Jim Bass Ambition

Chapter 228 Wolf Hunting
"Jeff, what do you think?"

While celebrating the victory, Jim did not forget to ask the new members what was their first impression of the team.

"While the team has several elite defensive players, like Kevin Garnett and Ron Artest, who have the quality to win the best defensive player, including Kobe, the team as a whole seems to be lacking. Willingness to continue to defend." Bzdelik mainly talked about the team's defense from his own professional perspective.

"Yes, they prefer to use offense to solve their opponents. We are the Los Angeles Lakers. It is impossible to play basketball in the way of Jeff Van Gundy or Larry Brown. When necessary, they can play the strongest defense in the league. But the audience prefers to watch a good offense. Every time a new member joins us, I will say to him, 'We don't just want to win, but win beautifully.'" Jim seems to have expected Buzdeli K would say so.

"Mr. Bass, I'm suddenly a little confused about what I need to do." Bzdelik smiled wryly.

"Don't be so polite, just call me Jim, you see Mitch has never been nice to me... Where are we talking? The reason you are here is that we need a defensive system where all players can play There's power in it, not just a few talented players doing everything."

Jim knows that in the next few seasons, as the rules are modified to be more conducive to offense, the importance of defense will be more reflected. Traditional basketball will suffer from the impact of small balls, such as D'Antoni's Suns, and the team needs to do it in advance. Get ready, Bzdelik's infinite defense system is a powerful weapon against pick-and-roll offenses.

Of course, the current Bzdelik has not yet reached the level of proficiency, and needs some hints and guidance.

Two days passed quickly. The team did not arrange too high-intensity training in these two days, but only warm-up exercises to keep the players in shape.

The fifth game of the Western Conference semifinals between the Lakers and the Timberwolves kicked off on time at the Staples Center.

Arenas has undoubtedly become the focus of attention. As a third-year rookie, he can score 30.8 points in the first four battles. He is the No. [-] offensive weapon that the Timberwolves deserve. Now the problem facing Kevin McHale is Arenas Many teams with space, such as the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors, are staring at the star of tomorrow, ready to hand over big contracts to grab people at any time.

Jermaine O'Neal just signed a high-paying long-term contract, and Sprewell's contract will expire in the summer, so McHale is busy.

In the last game, they gave almost everything but still lost. The morale of the Timberwolves seemed to be hit. After the opening, they were unable to enter the state. They failed to score a point in 3 minutes and were beaten 8-0 by the Lakers. At the beginning, it was Sprewell who made a strong kill to the basket, caused a foul and went to the free throw line to break the Timberwolves' scoring shortage.

After taking the lead, the Lakers seemed to be a little slack, especially in the home environment, and they let themselves go even more. There were several careless mistakes in a row. For example, Artest stepped on the sideline to catch the ball and was caught by the referee; Attacking 2 and hitting 0, the alley-oop did not grasp the strength well, and it passed directly to the bottom line.

The Timberwolves took advantage of the Lakers' mistakes to stabilize the situation. After Szczerbiak, who had performed poorly in the previous games, returned to the starting lineup, he recovered and hit two consecutive long-range shots to tie the score to 8-12.

Artest was full of ugly offense and defense. Jim sitting on the sidelines couldn't laugh or cry. Phil Jackson hurriedly replaced Artest when the ball was dead.

Relying on Malone's steady performance and consecutive mid-range shots, the Lakers temporarily stabilized the situation, but the Timberwolves also regained their touch through the chaos just now. Jermaine O'Neal began to show off in the paint, blocking Kobe and Billups consecutively. Full of presence at the basket.And Arenas finally opened his eyes, opening the first record through a breakthrough throw.

好在湖人两名首发内线表现不错，马龙单节得到6分7篮板，加内特7分3篮板3助攻，帮助球队22比14领先。

In the second quarter, the Timberwolves made adjustments, and Sprewell remained on the court. The backcourt partnered with him changed from Hudson to Hoiberg. The other three were Hassel and Szczerbiak. And Jermaine O'Neal, playing a small lineup.

Hoiberg's appearance played a miraculous effect. He received Sprewell's breakthrough points consecutively and hit two long shots. Hassel also made a tip-up at the basket. Fortunately, Wade performed well for the Lakers and scored breakthroughs one after another. , so that the point difference was not narrowed too quickly.

However, the Timberwolves, who still had a chance of life, burst out with an astonishing desire to survive. Sprewell reappeared as a guard, broke through Battier's defense, forcibly took off and dunked Nene, scoring 2 plus 1, and then stealing the Lakers. Served from the baseline, ran beyond the three-point line and scored a three-pointer, instantly tying the score.

Seeing the poor effect of the second lineup, Zen master made adjustments in time and switched back to the starting lineup, but Sprewell couldn't hold back his touch anymore. He scored consecutive unreasonable goals and helped the Timberwolves to a 15-2 scoring climax. Instead, they led the Lakers by double digits.

At the critical moment, Kobe stood up without hesitation. First, facing Sprewell's defense, he forced a three-pointer and caused a madman's foul. He scored 3 plus 1, and then received Billups' blame Passing the ball, at the end of 24 seconds, he hit a 31-foot ultra-long three-pointer, and finally rushed to the basket. The ball was scored by Garnett and completed a dunk.

The two sides entered the second half with a score of 47. Timberwolves still used the previous defensive strategy, but the old postman who was emptied for four games also had a temper. He has been in the rivers and lakes for 20 years. ?

The postman showed everyone why he scored more than 3 points. Nesterovic couldn’t defend Malone at all. If he didn’t pounce, the opponent would make a steady mid-range shot. .

Malone scored 9 points in a row, messing up the Timberwolves' inside line.

Sprewell's touch gradually returned to the earth, and his shooting percentage began to decline. The Timberwolves relied on Jermaine O'Neal's inside attack to barely maintain the situation. Sczerbiak and Hoiberg, who were short-lived in the first half, Artest regained his composure and made no achievements under the marking.

Arenas seemed to have lost the magic of the previous few games. He made 8 of 1 three-pointers and scored only 11 points. The top scorer was in such a slump that it was difficult for the Timberwolves to win.

In the fourth quarter, Wade scored 8 points in a row, completely ending the suspense. Wade made 9 of 8 shots and scored 17 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in the game, with extremely high efficiency.

The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 101 to 92, eliminated their opponents with a total score of 4 to 1, and entered the Western Conference Finals.

(End of this chapter)