The Grizzlies celebrated their seventh consecutive win of the season, a new team record, in the locker room after the game.
Many external voices worried they would face various issues during the defending season, just like the Lakers and Mavericks.
However, they proved through their actions that those worries were completely unnecessary.
Or, as Stan analyzed, they were more like the 1991 Bulls or the 2001 Lakers. The first championship was not their peak; the defending season was when they fully showcased their strength.
After the celebration, they took a night flight back to Memphis due to a back-to-back game schedule the next day.
Back in Memphis, Hansen remembered what Battier had mentioned and checked the Warriors’ official website.
Interestingly, the NBA did this very professionally, not only listing the cheerleaders but also providing their photos.
What Hansen hadn’t expected was that the person he saw wasn’t there.
So was this just like his temporary stint as a ballboy for the Heat?
This left him puzzled and inevitably a bit disappointed.
He even tried to find the game video, but to his surprise, the cheerleader performance he saw wasn’t in the live broadcast.
It made him wonder if he had been hallucinating.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that segment was an official timeout with no live cheerleader performance.
It truly was a missed opportunity, but perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be.
Time flew, and before long, it was December.
The first month of the 2012–2013 season had officially ended.
The League announced the best of the month at the beginning of the season.
The Coaches of the Month were Joerger of the Grizzlies and Spoelstra of the Heat.
The Grizzlies had an impressive record of 11 wins and 1 loss in November, plus a win from the end of October, making them the leaders in the West with a record of 12 wins and 1 loss.
This was unexpected for many, considering the extreme competitiveness of the Western Conference, but the Grizzlies had defeated formidable opponents like the Nuggets and Spurs in November.
"Many people didn’t realize that we played most of last season without Zack. Now we’re a complete unit," Conley explained to reporters, highlighting the fundamental reason for the Grizzlies’ excellent performance.
Thanks to the team’s outstanding record and his personal averages of 24.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, Hansen was named the Player of the Month for November in the West.
The West wasn’t lacking in impressive performances, though, with the Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, and Mavericks all losing three or fewer games in the first month.
Moreover, the Thunders ranked sixth with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses.
With James sidelined due to injury, Westbrook posted an MVP-level performance with averages of 25.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.2 assists in November, carrying the team.
However, this made it tough for the other Western teams; many teams in the lower half of the standings had not won more than five games after the start of the season.
This season in the West was destined to be a season of great disparities.
Yet, with James and Iguodala being traded to the West, these developments were somewhat predictable.
The East, on the other hand, saw numerous surprises in the first month. Thıs content belongs to 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽
Starting with the Heat, they lost their season opener against the Pacers.
Granger, still recovering from a serious injury, was replaced by Vogel who pushed Paul George to the small forward position and started Tony Allen at shooting guard. This duo made it tough for Wade and Durant, and it was evident they lacked some cohesion as a newly formed team.
Or rather, this intense defensive play highlighted the Heat’s greatest weakness; they lacked a capable organizer.
McRoberts would have been perfect for the team, but the Thunders demanded he be traded alongside James.
Nonetheless, the Heat then secured the league’s longest winning streak of 11 games.
Thanks to this streak and his averages of 26.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, Durant was named the Player of the Month for November in the East.
Despite some issues, the Heat’s powerful lineup was evident.
This also highlighted the strength of the Pacers, currently ranked second in the East.
The Brooklyn Nets, with their star-studded lineup, were third.
Howard and Brooklyn Nets head coach Avery Johnson’s conflict was nearly public.
He felt Johnson did not value him enough, reducing him to a pick-and-roll and blue-collar role, which was contrary to what had been promised.
According to the latest media reports, Johnson’s position as head coach of the Nets was precarious.
Interestingly, the Bucks, currently eighth in the East, had a record of only 5 wins and 6 losses.
Barring any surprises, any team in the East with more than a .500 win percentage is likely to make the playoffs.
Or maybe, the Heat will benefit greatly this season in the East, potentially becoming the next team after the Bulls to win 70 games during the regular season.
Thus, when December arrived, fans were increasingly anticipating the Christmas Day game between the Grizzlies and the Heat.
This was not only a confrontation between the top teams of the East and West but also a likely preview of the finals.
However, while waiting for this day, the League saw some very "explosive" news.
Moreover, this news was all related to Hansen.
NBC in the United States, yes, the media Hansen once joked had an extra ’B’, has a very popular program in the United States called "The Late Late Show".