Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 236: Since Zhan was born, why was Han born?
The war between UA and Nike had already begun before Hansen left the Cavaliers.

In other words, as a dominant giant in sports shoes, Nike has never stopped competing with other brands.

Previously, Adidas was the leader among these brands. However, in recent years, with Hansen's success in the NBA and the rapid increase in market share, UA has gradually replaced Adidas, and there have been constant frictions between UA and Nike.

Signing Curry is just the beginning for UA, they are now actively in contact with Harden and Irving.

In addition to snatching new people, there is also the [Decapitation Operation] that Hansen has heard about now.

Kobe is getting older, and the only players Nike can currently represent are James and Durant.

But these two have been stepped on by Han Sen in the past few years.

When Durant was still in the Thunder, he was defeated by Hansen repeatedly. Even after joining the Heat and joining a historic team, he still lost to Hansen in the end.

The bath water battle caused his image to plummet.

Not to mention James, who was beaten by Hansen and traded twice in three years, and was directly put into nomadic mode.

This is also the premise of UA's [Decapitation Operation].

The ultimate goal of this plan is to force Nike to give up on renewing its contract with James in the summer of 2014.

Nike's investment in James is unprecedented.

To make an analogy, the 11 million contract Nike gave in 1.4 is only equivalent to the money you spent when buying a cat. The bulk of the money is for subsequent cat food and medical treatment.

The money Nike has spent on media relations for James and handling public relations crises over the years is incalculable.

This is also the reason why Nike still supports James despite his poor performance after joining the Thunder.

The money invested has not yet been recovered.

Therefore, if Nike can be forced not to renew its contract with James in 2014, it will be a huge loss for Nike.

Some people may say, why not just renew the contract?

The answer is obviously not that simple, because James himself is built and requires maintenance costs. If his performance continues to be sluggish, Nike will only lose more by renewing the contract.

UA is also happy to see Durant become Nike's top brand.

Because Durant is not as keen on business, nor as obedient as James.

Moreover, Durant's temperament is so outstanding that if he really becomes the top brand, Nike's quality will decline.

Of course, the most important thing is that both James and Durant are zero-championship players, which will only cause the influence of the Nike brand to continue to decline.

Therefore, the summer of 2014 was an extremely critical period for UA.

Now, what Han Sen needs to do is not only to attack James on the court, but also to open fire outside the court.

This involves the Knicks' performance this season.

Contrary to what many people had expected, the Knicks' record in the Eastern Conference is now second only to the Heat and Pacers, surpassing the Nets and ranking third.

It turns out that the Knicks' roster was underrated.

In other words, if James is equipped with a suitable lineup, he can still achieve impressive results.

Moreover, in terms of statistics, as the only core of the Knicks, James has benefited from the [Vertical Jump Rule] this season and averaged 30 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.

In the latest MVP rankings, he ranks third after Durant and Hansen.

Under the creation of Nike, James fans have started a new round of carnival.

Their current view is: James is not performing at his normal level in the Thunder because of the incompatibility with Westbrook, but he is still the best player in the league. If Anthony still stays with the Knicks, the Knicks will be the best team in the league.

After arriving in New York, Hansen and his teammates took a bus to the hotel.

On the way there, Hansen saw several billboards of James on the side of the road.

Even when I arrived at the hotel, I saw a mural of James nearby.

It has to be said that Nike is very mature in building the influence of star players.

However, this also makes Hansen more excited. After all, shattering the fans' fantasies is the most interesting thing.

That afternoon, the Grizzlies went to Madison Square Garden for an open practice.

As a two-time champion team and in a place like New York, their appearance attracted a large number of reporters.

Han Sen was also the focus of reporters' attention.

他赛季至今场均能得到28.2分5.6板6.2助攻2.9抢断1.6盖帽。

The overall decline in the Grizzlies' form forced Hansen to do more on both offense and defense, which in turn allowed him to produce super-giant stats for the first time.

After the training, Han Sen was surrounded by a group of reporters.

In addition to asking some questions, such as Gasol's injury recovery and the Grizzlies' game strategy, reporters will naturally mention the topic of him and James.

Because of their experience with the Cavaliers, no matter which team the two are on, every encounter becomes a hot topic.

"You are now ranked second and third on the MVP list respectively. Are you looking forward to a clash with LeBron?" This is a reporter from the New York Times.

"I don't expect it, but I will lock him down in the game." Han Sen's answer stunned the reporters around him.

"Do you mean that I will be facing off against James on the defensive end during the game?" It's no longer news that Han Sen can defend against the opponent's offensive core.

"No, it's locked." Han Sen corrected the reporter's wording.

The reporters' eyes lit up at this moment; this was explosive news.

When Han Sen talked about James before, he still gave James some face, but just now he really didn't give him any face at all.

Han Sen's remarks were quickly reported by the media before the game.

This also triggered another round of debate on social media.

"Although he has won two championships, Han still has such a big mouth. He doesn't look like a superstar at all."

(So ​​what does a superstar look like? Getting swept in the finals and then getting traded twice in three years?)
"What do you mean by lockdown? Can you really prevent a player who averages 30 points per game from scoring?"

(6 points is still acceptable.)
"Believe it or not, the Grizzlies will lose tonight. Without Gasol, the Grizzlies' interior defense is simply not good. They were all broken by Parker."

(What team are the Spurs? What team are you? Parker won 4 championships. How many championships do you have?)

……

Madison Square Garden was packed that night.

New York and Los Angeles have no trouble selling tickets. As long as the team's record is not too bad, there will always be fans willing to pay for tickets.

Because of the Grizzlies' championship status and Hansen's pre-match remarks, the arena was particularly lively tonight, with fans holding all kinds of KT boards in their hands.

"Beat the Grizzlies", "Memphis will never be a dynasty", "Frank Hansen"...

Han Sen didn't take it seriously at first, but when he saw "Fuck Han Sen", he was a little overwhelmed.

What? Are you in New York also short of a mayor like the Holy City?
But that was nothing. After the opening ceremony, when the starting players of both teams were preparing to take the court, Hansen saw an astonishing scene.

James, who said "I will never throw magnesium chalk again" in Oklahoma City last season, walked to the technical table, picked up the magnesium chalk, found the right shot and started again!

Is this entering James mode early? Has he started to forgetfulness?
The starting lineups of both teams came on the court one after another. The Grizzlies: Conley, Hansen, Gay, Randolph, Faried;

Knicks: Nash, Shumpert, James, Stoudemire, Bargnani.

When Han Sen officially stepped onto the familiar court, his mood changed.

It's not just because he needs to wear that mask, but more importantly, Madison Square Garden has always been known as the Mecca of basketball and a holy place.

Players are proud to perform well here.

Even the scoreboard in this arena will be updated by the media.

Faried pushed the ball back to half court and the game officially started.

Gasol's absence affects the Grizzlies not only on the defensive end. He can create space on the offensive end and serve as the axis of support. Without him, the Grizzlies have less than half of their available tactics.

Moreover, Faried has no spatial ability and can only sink to the weak side. The Grizzlies are likely to encounter inside defense when they break through to the basket. The Grizzlies' opening choice is the poison pick-and-roll between Hansen and Randolph.

In his prime, Stoudemire had strong athletic ability and excellent explosiveness. His pick-and-roll with Nash was particularly classic, and he was the player who made the most contributions.

However, he began to suffer from knee injuries during his time with the Suns, and underwent surgery on his left knee again last season. His athletic ability has almost disappeared, and his lateral movement ability has also declined.

His ability to defend pick-and-rolls is not much better than Randolph's right now.

Randolph's pick-and-roll blocked Shumpert, and Hansen made a mid-range shot to give the Grizzlies the lead.

This goal did not elicit much reaction from the audience. Given Han Sen's current ability, it was surprising that he missed the shot.

However, when the two sides switched from offense to defense, there was a commotion at the scene.

Because Han Sen is really defending James!
This is to fulfill the tough words made before the game that night!
James' choice is... to just reach out for the ball.

This moment caused a burst of cheers from New York fans.

The game started with a direct clash between the two MVP players.

Han Sen was a little surprised. In the past, when James encountered such a situation, he would usually give up the attack wisely. Why did he change after arriving in New York?

What Hansen didn't know was that, although Nike was still making every effort to promote James in New York, the consecutive losses had subtly changed their attitude towards James.

James must put in some convincing performance to win himself a contract extension next summer.

At this time, Bargnani was in the strong side corner, Shumpert and Nash were also outside the weak side three-point line, and the offensive space on the court was very large.

As long as James can break through, he will definitely get two points.

Of course, he was so smart that he would not choose to forcefully attack Han Sen.

After holding the ball, he called for Stoudemire to come over for a pick-and-roll.

Although Stoudemire's athletic ability has declined, he is still a good pick-and-roll player.

Last season, his pick-and-roll with Nash allowed New York fans to relive the classics, and this season's pick-and-roll for James is the guarantee of the Knicks' record.

However, his pick-and-roll soon failed because Han Sen moved too fast!

He chose a pick-and-roll position on Han Sen's following route, but Han Sen just slid sideways and dodged.

This was not only beyond his expectations, but also completely unexpected for James.

James, who wanted to accelerate with a pick-and-roll, found that Hansen was right in front of him.

Before he could adjust his dribble.

"Snapped!"

Han Sen acted quickly and had James perform a "rooster laying eggs" trick.

After stealing the ball, Hansen did not give James a chance to foul. He directly passed the ball to Conley, who shook off Nash and made a layup to score.

There was a commotion at the scene; Han Sen's defensive pressure was too strong!

In fact, not to mention the fans, even Joerger on the sidelines opened his eyes wide.

Why did he feel that Han Sen's defense had become stronger again?
Or is it just because James' dribbling skills are too poor that such an effect is highlighted?

The camera turned to James, and James looked very ugly.

After hesitating for a while, he chose to continue holding the ball.

For the sake of his contract, he has to fight.

The cheers of New York fans rang out again.

Han Sen's defense just now was something no one expected, so it was understandable that James was intercepted.

I believe the same thing will not happen a second time, and James will be able to retaliate immediately.

It was the same tactic, but this time Stoudemire's pick-and-roll was closer to James, and he also moved the pick-and-roll when Hansen slid by.

The referee did not blow the whistle, and James finally successfully switched defense.

Stoudemire immediately opened the box and took Hansen away.

Facing Randolph at this time, James just stopped the ball for a moment and then accelerated directly to sprint.

Before, James was not very confident facing Randolph, but now with the support of the [Vertical Jump Rule], a slow inside player like Randolph cannot stop him.

However, just as he was simulating the scene of his tomahawk dunk in his mind, the moment his body started to accelerate, he suddenly felt his hand lighten.

Hansen did not follow Stoudemire. He used a Danny Green-style defensive method, staying behind James without being noticed by the opponent, and then stealing the ball directly from behind when James stopped the ball!

There was an uproar at the scene.

In the first two rounds, Hansen stole the ball from James twice!

This time Hansen didn't pass the ball. After leaving a gust of exhaust in James' face, he quickly rushed to the frontcourt and finished with a one-handed slam dunk.

6 is better than 0!

The Grizzlies disillusioned New York fans right from the start.

What made them even more speechless was that after being intercepted twice in a row, James suddenly became obedient and had no intention of holding the ball anymore.

Then, right after that, Nash played a classic pick-and-roll with Stoudemire, assisting the latter to break into the basket and score the first goal for the Knicks.

The Knicks' lineup has a lot of space, is very modern, and their offensive capabilities are actually quite strong.

In other words, the Knicks failed in their first two attacks purely because of Hansen's presence.

After half a quarter, the score was 20 to 12, and the point difference remained in single digits.

This time James was a little embarrassed on the court.

Because the Knicks couldn't score when he had the ball, but when he didn't have the ball, the Knicks kept the score close.

What's more important is that even when he was running without the ball, Han Sen followed him closely and he had no chance to catch the ball.

This game made all James fans disappear on social media, because Hansen really locked up James just as he said before the game!

Finally, after being invisible for most of the quarter, James leaned against Han Sen and reached out for the ball again.

It would be impossible to keep playing like this. If Hansen really fulfilled his pre-match boast, it would be another critical blow to his position in Nike.

This time after receiving the ball, he did not call for a pick-and-roll, but instead chose to play one-on-one with his back to the basket.

He lowered his center of gravity and punched Han Sen hard.

Knowing that Han Sen was cutting the ball quickly now, he could only use this method to create enough space for him to turn around.

However, just as he exerted his strength for the second time, Han Sen seized the opportunity and made a classic "bench removal".

James had been back in the East for too long and hadn't played against Hansen, so he forgot this move.

James, who lost his balance, not only lost control of the ball, but also fell to the ground with his legs up in the air because he exerted too much force.

Han Sen, who had flashed sideways, had already controlled the ball and was then launching another fast break.

Nash tried to commit an early foul but was avoided by Hansen's dribbling while turning around.

After rushing to the frontcourt, Han Sen directly stuffed the ball under his crotch, which was a slam dunk that was full of performance.

Show time!

James didn't stand up from the ground until Hansen completed the dunk.

The camera was turned to James at this time, and there was a burst of boos at the scene!
Breaking once is an accident, breaking twice is tolerable, and not daring to fight is already annoying, but I didn’t expect that in the end it would break every time I fought. What’s the use of you?

New York fans are the most passionate fans in the league.

James pursed his lips and moved his eyes left and right.

He never thought that there would be a day when he would be booed by his own fans!
(End of this chapter)