streets of Memphis at four in the morning.

The sky was still pitch black at this time, and there were almost no cars on the road. It was even quieter than he usually felt.

This is probably the quietest moment in this chaotic city.

However, when the car entered a busy road, some rhythmic sounds were still heard from some places.

Han Sen accidentally saw the newly opened nightclub that Guy mentioned before, [1927 Madison Ave]. The name sounds very New York, and it looks quite large from the outside.

There are so many lights and wine inside, and I don’t know how many people are having a good time inside.

It seems that if the Grizzlies really win the championship, I can bring my teammates here to have fun.

The FedEx Center was packed that night.

Memphis fans held up a variety of signs.

"We'll finish you off in five games", "Russell Bryant, shoot more", "KD, we have a pool of bath water"...

The fans were just as excited as the players. Before Hansen came to the team, they really couldn't imagine the day when the Grizzlies would actually have a chance to make it to the finals and compete for the championship.

This emotion reached a climax during the opening ceremony.

When the Grizzlies players came out, the cheers from the audience reached the sky.

"I think the people of Memphis are ready to play in the finals." Barkley opened champagne in the commentary booth.

"There's no reason for them to lose tonight." O'Neal also opened his copy.

"They need to give the ball to James (Harden) more often, that's their only chance." Kenny Smith is an honest man.

The Thunder made adjustments to their starting lineup tonight and put Harden in the starting lineup.

The signal is quite clear: we must fight the Grizzlies' offense to the end.

Hansen did not defend Durant tonight because Joerger's off-ball double-teaming strategy against Durant in the last game was very successful, and he will directly face Harden.

Ibaka jumped to give the Thunder the opportunity to take the lead in attack, and the ball went directly into Harden's hands.

Westbrook obviously will not give up the ball, this should be Brooks' tactical arrangement.

Han Sen was also rubbing his hands at this time, ready to lock down Harden.

Harden called for Perkins' pick-and-roll, and then broke through with the help of the pick-and-roll.

Hansen chose to go around the back and chased Perkins without paying any attention to him.

Harden seemed to have not noticed Hansen who was defending him, and he took a shot towards Gasol's jump shot, but Hansen slapped the ball away from behind.

The fans at the scene were already in high spirits, and they became even more excited in an instant.

Harden gave them a big gift right at the start!

Han Sen was also a little surprised.

He was originally trying to guard against Harden and try to make him tailgate, which is the kind of ball Harden is best at.

Then this unexpected feeling kept appearing in Hansen's mind.

Harden had a lot more ball possession tonight than in the last game, but he either made mistakes or lost his position, and his condition looked to be the worst so far in the series.

Compared to him, Paul is better at fighting tough battles.

Han Sen searched his memory and found that Harden did have the characteristic of performing poorly in crucial games.

But compared to his poor performance, Harden gave him the feeling of being inattentive tonight.

He doesn't know the reason, but it's definitely good news for the Grizzlies.

Because as Kenny Smith said, letting Harden play with the ball a lot like he did in G2, distributing the ball and fully unleashing the Thunder's offensive talent is the only possibility for the Thunder to defeat the Grizzlies.

Brooks did that, but Harden couldn't.

After half a quarter, the Thunder's offense was worse than in the first half, and with Sefolosha not on the court, Hansen played too easily, and the Grizzlies led even more.

Brooks had no choice but to replace Harden, but by doing so, it actually meant that the Thunder had no chance.

107:99.

Durant increased his off-ball movement when being double-teamed, and scored 34 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists in the crucial game. You can see that he really wanted to win.

但是威斯布鲁克一个19中5，拿18分6助攻，哈登一个14中3，拿10分2助攻4失误，这一拖二真带不动。

If Ibaka hadn't performed above average tonight, shooting 8 out of 8, the Thunder would have lost even more than in Game 3.

By the time the game ended, the FedEx Center was in a boiling sea.

The Thunder's performance in the two away games was unexpectedly poor. If you don't know, you might think it was just to cooperate with Barkley's performance.

Of course, compared to that, what excites them most at this moment is that the Grizzlies are now leading 3-1 and are really only one step away from the finals.

In Game 5 of the series, the Grizzlies are about to head to Oklahoma City to start their first match point.

Just after they arrived in Oklahoma City, they saw a lot of news reports about Harden from the Oklahoma City media.

Among them is the news about "Fisher scolding Harden in the locker room". Of course, the most eye-catching thing is that an insider revealed that before Game 4, Harden lingered in the 1927 Madison Ave nightclub in Memphis until four in the morning.

(End of this chapter)