That was the playoff game between The Suns and Timberwolves he had watched before he time-traveled, and since it was a memory close to the time of his crossover, the impression was indelible.
Coming back from the timeout, Hansen was substituted onto the court by Hollins.
After Guy was injured, the Grizzlies could only put Hansen on to maintain the point difference.
Before Hansen went on the court, he noticed that Anderson had been replaced by Green again.
This move seemingly confirmed Popovich’s intentions.
Once Hansen reached the frontcourt, seeing Popovich sitting on the bench, he took the ball from West’s hands and then signaled for an isolation play.
Because Neil was too small, the one who switched onto Hansen was Green.
Green couldn’t guard Guy, and neither could he guard Hansen – the difference was that while he couldn’t keep up with Guy’s physicality, he couldn’t keep up with Hansen’s speed.
After breezing past him, Hansen faced the helping Splitter and performed the Mysterious Steps followed by a powerful, two-handed dunk.
He swung around the rim before landing. The dunk clearly had an element of venting emotions in it.
No, it was not just an element – it was precisely that.
After the dunk and landing, instead of his usual celebration, Hansen turned and walked towards the San Antonio Spurs bench, addressing the seated Popovich, "Are you sure you don’t want to send your ’bad boy’ back onto the court?"
Popovich turned his head pretending not to hear.
Hansen did not continue his taunt, as his purpose lay elsewhere.
During the offensive-defensive transition, Hansen directly guarded Manu Ginobili.
Manu Ginobili’s dribbling attack was unpredictable, so Hansen’s defensive strategy was to limit Ginobili’s ability to receive the ball.
Ginobili tried to cut and shake Hansen off but couldn’t seem to get rid of him, as if Hansen were stuck to him like glue.
Neil fed the ball to Blair in the low post for an isolated play, but his shot was immediately blocked by Haddadi.
Though sluggish, the Persian had height to his advantage.
West grabbed the rebound and immediately threw the ball towards the three-point line, where Hansen had already taken off.
After receiving the ball, Hansen broke away at a blistering pace, completing a fast-break one-handed tomahawk dunk.
And after the dunk, he once again approached the Spurs bench, spreading his hands towards Popovich’s direction.
A chorus of boos rang out from the crowd.
Hansen’s provocation was strong, and after all, Popovich was a well-known coach in the League; thus, this continued disregard showed a total lack of respect.
"Hansen, focus on the game!" And as Hansen was falling back on defense, Hollins also shouted at him.
Hansen frowned – Hollins was the type to come down hard inside the team but be meek externally. Guy was targeted and Hollins hadn’t said a word, yet now he started to talk.
Ginobili successfully received the ball this time, attempting his serpentine penetration against Hansen.
However, at Ginobili’s second burst, Hansen timed his reaction perfectly, leaning in and using an explosive counter to knock Ginobili off balance and steal the ball.
The serpentine drive is essentially a European Step, belonging to the same category of moves as the Mysterious Steps, and Hansen, being well-versed in these, knew the best way to defend them.
Hansen’s judgment of the situation was spot-on, and the referee did not blow the whistle. He took control of the ball and pushed it forward on a fast break.
After glancing at the Spurs bench, he chose the right flank for the attack, but this time not as fast as the previous drive.
This slow-down allowed the Spurs retreating defense a chance to catch up, and Neil hustled back to confront Hansen.
Spurs fans erupted in cheers as Neil countered Hansen’s prior arrogance.
West’s fast break through the middle was also kept in check by Green. Hansen crossed half-court, slowing down the pace, and it looked like the Grizzlies’ offensive wave was about to fizzle out without success.
Yet, just at that moment, something unexpected happened.
Hansen, who had been slowing down, suddenly accelerated forward as if to forcefully penetrate past Neil.
Caught off guard and unable to react in time, Neil was struck and pushed out of bounds by Hansen.
Coincidentally not far behind him was Popovich, who had risen from his seat to stand by the scorer’s table.
With the collision, Popovich fell to the ground.
Neil displayed his quick reflexes, turning to give Popovich a hand, but inevitably his knee still made contact with Popovich’s.
The players at the forefront of the bench and the crowd also came over to lend a hand, preventing Popovich from hitting his head on the ground. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦·𝘯𝘦𝘵
Nevertheless, Popovich clutched his knee, his expression one of pain.
The game was forced to stop, and a stretcher was brought onto the scene.
The big LED screen at the venue replayed the moment of the incident – Hansen’s hurried attempt to break free caused the accident.
Popovich was eventually helped onto the stretcher and taken off the court.
The crowd gave Popovich a round of encouraging applause.
Injuries leading to players leaving the game happen from time to time in basketball, but for a head coach to be taken out is extremely rare in the history of the NBA.
With Popovich off the court, Budenholzer, as the lead assistant coach, took over the command.
Both teams gradually switched back to their starters, entering the final decisive moments.
Budenholzer, facing the same issue that Popovich couldn’t solve, couldn’t find an effective strategy either.
He chose one of the two poisons in the end and continued to deploy a zone defense.
Hansen silently praised the future Hawks head coach and the League’s best coach, and then continued to enjoy the moment against the zone defense.
In the final quarter, Hansen scored another 14 points.
Under his leadership, the Grizzlies triumphed over the San Antonio Spurs with a score of 102 to 96, securing the victory.
The post-game statistics showed the Spurs’ highest scorer was Parker, with 30 points and 9 assists, Ginobili with 16 points and 5 assists, and Duncan with 13 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks.