When Hansen initially announced his departure, it acted like a stimulant for the Grizzlies’ team, but after nearly a week, their defensive intensity naturally declined.
Although the decline wasn’t significant, the burst of power from the San Antonio Spurs in a desperate situation allowed them to seize that small change. Read complete versıon only at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
Or perhaps, this is what happens in matches between top teams, where a slight variation can totally alter the outcome.
This outcome led Barkley to make an ultimate prediction,
"No matter if it’s the San Antonio Spurs or the Grizzlies who win, they will be this year’s champions."
This statement, somewhat dismissive of the Heat Team, received unanimous agreement from O’Neal and Kenny Smith.
Because compared to the Heat, both these teams were well-rounded in offense and defense, and they had a much larger margin for error.
While the Grizzlies and the Spurs were still fiercely competing, the results from the East had already come in.
One day later, the Heat Team eliminated the Pacers with a 4-1 score.
This was vastly different from last year’s seven-game battle, primarily due to the "Verticality Rule."
A note must be made about Hibbert.
When Hibbert started his career, his height and soft touch earned him the nickname "Black Yao Ming."
But his performance in the initial two years was lacking as he didn’t possess Yao’s offensive skills, and his slow movement speed often made him a target on defense.
It all changed in the 10-11 season when Vogel became the head coach of the Pacers, suggesting Hibbert emulate Howard’s defensive style—jump first against perimeter players’ drives then use his height and wingspan defensively.
Yes, you read that right, thanks to explosive athleticism, Howard invented defensive play mid-jump.
And the reason Hibbert could perfect this technique was due to his physique.
Standing at 7’2’’ with a wingspan of 7’4’’, although not a great jumper, it was sufficient, and his imposing size turning mid-air was nothing short of a nightmare for attacking players.
Using this technique, he quickly rose to the ranks of the league’s top centers.
Unfortunately, with new rules introduced this season, he became one of the most severely nerfed,
It wasn’t too apparent during the regular season but come playoffs when teams began specifically targeting him, combined with the increasing use of three-point shooting, his slow speed was magnified.
It’s not surprising that the Pacers were swept by the Heat Team with him being their inside barrier.
With a conclusion in the East, all eyes now turned to whether the Spurs or the Grizzlies would ultimately break out from the West.
Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals was set to commence in Memphis.
The fans at the FedEx Forum were exceptionally spirited that day.
The Grizzlies had endured a rollercoaster season, and after Little Gasol was injured, many believed they would drop from the top half of the West Conference or even miss the playoffs.
However, now they were only one step away from creating a dynasty.
Especially so after losing Game 1, they rallied to win three consecutive games, securing a playoff point first and reminding everyone this was a team that won two consecutive championships.
The pre-game warm-up had the camera frequently focused on the players from both sides, who were quite serious.
For the Spurs, this was a do-or-die situation, but the Grizzlies didn’t have much leeway either.
Because if they were to lose Game 6, playing Game 7 in San Antonio would sizably increase their difficulty in winning.
Neither side made adjustments to their starting lineup, with the Grizzlies still putting Carter as the starting shooting guard.
As the game kicked off, Duncan was the first to exert force.
He first demonstrated good touch with a mid-range bank shot following a pick-and-roll on offense, then made a spirited dive on defense, successfully disrupting Carter’s three-point attempt.
Then, he delivered a brilliant pass to Green in the corner, who, displaying a strong mental game, shook Carter and scored a three-pointer.
At 38, Duncan’s performance was an ultimate manifestation of "Old but still capable."
Under his influence, the Spurs began with a 5-0 run against the Grizzlies.
However, the Grizzlies swiftly responded on offense.
The one to respond was Hansen.
Leonard’s help defense was reminiscent of Payton guarding Jordan—an effective, albeit not absolute, inhibitor to Hansen’s play, but it did put significant pressure on him.
After playing two consecutive games, Hansen had gradually adapted.
Like before, scoring before the help defense arrived was enough.
Since Green wasn’t as easy to shake off as Leonard, Hansen just faced up and shot directly.
Green was good, but his physicality was average, which was also why he fell to the second round as the team captain of North Carolina.
Hansen also began to exert force on defense.
When Duncan split the ball to Leonard, Hansen first forced Leonard to give up the three-pointer, then immediately confiscated the ball from the air as Leonard shot.
This dominant style of defense sent the stadium into a frenzy.
The Grizzlies then took advantage of the situation to unleash a 7-0 counter-attack wave.
However, Duncan quickly responded, posting up against Randolph. Although he wasn’t shaken, he simply went with his arm-extending shot, using his wingspan over Randolph’s defense to sink the ball.
Due to Duncan’s fundamental style of play, many inadvertently overlooked his physical attributes.
Standing 6’11’’ with a wingspan of 7’6’’, as long as his touch was on point, the defense barely affected him.