Jim Bass Ambition

Chapter 222 Come On Tiger
In the second half, the Lakers tried various methods to catch up with the score.

And Sanders' method is simple and direct, choking Kobe and Garnett two points, if they are beaten to death by others, they will admit it.

Sprewell and Hassel took turns marking Kobe, while Jermaine O'Neal and Garnett kept pace on and off the field.

The Timberwolves' gambling style of play is very risky. As long as other Lakers players can score, it is enough to punish Sanders.

But the Lakers' bad touch finally punished themselves. Malone and Wade were old and new, unable to maintain output intensity, while Billups and Artest were sleepwalking all over the game. Zebiak blows up.

The Lakers lost Game 90 107-39, with Arenas scoring [-] points.

"Jim Bass' reckless trade two years ago is likely to be self-defeating now. We can see that Gilbert Arenas, the original 'top' player, quickly Growing into an All-Star, Kevin McHale clearly saw the potential in Gilbert Arenas and brought him into the trade talks. We applaud Mr. McHale for his vision. Jim Buss, who got Ron Artest, a grumpy defender and time bomb in the lineup; Brad Miller, who became an All-Star, but with the Pistons; and Chang West Billups... Strictly speaking, he was not traded, but picked up a player that the Timberwolves discarded. I think Billups and Arenas are better players. Needless to say Now, the draft position does not represent strength." Steve A. Smith seized the opportunity and slapped him hard.

No way, in the second game of the Western Conference semifinals, Billups performed sluggishly. He only scored 10 points on 2 of 5 shots. Artest was slightly better, scoring 7 points on 3 of 8 shots. Provide strong support.

"Gilbert may be a better scorer, but he is not the best player for our team. Let's think about it, in the Lakers, he can only be used as a spot-up shooter, which does not play his talent at all, and his Organization and defense are not strong points. Mitch, you have played basketball before, and I think you should understand these aspects better than me.” Jim took the newspaper from Kupchak and packed a bag of apple cores, Throw it into the trash can.

"Then why did you choose Dwyane? It cost so much, an All-Star, a best defensive player, just to pick a sixth man? The questions you said above, I can perfectly apply to Dwyane En body." Kupchak said angrily.

"My gut tells me I can't miss Dwyane..."

"My God! Jim, it's about the future of the team, and you actually use 'intuition' to explain it?" Kupchak was almost going crazy.

"Don't mention Dwyane, just say Gilbert, how much contract do you think Kevin McHale will have to use next year to keep him?"

"It shouldn't be less than 1000 million US dollars..."

"Do we have that much cap space?"

"……No."

"Chauncey is only $500 million, and, in a way, I don't think he's worse than Gilbert. In this series, Chauncey will prove himself."

The Timberwolves took away the home court advantage from the Lakers, and the team was full of confidence. Arenas seemed to be a hero in Minnesota.

On the Lakers side, Billups followed in Garnett's footsteps and was ridiculed and criticized by the media.

"Never mind those rubbish journalists, you're ready for the next game, they can't even fart, the years I was in Minnesota, how high people blow when you win, they will step on you when you lose How ruthless." During the training interval, as a friend of Billups, Garnett certainly wanted to comfort him.

"It also shows that you are on your way to success. Have you ever seen someone post a column criticizing Mario Avery?" Jim continued, "I signed you to this team. Of course I believe your strength is more than one That's where it's at. Come on, tiger, and kill those huskies."

"Who is the tiger..." Billups looked blank, and Jim had already turned and left the training ground.

As a guest in Minneapolis, if the Lakers can't win in two away games, the series will enter a very passive situation.

Philip Sanders continued to use the tactics of the previous game, and Arenas continued his good form. After the start, he hit the first three-pointer hollowly, and the center of the target let out the howl of wolves to cheer for the team.

For the Lakers, Malone was still emptied, but this time the Lakers changed their style of play. Malone did not catch the ball immediately, but went to find Garnett for an off-ball screen, allowing Garnett to get rid of Jermaine O'Neal defense.

Nesterovic's reaction was half a beat slow, and Garnett rushed directly to the basket to complete a one-handed dunk after receiving Billups' reverse hang.

Once Garnett completed this kind of offense on this field, the auditorium would cheer loudly, and the DJ would play the howl of wolves in response to the situation, but now, times have changed, boos one after another.

On the defensive end, the Lakers also made adjustments. In response to the pick-and-rolls of Arenas and Jermaine O'Neal, Billups no longer recovered, but chose to grab the pick-and-rolls, and Malone's position was also more advanced. Arenas was not given the first chance to shoot, and he was allowed to break through and attack the basket. Garnett was cruising inside to make up the defense, and then Billups quickly returned to the defense.

The shortcoming of Arenas' passing vision is obvious. He broke into the inside line several times. After being covered by Garnett's help defense, he couldn't find Nesterovic who was in the open position at the time, but forced a layup and missed. .

Arenas fell headfirst into the Lakers basket, and the Timberwolves' players except for Jermaine O'Neal sank in a very low position. When they retreated, they must not be in time. The Lakers played a series of signature counterattacks. Billups used His iconic chasing three-pointer scored two goals in a row, and the Lakers stopped the Timberwolves in a 12-2 spurt.

Seeing that the trump card in the previous game was not effective, Sanders hurriedly paused to adjust his tactics.

However, Billups' touch seems to be a bit unstoppable. The Lakers also aimed at the shortcoming of Nesterovich's inability to guard against it. They used Malone's solid screen skills to create opportunities for Billups. With a pick and roll, Billups Puth can get a wide open shot, which for the Lakers is a two-pointer.

Seeing that Nesterovic had a tendency to be penetrated, Sanders hurriedly made adjustments and replaced Gary Trent with better mobility to limit the pick-and-rolls of Billups and Malone.

This adjustment is in the hands of the Zen master. When Nesterovic is entrenched in the basket, his huge size can be regarded as a barrier, but with the 2-meter Trent, the Timberwolves' basket is suddenly empty.

Kobe didn't move anymore, and went straight to the low position to eat Sprewell, and succeeded in consecutive singles.

In the first quarter, the Lakers beat the Timberwolves 30-17, in which Billups made 7 of 6 shots and scored 14 points.

(End of this chapter)