one-handed ball

Chapter 214
Before the fans were excited about Zheng Ke's buzzer-beating game against the Lakers, the Timberwolves lost the game away.

If you only look at the final point difference, the Timberwolves only lost by 7 points, but anyone who has watched the entire game knows that the Timberwolves have been behind since the beginning, and they have not surpassed the score once in the game.

In other words, the Timberwolves were completely suppressed by the Lakers.

The media in Los Angeles was overjoyed immediately, and racked their brains to come up with various report titles: "Kobe scored 35 points, the Lakers captured the wolf at home", "Six players hit double figures, the Lakers pulled back a round", "The audience suppressed, the recovery Lakers! ! ! "

No one thinks that the Timberwolves did not perform well, and the lore in the first game has already surprised people. In their view, this is the true portrayal of the strength of the two teams, and this is the script that should really be staged.

From the perspective of the lineup, the Lakers are obviously better than the Timberwolves.In the eyes of the media, reporters, including most experts, and basketball commentators, the Timberwolves' lineup is really average.Among the starting five players, one is a rookie, two are sophomores, and one is a fringe player that the Nuggets don't want, and there are a lot of rookies and young players in the bench lineup, who can hit At this point today, I can only praise Billups for his excellent guidance and Zheng Ke's outstanding ability.

And the level of the coach is a problem criticized by the media.It's not that Whitman is not a good coach, but that Whitman's current state and ability are not suitable for this Timberwolves is a well-known thing.In the NBA, there are many points of coaches, and the coaches needed by teams in different periods are completely different. In the early stages of superstar growth, they need people like Whitman and Paul Silas (the coach when James first entered the league). This kind of coach, their greatest specialty is not how high the record is, but to carefully care for the embryos of superstars and protect them from growing into players who can play their own roles.

And once a superstar grows up, a coach who can adjust the team's lineup and arrange various tactics reasonably is a more suitable choice for the team.In other words, a famous coach is needed to calm down the scene. In addition to preventing young superstars from going astray, a head coach with outstanding ability is more like a booster. Play the role of a superstar.

Therefore, just as Whitman's contract expired this summer, the Timberwolves' team management has begun to study the matter of hiring a new head coach. With the Timberwolves' outstanding performance this season, they believe that many coaches will be interested in the Timberwolves.

On May 5, the third game between the Timberwolves and the Lakers was held at the Target Center.

Zheng Ke and others played in full condition. The Timberwolves players were in good condition. At the end of the first quarter, they made 5 three-pointers, Billups made three, Zheng Ke made one, and Afflalo made one. .The Timberwolves led the Lakers by 34 points 25 to 9.

The Timberwolves' tactics have not changed much, but they have strengthened Billups' possession of the ball, and most of the tactics start from Billups.

After the pick-and-roll tactics are completed, Zheng Ke's efficiency in low-post singles is much higher.Ariza's strength is flawed. Zheng Ke scored 7 points on 6 of 15 shots in a single quarter, which completely offset the huge damage Gasol brought to the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves players are used to the feeling of playing in the target center. Every faucet here is so familiar, and every fan is so cute.Amidst the cheers of the mountains and tsunami, the players played better and better. Even the substitute lineup overwhelmed the Lakers for the first time.

洛瑞率领替补阵容在第二节开头打出了一波11比3，让森林狼45比28领先了17分，打得杰克逊无奈地喊了暂停。

The Timberwolves players let go of their hands and feet completely, and the small climax continued.

The Lakers players lost their way in the high-decibel boos of the target center. The faces of Vujacic, Luke Walton and others turned pale. They had never seen such fanatical fans.At least at Staples, fans don't raise their voices to this level.

At halftime, the Timberwolves led by 63 points 51 to 12.

This is really an unbelievable thing. The Lakers are the team with the first record in the regular season, and they are also in the playoffs, and they simply solved the Nuggets neatly.Now facing the Timberwolves with little experience in the playoffs, they are beaten to the ground and can't find their way.

The Timberwolves' three-pointers continued to be hot. At the beginning of the second half, Zheng Ke made a large three-pointer on Ariza's head, which suddenly mobilized the atmosphere of the audience.

Kobe turned on the solo mode and scored consecutive difficult goals.

"Give me the ball!"

Zheng Ke stretched out his arms to ask for the ball. He felt that his hands were completely fattened up today. He scored 21 points in the first half. He should strike while the iron is hot in the second half. The series has extraordinary significance.

"boom!"

Ariza groaned when he was hit, as if his chest had been hit by a stone, and he couldn't feel the pain.

Zheng Ke turned over and made a fadeaway jumper.

The basketball flew high, drew a beautiful arc, and plunged into the net, creating a burst of snow-white net flowers.

yay die!

Zheng Ke clenched his fist and waved it lightly, enjoying it all over his face.

As if feeling something, Kobe's consecutive difficult goals inspired Zheng Ke's desire to attack, and the two staged a confrontation in the third quarter.

Zheng Ke scored 19 points in a single quarter, and Kobe scored 17 points in a single quarter, which made the audience hooked.

But playing like this can't beat the Timberwolves. The point difference between the two teams still hasn't narrowed. At the end of the third quarter, the Timberwolves lead 93 to 83 by 10 points.

Zheng Ke scored 40 points in three quarters, successfully creating the Minnesota playoffs personal scoring record in three quarters, which is not far from his personal scoring record in the playoffs.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Zheng Ke did not rest.

Whitman knew that Zheng Ke felt hot. Today, Zheng Ke shot very resolutely, and his desire to attack was much higher than before.Even in the face of double-teams, he tried to attack many times and has already made 5 fouls on Ariza.Phil Jackson finally knew the only loophole in the Lakers' lineup-the flaw in the small forward position!

Ariza's defense is good, but it is still too difficult to defend a top small forward like Zheng Ke. Just like last year with the Celtics, Pierce is always the biggest threat that can cause huge damage to the Lakers.Jackson couldn't help but think of the popular words on the Internet. If you want to go further, you must have top wing defensive players.It seems that this summer, a top wing defensive player must be introduced.

Seeing Zheng Ke who was playing crazy on the field, what he thought in his heart was who to limit him and how to limit him.The first thing that came to his mind was the arrogant No. 96 in Houston and the devilish muscular man "little AI" of the Philadelphia 76ers.These two players' strength, speed, jumping, and defensive skills all have the best conditions to defend Zheng Ke.

Zheng Ke played the best game in the playoffs. He played 44 minutes, made 30 of 18 shots, 7 of 4 three-pointers, 13 of 13 free throws, scored 53 points, and created a personal season. The highest scoring record in a single game!
The Timberwolves beat the Lakers 118 to 106 at home. The 12-point difference can barely be considered a big victory. The key is that under the brilliance of Zheng Ke's 53 points in a single game, everything else has become a cloud.What's interesting is that Zheng Ke's score in this game is exactly half of the Lakers' team score.

Kobe walked into the locker room with an ugly face.His highest single-game score in the playoffs was 50 points, and it was done in overtime.Zheng Ke scored 53 points in front of him, which really stimulated him a lot. Even if he scored 39 points in this game, it was of no use. Instead, he became a supporting role for the winner.

Zheng Ke was grinning in the locker room, and the Timberwolves players made a fuss. Everyone enjoyed a hearty victory and yelled one by one, until Whitman pushed the door and came in. The noise stopped.

"Boys!"

Whitman smiled, his face was lined with wrinkles: "I'm so proud of you guys tonight. You kicked the asses of those arrogant L.A. people hard!"

"Haha~"

The locker room roared with laughter.

"You guys were the protagonists tonight. I don't think Minnesota fans will forget your performance. Everyone played their own strengths. Who said we can't do it without playoff experience? We can still beat the routine No. [-] in the Western Conference!"

"But we can't underestimate the Lakers because of this. We felt very good today. We made a total of 14 three-pointers and hit 50%. But we can't hit that high every time, so , we still need to train hard and keep it like this."

"My ugly words are up front," he paused, and glanced at the Timberwolves players with a serious expression and murderous eyes, especially Randy Foye and Love stayed for a long time, saying: "No one can Indulge yourself at this critical moment, don't let me hear any bad news, report to the arena on time tomorrow afternoon, do you hear me?"

Everyone looked terrified, and nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)