Wade saw the opportunity and decisively drove through, before passing the ball to James on the outside.
Hansen knew it was too late to fall back on defense.
James got the best shooting opportunity of the night.
Thanks to the distraction provided by his superstar teammates, this season James had more open three-point opportunities than at any point in his career, leading to his highest three-point shooting percentage.
Seeing that he couldn’t catch up, Hansen stopped his attempt to defend and gestured "please" to James.
This scene left Haddadi stunned in the audience, as this was a move he had performed during the Jinmen Asian Championships!
James, who was already going for the shot, forcibly pulled back upon seeing this.
Then, the following move by Hansen sent the crowd into a frenzy.
After the gesture, Hansen didn’t bother with James anymore and turned around to prepare for the rebound.
The contrasting actions of the two, especially as they were in the same frame, made a stark and strong comparison.
You have to understand, if James had made that three-pointer after such a move by Hansen, it would’ve made Hansen’s gesture look quite ridiculous.
James... drove inward.
He didn’t dare, because he knew if he took the shot and missed, Hansen’s move would certainly be a hot topic after the game.
Seeing James’s decision, Haslem, on the Heat’s side of the court, looked disappointed.
He knew that all his words of encouragement ultimately fell on deaf ears; basketball is a sport that is all about who dares more, and those who flinch first are doomed to fail.
After James’s drive, Hansen had already turned back around.
This is what it means to understand a former teammate.
Varejao also used to hesitate to shoot—what kind of leader produces what kind of follower!
After the collision between James and Hansen, Hansen stumbled backward out of bounds, and the referee’s whistle signaled an offensive foul on James.
When Randolph and Conley helped Hansen up from the ground, he was smiling.
There has always been a saying that if Hansen hadn’t been injured last season, the Cavaliers could have won the championship.
But Hansen knew before, and was even more certain now, that the likelihood was small.
Because James , if he had made the finals, would truly be torn apart by Kobe.
So it was a stroke of luck for the Cavaliers that they didn’t make the finals, sparing James the 23 vs. 24 matchup.
One hesitant shot, one offensive foul—these might not seem like much in the long 48 minutes of a game.
But more important than what shows up on the stat sheet is the impact it has on the momentum of both teams.
Like two armies at war, if you, as the main or at least secondary commander, show fear in front of your enemy, can your troops truly charge forward without hesitation?
The Grizzlies went on a run in the second half of the second quarter, and by halftime, the score was 51 to 36, a solid 15-point lead for the Grizzlies at home.
The teams came back from the halftime break, and James made himself invisible on the court, even passing the ball back to Wade or someone else when he did get it.
With Wade charging again and again, the Heat managed to keep the gap from widening too much.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Spoelstra took James out of the game.
But the Heat didn’t close the gap as they had during the season opener, because as Wade’s energy reserves diminished, so did his efficiency.
Like the opener, once a team like the Grizzlies gained a lead, it became very difficult for the opposition to close the gap.
At the end of the third quarter, the Grizzlies were still leading by 15.
The final quarter saw no significant change in the gap, and Spoelstra decided to pull his starters and concede the game early.
With two minutes left in the game, James left the court early.
As he passed through the tunnel, a playful photographer cast the scene onto the arena’s LED screens.
A chorus of boos rang through the crowd.
James was not only a coward tonight but also a deserter. This update ıs available on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲·𝗻𝗲𝘁
Hansen looked up at that moment and noticed James was not leaving alone; the Heat’s team doctor was at his side.
He wasn’t surprised to see losing players head to the tunnel postgame, but it was quite novel to see the team doctor following along.
In the end, the Grizzlies comfortably beat the Heat at home with a score of 105 to 89.
In the postgame stats, the Heat’s Wade had 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, Bosh 19 points, 7 rebounds, James Jones 16 points, and James 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists.
For the Grizzlies, Hansen had 29 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, Randolph 17 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists (his first triple-double), Conley 15 points, 5 assists, and Jordan Crawford 13 points.
After the game, Hansen and Randolph attended the postgame press conference together.
"We became the first team in the League to beat the Heat twice this season after this win, how did you do it?" the reporters first asked Hollins.
"We did everything we could. We all know what kind of team we were up against, and fortunately, we won both games," he responded.
Hansen couldn’t help but frown; they hadn’t played to the deciding moments in either game, so why be so humble?
"Han, how would you rate Zack’s performance tonight?" a reporter then asked Hansen.
"I’ve said before that Zack is an All-Star player, he can do everything as a big man, and I’m very glad we have him."
Even though the All-Star Game had already passed, Hansen was already starting his campaign for Randolph’s selection next year.
"What does beating the Heat twice mean to you?" another reporter asked Hansen a similar question.