Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 219 "I'm here to avenge CP3"

102:92.

There was no miracle. The Grizzlies won four games in a row after losing the first game, completing a gentleman's sweep of the Warriors 4-1.

Curry scored 25 points despite an injury, but he only made 25 of his 10 shots.

During the post-match handshake, Hansen was about to speak as he shook hands with Curry.

"Don't say that."

I didn’t expect Curry to predict it in advance.

Han Sen couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that Curry still remembered the three-point contest that year.

"Is your ankle okay?" he asked with concern.

After all, Curry came to his training camp every year, and the two of them had a good personal relationship. He didn't want Curry to really fall like this.

"If you still hold a training camp this year, I will show up." Curry has a big competitive spirit in his thin body.

If he didn't have such a competitive spirit, he wouldn't have played in consecutive games with closed balls.

With a 4-0 victory in one round and a 4-1 victory in another, the Grizzlies reached the division finals for the third consecutive season, and it was also their easiest one.

And at the same time as they eliminated the Warriors, they also received good news: Paul was out for the season.

The other Western Conference semifinal was between the Spurs and the Lakers.

The two sides tied 2-2 in the first four games of the series and entered the decisive battle.

In the decisive battle, Paul was tripped by Ginobili and was out for the season.

Although the series was not over yet, Paul's injury was fatal to the Lakers, causing them to lose the decisive battle.

In Game 6, Kobe scored 45 points and forced the game into a seventh game, but the Lakers were weak in the seventh game and were eventually eliminated by the Spurs.

The Lakers, who fought fiercely with the Grizzlies last season, did not make it to the Western Conference Finals, which is good news for the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies have "Spurs Killer" Hansen, which is another good news.

This result is truly a double blessing.

Han Sen didn't expect that the Spurs would play in the Western Conference Finals.

So... Paul didn't make it to the Western Conference Finals again?

There wasn't much time to mourn Paul as he began studying the series between the Spurs and the Lakers.

At first glance, the Lakers were eliminated because Paul was tripped, but that's not all.

You should know that Paul was injured in the King of Kings game. Before that, the score between the two teams was 2-2 and they were evenly matched.

And it’s true that he is a Spurs killer, but isn’t Kobe even more so?

But in the end, the Spurs were not defeated in the first four games. They are obviously different this season than before.

After studying the video, Han Sen understood.

The biggest difference between the Spurs and before, and even compared to the regular season, is that the frequency of using zone defense has decreased significantly.

The reason why Popovich dared to make this choice should be the growth of Leonard and Danny Green.

Green is a rookie in the same class as Hansen, but he didn't get many opportunities before. It was only last season that he began to enter the Spurs' rotation. This season, he became the team's starter and became the most popular 3D role player among shooting guards.

Leonard's situation is somewhat similar to Green's. In his rookie season, he miraculously developed shooting and was promoted to the starting lineup in the second half.

This season, his average points per game surpassed Ginobili, making him the third-highest scorer on the Spurs.

The two have different roles, but they both have excellent defensive abilities.

The reasons why the Spurs used zone defense also vary from period to period. At the beginning of the century, it was because they had no choice but to face O'Neal, and it was more to protect the restricted area.

But after that, the Spurs lacked defensive resources, especially after Bowen retired. The Spurs didn't even have a qualified defensive pioneer. A single soldier could not limit the opponent's offensive core, so they could only rely on zone defense to make up for it.

Now that the team has two at once, there is no need for Popovich to use zone defense frequently.

After all, the zone defense has naturally weak defensive areas, which can be easily targeted by opponents.

Speaking of the regular season when the Grizzlies and Spurs played against each other, the Spurs didn't use zone defense as much, but the Grizzlies' understanding at that time was more due to the presence of Hansen, the "Spurs killer".

But with the continued growth of Green and Leonard, Popovich is now much more confident.

The Grizzlies and Spurs met in the Western Conference Finals, and the Eastern Conference Finals matchup was also announced later. The Pacers defeated the Nets in a seven-game battle and successfully joined the Heat.

The Pacers won the game with difficulty, and the Heat's road to the playoffs will not be easy either.

There was no suspense in the first round against the Bucks, but Wade had knee pain in Game 1 of the first round and chose to rest.

The side effects of the Heat's 70-win campaign are beginning to appear.

Although everyone played 82 games, the main players of the Heat really played all 82 games, and their opponents also targeted them to death.

Fortunately, the Heat have a strong foundation. Although Wade was absent, they still eliminated the Bucks and Bulls with two 2-4 scores respectively (Rose was out for the season).

However, this round of games will obviously not be so easy against the Pacers, whose style restrains them.

Before the Eastern and Western Conference Finals began, the league announced the winners of the season's final All-NBA Team award as usual.
The Grizzlies became the most handsome guy in the game.

Two of them were named to the All-NBA team, and then three of them were named to the All-Defensive team.

Hansen was selected to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive Second Team, Randolph to the All-NBA Third Team, and Conley and Gasol Jr. to the All-Defensive Second Team.

It is worth mentioning that in the previous DPOY selection, Gasol Jr. also defeated Ibaka and Noah and was successfully elected.

Now it’s confirmed that the Grizzlies are a super team.

And you said you are not the Big Six!

The Western Conference Finals between the Grizzlies and the Spurs is about to begin, and pre-game warm-ups are being carried out in an orderly manner.

Although the two teams did not meet in the playoffs last season, the divisional semifinals two years ago were a very exciting match for both sides.

Tripping on someone's foot, the head coach was injured, a useless player, I did it on purpose... These are just like the keywords in a short movie, and many images can come to mind just by association.

Coupled with the fact that the way the Spurs passed the Lakers was full of key elements such as tripping, one can imagine the scenario that the two teams encountered.

Of course, there are also many fans who are just watching the game. After all, in their eyes, this is a clash between the two "dirtiest" teams in the league.

So before the series started, the two teams' respective public training sessions attracted a large number of reporters.

When Han Sen finished training, he was surrounded by reporters.

Among them, someone mentioned Paul's situation.

It's hard not to mention him, after all, the current public opinion is that the Spurs made it to the Western Conference Finals relying on useless players.

Han Sen was also indignant when he heard this.

"You know, Paul is one of the players I admire most. His skills are amazing. I regret that I can't play against him again in the playoffs. I am also indignant about what happened to him. I will help him get revenge."

Han Sen's words were embarrassing. After all, everyone knew that he and Paul had a heated war of words back then.

However, the war of words is really not worth mentioning compared to the evil act of stepping on someone's foot. Han Sen's decision to choose the lesser of two evils is understandable.

I just don’t know what kind of complicated feelings Paul is feeling as he recovers from his injuries at home.

The Grizzlies have home-court advantage, and the first game of the Western Conference Finals will be played in Memphis.

During the pre-match warm-up, Han Sen was shown on camera early on.

As the "Spurs killer", his performance in this round will be the decisive factor. At this time, the TNT Big Three finally appeared in the commentary booth. The three did not speculate on the outcome of the game tonight, but discussed Hansen's score tonight.

"40 points, there is no reason for him to score lower than this." Barkley looked like he didn't need theoretical analysis, he just needed results.

"30 points. Kobe's average points per game in the last round was not even this much." O'Neal still didn't forget to diss Kobe.

"I don't think Hanneng can perform very well in the series. The Spurs no longer use too much zone defense, and their defensive resources give them more options." Smith was still serious, but he also hit the point.

Without the mid-range open opportunities created by the double-team defense, it is not so easy to score high points against the Spurs.

Before Hansen faced the Spurs, Kobe had already set an example.

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

The Grizzlies still have their regular five players, and thanks to their rest and recuperation during the regular season, they are surprisingly healthy this season.

Spurs: Parker, Green, Leonard, Duncan, Split

Before the game started, the camera swept over Popovich, and the face of this famous coach in the league was full of confidence.

However, when the real game started, his brows quickly frowned.

The Grizzlies played completely different than he expected.

The Grizzlies' regular style of play is to attack inside and then combine inside and outside, which is very similar to the Spurs' style of play.

But tonight, after Gasol Jr. jumped for the ball for the Grizzlies, the Grizzlies' first attack showed difference.

Randolph and Gasol Jr. both moved to the weak side, and then after the strong side was cleared, Hansen positioned himself in the high post with his back to Green.

Including Gay standing in the strong side corner, this has a bit of the flavor of triangle offense.

Popovich didn't know what Joerger was up to, but he didn't stand up to call for help defense.

The Grizzlies play as a team, and if they help defend, the entire Grizzlies team will be activated.

Letting Hansen fight alone may not be a bad thing for the Spurs.

Of course, the premise for him to make such a choice is what I said before, he is very confident in the team's current one-on-one defense resources.

Like Hansen, Green is a shooting guard of adequate size, with both speed and physicality. Under the training of the Spurs coaching staff, his defense has also improved rapidly.

Han Sen jumped up to catch the ball and started playing one-on-one with his back turned.

After sensing that Green was posing enough of a challenge, he turned around and broke through to the free throw line.

His choice was very decisive, and Green had no time to adjust his defensive position.

However, Green did not give up on defense. While chasing Hansen from behind, he quickly cut the ball from behind.

This is one of his specialties, because after the offensive player passes him, his attention is focused on the assisting defender, making it difficult for him to be noticed.

When playing against the Lakers in the last round, Kobe also did his part.

What he didn't expect was that his first behind-the-back cut failed.

The moment he attacked, Hansen dodged with a left hand change of direction, and then made a layup before Duncan came up to assist.

Is this... a coincidence?
Green isn't so sure.

In the next defensive round, he tried to cut the ball again but still failed.

Once may be a coincidence, but twice it makes people suspicious.

Could it be that Han Sen has eyes behind his head?

Han Sen obviously doesn't have that ability, and he obviously has research on Green.

Compared to Leonard, who is the Spurs' key training target, Green is now just an insignificant little character in the eyes of the outside world.

The only thing that deserves attention from the outside world is that he shot 42.5% from three-point range in the regular season this year, and this number increased to 46% in the playoffs.

However, Han Sen was a time traveler, and he knew that Zhang Tielin's defensive skills were not weak, so he did some research before the game.

Therefore, Green's consecutive failures are not unfair. After all, he himself could not have imagined that Hansen, an FMVP, would study a small character like him before the game.

Hansen's layup after passing Green caused Duncan to commit a defensive foul and he went to the free throw line.

At this time, Popovich called Green to the sidelines and gave him some instructions.

Han Sen made both free throws and scored 4 points in a row at the start, and was in pretty good shape.

Parker and Duncan made a pick-and-roll and then broke into the paint for a turnaround layup, but it was blocked and went wide. The Grizzlies showed very strong defensive intensity at the start of the game.

Turning around, Hansen continued to back-down Green with the ball.

This time, Green's defensive style was different from before, and his confrontation was not as strong as before.

It seemed that Popovich was urgently teaching Green defensive experience on the sidelines.

After Han Sen felt the change with his back, he did not turn around in a hurry, but instead gave Green two hard hits.

He then resets his pivot foot and turns toward the three-point line.

Green thought it was a fake move by Han Sen and did not rush up, but he did not expect Han Sen to directly distance himself from him and shoot backwards.

This time it was too late for him to rush forward with his hands raised.

Moreover, even if the Spurs wanted to help defend that position, it would be too late.

"Shh!"

Han Sen's shot hit the target steadily.

The Grizzlies fans cheered loudly at the scene, and Hansen scored 6 points in a row at the beginning!
Popovich also frowned at this time.

The feeling Han Sen gave him at the beginning was not just about his condition, but his momentum, the momentum to beat Green right from the start.

Parker and Duncan made mid-range shots after the pick-and-roll, and the Spurs finally scored.

Looking back, Han Sen continued to hold the ball high!
In fact, not only Popovich, but everyone else at the scene also felt that the message Hansen conveyed at the beginning was very direct.

Either the Spurs help defend him or wait for him to beat Green.

Popovich showed his strength but still didn't stand up to signal for help defense.

After seeing this, Han Sen continued to play one-on-one without hesitation. He turned and broke through to the baseline, then made a quick stop and jump shot.

This time Green tried his best to follow the jump and interfere.

But Hansen received the ball, turned around, took up and down steps, brushed past Green, and then made a layup that hit the backboard.

When he saw the basketball go into the net again, Green could not hide the frustration on his face.

Although it was not easy for him to defend Kobe in the last round, Kobe's current playing style is to let his teammates attack first at the beginning, and then take action when he sees that the situation is getting difficult.

That is also more suitable for Kobe's playing style. After all, as he gets older, he needs to pay more attention to the distribution of physical energy.

But Han Sen was completely unreasonable, relying on his youth, and he aimed to defeat him from the start.

Could it be that what Han Sen said before the game was true, and he really came here to avenge Paul? !

-Dividing line-

Best First Team: Paul, Hansen, Kobe, Durant, Howard
Second team: Wade, James, Duncan, Anthony, Griffin
Third team: Westbrook, Harden, Paul George, Bosh, Randolph
All-Defensive First Team: Paul, Tony Allen, Kobe, Ibaka, Noah

Second team: Conley, Hansen, Paul George, Duncan, Gasol

(End of this chapter)