basketball player

Chapter 450 448: Helpless Miracle
What does it look like for Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love to play at their best?I believe that all Timberwolves fans are full of expectations for this duo, especially after they played a near-perfect first quarter.

"Kevin Love had 12 points in a single quarter, and Ricky Rubio had 8 assists in a single quarter. The Timberwolves are gaining momentum, and Love has also taken another step towards the player of the month in the Western Conference that he has never touched. Coach Henson has to face a crisis that cannot be justified. Because according to Coach Henson, if the Pacers want to win 70+ games, any loss in any game will be fatal to him!"

Seeing that the Pacers fell behind so much in the first quarter, even Mike Breen couldn't help worrying about Henson.The Timberwolves continued their good form before the All-Star break, and Love's touch was the exact opposite of the temperature in Minneapolis.Being able to score 30 points in front of the Pacers' defense in a single quarter is enough to show how fierce the Timberwolves' offensive firepower is.

Adelman is quite proud. In the past few seasons, he has been unable to come up with a lineup that can compete with Henson.But now, when the Timberwolves lineup stabilized, Adelman made the legendary magic coach helpless.

As it turned out, Henson was not invincible.No matter how powerful he is, he is just a rookie who has been in this industry for less than five years.Adelman believes that he knows better than the Chinese what basketball is and what offense is.Today is also the time for Henson to fall from the altar!
But after the start of the second quarter, Henson still maintained a calm and composed image.He stood on the sidelines with his arms folded, but he didn't yell.

If you want to say where Henson has changed the most in the past three months, it is undoubtedly that Henson has become quieter than before he fell ill.

"Tch, the same virtue as Phil Jackson!" Adelman curled his lips in disdain. He didn't think Henson was confident, but like Phil Jackson, he liked to pretend to be calm.To put it bluntly, isn't it just love to pretend.

When the Timberwolves' offensive firepower devoured the defending champion completely, Adelman would have to see how Henson pretended.

"At the beginning of the second quarter, Coach Henson did not make personnel adjustments, and still sent the starting lineup to play. The Timberwolves took the lead in attacking, and Ricky Rubio was steadily controlling the basketball. He has helped the Timberwolves create too many easy scoring opportunities with exquisite passing."

As soon as Mike Brin finished speaking, Paul posted it rudely.In the first quarter, Paul's defense against Rubio was actually not very tight, because Henson didn't think Rubio was a big offensive threat.After all, this guy is notoriously incapable of scoring, and he averaged only 9.5 points per game this season.

But it turns out that when you get too loose on Rubio, he's always been able to get the ball where the opportunity presents itself.So in the second quarter, Henson specifically asked Paul to keep a close eye on Rubio.

"He can't even pass the ball comfortably!" These are Henson's original words.

So, for the first time today, the Spaniard felt threatened by the league's best defensive point guard.Let alone passing the ball now, it is very difficult for him to control the ball steadily.Paul's defense is very aggressive, and he will be intercepted if he is not careful.

In desperation, Love offered to set up a cover for Rubio.However, Paul didn't get entangled with Le Fu at all, but went around directly behind Le Fu!
Whether to choose to go forward or go behind, this has always been a dilemma when defending the pick-and-roll.With Rubio, however, it wasn't difficult at all.Because of Rubio's not-so-high three-point shooting percentage, Paul can boldly let him take a few steps to shoot.

Seeing that the pick-and-roll was not completed, Rubio immediately passed the ball to Brewer.Although Brewer can occasionally play high scoring performances in a few games, he has never been a star player.Let this guy hold the ball and fight George one-on-one, he has no chance of winning!

Sure enough, Brewer's breakthrough layup directly ate a block from George.In terms of wing singles, Brewer and George are not at the same level.

"Nice defense. It seems that coach Henson deliberately strengthened the defensive arrangement during the intermission. They played a stronger physical confrontation, and the entire defensive formation was no longer led by the nose by Love."

As long as Rubio is strangled and he is not allowed to control the basketball as he pleases, the Timberwolves' offense will no longer be smooth.Henson proved his conjecture in just one round!
Al Horford laughed off the defensive rebound, but unlike before, the Pacers did not launch a long pass from the backcourt.The players rushed to the frontcourt without any haste, and seemed to want to play a position to attack.

In the first quarter of the game, there was a number that was not noticed by people-the ratio of turnovers between the two sides.

The Pacers had eight turnovers in the first quarter, while the Timberwolves had just three.Taking advantage of the mistakes, the Timberwolves did not know how many opportunities to score easily.

The reason for the mistake is simple. Henson put too much emphasis on fast offense, which made the Pacers' offense chaotic and impatient.But now, Henson does not confront the Timberwolves.Therefore, his requirements for offensive speed are no longer so fast.

Let Paul control the ball in a stable situation, he will naturally not be worse than Rubio.

After halftime, Paul directed his teammates to move like a commander, and the Pacers' offense immediately started to run in an orderly manner.

After several transmissions, the basketball was finally played into Horford's hands.It is very clear that the biggest weakness of the Timberwolves on the defensive end is precisely at the fifth position.As a stocky center, Turiaf has no advantage in height, and his defensive ability is really average.

It's just that most teams nowadays don't have a center who can play in the low post, so the problem of the Timberwolves' weakness at the fifth position is not obvious.But the center of the Pacers is an All-Star!
Horford sat inside, and West moved Love out of the penalty area.As for CP3, George and Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves players dare not let any of them go.Therefore, Horford did not encounter double-teaming.

He turned around Turiaf with a sharp back and moved to the inside.Turiaf is a typical pure blue-collar who is more than tough but lacks skills.He failed to get stuck in Horford's position, and after being easily passed by the opponent, he tried to make up for his mistakes with enthusiasm.

As a result, Horford easily walked to the basket and completed a layup, but Turiaf's so-called "aggressive toughness" actually applied for a foul for himself.

"The basketball is hit, and there is an additional penalty! Al Horford's turn is really beautiful, and the Pacers have a chance to play 2+1!"

Once the rhythm stabilized, the Timberwolves' defense was actually not that scary.Neither Love nor Turiaf are great frame protectors, and both are prone to fouls.

Therefore, Henson's plan just now is to let the players hit the basket more.As always, in just one round, the players confirmed that Henson's plan was a success!

While the Timberwolves fans booed as best they could, Al Horford turned a deaf ear to them.He steadily added free throws and narrowed the point difference to only 9 points in one fell swoop.

It's just an attack and a defense, but Adelman's face is no longer the kind of complacency a few minutes ago.As an experienced coach, he has a very keen sense of danger.But now the game has just started, Adelman can not immediately stop the game.Therefore, the only thing he can do is to continue to wait and see.

Adelman naturally hopes that the players will be able to solve their own difficulties, but unfortunately, the situation has not improved.

Rubio tried to shoot with the gap left by Paul, but unfortunately, Rubio's performance outside the three-point line today was as unstable as ever. The "Spanish Golden Boy" hit the iron with three points, and the Timberwolves' offense missed consecutively!In the first quarter of the game, this kind of situation will almost never happen!
George took off the rebound himself, and then forced Brewer.Under the double interference of Brewer and Love, George was roughly knocked out of the bottom line.

Although George didn't let George score directly, the referee decisively stopped the game.The Timberwolves fouled again, George stood on the free throw line and made two free throws!
23 to 30, the score is still approaching!
"Rubio is in big trouble. If only his shooting was half as good as his passing. But Rubio is like this. He entered the league and he was considered a serious 'bias' player."

Mike Breen shook his head. Once the Pacers start to gain momentum, a team like the Timberwolves, who are good at defense, can't stand it!

Will the defending champion lose to the Timberwolves who are hovering eighth in the West?Do not make jokes!
"Hit the ball to Kevin, hit him!" Adelman was a little angry, he really couldn't stand the team's offense becoming as uncomfortable as constipation.

Rubio also obeyed Adelman's order and hastily passed the ball.

However, David West will not sit still.The experienced man stretched out his long arms the moment Rubio hit the ball and destroyed the pass!

"Fuck!" Adelman covered his head with his hands, Rubio's rhythm has been completely disrupted by Paul!
Faced with the Timberwolves' mistakes, the Pacers were no longer humble.Paul launched a beautiful fast break, he and Jimmy Butler completed a powerful alley-oop.

25 to 30, Adelman anxious.

"Steady the situation, don't worry! Share the ball more, they are behind!"

Adelman should have called a timeout, but he didn't, he was not reconciled!

Can Henson bring the Pacers back to life with just one intermission?Adelman does not want to admit that Henson has such ability, he is a little angry.

But unfortunately, the young Rubio is obviously not Paul's opponent.It can be said that at the beginning of the second quarter, Rubio was completely defeated by Paul's defense.

This time, Rubio still did not play an offensive role.When he handed the ball to Love, Paul double-teamed him.

Rubio was completely sidelined, and even so, it seemed Love had no intention of passing the ball to his Spanish teammate.

Anyone who has played ball knows how hard it can be for a person to be completely ignored on the court.

However, the NBA is such a cruel league. On the court, your shortcomings will be unreservedly displayed in front of the fans.

Love faces a double-team and prepares to hold the ball high to avoid a turnover.But desperately, his elbow brushed Paul's face.

Is this worth it?Paul immediately covered his nose and mouth and turned 360° on the spot before falling to the ground.The hurried whistle sounded again, and Love made an offensive foul!

"What!?" Adelman couldn't help it, he roared at the referee.

"Coach, please retreat to your active area."

"Back your head, will you blow the game!? That's an offensive foul? That's a fucking bad dive!" Adelman was already angry, but now he was called an offensive foul again, and the old man completely exploded.

It seems that Adelman is like a kid instead, while Henson has shown a stability that does not match his age.

Adelman's scolding not only did not make the referee change his mind, but also applied for a technical foul for himself.Of course, this also gave the Pacers a free throw opportunity.

Henson sent George to the free-throw line, and the superscorer who had shined this season lived up to Henson's expectations and hit the ground.

26:30.

After the free throw, the Pacers still have the right to attack the ball.They showed the stability that the defending champion should have. Paul's precise passing and George's patient running without the ball finally allowed the two to complete the connection.

CP3 assisted George to make a three-pointer, which is already a reserved item for the Pacers this season.

29 to 30, as soon as the second quarter opened, the Pacers played an 11-0 offensive climax!
Adelman shouted to stop the game with a black face, and now he had to admit that Henson did have the magical ability to bring the team back to life!

Across the entire field, Henson could hear Adelman's yelling.Looking at the flushed Adelman, Henson shook his head.

Now it's just that the score is close, and Adelman is so angry.He was really worried. When the old man found out that he couldn't end his magic at all, would Adelman's blood vessels explode?

The health of the head coach is really a big problem.
(End of this chapter)