Was defeating the Thunders enough?
Even though the Thunders were strong, what they had won was just the first round.
Hansen knew that to take his team far enough, advancing to the semi-finals in the division was nowhere near enough.
After the press conference ended, Hansen drove Swift for a ride.
Oklahoma City was no port city, but it had a mild climate all year round, which made it an ideal place for a drive at night.
Plus, he was in an exceptionally good mood, not only because the team had moved on to the next round but also because he dunked so many baskets that evening. His "All Dunk Package Excluding the Tomahawk" had finally reached its limit!
It was a double celebration, leaving him feeling refreshed and invigorated.
This time, Hansen wasn’t driving Swift’s car but a convertible Rondo had rented for him.
While cruising, Swift rested her hands on the seat, looking quietly outside—a rarity for her.
"Running out of inspiration for your songs?" Hansen could guess as much since he had heard Swift talking about writing a single before, but there was no outcome yet.
"I don’t really feel like writing, but you can’t stop people who like you from urging you," Swift said with a smile.
She had just finished a world tour last summer, and in March, she had released a new single, "Mean," which was diligent for a singer.
But that’s how it is with popular singers—the constant demands from fans for new songs are relentless, much like readers pestering for updates.
However, just as Swift said, their nagging comes from their affection for you, which was precisely why it troubled her.
She could ignore the haters, but she cared about her fans.
"Actually, I could give you some inspiration," Hansen said as he slowed down at a traffic light.
But after saying that, the two of them looked at each other and were momentarily stunned.
"I didn’t mean it that way," Hansen explained.
As a transmigrator, he still retained some memories about music, especially since he had purchased a QQ Music subscription for Swift.
Copying someone else’s song is not ethical, but giving Swift her own song back isn’t copying, right?
"Han," Swift called out to him while he was lost in thought.
Hansen stopped the car, turned his head, and Swift hooked his neck for a deep kiss.
After the kiss, she rested her forehead against Hansen’s: "I know you want to help me, but I’ll handle it myself."
Her reaction was quite genuine; after all, asking a basketball player to help with songwriting?
That just sounded typically unreliable.
Hansen was also belatedly aware and didn’t bring it up again; after all, if he did provide a song, Swift would probably think he had copied it from somewhere.
Those scenarios where plagiarists aren’t suspected only exist in novels.
After they finished cruising around, the two went to a hotel.
Swift was still showering, and Hansen was already suggesting they shower together.
"Aren’t you tired?" Swift couldn’t understand.
She had sat courtside and watched Hansen play the entire game, which was of the highest intensity of any she had seen. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚫𝙣𝙚𝙩
Not to mention, Hansen was the main offensive player that night. It wasn’t just Hansen—she felt exhausted just watching.
"Did you know? The bathroom is one of the places where inspiration is most likely to strike," Hansen pulled out an absurd justification as he closed the glass door behind him.
When Swift found herself helplessly pressed against the glass, her mind was filled with the image of Hansen dunking over Westbrook with one hand holding the ball.
The endless energy of an athlete...
When Hansen woke up the next day, the first thing he did was to check the message from Thomas.
The first generation of HS terminator shoes had sold out overnight.
After playing such a thrilling Game 7 and winning Memphis the first round of the playoffs in franchise history, Hansen’s popularity had exploded.
This wave of effect perfectly illustrated the saying: If you are gold, even if you are thrown into a trash heap, you will still be discovered.
Swift, who had been overworked the night before, was still sound asleep. Hansen got out of bed, picked up a cigar and lighter from the nightstand, and went out to the balcony.
Before, due to the tense situation, he had been on edge. After one night, he finally relaxed.
He sat on the balcony, lit the cigar, and began to pay attention to the League’s dynamics.
Of course, his primary concern was the progress of the playoffs.
While the Grizzlies and the Thunders were battling it out in Game 7, other match-ups in the League had already finished their first game.
The Hawks continued their upset streak, defeating the Bulls 103 to 95, looking to go dark horse all the way.
The Heat beat the Celtics 99 to 90 in a game more one-sided than the score suggested, as the Heat had a 14-point lead before the fourth quarter.
Wade scored 38 points, James Jones got 25, James contributed 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Bosh added 7 points and 12 rebounds.
Hansen specifically looked for the game highlights and noticed a significant change in the Heat Team, so much so it could be considered a qualitative change.
In previous games, Spoelstra had made adjustments on the offense, trying to get the Heat Team to play better in set pieces.
But after realizing that wasn’t working, he completely switched gears and started from defense.
He restored Joel Anthony to the starting center position and began using various zone defenses, maximizing the defensive coverage abilities of Wade and James, and relying on high-intensity defense to gain the upper hand from the start.
Spoelstra indeed had some tricks up his sleeve, but his tactics weren’t new.
They were used by Coach K with the Dream Team, and the renowned Redeem Team revived the Dream Team to the pinnacle of the world with this same strategy.