Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 21 21. A Showdown Between Two Bastards

Time flies, and the time comes to December 12 in a blink of an eye.

Today, the league will usher in a battle of the strongest level, that is, the Timberwolves, ranked first in the West, will face off with the Pistons, ranked first in the East.

In this campaign, because the Timberwolves were plagued by rumors some time ago, the players' competitive state has also become unstable.

This also led to the Timberwolves' third loss of next season not long ago.

So far, the Timberwolves have a record of 20 wins and 3 losses, continuing to lead the league with a crushing advantage.

And this duel between the Timberwolves and the Pistons can be called a high-profile one.

After all, as the defending champion of this season, the Pistons are daunting in terms of strength and toughness.

And this game is also the second top team that the Timberwolves have met. As for the first team, it is naturally the Heat, and the other two teams are the Spurs and the Suns in the West.

The Pistons have undergone some changes in the lineup this season. The biggest change is that Okur, the champion of the championship, left the Pistons and signed a six-year $5000 million contract with the Jazz during the offseason.

As a center with three-point shooting ability, Okur is relatively unpopular in this era, but his role on the court is very important.

Especially when Okur is not a defensive loophole on the defensive end, the 25-year-old Turkish center can definitely be called a promising future.

But letting Okur leave is really a helpless move, because the salary cap of the Pistons in the new season really does not allow to keep this top substitute who averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist per game last season.

Fortunately, although Okur left the team, the core lineup of the Pistons still remained.

And the Pistons also signed the "tough guy" McDyess during the offseason to fill the vacancy left after Okur left the team.

It is worth mentioning that, I don't know if it is the butterfly effect caused by Luke's entry into the NBA. The Auburn Hills Palace incident that should have erupted at the end of November in the new season did not come as expected.

So at present, the Pacers in the East are still a strong team, but I don't know if there will be a conflict between the Pacers and the Pistons in the future.

The current Luke can't predict this matter, because after he entered the NBA, the pool of water in the NBA has been completely muddied.
But one thing is certain, that is, whether it is the Pistons or the Timberwolves in this game, the two teams are not good at it.

And the head coach of the Pistons is still that bastard Larry Brown. Like Luke, he has long been labeled as a bastard by fans.

It's just that after the "Cloton incident" broke out not long ago, Luke has been called the most dangerous coach in active service by fans!
So for this game, many fans still want to watch the excitement, and even hope that the Pistons and Timberwolves will clash quickly.

Anyway, these two teams are not good people, and the coaches of the two teams are not good people. If there is a fight, it is normal to bring a ball on the field!
The strength of the Pistons' Five Tigers this season is very strong, and the head coach Larry Brown is a typical coach who is dead.

This also led to the fact that although the Pistons seem to be rotating with eight to nine players, in fact, only six players are actually reused by Larry Brown.

That is the starting five tigers, plus a substitute McDyess.

In fact, the real horror of this Pistons is that it is too average. On the offensive end, except for Ben Wallace, the other four can end the offense and all have good offensive capabilities.

This situation makes it difficult for the team playing against the Pistons to focus on which player to focus on. In more cases, they can only respond on the spot and target the player with the best opponent feeling.

Of course, the Pistons won the NBA championship last season, and playing dirty and ruthless is even more representative.

Pick-and-rolls, rebounds, elbows, and defensive pushes are simply commonplace for the Pistons. This has also caused other teams to sue the league many times, demanding stricter whistleblowers on defensive actions.

Before the game started, Luke held a tactical board on the sidelines and told the players something.

Considering that this game is regarded as Karl Malone's revenge battle, Luke still wants to win this game very much.

Whether it's for Karl Malone or for the team's overall momentum, Luke intends to go all out in this game.

No matter what posture that old bastard Larry Brown puts on, Luke intends to take it head-on, whether it's playing ball or fighting!

As the game is about to start, the two sides announced the starting lineup respectively.

Pistons: Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace.

Timberwolves:
Cassell, Trenton Hassel, Madman, Garnett, and Karl Malone.

In this game, Luke chose to use Trenton Hassell, a defensive champion, in the second starting position because the player Hamilton is so weird.

As a tireless running machine on the field, Hamilton's every score is basically a mid-range shot after running.

In this case, Luke will naturally not let the madman match up with Hamilton, otherwise the madman can run to half-death on the defensive end, let alone play a role on the offensive end.

So facing an atypical player like Hamilton, Hassell's role is directly reflected.

Luke's requirements for him are very low, as long as Hassell can keep up with Hamilton on the field and try not to let him score.

As for the offensive end, with the three-headed monster and Karl Malone present at the same time, Hassel only needs to stand honestly.

In addition, the defensive champion Hassell is also a master of fighting. If the two sides really want to clash on the court, then the Timberwolves' current lineup will definitely not suffer in a fight!
After the game started, the Timberwolves got the ball first.

On the offensive end, the Timberwolves still insist on playing the horns. Although Hassell's three-point ability is average, he only needs to stand in the bottom corner to help others open up space.

If necessary, Hassell, who was missed, can also launch an air cut directly to the basket from the bottom line. Even if the overall offensive ability of the Timberwolves has declined, this is definitely a headache lineup on the defensive end.

So the fight between the Timberwolves and the Pistons in this game is defense, and the fight is hard power on the court.

Using the horns to open up space in the high position, the Timberwolves have become more and more comfortable playing this tactic, and basically do not need to think about every move.

However, the Pistons' defensive ability is very strong, and they can't wait to hang on the offensive players on the defensive end, which makes it difficult for the Timberwolves to find too good offensive space.

In the end, "Alien" Cassell took advantage of the moment when Ben Wallace came out to help defend, and seized the opportunity, stuck half of Billups, hit a throw, and helped the Timberwolves score first. The first goal of the game.

　Ask for a monthly pass!Thank you, youngest!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)