The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 149 - 109 Some happiness can only be known through experience_2

Chapter 149: Chapter 109 Some happiness can only be known through experience_2

Heat Team had just formed and needed time to gel, but the Grizzlies’ style was a clear restraint for Heat, making this arrangement disadvantageous for the Heat Team.

However, they overlooked one point, as Stern was firmly against "The Decision" and disliked seeing teams clumping together in the League.

Because the old collective bargaining agreement was set to expire next summer, and talks between labor and management had already started in February of the previous year, introducing such a team up at this time would worry many owners about losing their franchise stars and, consequently, their fan appeal.

Further, when top stars teamed up, the League would turn into a few teams’ games, sinking other teams in the process. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

To prevent this phenomenon from continuing, a hard salary cap needed to be implemented, which precisely was where the biggest disagreement lied between the labor and management sides.

If the disagreement could not be resolved, Stern would have to face a League shutdown during his tenure.

Hansen was quite pleased with the League’s arrangement, even though Guy’s issue hadn’t been truly resolved yet, but as a transmigrator, he knew that Heat’s Three Giants had bigger initial synergy problems than the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies had a chance to give the Heat Team a "head-on blow" in this game.

But the regular season was still a ways off, and they had seven preseason games to play.

Grizzlies’ first preseason game was at home against the Pacers.

The Pacers ranked 21st on Stan’s strength list, comparable to the Grizzlies.

Once the game started, the Grizzlies quickly took the upper hand.

At this time, David West had not yet joined the Pacers, with only Taylor Hansbrough and Josh McRoberts on position four for the Pacers.

One was all brawn without savvy usage, and the other never known for his defense, they clearly were no match for Randolph in the low post.

Hansen’s role in the game was also fully demonstrated as he stood at the strong side 45° angle three-point line, creating ample one-on-one space for Randolph.

This even led the commentator to exclaim, "Hansen just has to stand there, and he’s worth ten million."

Although Meao had a decent performance outside the three-point line last season, he wasn’t genuinely a three-point shooter and didn’t have this strategic capability.

However, once the Grizzlies took the lead, Guy began his solo performance.

Facing the defense of Mike Dunleavy, the speedier and more superior Guy had a clear advantage.

His mid-range jump shots after several dribbles past Dunleavy drew cheers from the crowd.

Pacers’ head coach Jim O’Brien, seeing the tide turning unfavourably, replaced Dunleavy with Paul George.

George was chosen by the Pacers as the 10th pick this year, with static talent similar to Hansen, only with a 2 cm longer wingspan. However, his dynamic talent, including verticality and burst speeds, was superior to Hansen’s, and his body flexibility was also very good.

Previously, the Cavaliers wanted to trade Hansen for him, but eventually, the Grizzlies gave a higher offer and abandoned the trade.

Seeing the rookie on the Pacers, Guy’s desire to play solo grew stronger.

However, he completely underestimated George’s strength.

Although George was a rookie, his lateral speed was exceptional, making it difficult for Guy to easily get past him.

Moreover, with the Pacers’ 2.18-meter Roy Hibbert defending the paint, Guy, unable to shake George, was likely to be blocked when he drove to the paint.

This forced him to opt for a post-up approach, but his mediocre back-to-basket skills and George’s quick hands almost led to a steal.

Guy’s scoring efficiency was declining, which allowed the Pacers to seize the opportunity to counter frequently.

Although not every counter was successful, it forced the Grizzlies’ big men to run back and forth, completely handing the rhythmic control over to the Pacers.

If what happened in the team’s internal scrimmage was just a glimpse, this preseason game more clearly illustrated why Hollins was reluctant to give Guy a bigger tactical role.

The twin towers lineup essentially aimed to lower the number of game possessions and try to score in each one.

As long as they could defend their turf, the chance of winning the game would tremendously increase.

But now, with Guy not efficient enough and both teams running, the twin towers on the court turned into a liability.

Towards the end, Hollins was forced to substitute Guy for Sam Young, and Grizzlies managed to stabilize the situation on the court.

For such scenes, Hansen was speechless.

Although Guy hadn’t clearly stated his stance, his previous behavior made Hansen think that Guy had accepted his advice.

But now, it seemed that Guy still hadn’t rounded that bend.

This made him recall Guy’s entire career.

Guy seemed to carry a curse; when he was with the Grizzlies, they never made the playoffs until he got injured, which led to a surprising victory, and when he left, the Grizzlies made historic progress in the Western Conference Finals.

When he was with the Raptors, they consistently ended up at the bottom in the East, but as soon as he left the Raptors, they returned to the playoffs after five years.

He spent four years with the Kings, yet they had never won more than 40 games in a season.

Now, it appeared it wasn’t bad luck; it was purely a matter of style.

This situation continued throughout the entire preseason.

Guy’s ability and condition were the best since he joined the league, but his way of playing was clearly very mismatched with the team.

Hansen felt the urge to crack open Guy’s head to see exactly what paste was inside.