After exchanging a smile with Budenholzer, Hansen turned and headed back to the Grizzlies’ half.
"What’d you just go do?" asked Guy, dressed in his suit, curiously as Hansen returned to the bench.
"Nothing much, just gave him a piece of advice."
"You tried to intimidate him? Aren’t you afraid he’ll mess with you?"
"How can you be so sure he won’t dare?"
Guy’s words genuinely left Hansen at a loss for words.
Sometimes simplicity can provoke deep reflection.
"That should be interesting then," Hansen said with a smile.
The G1 game went without any surprises, with the Grizzlies defeating the San Antonio Spurs 101 to 93 to take the lead.
Randolph wreaked havoc in the low post, while Hansen also frequently scored from mid-range.
As it turned out, the idea of "jinxing" things was just as much a stereotype as the "Most Improved Player" award Hansen had known about before.
If you could win games by jinxing, then why would you need to practice basketball skills?
However, it was true that Duncan didn’t perform well.
Hansen’s words before the game were pure jinxing; Duncan was troubled by plantar fasciitis this season, which was the worst performance of his career.
With an average of 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game in the regular season, there was no way that performance would earn MVP votes.
Especially since his injury had worsened toward the end of the season; otherwise, the Spurs wouldn’t have gone six games with the Hornets in the first round.
Popovich was also intimidated by Hansen’s words and didn’t dare do anything out of line in the game.
But he caused quite a stir at the post-game press conference.
Since Hansen’s actions before the game were quite unusual, reporters asked about Hansen’s exchange with Popovich.
"He told me he did it on purpose," Popovich’s words instantly caused an uproar.
To know that Hansen had previously been accused of deliberately injuring Popovich, and now he even brazenly boasted to others, was completely outrageous!
When it came time for the Grizzlies’ press conference, Hansen suddenly became the target of everyone.
As for this outcome, Hansen was prepared.
The Spurs, or even the Americans, have a characteristic: when they are in a position of advantage, they behave very generously, but once they are at a disadvantage, any semblance of grace doesn’t exist at all.
See Pan Zhanle’s debut, American meltdown compilation.
"Did he really say that?" So when the reporters asked Hansen about it, he looked incredulous.
"You know, Popovich is a legend in the League, one of the coaches I respect most. I went to apologize to him before the game, although it was an inadvertent act on my part, I’ve always felt guilty for causing such a serious injury."
Hansen spoke these words with genuine emotion, which moved the reporters.
"But if he really thinks I did it on purpose, I guess my explanation is pointless, after all, I’m just a young player."
This set of moves left the reporters a bit confused.
Because Hansen seemed like the one who was wronged.
Especially since the Spurs had just lost the game, Popovich’s words sounded like a sore loser.
Thus, after G1, some people tried to find the video of the game, trying to read Hansen’s lips to see what he had really said.
However, due to the limited camera positions of that era and the lack of short video platforms and not many people into recording videos with their phones, it was impossible to find a frontal image of Hansen speaking.
As a result, there were conflicting statements with no way to verify the truth.
But in the eyes of the Spurs fans, they were one hundred percent certain that what Popovich said was true.
In their eyes, Popovich was as important a totem to the Spurs as Duncan, the helmsman of the Spurs Dynasty.
How could he possibly tarnish his reputation by slandering a young player?
Moreover, they already believed that Hansen had done it on purpose in the first place.
So, as the G2 game between the Grizzlies and the Spurs was about to start, the stands were filled with many signs of "cordial greetings" for Hansen.
The most common was the same "Fxck Hansen" they had seen earlier at the hotel.
During the pre-game warmups, Popovich gathered his Spurs together.
Then, with an angry tone, he commanded his players:
"Knock the stuffing out of them!"
It’s an American slang phrase, meaning to beat them harshly.
Hansen’s shameless attitude at the press conference had successfully angered him.
After the warmups, the venue entered the opening ceremony.
There were boos all over the place when Hansen entered the court.
Because he noticed that his antifan score hadn’t increased by much.
What’s the matter with you Spurs fans, only booing and not being more hostile?
Is it that Popovich doesn’t carry enough weight in your hearts, or did my image grow too towering after I finished with the Thunders? ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both sides were announced.
Grizzlies: Conley, Tony Allen, Hansen, Randolph, Little Gasol
San Antonio Spurs: Parker, Manu Ginobili, Jefferson, Antony McDyess, Duncan
In G1, Popovich used a starting combination of Blair and Hill, finding it ineffective, he adjusted the starting lineup.
Little Gasol won the tip-off against Duncan, giving the Grizzlies the first opportunity to attack.
Randolph tried a move in the low post, eventually overpowering McDyess to score the basket.
So, did Hansen really praise Randolph in the post-game interview before?
For a frontline player, stability is the most important aspect, which is also the main reason why Duncan is recognized as the greatest power forward in history.