basketball boulder

Chapter 78 Slaying the Wolf
The timeout is over, and both sides return to the court.

Garnett began to show his superstar ability, hitting Odom in the low post again and again.

His turn-around jumper after shaking continuously was accurate but difficult to defend. The release point was too high, and it was difficult for Odom to interfere.

This is Garnett's signature killer move.

In desperation, Jones could only step forward to help defend, with Odom flanking Garnett.

But the effect is still not good.

Garnett has a very good passing ability, breaking double-teams is easy.

He averaged six assists per game last season, more than many point guards.

Once Jones double-teams, there must be an open space on the field.

Garnett was able to find the opportunity immediately, passing the ball to assist his teammates to score.

Do you expect Li Lei to continue to defend against two?

That is chance.

Timberwolves are not fools either, they stand apart, one south and one north, can you move instantly?

With the help of Garnett's low containment, the rest of the Timberwolves scored frequently and widened the point difference again.

Halfway through the quarter, 14:9, the Timberwolves had already led by 5 points.

Target Center is on the rise again, and Minnesota fans cheer for the home team one after another.

Coach Da Fan called a timeout again, but this time he was helpless.

At the heart of the matter is Garnett.

If you can't solve Garnett's low-post threat, you can't talk about solving the problem.

But is Garnett so easy to deal with?

At this time, Li Lei recommended himself.

"I'll guard Garnett!"

This is of course impossible, so Li Lei thought about it.

Li Lei's height to defend Garnett is to give points.

Li Lei said, "Coach, can I switch defenses with Eddie?"

Everyone didn't react for a while, what does this have to do with defending Garnett.

It was Si Bo who reacted quickly, he discussed with Fan Yi, and they both nodded.

A dead horse is a living horse doctor.

The time-out is over and the game continues.

Timberwolves attack.

The madman suddenly found that the little rookie who was defending him was gone, and standing opposite him was Old Jones.

"Why, the rookie was scared away by me?"

The madman joked.

Old Jones crossed his hips: "Man, I'll deal with you."

In fact, Old Jones' defense is very good. After all, he played from the Mourning era.

It's just that this season, every night is Li Lei's outside core against the enemy, and old Jones is happy and at ease.

This is why old Jones likes Li Lei.

Garnett continued to drop low and hit Odom on the back.

Li Lei came to help defend immediately.

Garnett gave up decisively and chose to split the ball.

But Li Lei and Odom put up their long arms and interfered with Garnett. Garnett failed to score the ball immediately.

This is Li Lei's advantage. He is taller and has longer arms than Jones, so the defense effect is naturally better.

Such a short delay may seem inconspicuous, but it gave the rest of the Heat a chance to breathe and adjust their defense.

Hassell came over to meet him.

Garnett passed the ball.

Li Lei immediately turned around, taking three steps at a time, and blocked Hassel in time.

This can also reflect Li Lei's advantage, and the old Jones' defense is also good, but after all, he is getting older, not as fast and as hard as Li Lei.

Even if old Jones can do it with all his might, how many rounds can he support?
And spending a lot of energy on defense, Jones' offense will also be affected.

Hassel was blocked with the ball, and the Timberwolves stopped the ball.

Cassel can only catch the ball and reorganize the attack, but the attack time has been wasted a lot.

The rest of the Heat also showed high-intensity defense.

The timer was approaching 24 seconds, and the Timberwolves didn't have a chance.

Cassell finally forced the shot and the shot missed.

Cato blocked the old Elvin Johnson and took the defensive rebound.

Fan and coach Spoel on the sidelines kept nodding their heads.

The switch between Li Lei and Jones worked really well.

It's just that Li Lei has to keep helping defense and running, and he has to be a little tired.

But this is Li Lei's job, not worth mentioning.

Slowly, the Heat pulled the score closer.

When it was time for regular substitutions, Butler came on board with a bunch of bench thugs.

However, the main players of the Timberwolves basically stayed on the court.

One thing to note: Szczerbiak is out for the season, Olowokandi has a serious injury...the Timberwolves don't have many role players to use.

Otherwise, coach Philip Sanders will not let the 36-year-old veteran Irwin Johnson top the starting center position.

The veteran is running out of fuel in the tank.

This season, he averaged only 1.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.

In other teams, veterans like Irwin are old-age players whose main task is to guide newcomers and hardly ever play.

The Timberwolves really had no one to use, so they pushed Irwin up.

And no one is available, which is also a long-term problem for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota is a bitterly cold place, and big stars don't want to come at all.

In order to keep Garnett, the Timberwolves directly opened a 6-year 1.26 million super contract.

What is this concept?
Garnett's salary this year is $2800 million.

Active No. 1 O'Neal is only 2475 million, Duncan is 1268 million, and Kobe is 1350 million.

Garnett alone is as good as Duncan + Kobe, and there is still room to spare.

It was this contract that made countless things happen.

Marbury and Garnett fell out.

This contract blocked the Timberwolves' salary space, the Timberwolves were forced to sign the infamous yin and yang contract with Joe Smith, and the league fined the Timberwolves' five-year first-round pick.

The Timberwolves were still very dissatisfied with the penalty: "The other teams did it too!"

They justify it.

In addition, the 1999 lockout and Jordan's retirement were also somewhat affected by Garnett's contract.

……

Sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Since Garnett has chosen a big contract, it will naturally be more difficult for him to win the championship than other stars.

The game continues.

The Heat rotate normally, but the Timberwolves' main players have little time to rest.

In the first three quarters, Garnett, Cassel, and Sprewell hardly rested.

The key is to play like this, the Timberwolves only lead the Heat by 3 points, and the score of 67:64 ends the third quarter.

It doesn't matter that Garnett is at his peak, but Cassell is 34 years old and Sprewell is 33 years old. They can't bear it!

In the fourth quarter of the game, coach Da Fan sent all the main players directly.

The Heat played a wave of 7:2 attacks at the beginning, overtaking the score.

69: 71.

The Heat led by 2 points instead.

After that, Garnett showed his superstar strength and scored consecutively to help the Timberwolves bite the score.

But in the second half, Garnett's shooting percentage also began to decline.

The Heat made another wave of attacks, rewriting the score to 81:92, and achieved the final victory.

The Heat have a total record of 24 wins and 13 losses, continuing to rank among the top in the league.

本场比赛，加内特狂砍28分15篮板4助攻3抢断5盖帽的超全能数据，可惜无力回天。

Madman had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Kassel had 15 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists.

The three of them are also the only three Timberwolves who scored in double figures.

李磊17分4篮板5助攻3抢断2盖帽。

Odom had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Jones had 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steal.

Butler had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

Alstom had 11 points and 5 assists.

Five Heat scored in double figures.

Cato, Haslem, and Grant also gained.

(End of this chapter)