Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 205 The Strongest Team and the Strongest Player

On Christmas Eve, the FedEx Center was packed.

It is worth mentioning that this is the first time in the Grizzlies' history that they have appeared in a Christmas game.

And coincidentally, this year Adidas and the league jointly launched a special Christmas game jersey for the first time.

The Grizzlies' jersey has a team logo printed on the front, which is a big bear head, looking very wild.

During the pre-match warm-up, the photographer's camera swept across the audience and quickly stopped at the front row.

When Scarlett's figure appeared on the big LED screen, she immediately attracted warm cheers from the fans on the scene.

Scarlett smiled and waved in front of the camera, looking very graceful and elegant. Her popularity as Marvel's No. 1 goddess is well deserved.

Of course, the cheers are not only because of Scarlett herself, but also because of the explosive news that appeared this month.

Why did James scold Durant and say "You want to drink Han Sen's bath water"? Because Scarlett and Han Sen took a bath together!

Moreover, during the playoffs between the Grizzlies and the Thunder, Hansen also talked trash to Durant, saying that Scarlett was too tired and he didn't let her come to the scene. Now Scarlett is really here!
The camera quickly found Durant, who was also looking up at this time, and his face turned green when he lowered his head.

The +1.5 value in Hansen's anti-fan system shows that it can't be stopped.

This wave of gold coins exploded right from the start!

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced.

Heat: Chalmers, Wade, Durant, Bosh, Perkins
Grizzlies: Conley, Hansen, Gay, Randolph, Gasol

Amid the cheers of the fans, the starting players of both teams came on the court one after another.

This much-anticipated Christmas battle also marks the official start of the clash between the champions and runners-up of last season's finals.

Gasol Jr. jumped past Bosh, Conley controlled the ball to the frontcourt, and the Grizzlies started with a low post tactic.

But Randolph's first attack failed.

The person most affected by James' trade was Bosh. In this "historical" season, in order to maximize the team's space, the Heat moved Bosh's offensive position directly to the three-point line, transforming him into the "Bosh-one-rebound" familiar to fans.

But now that James has been replaced by Durant, the Heat need Bosh to be an offensive threat in the low post, so Bosh put the weight back on.

At this time, Bosh not only has a similar weight to that of the late Raptors, but his mid-range control is even better than it was then, and he can be said to have officially entered his personal peak.

He is no longer at a disadvantage against Randolph on the defensive end.

Especially when the Heat also have Perkins in the interior, Randolph's offense will rely more on long-range hooks or mid-range shots. If he can withstand it, he can use his height advantage to bring great defensive pressure to Randolph.

Looking back, the Heat played the frontcourt tactics, Durant and Bosh had an off-ball pick-and-roll, and after receiving the pass from Wade, they made a steady mid-range shot.

After a month of running-in, the Heat's tactical system has gradually taken shape.

Wade became the one dominating the ball, while Durant played more of a role as an off-ball scorer.

This will maximize the individual abilities of both players, while also reducing Durant's physical energy consumption caused by too much singles with the ball.

It now seems that the biggest beneficiary of the deal between the Thunder and the Heat is actually Durant.

Can Durant develop his organizational skills?
From the "history" that Han Sen knew, the answer was no.

Although the concentration of ball possession will increase Durant's average assists per game, in reality the effect is similar to Zhang Fei embroidering.

The time when Durant truly transformed into the Grim Reaper was after he joined the Warriors, when he acted as the Terminator and reaped with a scythe.

Now that he has joined the Heat, he has entered that state ahead of time.

The Heat's record this season is due to the Eastern Conference's benefits, but it is definitely not just the Eastern Conference's benefits.

With a top finisher like Durant meeting a top coach like Spoelstra, it's natural that the Heat are strong.

The Grizzlies' inside attack failed again. This time Durant received the ball in a fast break and shot directly at Gay from outside the 45-degree three-point line on the right.

Durant scored 5 points in a row at the beginning, causing a stir at the scene.

After scoring the goal, Durant also roared with excitement.

Scarlett's presence did not make him lose his mind, but instead gave him a bloodthirsty buff.

For the first time this season, the Grizzlies ran into trouble early in the game.

After Conley took the ball to the frontcourt, he made a tactical gesture and passed the ball to Hansen.

Hansen held the ball and played pick-and-roll with Gasol Jr.

Perkins is a traditional center, and the fact that he cannot be defended can be utilized.

However, when the pick-and-roll really happened, Spoelstra's defensive strategy was also activated at the same time.

Wade slid sideways to slide through Gasol's pick-and-roll, and Perkins quickly switched defense with Bosh, allowing Bosh to help Hansen.

Although the Heat can no longer play that kind of high-speed defensive rotation due to James' departure, the foundation of that defensive system is still there.

Han Sen only had a split second of opportunity.

He broke through to the free throw line and shot a layup before Bosh came up to help defend.

The basketball flew over Bosh's fingertips and toward the basket.

"Shh!"

This is Han Sen. He only needs that moment of opportunity!
The FedEx Center was instantly filled with the cheers of fans.

This season, due to the strong team, Hansen was just paddling most of the time.

Just like he said early on, as long as the team can win, it doesn't matter whether his statistics are more or less.

However, facing the strong Heat, his state was completely different from before, and he showed his sharp fangs at the beginning of the game.

"Defend! Defend!"

The fans were excited by Hansen's goal and began to cheer for the home team in unison.

Durant's off-ball movement was successfully restricted by the Grizzlies, but his movement also mobilized a lot of the Grizzlies' defensive resources.

Wade took advantage of the situation and rushed to the basket, using his phantom step to pass Gasol Jr. to finish.

If James' departure benefited Bosh a lot, then Durant's arrival benefited Wade a lot.

Wade has never worked with such a top scorer before. That kind of offensive containment not only allows him to avoid playing offensive balls like before, but also allows him to face much less defensive pressure than before.

In fact, the offensive combination of Wade and Durant alone is enough to make the opponent lose sight of the big picture, not to mention the peak Bosh.

Compared to last season's Heat team, this is the real "peak big three".

Hansen continued to play pick-and-roll with Gasol Jr., and this time the Heat double-teamed them more thoroughly, with Chalmers even double-teaming from the top of the arc.

Although Hansen is paddling this season, he has scored more points than last season, which actually shows how big his personal offensive threat is now.

Hansen seemed to want to complete the shot before the double-team, but just as he started to shoot, he passed the ball to Conley at the top of the arc without looking at anyone.

Although he got the [God's Fader] this season, which gave him the ability to break through double-teaming.

But he doesn't like to take difficult shots just because he has that ability, and his Grizzlies teammates don't need him to do that.

After receiving the ball, Conley saw Chalmers trying hard to defend, so he faked a dribble to dodge the opponent, then took a step to create distance between himself and the opponent and made a three-point shot.

The Heat are the true peak Big Three, but the Grizzlies are also the defending champions who have reached their peak!

Han Sen missed an assist and high-fived Conley while retreating.

7:5.

The Heat started the game with great momentum, but the Grizzlies immediately fought back.

The competition between the two top teams was extremely exciting for the fans.

Halfway through the quarter, the score was 18 to 16, with the two sides evenly matched.

Just at this time, Hansen's breakthrough caused damage and he was about to go to the free throw line. There was a short whistle on the sidelines, and the Heat made a substitution, with Ray Allen replacing Chalmers.

Hansen made both free throws to help the Grizzlies tie the score.

But in the next round, Ray Allen took advantage of Perkins' screen to receive the ball from the outside and hit a three-pointer to help the Heat take the lead again.

If Curry is the fastest three-point shooter, then Ray Allen is the fastest two-stage three-point shooter. After receiving the ball, he is as fast as lightning from sinking the ball to shooting. The number one three-pointer in active history is not just due to his years of service.

Of course, what's more important is that in this Heat team, with the Big Three to contain him, he will not be the opponent's defensive focus, but he is the kind of person who can score with just a simple off-ball screen.

Because of his age, he is no longer a "giant" type of player.

But in fact, he still averaged 14.2 points per game for the Celtics last season, and averaged 5.1 three-point shots per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 45.3%.

What's even more commendable is that he still had above-average defense last season.

For a player like this, the Heat only spent 300 million on a mini-mid-level salary to sign him. It can be said that the impact of his joining the Heat has been seriously underestimated.

In other words, the Heat team on the court now is their strongest lineup.

About ten minutes into the first quarter, the score was 26 to 20, and the Heat's fierce firepower allowed them to begin to build a lead.

At this time, both sides began to rotate.

Heat: Norris Cole, Ray Allen, James Jones, Bosh, Haslem

Grizzlies: Jordan Crawford, Battier, Gay, Jamison, Gasol

Jamison came up in the low post and backed down Haslem, then made a turnaround hook shot to score.

Coming back, Ray Allen received a pass from Bosh and hit another three-pointer from the outside.

Jamison received a pass from Gasol Jr. and his three-point shot missed, and Gay shook off Jones and completed the tip-in.

But in the end, Bosh successfully caused Gasol to commit a defensive foul when he played one-on-one against him, and made both free throws, continuing to help the Heat maintain their lead.

The Heat's Big Three team model will inevitably not have strong bench strength, especially since the Thunder took away Miller and McRoberts, who were originally in the rotation, in the previous trade.

But the fact is that Spoelstra relies on lineup adjustments to keep a giant on the court, and the Heat's substitute connection period is still strong.

Of course, this is related to Bosh's weight gain and restoration of his low-post threat. Last season, Bosh also appeared in the substitute transition period, but because of his lack of low-post threat, he could not lead the team's offense.

And after the start of the second quarter, Spoelstra replaced Bosh with Durant, allowing Durant to go to the low post to initiate the offense.

This technique, which Durant developed during his time with the Thunder, is even more threatening with the Heat.

After all, the Heat don't have Westbrook, and with Kerr, Allen, and Jones, this is a pure space lineup.

Less than three minutes into the second quarter, the score was 40-30, and the Heat had already widened the gap to double digits.

The scene was agitated.

The strongest teams in the East and West, only when they meet will you know which one is stronger.

Facts have proved that the Heat are not only the strongest team on paper, but also the strongest team in the league this season.

A short whistle sounded on the sidelines and Hansen came on early to replace Guy.

Joerger has no choice at this time. If he lets the Heat continue to widen the score, there will be no so-called decisive moment tonight.

The fans at the scene also looked expectant.

There is no doubt that the Heat are strong, and the only person they can look forward to is Han Sen.

Han Sen patted his chest before going on stage. He knew he had to stand up.

He came up and caught the ball in the high post, then backed up Allen.

The Heat's lineup on the court is space, and the Grizzlies' bench transition period is actually the same.

As a spatial power forward, Jamison's spatial effect is much stronger than Speights.

As for the post-up play, although Han Sen has not yet acquired the talent for post-up play, when he went to Houston to study under Olajuwon, he said it was footwork, but it would be more accurate to say it was post-up footwork.

He jumped up to catch the ball, reset his pivot foot, turned around and made a fake shot, then followed up with two steps to get into the paint and shoot off the rebound to score.

After a series of back-attack combos, Han Sen once again amazed everyone.

"Is there anything he can't do?" The on-site commentator couldn't help but sigh.

However, after scoring, Han Sen realized that he had to hurry up and acquire his back-to-the-basket talent.

Because the moves he just used were completely different from the ones Olajuwon demonstrated in Houston. The reason he was able to get rid of Allen was purely because Allen was old and his feet were slow.

Or to put it more intuitively, Olajuwon seemed to have taken root after receiving the ball, but he was still obviously a little floating.

Durant tried to respond with the same high-post single play, but the ball went out of the basket due to Battier's blind-sight defense.

Faried protected the defensive rebound, and then saw Hansen who had already rushed out of the three-point line.

He made a direct long pass.

The Grizzlies' starting lineup plays slowly in positional play, but the substitutes can play quickly in the transition period.

After Hansen received the ball, he quickly rushed into the frontcourt three-point line facing Allen's defense, took three big steps, stepped into the air with one step inside the free throw line, and slammed the ball into the basket with a gliding slam.

Allen tried to interfere, but his jumping height was not high enough.

Durant's single hit continued the scoring for the Heat.

But Hansen, who was already a little excited, made a fake breakthrough in the frontcourt to force Allen back, and then made a three-pointer.

In just over a minute, he scored 7 points as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

The live camera turned to Allen, who was shaking his head with a slightly helpless expression.

Guy's breakthrough speed was slow, so he could still deal with it, but he really didn't have much to do against Hansen.

Seeing this, Spoelstra hurriedly called Wade up.

Han Sen’s ability to avoid peak travel times is now incredible.

Spoelstra's reaction was considered quick, but while Wade was still waiting at the technical table, Battier moved sideways and intercepted Kerr's pass to Durant.

It was Han Sen, the little fast break expert, who was the first to rush out for a fast break layup and score.

42:39.

In just a few minutes, the Grizzlies narrowed the gap to one round in one go.

And the ball is not dead on the field.

"Defend! Defend!"

The fans at the scene also became excited, and the shouts of defense were deafening.

After Durant received the ball, he was double-teamed in a one-on-one play and passed the ball to Cole, but Cole's open three-pointer missed!
Not everyone has the courage to be brave enough to take on big challenges.

Battier held the ball at the top of the arc, waited for Hansen to get into position, passed the ball to him, and then moved to the weak side.

Spoelstra waved wildly on the sidelines, and Durant double-teamed Hansen.

Han Sen did not choose to pass the ball at this time. Feeling his hands were hot, he turned his back to avoid double-teaming and moved towards the baseline.

When he saw that there was also a double-team attack coming from the baseline, he turned and leaned back towards the baseline.

When he turned around for this ball, he was already close to changing direction, and his foot was outside the three-point line.

This is a turnaround three-pointer.

Allen rushed forward with all his might, but Hansen's backward movement prevented him from providing effective interference.

The ball flew over his head and toward the basket.

"Shh!"

Directly penetrate the net!

Spoelstra couldn't wait for Wade to come on the court and called a timeout.

At this time, Hansen, who fell backwards into the Heat bench, was helped up by the audience behind him.

When the camera turned to him, he reached out and shook the bear head on his jersey.

The scene was filled with thunderous shouts of “MVP”.

Han Sen scored 12 points in a row after coming on in the second quarter!
It's true that the Heat are the strongest team, but Memphis has their own strongest players!
(End of this chapter)