Mayor of San Antonio.

After the posterizing dunk, Han Sen finally understood why the Spurs got knocked out by the Grizzlies in that infamous 8th seed upset.

It wasn't just a matter of tactics. Didn't Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll counter Randolph?

In later playoff series, didn't the Spurs consistently dominate the Grizzlies?

At the end of the day, it was because Duncan just wasn't the same this year.

Some Spurs fans loved hyping up Popovich, calling him the true soul of the team.

But the truth is, once Duncan retired, Pop fell off. His coaching seemed stiff on the FIBA stage too.

Bottom line: Duncan was the true core of the Spurs. When your core is compromised, no way the team stays dominant.

Han Sen's shooting was off tonight.

Although he managed to score by attacking the rim, the core issue was that his poor shooting limited his ability to create spacing on the weak side for Randolph, making it tough for him to operate in the low post.

In a way, their inside-outside play, combined with the Grizzlies' half-court style, resembled a weakened version of the 'Shaq-Kobe' duo.

Meanwhile, even though Duncan was struggling, Parker and Ginobili were in good form. Especially Parker, who was tearing up Randolph with his pick-and-roll.

By halftime, the score was 50 to 48, with the Grizzlies leading by just 2 points.

This half showed what it meant to be 'a camel, even dead, is bigger than a horse.' Even with Duncan's struggles, the Spurs were still the West's top regular-season team.

During the break, Han Sen didn't head back to the locker room with his teammates. Instead, he got permission from Coach Hollins to stay on the court.

Usually, shooting touch doesn't swing drastically in a single game—it's either hot or cold.

But Han Sen was trying to change that narrative by doing some dribbling drills and simple floaters to increase his wrist flexibility.

Shooting, simply put, comes down to that final flick of the wrist, as long as the shooting rhythm isn't off.

After about ten minutes of this, Han sat back on the bench, closed his eyes, and focused on resting.

Missing his first two shots drove him to attack the basket more, which was the right choice, but it also dented his shooting confidence.

Kobe once said he'd rather go 0 for 20 than 0 for 9—a seemingly extreme statement, but one that underscored his unbreakable confidence.

Han needed to get back to that mindset.

After resting for five minutes, with five minutes left before the second half, Conley and Battier returned to the court early.

Han Sen got up and called Conley over to be his ballboy.

He took a few three-pointers, still not quite feeling it.

But on the next few, he made five in a row.

By then, players from both teams had already come back onto the court.

This scene caught Popovich's eye, and his expression visibly changed.

In the second half, the Grizzlies made a key adjustment, starting Battier in place of Tony Allen.

The Spurs attacked first, Parker driving into the lane and dishing it to McDyess, who nailed a mid-range jumper to tie the game.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

For the Spurs, losing Game 1 had a significant impact—not just because they lost home-court advantage, but because of how they lost.

Han and Randolph played well, but neither went off for an explosive scoring night. It was like the Grizzlies had just beaten them with a basic attack.

So, in this game, the Spurs not only wanted to win but regain their momentum.

They came out in the second half with a 2-1-2 zone, trying to seize the moment.

The Grizzlies kept breaking down the zone, with Marc Gasol handling the ball at the top of the key, Randolph posting up, and Han and Battier running pick-and-rolls.

The difference this time was that Han called for the ball.

When Marc passed it to him, Han didn't hesitate.

Jefferson didn't jump, wary of Han's fake shot into a drive—something he fell for in the first half. But Han pulled up immediately, and by the time Jefferson reacted, it was too late.

Knees bent, jumping; arms extended, wrist flicked.

Thanks to [Iron Body] and the constant grind, which helped him push past his natural limits, Han's form was crisp and precise.

The ball spun gracefully in mid-air, almost like a ballet.

Swish!

Han's mid-range jumper hit nothing but net to start the half.

Popovich coughed nervously, and the arena buzzed with unease.

For San Antonio fans, this was not a good sign.

Duncan managed to score on the next possession, taking a pass from Parker and finishing at the rim, keeping the Spurs within striking distance.

Back on offense, Conley looked to feed the post, but Randolph shook his head, signaling to swing the ball to the weak side.

One shot wasn't enough to tell the whole story—Randolph wanted to see if Han Sen had truly regained his touch.

Han took the pass, and after his teammates cleared out, he ran a pick-and-roll with Marc.

Ginobili tried to fight through the screen, but Han blew past him and met Jefferson at the rim.

This time, Jefferson stepped up to contest, but Han executed a perfect euro step, leaving Jefferson flat-footed.

Jefferson desperately tried to recover, but Han leaned in with his hip, blocking him off and smoothly tossing up a floater over Duncan's outstretched arms.

Parker wasn't the only one who could master the floater, and Han's release point was higher.

With plantar fasciitis weighing him down like an anchor, Duncan couldn't elevate in time.

Swish!

Another clean bucket!

Before Han could celebrate, Randolph was already hyped, running over to rub Han's head.

Duncan stared wide-eyed at Randolph, looking like he'd lost something precious.

Everyone knew now—after those 20 minutes of halftime adjustments, Han Sen had found his rhythm.

For the San Antonio faithful, there was no worse news.

No, scratch that—there was something worse. Memphis knew it too.

If Han Sen had found his groove, the Grizzlies were back in the comfortable rhythm of Game 1.

The Grizzlies' defense noticeably picked up.

Ginobili's next drive ended in a block by Marc.

With his confidence back, Han Sen darted down the court on the fast break.

Marc grabbed the rebound and launched a long outlet pass to Han.

Parker was chasing hard, but Han shielded his position, and once they crossed half-court, he kicked into a second burst of speed.

Parker tried to strip the ball, but Han was ready for it. He leapt at the perfect moment, lifting the ball with his left hand.

The crowd started to stir.

Han was getting serious air.

And then, the buzz turned into gasps.

Han switched the ball between his legs mid-flight!

He was going for a between-the-legs dunk!

Boom!

Han slammed it home with his right hand, rocking the AT&T Center into dead silence once again.

In the first half, it was like Han's poor shooting had him under a spell, but now, that spell was broken.

The San Antonio crowd suddenly remembered—this was the guy who could drop 40 on their heads!

Han landed, taking a deep breath and feeling the rush.

He'd wanted to try this dunk against the Heat, but between-the-legs dunks, with the switch, are among the toughest in-game dunks.

At the time, he just didn't have the skills.

Now, he could pull it off—and at the perfect stage.

To the San Antonio fans: I'm on fire!

Seeing the crowd still stunned, Han waved his hands, inviting some noise.

The fans couldn't hold back anymore.

This was San Antonio, not Memphis!

The boos erupted.

But this round of boos felt scattered, a sign that Han's show-stopping dunk had drained the energy out of the building.

The Grizzlies went on to win the third quarter 30 to 17, taking a 15-point lead heading into the fourth.

For two half-court-focused teams, that margin pretty much turned the final period into garbage time.

Surprisingly, the Grizzlies' starters didn't sit until the last two minutes.

Whatever Popovich's plans to humiliate the Grizzlies, they clearly hadn't heard about them—but they had their own reasons to play to the end.

The Spurs fans were furious but helpless—there's no rule against beating an opponent to a pulp.

In the end, the Grizzlies won 108 to 83, taking a commanding 2-0 series lead.

More importantly, the Spurs had lost both games at home, making a comeback even harder.

Just as Han Sen predicted, after that grueling seven-game series against the Thunder, the Grizzlies had transformed.

After the game, both teams lined up for the post-game handshake.

That's when Duncan pulled Han aside and shared some encouraging words.

Duncan was as humble and low-key as his game and always supportive of the younger players.

Years ago, he told LeBron, "The future is yours," and he genuinely meant it.

Of course, that line became a meme later.

Their exchange was projected on the jumbotron, with Barkley in the booth talking about the symbolic "passing of the torch."

But then, the crowd's murmuring grew louder, and a familiar chant took over:

"Fxck Han Sen!"

This was the third time tonight that this chant echoed, but it was clearly different from the previous two.

Han Sen had been through something similar back when he was with the Cavaliers, when Cleveland fans shouted "Who is your daddy?" at the Celtics.

Although the situations were different, at their core, both were outlets for emotional release.

After getting pummeled by the Grizzlies, the fans of San Antonio could only vent their emotions this way.

When the handshake line was over, the chants hadn't stopped, and Han Sen was in the mood for something more.

Instead of leaving the court with his teammates, he turned around, placed his left hand behind his back, and with a flower-like gesture of his right hand at his chest, gracefully bowed to the Spurs fans.

After rising, Han Sen left the arena without a backward glance, leaving the relentless chanting behind him.

During the post-game press conference, Han Sen appeared alongside Randolph.

Naturally, the reporters directed their first questions to Han Sen.

"You didn't seem to have your shooting touch in the first half, but you found it in the second. What changed in between?"

"Maybe I just switched to a better hoop?" 

His response brought laughter from the crowd—still as humorous as ever.

"You pulled off a poster dunk on TD during the game. How did you manage that?"

"I know TD has been dealing with plantar fasciitis this season. While he hasn't made a big deal of it like others might, I hope he recovers soon so I can truly posterize him."

The first part of Han Sen's answer left the reporters confused, but the latter half brought them back to the familiar tone.

"It seemed like the fans had some unpleasant things to say about you tonight. Any comments on that?"

"What more can I say? Goodnight, San Antonio."

Social media was buzzing that night.

"Fxck Han Sen" surged to the top of trending topics. It was rare to see fans this "passionate" towards a star player.

It was something that hadn't been seen since the days of Jordan's greatest rivals.

And Han Sen's mocking bow only added fuel to the fire, turning it into a viral moment.

This didn't net Han Sen a significant boost in hater points, but it did earn him a fair number of new followers overnight.

After all, if the Celtics are the league's most hated team, the Spurs are right behind them.

And Han Sen? He's the one player capable of breaking both Celtics and Spurs fans' defenses.

Such a player is irresistibly magnetic.

Of course, tonight's buzz wasn't just because of "Fxck Han Sen," although he was a part of it.

In another game that ended the same night, the Mavericks rallied with a 32-20 fourth quarter to defeat the Lakers 98-92.

That put them up 3-0 in the series.

It sounds unbelievable, but even now, the media and die-hard Kobe fans still believe the Lakers can pull off a 4-3 comeback.

This thing, which he thought was just a running joke, was now unfolding right in front of his eyes.

It just goes to show that sometimes, people only believe what they want to believe.

Han Sen wasn't about to let this opportunity pass him by. Already at the center of attention, he posted on social media that night:

"I bet the Lakers get swept 0-4. 500k on it. Anyone want to take the bet?"

This wave of schadenfreude really had the Kobe fans gnashing their teeth.

And surprisingly, some people actually wanted to take him up on it.

One of them was none other than the ultimate Kobe fan, Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson, who accepted the challenge.

This turned Han Sen's post into yet another viral moment.

It seemed like once the Lakers finished their series, Han Sen would rake in quite a few hater points.

As of now, his hater points had already accumulated over 500,000.

At this rate, he might be able to unlock an elite-level dribbling or passing talent by the summer.

After Game 2, there were two days off between games.

And in those two days, something even more interesting happened.

It happened to coincide with the San Antonio mayoral election, where someone cast a vote for Han Sen!

This cheeky vote earned Han Sen a new title: "Mayor of San Antonio, Fxck Han Sen."

-End of Chapter-