Because he had practice that afternoon, Hansen took a plane back to Memphis after noon.
When he saw Guy in the locker room, Guy handed him a card.
"Is this a membership card?" Hansen flipped the exquisite card over.
"This is a nightclub that recently opened in Memphis; I’ve been there, and the quality is great," Guy whispered.
Hansen looked at Guy, surprised that Guy, who seemed so innocent and had a thunderous girlfriend at home, would have such a thing.
It certainly seemed harder to keep a black man’s lower body in check than to kill him.
Having been in the United States for so many years, he knew that not accepting their gift was a sign of disrespect.
"Join me tonight?" Unexpectedly, Guy extended the invitation next.
"Rudy, we’re about to play in the Western Conference Finals; we need to focus on the game," Hansen said solemnly, just having been drained by Scarlett.
Guy looked regretful, but Hansen’s reminder was right; they had barely eliminated the Lakers and couldn’t afford to be careless, or else they would be making the bridal dress for others.
The Grizzlies flew to Oklahoma the next day, which was the day of the game.
Like deja vu from last year, this round of series would start in Oklahoma City again.
However, that day, the world’s attention was all focused on Star Avenue in Hollywood.
Charles Barkley, the real man, dared to run in the daytime, not just at night.
And he even did a live broadcast, which completely crowded Star Avenue.
But when the show started, everyone realized Barkley was indeed without any clothes or pants, but he had tied a skirt made of palm leaves around his waist, which adequately covered his groin.
Before starting, he explained that his attire was inspired by the Indians.
It was unexpected but reasonable; after all, if you truly asked Charles Barkley to run naked around Star Avenue, he probably couldn’t face showing up on TNT anymore.
But reaching this step was quite an achievement, especially since when he started running, his weight caused the skirt to burst open, and he could only run holding it with both hands, which was quite a comical scene.
Since it was on Star Avenue, a gathering place for Hollywood stars, this truly made him "run" to fame.
According to post-game media reports, Barkley’s run had taken his commentary career to new heights.
As for whether it was embarrassing or not, for someone who could kiss a donkey’s ass on live TV, did he care about that stuff?
Because of the viral hit from Barkley, the viewership of TNT’s last program dramatically increased, and their previous predictions for the Grizzlies and Thunders had topped the trending searches.
This naturally triggered strong dissatisfaction among the Thunders fans.
"Charles Barkley is just a clown, a man who has never won a championship, yet he talks like a successful person every day in the commentary seat."
"Does Barkley really understand basketball? Isn’t the money TNT pays him because he dares to kiss a donkey’s ass and run naked on Star Avenue?"
"Does he dare to bet with me? If the Grizzlies really beat the Thunders 4-1, I’ll stand on my head and eat shit, and if not, will he eat it? Dare he?"
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Then you would notice a funny thing, which is that the Thunders fans only criticized Barkley, even though O’Neal’s prediction of a sweep was more outrageous.
That’s the difference a championship makes.
Although Barkley always felt that O’Neal holding his championships over him was a form of bullying.
But for a star, a championship is like money to an ordinary person; having it or not completely changes how people look at you.
Of course, it wasn’t just the fans who were dissatisfied. The Thunders’ star duo, Westbrook and Durant, also expressed their opinions during a public training session.
"They just want to create a show, they seem to have forgotten that we defeated the Spurs to enter the Western Finals."
However, unlike what many people imagined, Westbrook, though impulsive on the court, was not a person with low EQ off the court.
In contrast, Durant was more straightforward.
"Their predictions are correct, but it will be us finishing the fight within five games; they have no idea how strong we are this season."
Just two days after a night-long battle, he wished he could tear Hansen apart on the court.
On May 28, American time, the first game of the Western Conference Finals between the Grizzlies and the Thunders kicked off at the Ford Center Arena, home court of the Thunders.
The venue was packed, a sea of blue.
This was also the first time the Thunders had reached the Western Finals since relocating to Oklahoma City, and the fans’ enthusiasm was only higher than last season.
During the pre-game warm-up, the camera also focused on the Grizzlies.
The players of the Grizzlies appeared calm and confident.
This seemed familiar.
Right, last year the Mavericks were in the same state when facing the Grizzlies.
What the two teams had in common was that they had both defeated the Lakers, considered the strongest team of the season.
Thus, for the past two seasons, the Lakers had been the "ultimate sharpening stone."
Getting past the Lakers seemed to instantly elevate a team’s championship aura.
In contrast, the Thunders looked more serious.
Being underestimated, they wanted to prove themselves tonight, but facing the Grizzlies who had eliminated the Lakers, who could be completely confident?
After the warm-up, the arena proceeded to the opening ceremony, and the starting line-ups of both teams were announced.
Grizzlies: Conley, Hansen, Guy, Randolph, Little Gasol
Thunders: Westbrook, Seferosa, Durant, Ibaka, Perkins