Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 82 Must be Familiar
Although Zhang Sixin looked aggrieved, in fact, there were not many people participating in the Timberwolves All-Stars, and the league did not dislike their excitement.

Curry is the busiest. In addition to the main game, he is also a rookie game and a three-point contest.

Also participating in the rookie competition are DeRozan and Love, who is a second-year team.

In addition, DeRozan also participated in the dunk contest, and Matthews participated in the three-point contest with Curry.

The rookie competition is actually to give other people a chance, otherwise Zhang Sixin thinks that Matthews can also be selected.

There were not many games in February, but there were many back-to-backs. After the Timberwolves had enough rest, they went directly to Dallas to play away games, which was also the first back-to-back game.

In this game, Nowitzki did not appear in the starting lineup for the first time this season.

It was not an injury, nor was it targeted. Zhang Sixin suspected that the Mavericks were looking for others, and deliberately let Josh Howard start instead of Nowitzki.

Their head coach Carlisle really dared to start the fringe player Najera in the previous game.

Perhaps the Mavericks are going all out to win the championship. They hope to improve the lineup in the middle of the season to fight against the Lakers.

In fact, the Mavericks are still the top four in the Western Conference, and their record is not bad, but they fell short in the previous season, which leads to their lack of confidence in the team lineup.

But they put the team's strongest point directly on the bench, and the Timberwolves will not be polite.

In this game, the Timberwolves won the Mavericks but were able to go to third in the West.

In the first quarter, the Timberwolves were fully fired, and Curry, Matthews, Love and Jefferson blossomed more.

Nowitzki is not on the court, the Mavericks are a bit difficult to score, they overestimated themselves.

Seeing that the Timberwolves scored twice in the interior, Curry assisted Matthews to hit a three-pointer. The lead was about to reach double digits in a few minutes, and Carlisle quickly replaced Nowitzki.

Zhang Sixin chuckled, letting the Mavericks do it, they won't spit it out so easily since they have gained the lead.

The Mavericks are also taking the path of offensive and defensive balance this season, but to be honest, their lineup is indeed a bit problematic, and it feels worse than the Jazz.

Insider Dampier is becoming more and more useless, not to mention pick-and-roll defense, even frame protection.

Howard has not recovered after his injury, and the team does not have a suitable second position.

Their current record is good, but if they are against a strong team, it is easy to be caught in the weak link.

After Nowitzki came up, the Timberwolves also guarded him strictly. He was treated similarly to Anthony, and they would flank him when they received the ball in a threatening position.

The Mavericks also had three-pointers. Although they were not particularly strong, the Timberwolves also had to pay attention, so they didn't pinch Nowitzki all the time, but continued to consume.

However, after Nowitzki came up, the Mavericks' outside line still gained.

Kidd hit a three-pointer. Kidd's shooting has always been criticized, but after he came to the Mavericks, the three-pointer has become the main attack method, and his shooting percentage has also improved. Zhang Sixin told the players not to give open opportunities.

As long as no space is given, the outside line of the Mavericks is Nowitzki's ignoring defense and Terry's nerve knife.

In this game, nothing exaggerated has happened yet.

After Nowitzki came up, he was not able to help the Mavericks catch up with the score.

Because the Timberwolves' offense has been on the line, not only the inside is tough, Curry also hit a three-pointer, and Brewer, who was replaced to defend Nowitzki, also hit a three-pointer.

The Mavericks' defense is actually not particularly good. They have a few players with average defensive awareness, and the Timberwolves have many opportunities to seize.

The Mavericks' offensive and defensive balance is still a bit low.

Even if the lineup is upgraded next season, it will not be too strong. In the past, they could win the championship because of Nowitzki's supernatural power.

Superstars are sometimes exaggerated.

Terry is starting this time, and the Mavericks have no leader on the bench. Zhang Sixin wanted to take the opportunity to expand his lead, but he didn't expect that the Mavericks' rotation was still not very easy to play.

Their backup guard Rodrigue Beaubois feels very good. Milicic and Belinelli both played for the Timberwolves, but they still didn't take advantage.

Beaubois is the No. 25 pick this year. Although he is not tall, he has a good wingspan, speed and skills. Unfortunately, he didn't play because of injuries.

In the second quarter, the Timberwolves still felt the pressure.

Even if the Mavericks have problems with the lineup, they are indeed a strong team.

After Nowitzki came up, they played better and better. In the second quarter, Terry felt a lot better, and Howard also showed the ability that the Mavericks wanted him to show.

The Timberwolves continued to play the combination of inside and outside. The Mavericks didn't play Dampier for a long time. If the Timberwolves wanted to speed up, they would not have any advantage.

And the Mavericks have Kidd in the organization, and it is better to target the weak links to beat them.

Zhang Sixin doesn't let the Timberwolves play a certain type of offense all the time, so that they can be targeted when facing strong teams.

Like the Suns, they are very excited when they win, but they are also easy to be targeted.

To become a team that can hit the championship, it must have comprehensive capabilities, making it difficult for opponents to target.

"Actually, at the beginning of the season, I didn't expect that we would have an inside advantage against many teams." Zhang Sixin laughed.

The Timberwolves are not tall enough inside, and it seems difficult to take advantage of it.

He remembered that at the very beginning, the inside of the team was always abused, and it got better after Love returned.

"But now, some insiders in the league are indeed dying." Zhang Sixin recalled the All-Star voting, and there were so few players in the fifth position in the West, and he felt a little emotional.

"Actually, both Kyle and Al are good." Ron Adams looked like a kind elder at this time.

But in training, he is actually stricter with the players, otherwise the team's defense would not be able to improve so quickly.

On the court, Marion made a sudden effort and scored 4 points in a row to help the Mavericks overtake the score.

The Timberwolves have a tight defense against Nowitzki. When Nowitzki attracts defensive attention, other Mavericks players also have a lot of opportunities.

The advantage that the Timberwolves accumulated in the first quarter disappeared at some point.

Fortunately, the Timberwolves performed well at the end of the first half. Curry and DeRozan hit three-pointers successively, turning the team into the leading side.

Back in the locker room, Zhang Sixin said to the players: "We played well in the first half. We don't need to change the general direction in the second half. We just need to improve some small details."

The key is the defense, and we cannot relax against Nowitzki.

The Mavericks' role players played well in the first half, but their real threat is Nowitzki, which Zhang Sixin knows very well.

In terms of offense, a combination of inside and outside is enough, and the same only needs to be done better in details.

In the West, the Mavericks are not a team that can restrain them.

Zhang Sixin will compare the previous evaluations through the games between the two sides, because no matter what, both sides may become opponents in the playoffs, and they must be more familiar with each other.

(End of this chapter)