NBA: I have 3, no D, and I can't dribble

Chapter 56 [56] Cassell retires from injury, Billups explodes!
The NBA in this period is naturally not like the small ball era. There are very few situations where the Splash Brothers shoot and chase three-pointers at every turn during the counterattack and fast break.

In the case of no defense in the frontcourt, counterattackers will naturally rush into the penalty area for an empty basket or a bloody dunk. This kind of fast break score is more secure.

Lin Fei could tell at a glance that Hamilton wanted to slant to the right side of the frontcourt, widen the space, receive a pass from Billups, and then change direction and go straight to the basket to score.

Although Lin Fei's speed was not as fast as Hamilton's in the [-]-meter race and the three-quarter sprint, his awareness of returning to defense was very fast, as quick as a fast break.

"Whoosh!"

Billups dribbled the ball quickly and wanted to quickly send a quarterback-style lead pass, allowing Hamilton to take the ball and complete a breakthrough dunk.

But the "alien" Cassell rushed up quickly and interfered with Billups's first pass.

After Billups dribbled the ball behind his back and changed direction to get out of the passing space, he found that Lin Fei had already caught up with Hamilton.

So Billups didn't hesitate, took advantage of the situation and directly accelerated the dribble into the frontcourt. With a stronger body, he hit the layup against the "alien" Cassel.

"Shh!"

Cassel chased the ball in a hurry. When he reached out for the ball, he was involved in an old injury on his back. He gritted his teeth tightly, and his face suddenly showed an expression of unbearable pain.

From G7 of the Western Conference Finals to G1 of this finals, Kassel has been struggling with injuries. The back injuries accumulated over the years are difficult to heal in a short period of time.

The Timberwolves serve from the bottom line, Cassel gritted his teeth and signaled for the "madman" to take the ball and advance, while he moved ahead of time and squatted to the bottom corner of the frontcourt to open up space.

Billups clearly noticed the painful expression on Cassell's face, which is obviously good news for the Pistons.

In the next attack, he will continue to make a fuss about the injured "alien".

Lin Fei also opened up space outside the 45-degree three-point line on the right to contain Hamilton.

"Madman" held the ball and played a pick-and-roll with the wolf king in a high position. The wolf king who was in a misplaced position received the pass from "madman" back, pushed aside the thin Prince, and scored two points with a small jump hook.

"Shh!"

The possession of the ball was changed, and Billups, who came to the frontcourt, held the ball and attacked Kassel again. Seeing that Kassel couldn't defend, he fouled ahead of time.

Then he signaled to Philip Sanders on the sidelines and offered to be replaced.

Philip Sanders frowned helplessly. What he was most worried about was that Cassel's injury would worsen, but all these were inevitable problems.

Darrick Martin quickly replaced Cassel, and the "alien" quickly returned to the locker room accompanied by the team doctor.

The old-school NBA players generally have a tough style. Since Cassell feels that he can't play, then his back pain must have reached a serious level.

The Timberwolves coaching staff has long been prepared that Sam Cassell will miss the finals, but the team's backcourt will inevitably suffer a big loss.

The Pistons serve from the sideline of the frontcourt. Although Darrick Martin, who is only 1.80 meters tall, is very active in defense, he is still too short after all.

Billups shook his shoulders and feigned a change of rhythm after the breakthrough, and directly stepped up on the spot, facing Darrick Martin's mid-range jumper and scored two more points.

"Shh!"

Compared with point guards such as Iverson and Marbury, Billups's offense is very practical. Mid-range and long-range shooting and drawing fouls have always been his common tricks.

Looking back, the Timberwolves attacked again.

Under Hamilton's patient pursuit and the tacit understanding of the five Pistons' unlimited defense changes, Lin Fei still failed to find a chance to catch the ball.

"Bang!"

Facing Rasheed Wallace's tough defense, the Wolf King's iron-blooded jumper still failed, Big Ben grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Pistons counterattacked.

This time, through patient running and speed advantages, coupled with the high-quality screens of two teammates in succession, Hamilton finally got rid of Lin Fei, received a pass from Billups, and hit a 20-foot jumper.

"Shh!"

After scoring the goal, Hamilton stopped spamming Lin Fei, but quickly posted it with concentration, chasing and defending from the backcourt.

Lin Fei was a little speechless being chased by Hamilton, so he simply reduced his off-ball running and squatted outside to open up space for his teammates.

In the one-on-one positional offense, Hamilton's top-level pursuit and defense awareness and the unlimited rotation of the Pistons' five tigers are really some days for an off-ball shooter like Clinfield.
In addition, Cassel, who is the best passer in the team, also went down,
Lin Fei knew that it would be difficult for him to find another chance to catch the ball, so he could only hope for the team's counterattack and fast break.

But the Pistons played steadily throughout the third quarter, maintaining the slow pace the team likes,
The defensive end is tough and united, and the offensive end is calm and solid, never giving the Timberwolves a chance to play a defensive counterattack.

Billups seized the advantage of the matchup, coupled with the three-pointer at the buzzer in the midfield, which improved his shooting confidence. In less than half a quarter of the third quarter, he already scored 5 points on 4 of 10 shots and free throws.

This also allowed Billups to score 22 points tonight, surpassing Lin Fei's 19 points and soaring to the highest in the game.

Unlike Lin Fei, in addition to 22 points, Billups also has 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal, which can be said to be quite comprehensive.

When the team's scoring leader Hamilton was restricted by Lin Fei's maximum pursuit and defense, Billups successfully stood up.

Timberwolves (59): (52) Pistons.

The point difference was also chased to 7 points.

Flip Sanders can only play during the official timeout between the quarters,
Replace Darrick Martin with Szerbiak, face Prince, and let "Madman" switch to Billups, who is in hot form.

Naturally, Lin Fei still stayed on the court, and Hamilton was there when he was there.

The fierce defense of "Madman" really limited Billups' scoring. After the pick-and-roll, Rasheed Wallace's two straight-arm jumpers were all hit.

Olowokandi showed the courage of the death squad at the basket and wrestled desperately with Big Ben. The Wolf King also grabbed two defensive rebounds in a row.

But without a point guard on the Timberwolves field, the "madman"'s fast break organization ability is after all mediocre.

Lin Fei took advantage of the cover of Szebiak's rushing up in a fast break back run, and managed to throw off Hamilton's pursuit in a moment.

"Whoosh!"

But Sprewell failed to gain insight into this fleeting opportunity. Instead, he rushed to the basket with Big Ben in a feverish manner.

"Bang!"

The shot of the basketball missed the basket, and the "madman" who fell on the ground also failed to hit the whistle.

"Snapped!"

Big Ben grabbed the defensive rebound and made a very quick pass. Billups counterattacked with the ball from the outside.

Hamilton quickly moved to the frontcourt, Lin Fei was delayed by Rasheed Wallace during the pursuit, and Billups faced the siege of the "madman" in the breakthrough, and lightly gave the ball to Hamilton who followed up on the right.

The Pistons formed a fast-break 2-on-1 situation.
Lin Fei couldn't catch up any longer, and could only watch Hamilton go straight into the penalty area and hit a layup after receiving the ball.

"Shh!"

Timberwolves (59): (54) Pistons.

The point difference was chased to 5 points.

The fiery atmosphere of the Target Center Arena subsided, and the home fans frowned, worried that the team would be reversed.

The Detroit Pistons have shown their great strength. With the five Pistons on the court, there are no shortcomings at all on the defensive end, and the offense has become more and more smooth.

Being able to eliminate the New Jersey Nets and Indiana Pacers one after another to reach the finals, the Detroit Pistons deserve their name.

Charles Barkley, who was in front of the commentary stand, became serious and pointed out the problem of the Timberwolves:

"Without an All-Star point guard to sort out the offense, the Timberwolves once again fell into a situation where Kevin and Latrell are fighting each other, and the pick-and-rolls of the two are ineffective!"

"The reason why the Timberwolves fell behind 1:3 in the Western Conference Finals is that Cassel's absence is the most critical issue. Even if Latrier and Kevin both scored 30+, the Timberwolves still failed to win!"

"If it weren't for Lin's sudden birth, and the Timberwolves without Sam Cassell, there would be no chance of winning against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals!"

"Cassel is now injured and left the field. The Pistons' unlimited defense changes and Hamilton's pursuit have also made it difficult for Lin to get a chance to catch the ball. The other main players don't feel good either!"

"If Philip Sanders does not solve this problem in time, it will be very difficult for the Timberwolves to hold on to their advantage and win tonight's game!"

Kenny Smith beside him nodded and echoed: "Charles, your analysis is very correct. It seems that Luo Ben is beneficial to the development of the narrator's intelligence!"

"Kevin and Latrier have only made 8 of 2 shots in the third quarter. This efficiency is indeed disastrous!"

"But the two spent too much energy on the defensive end, pinching the offensive core of the Pistons' inside and outside lines respectively. This may also be the reason for their poor offensive feel!"

"Lin is strictly guarded at this point and can't get the chance to catch the ball. It's time for Szczerbiak to stand up!"

"After all, he has always been the fourth player on the team outside of the three-headed monster of the Timberwolves this season, and he is also the most stable scoring point on the bench!"

(End of this chapter)