"Houston Rockets!"

"How can a team like this with superstars be able to deal with it?!"

"'Flying Pig' is really a disgrace. Why can't he rely on his own strength to win a championship for himself?"

On the Timberwolves charter flight to Houston, Garnett put his arms behind his head and complained full of complaints.

After the Timberwolves defeated the Warriors at home on January 1, they only spent one night and got on a plane to Houston early the next morning.

The Timberwolves' next regular season game is against the Rockets on January 1. Although there is a lot of time between the two games, the Timberwolves management has no intention of letting the players relax and rushes to Houston without stopping. .

Everyone in the team attaches great importance to the game against the Rockets, and the reason is very simple. Today's Rockets can be said to be one of the most "star-studded" teams in the league.

The team includes the 11-time All-Star, small forward "Flying Pig" Barkley, who has won the MVP, and the legendary center, Olajuwon, who has won two championships and two FMVPs.

This kind of team is even more terrifying than the Bulls in terms of configuration.

Although from the beginning of the season to the present, the Rockets' record is not as impressive as their lineup. They only have a record of 18 wins and 15 losses. If this continues, I am afraid they will have to struggle in the play-offs before they can make it. Playoffs.

But this does not mean that the Rockets team is not strong!
The main reason for the Rockets' poor record is that both Barkley and Olajuwon were affected by injuries. So far, the two have only played a few games together, a bit like the 05 Rockets and the 07 Rockets.

During this period of Rockets games, Olajuwon basically didn't play much. I heard he was injured.

But unfortunately, on the day the Timberwolves went to Houston, Coach Philip got "grapevine news" that Dameng's injury was no longer a problem, and the opponent might come back in the game against the Timberwolves on the 16th.

By then, the Timberwolves will face the Galaxy Battleships led by two super giants, and it is precisely because of this that Kevin Garnett has so many complaints this early in the morning.

"Kevin, I don't want to say this~"

"Charles is already a 35-year-old veteran. He went to the Rockets just to fulfill his championship dream."

"A person who has played in the NBA for so many years is strong enough in terms of strength, but he has no championship. There is always a piece missing in his playing career. I can understand this feeling."

"This is already the end of my career. If I don't work hard, I really won't have a chance."

"Understand, understand."

Beside Garnett, Budo was lying on a chair, holding a magazine in his hand, smiling and comforting.

Others may be able to laugh at Barkley, but you, Kevin Garnett, can't!
To scold Barkley is to scold yourself.doge~
"whispering sound!"

"Is the championship more important or the player's honor?!"

"If you want a championship, you don't need player honors?"

Garnett was still a little angry, muttering in his mouth, holding a newspaper in his hand.

This newspaper is from this morning. The above content is an industry commentator’s prediction of the outcome of the game between the Timberwolves and Rockets on the 16th. After a lot of analysis, the commentator is more optimistic about the Timberwolves. The reason is that the Rockets are a broken team and the Timberwolves The old man who is lame will not lose.
Obviously, the commentator did not have inside information about Coach Philip, so he made such a comment. However, although the predicted result was that the Timberwolves would win, this newspaper made people uncomfortable.

The schedule for the Timberwolves' upcoming matchup with the Rockets has long been released, but anyone who is interested in the game knows it.

There are so many games every day in the NBA regular season. It is difficult for even the most enthusiastic fans to come to watch every game. Even if their enthusiasm allows it, their wallet may not allow it.

Therefore, many fans often have choices when watching games.

For example, the game between the Timberwolves and the Warriors was not very popular that day. If martial arts had not already gained some influence, it would have been impossible for a small ball market like Minnesota to sell out the tickets.

It is precisely because of this situation that the league's promotional channels are often selective. For example, the most classic yellow-green battle is one of the league's most popular and popular games.

The game between the Timberwolves and the Rockets obviously attracted the attention of many fans.

A galactic battleship led by an old star, and a new alliance force composed of super newcomers who defeated the Bull.

It is natural that the match between these two teams attracts attention.

Releasing some comments from football commentators at this juncture also builds momentum for subsequent games. This is a way to expand the league's influence.

Moreover, Martial Arts and the others also learned that their game against the Rockets will be broadcast live across the United States. This is the fourth time the Timberwolves have faced a live broadcast across the United States.

The previous three times were the Lakers and the Bulls.

There is no way, who makes people get more attention?

Even this time, the Timberwolves' game has the opportunity to be broadcast live across the United States, and it is hard to say that it is not because of Olajuwon and Barkley.

Garnett grumbled and folded the newspaper and put it next to him, not wanting to read it anymore.

Seeing Garnett's sulking look, Budo couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

Garnett seemed very anxious today. He might be like this, but he may not really have a big opinion against Barkley. Wu Dao estimated that this kid was feeling pressure.

This pressure comes from Olajuwon, from Barkley, and from the Rockets.

Obviously, after learning the news of Olajuwon's comeback, Garnett will secretly calculate the possibility of his team winning.

Anyone who has watched Olajuwon and Barkley play will not think that the young Timberwolves can win such a team.

Even though Olajuwon and Barkley are old, age and injury factors only restrict their "outbreak time". In the last game against the Bulls, old man Joe almost died when he broke out alone. Timberwolves.

If they were playing against the Rockets and those two old men took turns breaking out, how could they, the Timberwolves, be able to stop them?
Garnett is a very confident person, but he doesn't think the Timberwolves can find any chance of victory in front of such a rocket.

"No matter how many personal honors a player has, they can't keep up with the championship!"

"Kevin, I don't want you to understand Charles's pain."

Wu Dao listened to Garnett's complaint, said nothing more, and gave instructions with a smile.

His words were not only a blessing to Garnett, but also a blessing to himself.

If he still can't win the championship at 31.2, and the team doesn't strengthen him to give him hope of competing for the championship, Martial Arts will never do any bullshit.

Even if you want to be the second in command, you still have to win the championship.

There is a difference in bragging confidence between having a champion and not having one!

No matter how dominant he was as a fat player, he had one less championship than Kobe, and he just couldn't hold his head high in front of Kobe, even if Kobe's first championship was somewhat "mixed".

No one else on the plane joined in the conversation between Wu Dao and Garnett. The game against the Rockets really made all the players feel tremendous pressure. Along the way, the atmosphere on the plane was... They all seem a bit heavy and depressing.

The plane lands. The players got on the bus that had been prepared and headed to the hotel.

Although the game won't start until the 16th, and it's just a regular season game, Budao and the others could already clearly feel the "tension" in the city when they went to the hotel.

They also met a lot of fans on the road to martial arts. Although they didn't talk to those fans, looking at the way those people were carrying boxes and bags, they knew that these fans came from out of town.

The day after the Timberwolves players arrived, when they went to the arena to adapt to the venue, they could even see the player posters placed in the lobby. At the same time, many souvenirs are also being stocked.

Those who don’t know think this is the semi-finals and finals of the playoffs.

In short, Martial Arts and others can see from various details that the league attaches great importance to this game. After they adapted to the stadium, the venue was not empty, but many people came to debug equipment and other things on site.

This atmosphere also exacerbated the tension in the hearts of some Timberwolves players.

Talk about it.
Although the Timberwolves have a very good record, many of their players are young players who have never played in the playoffs and are somewhat lacking in experience.

Even though the Timberwolves players have played countless games since they were young, the stage is different and the feelings are different.

February 1998, 1.

Game day.

Before the game, spectators began to enter the venue one after another, and the entire venue became noisy as the stands were filled with spectators.

In today's pre-match interview, coach Philip did not let any player show up, but locked the players in the lounge so that the players could adjust their mentality.

Philip saw that the players' mentality seemed a little unstable, so he made such a decision.

However, he seemed to be thinking too much.

On game day, Garnett and the others had adjusted their mentality.

Martial Arts can clearly detect this when talking to people like Garnett. These people are all competition-type players.

The bigger the game, the more they can stay calm when they are actually allowed to play.

"Martial Arts, I leave that 'Flying Pig' to you!"

"He's also a small forward! Beat Charles to death."

In the lounge, Garnett sat on a chair not far from the side of the martial arts, binding his feet and saying.

Maybe it’s because martial arts isn’t too stressful, and Garnett, the pressure monster, is starting to put pressure on martial arts.

"What stupid things are you talking about?!"

"Charles is obviously a power forward!"

"You have to work hard. If Dameng comes on the court, you have to deal with him."

"Although there is a little pressure in one versus two, if you want to win, then you will be awesome!"

"Michael has to take a detour when he sees you."

After hearing Garnett's words, Wu Dao also relaxed and joked.

Charles Backus actually plays the No. 4 position, which favors the No. 3 position, and the forward-back swingman style of play. Although he is only 198cm tall, less than two meters tall, Barkley can really move to the fourth position. Relying on his excellent physique and physical talent, even the traditional fourth position cannot stop him near the basket. .

In recent years, Barkley's low-post dominance has declined a lot because he has grown older, and his jumps are not as high as before, and his running is not as fast as before.

But if you underestimate him because of these, you will suffer a big loss.

The Timberwolves actually don't know whether Dameng will play or not.

Because the news Philip received was that "Da Meng's injury is not a problem" and "it is possible to come back", which is not very accurate.

If the Rockets are conservative, Olajuwon will not be allowed to play. If the Rockets are aggressive, Olajuwon will come back.

Philip prefers that the Rockets will allow Olajuwon to return to the game, but will strictly control his playing time.

After all, the Rockets, no one knows how to use center players better than them.

Coach Rudy Tomjanovich really knows how to use a center. He is really different from the two coaches who used Dayao in the post-Rockets era.
Of course, those two also know how to use the center, as well as the king.

The lights in the venue were slightly dimmed, and the player channels on both sides were opened.

Under the spotlight, the Timberwolves players were the first to enter the stadium. As Wu Dao and Garnett entered the stadium one after another, bursts of cheers erupted from the stands.

And with the entry of many Rockets players, the cheers in the stands were even more enthusiastic than before.

"The fans at the Rockets home court are really enthusiastic!"

"It's a pity. I don't know how long this cheering can last."

Garnett entered the game and was completely different from when he was on the plane. Now he behaves quite "crazy" both inside and outside his words.

Wu Dao glanced at Garnett and was speechless. He didn't know where this guy got his confidence.

Anyway, the martial artist himself is quite wary of the opponents he is about to face.

There is something different about Garnett on and off the court, not that he is different from what he appears to be, but when he is on the court, Garnett is the "ultimate" confident player.

Off the court, he can even boast that Lao Zhan is the "Goat".

Budao looked at the Rockets' rest area, and he noticed that Olajuwon was wearing a jersey and sneakers instead of leather shoes and a suit.

Seeing this scene, Wu Dao knew that Coach Philip's guess was probably correct.
I don’t know how long Olajuwon will play today, or whether the Timberwolves can withstand the period when the Rockets are at their strongest.

"In today's game, everyone must follow the established tactics."

"As soon as the game starts, we have to pick up the pace."

"You absolutely cannot take your time in fighting the opponent."

"Stephen, the key point of this game is you, lead me with the rhythm."

"Compared with the Rockets players, you are younger and more energetic."

"Those old guys can't keep up with you in terms of physical strength, speed or jumping."

“You have to take advantage of this.”

"Bu Dao, you have to use all your firepower in today's game. It doesn't matter if you can't make a shot. Just be fierce when grabbing rebounds."

Before the game, coach Philip was mobilizing.

He named his set of tactics today the "Old Tou Le" tactics.


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