The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 145 - 107: Chaos is a Ladder_3

Soon, the training moved into the full-court scrimmage phase.

This time, Hollins arranged for the starters and the substitutes to play first, and he switched Hansen and Tony Allen’s positions.

Hmm, looking at the opposite lineup, Hansen felt a strong sense of familiarity, as this was the Grizzlies’ starting lineup that he knew well.

The confrontation began quickly, with the substitutes’ team attacking first.

Hansen received West’s pass, tried a one-on-one move, and finally his drive and floater under Guy’s defense veered off the basket.

Guy’s talent indeed shone in the end.

There once was a classic what-if among Spurs fans, what if Guy had been drafted by the Spurs rather than joining later, would it have allowed the Spurs to have "Leonard" sooner and win more championships?

Returning to defense, Hansen immediately double-teamed Randolph.

Although he had switched teams, what remained the same was that he was still defending Allen.

Hansen’s double-team was resolute; Randolph was forced to turn and attack the basket along the baseline prematurely, but Johnson provided interference, causing Randolph’s shot attempt to miss.

However, Little Gasol scored on a put-back over Haddadi.

In the next sequence, Hansen changed his approach on offense, shifting from handling the ball to playing off the ball.

It was this move that created an opportunity; West’s precise pass found him, and Hansen took a three-pointer, making a clean shot.

This scene caught the eye of several members of the Grizzlies’ coaching staff.

The Grizzlies usually played a very structured offense; such a quick offensive play was quite rare.

During the transition defense, Hansen high-fived West, their coordination seamless, after all, they had played together for a season with the Cavaliers.

However, what excited Hansen even more was that during that previous play, he had spotted a defensive weakness in Guy.

Compared to defending ball-handlers, Guy’s ability to defend off the ball was mediocre, even weak, seeming more concerned about what the ball-handler was doing rather than focusing on his own man.

This reminded him of someone from the past.

The starters continued to play to Randolph, this time Allen shifted to the far corner on the weak side.

But Hansen didn’t care about Allen, still opting to double-team Randolph early.

Randolph showed his passing vision, slinging the ball to Allen along the baseline.

Allen got a chance for a three-pointer, but after receiving the ball, he hesitated, eventually driving to the basket, where he was blocked by the retreating Hansen, his shot going off the basket and the rebound snatched by Hansen turning back.

Just as he had demonstrated in one-on-one situations with Durant, his physical improvements, whether in transitioning back on defense or in rebounding, meant Hansen had to perform better than last season.

Moreover, right after securing the rebound, he immediately rushed forward with the ball.

The other Grizzlies, accustomed to set plays, didn’t react until he was beyond the free-throw line.

Conley came over to help defend Hansen, but Hansen straightforwardly hurled the ball forward, with West already beyond the three-point line.

Coming from the Cavaliers, everyone excelled in fast breaks.

West scored on a fast-break layup, making the score 5-2, with the substitutes in the lead.

For Hansen, who once led the third squad of the Cavaliers to a blowout against the first and second teams, this situation was something he had ample experience with.

It was at this point that Guy called for the ball from Conley.

This time Conley didn’t hesitate and passed it directly; with the inside plays faltering, they needed Guy to open up the game.

With the ball, Guy drove past Sam Young, but just as he got past Young, Hansen had already moved in front of him, putting pressure on the ball.

Forced to slow down, Guy tried to power through Hansen, but soon realized he couldn’t move him.

Although Hansen weighed 2 kilograms less than last season, the improvement in his core strength didn’t decrease his defensive capabilities.

As Guy was about to pivot, he found that Sam Young had also returned to defend.

Trapped, he still didn’t pass the ball, opting instead for a forced jump shot, which Hansen seized the moment to slap away.

Hansen, after the steal, accelerated, rapidly leaving Guy behind.

West was also sprinting down the other side for a fast break, and Conley couldn’t cover the distance.

As for the other Grizzlies, the biggest downside of having twin towers, as proved by Brown’s lineup of O’Neal and Ilgauskas last season, was that retreating on defense was always a major issue.

In a flash, Hansen was already charging to the frontcourt; seeing Conley relinquish West to help defend, Hansen directly elevated the ball with his right hand.

After an unsuccessful swipe at the ball, Conley simply ran off.

"Boom!"

Hansen’s one-handed slam dunk resounded dully yet loudly.

The players sitting on the bench screamed excitedly.

After landing, Hansen turned his head to look towards Hollins on the sideline, catching the corners of Hollins’s mouth lifting.

Chaos is a ladder, and he was already stepping up. ƒгeewebnovёl.com