In the final 10 seconds, the Thunders took the lead, 103 to 102.
Hollins extended his hand and called for a time-out, the last one in overtime.
"I deserve it more than you!"
As Westbrook passed by the Grizzlies bench, walking off the court, he shouted at Hansen.
That’s right, he was talking about the Most Improved Player award.
The Thunders’ record was better than the Grizzlies’, his stats were more well-rounded compared to Hansen’s, plus he was signed with Nike; he should be the one getting that prize.
In the quest for stats and honors, James was the top guy, and he was number two.
This also explained why his desire to win was so intense tonight.
"It’s my fault." Conley, coming off the court, was full of self-blame.
If not for his turnover, if he had managed to get the ball securely to Hansen, he believed Hansen could have ended the game tonight.
"It’s okay," Hansen said with a smile.
"I shouldn’t have fouled, I was so stupid," Conley continued to reproach himself.
Without the foul, at most it would have been a tie, but at that time, his brain had been a blank.
"At least we still have 10 seconds, we can inbound from the frontcourt, there’s still a chance," Hansen reassured him, patting Conley’s head.
Conley was being told not to foul during the defense, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
Conley nodded, thankful that they were only behind by one point and not three. If they had been three points down, especially right after Hansen had made a game-tying three-pointer in regular time, the Thunders would have certainly limited his outside shooting.
After the time-out, Battier replaced Allen once more.
There were no seated fans left in the arena.
Although the Grizzlies had won G1, breaking the curse of not winning, that was still on the visiting court; they hadn’t broken through at their home court yet.
The Grizzlies inbounded the ball at the frontcourt, and unlike regular play due to the frontcourt sideline play, Hansen took the ball directly after using a screen. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
The rest of the Grizzlies cleared out in an instant. Seferosa at the corner wanted to come over and help defend but was driven back by a single-handed passing motion from Hansen.
The G1 Thunders had been killed by Battier’s key three-pointer, and they didn’t want to see that script play out a second time.
Little Gasol started to move toward the three-point line; compared to Randolph, his advantage lay not just in solid pick-and-rolls but also in superior mobility.
After setting the pick, he quickly moved under the basket.
The Thunders dared not switch, because with a one-point lead, Little Gasol’s cut to the basket could also end the game.
Considering Durant’s energy was flagging, this was not good for the Thunders.
The value of Hansen’s pass to Battier in G1 was still climbing.
Westbrook was fast, circling around Little Gasol to close down on Hansen.
But what he didn’t anticipate was, before he could get there, Hansen had once again chosen to shoot a three-pointer!
Down by one point, Hansen opted for a three—surprising, even more so than Durant’s earlier shot, but definitely a chance.
Although three-point shots have a lower success rate compared to two-pointers, at times , driving in for two would certainly meet intense defense, so the odds were not any better than the open three-point shot he had now.
Forget about Durant; Hansen was also quite spent, and with a chance to finish the game, he had to seize it.
Hansen got his shot off before Westbrook’s interference arrived.
The fans in the arena held their breath all at once.
Hansen’s decision wasn’t wrong, but it was a bold choice, because with a two-pointer there was a chance to draw a foul, but a three-pointer was purely about touch.
Yet, Hansen had already made a miraculous three-pointer at the end of regular time, could he do it again?
Hansen’s shot looked rhythmic.
The pause before had allowed him to regain some energy, and the defensive pressure he faced now was far less than the shot in regular time.
Down below, Randolph and Little Gasol fighting for position were ready to rebound if Hansen’s shot missed.
But Perkins and Ibaka were using all their efforts to hold their ground, intent on denying them the chance to grab the rebound.
The basketball spun toward the hoop, reaching its peak before starting to fall.
Barkley couldn’t help but exclaim prematurely.
That was followed by the crisp sound of the net.
Hansen’s crucial three-pointer went in again!
After the ball went in, Hansen turned to a belated Westbrook and spread his hands:
"What did you just say?"
The FedEx Forum erupted in an instant.
The Grizzlies bench exploded, too, even Joerger excitedly hugged Tois next to him, yelling loudly.
A game-tying three-pointer in regular time, a game-winning three-pointer in overtime.
Hansen didn’t just kill the Thunders, he killed the Thunders twice!