Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 216 It’s Just Basketball

James, who scolded Westbrook in the last game, just smiled disdainfully in response to the "concern" from his former teammate Hansen.

His series of operations this season have fully demonstrated what kind of person he is.

Or perhaps after he made that classic statement in 2011 that “life is not what you want to live”, the outside world already knew his true face under the Emperor’s New Clothes.

He was not, and will not be, a person associated with spiritual attributes.

Han Sen suddenly felt bored.

He felt that he should thank the Thunder. If he really met last season's Heat team in the finals again, he would find that the finals were not worth looking forward to.

James did not appear on the court in the second half of the game.

According to the message released by Mancias on social media, James suffered an ankle injury before the game. His injury worsened after the first half and he was unable to play in the second half.

Hansen heard the news from Toews during a timeout.

No surprises.

It seems that his words have no effect on James at all.

It's not that there is no reason for it. At least James used an injury excuse that he had never used before.

103 to 71, the Grizzlies swept the Thunder 4-0 and advanced to the next round.

There wasn't much suspense in this round, and even in a series where the big score was more intuitive, it became the focus of the first round.

And it didn’t end with the game.

At the Thunder's post-game press conference, James attended the press conference with his ankle wrapped in a thick ice pack.

"The team doctor advised me to give up tonight's game, but I knew the difficulties the team was facing and I had to play. It was just that I failed to help the team in the end."

James shook his head and seemed to blame himself.

"Why do you always get injured at critical moments?" Carril mingled with the reporters and asked James a soul-searching question.

James was stunned for a moment; this was a question he had never expected.

He held the microphone and hesitated for a long time without saying a complete word.

Just when the atmosphere became awkward, Brooks on the side came to his rescue.

"Injuries are something that players cannot control. The more crucial the game and the more intense the competition, the greater the risk of injury."

James turned his head and gave Brooks a look of gratitude, then climbed up the vine that Brooks had thrown down.

"You can look at my career attendance numbers and I've never missed more than 10 games in a season before this season."

Kalil wanted to ask another question, but James signaled to the next reporter.

"Last season when you were playing for the Heat, you were swept by the Grizzlies in the finals. This season you experienced the same thing with the Thunder. What do you think about this?" The next reporter to stand up was from NBC.

This question made James cough.

I thought Khalil's question was quite explicit, but I didn't expect there was something even bigger to come.

It is indeed a media that even Han Sen cannot complain about.

This time Brooks didn't know how to help, and presenting the facts was the darkest.

James cleared his throat and continued:

“It’s just basketball. At the end of the day, it’s just basketball.”

……

James' remarks were much shorter than his previous "life isn't going well" remarks, but they were just as controversial.

"If the Thunder defeated the Grizzlies in a surprise victory, I believe LeBron would say: Basketball is everything to me. My life would be meaningless without basketball."

"So what do you want LeBron to say? Don't you look at the Grizzlies' lineup? Three All-Stars and two quasi-All-Stars, with a former All-Star on the bench. With a lineup of nearly six All-Stars, isn't it normal for them to lose?"

"If Jones hadn't stepped on LeBron at the beginning of the season, would LeBron's ankle have been injured at this time?"

"The Grizzlies clearly intended to force LeBron to break through tonight. They knew LeBron was injured a long time ago. They are the modern Spurs, the dirtiest team!"

"If I hadn't watched the game, I would have almost believed it. How did you manage to believe it while you were talking?"

"Usually when we say life is bigger than basketball, it's when a player suffers a major injury or accident."

"LeBron has achieved an achievement. All three teams he has played for have been swept by their opponents in the playoffs. His life is indeed not basketball, but having his head shaved."

……

After sending the Thunder to go fishing, the Grizzlies also had some time to rest.

Before the first round of games, the team's players were full of expectations for the series.

But after playing it, I just felt boring.

Their previous idea was correct. It would be better to play against the Rockets or the Jazz in the first round.

The Thunder barely posed any challenge to them, and their current form was anything but intense.

After resting for nearly a week, they finally entered the second round.

Their opponent is not the Nuggets, but the Warriors.

This is the only group of underdogs that defeated the underdogs in the first round this year, and it is also the most surprising.

You should know that the Nuggets won 56 games in the regular season, while the Warriors only won 47 games.

Moreover, in the first game of the series, the Warriors not only lost the game, but the team's second-leading scorer, starting power forward David Lee, also suffered a hip flexor injury and was ruled out for the season.

Mark Jackson then showed his magical skills. He directly put out a lineup of one big and four small players, let Jarrett Jack be the starting point guard, and let Curry play as the shooting guard. The Warriors led 3-1 after winning three games in a row, and finally advanced successfully with a 4-2 victory.

It turns out that Jackson is indeed stronger than Hollins and more flexible.

The Nuggets' operation last summer also ended in failure.

After all, the playoffs are the stage for stars, and you can’t win by relying on civilian team basketball.

Iguodala, who was selected by them, was also proved to be completely unable to handle the ball. He was only suitable for the role of second or even third in command.

But this cannot be entirely blamed on the management. Denver is also a small market. Apart from Mutombo and Anthony, who they selected themselves, there have not been many stars in the past 20 years.

Unless they select the next core of the team like the Thunder did, it will be difficult to succeed through free agent signings and trades.

Or, they could copy the Grizzlies' path and trade for Hansen.

But where would the alliance find another Han Sen?
However, there is a second Green.

Hansen got rid of Big Green in the first round, and in the second round he had to face his number three anti-fan leader, Green Benlin.

The first game between the two teams will be played on May 5 at Memphis' home court.

The process and result of this game were beyond the expectations of the outside world.

There were no surprises at the start of the game. The Warriors started Ezeli to deal with the Grizzlies' twin towers, but the effect was not good.

The Grizzlies quickly established a lead at the start.

But the game changed when Green came on the court. Green's pick-and-rolls for Curry and the interior defense formed by him and Bogut caused the Grizzlies to stagnate on both offense and defense.

Lee's injury allowed Jack to shine, averaging nearly 20 points per game in the series against the Nuggets.

The second person to benefit is Green, whose playing time has increased and his statistics have almost doubled compared to the regular season.

And more importantly, he shot 39% from three-point range, making him a true space power forward.

Although the Grizzlies were able to maintain their lead thanks to Hansen's play against Thompson, the score gap was gradually narrowed.

In the second half, Curry was in hot form, making four three-pointers in a single quarter. Under his leadership, the Warriors not only reversed the score, but also widened the gap.

The Grizzlies were in very bad shape in this quarter, and it could be felt that most of the players were clearly not well prepared for this game.

The Grizzlies launched a frantic chase in the final quarter, and Hansen's three-pointer before the end of the game tied the game and sent it into overtime.

In overtime, Curry and Green made consecutive three-pointers after pick-and-roll to help the Warriors widen the score again, which also gave them the last laugh.

According to post-match statistics, Hansen only scored 40 points in vain.

勇士队那边库里35投18中，三分球10投6中轰下了职业生涯新高的44分，格林三分4中3得到13分7板3助攻。

Han Sen's opponent in the first NCAA game after his time travel was Curry, and his university, Barry University, eventually lost the game.

Unexpectedly, in the NBA, when the two met for the first time in the playoffs, the Grizzlies also lost the game.

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

"I should have hit that buzzer-beater. The coach set the tactics for me to hit that ball. The responsibility for the loss lies with me."

The Grizzlies had a lot of problems tonight. There was an obvious gap in strength between them and the Warriors. Theoretically, they didn't need to rely on a buzzer beater to win.

From the course of the game, it can be seen that they were not only unprepared, but also underestimated the enemy.

After experiencing a first round with basically no intensity and resting for nearly a week, the players will instinctively relax.

Especially since their opponent also injured their core inside player.

The relaxed state was not tightened until the final quarter, but it was too late.

As the core, Han Sen should stand up at this time.

Just after the end of G1, the league announced the winner of the regular season MVP, and Durant won this honor for the first time in his career.

Leading the team to 70 wins is a good enough statistic, and as Nike's number two figure, this result was expected.

On this day's Grizzlies training session, the players were in the locker room preparing to leave for the training ground.

Because of the loss, the atmosphere in the locker room was very depressing.

Guy walked up to Han Sen at this time and said directly: "Han, scold us!"

Han Sen was stunned for a moment. He had never heard of such a request.

As Guy spoke, the other members of the Grizzlies also looked towards Hansen.

Randolph's brows were furrowed into a big "川" shape. Guy was being too direct.

However, from the looks of the others, it could be seen that they also hoped that Han Sen would say something.

After all, they played really badly in Game 1, and Hansen took all the blame.

If they had any self-awareness, they would feel ashamed.

Especially since Han Sen hasn't won the MVP yet, this is a good opportunity for him to vent his emotions.

Han Sen stood up and patted Guy on the shoulder. He didn't say anything, but just told everyone to go to training.

Before the training started, Joerger called the players together for a mobilization.

This time it is a real mobilization, and the team members' relaxed nerves must be tightened.

Although they only lost one game, because they lost at home, they had already lost the home-court advantage, and this series became more difficult than expected.

"Coach, I will defend Stephen in the next game." Just after Joerger finished mobilizing, Hansen took the initiative to speak.

This initiative was beyond everyone's expectations, including Jorgel.

In addition to being surprised that Han Sen would say this, he was also surprised by the occasion Han Sen chose.

In the past, Han Sen would communicate with him privately even if he had any ideas about tactical changes.

"I am better at setting screens and am the most suitable player to defend Stephen." Hansen continued.

"But you are the offensive core of the team," Joerger reminded.

"I have no problem with my physical fitness, and we play team basketball."

When Hansen said this, Jorgel had already reacted.

The Grizzlies lost Game 1 largely because they underestimated their opponent, and this mentality will disappear after the loss.

It can also be seen from the reaction in the locker room that the Grizzlies players are already eager to fight back.

In this situation, there is no need to reprimand them.

On the contrary, Han Sen's initiative to volunteer and his determination through practical actions were the real motivation for the team members.

"Stephen, I'll leave it to you." Joerger nodded and looked at the rest of the team.

"In the next game, let them know whose home court this is."

The series has reached the second round, the Lakers and Spurs, the Nets and Pacers, these are all more interesting series.

But with the Grizzlies' loss, the series between the Grizzlies and the Warriors has become more eye-catching.

Especially since Curry is involved here.

Curry's experience in the NCAA is well known. In the 2008 championship, he averaged 34.5 points per game and led the unknown Davidson College to defeat the West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga University, the Big East Conference champion Georgetown University, and the Big Ten Conference champion University of Wisconsin. In the end, he lost to the No. 1 seed and the eventual champion University of Kansas by 2 points.

The word "upset" can be associated with Curry.

He can do it in the NCAA, and now he has upset the Nuggets, so why can't he continue to upset?

If this kind of story really happened, and it happened in the NBA, the impact it would have would be much greater than the impact it had in the NCAA.

It was at this time that Green, who had previously earned a lot of traffic in the regular season game against the Grizzlies, naturally would not miss such an opportunity.

"I've said it before, this is modern basketball, and we're ready to bury the Grizzlies."

Green's words continued to increase the attention on this series.

Especially at this time, someone brought up Hansen’s original words “to bring a dynasty to the Grizzlies”.

Between two big mouths, one of them is bound to get slapped in the face.

No matter who gets slapped in the face, the onlookers are happy to see it.

On May 5, under the close attention of the outside world, Game 8 between the Grizzlies and the Warriors kicked off at the FedEx Center.

(End of this chapter)