With about 10 minutes into the first quarter, the score on the court was tied at 24 each.
Durant scored 15 points for the quarter, in comparison, Hansen had 14 points.
This quarter was a scoring exhibition between the two.
Of course, for Oklahoma City fans, this scene was astonishing.
As Durant continued to reign as the Scoring King this season, he surpassed Anthony and moved into the top five of the League.
But now Hansen could go toe to toe with him, how could that not be surprising?
At this moment, both sides went into rotation, and Hansen was also substituted for a rest.
When he went off the court, he sat there catching his breath and recovering.
The intensity of tonight’s game was the highest of the series, especially since Randolph was restricted in receiving the ball, forcing him to take on more ball-handling attacks, which further exhausted him physically.
It was during these two minutes of rest that the game took a sudden turn.
The Grizzlies’ bench strength was mediocre to begin with, while the Thunders had an advantage because Harden, coming off the bench, had always provided strength.
Tonight, Harden’s drives and passes brought out the best sixth-man performance, and by the end of the first quarter, the Thunders were leading 30 to 24.
In a 48-minute game, you must be prepared for 48 minutes of detail.
This was another major reason why the Heat’s performance didn’t meet expectations this season.
The Big Three’s model limited the depth of role players, and since the trio couldn’t take advantage in the starting period, they often fell behind and had to catch up.
At such times, there was only one solution: extend the playing time of the Big Three.
After resting for two minutes, Hansen had no choice but to suit up again at the start of the second quarter.
Joining him on the court was Little Gasol.
Little Gasol had performed outstandingly in this playoff series, but a bigger reason was that, like Haddadi and Crawford, there was not much room for them in games at this level.
In the first play after coming back, Hansen received a pass from Little Gasol and cut into a layup for the score.
Harden, seeing Hansen guarding him, didn’t go for a strong attack but instead orchestrated a play.
Westbrook’s pick-and-roll cut-in was met with a block from Little Gasol.
Due to Randolph, Little Gasol’s presence on the Grizzlies was low-key, but his role was equally irreplaceable.
Heading back, Hansen reciprocated, assisting Little Gasol in a strong attack under the basket, stabilizing the situation on the court for the Grizzlies.
When the main players returned, both teams were once again tied. Content orıginally comes from 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
After a sufficient rest, Randolph found his rhythm in the low post, scoring consecutively.
Westbrook, who had not performed well for the Thunders, also found his groove, igniting the home crowd’s emotions with a steal and ferocious dunk on the fast break.
At the end of the half, both teams were tied at 58.
The intensity of the game was more than a division final—it even felt like the level of the Finals.
Hansen scored 22 points in the first half, setting a new personal playoff record for points scored in half a game.
But to achieve this in such an intense game came at a high cost—his physical energy was significantly drained.
During the half-time break, he truly allowed his body to rest completely.
In the second half, Hansen and Durant both started playing more conservatively, holding back.
Obviously, in such an intense game, high-energy personal offense would result in only one thing, exhaustion at the last moment and failing to make shots.
Both sides were evenly matched tonight; both players wanted to conserve energy for the final moments.
The third quarter saw more of a showdown between Randolph and Westbrook.
Randolph’s performance was clearly superior to Westbrook’s, but when Brooks substituted Harden in, the situation was reversed again.
The camera then cut to Guy, dressed in a suit, on the sidelines.
The impact of Guy’s absence was highlighted in this evenly balanced matchup.
At the end of the third quarter, the Thunders were leading the Grizzlies 82 to 75.
After resting for two minutes, Hansen had to go back on at the start of the fourth quarter.
This allowed the Grizzlies to catch up again, but the price was that Hansen’s energy was rapidly draining.
And because of the situation in the game, he couldn’t rest this quarter.
With 7 minutes left in the game, the score was tied again at 86.
Durant, now well-rested, then suited up and came on.
Upon his arrival, he hit a pull-up three from downtown, followed by a drive that drew a foul.
With 5 minutes left in the game, the Thunders once again took a lead over the Grizzlies, 93 to 88.
By this time, Hansen was drenched in sweat.
Under Joerger’s advice, Hollins called a long timeout, giving Hansen a moment to catch his breath.
Hansen sat on the bench, took a towel passed by a ball boy, wiped off a bunch of sweat, then took a big swig from the water Haddadi handed him.
After taking a long breath, he lifted his eyes to check the score on the timer.
From the pre-game pep talk he had given his teammates, he was the one on the Grizzlies who was most mentally prepared for the intensity of the game.
But no amount of mental preparation could avoid dealing with the present challenges.
The Thunders, a Western Conference Finals-caliber team, were the towering peak before him.
And Durant, the one with even greater talent.
Guy’s absence, Hollins’ stubbornness—it all seemed like Hansen’s fated challenge.
No one would blame him because he had done all he could.
Who would reproach a second-year player who was arm-wrestling with the top five in the League?
Voices whispering "you’ve done your best" seemed to echo in his ears, but Hansen’s eyes gradually became determined.
There’s no such thing as a noble defeat in competitive sports—only the victory of the victor.