Paul almost missed Hansen’s name!
After all, Hansen was just a player who averaged 23 points per game, which was a gap compared to the other three.
The Grizzlies arrived in Los Angeles the day before the game.
They heard the news right after getting off the plane.
"This guy always talks trash!" Guy looked really angry.
In the first round of game two, Hansen’s words made them understand the purpose of his sacrifice, and it had proven to be an effective one.
Without any exaggeration, had it not been for Hansen’s sacrifice, they wouldn’t have won G2, and as Stan predicted, they would still be fiercely battling the Mavericks, heading straight for a game seven.
As a result, Paul attacked Hansen for that, and no one asked if Hansen’s votes had increased!
Moreover, Hansen’s 51 points against the Mavericks in the first round had already said everything.
You, James and Durant, had such great regular-season stats; why can’t you play like that in the playoffs? Is it because you don’t want to?
"If I want, I could be the Scoring King every season."
Guy was about to bring up the big talk that James had back in Cleveland.
"Han, you shoot more, and let’s slap them hard in the playoffs." The more Guy thought about it, the angrier he became.
In fact, they all understood that Hansen was the one who "could improve his stats if he wanted to."
"What did you just say?" Hansen turned his head and asked Guy at this moment.
"I said we should create more scoring opportunities for you." Guy thought Hansen hadn’t heard him clearly.
"No, the sentence before that."
"Why is CP3’s mouth always so foul?" Guy scratched his head, a bit confused about what Hansen was getting at.
"You’re right," Hansen nodded.
Although Paul shared many similarities with James, he wasn’t particularly known for talking big.
"He wants me to fall into playing solo," Hansen said with a laugh.
Why did he understand this immediately? Not only because Paul wasn’t the kind to talk big, but also because this was a tactic he often used.
Especially against Durant; it worked time and again.
"They are scared of us." Seeing that Guy still didn’t understand, Hansen added.
Paul didn’t have the Anti-Fans System like him, to do so for the sake of anti-fan values.
Now Guy slapped his head, realizing it.
Using this tactic, Paul wasn’t necessarily scared, but he was indeed wary of them.
The next evening, Staples Center, the venue was packed.
When Hansen walked out of the player’s tunnel, the camera focused on him immediately, and booing erupted in the arena.
Starting from his rookie years when he claimed Kobe was not the "best in the league", to later attacking Griffin, Hansen had pinched the flesh of LA fans both ways, and he deserved the boos.
Hansen also enjoyed the anti-fan values contributed by the fans in Los Angeles.
Now, he still got booed when playing at North Shore Garden Arena, but he couldn’t get much anti-fan value.
It still had to be Los Angeles, this city of fashion, where the audience that came to the games each night was always different.
The players began their pre-game warm-ups, and at the commentator’s desk, TNT’s The Big Three started their coverage.
The NBA’s regular season and playoffs broadcasting rights are sold separately; TNT had the contract for the playoffs from the second round to the Finals.
This was why many fans couldn’t see The Big Three’s commentary during the regular season and the first round of playoffs.
The easiest topic for warming up the audience naturally was "Who do you favor tonight?"
"Trust me, buddy, the Grizzlies will definitely win tonight’s game. They eliminated the defending champions 4-1. They are severely underestimated!" This time Barkley didn’t let O’Neal steal his lines.
And this also fit his usual role on TNT, where Barkley was famous for being contrarian.
Whomever the public favored, he would go against them; if right, he would be dramatically acclaimed, and if wrong, he could still gain attention by undergoing punishments.
This was like Hansen, either way, he won.
"Although the Grizzlies did great in the first round, I still have to say, the Lakers will be tonight’s winners," O’Neal said with a squeezed-out smile, looking "happy."
In his career on TNT, Barkley still carried more weight, so O’Neal, the newcomer, continued playing his previous role.
"Shaq, didn’t you previously say the Grizzlies are the champions?" Of course, the act had to be complete, and Barkley immediately asked with a smile. Newest update provıded by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾·𝗇𝖾𝗍
"The playoffs are different from the regular season. The Lakers have championship DNA, they are experienced, they have 16 championships, and I contributed three of those," O’Neal said his lines while also proudly bragging to Barkley.
Then, as usual, a bet arose, this time the wager being that the loser would appear on one episode wearing only underwear from the waist down.
Ever since O’Neal joined TNT, their betting had become more frequent and more abstract.
Just as they finished betting, the spotlight in the arena focused on the center of the court.
A ceremony was held for Kobe’s MVP award.
When Stern announced the award recipient and handed the MVP trophy to Kobe, a deafening cheer erupted in the venue.
As the second-highest scoring shooting guard in NBA history and an icon of the league for a long time, although Kobe had already won five championships, having only one MVP was something quite regrettable.
In comparison, although James had yet to win any championship, he already had two MVP trophies.
When Kobe picked up the microphone, he was immediately interrupted by the cheering of the fans, you could really feel their enthusiasm.