The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 452 - 231 Understanding Jordan_2

Hansen shouted that he wanted to challenge for a Dynasty, which was his pursuit as a superstar, just like Kobe, but for the rest of the team, even two championships were enough to satisfy them.

The two-sided nature of things also began to show. Originally, having long-term contracts meant stability, but now it had transformed into a fixed rotation.

The situation on the first day reminded Hansen of why, throughout the history of the NBA, dynasties had only happened twice.

The third year was destined to be a season filled with internal and external troubles, the same for any team.

Joerger had clearly also realized the momentum was not good, and after the first day of training, he tried to rally the players.

But the effect was not good.

That kind of laxity after winning back-to-back championships, reminiscent of the French, couldn’t be fixed by just saying a few words.

After the first day of training camp ended, everyone else left, but Hansen sat alone in the training hall for a long time.

He realized that continuing in this state, no matter how much he did personally, would only result in futile efforts, just like those of Kobe in the beginning. freёnovelkiss.com

On the second day of training, the players’ conditions were no different from the first day.

During a fast break, Hansen delivered a brilliant pass, but Faried seemed distracted and failed to catch the ball.

Before Faried could laugh and show his attitude, Hansen called a halt to the game.

Then, in front of everyone, Hansen spoke to Faried with severity, "Catch the ball I pass to you securely. If you fail to catch it next time, you’re out."

Faried’s smile froze instantly, and the rest of the team looked at each other, baffled.

"Is Hansen always this strict?" Even Lewis, who was off the court, couldn’t help but turn his head and ask Sacre.

Sacre shook his head, puzzled. Having been with the Grizzlies for so long, he had never seen Hansen be this strict before.

However, as the game progressed, the players gradually noticed Hansen’s difference.

Hansen was more strict than he had ever been before, even scolding Randolph when he was out of position on defense.

It wasn’t just verbal; Hansen also increased the intensity of the physical confrontations with his body language.

Or rather, Hansen’s words and actions pushed the training game’s intensity to match that of regular-season games.

Perhaps Hansen had encountered something frustrating today?

This was the initial thought of the other players, but they soon realized that Hansen continued to act this way throughout the training camp.

This eventually led to a conflict.

After being scolded by Hansen for a butterfinger mistake, Faried expressed his dissatisfaction.

"I got it, I’ll do better next time."

Hansen didn’t bother with excess words and simply signaled for him to leave the court.

Faried was already known as a troublemaker, and he walked off the court angrily. When he sat down, he grabbed a towel from the bench and threw it on the floor in defiance.

It was at that moment that Hansen addressed everyone else, "If I don’t do well, you can treat me the same way, but if you’re the one who’s not performing, unless you can beat me, just sit down quietly on the sideline."

After Hansen said this, everyone understood the difference in Hansen this season.

Although this change was somewhat uncomfortable, no one dared to speak up.

After all, the Grizzlies’ past successes had been forged by Hansen.

Moreover, Hansen’s words were clear; he was leading by example, not oppressing, and he had even offered a condition.

But who could actually beat Hansen?

Following this brief conflict, the quality of the Grizzlies’ training sessions noticeably improved.

The cost, however, was that the players inevitably felt a greater distance from Hansen off the court.

Hansen didn’t mind, or perhaps once he had made his decision, he was already mentally prepared for these consequences.

When training ended, he returned to the locker room and directly asked Faried to come with him.

This caused the rest of the team to exchange bewildered looks.

Faried himself was somewhat apprehensive. When Hansen had first communicated with him, it was with empathy and logic, but if Hansen were to forgo reason and come after him, Faried would be helpless.

But to his surprise, Hansen took him to a shopping mall and let him pick out a big gold chain for himself, spending 30,000 US dollars.

Once they were back in the car, he was still somewhat confused.

"Kenneth, you’ll have the opportunity to renegotiate your contract after next season. You need to feel the urgency and put on a better performance." Only Hansen and the management knew about his plan to leave the team next year. Such matters couldn’t be shared with teammates because the moment they were known, the team’s morale would fall apart.

Faried was shame-faced after hearing those words.

Hansen’s sternness was for his own good, winning two championships almost made him forget he was still a rookie.

Because of Hansen’s strictness and leading by example, the Grizzlies’ pre-camp training started off relaxed but tightened up, the intensity surpassing previous years.

However, the team’s difficulties were still present.

Gay would be absent due to injury for the season opener against the Heat, and Billups was also troubled by injuries; West was the only substitute point guard available for the team.

Additionally, it was still unknown how much the "Verticality Rule" would impact the Grizzlies, making this season’s start more challenging than past years.

This issue had also been somewhat evident in the preseason games.

Preseason games mainly concerned rotation and the bench, and the Grizzlies had lost 2 of the 7 matches this year.

Before regular season play commenced, Stan assessed the strength of the teams for the new season.

The Heat topped the rankings for the second year in a row.

Despite losing the finals to the Grizzlies last year, which was largely due to the Heat’s overexertion during the regular season, they were determined to learn from their mistakes and adjust. With the introduction of new rules encouraging perimeter players to penetrate, this was clearly advantageous for the offensively stronger Heat team.

Moreover, Durant had demonstrated improvement in his playmaking abilities during the sparse minutes he played in the preseason.

Although he didn’t organize a training camp like Hansen, Durant had clearly kept busy over the summer.

The Grizzlies, as two-time champions, were positioned second in the rankings.

Although Stan placed the Grizzlies there, he expressed significant concern because the new rules had a visibly large impact on the inside game, and the Grizzlies’ bench depth was weakening.

"They have the chance to complete a dynasty, but how many opportunities they have is greatly uncertain."

On October 30, the Grizzlies hosted the season opener on their home court against the Heat.

This continuation of last season’s finals drew the attention of countless fans.

FedEx Forum was packed without an empty seat.

The opening game featured the championship ring ceremony.

When fans saw the gleaming championship rings set out at center court, they experienced the thrill usually reserved for Bulls and Lakers supporters.

It had only been a year since they last witnessed such a ceremony, and the feeling of being perpetual winners was exhilarating.

Of course, the most thrilled were the Grizzlies players.

Carter’s eyes betrayed his excitement, unable to conceal it.

After striving for so many years without success, he had effortlessly won a championship in the twilight of his career.

Indeed, choices were more important than effort.

Sacre could hardly contain his excitement, rubbing his hands together incessantly.

All that filled his mind was last season’s ring ceremony, when he could only experience it through Hansen’s ring; now, he was about to possess his own.

A moment of humor came when Sacre, turning to see Lewis with a look eerily reminiscent of the previous year’s, said that familiar line: "Don’t be envious, by this time next year, you’ll have one too."

Lewis was at first startled, then laughed, and as he turned back to the rings, the look of anticipation in his eyes grew even stronger.

He was the most eager of the new Grizzlies additions, not just because he had never won a championship, but also because he had transferred from the Heat; he did not want to end up like Hill, who "switched sides to see the light" only to become a "championship jinx."

This year’s ring ceremony was not as complex as last year’s, just a simple ring presentation.

However, as the team leader, Hansen still had the opportunity to speak last.

Hansen thanked the fans for their unwavering support of the Grizzlies and ended with a call to action:

"Let’s get started!"

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both sides were announced.

Heat: Chalmers, Wade, Durant, Bosh, Perkins

Grizzlies: Conley, Hansen, Battier, Randolph, Little Gasol

Apart from Gay’s absence, everything seemed unchanged from last season’s finals.

However, when both sides’ starters took the court, Wade, looking at Hansen, felt a significant difference.

Hansen’s expression was more serious than any Wade had seen before, as if he were about to commit murder.