Conley finally nodded.
Although he was a point guard trained by academic principles and had to obey the coach’s instructions, he was not as stubborn as Hollins and was aware of the current situation the team faced.
Even though Hollins held actual authority as a coach, he was still an NBA coach.
If it were an NCAA coach, Guy would never have dared to behave that way, but he dared in front of Hollins, who couldn’t do much about it.
This is the difference, NBA coaches and players essentially have a cooperative relationship.
When the team performs poorly and loses, the coach is the first to be blamed.
Therefore, as long as it worked and could turn the game around, Hollins wouldn’t dare to say much.
They had just finished their "little meeting," and the Thunders had made their substitutions, the referee also signaled them to throw in from the sideline.
Battier threw in the ball, and Conley got the ball; Randolph called for it in the low post, and the Thunders collapsed their defense early, no different from before.
However, on the weak side, an off-ball screen occurred, and Hansen, using a pick from Little Gasol, moved to the free-throw line.
Harden was completely blocked, Conley’s pass got through, and Hansen took the ball and immediately shot from mid-range.
Though it was a tactical adjustment, they had played these tactics before, so it wasn’t unfamiliar to them.
This sudden tactical change caught the Thunders off guard; Ibaka tried to rush up aggressively, but Hansen jumped much higher than he anticipated, making it impossible for him to react in time, and he could only fly past in front of Hansen.
Hansen’s mid-range shot smoothly went in.
The stadium immediately erupted into overwhelming cheers.
This was, after all, the Grizzlies’ first field goal in over five minutes since the start of the game!
Hollins stood up, his gaze towards Hansen retreating on defense was full of inquiry.
Hansen pretended not to see it.
Hollins then turned his gaze to Conley, who at that moment was genuinely focused on Westbrook and didn’t see him.
Hollins felt his authority was being challenged, but he couldn’t find an outlet.
Moreover, at this moment, the Memphis fans began chanting defensive slogans, and the Grizzlies’ momentum started picking up again.
At this time, someone on the bench was covering their mouth and snickering.
Although Guy couldn’t play, being in his recovery period, he naturally went with the team.
In his view, Hollins’ so-called obedience was actually a joke; he might be slow-minded, but he knew that a coach’s authority was built on winning games, not through coercion.
The Thunders continued to exploit Durant, and Durant once again got past Battier.
But this time, Battier desperately hustled back, using a face-guarding defense to disrupt Durant’s stop-and-shoot, causing the basketball to go off the rim.
Randolph grabbed the defensive rebound, and Conley pushed the ball up to the frontcourt before settling into position.
This time the ball went first to Randolph, who seemed to be preparing for an iso-play but was actually observing the defense. Get full chapters from 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
Seeing Ibaka move to help, he decisively swung the ball towards the free-throw line where Hansen, having just used Little Gasol’s screen, found himself open.
Poor Harden was again solidly blocked by Little Gasol, his lateral movement already weak, had no answer for such solid picks by bigger players.
However, Ibaka was prepared this time and quickly lunged towards Hansen.
Hansen performed a mid-range shot fake to lift Ibaka.
It wasn’t that Ibaka was jumpy, but Hansen had jumped so high on his previous mid-range shot that Ibaka couldn’t react in time.
But Ibaka was also skilled; although he jumped, he didn’t commit fully, and upon seeing Hansen gather the ball to drive, he quickly turned to help.
But Hansen was much faster than he anticipated, scoring a layup before Ibaka could block it and before Perkins could retreat to protect the basket.
The arena was instantly filled with the fans’ cheers.
This scene was actually not unfamiliar to them; the Grizzlies had played the Spurs in exactly the same way before.
"Lionel Hollins has made the right choice!" Barkley exclaimed from the commentator’s booth, affirming his own foresight.
However, when the camera focused on Hollins, he was sitting at the sidelines with a face turning red.
The play on the court wasn’t what he had planned before the game, but the team was closing the point gap and he couldn’t call a timeout.
Simply put, although he was a veteran coach for the Grizzlies, his prestige in the League wasn’t enough.
If it were Jerry Sloan or Popovich, coaches of such caliber, they could substitute a player not following directions instantly.
Or to put it another way, Hollins couldn’t do without the Grizzlies.
If he were fired for losing, finding another head coach job wouldn’t be easy.
Hollins was still sitting with a reddened face on the sideline, but Brooks was already getting restless.
He had subbed in Harden to generate a fast-break surge; now, Brooks ironically found Harden being exploited due to on-court defensive matchups and Hansen counteracting with their own run.
He stood up and shouted some instructions to Harden.
As the Thunders advanced to the frontcourt, Harden made new tactical signals.
On the other side, Durant and Ibaka executed an off-ball screen and Durant received the ball and shot immediately.
Durant’s shot, disturbed by Little Gasol, missed, and Randolph secured the defensive rebound underneath the basket and then passed it to Conley.
Conley instinctively looked for Hansen, the fast-break expert, but realized Hansen was not initiating a fast break.
Even when noticing Conley looking at him, Hansen gestured to slow down.
Although he had discussed tactical changes during their "little meeting," it didn’t mean they were to overturn the Grizzlies’ style of play; they still needed to ensure success in set plays, which was an advantage for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies’ choice foiled Brooks’ plan, but then Westbrook took the initiative to switch defense with Harden.