Two days later, the Grizzlies and Spurs moved the battle to Memphis to continue the playoff series.
The outcome of the game was somewhat unexpected, as the Spurs won on the road with a score of 110 to 103.
It wasn’t that Hansen or Randolph were off their game—that much was clear from the Grizzlies’ scoring.
After the first two games of the series, Duncan’s performance had been quite ordinary, hindered by plantar fasciitis.
But that night, he changed his style of play right from the start, demanding the ball for strong post-up plays, and quickly caused Little Gasol to commit defensive fouls.
After that, he seized on the fact that Little Gasol was playing defense with caution due to his fouls, relentlessly attacking the inside with no regard for himself.
Of course, the plantar fasciitis that had plagued Duncan all season couldn’t possibly recover in just two days, but from some snapshots of the game, you could see in Duncan’s eyes that overflowing desire to win.
As a veteran who had battled in the league for many years, he knew all too well what being down 0 to 3 meant; no team in NBA history had ever come back from 0 to 3.
So, this was actually a desperate situation for the Spurs; they would be out of the playoffs if they lost, but winning would give them a glimmer of hope.
In the end, with his 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 assists, Duncan led the Spurs to change the overall score to 2 to 1.
Such a performance in Duncan’s prime wouldn’t be noteworthy, but producing it while injured was still quite moving.
"TD’s got a superstar button inside him, although it’s a bit rusty, as long as he pushes himself to the limit, he can still press it," Hansen acknowledged Duncan’s performance after the game.
"Do you think that switch will change the situation?"
"No, we will stop him from pressing it a second time."
Hansen spoke diplomatically, but everyone knew that Duncan couldn’t replicate that performance again.
Duncan’s performance in Game 3 was magnificent, just like his career, but unless something unexpected happens, the Grizzlies are still likely to be the team advancing in the series.
That same day, the Mavericks completed a 4 to 0 sweep of the Lakers, stunning the league.
Hansen’s account was richer by 2 million US Dollars, courtesy of those who honored their bets.
Of course, beyond that, he also received a brand new Ferrari, a gift from O’Neal.
In the series between the Lakers and Mavericks, the main stars were Nowitzki and Kobe, but O’Neal, now a substitute, gleefully took the chance to eliminate—no, to sweep Kobe for once.
But the car also made Hansen realize that if the Grizzlies got past the Spurs, he would be facing O’Neal and West in the Western Conference Finals.
May 9th, FedEx Forum.
The arena with capacity for over 18,000 people was filled to the last seat, plastered with numerous conspicuous signs saying "Fxck Popovich."
These signs had already appeared during Game 3.
If Hansen enjoyed certain treatment in San Antonio, then the Grizzlies’ fans in Memphis naturally intended to pay it back double.
As for the Spurs winning one game, it was of no consequence. After all, everyone was clear about what condition Duncan’s body was in at this point in the series.
Following the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both teams were announced.
Spurs: Parker, Manu Ginobili, Jefferson, McDyess, Duncan
Grizzlies: Conley, Hansen, Battier, Randolph, Little Gasol
McDyess won the tip-off for the Spurs.
At the start of the game, Duncan didn’t post up like in the previous game; he and Parker ran the regular pick and roll.
The Grizzlies chose to collapse inside, Parker passed the ball back to Duncan, whose mid-range bank shot was off the mark.
In response, the Grizzlies didn’t play through Randolph at the start either; they let Hansen run off the ball for a mid-range shot.
At this point in the series, or rather against the Spurs, Hansen’s mid-range touch directly served as the Grizzlies’ barometer.
If he was off, even with Duncan not at his best, both teams could only achieve a fifty-fifty situation.
But once he caught fire, the Grizzlies could gain the upper hand.
Hansen’s mid-range jumper was swift and decisive, instantly sending the FedEx Forum into a frenzy.
Today was a clear day.
About five minutes into the game, the score was 10 to 4, with the Grizzlies leading.
Although it was only five minutes in, it was pretty much confirmed what Hansen had said before: the current Duncan couldn’t replicate the Game 3 performance.
And Randolph wasn’t shooting particularly well that evening either.
That was to be expected; Randolph was consistent, but you couldn’t expect him to perform like a machine.
Luckily, Hansen was red-hot tonight. He blew past Jefferson for another quick stop and hit the mid-range shot, helping the Grizzlies increase the lead.
The current Jefferson truly couldn’t defend Hansen; a mismatch was practically a giveaway.
Popovich called a timeout, and after the break, the Spurs subbed in Blair for McDyess.
Right after the timeout, Randolph and Blair had a confrontation under the basket and were warned by the referee’s whistle.
Two plays later, Randolph landed an elbow that floored Blair, resulting in an offensive foul called by the referees. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩
The replay showed Blair had made a small move by grabbing Randolph’s arm first.
Hansen glanced at Popovich and immediately understood what was happening.
On the way back on defense, he pulled Randolph aside:
"Zack, they know they’re about to lose, so they’re trying to provoke you to break the status quo. Stay calm, we’re about to win."