basketball kingdom

Chapter 38 Foul Trouble
Xu Tian gave the ball to Randall after halftime, and the beastly power forward launched the offense.Although he really wanted to attack by himself throughout the game, he also knew that his physical strength could not keep up, so he had to play smarter.

Julius Randle is a short heavy power forward with a height of 206 cm and a weight of 113 kg. He has a tough style of play and is not afraid of confrontation.However, when he has the ball in his hands, he basically only has the basket in his eyes. When encountering defensive players with excellent athletic ability and taller height, his performance is not ideal.

But now the two insiders of the Timberwolves are Gion and Towns, which means that Gion's defense is not bad, and Downs' defense can't threaten Randall at all, so it is very suitable for him to attack.

Randall didn't use the cover, and directly forced the tank to break through from the top of the arc, went inside to fight for a foul, and successfully stood on the free throw line.

Xu Tian walked to Kobe's side and said: "Strengthen the defensive strength, it's time to reverse the point difference!"

Kobe looked at the time on the court now, 2 minutes and 57 seconds passed in the third quarter, because Randall made the first free throw, the score is now 62-68, the Lakers are 6 points behind, and said: "Okay, but You have to pay attention to the defensive action, the referee is watching you very closely."

"I understand." Xu Tian looked at the referee on the sidelines. He has been disliked since the Summer League, and this situation is normal now. He said, "Let's play a 2-3 zone defense and switch defenses against Wiggins infinitely. ...I don't believe Towns can always have that strong touch."

"Understood!" Kobe has played in the NBA for 19 years. When Xu Tian mentioned his defensive tactics, he knew who Xu Tian wanted to restrict.

If you want to reverse the point difference, you need a wave. The first condition for playing a wave is defense, and the second is offense.If you can't prevent the opponent, you can't reverse the difference at all.

Now the first thing Xu Tian wants to restrict is Wiggins, last year's No. [-] pick. Although his attitude on the court is not particularly good, his personal offensive ability is beyond doubt.Nick Young's defense is not good, and it is difficult to defend him, so on the basis of the zone defense, unlimited defenses must be added.

Randall also made the second free throw, the score became 63-68, and the Timberwolves led by 5 points.

Rubio advanced halfway with the ball and saw Hibbert, Randall and Nick Young all standing near the baseline, Xu Tian and Kobe defending at 45 degrees on the left and right wings, and immediately understood the Lakers' tactical defense——Lakers focus Restrictions on inside lanes and breakthroughs have been strengthened.Knowing this, he beckoned to let Kevin Martin move, wanting to use this only player with a three-point basket to slightly break the Lakers' zone defense.

Xu Tian took the initiative to come to Rubio's body, exerting some physical confrontation, so that Rubio could not carry out dribbling organization comfortably.

Ruby's basic Olympic ball skills are very good, and he was not disturbed by Xu Tian's physical confrontation at all. He directly gave the ball to Kevin Martin, and it was Kobe who defended Kevin Martin.

Kobe's athletic ability is greatly reduced now, but Kevin Martin is also not at his peak, and there is no way to get rid of this player who has entered the defensive first team many times (the five best defensive players in the league are defensive first team).

Kevin Martin knew that Kobe was one of the faces of the league and would not be called a foul easily, so he didn't dare to shoot directly, so he had to pass the ball back to Rubio.

Xu Tian predicted the possible situation and blocked Rubio's position long ago. Martin's pass flew straight into his hands.Kobe made a fast break at the first time, and Xu Tian passed the ball to the frontcourt.

Kobe received the ball and took off strongly, dunking with one hand!
65-68.

Kobe's dunk made the entire Staples Center boil, and the audience's voice was higher than the previous dunks.

Director Zhang laughed when he saw Kobe dunking, and said, "Kobe can really fly. At this age, there is no sign of decline."

Yu Jiashun said: "I can hear the taste of partiality from what you said. You can't hide your identity as Ke Mi."

"It's not really..."

Facing a strong zone defense and unlimited defense changes, the Timberwolves, who relied on their personal ability to attack, suddenly misfired.Xu Tian fully mobilized Nick Young and Randall on the offensive end, helping the Lakers gradually grasp the initiative on the court.

With 3 minutes and 25 seconds left in the third quarter, Xu Tian took a break and the Lakers 86-78 the Timberwolves.During this period of strong defense, he received two more fouls, and he was already back with five fouls. As long as he received another foul, he would end the game.

Byron Scott did not replace Xu Tian halfway because he was worried that the Lakers' counterattack momentum would be broken.

This is still the Lakers' home game. If they go to an away game, would they have left the field with six fouls?Xu Tian couldn't help thinking while sitting on the bench.

After replacing the bench lineup, Clarkson and Lou Williams became the ones who dominated the court.The two were fighting against LaVine and Muhammad of the Timberwolves. In addition, Scott did not use Ryan Kelly, but used Anthony Brown, who was in better physical condition, so the Lakers had an advantage in the scene.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 95-86, with the Lakers temporarily leading by 9 points.

The point difference in the NBA, 10 points is a hurdle, and the psychological pressure brought to players by a single-digit point difference and a point difference of more than [-] points is different.Now the point difference between the two teams is exactly at this sensitive point, and unexpected changes may occur at any time.

Wiggins didn't play much throughout the game, and his physical strength is still sufficient, so Sanders replaced him first in the fourth quarter and focused his offense on him.

The weakest part of the Lakers is the defense at the small forward position.Whether it's Ryan Kelly or Anthony Brown, or the former defensive champion Metta World Peace sitting off the court, they can't effectively limit Wiggins now.If it weren't for the zone defense in the first three quarters, his performance would be even better.

Relying on Wiggins' offense, the Timberwolves chased the score to 4-96 in less than 97 minutes.

After Nance Jr. delivered the ball, Scott called the last long timeout of the game, preparing for the final decisive battle.

Xu Tian did not play with the starters again because he was backed with five fouls. Marcelo Huertas, an older rookie who is good at organizing, performed his task.

The Timberwolves switched to the starting five-man team to play against the Lakers for the last period of time.

It was the Lakers who attacked first, and Marcelo Huertas dribbled the ball across half court and gave it to Kobe.

Bryant sits at the top of the arc, isolating shooting guard Kevin Martin while observing where the defense is positioned.

Wiggins did not come up to double-team, but followed Nick Young lazily on the flank.

The Timberwolves switched defenses inside, Towns pulled out to defend Randall, and Garnett competed with Hibbert in the penalty area.This is in full consideration of Garnett's movement speed and using his wingspan to allow him to defend the tallest Hibbert on the field.

Defense without double-teaming is also called defense?
Bryant directly turned back and pushed Kevin Martin near the free throw line, using his best offensive method-back turn and fadeaway jumper.

The audience looked at the basketball flying in the air, expecting the basketball to hit the net.But the ball was a bit short, hit the front of the rim, and bounced into Garnett's hands.

Rubio advances with the ball, slowing down the offense.

Now the difference between the two sides is only one point, and every offense and defense is very important. In order to cheer for the home team, the fans at the scene began to shout rhythmically, "Defense! Defense!".The players on the field were inspired by the voice, and they showed 120% concentration and worked hard to defend.

The Timberwolves played very cautiously offensively, and they didn't make a shot until 22 seconds. When the violation was about to be violated in 24 seconds, the ball was passed to Kevin Martin, and he quickly shot the basketball in his hand.

The ball hit the backboard head-on and bounced into the net.

Timberwolves 99-97, leading the score.

Marcelo Huertas threw a long pass to a dropped Nick Young while the Timberwolves defense was not in place.

Nick Young made a three-pointer.

Wiggins' defense was a little hesitant, and he didn't seal it up immediately, and it didn't cause any interference to Nick Young at all.

THREE POINTS!

The lead that the Timberwolves hadn't warmed up was lost again, and the difference between the two sides became 1 point.

But the excitement among Lakers fans didn't last.

After this round, the Timberwolves replaced Garnett and replaced Gorgui Dieng with better movement and defense again.The effect is immediate.In the next three offensive rounds, the Lakers failed to score, but on the Timberwolves side, Wiggins made three consecutive mid-range shots, rewriting the score to 105-100, and the Timberwolves led by 5 points.

At this time, the broadcast shot was given to Magic Johnson, the somewhat tired president of the Lakers' basketball affairs, watching the ongoing offense and defense on the court with a blank expression.

Mike Breen said: "The Lakers are tired now, but the Timberwolves are still very vigorous. If they don't have any improvement, this game can basically be declared over."

Van Gundy Jr. agreed with Mike Breen, saying: "Kobe and Hibbert's movement speed slowed down the offensive and defensive rhythm of the Lakers. They now need to change to a younger lineup to deal with the youth storm of the Timberwolves. Byron Scott's guts."

Byron Scott stood on the sidelines, completely clueless.Now Xu Tian has five fouls on his back. His original plan was to attack Xu Tian in the final stage, but now there are 5 minutes and 42 seconds before the end of the game, which is somewhat different from his plan.

The current situation on the court is very unfavorable to the Lakers. Byron Scott finally made up his mind and came to the recorder and told the recorder that he would replace Marcelo Huertas with Jordan Clarkson.

At the same time, Marcelo Huertas made a pass error and was intercepted by Rubio who was defending him.In order to delay the Timberwolves' offense, he paid a defensive foul and sent Rubio to the free throw line.

Clarkson directly replaced Marcelo Huertas and came to the field.

Looking at Clarkson on the field, Byron Scott had already figured it out. During the last 20-second short timeout, he would replace Xu Tian who was caught in a foul.

(End of this chapter)