Chapter 145: The Boomerang.
Manu Ginobili was the last one to leave the court on a stretcher. He couldn't even stand up.
While Han Sen was explaining to the referees, he was surprisingly smooth with his words.
"He pushed me before I could step back, so when I lunged forward, I overcommitted, and it was too late to pull back," Han said.
Why was his explanation so smooth? Well, remember that game against the Heat when LeBron did the same thing to him?
If LeBron borrowed that move, it must've been battle-tested.
Unsurprisingly, the referees handed Han a technical foul, the same punishment Ginobili received earlier. Both fouls were judged as unintentional but having dangerous tendencies.
After the call, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was visibly agitated. He ran to the sideline shouting, "He did it on purpose! He did it on purpose!"
Popovich was dead certain because Han had approached him before Game 1 and mentioned, "The one who plays dirty has it coming."
But Popovich's protests went unheard by the referees, just as Lionel Hollins' complaints about Ginobili's actions earlier were ignored.
When the game resumed, Ginobili's exit was a noticeable blow to the Spurs.
With Duncan not in peak form, the team leaned heavily on Tony Parker. However, the Grizzlies were also feeling the sting.