Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 273 The Second Point

"Terry can only show his strength when he and Nowitzki play together. Fortunately, Nowitzki's touch didn't adjust so quickly."

"This time the Mavericks will definitely rely more on the offense of role players, and our defensive rotation must keep up."

"Stephen doesn't feel good, but he must be more stable than Nowitzki. He doesn't need to go inside. DeMar is good. He stood up today. In fact, we can hit the inside a little more. Chandler's frame protection does not have Darko's strength."

"You can slightly reduce Stephen's holding the ball and let Kevin organize."

When the core offensive ends of both sides did not explode, the game was a bit dull.

But this is the time to test the will of the players. If you can't hold on in difficult times, you won't be able to usher in victory.

While DeRozan has shown a good state, Zhang Sixin feels that it can be used as a breakthrough point.

Even if the team temporarily lags behind, as long as Nowitzki can continue to be restricted, the Mavericks will be more difficult to play as they go to the back.

A star who has not reached that level cannot play at critical moments.

Because the offensive performance in the first quarter was not as good as that of the opponent, the Timberwolves, who had momentum after DeRozan exerted his strength, temporarily fell behind the opponent because of the end of the first half.

In fact, their defense against the Mavericks is already in place, and it is impossible for them to completely restrict their opponents from scoring, or there is a problem with their own offense.

So during the intermission, Zhang Sixin also adjusted the team's offense.

If Curry doesn't find the touch, DeRozan will take the lead in the second half.

With Curry and other players in check, DeRozan should play more easily than Terry.

At this time, DeRozan has surpassed Terry in terms of overall strength.

Mavericks coach Carlisle is also encouraging the players. He said: "We are a whole, we can all do what we can, as long as we don't waste the efforts of our teammates on both ends of the offense and defense, we can win."

"On the road, we were just a little bit close to taking the series lead. On our turf, we must have the belief that we must win."

However, the reality is that the Timberwolves continued their momentum in the second quarter.

DeRozan felt good when he came up, and the mid-range and breakthroughs put a lot of pressure on the Mavericks.

When Curry is not in good shape, everyone can see how much DeRozan has improved in the past two years.

Although Stevenson has a good defense, DeRozan has excellent physical fitness and can shoot suddenly. In addition, he is in good condition today, and he cannot be restrained by himself.

The Mavericks tilted their defense in order to limit Curry before. Do they want to defend DeRozan like that now?

It is impossible for them to tilt defense against both backcourts of the Timberwolves, so they are a little hesitant.

When the Mavericks hesitated, their own offense did not improve much.

Nowitzki still doesn't have such a good touch, and the Timberwolves' defense is as firm as ever, even when the score is behind, they don't give Nowitzki a chance to adjust calmly.

And the other players of the Mavericks once again showed how powerful their offense is, they can only adjust the lineup.

But when Terry was replaced, DeRozan played more casually.

DeRozan is not that strong, and he is tall enough to play as a striker.

Terry's height can be pulled by Curry, and DeRozan naturally hits casually.

Originally, Terry was the Mavericks' big killer, but now because of his defense, it is not so smooth to use.

Just when the Timberwolves' offense was getting stronger and they were about to catch up with the score, Nowitzki suddenly did it again.

This is a superstar. Even if he is not in good condition, when the team needs him especially, he can stand up miraculously.

Nowitzki first hit two points, and then hit the ball outside the three-point line.

It feels like it's about to explode.

The Mavericks' leading advantage instantly stabilized again.

Zhang Sixin called a timeout, and the Timberwolves players still defended Nowitzki with all their strength after playing again.

Their tactics have not changed, but the mentality of the players may fluctuate, and Zhang Sixin must tell them what to do.

Just as Nowitzki continued to entangle with the Timberwolves' defense, Curry suddenly had it too.

Strong players are always so similar. When the Mavericks' defense was unconsciously attracted by DeRozan, Curry had some opportunities.

The opponent is rejoicing that DeRozan is actually better at defending than Curry, because DeRozan's strength is within everyone's perception, and the defense is in place, and DeRozan's strength is gradually blocked.

But at this time, Curry made consecutive hits without any warning, which shocked Mavericks coach Carlisle into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, the third quarter ended like this, and Curry missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

In the final quarter, Nowitzki did not go down to rest.

The Mavericks also understand that even if Nowitzki doesn't score, staying on the court has the greatest effect.

For the Timberwolves, he shortened the rotation period, but the main players have continued to perform well.

Because Curry's role is difficult to replace, Curry has more playing time than Love.

What the Timberwolves did well in this battle is that Milicic's foul count is well controlled, so they can let Paul George play four in some time.

In the rotation time of the second half, the Timberwolves' substitute players finally showed their performance.

They played a much better rotation than the Mavericks. With Curry helping to draw the attention of the defense, the Timberwolves' outside bench scored, and their interior bench also scored.

Zhang Sixin did not expect that the Mavericks naturally did not expect that the Timberwolves' substitute performance would be so good during the short rotation period in the second half.

All the players on the court scored, and DeRozan and Love had enough rest time.

The two of them attack the inside and the other protects the rebound, which is also very important.

Coupled with Curry's shooting and Milicic's frame protection, the Mavericks will feel a headache.

"Prevent the Timberwolves' shots..." Mavericks coach Carlisle couldn't help pulling his tie.

The head coaches that the Timberwolves met in several series were all gentleman-looking, but they all broke each other.

During the rotation period, the Timberwolves overtook the score. At this time, Nowitzki still insisted on not resting on the court, but the effect was really not that obvious.

There's some X factor in every game, and this time it's the Timberwolves' turn to benefit.

But the X factor can only play a role if you play a solid offense and defense and can confront your opponent to a certain extent.

Obviously, the Timberwolves were biting the score until the second half of the Timberwolves' bench was effective.

Nearly halfway through the final quarter, the Mavericks requested a timeout.

Zhang Sixin knew that when the game started again, it was the decisive moment.

Regardless of the Mavericks' previous performance, they may play at a stronger level at the decisive moment. This is a strong team.

As for Nowitzki, it is not too much to be wary of a superstar.

(End of this chapter)