I’m Crying.

The crowd erupted as countless fans stood up, waving their yellow towels fervently.

It's common for teams to enhance their home-court atmosphere during the playoffs with special gimmicks.

For instance, Han Sen recalled how, in 'history,' the Mavericks had placed seat covers printed with P.J. Washington's iconic arm-crossing pose on every seat after the move went viral. It was an impressive show of team spirit.

The Grizzlies' yellow towels, however, were tied to Sacre.

Though he rarely got playing time, Sacre's intense energy on the bench made him more popular among Grizzlies fans than many rotation players.

In the first two playoff rounds, the Grizzlies hadn't faced much trouble. But now, in the Western Conference Finals against their long-time rivals, the Spurs, they decided to pull out the big guns.

Everyone in the arena received a yellow towel with the words "Whoop That Trick" boldly printed on it.

The sight of thousands of fans swinging the towels in unison was truly spectacular.

Even Coach Popovich, known for his calm demeanor, couldn't stay seated. He stood up and signaled his team to make adjustments.

Parker and Duncan executed a pick-and-roll, passing to Leonard in the corner. However, Leonard's three-pointer, under Rudy Gay's swift closeout, missed the mark.

This Spurs team was defensively strong, but their offense was comparatively weaker.

With Duncan's advancing age, his low-post threat had diminished. At this stage, the Spurs hadn't yet developed their 'Hammer' action, so their offense mostly revolved around pick-and-roll plays between Parker and Duncan.

For the Spurs, the key to winning was defense. For the Grizzlies, it was about breaking through that defense.

When Han Sen brought the ball up again, he noticed his defender had switched to Leonard.

This was clearly part of Popovich's strategy—if Green couldn't handle Han Sen, Leonard would. They planned to rotate defenders on him.

Han Sen attempted to post up Leonard but quickly realized it wasn't effective.

Leonard was bigger than Green, and his long arms and massive hands exerted significant pressure on the ball.

Han Sen passed back to Conley and then immediately asked for the ball again.

This time, when he received it, he switched from a post-up to a face-up attack.

Leonard's static defensive abilities were exceptional, but his dynamic defense was weaker—one of the reasons he had fallen out of the lottery during his draft year.

(TL/n: A post-up is a static play, favoring Leonard's strengths. A face-up play, however, requires dynamic movement.)

Han Sen's adjustment paid off immediately.

He bypassed Leonard's 'death grip' by driving to his right, creating space between them. His subsequent pull-up jumper faced only minimal interference from Leonard.

Unfortunately, Duncan's help defense disrupted the shot, and it missed.

Face-up plays require more space and are more susceptible to help defense.

On the other end, Leonard cut to the weak side, received a pass from Duncan, and managed a layup despite being blocked by Gay, finally breaking the Spurs' scoring drought.

True talent shines anywhere, and Kawhi Leonard's potential was undeniable.

Back on offense, Han Sen continued with his face-up strategy.

This time, he shortened the distance of his drive and pulled up near the free-throw line.

Duncan couldn't rotate in time, and though Leonard jumped to contest, Han Sen's fadeaway nullified the interference.

Swish!

The ball went cleanly through the net.

The crowd exploded in cheers, with even more fans waving their yellow towels wildly.

Some fans held their towels high, proudly displaying the printed slogan.

Han Sen didn't need to jump onto the scorer's table—his dominance on the court spoke for itself.

And rightly so, as he had singlehandedly scored the Grizzlies' first 10 points!

The score was 10–4, with the Grizzlies taking an early lead.

"Defense! Defense!"

As the Spurs advanced, the chants of the Grizzlies' fans echoed throughout the arena.

Many fans remained standing, and the sound waves seemed to come from all directions, creating a surround-sound effect.

Duncan delivered a beautiful pass, but Green, feeling the pressure, missed an open shot, airballing it entirely.

The Grizzlies' energy clearly weighed on the younger Spurs team.

Conley brought the ball up and passed to Han Sen, who once again went into isolation.

This was already his seventh one-on-one play since the game started.

It was as if he were Achilles storming through the battlefield, unrelenting in his assault.

Even Popovich seemed momentarily stunned.

Han Sen's relentless attacking wasn't just about momentum—it was about sheer disregard for fatigue.

What exactly were the Grizzlies trying to do?

As Popovich pondered, Han Sen went one-on-one against Leonard again, this time more precisely.

After faking a drive, he followed it with a fake pull-up.

Having just been scored on, Leonard bit on the fake and jumped.

Leonard paid the price for his inexperience. Han Sen drew the foul, earning two free throws.

At the line, Han Sen took a deep breath.

These opening isolations weren't improvised but part of a strategy he and Joerger devised after analyzing game footage.

Popovich believed his team had plenty of defensive tools to counter the Grizzlies, but the Grizzlies wanted to show that none of those tools would work against Han Sen.

If this point were proven, the Spurs would be forced back into a zone defense.

And once the game shifted to that mode, the Grizzlies would gain a tactical advantage.

Exploiting the Spurs' weaknesses had always been crucial.

Kobe had become a 'Spurs killer' not just because of his mid-range shots against their zone defense. Even without Chris Paul, Kobe had carried the Lakers to a Game 7 in 2012 with his explosive scoring.

The Spurs excelled at team defense and rotations. They weren't afraid of slashers or team-oriented offenses but struggled against elite mid-range and long-distance scorers.

Breaking down both Green and Leonard wasn't easy—they were young but had already troubled Kobe in the previous round.

Yet Han Sen was exceeding all expectations.

He sank both free throws.

12–4.

Duncan hit a bank shot off a pick-and-roll, finally adding to the Spurs' tally.

Popovich quickly signaled for double-teams on Han Sen.

The idea that 'too much isolation hurts the team' only applies when the isolation isn't efficient.

With Han Sen scoring on 6 of his first 7 possessions, the Spurs couldn't risk allowing him to produce numbers reminiscent of Kobe's 81-point game.

But Han Sen wasn't about to ease up.

When the double-team came, he passed to Marc Gasol and cut to the basket without the ball.

Receiving a pass from Marc, Han Sen absorbed contact from Splitter and drew another foul, earning another trip to the free-throw line.

"MVP! MVP!"

As Han Sen prepared to shoot, the crowd's chants grew deafening.

Once again, he made both free throws. He had now scored all 14 of the Grizzlies' points!

The defensive chants resumed, and as Duncan held the ball, waiting for Parker to cut, Conley anticipated the pass and intercepted it.

The Grizzlies launched a fast break. Conley sprinted ahead, drawing defenders, and then passed to Han Sen trailing in the middle.

Han Sen soared, twisting mid-air to avoid Leonard, and slammed the ball in with his right hand.

The FedEx Forum erupted. This wasn't just thousands of fans; over ten thousand were waving their yellow towels, creating an overwhelming spectacle.

Popovich signaled for a timeout.

The LED scoreboard displayed Han Sen's stats:

7-of-8 shooting, 4-of-4 from the line, 16 points.

A 16-point opening streak!

The commentators at the booth were completely losing it.

Especially Charles Barkley, who sounded as if he had just taken something exhilarating.

"Let me reintroduce him: the man who holds God's 77 points of basketball ability, the destroyer of scorer's tables, the Spurs slayer, and the mayor of San Antonio—Han Sen!"

During the timeout, Han Sen sat down, taking the water and towel that Sacre promptly handed him. He adjusted his breathing before taking a big sip of water.

Sweat was pouring down his forehead.

Though the game had only just begun, the high intensity of his consecutive isolations was rapidly depleting his energy.

Still, the results made it worthwhile.

The momentum of the game was entirely in the Grizzlies' favor now.

More importantly, the Grizzlies had seized control of the game. The Spurs were now forced to think about how to defend, instead of the Grizzlies trying to crack their defense.

After the timeout, the Spurs subbed in Ginobili and Diaw, replacing Green and Splitter.

Ginobili's impact was immediate. After a pick-and-roll with Diaw, he stopped on a dime, pulled up, and nailed a mid-range fadeaway.

8-16.

Despite the Grizzlies' blazing start, the Spurs' methodical scoring kept them in striking distance.

Popovich's game plan was clear.

Under normal circumstances, Han Sen couldn't possibly keep up this scoring spree forever. As long as they weathered this storm, they'd be fine once Han Sen's hot hand cooled.

Leonard switched to a deny-defense approach to limit Han Sen's touches.

Whenever Han Sen managed to catch the ball at the three-point line, Ginobili quickly rotated over to help.

Popovich's strategy was clear: no traps at the start, but once they did trap, it would be relentless.

Conley passed the ball to Gay, but Duncan stepped out to disrupt the catch. By the time Gay secured the ball, his first scoring opportunity was gone.

Once the ball left Han Sen's hands, everyone could feel the real defensive strength of this Spurs team.

Gay ended up taking a turnaround fadeaway jumper.

Under Duncan's pressure, the ball clanged off the back iron and bounced high before missing.

Duncan turned to grab the defensive rebound, but a figure soared in before him, snatching the ball in mid-air.

Duncan instinctively raised his hand to block, but it was no use.

Bam!

Before the stunned eyes of the live audience, Han Sen broke free from Leonard and Ginobili, stormed into the paint, and dunked over Duncan!

He had delivered on his words from years ago—posterizing a plantar fasciitis-free Tim Duncan!

The FedExForum erupted once again.

Landing after the dunk, Han Sen couldn't contain his excitement, shaking his jersey and roaring to the crowd.

The game strategy had been set before the match; the scoring start had exceeded expectations, and even Han Sen himself hadn't anticipated his own performance!

He could feel the toll on his stamina, but it was as if fresh energy kept surging through his body—a sign of adrenaline-fueled excitement. He was locked in!

Popovich's eyes widened.

Even Kobe had never scored 18 consecutive points to open a game against the Spurs.

This wasn't just being in the zone; this was insanity.

On the other end, the Grizzlies' defensive intensity continued to rise.

When Parker tried to drive, Conley stole the ball. Had Conley not stepped out of bounds while hurrying the fast break, the Grizzlies would have forced another stop.

This heightened defensive energy wasn't just because of their regained focus after the Warriors series—it was because Han Sen's incredible play inspired them to pour their energy into defense.

With Han Sen carrying the team, they couldn't afford to drag him down.

The ball eventually landed in Ginobili's hands.

"When the team is rolling, it's Parker. When they're grinding, it's Duncan. And when all else fails, it's Ginobili—ready to take on anything, even the impossible."

Ginobili used a pick-and-roll to snake through the defense, heading straight for the rim.

But just as he avoided Marc Gasol and went for a bank shot, a figure suddenly rose behind him, swatting the ball against the backboard.

It was Han Sen, again!

Not just on offense—Han was making plays on defense too!

Fans in the arena couldn't help but clutch their heads in disbelief.

They had forgotten about waving their yellow towels; they didn't even know how to process what they were witnessing anymore.

The ball ended up in the Grizzlies' hands, and the Spurs came up empty again.

Han Sen continued to draw heavy defensive attention, giving Gay an opening to cut inside. When Duncan rotated over to help, Gay dished it to Randolph.

However, Randolph's shot was affected by Diaw and missed.

Though Diaw wasn't as tall as the starting center, Splitter, his quicker footwork made him effective.

Fortunately, Marc Gasol secured the offensive rebound under the rim.

Seeing Duncan approach, Gasol didn't force a second-chance shot. Instead, he passed the ball back out to Conley to reset the offense.

That's when Conley noticed Han Sen cutting to an open spot.

The Grizzlies' previous sequence had shifted the Spurs' defensive formation, and Han Sen's movement created a chance to receive the ball.

Conley's pass came right on time, but by the time Han Sen caught it, Leonard was already closing in again, with Ginobili rotating from the top of the arc to help.

The Spurs' defensive execution was impeccable in this moment.

Han Sen didn't pass the ball this time. Instead, he took advantage of Leonard's unbalanced footing, backed him down slightly, then spun in the opposite direction of Ginobili's help—toward the baseline—and launched a fadeaway.

Ginobili's help came too late, and although Leonard lunged to contest, his wingspan couldn't reach Han Sen's high-arcing fadeaway.

The ball sailed over Leonard's outstretched arms, spinning toward the hoop.

The crowd collectively held their breath.

This wasn't a game-winning shot, but it carried the same level of thrill.

It was a high-difficulty shot, but the arc was perfect.

Swish!

The sound of the net snapping echoed through the arena, and the FedExForum exploded.

The camera cut to Popovich, whose widened eyes betrayed the shock he was feeling.

"What else can I say, folks?" Even Charles Barkley on commentary was at a loss for words.

Han Sen had scored the Grizzlies' first 20 points—against the Spurs!

"Is this God playing basketball in a No. 77 jersey?" Barkley added. "Even that might not do this justice. Han Sen's opening performance tonight is historic!"

Shaquille O'Neal chimed in, "It's clear Han and CP3 are really close!"

Chris Paul, watching the broadcast after Han Sen's comments about him, could only sit back in disbelief as he witnessed Han Sen lighting up the Spurs.

At this moment, Paul thought to himself: Han Sen is unbelievable. I'm speechless.