Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 210 210. Luke's worries, flaws: Timberwolves' troubles; Garnett's comeback is urgently needed! (two-in-one chapter)

At the press conference after the game, Luke became the focus of attention of the entire scene.

The tactics executed by the Timberwolves in the final attack were not only exquisite, but the most important thing was that this ball directly rewrote the ending of the first game of the series.

The lore shot is the most exciting moment in competitive sports, not to mention that this three-point lore came from the NBA Finals.

The Timberwolves and the Heat are definitely the most powerful teams in the league today. The gap between the two teams is not as huge as people imagine, and often winning or losing is only a matter of thought.

The "magic operator" Riley, as an old fox who counts everything, successfully beat Artest and Ben Wallace and many other defensive players to six offenders at the last moment.

And the Heat's regional position on the last attack basically cut off Iverson's breakthrough route.

From the moment Iverson received the ball, it is not difficult to see how much the Heat attach importance to Iverson's defense.

All the players on the right side of the Heat cheered up as soon as Iverson held the ball and rushed to the right, and everyone's positions were all contracted.

The fans have no doubt that once Iverson rushes to the inside of this ball, it will be very difficult to figure out the difficulty of getting the ball.

However, it was the most inconspicuous Eric Williams on the field that the Timberwolves finally executed the lore.

And Williams also successfully ran out of the open space with the elevator door tactics, and hit this priceless three-pointer at the top of the arc!

"Eric has always been an excellent player, and his 11-year career gives me reason to choose to believe in him."

"Excellent shooting ability is the reason why I chose him in the last attack. Fortunately, he did not disappoint the team in the end."

"Of course, the fundamental reason why the team can win this game is also due to Allen's outstanding personal performance."

"I don't have much to say about this, because Allen's performance in this year's playoffs has been very good."

"Allen is a player who has seen the world, and I believe that Allen's performance will not disappoint." Facing the reporters' questions, Luke's every answer seems to be adding salt to the Heat's wounds.

Riley gritted his teeth with hatred when he missed the victory in the first game of the finals.

I believe that no matter what the next series will look like, today's game must be the memory that Riley least wants to look back on in his career.

…………

"Lu, I have a hunch that this year's championship trophy is waving to us."

"Winning the Heat in the first game is a good sign. I can't wait to witness the rise of the team's dynasty."

"Next, you must lead the team to stabilize the situation, otherwise my heart can't accept such an exciting reversal." In the office, general manager McHale said half-jokingly.

As the team won the first game of the finals, McHale's mood also relaxed.

Although the gap between the Heat and the Timberwolves is still small, a victory in a game cannot allow the Timberwolves to sit firmly on the Diaoyutai.

But seeing that winning three consecutive championships and establishing a dynasty is just around the corner, McHale still couldn't help but start looking forward to it.

At this moment, McHale's sense of tension was no less than that of the Timberwolves in the first year of the Finals.

After all, as of now, only three teams in the NBA have won three consecutive championships, namely the Celtics, Lakers and the Bulls led by "God of Basketball" Michael Jordan.

Three consecutive championships is the standard for a team to establish a dynasty, and it is also the history that allows a team to truly go down in history.

At this stage, there is no management that does not look forward to it, but only Luke, who coaches the team himself, is not so optimistic.

As the meritorious coach who built this team single-handedly, Luke is very clear that the Timberwolves' lineup is far from being as strong as people see.

Even though the Timberwolves' defensive efficiency is undisputedly the first in history, the Timberwolves have very big flaws on the offensive end.

Except for Allen Iverson, whether it is Artest, "Glove" Payton, Gerald Wallace or Iguodala, these players are not real scorers.

Among them, "Glove" Payton is a 38-year-old veteran, and his scoring ability has already declined greatly. Otherwise, Payton at his peak can definitely afford the role of second-in-command.

The serious bias of the Timberwolves can only drive scoring through a large number of defensive counterattacks. In the positional battle, the Timberwolves have to use the system and Iverson to create scoring opportunities.

But the "magic operator" Riley can be regarded as one of the most active defensive coaches in the league. When Iverson was targeted by the Heat's defensive focus, the Timberwolves had no player who could stand up stably as the second scoring point.

During the Lakers period, the Lakers' first offensive choice was naturally the "big shark" O'Neal, but once O'Neal encountered the opponent's strict defense, Kobe would immediately stand up and take over the offense, giving O'Neal a chance to breathe.

It was precisely because the two suppressed conflicts on the field, and under the adjustment of "Zen Master" Jackson, there was a clear division of labor, and with the help of the league behind them, the Lakers were able to achieve their goal of three consecutive championships at that time.

But the biggest problem for the Timberwolves right now is that there is no stable No. [-] scorer to stand up to back up Iverson. Kevin Garnett's injury still put the Timberwolves into a more embarrassing situation.

Even if Artest, "The Glove" Payton, Gerald Wallace and even Iguodala can stand up to provide firepower at certain moments, but when the game enters the final anxious stage, there is no one. One can trust unconditionally.

Artest's offensive methods are rich, but his mind is always confused at critical moments.

A large number of frequent turnovers make it difficult for Luke to put the burden on Artest.

"Penny" Hardaway on the bench is a good choice, but unfortunately Hardaway's offensive ability has long been unable to compare with his peak.

The knee injury made it difficult for Hardaway to make difficult changes of direction, and it also limited Hardaway's breakthrough speed.

Otherwise, the Timberwolves would not have played so uncomfortable at the critical moment. Facing the Heat's scoring drought that lasted for a long time, they were finally dragged into a very passive situation by "Shark" O'Neal's free throw.

Every lore goal has a certain element of luck. Although the Timberwolves won the game in the end, as the head coach, Luke can't really pin his hopes on these unconventional methods.

The strength of the Heat has already made Luke feel the pressure.

Unless Kevin Garnett can come back quickly, when Iverson is targeted by the opponent, the Timberwolves will have an unsuspecting second choice, otherwise the lack of stability on the offensive end will always be a problem that the Timberwolves cannot solve.

However, even if Garnett meets the team's comeback criteria, Luke is worried about his personal competitive state.

Luke has also observed Garnett's state in the past two days. After the injury, Garnett not only slowed down his lateral movement, but even lost his previous iron blood on the offensive end.

The torn ligament still had a great impact on Garnett. Luke didn't know how far Garnett was from the No.1 state of the league at that time, but there is a high probability that Garnett will not come back in the next game.

Unless the Heat can usher in a counterattack in the away game, they are still very cautious about Garnett's use of team doctors.

"I will be ready to meet the challenge of the Heat with all my strength. In the past two days, you will mainly focus on the progress of Kevin's injury."

"Kevin is likely to become an important factor for the team to win the championship if necessary."

"I don't know if the decision to let Kevin try to come back on the stage of the finals is correct, but the team is indeed facing offensive problems right now."

"Except for Kevin, we can only pin our hopes on the touch of other players, but this style of play is not a long-term solution after all."

Lifting his head and exhaling a smoke ring, Luke frowns and doesn't look optimistic.

Hearing Luke’s advice, McHale also realized that it’s not a time for fantasy. The Heat are different from other teams. This time the Timberwolves are in real trouble. “I will always keep an eye on the progress of Kevin’s injury. Stay in constant contact with the team doctor."

"At present, Kevin's personal doctor does not recommend that Kevin try to come back, but when that time comes, I believe Kevin will make his own choice."

…………

The second game of the series is still played at the Timberwolves' home court.

In the last game, when the Heat had an advantage in the fourth quarter, they were killed by the Timberwolves backhand, which made everyone in the Heat feel depressed and angry.

As soon as this game came up, the Heat's offensive desire was very strong, and they played very strongly on the court.

In particular, Wade and O'Neal frequently looked for physical confrontation, showing a desperate Saburo to fight the Timberwolves to the death.

Now the Timberwolves have taken the lead in winning the series. Once the Heat lose this game again, the Timberwolves will take a 2:0 advantage as a guest in Miami. This is not a good thing for the Heat.

So in this game, the Heat played with the determination to win, and the players all looked very excited on the court.

Even if the defensive end can't prevent Allen Iverson's breakthrough, he must use fouls to make it more difficult for Iverson.

Among them, the "big shark" O'Neill even risked his life, gritted his teeth in the interior and fought against Daben in terms of strength.

O'Neal still has a certain advantage in terms of tonnage, but this style of play is very energy-consuming, and O'Neal's age no longer allows him to do whatever he wants like in his peak.

When O'Neal chose the simplest and rude way of playing deep inside, the Heat's desire to win was already written on his face.

In this game, the "magic operator" Riley's defense against Iverson has become a half-court flanking attack. As long as Iverson holds the ball past the half-court, the Heat will immediately have two players step forward to flank.

Riley's meaning has been expressed very clearly, that is, to resolutely cut off Iverson's offensive firepower.

Even if frequent double-teams will create shooting opportunities for other Timberwolves players, Riley will completely kill Iverson.

In the last game, Riley also flanked Iverson, but the way of flanking was when Iverson rushed inside.

When Iverson stands outside the three-point line with the ball, the Heat still maintain the purpose of letting go and not letting go. After all, Iverson's three-point shooting rate is only in the early 30s, which is not much of a threat compared to two points.

In fact, Riley's defensive method in the last game can be regarded as the most efficient decision, and it is also the most correct judgment made at the moment.

However, most of the Timberwolves' offenses were initiated by Iverson, which made Riley give up the last trace of reason and chose to flank Iverson in the half of this game.

Whether it's a three-pointer or a two-pointer, Iverson can't comfortably attack in series.

Even if the Heat were shot to death by other Timberwolves players in this game, Riley was determined not to let Iverson become the starting point of the offense.

It has to be said that Riley's choice was a bit risky when he fell behind 0:1 in the finals, but it has reaped very considerable rewards.

As Luke worried before the game, when Iverson was targeted by the Heat's defensive focus, the Timberwolves did not have a second stable scorer to stand up and take over the offensive banner.

This is the trouble the Timberwolves encountered in this game. Iverson will be flanked by the Heat as long as he holds the ball after halftime.

Whether it is a personal offense or a series offense, Iverson does not have a good chance. He can only attack the basket when playing a defensive counterattack.

Even though Artest hit consecutive three-pointers in the second quarter to help the Timberwolves save the situation, Artest's offensive efficiency did not continue in the second half, and instead began to lose power outside the three-point line.

At the same time, Iverson was still troubled by the Heat's double-teaming, but no one from the Timberwolves could stand up and provide firepower.

Fortunately, Gerald Wallace's final burst helped the Timberwolves maintain suspense.

Facing the defense of Salmons, Wallace broke through and bombed the basket continuously, and hit those open three-pointers after receiving a pass from Iverson, so that the Heat could not easily open the score.

It's a pity that Iverson's being targeted at the last moment still exposed many problems, and the instability of the offensive end ruined the game.

With marbury scoring consecutively in the last 5 minutes, he scored eight points in a row from inside and outside shots. In the end, the heat won the victory without any risk by virtue of their excellent defensive restrictions, rewriting the total score of the series to 1: 1.

After the game, Iverson felt a little depressed, and left the court first with his head down. He was not even in the mood to high-five the fans on both sides when passing by the player channel.

Seeing Iverson's depressed mood, Luke could only sigh helplessly.

In this game, in order to help Iverson get rid of the defensive dilemma, Luke made a variety of responses, including letting Iverson use a lot of off-ball pick-and-rolls to play the role of air cuts.

However, the Heat are determined to hold down Iverson, the lion, and let other Timberwolves players participate in the offense more.

The other players' performances on the offensive end were mediocre, and they couldn't bear the loss after Iverson was targeted. This caused the Timberwolves to be forced to lose the game.

Especially when the starting center Ben Wallace is on the court, the Timberwolves are basically four-on-five on the offensive end.

Big Ben's defense of the penalty area on the court is impeccable, and he is also one of the most efficient center players in the active league in defending O'Neal.

Naihe's offense is a shortcoming that Big Ben can't change, and even Luke has a headache about this.

Iverson had only 12 shots on the offensive end throughout the game. Although he also got a few chances to attack the basket by using defensive counterattacks, he only contributed 14 points with free throws.

The Heat's defense against Allen Iverson has reached the point of frenzy. Just like other teams in later generations defending Stephen Curry, the scene of being alone can't help but make people feel distressed.

Of course, with Iverson struggling so much, the Timberwolves were able to fight the Heat until the last minute to decide the outcome, mainly due to the performance of Gerald Wallace.

整场比赛杰拉德华莱士在登场35分钟的情况下轰出27分9篮板3助攻4抢断以及2次封盖，其中投篮命中率高达67%，三分球命中率同样有41%。

The 27 points not only set a new high in the playoffs of Gerald Wallace's career, but his 67% field goal percentage even penetrated the Heat's forward defense.

It's a pity that Gerald Wallace of "Pippen attributes" is not a scorer after all. When Michael Jordan was restricted by the opponent and could not score, even if Pippen ushered in an explosion alone, it would be difficult to change the outcome of the loss.

The defeat in G2 of the finals made Luke couldn't help frowning, and even felt anxious for the first time after the game.

Because this game is completely what Luke is afraid of, and the Heat will come.

The biggest flaw of the Timberwolves right now is that the offensive end is not stable enough.

What Luke was most worried about before was that when Iverson felt bad or was targeted by the opponent, it was difficult for the team to find a stable second scoring point to stand up and take over the offense.

The loss in the G2 game was the point where the Heat caught Iverson and paved the way.

Losing a game doesn't cause Luke much anxiety, but what Luke really worries about is the next game.

The current problems of the Timberwolves have been completely exposed under the eyes of the Heat. If the Timberwolves cannot solve Iverson's offensive problem after being restricted, the rest of the finals will become very difficult to play, and they may even be taken away by the Heat.

The third and fourth games of the finals will be played at the Heat's home court respectively, and the pressure faced by the Timberwolves in the away game will be far greater than that of this game.

Luke didn't know who could be the surprise player in this round of finals.

Artest?

Gerald Wallace?

Or Iguodala?

Shaking his head trying to dispel the thoughts in his mind, Luke, who was standing at the door of the locker room, picked up the phone and dialed McHale's cell phone.

"Notify Kevin (Garnett) that the next game will go to Miami with the team, and that Allen needs his help in this series."

(End of this chapter)