In a way, this resembled Paul, the closer it got to the end, the easier it was to slip up.
But this was understandable; after all, despite their experiences, the Grizzlies were fundamentally a young team.
After the Heat took the lead, their momentum gradually recovered.
Midway through the first quarter, Wade made a breakthrough dunk that gave the Heat a double-digit lead, sending the American Airlines Arena into a frenzy.
In 2006, it was Wade who led them to a 0-2 reversal, and in 2012, a 0-3 comeback—so why couldn’t it be possible again?
After all, on paper, they were stronger than the Grizzlies!
Joerger called a timeout.
"Give me the ball, don’t rush, there’s plenty of time," Hansen said to his teammates during the timeout.
The court was too chaotic; only then had he found the opportunity.
As Joerger nodded, he also made a substitution, bringing in mentally resilient players like Battier and Bibby ahead of time.
After the timeout, Hansen held the ball, didn’t call for a screen, and directly went past Wade to draw a foul and headed to the free-throw line.
He scored both free-throws amidst the distracting noise from the audience and turned back to limit Wade’s breakthrough vigorously.
Although Wade eventually got past him, Little Gasol’s help defense successfully interfered with Wade’s shot.
Turning back, Hansen continued to hold the ball, this time the Heat had a defensive help; Hansen passed the ball to Bibby.
Bibby’s final three-point shot didn’t go in, but Hansen focused on the rebound and completed the put-back.
Although James broke through Battier to score at the basket, on the turn-back, after a double-team, Hansen passed the ball to Battier, whose corner three-pointer narrowed the gap to single digits.
The Grizzlies stabilized their formation.
After that, the Grizzlies began to find their rhythm, gradually chipping away at the score.
By the end of the half, Hansen’s buzzer-beater three-pointer finally tied the game.
The expression of the fans in the venue was one of helplessness.
With a strong inside advantage, despite averaging 26 points per game and being the Grizzlies’ top scorer, Hansen hadn’t had any particularly outstanding performances.
But tonight, when others on the Grizzlies didn’t perform well, he showcased his scoring ability excellently, netting 24 points by halftime.
During halftime, the atmosphere in the Grizzlies’ locker room was noticeably more relaxed.
After evening the score, the mindset of the players was clearly different.
They just needed to play steadily in the second half to win the game.
At this moment, Hansen thought of something and called Johnson over.
"I’ll have Dave put you in during the second half, watch LeBron closely."
Even though James hadn’t shown signs of aggressive play in the first half, it was always better to be prepared.
Given James’s temperament, seeing a powerhouse like Johnson on the court would definitely keep him in check.
Johnson simply nodded.
Coming back for the second half, the Grizzlies adjusted their mindset and indeed returned to their previous form, slowly extending the lead. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
This left not just the fans in the arena despairing, but the Heat players even more so.
It was like a prisoner sentenced to death; more despairing than a clean execution was someone declaring a reprieve only to proceed with the execution anyway.
"No miracles anymore, even if Michael took down the number 23 hanging above the arena, they couldn’t defeat this Grizzlies team," declared O’Neal from the commentator’s seat halfway through the quarter when the Grizzlies turned to lead by double digits, forcing Spoelstra to call another timeout.
"The Heat will become another team since the 2007 Cavaliers to be swept in the finals, their commonality being LeBron James," said Barkley, whose mouth was not only big but also venomous.
At that moment, the camera focused on James.
James’s face was unprecedentedly grim.
Just like his experiences on the court, even if he didn’t want to or wish to, he had to face the current outcome.
Being swept, being shattered, searching in vain for a win in the finals, these impending events were too harsh for him.
Not to mention, the person leading the team to sweep him this time was Hansen, the "3D player" he once scorned.
After the timeout, Guy was substituted early by Johnson.
Wade drove into the paint, aggressively drawing contact and went to the free-throw line; by now, he was the only one still able to produce for the Heat.
However, he only made one of two free throws, showing his considerable fatigue.
Randolph’s shot from the low post was fiercely defended by Haslem.
Turning back, Wade threw himself into the air, forcing a foul and lay on the ground for a while before his teammates helped him up.
From the way he limped when he got up, it was clear he was truly fighting with everything he had.
Wade, after catching his breath, made both free throws this time, helping the Heat cut the lead to single digits.
Seeing this, Hansen continued to capitalize.
After a crossover move in front of his body, he successfully shook James.
James truly couldn’t keep up with his steps.
After getting past James, he faced the helping Bosh and launched a floater.
The basketball sank cleanly through the net, his form was still unbroken.
But the moment he landed, he felt his heel step on something.
He reacted quickly, falling to the side, but his foot inevitably twisted.