Zhiba NBA

Chapter 73 (72) The Bite of Wolves
Game [-] of this series is even more predictable than Game [-].

Sam Cassell strained his back muscle in a misplaced defense against Tracy McGrady in the first minute of the game. He was unable to continue the game and was replaced by substitute Darrick Martin.He failed to return this game.

The Wolves, who had lost their core point guard, still had high morale and fought against the Rockets with tough defense. Garnett also played at a very high level, scoring 24+12 and completely blowing up the Rockets' fourth position.But the Rockets maintained the lead under the stable performance of the CTM trio, and finally made another victory at home at 91:98.

In the East, Ben Wallace has always been worried about Artest stealing the best defensive player. He broke out in an away game against the Pacers and scored 11+22+5 dominant data.The Pistons led to the last two minutes, but Pacers center Jeff Foster's two points and an offensive rebound at the critical moment reversed the situation.After Mr. Big Heart Reggie Miller made a key long-range shot, the Pistons fell behind by 2 points.Bodi Loga and Rashid missed consecutive three-pointers. The Pacers reversed at the last moment and narrowly beat the Pistons by 3 points to keep their home court.

But the Pistons have shown confidence.What about the Eastern Conference champions?We almost won their home field!
In the second game, the Pistons still maintained a weak lead in the fourth quarter. At the last moment, Richard Hamilton stepped forward. He fouled the Pacers consecutively and walked to the free throw line many times.In this difficult defensive battle, he made 5 goal in the last 1 minutes and scored 6 points on 5 of 7 free throws to support the team. You must know that the Pacers only scored 8 points in total during this period.

72:67 The Pistons won the low-score hand-to-hand battle, and the Pacers lost their home court advantage.

***
"Sam, are you sure you want to continue playing?" Sanders asked with concern.

"Yes, this is our home court, we can't let the Houstonians show off their prestige anymore!" Cassel said with a firm expression.

"This kind of muscle strain is difficult to control the subsequent development. I am afraid that forcing the game will endanger your career."

"I'm already 34 years old, even if I retire, it's not too early." Cassel smiled, with a trace of tenderness on his ugly face. "I want to set an example for Kevin. When I first entered the league, I won two championships under the leadership of Hakeem Olajuwon. Now we are facing Olajuwon's Rockets. I want to help Kevin win the opponent. I want to help Kevin win the championship!"

"Since you insist, you will still be our starting point guard!" Sanders may not be an excellent coach with a high level, but he is indeed a respectable coach who respects the opinions of players.Cassel gratefully shook Sang Shuai's hand.

(Allusion 2008: Kassel has indeed fulfilled this promise in history. On March 3, 5, the 38-year-old Kassel announced that he would join the Celtics after being laid off by the Clippers, and join forces with his old teammate Garnett. Then he played brilliantly in the finals and helped Garnett win the only championship trophy in his career.

Allusion 2015: In [-], Sanders, the president of the Timberwolves at the time, unfortunately died of cancer. Garnett, who returned home to the Wolves, sat alone in front of Sang Shuai's parking space to mourn his mentor, unwilling to leave for a long time.The sentimental picture condensed from the lonely back of this man represents a classic mentor-student relationship in NBA history)
***
The Target Center is not the home of the devil in the NBA. It is neither as lively as the Oakland Arena (renamed Oracle Arena in 06) for the Warriors, nor as culturally rich as the Staples Arena for the Lakers, nor as energetic as the Toyota Center Arena for the Rockets.But as soon as the Rockets players came up, they were confused by the home atmosphere here.

"I remember that we were not so noisy in this away game before!" Wang Zhizhi, who has always been elegant in conversation, also said loudly, and he couldn't hear what each other was saying without shouting here.

"I think it's because the Timberwolves made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time, and the fans are all enthusiastic." Yao Ming said.

Yao Ming guessed right. It was precisely because of the first-round tour for 7 consecutive years that the enthusiasm of Minnesota fans that had been suppressed for 8 seasons was finally released.It wasn't just the fans who were enthusiastic. The Wolves players' eyes were red when they heard that the old card was going to play despite the injury, and they insisted on winning this game.

The Rockets still played at their own pace, and the combination of Wang and Yao made an internal pass to cooperate with the Great Wall of China, and Yao Ming succeeded in dunking with one arm.

Sprewell broke through McGrady and succeeded in a layup. McGrady did not show any weakness and immediately assisted Billups to make a 2-pointer.Cassell immediately assisted Garnett to hit a jumper.

But the Rockets were at a disadvantage immediately. The Timberwolves players were so motivated today that even Sprewell spared no effort to defend McGrady and refused to let him catch the ball.The Wolves fought the Rockets in a hand-to-hand posture.

Wang Zhizhi's ability to resist pressure was not good. Under the pressure of Garnett, he passed the ball carelessly and was intercepted by Sprewell.The madman immediately ran wildly to perform a one-stop dunk, and McGrady followed closely.Madman took off and McGrady also jumped up, reaching out for a big hat.

Sprewell's dunk was actually a fake move. He passed the ball low in the air, and Cassell caught the ball and made an easy layup.

The Wolves' morale was lifted, and it was as exciting to see Kassel score as if they had all scored collectively. "Come on, kill them!" Garnett roared to encourage everyone, and continued to direct his teammates to stand defensively.

Under this perverted pressure, the Rockets players were collectively out of alignment.17 points in the first quarter and 18 points in the second quarter.The Rockets, known for their offense, only scored 35 points in the first half!And Kassel became more and more courageous as he fought more and more. He scored 10 points on 6 of 15 shots alone, which was more than the combined 14 points of Yao and Mai.

In the third quarter, McGrady tried to take over the game and succeeded in singles.However, the Timberwolves' pitchers played at a super level. Sprewell and McGrady showed no weakness in shooting against Biao, scoring 3 three-pointers in a single quarter.Even Garnett even threw in a long shot.

"That's it, beat them with the three-pointers they are good at!" Sanders kept motivating the players.

In the fourth quarter, Cassell finally left the field due to back discomfort, but his spirit has been conveyed to the hearts of every wolf.Szczerbiak hit a three-pointer and Hoiberg made a three-pointer. The Wolves are not just the stars showing off their power, but have entered the rhythm of the wolves dancing.Although the Rockets found the offensive touch, they gradually ran out of time in the bite of wolves.

The final bell rang, and the Rockets lost 90:101. The CTM combination scored 68 points but was unable to prevent the defeat. Billups contributed 18+5+9 and played well. He seemed to crush the opposing players, but he felt an inexplicable sense of powerlessness against Kassel.

Old Cassel played 26 minutes with injuries and scored 18 points and 3 assists.The statistics are mediocre, but it was his spirit that made the Wolves fight for their lives and won this dignified battle.

(End of this chapter)