The Classical Master.
Score: 97-85
The Memphis Grizzlies ultimately defeated the Los Angeles Lakers at home.
Post-game stats show Kobe Bryant shot 14 of 35, missing 21 shots, but still scored 41 points with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 turnovers.
Lamar Odom scored 15 points, and no other Laker scored in double digits.
For the Grizzlies, Zach Randolph shined with 28 points on 10 of 13 shooting, along with 13 rebounds and 4 assists, delivering an All-Star level performance.
Rudy Gay had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 blocks (a career-high), while Marc Gasol added 10 points and 9 rebounds. Mike Conley contributed with 13 points and 9 assists.
Han Sen primarily focused on defending Kobe Bryant throughout the game, scoring 11 points on 5 of 11 shooting, while also adding 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
After the game, Han Sen and Randolph attended the post-game press conference together.
"Defense was the key to our victory tonight. Han's defense on Kobe set the tone for the game," said Randolph with a big smile while adjusting his headband.
Ever since their previous meeting at the café, Randolph had taken a liking to Han Sen.
"We all know the Lakers have a strong frontcourt, but Zach dominated them. Tonight, he looked like 'The Big Shaq' O'Neal," Han Sen complimented Randolph generously.
The two were hyping each other up for the media.
"Han, you only scored 11 points tonight, well below your season average. Does that bother you?" an ESPN reporter asked.
"If the team doesn't win, what's the point of scoring 30?" Han Sen responded with a smile.
He had seen plenty of games in Cleveland where a certain someone scored a lot, but the team still lost.
"Does beating the Lakers tonight mean the Grizzlies are now championship contenders?" the reporter asked, clearly setting a trap.
"No," Han Sen shook his head. "Before the season started, I said our goal is to win the championship."
Leaving the press conference, Coach Hollins seemed like he wanted to say something to Han Sen, but ended up walking away in silence.
It was clear he was speechless about Han Sen's big mouth.
"Good job," assistant coach Joerger patted Han Sen on the shoulder and went to follow Hollins.
After taking a shower, Han Sen went home and immediately entered his System Space.
He had defended Kobe well in the first half, but in the second half, Kobe found his rhythm and hit some difficult shots. It wasn't that Han Sen's defense worsened, it's just that Kobe's mid-range shooting was nearly impossible to defend once he got hot.
But after tonight, that would no longer be Kobe's exclusive strength. Han Sen could have it too!
Han Sen accessed the system and found a mid-range talent upgrade, redeeming [Classical Master].
[Classical Master]: Greatly enhances core strength and body coordination, while significantly improving mid-range shooting touch.
Just like [Iron Body], this talent came with substantial improvements.
Additionally, this talent overlapped with the [Giant Slayer] in terms of body coordination.
This meant if he trained [Classical Master] to its peak, his floater game would also improve.
Killing two birds with one stone, Han Sen knew he needed to train as soon as possible to reach the peak quickly.
He didn't waste any time. Despite just finishing a game and being physically tired, he was too excited and went straight to the training facility to practice.
Though his training regimen was already intense, tonight he felt an unrelenting energy, fueled by the image of Kobe hitting those mid-range shots over him.
Even though he had just begun training, he could already feel his shots becoming smoother and more effortless.
[Classical Master] was truly a powerful talent.
---
Time quickly passed, and it was now late December.
The NBA season was two months in, and Stan had updated his power rankings.
Due to his bold ranking of the Miami Heat and his quick corrections when making mistakes, Stan's rankings had rapidly gained credibility among fans.
In this edition, the Chicago Bulls remained at the top.
In the official MVP race standings, Derrick Rose topped the list for the first time.
The Miami Heat had climbed back to second place after a slow 9-8 start. Over the past month, they won 15 of their 16 games.
Coach Erik Spoelstra wasn't lying when he said there'd be changes. After the famous two-man talk, the Heat adjusted their game plan significantly.
Dwyane Wade was cutting more without the ball and posting up more frequently, while Chris Bosh shifted to shooting more mid-range shots from 16 feet, spacing the floor for the team. LeBron James was handling the ball more and playing the role of a facilitator.
These changes led to LeBron's efficiency improving significantly as he returned to his comfort zone.
Stan also wised up after getting criticized twice. He started adding his own analysis to explain controversial team rankings.
He didn't rank the Heat first because their recent success was largely due to an easy schedule. Of their 16 opponents, only 4 were playoff teams, inflating their record.
The San Antonio Spurs climbed to third place.
Despite their aging roster, the Spurs led the Western Conference, proving once again that 'Texas three illusions' never fail.
The Boston Celtics ranked fourth.
The Los Angeles Lakers dropped to fifth after losing to the Grizzlies earlier in December and getting blown out by the Heat on Christmas. Their struggles in high-profile games hinted at a deeper problem.
The Grizzlies' ranking rose to sixth, following wins against championship contenders like the Lakers, Magic, and Bulls.
The Dallas Mavericks fell to seventh.
---
As the All-Star voting opened, Shaquille O'Neal had just become the oldest player since 1986 to post a 25-point, 11-rebound game in late November against the Nets. However, an Achilles injury sidelined him soon after.
At the same time, the annual All-Star voting kicked off, and Han Sen was one of four Grizzlies players in contention.
Compared to his time with the Cavaliers, Han Sen's performance this season—19.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.3 steals (2nd in the league), 48.5% field goal shooting, and 41.2% from three—made him a much more deserving candidate.
Shortly after voting began, his girlfriend Swift publicly endorsed him on social media.
Since being caught together at a hotel, Swift had confirmed their relationship to the media, making her campaign for Han Sen legitimate.
A week later, the first round of All-Star voting results were in.
Han Sen ranked second among Western Conference guards, just behind Kobe Bryant.
If the All-Star game were held today, Han Sen would be the starting guard for the West.
This result instantly placed Han Sen in the media spotlight.
In a Western Conference loaded with high-profile guards like Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, Han Sen's high ranking raised eyebrows—especially since Chris Paul, widely considered the best point guard, had immense popularity in the U.S.
Critics voiced their frustration:
"Letting fans vote for All-Stars? This is rigged!"
"This is another challenge to the legitimacy of the All-Star voting system! Those fans don't even watch the All-Star game!"
"What makes you better than Chris Paul? Is it because you're taller? Better looking? Or just more popular with women?"
---
Amidst the backlash, Han Sen gained a new wave of [hater points].
Naturally, reporters asked him about the fan voting and his girlfriend's involvement.
"Is there a problem with my girlfriend campaigning for me? If you have the ability, go get yourself a girlfriend to do the same," Han Sen quipped, leaving the reporter speechless.
After all, All-Star voting was a game of influence. Even Zaza Pachulia once rallied an entire country to vote for him.
If someone had enough clout to get the U.S. president to campaign for them, why not?
---
By early January, the Grizzlies were preparing to face the Spurs on the road, their first matchup of the season.
The Spurs' surprising performance made them special for Han Sen. The worst game of his career had come at the hands of the Spurs.
With the All-Star game putting him in the spotlight, Han Sen knew that if he had another poor game against the Spurs, he'd be heavily criticized.
But instead of worrying about the hate, Han Sen focused on proving himself.
His intense training over the past month had already improved his mid-range game, even if he hadn't hit his peak yet.
The Spurs were the perfect team to test his progress.
---
On game day, the Spurs held their regular open practice.
After practice, Coach Gregg Popovich spoke to reporters. Since the team's core trio (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili) avoided interviews, Pop usually handled the media.
Aside from the game itself, reporters were eager to ask about Han Sen's All-Star campaign, which had been generating buzz.
"What do you think of Han's off-court fan voting campaign?"
"Han who?" Popovich replied, feigning ignorance.
After the reporter clarified, Popovich acted as if he had just remembered. "Oh, that Han. You know, I'm an old man without a phone, so I haven't paid much attention to that."
"If it's true, then there's no problem. But I won't be voting for him because I have two guys on my side who are more deserving of being selected."
That night, at the AT&T Center, the arena was about 80% full.
Although the Spurs consistently performed well and even won multiple championships, their attendance was never particularly high.
This mostly had to do with their style of play. You rarely saw dunks in their games, and on top of that, they were a small-market team, so having high attendance would be a miracle.
However, tonight's game had a pretty decent turnout, largely thanks to the recent hype around Han Sen.
During the pre-game warmup, the cameras frequently focused on Han.
Whether Popovich was paying attention to Han Sen was unclear, but the Spurs clearly had their eyes on him.
After all, as Popovich mentioned, the Spurs' two guards were in direct competition with Han Sen for All-Star votes.
After warming up for a bit, Han Sen sat down to rest on the sidelines. Randolph sat next to him, draped an arm around his shoulder, and pointed at the LED screen showing their images, talking about how 'popular' he was at that moment.
Han Sen simply smiled and looked at Conley warming up on the court. Then he became curious about something.
"Zach, why did you choose number 50?"
"That's related to my high school coach," Randolph was happy to share his story.
"Back then, I was tall and big. Coach Smedley wanted me to join the team, so he took me out for a meal. I ate 50 chicken legs."
Han Sen was stunned, not expecting such an interesting story.
"What a shame."
"What?"
"You should've eaten five more chicken legs."
Randolph didn't get it at first.
Han Sen pointed at his own jersey, then pointed at Randolph's.
55 chicken legs, 55 jersey number, the Grizzlies' starting lineup would have all double numbers.
Randolph finally understood and burst out laughing.
Despite being caught in the midst of media controversy and constantly in the spotlight, Han Sen's composure was incredibly steady.
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups were announced:
Grizzlies: Conley, Han, Gay, Randolph, Gasol
Spurs: Tony Parker, George Hill, Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan, DeJuan Blair
The improvement in the Spurs' record this season was mainly due to changes in their rotation. Ginobili, after many years, was back in the starting lineup and playing exceptionally well.
However, tonight, Popovich had Ginobili coming off the bench again and started Hill instead.
Duncan won the tip for the Spurs, and they got the first offensive opportunity.
Parker ran a pick-and-roll with Duncan and scored a floater over Randolph.
Randolph wasn't good at defending pick-and-rolls, and Parker-Duncan's pick-and-roll was a deadly weapon for the Spurs.
On the other end, Hill played front defense on Han Sen, denying him easy touches, even preventing him from getting into position at the three-point line to initiate plays.
It wasn't just Hill. Parker, guarding Conley, positioned himself to block Conley's passing lane to Han Sen as well.
Popovich might've claimed not to care much about Han Sen before the game, but this defense was clearly treating him as the Grizzlies' key perimeter player.
No wonder Pop is considered the GOAT of game planning.
Conley lobbed the ball to Randolph, then looped around to take Parker with him.
Randolph isolated Blair in the post. Although Blair was only 6'7" (2.01m), he had both the bulk and the speed to defend Randolph.
Randolph's shot missed, but he quickly grabbed the rebound and scored on the putback.
One thing that had been overlooked was that in the first round of All-Star voting, Randolph was only ranked sixth among Western Conference forwards, while Pau Gasol was ranked second.
In terms of performance, the two had been similar throughout the season. Randolph's lower ranking was simply because Gasol played for the more high-profile Lakers, which had clearly left Randolph with a chip on his shoulder.
After five minutes in the first quarter, the score was 10-4, with the Grizzlies leading.
Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll was causing problems, but Hollins made in-game adjustments, having Gasol sag off Blair to cover the paint, and it worked well.
However, the Spurs had no answer for Randolph.
Blair could match up with Randolph physically, but his height disadvantage meant Randolph was overpowering him on defense.
Popovich had no choice but to assign Duncan to guard Randolph, but once Randolph got going, he scored over Duncan and even drew a foul.
Randolph was a low-post beast—once he got hot, it was hard for anyone to stop him.
With no other option, Popovich stood up and brought in Antonio McDyess to replace Blair and made defensive adjustments.
The Spurs unveiled their most reliable weapon: the 2-1-2 zone defense.
-End of Chapter-
Translator's note:
For those unfamiliar, the 'Texas Three Illusions' refers to common misconceptions or 'illusions' about three of the NBA teams based in Texas: the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Houston Rockets. The phrase typically highlights how these teams often defy expectations, especially in terms of their performances and strategies.
The three 'illusions' are:
1. Spurs' Age: The San Antonio Spurs are often seen as an "old" team because of their long-standing core players like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili (during their dominant years). Despite being considered past their prime, the Spurs frequently perform at a high level, especially under the leadership of coach Gregg Popovich. The "illusion" here is that their age will slow them down, but in reality, their system and teamwork keep them competitive.
2. Mavericks' Inconsistency: The Dallas Mavericks can appear inconsistent during regular seasons, but when playoff time comes, they often step up, especially in their championship-winning season (2011) led by Dirk Nowitzki. The "illusion" is that their regular-season struggles reflect their overall ability, but they often exceed expectations in the postseason.
3. Rockets' "Small Ball" Offense: The Houston Rockets, particularly in the Daryl Morey and James Harden era, embraced an analytics-driven approach that heavily relied on three-point shooting and playing with smaller lineups. The 'illusion' is that this unconventional style wouldn't succeed against bigger, more traditional teams. However, they consistently made deep playoff runs by capitalizing on this strategy.
The term emphasizes how these Texas teams often surprise the basketball world by defying traditional expectations, especially when it comes to age, inconsistency, or unconventional tactics.