Chương 132: The End of the 2010-2011 Regular Season.
Off-camera, LeBron James wasn't angry but rather frustrated.
No one knew the real reason for his frustration. It could have been from failing to block Crawford's dunk, or perhaps he felt he shouldn't have attempted it in the first place.
After his frustration passed, in the next possession, he moved to the weak side and let Chalmers handle the ball.
Han Sen wasn't surprised. This was just LeBron being himself—like a long river that can find its way around a small hill even if it can't flow straight through.
What did surprise Han Sen, though, was how quickly LeBron admitted defeat.
You have to remember, back when he was with the Cavaliers, even when his performances against the Celtics were subpar, LeBron would still play through injuries.
But now, it seemed LeBron just wanted to play it safe.
Analyzing rationally, the immense pressure brought on by The Decision, combined with referees no longer favoring him, had clearly shaken his mentality.
This was probably why the Heat's performance had been so inconsistent.
After all, Spoelstra had adjusted the team's roles, making LeBron the focal point of the Heat's offense—the engine of the team. But if the engine falters, even the best components around it can't prevent a stall.
Crawford's poster dunk energized FedExForum, boosting the Grizzlies' morale, while Chalmers' possession ended without success.
On the next play, Crawford, now on fire, received a pass from Williams, drove inside, and even while losing balance from contact with Haslem, made an improbable shot from a tough angle.
That forced Spoelstra to call a timeout.
Crawford was met with enthusiastic cheers from his teammates as he walked off the court, and even Han Sen stood up to give him a high-five.
It had to be said that while this (Jordan) Crawford and the other (Jamal) one had different skill sets, they both carried the same 'Sixth Man' energy.
Just then, Han noticed something interesting on the other half of the court.
Spoelstra was setting up plays on his whiteboard, but LeBron was sitting on the bench with his head down, not participating. In front of him was Haslem.
Haslem, the longest-tenured Heat player, a key figure in their 2006 championship run and the team's locker room leader, bent down, talking to LeBron, offering him words of encouragement.
When the timeout ended, the Heat sent in Bosh, who immediately stabilized the team with an and-one over Haddadi, who had just entered the game.
The score was tight, 34-29, with the Grizzlies leading as both teams brought their starters back in.
The Grizzlies attacked first, and Randolph, after a quiet spell, finally scored with a strong 2+1 post move over Ilgauskas.
After scoring, he turned to Han Sen, who made the assist, and they slapped hands with force.
For low-post beasts like Randolph, you can slow them down for a quarter, but you can't keep them in check for a whole game.
After Randolph hit his free throw, the Grizzlies' lead grew to eight points, approaching double digits.
The Heat's next possession saw Wade pass to LeBron, and Bibby came over, using all his strength to push Han Sen away.
Since Bibby had been hitting his threes this season, Han followed him, leaving LeBron with a favorable mismatch.
Randolph was the weak point in the Grizzlies' pick-and-roll defense, but LeBron didn't dare take the mid-range shot, so that weakness never materialized. If LeBron was going to run a pick-and-roll, he would have to overpower smaller defenders.
Back in the Celtics days, Allen had made life tough for LeBron, and now Conley became his primary defender.
Thanks to the Heat's frontcourt spacing with Ilgauskas and Bosh, the strong side was wide open.
LeBron tried to drive past Conley, but the latter's footwork was impeccable. Though Conley wasn't quite an all-defense level player yet, he was still a guard with enough speed to stay with LeBron.
Unable to get past him, LeBron switched to backing Conley down.
But that didn't work either.
While Conley wasn't the strongest player, his defensive technique was excellent. He didn't bite on LeBron's physicality, backing off when LeBron pushed and then stepping back in to contest, leaving LeBron stuck in place after several failed attempts.
With the back-to-the-basket five-second rule, LeBron couldn't keep trying and had to settle for a fadeaway.
Conley didn't overcommit, simply raising his hands to obstruct LeBron's view.
LeBron's shot looked completely off the mark, missing everything but air.
Marc Gasol caught the ball under the rim, barely reacting in time to what had just happened.
The crowd couldn't hold back their laughter—this post-up was even more embarrassing than his earlier reverse layup attempt after colliding with Randolph.
It almost seemed like LeBron was trying to provide comic relief in this otherwise intense game.
In a way, he succeeded. Marc Gasol's delayed reaction cost the Grizzlies a fast-break opportunity.
Han received a pass from Randolph at the free-throw line, faked out Wade's help defense, and hit a mid-range jumper to extend the Grizzlies' lead to 39-29, pushing the margin to double digits.
On the other end, Wade took over.
After a pick-and-roll with Bosh, Wade drove hard to the basket. Allen got screened and couldn't catch up, while Randolph was too slow, forcing Han to rotate over for help.
Seeing this, Wade made a quick drive-and-kick pass to the wide-open LeBron on the perimeter.
Han Sen knew he couldn't recover in time, so he stopped his rotation and gestured to LeBron with a mocking 'be my guest' hand motion.
This scene left Haddadi dumbfounded, as it was the exact same move he had made during the Asian Championships in China!
LeBron, ready to shoot, hesitated after seeing Han's gesture.
What happened next sent the crowd into a frenzy.
After making the hand gesture, Han didn't even bother defending LeBron. He turned his back, preparing to grab the rebound.
The contrast between their actions was stark, with both of them still in the same frame. The difference in confidence couldn't have been more apparent.
Han Sen's gesture would have been incredibly embarrassing if LeBron had made the three-pointer.
But LeBron... didn't shoot.
He knew if he missed, Han's taunt would go viral after the game.
Seeing LeBron's hesitation, Haslem's face fell in disappointment on the Heat's bench.
He realized all the words of encouragement he had given LeBron were for nothing. In basketball, the team that fights harder wins. Once you show fear, you're destined to lose.
After LeBron drove, Han turned back, knowing exactly what would happen.
This was the insight of a former teammate.
Varejao had also been hesitant to shoot in the past. A captain teaches his team what he knows, after all.
LeBron crashed into Han, who flopped backward out of bounds, and the whistle blew for an offensive foul on LeBron.
Randolph and Conley pulled him up from the floor, and Han Sen was grinning.
There had been a rumor floating around that last season, if Han hadn't been injured, the Cavaliers might have won the championship.
But Han Sen had known back then that it was unlikely. Now, he was even more certain.
If this LeBron made it to the Finals, Kobe would've torn him apart.
So, in a way, it was lucky for LeBron that the Cavaliers never made it to the Finals. A 23 vs. 24 showdown wouldn't have ended well for him.
One missed shot, one offensive foul—neither would normally mean much over a long 48-minute game.
But beyond the box score, these plays shifted the momentum entirely.
It's like two armies facing off—when your general, or even a lieutenant, shows fear on the battlefield, how can your troops charge forward with courage?
The Grizzlies rode this momentum to go on a run in the second quarter, taking a 51-36 lead at halftime.
When the teams returned from the locker room, LeBron essentially disappeared, even when Wade passed him the ball. He chose to give it right back to Wade or pass to someone else.
Wade's relentless drives kept the Heat afloat.
Finally, Spoelstra had seen enough and subbed LeBron out.
But unlike the season opener, the Heat didn't close the gap, as Wade's energy was eventually drained, and his efficiency dropped.
Much like in the opener, the Grizzlies were a team that, once they took the lead, it was nearly impossible to claw back against them.
By the end of the third quarter, the Grizzlies still held a 15-point lead.
Both teams played on for a bit in the fourth quarter without much change in the scoreline, and Spoelstra eventually subbed out his starters, waving the white flag early.
With two minutes left in the game, LeBron walked off the court early.
As he walked through the tunnel, a mischievous cameraman decided to put his image up on the stadium's LED screen.
The crowd responded with boos.
LeBron wasn't just a coward tonight; he was also a deserter.
Han Sen looked up and noticed that LeBron wasn't leaving alone—the Heat's team doctor was with him.
Losing the game was no surprise, but seeing the team doctor follow him out was a bit unusual.
In the end, the Grizzlies easily defeated the Heat 105-89 at home.
In the postgame stats, Wade scored 26 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists; Bosh had 19 points and 7 rebounds; James Jones contributed 16 points, while LeBron James finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
For the Grizzlies, Han Sen led with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists; Randolph recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists (his first career triple-double); Conley added 15 points and 5 assists; and Jordan Crawford scored 13 points.
After the game, Han Sen and Randolph attended the post-game press conference together.
"With this win, you became the first team in the league to beat the Heat twice this season. How did you manage to do that?" The reporters first directed this question to Coach Hollins.
"We did everything we could. We all know the kind of team we were up against, but fortunately, we managed to win the game."
Han Sen frowned at this—neither of the two games even went down to the wire, so why be so humble?
"Han, how would you evaluate Zach's performance tonight?" A reporter then asked Han Sen.
"I've said it before—Zach is an All-Star player. He can do everything you need from a big man, and we're lucky to have him."
Although the All-Star Game had already passed, Han Sen was already campaigning for Randolph for next year's All-Star vote.
"What does beating the Heat twice mean for you guys?" The reporter followed up with a similar question for Han Sen.
Does it mean we completed a sweep?
"It doesn't mean much; it's just a regular-season game."
The best way to undermine your opponent is to act like you don't care.
And Han Sen was being truthful—at this point in the season, what really mattered to them was the upcoming playoffs.
"You played excellent defense on LeBron tonight. What was the key to that?"
Of course, no post-game interview would be complete without a LeBron-related question.
This time, Han Sen didn't deflect. He recalled LeBron walking into the tunnel after the game and, with a meaningful tone, replied:
"I think if I'm not mistaken, he's probably dealing with another injury."
Right elbow? Groin? Ankle?
Or maybe it was just one of those days when his body wasn't feeling great.
Who knows?
The reporters looked puzzled—LeBron had just mentioned during the Heat's post-game conference that he was having groin issues. But Han Sen should have still been courtside giving an interview and couldn't have heard that.
Was it just intuition, or did this come from some unspoken connection between former teammates?
...
Time flew by, and by mid-April, the 2010–2011 regular season had officially come to an end.
The Chicago Bulls finished with the best record in the league at 62 wins, positioning Derrick Rose to claim his first MVP award and become the youngest MVP in history.
The Heat finished with 58 wins. Despite a season full of ups and downs, they secured the second seed in the East heading into the playoffs.
The 'Big Three' averaged impressive numbers: LeBron James with 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game; Wade with 25.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks; and Bosh with 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
The Celtics and Magic followed with 56 and 52 wins, respectively, to claim the third and fourth seeds.
The Hawks, Knicks, 76ers, and Pacers rounded out the Eastern Conference playoff picture in the 5th to 8th spots.
In the Western Conference, the Spurs secured the top seed with 61 wins.
The Mavericks were close behind with 58 wins, and the Lakers finished third, just one game behind Dallas.
The Thunder clinched the fourth seed with 55 wins.
The Grizzlies finished the season with 52 wins, improving by 12 wins from last season and earning the fifth seed in the West.
Han Sen, in his second NBA season, averaged 21.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks, with shooting percentages of 47.5% from the field and 41.2% from beyond the arc.①
After Gay's season-ending injury, Han Sen took on more offensive responsibilities, averaging around 24 points per game in the second half of the season.
Randolph contributed with averages of 20.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals. Though he started the season slowly due to injury, he rebounded to deliver All-Star-level performances.
The Trail Blazers, Nuggets, and Hornets secured the 6th, 7th, and 8th seeds, respectively.
The Rockets, hampered by Yao Ming's injury, finished 9th and missed the playoffs.
With the standings finalized, the Grizzlies' first-round opponent was also set—they would face off against the Thunder.
This matchup had been anticipated for a while, as the Grizzlies and Thunder had held the 4th and 5th seeds for much of the season. However, after Gay's injury, the Grizzlies slipped to the fifth seed.
The second half of the season became a battle between the two teams for home-court advantage in the playoffs, with the Thunder ultimately securing it due to their stronger roster on paper.
For Han Sen, this matchup was personal—he had spent the summer in Memphis playing one-on-one against Durant, who had outperformed him.
Now, he had a chance to redeem himself on the court.
—Break Line—
①: 2010-2011 season's top 10 scorers: 1. Durant (27.7); 2. LeBron (26.7); 3. Wade (25.6); 4. Carmelo (25.6); 5. Kobe (25.3); 6. Stoudemire (25.3); 7. Rose (25); 8. Monta Ellis (24.1); 9. Kevin Martin (23.5); 10. Nowitzki (23) … 16. Han Sen (21.4).
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