Bab 147: Rising to the Challenge.
Han Sen's mid-range shot missed, and Chandler grabbed the rebound.
The Mavericks finally didn't pass to Nowitzki but instead had Kidd set up a play from the perimeter.
West moved without the ball, Marion cut sharply to the basket, and Kidd threaded the pass through defenders to Marion, who took off and laid it in.
At 38, Kidd posed no scoring threat, but his passing skills were razor-sharp; he was aging like fine wine.
4 to 10.
With Nowitzki's lead, the Mavericks opened perfectly.
Randolph finally muscled in a basket over Chandler in the post.
But right back, it was Nowitzki again, slipping into the lane on a sudden cut, shaking off Gasol after receiving Kidd's pass for a layup.
After failing to catch up, Gasol punched the padding in frustration under the basket.
He was truly getting mentally beaten.
"We all know some nights belong to certain players, and tonight, without a doubt, is Dirk's night," Barkley remarked from the commentary booth.
Though the game had only just begun, Nowitzki's performance was explosive.
Hollins immediately called a timeout.
After calling the timeout, he turned around and called Johnson from the bench.
Clearly, Randolph couldn't handle Nowitzki. Johnson was worth a shot.
As the timeout ended, Han Sen glanced up at the scoreboard.
6 to 12.
The gap wasn't huge, but the momentum was fully on the Mavericks' side.
Nowitzki's performance reminded him of his own heated performance in Game 4 against the Spurs.
But unlike him, Nowitzki had a fuller offensive arsenal, more polished techniques, and, in his zone, was virtually unstoppable.
For the Grizzlies, it felt like a hellish start.
As Gasol's frustration showed, performances like this could shatter a player's mentality.
Especially if the Grizzlies couldn't answer, the Mavericks could easily run away with the series.
Yes, the Lakers had aged, but had they really fallen below the Nuggets?
The blown 16-point lead in Game 1 set the tone for that whole series.
The Grizzlies' situation was different from the Lakers' but equally challenging.
Coming back from the timeout, Han Sen kept moving without the ball.
Randolph struggling with Chandler's tight positioning, immediately passed the ball over.
Han Sen caught it, accelerated past Nowitzki's help defense, and drove to the basket.
Chandler moved to meet him.
Han Sen didn't hesitate with a floater or layup. Instead, he jumped up, trying to dunk over Chandler.
Chandler didn't back down, hands up to contest.
Han Sen aimed to recreate his flashy side-step dunk over Duncan, but Chandler reacted quicker than Duncan, challenging without the 'verticality rule' to save him.
Chandler leaned slightly in the air, adding interference.
Han Sen slammed the ball toward the rim over Chandler's hand.
Bang!
The ball, affected by the defense, missed, but the baseline referee blew the whistle, signaling a foul on Chandler.
The crowd buzzed with energy.
Though the dunk hadn't gone in, the momentum of the play was undeniable.
The Grizzlies had been on the verge of defeat from Nowitzki's dominance, but this reignited their spirit.
Han Sen stepped to the free-throw line.
The crowd erupted with jeers.
Though the Mavericks didn't have the same rivalry with the Grizzlies as with the Spurs, neither side wanted to bow out at the Conference Finals.
Just as Han Sen expected, this wasn't only a last shot for this Mavericks team but a last chance for many Dallas fans. Their desire to win was intense.
Amid the crowd's interference, Han Sen calmly sank both free throws.
Though he wasn't on fire, he was steady in crucial moments.
On defense, the Grizzlies' morale returned, and their effort increased.
Johnson took the assignment of fronting Nowitzki. He wasn't as tall or long as Gasol but more agile.
Nowitzki, showing his experience, maneuvered to receive the ball, drawing a foul from Johnson as they tangled.
After the sideline inbound, Johnson became more cautious with his defense.
Nowitzki then faked a shot, drawing Johnson into the air and securing two free throws.
Just one possession in, Johnson had two fouls.
Han Sen glanced at Nowitzki, thinking he looked more and more like a sly fox.
Hollins, however, stayed calm, signaling Johnson not to worry.
His instructions during the timeout were clear: if they could stop him, great; if not, then use fouls to disrupt Nowitzki's rhythm.
He'd borrowed the tactic Brooks had used on Randolph.
Nowitzki hit both free throws, nothing but net.
Of the Mavericks' 14 points, Nowitzki had already scored 12.
The crowd was thrilled.
Even they hadn't seen Nowitzki play like this before.
It seemed destined to be a career night for him.
"Defense! Defense!"
The chants quickly erupted, as if to drown the Grizzlies.
Randolph's post-up against Chandler still wasn't working, so he passed it back to Conley to reset the play.
Han Sen signaled to Battier, then quickly cut to the basket and called for the ball.
Conley found the window and passed to him.
In the series against the Spurs, Randolph missed nearly two games, which was a huge loss for the Grizzlies but also forced them to develop new plays.
Han Sen drove to the basket, Chandler ready to collapse the paint.
Randolph followed, crowding the space. Passing was tricky, so Han Sen went up aggressively against Chandler.
Chandler jumped to block.
But Han Sen was fearless, pulling a gliding layup mid-air to avoid Chandler, then releasing the ball for a mid-range shot.
The difficulty was high, but with his core strength, he completed the shot.
The ball sailed past Chandler and swished through the net!
The price, of course, was that Han Sen, overly focused on his release, slipped and fell backward as he landed.
The crowd fell silent.
He'd tried to dunk over Chandler and followed with a high-difficulty layup, unfazed by Nowitzki's brilliance, playing even more assertively.
Conley and Randolph rushed over to help him up.
Only they could understand it, having seen this version of Han Sen in the Game 7 battle against the Thunder.
Their opponent's strength didn't intimidate him; it only fueled his courage and fighting spirit.
And that spirit, just like before, infected his teammates.
Nowitzki attempted another cut, but this time Randolph disrupted his shot.
Nowitzki finally missed his first shot of the night.
Randolph grabbed the defensive rebound, and when the Grizzlies advanced to half-court, he didn't go to the low post but instead signaled Conley to pass the ball to Han Sen, then moved over to set a screen for him.
After the pick-and-roll, Han Sen ended up with Chandler as his mismatch. He faked a shot, then crossed over and sped past him.
Chandler may be quick, but mostly as a help defender—one-on-one against a perimeter player is a different story.
Once again, Han Sen isn't LeBron, but his combination of drives and shots makes it hard for big men to defend him on a switch.
Just as Han Sen got past Chandler, Marion rushed over for help defense.
This Mavericks team's defensive strength is underrated, with Kidd, Marion, and Chandler forming a defensive trio.
Seeing Marion's approach, Han Sen jumped, evaded Marion in mid-air with a body twist, then glided to the other side of the rim for a reverse layup.
Each of his shots is getting harder and harder.
However, this one was just too difficult—the ball bounced off the rim and out.
Marion quickly tried to grab the rebound.
But Han Sen, with his quicker jump, had already taken off to tip it back in before Marion could get his hands on it.
Han Sen was younger and jumped much higher; Marion's hand only managed to hit Han Sen's hand.
The ref blew the whistle, but Han Sen didn't stop.
Despite his wrist being hit, his fingertips nudged the ball, and out of habit, he managed to tip it back up.
The basketball seemed almost enchanted as it dropped smoothly through the hoop.
Han Sen rebounded his own miss and completed the three-point play!
After making the free throw, he scored seven points in a row.
The score was now 13 to 14.
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
Han Sen's stretch of play was inspiring, single-handedly pulling the Grizzlies back from the brink of collapse.
The camera showed Han Sen retreating on defense, his gaze unshakable.
So what if they can't stop Nowitzki?
As long as they can keep scoring, they can stay in it!
Han Sen's offensive energy lifted the Grizzlies' morale, and despite Nowitzki's hot hand, they fought the Mavericks evenly during the first quarter.
With about ten minutes left in the first quarter, the Mavericks led only 22 to 20 as both teams began rotating players.
But for the Grizzlies, the real challenge was just beginning.
It became evident in the first play after the substitutions.
O'Neal demanded the ball in the post, easily bulldozed Haddadi out of bounds, then dunked with both hands.
Playing off the bench had a major perk for O'Neal: he could avoid tougher matchups.
Although he had lost some power due to past injuries, he still had more than enough for Haddadi.
This rotation period was the toughest for the Grizzlies.
Fortunately, on the next possession, Crawford received a pass from Williams, lost Terry, and drove to the basket, slipping past O'Neal for a layup to answer.
However, the Mavericks' bench firepower was intense.
With O'Neal drawing a double-team in the post, he passed it out to Terry, who drilled a three and followed up with his signature jet-plane celebration.
After all, it wasn't just Nowitzki who was sweeping the Lakers.
Terry was averaging 19.8 points off the bench, including 3.3 three-pointers per game at a jaw-dropping 68.4% accuracy.
The crowd erupted with cheers.
Though Caron Butler was sidelined for the season, as was Gay for the Grizzlies, the Mavericks' depth was far superior.
But before the cheers died down, Crawford received a pass from Haddadi outside, faked Terry, and fired a three.
Swish!
Another perfect shot!
The Grizzlies' bench exploded, with Han Sen jumping up excitedly.
After two playoff rounds, Crawford was finally finding his stride!
Just as Han Sen had told O'Neal, the Grizzlies had found what they needed from their series against the Thunder.
Crawford's breakthrough was an unlikely event; as a rookie, he didn't have much power on this stage.
But that's the charm of a sixth-man role—coming through in unexpected moments.
Thanks to Crawford's surprise performance, the Grizzlies weren't falling too far behind during this rotation phase.
When the starters returned, the Grizzlies were only down 30 to 33.
Back in the game, the Mavericks' next possession saw Nowitzki receiving the ball on the right side.
This time, Gasol had learned his lesson, raising his right hand to obstruct Nowitzki's view, while his left guarded against Nowitzki driving.
Seeing this, Nowitzki faked a drive, jab-stepped to create space, then suddenly pulled up for a fadeaway.
Gasol lunged forward, but the ball still floated above his reach…
Swish!
Another clean bucket!
The arena erupted instantly.
A short break hadn't cooled down Nowitzki's shooting.
This was terrible news for the Grizzlies.
The crowd's cheers filled the air.
With the energy boost, Randolph's post-up attempt was also shut down.
And Kidd, securing the rebound, suddenly picked up the pace.
As he quickly advanced, and before either team fully set up, he slipped a pass to Nowitzki trailing behind.
Nowitzki took three strides towards the hoop, angled his body to evade Gasol's block, and banked the shot in.
The baseline ref's whistle blew—it was a three-point play again!
Nowitzki pumped his fist, then turned to high-five Kidd, who had set him up.
That's the beauty of a true playmaker.
Kidd didn't need much possession time, but every pass found the most open teammate.
Nowitzki made the free throw, scoring another five straight points as the second quarter began, without missing a shot.
The German tank was unstoppable tonight.
The score was now 30 to 38.
The Grizzlies were quickly down by eight.
"Defense! Defense!"
Dallas fans' chants filled the arena, eager to bury the Grizzlies' hopes right here.
At this moment, Han Sen signaled Gasol, and the two ran a pick-and-roll.
However, Gasol was frustrated by Nowitzki's hot hand, and the screen didn't fully shield West.
When Han Sen received the ball and prepared to shoot, West had already closed in on him.
Knowing Han Sen's shooting prowess, West lunged aggressively.
Han Sen, however, used this to his advantage.
With a convincing fake, he got West to bite, then dribbled left to create space, shooting a three just as Nowitzki rushed over to contest.
Swish!
Another perfect shot!
The crowd's chant was silenced once again by Han Sen!
The Grizzlies' bench waved their towels in excitement.
You have your German tank; we have our San Antonio Mayor. Let's see who's afraid of who!
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone