Then, he saw James swiftly retracting his foot.
James really dared to take action!
In fact, Hansen was cautious himself, but some things are simply unavoidable, and no matter how careful he was, he couldn’t have eyes on the back of his head.
He wanted to confront James, but a stabbing pain in his foot kept him from getting up immediately.
At that moment, a figure dashed past him.
When James saw the person charging at him, he quickly retreated and reached out to block, obviously he was prepared.
But he couldn’t match the speed of the man’s punch.
James felt a pendulum-like heavy blow to his left cheek, his head buzzed, and then he truly saw stars.
Then, he felt the world spin as he lost balance and fell to the ground.
All of this happened so fast, by the time the referee reacted and blew the whistle, James was already down with a peaceful expression.
He was knocked out with a single punch!
And the one who accomplished this KO, Johnson, now calmly stood there.
He had promised Hansen during last season’s playoffs that he would handle it if something happened again.
In fact, if anyone else from the Grizzlies had struck James, the best scenario would be that James gets beaten up and the hitter gets ejected; but with him, it was a guaranteed one-for-one.
The referee’s tardy whistle blew, and without a doubt Johnson received a level-two flagrant foul and was ejected.
The fans at the scene were stunned.
Especially Stern, who felt like he didn’t exist!
Scarlett and Swift in the front row were anxiously leaning forward too, but they were worried about Hansen’s condition.
Hansen was first helped up by his teammates.
A sharp pain shot through his foot as he stepped down, the slow-motion replay showing he had badly twisted it without being ready.
The team doctor had already reached him by then.
After a brief exchange, Hansen walked back to the bench himself.
Hansen seemed okay, but things looked grim for James.
Because James was still nearly unconscious, the Heat team’s doctor was shining a flashlight into his pupils, they feared he might be killed!
The crowd was in uproar.
With just a slight effort, Johnson had shocked everyone.
Not just the fans, even Nike headquarters felt like they’d experienced an earthquake.
Of course, they weren’t worried about James’s life and death, but rather, if James fell from grace, their losses would be huge!
Eventually, paramedics brought a stretcher, and James was tied down tightly on it.
After he was lifted onto the stretcher, James finally regained consciousness.
But he looked in bad shape, as he tried to raise his hand but couldn’t.
It seemed this punch had seriously injured James.
That’s why professional boxers wear gloves—not just for show, because without them, it could really be a matter of life and death.
Watching James’s final state, Hansen didn’t feel a bit of pity.
No, he only felt relieved.
If it weren’t for his system, he might have ended up like Danny Granger. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
James was carried away, and the team doctor finished examining Hansen.
Although Hansen’s injury wasn’t as severe as he had expected, the doctor still advised him not to play tonight.
Hansen looked up at the score and didn’t immediately agree.
Because although James’s condition seemed severe, the exact details were unknown.
If he didn’t play tonight and the Grizzlies lost, and James was able to play in the next game, the situation would be completely different.
Especially since he didn’t know the extent of his own condition, whether he would be able to play in the next game or not.
So, after another discussion with the team doctor, he stood up and, under the astonished gaze of the doctor, firmly stomped his foot on the ground.
Believe it or not, this stomp actually made him feel a lot better.
He walked back and forth a few steps, still feeling some lingering pain, but continuing the game shouldn’t be a problem.
It must be said, "Steel Bones" really means tough; had it been his time with the Knights, he would definitely have been out for the season.
Now, the time-out for the technical review had also ended, and Crawford, after reviewing the footage, determined that James intentionally tripped and added a level-two flagrant foul.
He is indeed the NBA’s strictest referee.
After signaling to Joerger that he could continue playing, Hansen and his teammates re-entered the game.
When the fans saw Hansen make his entrance, there was a stir of excitement—Hansen had been tripped but could still play?
What kind of body is this made of!
No, does this mean that James’s move only resulted in swapping him for Johnson?