Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 226 226. The opening match!No one knows the Timberwolves better than me, the Grizzlies are bad but the Timberwolves are worse

At the press conference after the game, Rockets coach Montgomery responded helplessly to Novak, who had just been cut by the Rockets during the offseason.

Novak personally hit six three-pointers throughout the game, becoming one of the main output points for the Grizzlies outside.

Even though it was just a preseason loss, the Rockets not only lost to the Grizzlies by 32 points in the whole game, but Novak and Tracy McGrady slapped the Rockets hard with their outstanding performance.

McGrady, who started the game, only played for 17 minutes and didn't exert too much force during the game, but when he returned to the Rockets' home court again, McGrady still contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists with sleepy eyes. Up to +17.

In this game, the Grizzlies made a total of 22 three-pointers, setting an NBA preseason record.

A preseason confrontation made the Grizzlies play their worth abruptly, and the 32 points bloodbathed the Rockets made the Grizzlies once again the focus of the league.

The attendance rate of the Grizzlies in the next few preseason games is generally very high, and the Grizzlies' fighting spirit from top to bottom is very high. Even if the new season has not yet started, people have already seen from the Grizzlies that they have the desire to win. eager.

As time came to October 10, the Grizzlies narrowly beat the Mavericks by three points in an away game. At that time, the Grizzlies also finished all the preseason games this year and prepared to welcome the arrival of the new season with a record of 19 wins and 4 loss.

The outstanding performance of the Grizzlies in the preseason has attracted a lot of attention from the outside media, especially the average of 16 three-pointers per game not only ranks first in the league, but also makes the Grizzlies the team with the most offensive firepower in the preseason.

If there is an element of luck in beating the Rockets in the first game, then in the remaining games, the Grizzlies defeated the two mighty Mavericks and the Spurs from the Southwest Division. The victories in these two games are enough to prove that the Grizzlies The metamorphosis that occurs within.

Now Memphis fans are already looking forward to the team's performance in the new season. According to the schedule announced by the league, the opening game of the new season will officially start on October 10.

It stands to reason that the Grizzlies were the last in the league last season, and Memphis is also not a big money-absorbing market. The name of the Grizzlies should not have appeared on the list of the opening game.

But because Luke's joining has brought huge traffic to this team, the Grizzlies have become one of the most popular teams in the league before the start of the new season.

So in the list announced by the league for the opening game, the name of the Grizzlies is impressively listed.

And dramatically, the Grizzlies' opponent in the opening game was Luke's old club Timberwolves last season.

With the announcement of the schedule, this game aroused the desire of many outside fans to watch.

Although the Timberwolves are a dynastic team that has won the championship for three consecutive years, the Grizzlies are just a rebuilding team that has just experienced many transactions and signing turmoil during the offseason.

However, when the Grizzlies coached by Luke in the new season face the dynastic team he created, the fans still look forward to the highlights of this game.

In addition, due to salary space reasons, the Timberwolves not only failed to reinforce during the offseason, but also lost Gerald Wallace, "Glove" Payton and other main players in vain.

From the perspective of paper strength, the Timberwolves' strength in the new season has not increased, but has also experienced some decline.

This is also the main reason why the Celtics are able to overwhelm the Timberwolves to the top of the championship odds list.

However, as the so-called skinny camel is bigger than a horse, even though the Timberwolves have lost many main players in a row this summer, the Timberwolves still have Garnett, Iverson, Artest, and Ben Wallace at the same time. star.

No matter from which point of view, the Timberwolves are the first echelon to hit the championship. The only worry is whether Garnett's competitive state in the new season is still as bad as last year's finals.

The question of whether Garnett can return to the top is also the most discussed topic outside.

Due to a torn ligament, Garnett was not only reimbursed for the regular season last season, but after his comeback in the finals, Garnett's state declined even more visible to the naked eye.

Even though the Timberwolves finally defeated the Heat 4:1 and successfully won the championship trophy, Garnett's personal contribution fell to freezing point.

Many people think that Garnett will fall from the altar because of this injury, and he will completely become a second-tier star from the original No.1 in the league.

However, before the start of the new season, everything about Garnett is just speculation. Whether Garnett's competitive state can return to the peak will not be clear until the start of the regular season.

After all, Garnett is the only man in the active league who has won the regular season MVP for three consecutive years. Garnett's performance will directly determine the upper limit of this Timberwolves.

If Garnett's performance is still as bad as in the finals, the difficulties facing the Timberwolves in the new season will become very bad.

It is worth mentioning that the Timberwolves also encountered a lot of resistance in choosing a new head coach this summer.

Due to the various records that Luke has led the Timberwolves to set in recent years, this makes even some well-known coaches unwilling to take over the Timberwolves.

So in the end, in order to avoid coming down to coach himself, McHale hired Mark Jafaroni as the team's coach for the new season.

Jaffaroni has never served as the head coach of any team in his career. Before that, Jaffaroni has been mixed with various teams in the league as an assistant coach.

From the perspective of the championship, Jafaroni is not the best choice, but it is one of the few choices for McHale.

The first game of the regular season between the Grizzlies and Timberwolves will officially start on October 10.

At the same time, the league has four other opening matchups on this day, including the Celtics against the Heat, the Lakers against the Cavaliers, the Spurs against the Pistons, and the Mavericks against the Warriors.

Every game the league arranges on the opening day can be called eye-catching, and there are more or less dramatic colors.

The alliance has always been a good player in this regard, and rational use of heat has always been the alliance's favorite method.

With the start of the regular season, the Grizzlies have also entered the final stage of rest.

Luke doesn't care about winning or losing the preseason, but Luke strives to win every game during the regular season.

Whether it's not to be slapped in the face by his offseason remarks, or for the second best coach of his career, Luke is ready to meet the challenges of the new season.

.........

"Lu, don't have too much pressure in the new season. The whole team believes that you will definitely lead the team to become better."

"The team's opponent in the opening game is the Timberwolves. I believe you know this team better than everyone here."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, it doesn't matter if you lose, I still hope you can relax a little bit."

At the high-level meeting, Grizzlies owner Mike Heisley said in a slightly cryptic manner.

Now Heisley and Luke are completely tied to the same boat. Before the Grizzlies turn around, Luke is Heisley's last straw.

Even if Heisley wants the Grizzlies to win more games than anyone else, the opener against the Timberwolves isn't good news.

At least at this time, even Heisley himself does not believe that the team can win the game.

Although Heisley is not a true fan, but as a team owner, Heisley knows that no one wants to lose when facing his old club.

Therefore, at the high-level meeting before the start of the season, Heisley implicitly resolved the pressure for Luke, hoping that Luke would not be too obsessed with this victory, which would lead to mental problems.

After all, Luke has become Heisley's last hope to turn around, and Heisley doesn't want Luke to mess up this season.

"Yes, Lu, we all believe in your operational vision, but some things just need to do our best." The team's operations president Thomson echoed with a smile.

Although Thomson's personal ability is mediocre, he has played for the Grizzlies for seven years, which is a typical example of no credit and hard work.

"I know what everyone is worried about, but today's Grizzlies are no longer the big team they were back then. I hope everyone can change their mentality."

"The Timberwolves are the team I built, and no one knows the composition of this team better than me."

"Frankly speaking, it is really not easy to defeat the Timberwolves, but the Grizzlies are not afraid of any team in the league, even the Celtics who have just formed the Big Three."

"It's not us who should be worried, but someone else."

Facing the vague reminders and comforts from everyone at the high-level meeting, Luke shook his head helplessly.

Now the Grizzlies management has been completely fishy for a long time. It sounds like a lack of confidence, and it sounds like a bunch of soft bones.

Even though the team performed very well in the preseason, everyone still has hesitation about the new season.

The verbal explanation of this situation is too pale, and Luke can only tell everyone with practical actions that the Grizzlies are not only no longer a big team, but will become something that no team in the league is willing to face. opponent.

…………

On October 10, local time in the United States, the opening game of the 24-07 season officially started.

In this game, the Grizzlies will be a guest in Minnesota and play at the Timberwolves' home court.

As far as the eye could see, the entire Timberwolves arena was full of seats, surrounded by not only all kinds of Timberwolves fans, but also Grizzlies fans wearing black and white T-shirts and holding huge banners.

Standing again in the Target Center arena, Luke received a lot of cheers and blessings from the fans at the scene, and even played a video of paying tribute to Luke on the big screen at home before the game.

Faced with the enthusiasm of the Timberwolves fans, Luke also raised his hand with a smile on his face, as if returning to the summer of 2006.

Although Luke's departure made Timberwolves fans feel sorry, Luke's various contributions to the Timberwolves in recent years are worthy of the fans' admiration.

And some fans also know that Luke's departure has an inseparable relationship with the alliance behind the fuel.

Even if these things cannot be said on the bright side, fans are not fools after all, and some things are too straightforward to say at all.

Now Timberwolves fans are more blessed and grateful to Luke. Even if Luke has become the coach of the Grizzlies after standing in the arena again, in the hearts of Timberwolves fans, Luke is the godfather of basketball in Minnesota.

Before the start of the game, Timberwolves players also came up to say hello to Luke in twos and threes. The pre-match atmosphere between the two sides did not smell of gunpowder at all, but was full of happiness.

Seeing his own players standing next to Luke talking and laughing, the new Timberwolves head coach Jaffaroni touched his nose in embarrassment.

Even if Jaffroni knows that the player's approach is indeed okay, after all, Luke is God to Minnesota.

But at the moment, this kind of scene still makes Jaffroni's face a little gloomy, especially when the assistant coach Raymond ran over there to laugh and chat with Luke, Jaffroni only felt that it was a bit redundant to stand on the sidelines.

It seems that Luke is the coach of the Timberwolves, and he is just a fan standing slightly forward.

The starting lineup sent by the Grizzlies in this game is still the same as in the preseason: Lowry, McGrady, Gerald Wallace, Paul Gasol, and Gasol Jr.

The Timberwolves are: Iverson, Iguodala, Artest, Garnett, and Ben Wallace.

After "Glove" Payton retired, the only players the Timberwolves could use at point guard were Spanoulis and Iverson.

But both Iverson and Spanoulis have poor defensive abilities. If they are arranged to play at the same time, the Timberwolves' defense will be very empty.

And in this game, Jafaroni intends to let Artest defend the Grizzlies' top scorer McGrady, which means that Gerald Wallace must use the second position to dislocate defense.

In this case, Jaffroni can only let Iverson take the No. [-] position and put Spanoulis on the bench, otherwise the Timberwolves really can't match the position of the Grizzlies.

As soon as the game started, the Timberwolves' offense was still initiated by Iverson. As the team's well-deserved offensive core, Iverson basically controlled more than 70.00% of the Timberwolves' offense.

Even if "Former League No. 1" Garnett is still standing next to him, Iverson's offensive status cannot be shaken.

Especially when the team's center Ben Wallace has basically zero offensive presence, the problem of the Timberwolves' weak offense is still difficult to solve.

The Grizzlies have been defending the zone throughout the first quarter, and the positions of the five players have been shrunk inward as much as possible, but they have released a lot of space on the outside.

The core of the Grizzlies' defense in this game is to strictly prevent breakthroughs and let the Timberwolves shoot from the outside.

Luke is very clear that the shooting ability of this Timberwolves is very limited. As long as they can limit the Timberwolves' inside offense, the Grizzlies have already won at the starting line.

The Timberwolves' inside twin towers Garnett and Ben Wallace have no three-point shooting ability at all. Except for Artest's three-point shooting rate, Iverson and Iguodala are also crooked. outrageous.

Under the Grizzlies' defensive formation that continued to shrink inward, the Timberwolves had problems on the offensive end. It was not until more than four minutes into the game that Garnett's mid-range shot scored the first point of the game.

The main reason for the Grizzlies' failure to open the score is that the Timberwolves' defense is relatively strong. Except for Iverson, the Grizzlies do not have much offensive advantage in any position.

McGrady played against Artest, Wallace played against Iguodala, Gasol played against Garnett, and Gasol played against Ben, which also made the game intermittent. The road goes farther and farther.

But with the worse performance on the offensive end, the Timberwolves are still on the trailing side.

Iverson's proud means have always been breakthroughs and mid-range shots on both sides, but in this game, Luke basically locked the Timberwolves' offensive hotspot through continuous contraction.

The Timberwolves have to take shots from a farther position to end, unless Iverson can carry the basketball to find physical confrontation every time, and attack the inside with the mentality of seeing death as home.

Otherwise, the Timberwolves' score in this game is destined not to be too high.

And Garnett failed to play an advantage in the face of Pau Gasol's defense.

After the injury, Garnett's lateral speed dropped significantly, and he couldn't pass Gasol's defense one-on-one.

Even the mid-range jumper, which is a housekeeping skill, has continuously missed the sight, making the Timberwolves' already bad situation even worse.

On the other hand, although the Grizzlies do not have a very good offensive environment, the triangle offense still creates a lot of singles space for the players.

Among them, Luke also intentionally or unintentionally let Lowry stand on the strong side and swap positions with McGrady, so as to kill Iverson one-on-one at this point.

The most powerful part of the triangle offense is that it can open up space and free up a lot of offensive opportunities for players who want to play singles, so as to avoid being double-teamed and assisting in defense.

Iverson weighs only 75 kilograms, and there is a gap of 15 kilograms between him and Lowry. When his teammates can't help defend Iverson in the first place, Lowry, who is like a "small tank", is simply Iverson's nightmare.

Throughout the first quarter, Iverson was single-handedly taken by Lowry on the strong side. Once Artest came to this side to help defend, McGrady would immediately pull up a jumper.

Even though the Timberwolves coach Jaffaroni called a timeout twice to adjust his style of play, the Timberwolves who returned to the field still could not solve the problem of offensive difficulties.

This scene on the court made Luke, who was sitting off the court, couldn't help laughing, "Even I can't solve the Timberwolves' offensive problem, let alone Jafaroni."

When coaching the Timberwolves last season, even Luke had no choice but to rely on Iverson's performance. Luke really didn't think Jaffroni had the ability to rebuild the system.

After all, the Timberwolves' offensive problems can be traced back to the lineup. As long as Ben Wallace doesn't leave the team for a day, the Timberwolves will never turn around on the offensive end.

With Tracy McGrady scoring 1 consecutive points within 5 minute before the end of the first quarter, the Grizzlies ended the first quarter with a nine-point advantage.

And the Grizzlies were able to lead the defending champion Timberwolves by nearly ten points in the first quarter, which was something that all fans could not have imagined.

Until the cheerleaders walked into the arena and began to dance, the fans by the stands held their heads in their hands and showed expressions of disbelief.

Looking at Iverson and Garnett, who made 7 of 2 shots and 5 of 1 shots in the first quarter, the fans only felt that this game looked like his. Mom was dreaming.

Although the Grizzlies' shooting percentage in the first quarter was also only 36.7%, it can be said that they were very inefficiently defended by the Timberwolves.

But Lowry's performance of 6 of 4 shots and McGrady's 7 of 3 shots still looks much better than that of Garnett.

The Grizzlies trailed the Grizzlies by nearly ten points in the first quarter. Fans don't know whether the Timberwolves will rebound next, but at this moment, the fans are full of doubts about the head coach Jaffroni.

Especially compared to Luke who was sitting calmly on the other side of the court, this feeling was terrible.

(End of this chapter)