Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 21
"Stephen, I ask you to be more decisive in handling the ball, can you do it?"

"It's the same for everyone else. We have to pass the ball as soon as possible before we have a chance to make a shot. When the ball is passed, it is easier for us to get a shot."

"We also have to be decisive when we have a chance to shoot. A lot of you shoot very well in practice, but it's not that different on the court."

"Don't have any pressure in your heart. We are a young team. It's not surprising to lose. If you win, you make money. So you just work hard. Our coaching team will worry about the record. Let us do something, right?"

Zhang Sixin asked relatively experienced players such as Frye and Belinelli to remind his teammates more and drive them on the court.

As for DeRozan, you don't need to think too much for the time being, just have a chance to score.

The Timberwolves' offense did not come out, it was entirely due to the instability of the young players.

It would definitely be a lot better if they let go of their psychological burden. They all have good abilities.

The Timberwolves were not very satisfied with the first half, and neither was the Mavericks.

The Timberwolves' previous losing streak has shown that they are not a strong team.

As a strong team, the Mavericks' goal is to win the championship. If they can't kill the Timberwolves cleanly, their performance is definitely not good enough.

Therefore, they increased their intensity as soon as the second half came up.

On the offensive end, Nowitzki also played more resolutely than in the first half.

However, the Timberwolves have the same plan.

At the beginning of the third quarter, DeRozan and Frye scored 5 points together.

Although Nowitzki scored consecutively afterwards, the Mavericks still failed to expand the score advantage as they wished.

It's just that the Timberwolves also encountered a problem, that is, neither Frye nor Brewer can guard Nowitzki.

They can keep up with speed, but they can't fight.

Nowitzki is not the type known for confrontation among big men, but his confrontation ability is actually not weak.

The Timberwolves have tall players, either slow or underweight, which is helpless.

Fortunately, there are not many scorers at Nowitzki's level in the league, and Zhang Sixin can only let the team use a trick that many teams will use, that is pinching.

The Mavericks are a strong team in the West, but not every player on the team is strong on the offensive end, and there is room for manipulation in this regard.

When the opponent has a strong scorer, Zhang Sixin's defensive tactics will put unlimited rotations, just for the defensive rotation after the flank.

Nowitzki is considered a relatively pure attacker, and flanking still has some effect.

As for the offensive end, the Timberwolves were better than in the second quarter, but overall they still didn't attack.

But compared to the Mavericks, the Timberwolves can barely be called more flowering.

Although the Timberwolves didn't score many points per point, they did turn the ball around.

On the Mavericks side, they rely too much on strong scoring points.

Except for Nowitzki, Marion and Terry, everyone else felt anxious about attacking.

And after Marion left the Suns, his three-pointers have degraded a lot.

In this case, the outside players of the Timberwolves guard the three-point line, and Milicic guards the penalty area. However, according to the position where Nowitzki receives the ball, different players will attack, and the defensive effect is not bad.

The more effective their defense, the more the Mavericks will rely on Nowitzki.

This situation is also normal. If Curry has grown into a superstar and the Timberwolves encounter an opponent's tight defense, Zhang Sixin will let Curry solve the problem.

Nowitzki is still super strong, even if Zhang Sixin was flanked, he scored double digits in this quarter.

The score gap between the two teams remained unchanged.

The Timberwolves want to make a comeback, and they must perform better in the final quarter.

However, during the rotation period, the team surprised Zhang Sixin.

After Mills came on the field, he broke through and caused two fouls by Mavericks substitute insider Gooden.

His performance today is better than Mavericks' backup guard Barea.

The Mavericks bench has Terry's strength, but Terry actually plays with the main lineup a lot of the time.

The Timberwolves rarely played well when Curry went down to rest, and the score caught up all at once, which immediately added a bit of tension to the game.

The Mavericks didn't dare to be careless, so they could only replace the main lineup one after another.

The Timberwolves are still fierce defensively, but they didn't switch to the starting five tigers so early.

Of course, their starting lineup is different from that of the Mavericks. The Timberwolves' current lineup, Curry on the offensive end and Milicic on the defensive end, are irreplaceable. Players in other positions have their own advantages.

And relying on desperate defense, the Timberwolves finally gained something in the final quarter.

That is, the opponent's physical strength has declined, and there is a problem with the outside shooting rate.

Kidd, Terry and Marion all appeared to strike iron, and no matter who the Mavericks played at the fifth position, they didn't actually have a particularly strong offensive power.

Because they want to protect the frame, they still choose Dampier, who has the least offensive power.

Gooden and Humphries, introduced by the Mavericks in the summer, do not have a good chemical reaction with the team now, and their shortcomings are obvious, so they dare not use them at critical moments.

This created the same scene in the third quarter, but Nowitzki could only come, and the current situation is even more serious.

"The Mavericks are obviously still in the running-in period, and their cooperation is not tacit." Zhang Sixin said.

"Howard's inability to play has a relatively large impact on them."

If Josh Howard is here, he can also play with the ball at this time.

Now that there is a problem with the Mavericks' offense, it is the opportunity for the Timberwolves.

Halfway through the final quarter, the Timberwolves were still 2 points behind the opponent.

Whether the game can be won, Zhang Sixin is not sure now.

According to previous experience, the Timberwolves are not easy to play, and their key shots are relatively average for the time being.

Because of the need to defend Nowitzki, Zhang Sixin finally chose to put Brewer and Frye on the court at the same time.

However, the Timberwolves were lucky this time, probably because the previous losing streak bottomed out and rebounded.

When the Mavericks were attacking, Terry made a mistake, the Timberwolves quickly counterattacked, and Curry hit a layup.

Then Nowitzki missed a hit, and Curry and Frye completed another cooperation, and the latter hit two points.

Back and forth, anyway, the Timberwolves became the leading side.

Of course, the advantage of 2 points is not guaranteed at all.

But for the Mavericks playing away games, it will still have an impact psychologically.

They led for so long, and at the critical moment of the final quarter, they were turned over by the Timberwolves, which was uncomfortable.

Timberwolves fans at the Target Center started cheering loudly for the home team.

The current record of the Timberwolves is not very satisfactory, but the mental outlook of the team in the new season is completely different. The young players play very hard, and the fans also feel hope.

Since they have already spent money to watch the game, they will be stingy with their cheering at critical moments.

(End of this chapter)