Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 226 Time Bomb
Two days later, Game 4 of the finals continued in Memphis.

Spoelstra made another adjustment in this game, putting Ray Allen back on the bench.

This is a scenario the Grizzlies would like to see, as Hansen said earlier in the press conference that the Grizzlies proved in G1 that they can beat the Heat.

However, there was a variable in this game.

Wade had an explosion in this game, scoring 33 points.

In the first three games of the finals, Wade's performance was only average. He averaged 18 points per game, which was far below his level.

This was mainly due to Han Sen's defense against him, but it was also largely due to psychological issues. He was worried that he would get hurt again by exerting too much force.

But after falling behind 1-2, his worries became meaningless, because if the Heat lost 1-3 again, it would be no different from losing.

In this situation, he could only give it his all.

Han Sen was unable to defend against Wade.

Wade is still at his peak now, and no one can defend him when he is at full speed.

If Hansen cannot defend alone, the Grizzlies will have to provide help defense, and the Heat will be able to enter the offensive mode they are best at.

The best breakthrough player combined with the best scorer is the key reason why they can achieve 70 wins in the regular season.

The Grizzlies ultimately failed to withstand such an offensive and lost 106-116. The two sides tied 2-2 after the first four games and entered the decisive battle.

In just one game, the situation of the game changed drastically again.

Because after winning Game 4, the Heat regained their home-court advantage.

Even if the Grizzlies can win the decisive game, the next two games will be moved to Miami.

The pressure was kicked back to the Grizzlies.

They can't afford to lose the battle of Tianwang Mountain.

Moreover, after the first four games, the formation changes and the cards in hand of both sides were basically the same.

The situation at this time is just like the motto of the Grizzlies' locker room: the brave will win when two meet on a narrow road.

During the pre-match training session for G5, Joerger also mobilized the players.

"We are not only trying to defend our title, but we also have the opportunity to become the first team in NBA history to defeat a 70-win team to win the championship. We will become a part of history, and we are only two wins away from it."

Joerger's mobilization was effective because he gave the championship more meaning.

In the "history" that Han Sen knows, the one that James fans are most proud of is the Cavaliers' championship in 2016.

In addition to the 1-3 comeback, the more important thing was defeating the 73-win Warriors and nailing the opponent to the pillar of shame.

Putting aside the question of how the game was won, this result is indeed enough to go down in history.

So this is a great motivation for everyone on the Grizzlies.

Before the game started, everyone on the Grizzlies adjusted their mentality, but when they actually got to the game, it proved to be completely useless.

My heart was beating uncontrollably, my breathing was quickening involuntarily, and even my palms were sweating uncontrollably.

They had already experienced the decisive battle when playing against the Lakers last season, but the feeling in the finals was completely different.

Of course, it's not just them, the Heat players on the opposite side are actually similar.

The air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder.

After the opening ceremony, starting players from both sides came on stage one after another.

Bosh jumped to get the ball and the Heat took the lead in attacking.

Wade was still in excellent shape. He broke through Hansen, attracted a double-team, and then passed the ball to Perkins.

This was a pretty good opportunity, but Perkins missed the shot with such a close chance.

This caused a commotion at the scene.

But soon they stopped laughing because Gay's dunk after a cut also missed.

The two teams played for five minutes and the score was only 5 to 4.

This is completely different from the scenes in the previous few games.

People often talk about who has a big heart, but only when you are in this kind of situation can you know whether you have the psychological endurance.

Spoelstra called a timeout first.

After the timeout, Wade broke through and was double-teamed, but instead of passing the ball, he directly caused damage.

And when the offense and defense switched, the person defending Hansen was no longer Wade, but Qian Moss.

But as long as Hansen has the ball, the Heat will decisively double-team him, and this double-team basically comes from the bottom corner or top of the arc on the strong side.

This is obviously to clamp down on Hansen, and then release Guy and Conley appropriately.

This adjustment quickly took effect.

The Heat quickly launched a 6-0 offensive.

Seeing this, Joerger also called a timeout.

When he came off the court, he first replaced Gay, which was a normal rotation for the Grizzlies.

But when he was about to make a substitution, he paused and used Carter instead of Battier.

He then switched defense between Conley and Hansen.

Although it was a little later than Spoelstra, he also reacted.

If it were before, the Grizzlies and the Heat would definitely have no future in competing in offense.

But the situation was different tonight, as both players were very tense.

At this time, there is not much difference between your defense being 100 points and 90 points.

On the contrary, at this time, it is more important who has a stronger hand and who can put the ball into the basket.

Before going on the court, he also patted Han Sen on the shoulder. The meaning was very clear: whether the Grizzlies could win the decisive game tonight depended entirely on Han Sen.

Han Sen received the ball right away, and was directly outside the three-point line.

Qian Moss was at a complete disadvantage in defending Han Sen, but he did not look afraid.

Although he is a small role in the Heat, as the boss of Kansas and the MOP of the NCAA at that time, his psychological quality is still quite stable.

You know, in "history", he dared to argue with James and called the other party "playing like a bitch".

Although that didn't really help him defend against Han Sen, he still managed to force Han Sen to move in the direction of the double attack.

Han Sen broke through to the double-team position, stepped back to stop the ball, then turned around and shot backward.

Chalmers and Bosh both rushed forward, but Hansen completely ignored their defense.

"Shh!"

The basketball went into the net despite the defense of two people.

At the critical moment, Han Sen showed no mercy.

This moment caused the FedEx Center to erupt with long-suppressed cheers.

However, when the camera was turned to Han Sen, he was surprisingly calm.

Wade then started a pick-and-roll with Durant.

Durant received the ball and shot a mid-range shot against Conley.

The Heat were not far behind, and after the switch from offense to defense, the Heat began to double-team Hansen.

Spoelstra reacted earlier than Joerger, and his response was more thorough.

Hansen did not give up the attack. He passed the ball to Conley during the double-team and then quickly cut in without the ball.

The two of them played in perfect harmony, but Hansen was still double-teamed by Durant after receiving the ball.

Han Sen did not choose to pass the ball at this time, but instead forced a shot under the double-team and caused damage.

When two men meet on a narrow road, the bravest will win. Han Sen began to exude that familiar aura. He stepped onto the free throw line and made both of his free throws.

"Defend! Defend!"

The fans also realized something, and shouts of defense began to ring out from the scene.

Wade and Durant used the same trick again, and this time Wade broke through Carter and went into the inside.

His beautiful phantom step successfully shook off Carter, but at the moment he shot, a figure rushed out from the side, jumped high and pressed the ball directly onto the backboard with both hands.

It's Han Sen again!

Although he was not assigned by Joerger to continue defending Wade, Hansen did not really put his hands on his hips on the weak side.

After Hansen grabbed the rebound, the Grizzlies launched a fast break. Conley's shot slipped out of the basket against Chalmers', but Hansen followed up and completed a tip-in!
This round, which is enough to be included in the top five plays of this year's finals, instantly ignited the entire stadium.

But more important than that was that Hansen seemed to become omnipresent on the field.

That atmosphere infected the audience and of course also affected the Grizzlies players, whose physical reactions caused by nervousness were greatly relieved.

It is just like when two armies are fighting, and suddenly the commander of your side raises the flag, which can quickly stabilize the morale of the army.

The Grizzlies kept the score close.

At the end of the first half, the two teams were tied at 48.

Hansen scored 26 points in the first half, but he only had 1 assist.

The Grizzlies have always played team basketball, but tonight they needed him to play more selfishly.

After the halftime break, the Heat took the lead, with Wade and Durant scoring consecutively to help the Heat widen the score.

But Hansen immediately stepped up and responded by scoring consecutively, and the Grizzlies quickly caught up with the score.

And in the familiar third quarter, the Grizzlies' passivity was triggered and they began to consciously strengthen their defense.

"Offense is often unstable, defense is relatively stable."

That sentence that ran through this year's finals was once again fulfilled.

This sudden change in defensive intensity made the Heat very uncomfortable, and they were overtaken by the Grizzlies and the score was widened.

"Whoop that trick!"

The fans at the scene also began to stand up and cheer, waving their towels vigorously.

The momentum of the game began to turn to the Grizzlies.

"The current competition system is very unreasonable." On the commentary side, O'Neal looked at Smith and began to complain.

The team with the home advantage has to play the decisive battle away from home, which is against Tian Gang, but you can also clearly hear that he really doesn't want to drink Smith's bath water.

Hansen hit another mid-range shot against the double team of Chalmers and Durant, scoring his 36th point of the night.

The cheers at the FedEx Center exploded.

They can already see the championship waving towards them.

Durant's 45-degree three-point shot from the outside missed.

However, Wade grabbed the frontcourt rebound, rushed into the paint and confronted Randolph before making a shot.

The ball went in and the referee blew the whistle.

This is a life-saving 2+1.

The fans at the scene couldn't help but hold their heads.

Wade is a player who has proven himself on the stage of the finals!
But at this moment, an accident occurred on the field.

After scoring 2+1, Wade did not get up, but remained lying on the ground, with a look of pain on his face.

Finally, the Heat's team doctor came over and helped Wade up after a conversation.

As Wade stood up and put his bent knees on the ground, he cursed.

Unexpectedly, but also understandably, Wade was injured.

Wade was helped to the sidelines and a technical timeout was called.

The large LED screen on the scene began to replay what happened in the previous round.

Wade's knee collided with Randolph's knee when he broke through.

It didn't look serious, otherwise Randolph wouldn't be injured. He tore his ligament due to such a collision last season.

Obviously, this collision was just a result, and the main reason was the fatigue of this season.

As soon as he entered the league, he had a meniscus, so Wade's career was destined to be shorter than others.

If the Heat had kept their previous lineup, his injury might not have come so early.

But after James came two years ago, especially last season, he only played offensive ball, and the damage to his knees increased exponentially.

Then this season, after Durant came, he played a lot more easily.

But in the rush for 70 wins, that burden returned, and his knee became a time bomb.

Missing the previous two rounds due to injury was already a warning, and Wade actually knew this, so he played conservatively after his comeback.

But after he risked his life to win the last game, it became a gamble. He was betting on whether his knees could last until the end of the finals.

Obviously, he lost the bet.

Wade finally stood up and tried to walk a few steps on the sidelines, but eventually walked into the locker room accompanied by the team doctor.

After seeing Wade leave the court, most of the Grizzlies players looked excited.

The Heat's strength lies in the Big Three, but their vital point is also the Big Three. If one of the Big Three is injured, their strength will be greatly reduced.

Han Sen's expression at this moment did not show any excitement, but rather a complicated look.

On the one hand, it was his private relationship with Wade, and on the other hand, Wade's experience naturally reminded him of his own rookie season.

That year, he was overexerted during the regular season and was injured before the playoffs began.

Then, he performed well after returning to the playoffs, but his season was over in the last game against the Celtics.

They all gave their all for the team.

The timeout was about to end, and Hansen called the players together to remind them before going on the court.

Although Wade is injured, the Heat still has Ray Allen. If they relax, the advantage that the Grizzlies have worked so hard to build up will be gone.

Han Sen's reminder was very timely, because Ray Allen hit a difficult three-pointer shortly after coming back from the timeout.

In terms of psychological quality, Ray Allen saved James' career in "history".

But slowly, the Grizzlies took control of the situation on the court.

After all, Ray Allen is old now and can no longer be the offensive core of the team.

The key is that after Wade left the court, Durant failed to step up and take over the game.

Although not as extreme as James, Durant is not known for his spiritual attributes.

You can say that Westbrook is the best player defending Durant, but in fact Westbrook's mental attributes are a good complement to Durant.

In "history", Green has criticized Durant for being a wimp more than once, not only because of his surrender to the enemy at that time and space, but also because of his playing temperament.

Jordan's domineering attitude is what makes him unique, Kobe's murderous aura is what makes him shudder, and Hansen's courage is what makes him move forward.

As for Durant, the prerequisite for the Grim Reaper to wield his scythe is that he has strong enough teammates.

106 to 95, the Grizzlies finally defeated the Heat in their last home game.

Hansen scored 46 points, setting a new career high in the finals.

After winning the decisive game, the Grizzlies' score was 3-2 and they are just one step away from defending their title.

(End of this chapter)