Chapter 245: No Regrets.
Before the Western Conference Finals tipped off, the league announced the season's All-NBA teams.
Although Han Sen didn't win Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), he earned a spot on both the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team for the first time in his career.
It was clear why the media handed the DPOY award to Joakim Noah—Han was dangerously close to sweeping all the major accolades this season.
The next day, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals kicked off in San Antonio.
After four hard-fought quarters, the Spurs secured a 122-113 victory over the Grizzlies.
Tim Duncan led the charge with 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Kawhi Leonard contributed 21 points. The Spurs had five players in double figures and dished out an impressive 28 assists as a team.
Han Sen's valiant effort of 36 points went to waste.
The outcome was unexpected. After all, the Grizzlies boasted the 'Spurs Killer' in Han Sen, who had led his team to a dominant series win against San Antonio in last year's Western Conference Finals.
After Game 1, Han Sen didn't head straight to rest. Instead, he went to the film room after finishing the press conference.
He replayed footage from the Spurs' first-round series against the Mavericks. Although he had already analyzed the tapes before the Conference Finals began, watching them again with fresh eyes revealed new insights.
Not long after, Coach Dave Joerger joined him, holding a copy of the game stats in hand.