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Chapter 236 The Final Battle ([-])

Ellington couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Roy dribble the ball to Aldridge inside just after half court.Although he restricted Roy to a certain extent, the latter still put great pressure on him, as long as he was not careful, the opponent would easily score.Now Roy has reduced the number of offenses with the ball, which is also a rare rest time for him.

However, Ellington will not play soy sauce on the court. Roy's concession allows him to free up his hands to help his teammates, such as helping to defend the inside or something.Although Ellington is not tall, he has a tough style, and the Blazers' big men are his best steals when they play post-ups with the ball.Even if he doesn't complete the interception, he can double-team with his teammates and force the opponent to pass the ball.

The two sides quickly entered a stalemate, and no one could break out first.However, the Timberwolves still have the upper hand on the scene, the reason is very simple, Xu Hao has a lot of advantages when facing off against Miller, and every time he plays singles with the ball, Roy or Batum must come up to help, Xu Hao can easily transfer the ball in a wide range and give the ball to the open teammates.

The other players in the Timberwolves did not live up to his passing. The team's overall shooting rate is quite high, and there is Jordan Jr. competing for rebounds inside, which makes Ellington and Brewer even more unscrupulous to fire outside the three-point line up.Although this game is very important, McHale repeatedly emphasized before the game that they should treat it with a normal heart. Of course it is good to win, even if they lose, it is no big deal. Anyway, they have proved that this road to reconstruction is right. The big deal Go to the playoffs again next year. ,

McMillan frowned on the sidelines. In his opinion, the strength of his home team must be able to stabilize the Timberwolves, otherwise they would not occupy the eighth position in the West, but now it seems that the mentality of the opponent is better.He is very clear that the players under his command basically have the mentality of wanting to win and fearing losing. With such a heavy burden on their backs, it is a ghost to be able to exert 100% of their strength.In fact, if it weren't for Roy's continuous use of personal ability to stabilize the army's morale, the Blazers would have been rubbed on the ground by the Timberwolves.

But they can't always expect Roy to save the world by himself. Whether his physical strength can last is the second. The strength of the Chinese kid on the opposite side should not be underestimated, and he also organized the Timberwolves' attack in an orderly manner. It can be said that it is Roy's. rival.Although they have different positions, they are both outside leaders of their respective teams, and it is abnormal not to confront each other.

No way, McMillan had to call a timeout and ask others to give Roy some help, especially Batum. His three-point shooting percentage this season exceeded 40%. waste.However, Batum is also suffering. Brewer, who is in charge of defending him, is also an outside gate. As long as he catches the ball outside the three-point line, Brewer can always post it immediately. Any chance he made a shot, his previous three-pointers were only 4 of 1.

But McMillan didn't care so much. He asked Batum to run more off the ball and try his best to find gaps in the Timberwolves' defensive system.Since the coach made such a request, Batum could only accept it. It seems that he will have to run a few more steps on the court later.

The Trail Blazers did not make substitutions, and neither did the Timberwolves. At this time, the game only played 4 minutes and 52 seconds, and it was not time for substitutions yet.McHale sat firmly on the Diaoyutai, just told the players what to pay attention to, and then asked them to take a break and drink water to replenish their strength. Although the Blazers were beaten before, it does not mean that they have no way to fight back. force.

Soon McHale's guess became a reality. After the game restarted, Batum hit 45 consecutive three-pointers at a 2-degree angle on the flank, helping the Blazers lead by 1 point. His speed is not fast, but his running route is very stealthy. , Brewer had some trouble keeping up with him.But without waiting for McHale to give instructions, Xu Hao decisively asked Ellington and Brewer to switch defenses, letting the faster Ellington follow Batum, and Brewer, who had the advantage of height, was defending Roy. It still won't be too bad.

This kind of spontaneous adjustment quickly made Batum die down. Ellington is not tall enough, but his speed is enough to make him a tarsus maggot. No matter where Batum runs, he can always appear in front of the opponent quickly. And reach out to interfere.This made Batum feel very irritable, and his shooting percentage dropped a bit, making McMillan's face livid on the bench.

Now that the Blazers' three-point firepower is broken, it's time for the Timberwolves to counterattack.In fact, the Timberwolves have many three-point shooters, but Xu Hao is the only reliable three-point shooter. Love is barely half of them. Ruhr and Ellington, they also need to improve stability.

So Xu Hao continued to play Miller with the ball on the outside without hesitation, constantly using step-back shots to score.His grasp of the dribbling rhythm is very good, and the fake moves are quite realistic. Although Miller played 10 more seasons than him, he was always embarrassed by the fake moves and couldn't return to the defensive position in time. He could only silently watch Xu Hao shoot and score.

With 3 minutes and 15 seconds left in the first quarter, McHale replaced the starting five of the game and put on a full bench lineup.Originally, he wanted to keep Xu Hao on the field and continue to lead the substitutes, but firstly, the Timberwolves had an advantage in the score, and secondly, Xu Hao also played very hard during this period. To contribute, let him rest.

In fact, McHale was already mentally prepared for the lead to be eroded, but unexpectedly, after the Timberwolves' substitutes came on the field, they also performed very well, presumably inspired by the starters.Although the Blazers allowed Batum, the starting forward, to continue to lead the bench lineup on the field, they still couldn't tie the score or even overtake it.

At the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves led 33 to 27 by 6 points. Xu Hao alone contributed 9 points and 4 assists. It can be said that at least half of the team's points were related to him.He was in very good shape tonight and was not intimidated by the importance of this final game, which is why McHale defied all odds and made him the team's starting point guard.

Xu Hao is also very satisfied with the performance of his teammates. In his opinion, it is difficult to carry the team forward by himself, especially in such an important game.Without the support of his teammates, even if he is tired and paralyzed, he may not be able to help the team reach the playoffs, and the leader of the empty-cut group will almost be determined by himself...

(End of this chapter)