Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 116 Judgement
If Ye Feng didn't know Loew's character very well, he would definitely think that Loew was instructed by McHale to sow doubts.It turned out that the Timberwolves' starting small forward was not Gomez, but Corey Brewer.In fact, don't talk about Ye Feng, Love is quite puzzled by the head coach's formation. It is obvious that Gomez's strength is higher than Brewer's, and the Blazers are not easy to dismiss. opponent.However, as the head coach, McHale doesn't need to explain to the players why he changed the starting lineup, and Love can only keep his doubts in his stomach.

In fact, this non-focused game has attracted the attention of many media, how can they not find out that Ye Feng and Love are college teammates and roommates with their urgency?What's more, the two were selected with the fifth and sixth picks in this year's draft. The gimmick of fighting in the same field is no less than that of other focus battles.Although Ye Feng is a small forward and Love is a power forward, it is impossible for them to match up in the game according to their styles, but the media packaged this game as a rivalry, which is really dumbfounding. The only advantage may be that Bringing higher ratings to ESPN, right?

Just like Ye Feng's analysis, Loew still has great doubts about whether he can defeat Ade.The current Love is not the super power forward who can shoot as far as the three-point line in later generations. The reason why he can occasionally hit a three-pointer in the NCAA is not only the support of the system, but also because of the NCAA's three-point line to the basket. The distance is shorter.After coming to the Timberwolves, at most he just stood near the free throw line, received the ball from Jefferson from the basket and hit a jump shot. The three-point line in the NBA is too far, and he has not adapted to it. Two points long is already his goal. It's the limit of what can be done.

In contrast, although Adelaide has almost no three-point range, his straight-arm jumper has gradually become a signature. His height and wingspan make it difficult for opposing players to block shots. An insider known for his bounce.In addition, this is Adelaide's third season. Although he can't use experience to suppress Love like other famous stars, his control over some details is not comparable to Love.In fact, what Ye Feng said was quite polite, Lu Fu's heart was not as calm as he appeared on the surface, he was not absolutely sure that he could fight Ade in a battle without losing the wind.

Sure enough, Adelaide suppressed Love after the start of the game. He is not the kind of traditional insider who sticks to the basket, and prefers to move outside the three-second zone, which happens to be Love's activity area.And Adelaide himself is quite agile, Love's footsteps and fake moves are completely worthless in front of him, just catching up with Love is not the kind of player who doesn't care about forcing shots, he was placed high hopes by the Timberwolves management for a while He couldn't even find a shot space, so he could only use himself as a high-position command tower, but his countermeasures were still being explored. After making a few mistakes, Miller began to pass the ball more often to the low post Jefferson.

Love wasn't angry either, he just felt a little helpless.Originally, this was my own problem, and it was normal for the point guard not to pass the ball to himself, but I was really unwilling, because the agreed matchup became a one-man show!He couldn't help but focus on Ye Feng.Compared with Loew, Ye Feng is very cool, but not too much better.Brewer is a master of chaotic combat, his fast attack ability is quite strong, but he didn't put too much pressure on Ye Feng in terms of defense. Now he is only a second-year rookie.The only thing Ye Feng didn't feel very happy about was that he had to run more with Brewer on the court, in case he suddenly went to the basket to complete the attack, or directly launched a fast break when the Timberwolves grabbed a defensive rebound.

Although it seemed that Jefferson was single-handedly confronting Roy and Alder on the scene, the media's camera always shifted to Ye Feng and Love from time to time, as if they were the focus of the game.Comparing the performance of the two rookies, the reporters in Portland rejoiced, while the reporters from all the way from Minnesota sighed. They didn't know that the two players facing each other were not at the same level, but judging from their personal performance , Ye Feng is indeed a better player than Love, and his position in the team's tactical system is also more important. They have even begun to brew headlines, such as "No. 6 pick VS No. 5 pick, does McHale regret it?" .

However, Loew is not someone who easily admits defeat. Beneath his gentle personality, there is also a heart that is unwilling to let others down.It just so happened that Jefferson also had a hard time playing at the basket. Although Oden still needs to hone his offense, his defense has already reached a certain level. Jefferson's scoring efficiency is very high, but it also consumes a lot of energy.As a last resort, he could only distribute the ball outside after attracting the defense, and Love also got a few passes near the free throw line.But I don't know if it's because of too much pressure or because I haven't touched the ball for too long, which makes my hands feel cold. Love didn't even make a goal. He just made Adelaide a foul and scored two free throws.

At this time, the meaning of Oden's existence was reflected. He used his height and jumping to continuously grab rebounds on Jefferson's head, which made Jefferson, who was strong but a poor floor, very depressed.But Ye Feng became more playful and began to imitate Brewer's way of playing. He repeatedly ran down quickly after Oden grabbed the rebound, and his running speed was even a bit faster than Brewer who was good at doing this. .The only player in the Timberwolves team who can keep up with him is Brewer, and Telfair is half of them, but Ye Feng's physical fitness is not comparable to them. Although he can't be said to be rampant like a tank, his ability to combine the ball Coupled with speed and bounce, it is the sharpest knife for the Blazers during the fast break.Oden's pass doesn't need to be very precise, as long as it can be guaranteed not to go out of bounds, it is Ye Feng's opportunity.

In desperation, McHale had to replace Love and used 2006 second-round pick Craig Smith to partner with Jefferson.As soon as Smith came on the court, the Timberwolves stabilized inside. He has the tenacity of a low-ranking player and a strong execution of the team's tactics.With Jefferson pinned inside, Smith was very aggressive pulling up high and setting up pick-and-rolls for backcourt players.Although he is only a short power forward, not even as tall as Miller, his screens are very effective. With his help, Miller and Telfair successfully broke through more times, which also relieved Jay Ferson's pressure.

It seems that he didn't want to hurt Love's self-confidence. At the beginning of the second quarter, McHale still put Love on the court and let him lead the bench.Reluctantly, Frye is on the Blazers side. This is a more pure big pitcher than Love. Love's style of playing outside the three-point line makes Love a little overwhelmed.And when it was Loew's turn to attack, he was defended by the taller and more experienced Pulzbila. Not to mention that Loew couldn't squeeze, his whole body was covered by Pulzbilla, and he would eat it if he didn't pay attention. Got a big hat.And the Timberwolves' bench didn't have any players who were good at scoring, and his jam brought the team into a pit.

The Trail Blazers' bench lineup is not single-core. Although Outlaw is indeed the scoring arrow they rely on most, both Frye and the newcomer Batum have provided him with a lot of help. Love's misfire gave him a lot of help. They had a chance, and the difference between the two teams was further widened in just one and a half minutes.Seeing that the situation was not good, McHale had to choose the latter between the rookie's self-esteem and the victory of the game, so he could only replace Jefferson and Miller and other main players in advance, hoping to close the point difference before halftime. down to single digits.But how could McMillan give him a chance?Taking advantage of his illness to kill him is a normal reaction.Seeing that the opponent replaced the main force, he did not hesitate to use the main force, not giving the Timberwolves a chance.

Watching Ye Feng gallop across the field, Loew sat on the bench with a dejected look on his face.He knew that this was largely due to the different strengths of the players facing each other, but he didn't intend to use this as an excuse.In fact, since his university days, he has believed that Ye Feng is a future superstar. As for himself, he is very satisfied to be the main force of an NBA team.If it wasn't for Ye Feng's encouragement from time to time, he might have become depressed because of his lack of self-confidence, and he would have no chance to participate in the draft and be selected at such a high position.This time agreeing to compete with Ye Feng, apart from wanting to prove himself, there is also a sense of offering treasures to Ye Feng who is also a teacher and friend.

But he lost completely this time. Not to mention his poor performance, the team is basically doomed.Since replacing him, McHale has only played him in inconsequential bits and pieces and seems to have given up on him, at least for this game.Although the Timberwolves only lost by 4 points in the end, the rhythm of the entire game was almost in the hands of the Trail Blazers, and the difference in scores did not reflect the strength of the team.After the game, Loew didn't wait for his teammates, walked into the player tunnel silently, and walked towards the visiting team's locker room.

"Wait a minute, Kevin, are you in such a hurry to go back to Minnesota for a date?" Love didn't need to turn his head to know that it was Ye Feng. He wondered why Ye Feng didn't celebrate with his teammates there.But in fact, Ye Feng had already seen his expression in his eyes, and knew that this former roommate had a knot in his heart. To him, Loew was not only an opponent, but also a good friend worth making for a lifetime. Doubting himself because of the game will undoubtedly have an impact on his career.But it's useless to comfort him at this time. Facing Love's puzzled eyes, Ye Feng smiled lightly and said:
"It's still our game a week later, if you still have confidence, let's decide the winner in that game!"

(End of this chapter)