The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 426 - 220: Defense Broken

At that moment, a rather intriguing scene unfolded on the sidelines.

Joerger called Jones up from the bench, signaling him to get ready at the scorer’s table to substitute for Guy.

Jones was no longer in the Grizzlies’ regular rotation, and the intention of Joerger sending him in at that time was self-explanatory.

Hansen’s explosive performance not only frightened the opponents but also scared the head coach.

Hansen played the entire quarter, and even though the Spurs went crazy double-teaming him later in the quarter, he still scored 26 points.

points, setting a new NBA playoff record for points in a single quarter.

Moreover, his streak of scoring the first 20 points also broke the record for the most consecutive points scored at the start of an NBA playoff game.

In ancient times, Emperor captured two kings in one battle; today, Hansen broke two historical records in one quarter.

East University naturally broadcast the game live; TV broadcasts were fine, but online streaming crashed the website.

Those who could, ran to watch on TV; those who couldn’t had to resort to textual broadcasts, then the live feed crashed as well.

Eventually, the excited fans had nowhere to vent but to discuss on forums, and they crashed the forums too.

That was a triple play.

Under Hansen’s leadership, the Grizzlies also historically scored 38 points in that quarter.

At the end of the first quarter, 38 to 18.

This also directly set the tone for the game.

In the remaining three quarters, the Spurs showed their resilience.

But the Grizzlies were in a very stable state of mind, steady even when leading by 20 points.

As a result, the Spurs could never close the gap.

Popovich was visibly annoyed in the end, insisting on keeping his starters in during garbage time till the final buzzer.

Such a move was not too surprising for someone known to use the "five in, five out" strategy.

What was truly surprising was the post-game press conference, where the esteemed coach broke down.

And unlike two years prior when Hansen’s remarks caught him off guard, this time he was truly vexed by the game itself.

"Why couldn’t we keep Hansen in check? How did you come up with such a stupid question? Can’t you see how we defended him, or are you pretending not to see?"

The reporter was dumbfounded, since under the Spurs’ defense, Hansen had scored 45 points in three quarters.

Had it not been for him sitting out the final quarter, tonight would have easily been a highlight of Hansen’s career.

Popovich had a breakdown, but Joerger was delighted.

At the Grizzlies’ post-game press conference, Joerger kept delivering quips.

"I don’t know what happened; I did nothing and we were up by 20 points."

"I wanted to let Hansen play in the last quarter too but he wouldn’t allow it."

"Why did Hansen perform so well? The great mayor returned to his loyal San Antonio."

Joerger’s remarks made even Hansen laugh; he realized his coach was not only good at communicating but also had the talent for stand-up comedy.

"You ask if I’ll continue to perform like I did tonight; I will, no matter if the team needs me to defend or to attack, I’ll do my best."

Hansen’s reply remained typically "modest".

The Grizzlies breezed through Game 1, while the Heat had a tough first game.

The Pacers’ defense was too strong, with the inside line featuring an unrestricted (by the "verticality rule") Hibbert and David West, and on the wing, two defensive stalwarts, Paul George and Tony Allen, with the only relative weakness being point guard George Hill.

But the Heat’s point guard position was relatively weak.

Of course, that’s not the main point; the key issue was that Wade, just returned from injury, was not in good form, and Durant was being targeted non-stop on the perimeter.

At that moment, Durant’s lack of playmaking ability was exposed.

You don’t have to be very strong at it, but you can’t be without it.

In "history," Durant, who stayed with the Thunders that year due to Harden’s trade, was forced to handle the ball more and develop organizing skills.

Although it was ultimately proven that Durant couldn’t play as an organizing forward, at least he went through such a process and cultivated some playmaking ability.

Now, he skipped that process entirely, playing in a system more suited to his strengths.

If Wade hadn’t been injured, even the Pacers’ defensive system wouldn’t have had an answer for him.

But now, with Wade’s performance limited by his poor injury state, the system wasn’t running smoothly. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

At this time, a person who was both unexpected yet reasonable stepped up to save the day.

After arriving at the Heat, Hill recuperated for another month before returning to play, participating in only the last 20 regular-season games with mediocre performance and not many opportunities.

But his playmaking skills were still intact.

With Wade absent, Spoelstra was forced to give Hill more playing time.

With the playing time, coupled with the Heat’s strong roster, Hill gradually recovered some form, especially finding his shooting touch from outside.

So, he became the man dealing cards from the Heat’s top of the arc.

After he came off the bench, Durant’s offense was unleashed once again.

So, if the season ends with the Grizzlies facing the Heat, that match-up would be utterly fascinating.

Of course, Hill’s weaknesses were also evident; his defense was practically non-existent now, which gave Paul George opportunities.

The Pacers’ lineup and the Grizzlies had a similar approach, both relying on defense, with each having an ace for their offensive onslaught.

Previously, Granger was taken out by James, but George stepped up, showing even more talent at an earlier stage.

Both teams, just like the last regular-season game, fought till the final moments before the victor was determined.