Okafor, wary of Hansen passing to Randolph again, didn’t dare commit too early and ended up too late to reach out his hand. Instead, he simply became part of the backdrop.
The FedEx Forum erupted into complete frenzy.
More thrilling than the dunk was the fact that Hansen had gotten past Kobe!
From Ci Shiping to Barnes, to double-teaming, and then Kobe... the Lakers had employed all their defensive resources, but all had failed without exception.
As for tightening up the defense, Hansen’s earlier mid-range shots had made it clear that doing so was just giving him free points.
In other words, the Lakers had no answer for Hansen tonight!
But Kobe was Kobe; he wouldn’t give up on what he believed in just because of one failed defensive play.
Under his persistent defense, Hansen’s offensive efficiency did start to decline.
However, it also cost Kobe a lot of energy.
Fortunately for the Lakers, Paul was in form, which kept their hopes alive.
By the final quarter’s decisive moments, the score was 89-100, with the Lakers still in with a chance.
At this point, the exhausted Hansen and Kobe both held back from handling the ball much, bringing the game to what fans love most: Paul’s time to shine in crucial moments.
Paul started off stable, hitting a mid-range jumper in the face of Randolph, narrowing the Lakers’ deficit to single digits.
Big Gasol also put up a valiant effort defensively, managing to thwart Little Gasol’s strong play under the basket.
With this offense and defense, the Lakers seemed poised to surge.
The arena filled with the cries of Memphis fans, their chants of defense echoing everywhere.
They were not willing to hand over a victory that was seemingly within their grasp.
Amidst the chanting, Paul made a passing mistake; he intended to feed Big Gasol, but for some unknown reason, his hand faltered, and the ball ended up with Little Gasol.
With the ball, the Grizzlies immediately launched a fast break.
Guy received the ball and, like a lightning bolt, raced to the frontcourt to deliver a tomahawk dunk.
The Grizzlies had been playing around Hansen for the first three quarters, and he still had plenty of energy.
His dunk crushed the Lakers’ newly rising momentum.
Afterward, Paul missed a floater off a pick-and-roll and then, surprisingly, got crossed over by Conley who drew a three-point foul shot.
Conley confidently sank all three free throws at the line.
After a few crucial plays, the difference was suddenly extended to 14 points, and the Lakers, who were half-standing, were beaten back down.
In the end, after leading for the entire match from 3 minutes into the opening, the Grizzlies won 112-101 over the Lakers, tying the series at 2-2.
This was the first time in the series that the game was won by more than 10 points, and the victor was the Grizzlies.
Post-game stats showed Hansen with 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists, with five Grizzlies scoring in double figures.
Kobe still managed 32 points, and Paul had a 26-point, 10-assist performance, but their critical moments were not enough to avoid defeat. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
At the post-game press conference, the Lakers attended first.
"What do you think was the key to the victory or defeat in the game?" a reporter asked Kobe.
"We couldn’t contain Han; he played really well tonight. We have to limit him in the next game."
Although Hansen’s statistics weren’t as eye-catching as his game against the Mavericks in G1, Kobe was well aware of Hansen’s tremendous impact on tonight’s game.
"It seems like there were some issues with the team’s performance in the fourth quarter. What happened?" the reporter continued to probe Kobe.
The question was directed at Kobe, but all the reporters turned their gaze to Paul.
Everyone knew where the problem lay.
"It’s my fault; I didn’t step up in the final quarter," said Kobe, taking responsibility proactively, a clear deviation from his post-game demeanor after G1.
That’s Kobe’s style; playing poorly and being outplayed are two different things in his book.
Following the Lakers, it was the Grizzlies’ turn to attend the press conference.
However, the reporters noticed that Hansen wasn’t present. Instead, Allen and Little Gasol were there.
Hansen’s performance that night was more than worthy of attendance, but in reality, he had given his spot to Allen.
Compared to Hansen, who had ample opportunities every night, Allen, who had performed that night, clearly needed it more.
"I should’ve thought of Tony earlier. If I had thought of him sooner, maybe we would be leading 3 to 1 by now," Joerger also singled out Allen for praise.
"I often practice with Han, of course, mostly with him attacking and me defending. That’s taught me how to defend against top guards," Allen mentioned Hansen when discussing his defense.
Although their practice actually benefited Hansen the most, such things are mutual.
More importantly, he believed the opportunity tonight was fought for by Hansen, and coupled with Hansen giving his spot at the press conference to him, it was a beautiful misunderstanding.
This outcome was not what the Lakers wanted to see, but it was something that delighted the fans.
Because what lay ahead was a battle of Heavenly King Mountain, a battle whose intensity in the series is second only to the Game 7 slugfest.
For a series already under the spotlight, this undoubtedly brought the suspense to its peak.
It’s worth noting that this was the Grizzlies’ first experience with Heavenly King Mountain.
In previous series, they were either 3-1 or 1-3, never reaching this level of contention.
Hansen was the same; having only played in one playoff series against the Celtics while with the Cavaliers, they never reached such a climax.