Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 193 Trouble

"The Knicks don't play at the fifth position in rotation, as long as they hold the rebounds in the game." Zhang Sixin said.

"However, Pekovic still can't keep up with the fast-paced game. The Knicks are still much better than the current Cavaliers, and we can't take it lightly."

Zhang Sixin reminded the players on the field to pay attention to defense. Although the Knicks' current state of full attack is a low-profile version, it cannot make them crazy.

A purely offensive team is unstable. Sometimes it loses to weaker teams, and sometimes it can be upset. Zhang Sixin doesn't want the team to capsize in the gutter.

The Timberwolves' bench performance is average, not as good as the Knicks.

After all, the Knicks' current system is very suitable for guards, and their backup guard Douglas also played very well.

Not to mention, if there is a guard who wants to make his mark, it is very hopeful to go to D'Antoni.

During the Timberwolves rotation period, the offense was not as good as the opponent, but the defense was still very stable.

Whiteside, another of their inside substitutes, can actually be fast-paced, and he can just play a little bit against the Knicks.

Moreover, the Timberwolves led by a lot in the first quarter, and it doesn't matter if the bench lineup loses a few points.

In fact, the Knicks failed to overtake the score. When the Timberwolves' main lineup played again, they completely held the Knicks down.

When Love encountered this kind of team with weak inside defense, it really killed the Quartet inside and outside, and it was 20+10 again in the half.

The current Love, although not as stable as Curry, but the data is really scary.

The two cores of the team, one sees blood from outside the three-point line, and the other plays exaggerated statistics from time to time, and the appearance is not bad. It is normal for the number of fans to increase rapidly.

The Timberwolves lead the Knicks by 10 points at halftime, which is actually not much, because offensive teams like to throw three-pointers, and a 5-point lead against a defensive team is relatively stable. An offensive team can at least hit the opponent by 20 points.

The Knicks, who were behind in the score, were not reconciled, and their coach D'Antoni also made a good arrangement during the halftime break.

In fact, the Timberwolves are not afraid of any changes in the style of the Knicks, and they can't be tight if they want to defend.

However, an accident occurred.

At the beginning of the third quarter, both sides increased their intensity. Milicic was hit by the opponent's knee and had no choice but to end.

Zhang Sixin was also a little depressed, "We have all paid attention to it, but this kind of thing still happens..."

Milicic could not continue to be sent for inspection, and the Knicks took the opportunity to catch up with the score.

Without Milicic, the Timberwolves' inside defense was much worse, and Stoudemire immediately became active.

Zhang Sixin shook his head. Fortunately, he prepared a few insiders this season.

There are really more injuries on the inside than on the outside, and there will always be problems.

But for the team now, it is better to play a small lineup.

"Let's attack at full speed..." Zhang Sixin rearranged his tactics during the timeout.

So, Curry and Love began to work hard.

The two also took turns leading the bench lineup, and the Timberwolves entered a fast pace most of the time.

The fast pace is actually what the Knicks prefer, but their organization is not as strong as the Timberwolves.

Moreover, the Timberwolves' fast basketball is not a pure offense, they retreat very quickly.

"Curry hit again. I have a hunch that Curry will explode this time."

"Paul George is a good rookie. He can dunk and shoot three-pointers. I kind of understand why the Timberwolves took him at such a high price."

"The confrontation is still pretty good, but I still hope that the Timberwolves can win the game. The Knicks are too despicable, maybe it was intentional to win Milicic..."

While the fans were talking, the game had already entered the final quarter.

After Milicic left the field, the Timberwolves were speeding up almost all the time, but Pekovic, who could not keep up with the rhythm, did not play again, and the Timberwolves played one big and four small ones instead.

So the Knicks discovered that they were not as good as the Timberwolves in fast-paced attacks.

Their head coach D'Antoni is also heartbroken, "For an excellent player like Curry, it would be good to play in the Knicks. The Timberwolves simply cannot fully play his role."

With Curry hitting a three-pointer again, the Timberwolves' lead was approaching 10 points again.

It was halfway through the final quarter, and the Knicks had no choice. They chose four players with the best three-point shooting percentage to stay on the court with Stoudemire, and they planned to fight to the end.

At the critical moment, Gallinari took advantage of his height to hit a three-pointer, bringing hope to the Knicks.

But then Love caused Stoudemire's fifth foul. Milicic was not there, but Love could still dominate the Knicks inside.

The Knicks did not replace Stoudemire. Now they want to chase points, so they can only gamble.

Stoudemire lived up to expectations and hit in the next round.

However, the Timberwolves cooperated again, and Matthews hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner.

They scored, and the Timberwolves could also score. The Knicks players' confidence in chasing points finally got lower and lower.

With Chandler and Sean - Williams, the outcome of the game lost suspense.

After the game, Zhang Sixin talked about Milicic's departure. He said: "I hope Darko has no major problems. The last thing I want is for players to get injured."

"The strength of the team will definitely be affected. He is very important to the team. But the players still withstood the pressure and worked hard to win the game, which is gratifying."

The test results came out soon, and Milicic has no major problems, but he needs to rest for a while.

Zhang Sixin has nothing to do, even if the team has paid great attention to it, injuries are hard to prevent.

He can only tell the athletes to take a good rest and recover, and will not put too much pressure on the main players during the game, so as to reduce the chance of injuries.

Two days later, the Timberwolves returned to their home court to face the Thunder who came to challenge.

After discussing with the coaching staff, Zhang Sixin did not start with one big and four small players, nor did he replace Milicic with the more mature Pekovic. Instead, he asked Whiteside to play a false starter.

It just so happens that the Thunder also have a pseudo-starter at the fifth position, which happens to be able to train Whiteside and test the lineup effect at the same time.

The Thunder's record during this period is not ideal, mainly because the competition in the Western Conference is fierce. With a [-]% winning rate, they can't even compete for the top four in the Western Conference. They also want to change more and more.

The current Thunder is really short of a real fifth position, and Krstic's confrontation is too poor.

Ibaka has received more attention, but he can't resist the fifth position.

Now that the Timberwolves Milicic is injured, it stands to reason that the Thunder have a chance.

But as soon as the game started, Love directly blasted the Thunder inside.

Love is really full of confidence now, he can have both inside and outside, and he has the taste of an invincible little chubby.

Love plays well, and Curry can play more easily on the outside. The two complement each other.

However, the Timberwolves may have had a problem with their luck during this period, and they are in trouble again.

(End of this chapter)