The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 419 - 216 What Kind of Damn Team Leader_2

Guy passed to Conley after facing a help defense, Conley then passed to Hansen, and finally, Hansen hit a three-pointer from the perimeter.

Just like they did against the Thunders, the Grizzlies executed a fluid, unstoppable offense.

What Hansen had said before wasn’t empty talk—when the Grizzlies play normally, they are a quintessential team-oriented squad.

After Hansen hit that three-pointer, the Grizzlies’ momentum began to build.

The chants of "Defense!" from the fans started to resonate in the arena.

Guy blocked Thompson’s off-ball tactics, and the Warriors then set up an elevator doors play for Curry.

However, Hansen was well-prepared for this tactic and bypassed it early from the side.

Since the Warriors had just been called for an illegal screen, the two players setting the elevator doors didn’t dare move too much, which ultimately failed to stop Hansen.

By the time Curry caught the ball and shot it, Hansen was already back in his face.

Though Curry’s quicker one-motion shot was faster, it was much less resistant to interference than a two-motion shot.

Especially since he wasn’t the clear core tactically, he lacked the confidence of his peak.

Under Hansen’s pressure, Curry’s three-pointer ended up clanging off the rim.

Little Gasol secured the rebound, and the Grizzlies pushed to the frontcourt to continue their high-low post play.

They were treating Green as the weak link on the court.

At that moment, Green’s expression turned quite constipated.

As a player with a high basketball IQ, he understood exactly what this meant.

After Randolph’s hook shot beat the help defense and scored, the score on the board was 2 to 7, and Jackson had already turned around to call up Carl Landry.

On seeing this, Green’s butthole puckered, and when he reached the frontcourt, he proactively went to screen for Curry, who had the ball.

Relying on Green’s pick-and-roll, Curry prepared to go for a pull-up three-pointer. The Grizzlies were a different team tonight compared to Game 1, and he had to step up early.

Green didn’t dare to move on the screen this time, as Hansen quickly slid past.

But in the instant he slid by, Curry had already taken his shot.

The advantage of a pull-up three-pointer over a catch-and-shoot is that it can be released more quickly.

It was in this moment that Hansen got an up-close look at Curry’s release speed, along with his ability to seize the instant to shoot.

Just needing that small space was what truly set Curry apart from other shooters—he didn’t need a great look, just a gap.

The rest was left to his shooting touch.

Curry nailed that three-pointer, his hot hand still evident tonight.

Upon seeing Curry’s shot go in, Green excitedly punched the air, then high-fived Curry with vigor, looking even more thrilled than Curry himself.

In this regard, he was quite similar to the Big Gasol.

Curry’s three-pointer was incredibly refreshing and gave the Warriors a moral boost.

Thanks to aggressive defensive rotations and help defense, they successfully shut down a Grizzlies offensive drive.

While still not at their peak, the potential of this Warriors team was undeniable. Even without opening their third eye, they managed to eliminate the 56-win Nuggets despite lacking a key inside player.

Momentum appeared to be shifting towards the Warriors.

Just then, a stir began to spread through the crowd.

Hansen, now guarding Curry in the frontcourt!

The previous defensive failure had taught Hansen a lesson—that to guard Curry, he needed to stick close, affording him no space whatsoever to shoot.

Curry tried to accelerate past Hansen, but he quickly discovered that Hansen’s lateral movement speed exceeded his expectations.

Then Curry attempted to break through with a behind-the-back dribble, but still wasn’t successful.

The arena’s agitation began to turn into cheers.

Hansen’s lead defense not only pressured Curry, but it also invigorated the Memphis fans.

After the loss in the last game, Hansen had said the responsibility was on him. Now, his lead defense was his statement—he was determined to personally win the game back!

Curry eventually realized he couldn’t get past Hansen.

The reason he played through his junior year in college before declaring for the draft was that his physical attributes didn’t meet the scouts’ requirements. Not only was his frame slender, but he also lacked explosiveness. His ball-handling skills could be improved with training, but without that explosiveness, his first step would never be quick.

Hansen dreaded guarding guards with a quick first step. If you asked him to guard Iverson, it would be a giveaway. But against Curry, he matched up perfectly.

Because Hansen’s defense came unexpectedly, the rest of the Warriors players realized too late to help Curry, who was unable to cross the half-court within 8 seconds.

He could only look for the position of his teammates, eventually choosing to hurl the ball towards Barnes, who stood on the other side of the midcourt line.

It was the best option under pressure, yet the pass didn’t reach Barnes because Conley seized the opportunity and rushed out to make the steal!

The Grizzlies used Hansen to guard Curry, Guy to guard Thompson, and Conley could only defend Barnes.

If it were a more seasoned Barnes, this matchup would be lethal because Barnes could exploit Conley in post-up plays.

Unfortunately, rookie Barnes mainly played as a spacing shooter on offense.

Conley, averaging two steals per game over the years, was too keen for this kind of play.

After making the steal, Conley accelerated straight down the court. freёwebnoѵel.com

Curry’s one-on-two attempt in the backcourt was futile; Hansen caught Conley’s lob and brutally slam-dunked it with one hand.

As Hansen landed, he tugged at his number 77 jersey, and the FedEx Forum erupted into an uproar.

Just when the Warriors were starting to gain momentum, Hansen stomped it out entirely!

Moreover, when the Warriors sent the ball back from their backcourt, Hansen continued to press defense on Curry in the frontcourt.

The Grizzlies players on the court began to feel their bodies heating up.

Barnes dared not receive the ball again; Green ran over, but Randolph stepped out to midcourt to impede Green with his long arms.

The Warriors couldn’t make it past half-court this possession either!

Facing the possibility of an 8-second backcourt violation, Jackson could only call for a timeout.

The cheers of the crowd were unstoppable.

What the hell kind of team leader is this!

If James could do what Hansen did, would the Thunders possibly not win a single game?

After the timeout, the Warriors made a substitution adjustment.

However, Jackson did not substitute Landry, but instead, Jarrett Jack.

Jack came in for Barnes, and Jackson deployed his small-ball lineup.

Of course, this small-ball wasn’t like the Heat’s or the Thunders’ from last season because Green was technically a big man.

Perhaps this small-ball lineup was more accurately described as a three-guard lineup.

Jack’s ball-handling skills were reliable, and he and Curry successfully advanced the ball past midcourt.

By that time, the ball was in Jack’s hands.

Jack has a trait; he often played as the sixth man off the bench, but every time the starting point guard became injured, Jack would step in as the starter.

This pattern was related to his technical attributes; he was a strong, offensive-minded combo guard.

Using Bo Gote’s screen, he charged straight toward the paint and released a floater in the face of Little Gasol.

Quick steps, a strong body, and excellent ability to stop on a dime; these were some of his signature moves.

But just as the ball neared its apex, a shadow flew over his head.

"Bang!"

Amidst the gasps of the live audience, Hansen’s volleyball-like block sent the ball flying out of bounds!

The gasps quickly turned into cheers.

Sacre even grabbed two towels, swinging them wildly with both hands.

The reason Jordan and Kobe could attract so many fans wasn’t just because of their entertaining play but also the spirit they embodied.

Most of the time, they took on the heavy offensive responsibilities and weren’t the primary defenders.

But when necessary, they would not hesitate to embrace that role and execute it to perfection.

What Hansen did tonight was exactly that.

He wasn’t just defending Curry; he wanted to tell the Warriors that when the Grizzlies got serious, scoring was never going to be easy!

—Line Break—

①: During the 2012–2013 season, the Warriors defeated the Nuggets 4–2 in the first round and lost 2–4 to the Spurs in the second round, while the Spurs lost 3–4 to the Heat in the Finals.