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Chapter 350 Encountering a Sweep
The Timberwolves players, who have lost two games in a row, are already beginning to imagine what kind of criticism they will face when they return to Minneapolis.They were fans of a certain team and were disappointed when the team they supported played poorly.So even if Timberwolves fans openly express their anger, they will only blame themselves.

But what everyone didn't expect was that when they walked out of the airport with their luggage, they were greeted with encouragement and blessings from the fans.It can be clearly seen that the fans came to pick up the plane spontaneously, as evidenced by the various support signs and banners, but although it looks messy, the words written on it warm everyone's heart.

"They win the present, we win the future!" "It's only two games, and there is still a long time before the end of the series!" "Kevin, we believe in you, you must be a stronger power forward than Dirk in the future!" ...

Everyone, including McHale, was quite emotional.When they lost consecutively in Dallas, the major media in the United States were predicting that the Mavericks should be able to sweep and advance, or let the Timberwolves win the next game at most.In other words, the Timberwolves have become a complete supporting role. It seems that the meaning of their existence is to let the Mavericks easily reach the finals.

However, Minneapolis fans don't think so. They were born and bred, and their support for the Timberwolves has been deeply buried in their bones. Moreover, being able to reach the Western Conference Finals has far exceeded their expectations.

Perhaps in the past few seasons when the team was poor, they also hated iron and planned to abandon it. However, when the Timberwolves showed their potential again, they returned to its embrace without hesitation.So even if the big score in the series is 0 to 2, they will spontaneously come to encourage the players, because with them, the team has a future!
Sitting on the team bus, everyone didn't speak, they were all thinking silently.If they felt that losing was just a pity for their hard work throughout the season, now they still feel sorry for the enthusiasm and support of the fans.The Timberwolves players are simmering in their hearts, they don't want to continue to lose to their opponents at the target center.Even if they will still be eliminated in the end, they have to prove their strength with victory, instead of packing up and going home.

When the Mavericks visited Target Center, they saw such a fighting Timberwolves team, which surprised Carlisle.Normally, a team loses two games in a row and is more or less frustrated, which leads to low morale, but the Timberwolves seem to have no such problem at all, and instead act as if they are leading 2-0 Same with that team.In other words, they have emerged from the shadow of failure.

At the beginning of the game, Timberwolves players hit the Mavericks' basket time and time again like a tide. Chandler under the basket was caught off guard. Just after halfway through the first quarter, he was fouled twice and had to rest .If you continue to keep him on the court, it is estimated that there will be three fouls by the end of the first quarter. How can we play the remaining three quarters?
Chandler's exit further reduced the Mavericks' defensive strength. Heywood who replaced him was tall enough, but his skills were rough, and his judgment on the timing of shots was not very good. He was always played by Xu Hao and Love in turn.Amidst the cheers of the fans at the scene, the Timberwolves led 35 to 29 at the end of the first quarter, which was hard to imagine before.

But in the second quarter Nowitzki broke out in time to help the Mavericks stabilize the situation.Especially in the last 3 minutes, he scored 8 points with sudden shots alone, helping the Mavericks to catch up to only 1 point.When he was off the court, Love looked frustrated. He didn't expect that his defense would still not have much effect. Nowitzki would be crushed if he didn't use his strength.From the point of view of mid-range shooting alone, the German can already be said to be a master, which cannot be prevented with one breath.

Being successfully chased by the Mavericks greatly affected the morale of the Timberwolves. Even though McHale poured more chicken soup for them during the intermission, it did not raise their spirits.As a result, after the start of the second half, the Mavericks quickly completed the overtake. Although the lead did not seem to be much, the Timberwolves were unable to regain the overtake. At the end of the three quarters, they were already 79 points behind 84 to 5. Nowitzki scored again in a single quarter. After scoring 12 points, he is still unstoppable.

Throughout the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves did not see any hope of counterattacking the opponent. In the end, they could only lose 92 to 99. The big score became 0 to 3. They had one foot on the edge of the cliff.However, at the end of the game, the fans did not boo them. They could clearly see in the audience that the Timberwolves players really tried their best.

According to past experience, no team can complete a comeback when they fall behind 0 to 3, and the Timberwolves are no exception.But they still want to win at least one game in their hearts to prevent the shameful shaved head of the opponent.

However, the Mavericks do not intend to give them a chance. The Heat have been advancing all the way after losing to the Bulls in the first game. It seems that they are likely to end the battle 4-1. There is no advantage, so once they come to the finals, they are likely to be severely beaten by the Heat led by the Big Three.

So under Carlisle's clear instructions, the Mavericks burst out with all their energy at the beginning of Game [-]. Veterans like Kidd looked like they were done after just one quarter, flying around the court almost desperately. Run.Such a positive performance by the Mavericks players caught the Timberwolves off guard. Except for Ellington hitting a three-pointer to take the lead in the first round, they have been struggling to catch up since then, which made the home fans on the sidelines look worried. .

Although the fans hoped that the Timberwolves could reverse the situation on the court and win this game, the Mavericks showed a desperate spirit, directly opened the point difference to double digits in one go, and firmly controlled the game. Rhythm.Even if Xu Hao turns on the scoring mode, his teammates cannot give him more support. At most, he can only restore the point difference to single digits, but it is absolutely impossible to complete the go-ahead.Until the end of the game, the Timberwolves were not out of trouble.

In the end, the score between the two sides was 88 to 100. The Timberwolves reluctantly lost the fourth game of the series and were directly eliminated by the Mavericks 4-0.Although the opponent is very likely to be the champion of this season, it is enough to be aggrieved to be swept away...

(End of this chapter)