Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 187 "Master, what is your job?"

Bosh and Gasol Jr. jump ball in the center circle.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Bosh pushed the ball back to half court, giving the Heat a chance to attack first.

The Heat's playing style was the same as in the regular season, with the other players moving away and letting James play one-on-one in the low post.

The Grizzlies had also prepared for this, with Gasol Jr. staying near the three-second zone, ready to assist in defense at any time.

Gay also spared no effort to physically confront James.

James finally turned over and squeezed past Gay, and after encountering help defense from Gasol Jr., he passed the ball to Bosh.

Bosh missed the shot after receiving the ball from mid-range.

Bosh was injured in Game 1 against the Pacers, straining his abdominal muscles.

This is not a serious injury, but the Heat were in a very disadvantageous situation when playing against the Celtics. He was forced to return early without fully recovering, and his condition was average.

This is also the basis for the Grizzlies coaching staff to formulate defensive strategies.

Up to now, not only the players of the Grizzlies have grown, but also the coaching staff.

What matters in the playoffs is who makes fewer mistakes and who can better exploit the opponent's weaknesses.

When the offense and defense switched, the Grizzlies continued to exploit this weakness.

Spoelstra's purpose of using one big and four small players is the same as Brooks's before, which is to bring the game rhythm to a fast defensive counterattack.

The Heat has a more mature defensive system than the Thunder, which is why Spoelstra still has the confidence to try even though the Thunder has failed.

But since you, Spoelster, dare to use it, I will destroy your inside line.

The one defending Randolph at this time was McRoberts.

Why isn't James defending?
My James plays as a small forward!

McRoberts is good at assists and three-pointers. Defense is not his strong point, otherwise he would not only get a salary of three million.

Of course Spoelstra also knows this, so the Heat still rely on assisting defense and rotation and defensive system.

Like the Grizzlies coaching staff, Spoelstra also targeted Randolph's condition.

However, Randolph quickly passed the ball to Gay before being double-teamed.

The word "status" sounds a bit vague, but to put it simply, it refers to your feel on the court, your body reaction speed, and your self-confidence.

Randolph has recovered a lot in these aspects since the game started, especially after the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder.

Gay was also quite confident after receiving the ball, and he made a decisive three-pointer before James returned to defense.

However, his hands were not warm enough as he had just come up, and the basketball hit the rim and bounced out.

Randolph grabbed the offensive rebound.

Randolph's shot went wide after Bosh tried hard to make up for it. The Heat's defensive rotation was indeed faster and more systematic.

However, Gasol Jr. directly completed the tip-in!

The Heat's lineup of one big and four small players is at an absolute disadvantage in rebounding against the Grizzlies' twin towers.

At this time, what the Grizzlies need to do on offense is very simple: play inside and shoot with confidence.

Looking back, James forced a basket and used his unique footwork to dribble past Gasol Jr. and shoot.

However, as soon as the ball left his hand, Guy jumped high and smacked the ball out of the court.

Everyone on the Grizzlies court is giving it their all!

Of course, what’s more important is that Gay is a straightforward person. He doesn’t care how many steps James takes, as long as he blocks the ball, he will definitely make no mistake.

The FedEx Center was suddenly in a state of excitement.

The Grizzlies played with great momentum at the start of the game.

There was not much time left to attack and the ball was in Wade's hands.

Ever since Hansen said to James in front of Wade, "Even DW can't save you," Hansen has had less contact with Wade.

It's not just that Wade is afraid that James will misunderstand him. More importantly, since Wade has made a choice, he also wants to prove that his choice is correct.

Facing Han Sen now, he was also unreserved, using his killer move, the Phantom Step.

However, he was not able to shake off Han Sen easily.

The Grizzlies' opening tactic was to play inside, which did not require much physical effort on Hansen's part, allowing him to go all out on the defensive end.

After Wade finally squeezed past Hansen, Gasol Jr. came up to help defend.

Just like when playing against the Thunder, Hansen was working in coordination with Gasol Jr.

Wade's final difficult step-over shot missed the basket, and the rebound was secured by Randolph.

Then, turning around, Randolph received the ball in the low post, dived down, turned quickly, broke into the inside, and knocked Bosh aside to score.

In fact, let alone McRoberts, even Bosh's physique would not be able to withstand any of the Grizzlies' two inside players.

0:4.

The Grizzlies started the season better than they did in the regular season.

During the pre-game promotion, Windhorst wrote an analysis in ESPN, saying that the Heat were swept by the Grizzlies in the regular season because of problems with coordination. When such problems no longer exist in the finals, the Heat will play in a completely different situation from the regular season.

However, he was slapped in the face at the beginning because he did not mention the most important point: Randolph did not play in the regular season.

After six minutes of play, the score was 4 to 11, and the Grizzlies made full use of their inside advantage.

Seeing this, Spoelstra was forced to replace McRoberts with Haslem, and the one-big-four-small strategy failed.

Haslem is short in height, but his defense is very fierce. He successfully limited Randolph's low-post attack in the first round after coming on.

Turning around, he also made a solid pick-and-roll for James. After James broke through, he attracted Gay's double-team and then passed the ball back to Haslem, who made a mid-range jump shot.

Haslem is the most cost-effective player on the Heat. His playing style is very much like that of a role player, but he can do his job to the extreme.

Last season, he was plagued by injuries and didn't play much in the regular season. His performance in the playoffs was average. This season, he has been a great help to the Heat in good health.

The Grizzlies switched to Gasol Jr. for a low-post single play, but his turn-around shot was also defended by Bosh.

After the Heat made substitutions, the overall defensive strength of the interior has improved significantly.

The Heat now have a chance to gain momentum.

James used the same trick again and set a pick-and-roll with Haslem, but this time Joerger was on the sidelines and Gay did not double-team James.

James used his signature footwork against Randolph, but Randolph was as thick as a tower and he couldn't get around him. Finally, in order to avoid Randolph's long arms, his shot was too high and didn't even touch the rim after the rebound.

There was a sudden burst of booing at the scene.

In order to redeem James' bad reputation in last season's finals, ESPN has been working at full capacity this season to promote James non-stop.

Work hard on post-up shooting, developing three-point shots, and strengthening mentality. Any improvement that James has made should be magnified several times.

This overwhelming publicity can influence some people's views, but if you go to watch the game in person, you will feel a sense of disappointment when you arrive at the club with the cards in your hand and find out that there is a huge gap between them and the real person, which is very disgusting.

Conley controlled the ball to the frontcourt. Instead of continuing to pass the ball to the inside, he made a tactical gesture and passed the ball to Hansen.

After receiving the ball, Hansen first played a pick-and-roll with Randolph, but James's assist defense was very timely and the opportunity did not come out. Seeing this, he dribbled the ball back to the three-point line.

At this time, there was a detail on the court. James did not follow Hansen out, but pushed Haslem and pushed Haslem towards Hansen.

The fake first defense and Han Sen fought for three quarters until they were exhausted. The real first defense let his teammates take over when they met Han Sen.

Hansen had a chance to take advantage of the bigger team, changing direction to get past Haslem and making a quick stop jump shot.

6:13.

The Grizzlies firmly maintained their lead.

At the critical moment, Wade and Bosh made a pick-and-roll. Bosh received the ball and rushed into the paint, causing Gasol to commit a defensive foul and getting two free throws.

He made both free throws despite the noise from the crowd.

Back on the defensive end, Wade tried his best to limit Hansen's receiving the ball, and Conley and Gasol's shots after the pick-and-roll were blocked by James' help defense.

The Heat made a fast break, and Wade received the ball and scored a fast break dunk.

10:13.

After a small climax, the Heat narrowed the gap to one goal.

Hansen's judgment was correct. This Heat team had fought through all the adversities in the playoffs and had a mature mentality. They would not be defeated as easily as the Thunder. "Whoop that trick!"

Memphis fans began to cheer for the home team.

Hansen increased his off-ball movement, receiving the ball through off-ball pick-and-rolls with Gasol.

Wade chose to go around and use his speed to make up for the defense, and did not give Hansen another chance to beat the bigger team.

Seeing this, Hansen signaled Guy to come over to the corner for a screen.

Gay's slow speed is relative to players in the same position. Although his pick-and-roll is not as solid as Gasol, he can take Wade away by quickly breaking the ball.

James was moved to Han Sen's side.

This is Han Sen's purpose.

It is difficult to create opportunities for a smaller team to play against a bigger one, and the same applies to playing against James.

As for James wanting to hide, you can hide for one round, but can you hide for the whole game?
There was a huge booing going on at the scene.

Ever since the news that "Han Sen led the Cavaliers' third team to defeat the first and second teams" was exposed last season, the feud between Han Sen and James has been known to everyone.

Han Sen looked at James, and on this special stage, past events also emerged in his mind.

He and James were at odds with each other in Cleveland, but in the end he chose to stay for this stage.

In the end, James's rest caused him to play until the end of the season, and he ultimately failed to achieve his wish.

Now, after two years, they finally stepped onto this stage, and James has turned from a teammate to an opponent.

He will make James pay back double for what he lost!
James's expression was also complicated at this time.

He never imagined that the "3D player" who he had tried every means to win over would grow into the core of a team within two years, and become the last obstacle on his road to becoming the "championship that cannot be lost."

Or, in other words, after being humiliated by Han Sen and his three teams, he chose to keep Han Sen, and the scenario he was most worried about finally came true.

What he didn't want to experience, what he didn't want to recall, and even what he didn't want to face was now right in front of him.

He subconsciously took a step back.

Hansen made a fake shot, and after forcing James to move forward, he passed the ball to the right and quickly passed James.

By the time James was trying hard to catch up and was ready to help Haslem with the double-team, Hansen had already made a mid-range two-pointer with a quick stop jump shot.

After the ball went in, Hansen looked at James and shook his head while retreating.

James's first-team defense when he was on the Cavaliers was just watered down, but it's funny that he can still do it after gaining weight this year.

No one really thinks that defense is about watching highlights to see who blocks more shots, right?
Turning around, Wade held the ball and attacked, but his shot went wide of the basket under the defense of Hansen and Gasol Jr.

Spoelstra stood up from the bench.

This is the main reason why he is unwilling to use the regular lineup. Few teams can compete with the Grizzlies, and it is also difficult for the Heat.

In front of Spoelstra, Hansen once again played pick-and-roll with Gay.

James was also sent to Hansen.

The booing at the scene got louder.

This time James defended further forward, and Hansen changed direction directly to the right.

However, he did not break through directly, but quickly pulled back with his crotch.

Because James was too close, and Han Sen changed direction so quickly and widely, he felt like he was being led by the hand.

Then Han Sen made another drastic change of direction and passed him directly.

This ball has a bit of a playful element to it.

James was so angry that he pulled Han Sen's auxiliary hand.

It turned out that others' actions were minor, but his was so big that the referee couldn't ignore it.

When the referee blew the whistle, Han Sen did not stop his attack and continued to throw the ball with his right hand.

I didn't expect that his shooting technique was so good, and with a little bit of luck, the ball actually went in!

The scene was instantly filled with cheers from the fans.

Han Sen was also happy.

Who doesn’t have a magic ball?

Turning around and seeing James standing there in a daze, he smiled and said:

"Come on, you almost stopped me!"

You see, as a former teammate and a good brother in James' eyes, Hansen mainly focuses on encouragement.

James did not react. Just like what he showed during the regular season, he can be immune to most trash talk as long as he says "don't listen, don't listen, and don't listen".

Seeing this, Han Sen did not go straight to the free throw line, but went around to the sidelines and reminded Spoelstra:
"Are you sure you don't want to take him out and give him a rest?"

This is indeed a reminder, because in a basketball game, players can only be substituted when the ball is dead.

James' expression finally changed.

This is the trash talk Hansen used against Pierce when he was still on the Cavaliers!

Hansen went to the free throw line.

The camera turned to James, and the eyes of death described by ESPN reappeared.

Han Sen made the free throw and scored 5 points in a row, bringing the score difference to 10 to 18.

The score difference is about to reach double digits.

James held the ball in the frontcourt and signaled everyone to move away.

Judging from the situation, he is ready to go for a big kill just like he did in Game 6 against the Celtics!

After his teammates moved away, he dribbled the ball to a position two meters away from the three-point line and started sprinting.

It was not easy for him to beat Hansen, but he was confident in beating Guy.

Guy didn't think much about it and just went straight for it.

James began to show his technical improvement in his breakthrough, and he made a big turn after getting close to Gay.

It was a good idea, but Guy wasn't fast enough to react immediately.

But the problem is that James' turning and dribbling skills are not that good. He rushed too far and failed to control the dribble when he turned around. The ball was thrown out of bounds like a discus...

There was a burst of joyful laughter at the scene.

This legendary Eye of Death isn't that useful!

And this laughter soon turned into booing.

Because looking back, Han Sen once again signaled Guy to come out and screen for him.

You treat me as a good brother, but I just want to fuck you!
This time James tried to push Wade forward, but Gay was smart enough to block the shot.

The result was that Wade couldn't go up, James didn't want to go up, and Hansen had the ball with no one defending him.

Han Sen naturally would not refuse the free points, so he raised his hand and accepted the two points.

10:20.

Han Sen scored 7-0 in a wave, and the score difference reached double digits!
Just like in the final moments of their first regular season matchup, Hansen had his way with James.

Spoelstra called a timeout.

He regretted it because he really couldn't make a substitution with the ball live on the court.

Just after the timeout whistle sounded, James spread his hands to Wade in silence.

That means Wade should grab the pick-and-roll instead of letting him switch, after all, he has failed to defend twice in a row.

Han Sen couldn't hold it back.

They didn't dare to go on defense, and their offense either missed the target or threw the discus. After playing for almost ten minutes, they still didn't score.

He couldn't help but walk up to him and asked James curiously, "Brother, what do you do for a living?"

(End of this chapter)