Grab Curry at the start

Chapter 63
The Timberwolves won another strong confrontation, but the regular season is still going on.

They rushed to the East non-stop, playing back-to-back away games against the Pacers.

After the fight at Auburn Palace in the 2004-05 season, the Pacers left their position as a strong team in the East and began to rebuild.

They didn't deliberately play poorly, but their strength has not improved, and they have been a little short of the playoffs for several seasons.

Their current head coach O'Brien is also responsible. This buddy mainly focuses on offense, but he can't attack. The team's defense is lost, but they can still be stable in the team for a few seasons.

When O'Brien was coaching, the Pacers didn't perform badly and couldn't make the playoffs.

Fortunately, the team's draft is okay, otherwise it's really over.

The Pacers didn't do anything in the summer, they just signed some cheap free agents.

They are still building a lineup around Danny Granger, waiting for young players such as Hibbert to grow up.

Because there are more big shooters, they are also a convulsive team.

In this game, Murphy, the second point on the offensive end of the Pacers, was sidelined due to injury, and another big pitcher Dunleavy replaced the starter.

The Pacers' record at the beginning was relatively poor, and they are still not bad, which can be regarded as a clear stream.

When dealing with the Pacers, we must also pay attention to their three-pointers.

But at the beginning of the game, the Pacers got the first ball inside.

Their sophomore Roy Hibbert has an advantage in height and a soft touch inside.

Hibbert started to be called Black Yao Ming for no reason. This guy is not the traditional black and tough guy, because he lacks explosive power and speed.

But his shooting is much worse than Yao's, and his weak links such as rebounding are worse than Yao's, so he can't be cultivated at all.

But even so, he can still guard the penalty area in the East and cause trouble for other teams.

Because the Timberwolves' starting insiders Jefferson and Love are not tall enough, if Hibbert feels good, Zhang Sixin will definitely let Milicic play more time.

The Pacers are a team that relies on outside shooting. If they attack inside, the Timberwolves' defense will be in trouble, so at least one end must be strangled first.

In fact, Curry has another chance this time, and the Pacers' No. [-] position is not tall enough. Although the Pacers' main point guard Ford is injured and truce, their backup guard Watson is also shorter than Curry.

But Curry obviously consumed a lot in the last game, and this game is slow to heat up.

Seeing that Curry has not entered the state, Zhang Sixin decided to let him rest more in this game. Back-to-back games cannot allow the main players to play for so long, not only Curry, but also everyone else.

When Curry is not the main attacker, the Timberwolves will give more to the inside.

The Pacers' fourth position Mike Roberts' single defense is very average, and the young Hibbert can actually be bullied.

The other is the breakthrough of the wing. It is always impossible for a big pitcher to move so fast in defense, and their No. [-] Hyde is now at the level of a fringe player in the league, and his defense is not good.

But after the Pacers replaced Deng Tai-Jones and Brandon Rush, the situation was much better.

The Timberwolves played well in the first half of the quarter, and both the inside offense and the flank attack did a good job.

However, after the Pacers started to rotate, their strength improved and they took the lead at home.

"I knew it would happen if Stephen played less. After all, we are not really a strong team." Zhang Sixin sighed.

"The back-to-back away games still have a greater impact." Ron Adams said, "It's not just us, strong teams can't avoid it."

"Also, you still won't let Stephen play more, right?" Ron Adams asked.

Zhang Sixin laughed, "Of course, it's just a regular season... This is also an opportunity for other teams to impress me with their performance."

In fact, the Timberwolves' bench performance was not very good. Only Milicic and Frye performed stably in the first half.

After Milicic came on the field, Hibbert's offensive end was restricted, and his level would be affected as long as there was high inside interference.

However, Hibbert still played a role on the defensive end, sending out 3 blocks in the first half.

Height and wingspan are great, and the only thing Hibbert is better than Yao is probably the wingspan.

This is also the price for the Timberwolves to attack the inside line. It is hard to say whether they take advantage of it. The main reason is that the Pacers' defense is better in many cases.

In fact, the Timberwolves' offensive efficiency in the first half was not high.

Zhang Sixin can understand, but he is not very satisfied with the defense.

"Watch what they're shooting outside and remember what I said."

Rush hit a three-pointer after coming up, Price also hit a three-pointer after coming up, and Hyde and Dunleavy, the Timberwolves' defense in the second quarter had problems.

After Milicic defended the inside line, he did not expect the Pacers to shoot from the outside line.

"Concentrate. If you are too tired to concentrate, tell me. I am a very humane coach. I will let you rest." Zhang Sixin said calmly.

But the players know that this means that the head coach who can usually get along with them is angry.

No one dared to make Zhang Sixin angry, because he did what he could, and if he did not perform well, he would go to the bench to rest. No one on the team could be special.

If you rest a few more times, it will be difficult to get more opportunities in the team, and you can really rest in the future, and of course the dollars will leave the players.

The strength of the head coach does not lie in the loudness of the voice, but whether speaking in the team counts.

Zhang Sixin talked a lot in the Timberwolves, so no one dared him to take his words seriously.

When the Pacers hit consecutive three-pointers, the lead has reached double digits.

They are not a strong team, so Zhang Sixin is not happy.

During the half-time break, the players all bowed their heads, a little scared.

Zhang Sixin said to them: "In the second half, the tactical layout will not change, it depends on whether your execution is in place or not."

"Before the game, I told you about the opponent's style, but you still let them play."

"If we want to be a strong team, we must first be stable, both offensively and defensively. It doesn't mean that a strong team wins a few times to be a strong team. Any team in the league will not eat dumplings a few times. A truly strong team will not give opponents many opportunities, even in back-to-back games."

"There are no underdogs in the NBA. Anyone can lose, but I don't want you to lose because of inattention and poor tactical execution. I praised you so much in front of reporters. Don't let me lose face."

"When the time comes, it won't be a big deal for me to lose face. You'll lose your own worth, and you won't have a place to cry."

"Okay, relax now... Let me see in the second half what level you guys are at."

(End of this chapter)