The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 197 - 128 All is Ready

"Champions, us?" Battier’s response was exactly like Randolph’s before.

No, he might even be more realistic.

After all, going from winning one playoff game to contending for a championship was quite a leap.

However, despite the similar reaction, what Hansen said next was completely different from what Randolph had said at the time.

"Do you think, who’s the most likely to make it to the finals in The East this year?"

"Miami," Battier answered after only a brief consideration.

Among the likely teams in The East this year, the Bulls, the Heat, the Celtics, the Magic.

The Celtics are truly old, the Magic just aren’t up to it, and the Bulls are too young.

By comparison, the Heat might have some issues gelling, but the playoffs are a stage for superstars, and in that regard, they’ve already won.

"Do you think if we face the Heat in the finals, we have a chance to win?"

"Yes," Battier said without hesitation this time.

The issue of style matchups definitely existed, people say the Lakers counter the Heat, but in reality, the team that truly counters the Heat might just be the Grizzlies.

It’s not just a matter of having a chance; it’s a significant chance.

"This season, we’ve beaten the Spurs, the Lakers, the Mavericks, we have a chance against them all, so, we don’t stand no chance of breaking out of The West."

Battier looked at Hansen, you’re quite right.

"But Rudy..." Battier thought of Guy.

If Guy hadn’t been injured, the Grizzlies really did stand a good chance.

"Without Rudy, we can still win, and..." Hansen looked directly at Battier,

"Is an unfinished career only worth one season?"

Guy was out for the season, not his career.

At this moment, Battier looked at Hansen, with his high emotional intelligence, he already knew what Hansen meant, he wanted to keep him.

"Han, you know? You’re the second person from East University who makes me feel like you could really achieve it," Battier didn’t directly answer, but he gave Hansen a high evaluation.

As for who the first person was, of course, it was Yao Ming.

Yao Ming indeed commanded respect as a player, especially that scene of his king’s return two years ago.

It’s believed that players who played for that team, the Rockets, just like those on Willis Redd’s New York Knicks, held the utmost admiration for Yao.

"Trust your instincts, Shaun," Hansen didn’t really press Battier for a direct answer at that moment.

Because even if they couldn’t win the championship this postseason, as long as he could lead the team far enough, to show Battier that the Grizzlies had the strength to win a championship, Battier would naturally stay.

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Even more, the Battier who would stay might be stronger than the one Hansen knew, because he would have more motivation.

...

The next day, the Grizzlies held the home court, facing off against the Thunders.

Both teams made big moves at the trade deadline, and this game was also a test to see if the trades were successful.

Once the game started, both teams descended into fierce competition.

Perkins’ addition had directly improved the Thunders’ frontcourt strength, with him and Ibaka, one good at primary defense and the other at help defense, the Grizzlies’ previous frontcourt advantage over the Thunders wasn’t as significant.

Yet the impact on the Grizzlies’ inside and outside game was not lessened at all.

Especially the Durant factor.

With Guy in the past, relying on talent, there was some restraint, but Young was practically defenseless against Durant.

Hollins had to bring Battier on early.

However, Battier’s performance against Durant wasn’t much better; although he could to some extent restrict Durant’s shooting, Durant’s penetration revealed that Battier indeed couldn’t keep up with his footsteps.

To put it vividly, he earned Durant’s respect, but that was all.

Ultimately, Hollins chose to have Hansen switch onto guarding Durant over sending Tony Allen.

After all, Tony Allen was only 1.93 meters tall, guarding the officially 2.08 meters tall Durant, who might actually already be 2.11 meters, would clearly be a disaster just to think about.

Hansen did an outstanding job; his improvement in physical fitness allowed him to limit Kobe’s performance, and he also posed considerable trouble to Durant.

However, by the time the first quarter’s starting lineup was finished, the Grizzlies were down 12-20 to the Thunders.

Randolph and Hansen, one inside and one outside, were the Grizzlies’ offensive core, and with neither core performing in offense, it was hard for the Grizzlies to avoid falling behind.

During the bench straddle period, as the main players rested, Hollins subbed in Jordan Crawford.

Crawford had limited opportunities with the Hawks and had just joined the team; Hollins placed him ahead of Ismael Smith in the rotation, truly giving him a chance.

And Crawford really seized it.

After coming on, he received a pass from Little Gasol on the perimeter and hit a three-pointer.

Then, after the Grizzlies defended one play, he scored with a suspended, big windmill change-of-hand layup in the counter-attack, facing Westbrook’s chase-down block.

This instantly ignited the FedEx Forum; even Hansen felt dazzled.

Following that, he intensely observed this newcomer everyone had overlooked.

Apart from the previous ’video scandal,’ Hansen didn’t know much about Crawford.

Or rather, because his name was also Crawford and paired with the fact that he was also a lanky guard, Hansen could easily associate him with Jamal Crawford—or instinctively think they were the same type of player.