Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 214: Fist Fight
"We won't think about the current score. We will treat tonight's game as the first game of the series. Everyone will go all out and fight like men."

In the Thunder's open training session before Game 3, Westbrook expressed his determination in front of reporters.

On the night of the game, Chesapeake Energy Arena was packed.

During the opening ceremony, the cheers of Oklahoma City fans were overwhelming.

Despite being behind 0-2, the team still has the popularity it has accumulated in the past.

Neither team made any adjustments to their starting lineups. Gasol Jr. jumped past Ibaka and the Grizzlies got the chance to attack first.

The Grizzlies' first attack tonight was initiated by Randolph in the low post, and it was relatively simple. The others just created space for him.

Randolph's first shot missed.

The Grizzlies did not go for the frontcourt rebounds and quickly returned to defense.

Then after defending the Thunder's offense, they did not push the fast break as quickly as they did in the previous two games. Instead, they slowly advanced to the frontcourt, and then Gasol Jr. and Randolph continued to play high and low posts. This time Randolph scored the ball in the low post.

The Grizzlies' style of play seemed to have suddenly returned to the Hollins era.

The fans at the scene didn't realize this at first until halfway through the game, when they saw that the Thunder were only trailing the Grizzlies 15 to 16, they also realized that tonight's game was different from the past two games.

They didn't know the reason for the change, they just felt that the Thunder played better tonight than in the past two games.

In fact, let alone the fans, everyone on the Thunder team, from the players to the coaching staff, was a little confused.

Brooks could feel that the Grizzlies slowed down the pace tonight.

After leading 2-0, are the Grizzlies playing it safe?
That was the only reason he could think of.

After a somewhat confusing halftime, the Thunder and the Grizzlies were tied at 46.

Then when they came back in the second half, the Thunder's whole momentum changed.

They beat the Grizzlies 6-0 at the start.

Obviously, Brooks, the master of chicken soup, exerted his strength during the halftime break.

However, just when the Thunder reached its climax and the momentum of the fans on the scene began to pick up, the Grizzlies suddenly increased the intensity of their defense on the court.

After several consecutive rounds of successful defense and Hansen's one-on-one possession on the offensive end, the Grizzlies caught up with the score.

This situation continued three times in this section.

The cheers of the fans at the scene also rose and fell.

This is simply a challenge to Oklahoma City fans!
But the good news is that at the end of the third quarter, they were only trailing the Grizzlies 80 to 83 and were still close to the score.

"This is the Thunder's best performance so far in the series. Russell and LeBron seem to have finally found their chemistry." This result also made Breen exclaim in the commentary booth.

When Hansen was sitting on the sidelines resting, Tois handed him a data sheet.

He was about to say that he was not James, but was attracted by the column of data that Toyes pointed to.

The free throw comparison between the two teams tonight is 18 to 16 so far, with the Thunder having only 2 more than the Grizzlies.

Hey, you know what, this is really an unexpected gain.

Having said that, their 5 vs. 8 situation might not be as expected.

In the regular season, the league was trying to ensure that the Thunder made the playoffs, but in the playoffs, they just wanted the series to last a little longer.

This is also in the interests of the league. After all, this series has attracted a lot of attention, so playing one more game means making more money.

With 9 minutes left in the game, Hansen was substituted in early.

Brooks was very alert and immediately replaced Afflalo.

In the first round, Hansen directly back-attacked Afflalo, shook his shoulder, turned around and scored.

The Grizzlies then deployed a 2-1-2 zone defense, with Hansen assisting in blocking James' breakthrough.

Then, turning back to the same position, Hansen, after seeing the double-team, broke through in the opposite direction and headed for the basket, causing damage.

Gasol Jr. and Conley were substituted in this dead ball.

The Grizzlies got into the rotation earlier than normal.

Brooks also returned to the starting lineup.

In the next few minutes, the situation on the field changed dramatically.

The Grizzlies not only improved their defensive intensity, but also played more variably and fiercely, just like in the previous two games.

It felt like a brown bear waking up after a hearty nap, revealing its sharp fangs and claws.

The sudden increase in intensity made the Thunder unable to adapt for a while, and the score was quickly widened to double digits.

This time, not only the Thunder players, the fans at the scene, but even the referee were a little slow to react.

But this is what Hansen told the Grizzlies players to do after looking at the statistics.

Cook over high heat until the sauce thickens, now’s the time!
The referees finally reacted and blew consecutive whistles in favor of the Thunder, but the Thunder were never able to close the gap.

Perhaps it was not until this moment that everyone realized that the Grizzlies had been holding back.

A 48-minute game was too long, they might have only needed five minutes, or even less.

Of course, all this is based on the premise that the Grizzlies are much stronger than the Thunder.

Otherwise, the offensive like the one the Thunder launched in the second half would not be a slow cooker, but a form of nurturing the enemy to harm oneself.

With five minutes left in the game, Hansen easily broke through James and entered the paint, then slammed the ball into the basket over Westbrook who was struggling to defend.

Another advantage of slow cooking is that Han Sen still has plenty of energy.

After being dunked on, Westbrook did not bother Hansen. Instead, he spoke to James, as if he had been suppressing his emotions for a long time: "Why do you always let him pass you so easily?"

This question shocked others, including James.

As mentioned before, Westbrook is not one to make public the conflicts within the team.

Especially now, there are not only players from the Thunder but also players from the Grizzlies on the court.

Brooks immediately called a timeout when he saw this.

If the two of them really started arguing on the court, you can tell for sure that Han Sen would step forward to cheer them on, just like he did before.

However, Brooks did not expect that his timeout did not end the conflict between the two.

While walking to the bench, Westbrook was still talking to James: "You just need to delay him for a while, and I can stop him!"

It can be seen that Westbrook's emotions are a little out of control now.

Perhaps only by putting yourself in his shoes can you understand his feelings at the moment.

He didn't know about the Grizzlies' tactical adjustments tonight. He only knew that he had tried his best to win in the previous two games, but it didn't work. Tonight was the only game that the Thunder seemed to have a chance.

And he said it before the game, but who doesn't know that if they lose tonight's game and fall behind 0-3, the Thunder will completely lose their chance? They may even be swept out. In this case, how could he not be anxious?

Not to mention that he had already been filled with dissatisfaction towards James.

"Then why didn't you block him?" James was also annoyed by Westbrook's attitude. Doesn't he have any face in such a public occasion?
"Russell, calm down." Brooks could only speak to Westbrook.

"I was calm enough, why couldn't he fight like a man? Why couldn't he fight back like a man when Han told him to kneel again?!"

Westbrook finally lost control, and Brooks, his mentor, has been leaning towards James this season.

"Shut up, you bitch!" James was also angry and pointed at Westbrook's nose and yelled.

It's his business if he kneels down, but Westbrook is humiliating him in public by bringing this up.

The expressions in English are not as diverse as those in Chinese. "Bitch" is already a very offensive and insulting word in English, second only to the word starting with N in terms of lethality.

Westbrook's pupils were shocked because the word "bitch" means sissy.

James played like a wimp, but people still called him a sissy?!
Unexpectedly, Westbrook swung his fist directly in the direction of James.

James reacted quickly, pulling his head back and blocking with his hands.

This time he wasn't hit in the face, but Westbrook hit him hard on the arm.

The Thunder people reacted only a second later and quickly pulled the two apart.

"You don't want to win at all, you just want statistics, you ruined all of our efforts!" Westbrook was still shouting after being pulled away.

James' face turned pale and he didn't refute.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to, but that he can’t refute it.

"Enough!" Brooks' roar ended the farce.

But at this time, this scene was not only projected on the large LED screen, but ESPN also broadcast it live.

And perhaps because they were worried that the audience would miss what was happening on the court because of the timeout, they played the segment again later, with Westbrook's punch played repeatedly in slow motion.

The ratings of this series, which has already attracted much attention, reached its peak at this moment.

No, it even caught up with last year's finals.

The essence of human beings is to eat melons and repeat.

Han Sen was also surprised.

He could foresee that Westbrook and James would have a conflict, but he didn't expect Westbrook to actually take action!

You have to know that with this punch, it is basically impossible for Westbrook and James to be on the same team next season.

Either Westbrook leaves or James leaves.

So even the gentleman Brooks was excited, because he knew that the consequences of this punch would be serious.

Many Thunder fans at the scene also held their heads.

With this punch, they also knew that the Thunder's season was over.

After the timeout, James was still on the court, but Westbrook was nowhere to be seen.

He had returned to the locker room after the conflict.

Nothing unexpected happened. The Grizzlies beat the Thunder by 15 points in the final quarter and changed the score to 3-0 after the victory.

Before the end of the game, James had already left the court.

3-0, with one more game, the Grizzlies will complete the sweep of the Thunder.

This score was unexpected. After all, ESPN's previous analysis was correct. The Thunder was strong on paper and in good shape at the end of the season. Even if they couldn't beat the Grizzlies, they shouldn't go without a win.

But it is understandable. It seems that the Thunder lost due to internal conflicts, but in fact they are no match for the Grizzlies at all.

When the Grizzlies can play the game with both a slow cooker and a high heat, you know how big the gap in strength between the two teams is.

And many people ignored Han Sen's changes.

In Hansen’s first two years with the Grizzlies, he was an “ordinary star” in the regular season and a “superstar” in the playoffs!
Especially this season, Hansen didn't just paddle in the regular season, he was almost paddling in the sea. His physical condition was very good.

After the game, news of the internal conflict between Westbrook and James quickly became a hot topic on social media.

Clashes and even fights between players are big news, not to mention fistfights within the team.

The voices on social media are also divided into two types, one of which is naturally accusations against Westbrook.

“It is wrong to hit others”, this applies not only to couples, but also to teammates.

No matter what James did or said, Westbrook could even talk trash, but it was absolutely wrong to use violence.

The other is to support Westbrook.

After all, James played too softly in this round of the series, or to be more precise, this season.

Your teammates kneel down in front of your arch-rival. Put yourself in his shoes. It must have been quite difficult for Westbrook to hold it in until now.

"Russell is a warrior. He fought until the last minute, just like he said." Hansen also posted on social media after the game to support Westbrook.

This wave is not for the black fan value, but a real support.

If he were in the Thunder management and had to choose between the two, he would definitely choose Westbrook.

To be honest, when it comes to team culture, Westbrook's role is even greater than Durant's.

Before Game 4, the Thunder suspended Westbrook for one game.

This punishment was expected. No matter how fans discuss it on social media, Westbrook will inevitably be suspended for taking action.

This decision also means that the Thunder have given up struggling and are ready to sweep the season.

However, some fans are very excited because they have seen Westbrook lead the Thunder alone this season, but have not seen James lead the team. It will definitely be very interesting.

"Han, be careful, he's stepping on your foot again." Guy reminded Han Sen the day before Game 4 started.

"Does he dare?" Han Sen smiled and looked at Johnson and Jones on the training ground.

Not only does James not dare to do so, he also doesn't know how to do it.

In last year's finals, James wanted to make a comeback, but in the current situation, the Thunder has no chance of turning the tables, so there is no way James would take the risk.

Guy nodded along, as if that were indeed the case.

But he suddenly asked, "What would happen if we don't give him the data?"

Han Sen couldn't help but stare at Guy with wide eyes.

He just wanted to beat up James, but you wanted to kill him!
(End of this chapter)