Bishop of the Abyss

Chapter 74 74. Eliminating Rockets
"Timberwolves 3:1 hold the match point", "Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed from get out of class crisis".

When the Timberwolves defeated the Rockets again in the G4 game, the Rockets have been pushed to the edge of the cliff, and there is only one kick left to be eliminated.

The Rockets have been suppressed by the Timberwolves throughout the series. Except for the game where Tracy McGrady scored 49 points, it seems that in the other games, all the Rockets can do is wait for the Timberwolves to pronounce the death penalty.

Both Yao and Mai played very well in this crucial game of G4, but the key point is that their performances were completely unable to lead the Rockets to win. The only difference is that the team's loss was not so ugly.

It wasn't until this time that people knew that it was no accident that the Timberwolves had the league's first record of 67 wins and 15 losses in the regular season.

Behind the record, the Timberwolves rely on the strength of the team. Even though the Timberwolves lineup does not seem so luxurious, the running-in state of this group of people is deeply shocking.

This and the Rockets' series are enough to prove the background of the Timberwolves. Everyone understands that the regular season and the playoffs are completely two concepts.

But until now some fans have realized that the Timberwolves have been underestimated this season!
Even though the Timberwolves have the best record in the league with 67 wins, compared with the Los Angeles Lakers who also won 67 wins back then, this year's Timberwolves are indeed a bit low-key...

...............

On May 5, the fifth game of the first round of the playoffs will be played at the Timberwolves' home court.

This game can be called a battle of life and death for the Rockets. Once the Rockets lose again in this game, the Rockets will be eliminated with a big score of 1:4. Everyone packed their bags and went home to fish.

Even if the Rockets win this game by chance, it will be difficult to win three games in a row to complete a comeback against the Timberwolves, but at least this victory can save the Rockets' little face left.

So it is very important for the Rockets to see this victory. Whether it is Jeff Van Gundy or Tracy McGrady, both need to prove themselves with a victory.

As a top league star who just joined the Rockets this season, McGrady has never led a team past the first round of the playoffs in his career.

就算是02—03赛季，麦迪场均砍下32.6分6.5篮板以及5.5次助攻，魔术还是没能突破季后赛首轮，在首轮被活塞4：3无情淘汰。

So far in his career, McGrady's team has entered the NBA playoffs four times, but was eliminated in the first round all four times.

And McGrady, who couldn't get along in the East, chose the Westward Journey Rockets in the offseason. As a result, the Rockets led by McGrady still had to be eliminated by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, and they were still powerless to fight back.

It has to be said that McGrady's poor ability to lead the team may be difficult to get rid of the black spots, just like McGrady's average per game data in this round of the series is very luxurious, but the Rockets just can't win.

This kind of thing is hard to tell who is holding back who, at least Luke is too lazy to double-team McGrady, because McGrady is an excellent scorer on the court, but he is not a qualified leader!

From the Rockets' playing attitude throughout the game, it can be seen that the Rockets have a very strong desire to win the game. Not only the star McGrady, but even the role players have a strong desire to win.

However, the overall defense of the Timberwolves was too restrained against the Rockets, and when Yao Ming was targeted by the Timberwolves throughout the series, there was no No.3 player in the Rockets who could stand up and take over the banner of offense.

This is not only very unfavorable to the Rockets, but also greatly limits the room for McGrady to play.

After all, when Yao Ming is destined to be difficult to play at this point, and the Rockets do not have a No.3 player who can stand up to take on the heavy responsibility, Tracy McGrady naturally becomes the only backbone of the Rockets.

This also allows the Timberwolves to make their goals more clear on the defensive end, making the Rockets' offense more difficult.

Up to now, the two sides have played four consecutive games, and McGrady's offensive space and habits have basically been compressed to the extreme by the Timberwolves' defense.

Even though McGrady often staged some dry magic goals from beyond the three-point line, it is still difficult to restore the Rockets' defeat.

At the end of the game, the Timberwolves defeated the Rockets by 11 points at home, rewriting the total score of the series to 4:1, and eliminated the Rockets in the first round to enter the semifinals!
…………

The Timberwolves eliminated the Rockets 4:1 and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals. This news quickly swept the fans in a short period of time.

As the No. 67 in the league with 15 wins and [-] losses this season, the Timberwolves have attracted a lot of attention. Coupled with the wild words Luke said before, this directly made this round of the series a lot of attention. .

Now as the Timberwolves eliminated the Rockets 4:1 in the first round, the irony of the Rockets from outside fans is simply unbearable.

Even the local fans in Houston hated their team for being weak, and began to abuse on the Internet, calling the head coach Jeff Van Gundy a waste. Head of the star.

Among them, the voice of dismissing Jeff Van Gundy resounded in every corner of Houston. Even though Luke did not taunt Jeff Van Gundy after leading the team to eliminate the Rockets, he did not attack Jeff Van Gundy in the entire round of the series.

But anyone with a discerning eye can see that in this round of the series, Luke didn't pay attention to Van Gundy at all, and even thoroughly studied Van Gundy's offensive and defensive tactics, which made the Rockets completely unable to turn around in the last two games.

In this case, Jeff Van Gundy's reputation has exploded. In the eyes of Houston fans, Van Gundy has been labeled as an antique, waste, inflexible, and poor tactical quality.

Therefore, the matter of Jeff Van Gundy's dismissal has become a hot topic in Houston. Even if the Rockets management did not respond to this, if there is no accident, it is only a matter of time before Jeff Van Gundy dismisses get out of class.

After all, it is impossible for Rockets general manager Dawson to choose to offend fans and force Jeff Van Gundy to stay.

If you really want to say that Jeff Van Gundy is nothing more than the Rockets' transition coach, he is just a substitute for the Rockets' meritorious coach Tomjanovich.

In addition, Yao Ming's performance in this round of the series is also controversial, but unlike McGrady and head coach Jeff Van Gundy, the outside world's discussions on Yao Ming show two states.

Because the Minnesota's pincer attack on Yao Ming was completely visible to the naked eye, even to the point of madness, it was precisely because of this that Yao Ming struggled a little on the field.

整轮系列赛姚明在场均登场28.4分钟的情况下可以贡献12.1分9.1篮板1.6助攻以及1.7次封盖。

As a starting center, this data is naturally good enough, but for Yao Ming, who is the twin star of the Rockets, this data seems sluggish.

However, the Timberwolves took Yao Ming's defensive fans completely in their eyes, and while Yao Ming was attracting the defense, the performance of other players was so stretched, it was dragging their legs to their thighs!

Some people also said that Yao Ming, as the second core of the Rockets, became unable to play after being pinched by the Timberwolves. His performance in the entire series was sluggish, and Yao Ming must bear the blame.

But no matter what kind of argument it is, it is an indisputable fact that McGrady once again fell in the first round of the playoffs. Even in the fan circle, McGrady has been ridiculed by fans as "McGrady's first round".

.........

As the Timberwolves eliminated the Rockets 4:1 to advance to the Western Conference semifinals, the Timberwolves' opponent in the next round will be the winner of the Sonics and the Kings.

However, the supersonics currently lead the kings 3:1, and from the point of view of the situation, half of their feet have stepped into the floor of the western semifinals.

So it is very likely that the Supersonics led by Ray Allen will finally meet the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals.

This incident is definitely good news for the Timberwolves. After all, the Timberwolves' unlimited defense system is simply the natural nemesis of the supersonic outside attack.

This can be seen from the Timberwolves' three defeats against the Supersonics in the regular season. The Supersonics are basically helpless in the face of the infinite defense built with Garnett as the core.

Not to mention the supersonic twin stars Ray Allen and Lewis, it is difficult to get a chance from beyond the three-point line, not to mention their efficient personal performance.

If the Timberwolves play against the Sonics in the semifinals, then the Timberwolves will have a bright road to advance, and even a 4:0 sweep is not out of the question!
(End of this chapter)