This kind of collective mockery is exceptionally effective.
It seems with this experience, I should pay more attention to these opportunities in the future.
I don’t need to maintain any particular image in the media; after all, I’m not like James, who needs the media to sustain a public persona.
Public personas are like building blocks; if someone gives them a kick, the shaky foundation of the imposters will reveal their true form under the force of time.
As someone who had witnessed the backlash against James, I knew it was completely unnecessary to waste energy on this.
Performing on the court is more effective than any public persona.
The FedEx Forum was bustling with activity for Game 2.
The Grizzlies fans in the audience held up conspicuous signs with messages like, "Vote with your feet," "The League’s disgrace," "Silver doesn’t understand basketball," and so on to express their dissatisfaction with the results of the DPOY award.
Some were escorted out by security for the excessive messages on their signs, but that’s just Memphis for you.
This sentiment was reflected in the game as well.
Vucevic gave the Rockets the first offensive opportunity, and as Harden received the ball, a round of jeers erupted from the crowd.
It wasn’t that Harden had done something wrong, but tonight, the person defending Harden had changed from Guy to Hansen!
After Guy struggled to defend Harden in the last game, it only made sense for Hansen to take over, right?
Harden hesitated before passing the ball back to Paul.
Unlike Wade, Harden had trained with Hansen over the summer; he knew all too well how fierce Hansen’s defense could be. Fresh chapters posted on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
But his name was James, not Harden; after passing to Paul, he didn’t give up on offense but instead played a pick-and-roll with Terrence Jones.
Paul’s pass was made with anticipation.
However, the moment Harden caught the ball, Hansen had already slid past Jones’ screen and pounced.
Harden tried a pump fake to throw off Hansen, who was still in motion, but Hansen didn’t bite.
Jones attempted another screen, Hansen pressured Harden, and Harden nearly lost the ball.
By the time Harden regained control, there wasn’t much time left on the shot clock, so he indicated for Jones to clear out for a one-on-one.
The jeers from the crowd grew louder.
Harden’s athleticism wasn’t particularly notable; he had asthma as a child and played basketball more with rhythm.
Of course, there was also his underrated ball-handling.
Harden’s low center of gravity when he dribbled allowed him, despite not having an ultra-fast first step, to change directions quickly.
Facing Hansen, he didn’t hold back, using a quick low-to-the-ground crossover and confronting Hansen, followed by his signature step-back move.
At this stage, he hadn’t yet relied on "fluke" throws; mid-range step-backs were also one of his go-to moves.
He demonstrated his strength, successfully creating distance from Hansen.
But the moment he was about to shoot, he experienced what Anthony had before.
Shaking someone off ≠ scoring.
Hansen, with a delay, blocked the shot volleyball-style, sending Harden’s step-back flying out of bounds.
The jeering from the crowd instantly turned into cheers.
Harden’s expression was just as bewildered as Anthony’s had been.
The Rockets’ first offensive play returned empty-handed; and when they turned back, Hansen called for the ball to go one-on-one with Casspi. Without waiting for the double-team to arrive, he made a stable mid-range shot after a back-down and spin.
The crowd was even more excited.
Because they anticipated seeing "Full-Force Han" from the first round at Heavenly King Mountain tonight.
While Hansen playing that hard was exhausting, it was exhilarating for the audience.
Five minutes into the game, Harden hadn’t taken another shot with Hansen defending him.
By this time, the score had reached 12 to 6.
With Harden shut down, the Rockets’ scoring largely depended on Paul’s signature pick-and-roll mid-range shots.
However, those scoring attempts were far from lethal.
Firstly, the screener had to effectively block the defender; secondly, with his height, he needed enough space to shoot; and finally, he had to make the shot.
Furthermore, the Rockets have two posts: one is of shorter stature, and the other moves too sluggishly. Although Paul can choose to pass after the pick-and-roll, it’s difficult for the post players to convert those passes into scores.
Not to mention, they can’t guard Hansen.
While Hansen shut down Harden, on the offensive end, he blew Casspi away again.
Clearly, for Hansen, guarding Harden did not require running all over the court, consuming far less energy than guarding Curry.
When Hansen once again took the ball up the court, the person defending him had become Paul.
Although Paul may not have explosive scoring ability and can easily falter at critical moments, and while he prioritizes interests, there is one thing about him; he truly isn’t cowardly.
Whether it’s with the Lakers or Rockets, or whether playing the Heat or Grizzlies, when needed, he dares to defend out of position.
However, it was useless.
Paul could be to some extent effective in guarding Durant, because Durant is wary of defensive strategies that focus on stopping the drive, but he couldn’t handle defending Hansen at all.
Hansen needed only to assert some physicality, then watch for Paul’s attempts to steal the ball; the rest was just shooting practice.
Given Paul’s height, along with his jumping ability post-knee injury, any mismatch in defense that didn’t result in a steal was simply giving it away.
It took only two possessions before McHale gave up, as it was no different than handing out free points.
Unable to contain Hansen on defense, they had to look for solutions on the offensive end.
Harden took the ball again, and this time, he used a trick he realized at the club: flopping for fouls.
He chose to drive and, while doing so, held the ball high, using his elbow on Hansen’s body to limit his power.
However, not yet having evolved into the "Son of Jingdezhen," unskilled in the art of drawing offensive fouls with tucked arms, his flopping attempts were ineffective against Hansen.
Hansen simply kept his distance, and just when Harden thought he had created space to attempt a right-handed layup, Hansen seized the moment to jump up and pinned the ball against the backboard.
And before landing, Hansen even grabbed the ball with one hand!
Harden could only choose to foul on the spot to prevent Hansen’s fast break.
Right after the foul, Harden couldn’t help but let out a curse.
Firstly, he wasn’t a Defensive Player of the Year voting journalist.
Secondly, those journalists really should die; can’t they just vote properly?
You enjoy your voting, but the one who suffers is me!
At this moment, FedEx Forum was also filled with the cheers of the fans.
Hansen not deserving of dpoy?
That’s like "Black Myth: Wukong" running for GOTY. Not winning is not the regret of Black Monkey; it’s the regret of GOTY!
Throughout the game, under Hansen’s defense, Harden made only 3 out of 11 attempts, 0 out of 4 three-pointers, scoring only 14 points, and incurred 6 turnovers.
The Rockets lost to the Grizzlies with a score of 86 to 104, falling behind 0 to 2 in the series.
Hansen, meanwhile, posted an outrageous stat line with 35 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks.
When the game ended, Paul stood on the court for a long while, looking at the score.
His performance tonight was solid, scoring 24 points with 10 assists.
But with the 0 to 2 deficit, it was highly likely that the Rockets would miss the Western Conference Finals again.
The championship James couldn’t get and the Western Conference Finals floor Paul couldn’t touch could fill a book.
However, this game did reveal some things.
Paul’s inability to touch the Western Conference Finals floor wasn’t due to bad luck; it was an actual lack of strength.
Or rather, the biggest difference now between Paul, Harden, and Curry was that although Paul could put up decent numbers, he couldn’t handle a high usage rate.
Once his backcourt mate, whether it was Kobe, Harden, or as Hansen knew from "history," Booker, was limited in performance, Paul was basically left struggling.
Without the magical strategy of basketball, the Rockets had limited suppression over the Grizzlies, and after barely managing to defend a home game with a burst of good shooting, the Rockets were ultimately eliminated by the Grizzlies with a 1 to 4 series defeat.
In the second round, the Grizzlies played more easily than in the first round, and it was visibly noticeable that their condition was improving.
But it was also evident that, with the continuous changes in league rules and the increasing emphasis on three-point shooting, their interior defense was weakening, and they were vulnerable when facing teams with strong perimeter shooting.
The day after their series ended, the San Antonio Spurs also comfortably eliminated the Thunders with a big series win of 4 to 1.
For the second consecutive season, the two teams faced each other in the Western Conference Finals.