This time he had moved to the 45° angle instead of standing at the top of the arc to prevent Paul from going over and interfering.
Hansen continued to pick and roll with Randolph, and he continued his quick drives.
This time the Lakers didn’t dare to double-team, and Kobe on the weak side was restrained by Battier, unable to help.
Hansen directly went past Okafor with a close-up change of direction, then sprang up like a spring, scoring with a soaring one-handed slam dunk.
This moment ignited the FedEx Forum.
"The Lakers are in trouble, they’ve got trouble!" O’Neal shouted, seeming worried but unable to suppress the smirk at the corner of his mouth.
The Grizzlies had narrowed the gap to just one point.
With Randolph coming off the bench, the Grizzlies started to catch up!
At this time, Kobe was in the frontcourt, posting up, waiting for Paul to pass him the ball before going one-on-one with Battier.
After the back-to-the-basket and continuous shoulder fakes, along with spin moves and stepbacks, Kobe’s solo play was an art.
Hansen couldn’t help but take an extra look; although his mid-range ability was not weak, there was still a significant gap in footwork and skills compared to Kobe.
This summer he still had room for improvement, at least in terms of footwork.
Battier lunged forward, with his trademark hand-in-the-face defense.
This scene had played out countless times in the past, and Kobe was already accustomed to Battier’s defense.
However, this time his luck was off, and the ball bounced off the front of the rim and out, with Randolph securing the rebound.
Turning back, Hansen continued to play pick and roll with Randolph.
This time Barnes stepped up to help defend, and Hansen knocked the ball to Randolph, who took a mid-range shot before Barnes could recover.
The shot was like a knife in one smooth motion.
After finding his rhythm, Randolph began to taste like a potent weapon in the paint.
The Grizzlies unleashed a 7-0 counterattack to even the score!
Kobe received the ball again, and this time he chose to drive hard inside, beating Battier and drawing a foul from Randolph as he attacked the basket.
Randolph’s foul was a bit excessive, almost leading to a confrontation with Kobe.
At this moment, Hansen went over to hold back Randolph, calming his emotions.
They were in the midst of a comeback.
After the conflict subsided, Kobe went to the free throw line.
The arena was filled with boos.
Kobe was unfazed, sinking both free throws, and helping the Lakers regain the lead.
Conley advanced the ball and handed it off to Hansen, as the familiar chants of the Grizzlies’ fans began to echo in the arena.
Hansen and Randolph played pick and roll again, but this time there was a variation.
Previously, after the pick and roll Randolph would pop out, Hansen would drive in.
But this time, after the pick, Hansen retreated and moved out, drawing Barnes to help on the outside. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩
However, in the next second, Hansen seized the gap and sent a leading bounce pass to Randolph who was cutting inside.
Randolph received the pass and accelerated, facing up against the help defense of Big Gasol with a strong floater.
Due to the recent scuffle, Big Gasol’s defensive move was also a bit aggressive, bumping directly into Randolph.
The referee’s whistle blew, and Randolph’s off-balance shot missed the basket.
The next second, Randolph sprang to his feet from the floor.
Just as everyone thought he was going to confront Big Gasol, he instead forcefully tapped his head and walked straight to the free-throw line.
He had managed to control his emotions.
Moreover, after adjusting his breathing, he made both free throws with stability.
Though he had just come off the bench, in three minutes he had already scored 7 points.
Delaying Randolph’s return had paid off for the Grizzlies.
Of course, what was more important was the chemistry that had developed between Hansen and Randolph, something that hadn’t existed last season or even at the beginning of this one.
"They are a poisonous combo!" O’Neal couldn’t care less about his persona and openly started handing out nicknames.
"They’re like two cups of poison, whichever one the Lakers choose, there’s no remedy!"