Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 297
Because of the lockout, the new season started relatively quickly. Two days after the end of the preseason, the 2011-2012 season officially started.

The Timberwolves will play back to back, but this season there will be fewer games, and it is hard to say whether it is more difficult than before or what.

Anyway, the biological clock of the players is a bit disrupted, it depends on which team can adjust faster.

But whether it is a shrinking season or a normal season, in the end it will be the strongest standing at the top.

The goal of the Timberwolves this season is to defend the title, and there will be no changes.

"There is no doubt that we are stronger. If anyone refuses to accept, come and challenge us." Zhang Sixin said confidently in an interview.

As the defending champion, he has the right to spit out wild words.

Regarding Curry, he said firmly: "Curry is recovering very well, he will become stronger, everyone can wait and see."

The Timberwolves will face a strong opponent at home in their first game, and the strength of the Thunder has been improving all the time.

The Thunder basically did nothing in the summer. Durant went to recruit Battier, and the management didn't give face.

Most of the current teams are very stingy, and they have to save money if they have salary space.

Their strength has improved because Durant has reached the peak, Westbrook is almost the same, Harden has become stronger, and Ibaka has become stronger, so even if the lineup does not change, the threat of the Thunder in the West is even greater.

However, the weak link of the Thunder is the same as before, and the offensive power of role players is too poor.

The Timberwolves lineup has changed, but the Thunder's lineup is the same as in the second half of last season, and Zhang Sixin is quite familiar with it.

In the first game of the season, the Timberwolves started relatively steadily, using defense to control the situation first.

The defense is naturally to pinch Durant. Anyway, Westbrook's shooting has not improved much.

Westbrook improved a lot last season, but has been relatively stable since then.

He is mainly because of his excellent physical fitness. It is difficult for opposing players to stop him, and he can score and distribute the ball.

Jeremy Lin's physical fitness is also good, but it is still slightly insufficient compared to Westbrook, and needs inside defense.

This also puts a lot of pressure on Milicic. Westbrook's current breakthrough is no worse than the two he encountered in the finals.

However, the Timberwolves flanked Durant and helped defend Westbrook, and the effect was good.

Because the Thunder's other three starters, Sefolosha, Ibaka and Perkins are all defensive.

The Thunder is also the same as the Bucks, the defensive players specialize in defense, and the offensive players specialize in offense.

In terms of defensive tactics, the Thunder are still worse.

But relying on talented star players, their offense is not bad, and of course there are not many subtle tactics.

For the Timberwolves, Love met Ibaka, and the offensive end was not so comfortable, but the rebounds were still fine.

The team's offense is temporarily dominated by DeRozan, but he was also blocked when he went in.

With Ibaka and Perkins, the Thunder is also the leader of the interior defense this year.

But the Timberwolves don't need DeRozan to keep attacking. When other players feel better, the Timberwolves will cooperate more outside. They can score many more players on the outside than the opponent.

And as long as Perkins is off the court, the Thunder's inside line will definitely be a little bit overwhelmed.

At that time, Pekovic, including Whiteside, will have a chance to score. Except for Harden, the Thunder's bench is really far behind the Timberwolves.

"Thunder is stronger, but the weak link has not changed." Zhang Sixin laughed.

"However, we must also pay attention to them. They are a team that is going uphill. Last season's strong team, the Mavericks did not retain the lineup, the Spurs did not have a good supplement, and the Lakers Kobe is one year older. They will be our biggest competitors to break through from the West."

Others felt that what Zhang Sixin said was a bit exaggerated, but they basically agreed that the Thunder would be a threat to the West. Of course, they thought it was only a second-level threat, because the Thunder really didn't do much in the summer, and they weren't the Timberwolves. They could do so well by relying on the draft.

In such a comparison, the two teams have other similarities, but the head coach of the Thunder is indeed almost the same. The best tactic is to make the stars worry that their stars hold the ball for too long.

The Thunder had a normal rotation and did not replace Harden in advance.

But Harden, who has increased the ball, scored as soon as he came up, which is obviously better than other rotation players.

The Timberwolves' bench lineup is not weak. Bledsoe, Green, and Pekovic can all play, as can Whiteside, Thomas Jr. and Leonard.

But they are not as strong as Harden, and the Timberwolves have to train new players in the new season. Before Curry returns, their rotation will still be weaker.

After Curry returns, Jeremy Lin returns to the bench, which will be much more stable.

Zhang Sixin actually thinks that someone from the Timberwolves can win the best sixth man or something, but he will definitely not be able to handle Harden this season, so we can only talk about it later.

In the second quarter, the three minors of the Thunder contracted, and the Timberwolves still felt a little pressure.

Harden can also break through with a three-pointer. Maybe he is not as strong as Westbrook now, but his tactics are very strong. It will not be so easy for the Timberwolves to double-team Durant on the court.

The great thing about the Thunder's three young men is that all three of them can pass and shoot suddenly. If they cooperate perfectly, all teams in the league will find it difficult to handle.

After all, the previous Big Three did not have such a thing.

But their strengths can sometimes turn into weaknesses. After all, they are humans and not machines, and it is impossible to cooperate perfectly. At critical moments, who will hold the ball will be a problem.

Because the three of them have to hold the ball, if the ball is in the hands of someone who is not in such a good state at a critical moment, they will shoot themselves in the foot.

Other teams, even the Big Three, have to give up holding the ball alone, but the Thunder obviously haven't solved this problem.

During the regular season, Harden is a substitute, and the ball can barely be distributed.

But in the playoffs, what should we do if the time that three people are on the court at the same time increases.

I am afraid that the Thunder will have a hard time finding a solution. Westbrook is not good enough to shoot the ball as a No. [-] position, but he is not the type of Rondo who specializes in distributing the ball. It is estimated that the Thunder will let Harden go in the future. It is not entirely a matter of money.

Now the Big Three of the team still need an inside line. When the position of the team becomes more and more blurred in the future, the compatibility of the Thunder's three minors may be better.

But now, this will be exploited by opponents.

The Thunder played better in the second quarter, and they also took the lead.

The Timberwolves' substitute players, Bledsoe and Pekovic, played better. Even if the rookie players dare to play Thomas and Leonard, it still takes a little time to adapt.

A little behind in the first half, not a big problem.

In the beginning, I had some ideas about the experimental lineup, and it also depends on the status of the players.

In the second half, it was time to really compete for the victory.

Facing competitors in the West, the Timberwolves will not be polite, and they will attach great importance to the chances of several regular season matches.

(End of this chapter)