Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Chapter 689 Collapse, Bull’s No. Blacksmith!

In the second half of the second quarter of the game between the Bulls and Timberwolves, both teams changed into their team rotations.

For the Timberwolves, Wu Dao, Garnett and Marbury were replaced on the court, but Tom and Ben Wallace still stayed on the court.

Although Tom has just recovered from his injury, he has not participated in the Timberwolves' offense most of the time until now. He has been re-adapting to the court and the intensity of the game.

Now that Wu Dao is off the court, Tom has become the player who leads the Timberwolves' rotation.

On the Bulls side, Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman also took a rest, and were replaced by Scott Burrell, Cole, Bill Wennington and others.

The strength of the bench lineup is actually slightly weaker than that of the Timberwolves.

As the game progressed, the inside combination of Wallace and Cherokee Parks quickly showed its advantages.

Although Cherokee Parks is far inferior to those famous inside players in the league, he still plays quite easily when facing an inside player of Bill Wennington's level.

Cherokee Parks has quite a lot of inner offensive skills, but a heavy center from Canada like Wennington is no match for Cherokee Parks.

On the Timberwolves' side, Garnett and Cherokee Parks' interior offense burst out with great vitality, and they performed at their peak performance against the Bulls' weak interior.

Although they don't want to admit it, the reality has cruelly educated every older backline player.

If a solid layup can score the ball, then the team's offensive efficiency may not be weaker than a team that is good at three-pointers.

But as the game progressed, Coach Philip found that his operations were a bit redundant for this game.
The reason is actually very simple.

Of course, this is related to the characteristics of basketball in different eras, but no one stipulates that the small ball era must rely on a large number of three-pointers and fast-paced offensive and defensive transitions, right?

Coach Philip was relatively rational when formulating tactics and did not have the idea of ​​killing the Bulls at once.

This is also one of the important factors why the Lakers will be overturned by the Nuggets. On the one hand, their hard power is not as good as that of the Nuggets, and there are also problems in the selection of techniques and tactics.

24: 37.

As for the Bulls, the championship-winning iron triangle returned to the court, while Cole and Scott Burrell still stayed on the court.

Jordan, who was in a "god from heaven" state in the first two quarters of the game, became extremely strong in the second two quarters of the game. There has been a huge decline in offensive efficiency.

And the terrible thing is that Budao automatically adjusted his team positioning in the second half of the game, changing from a super ball-carrying core to a functional player who can play the ball quickly and run frequently.

If you ignore the number of shots and just look at the statistics such as scores, fans will definitely think that Jordan played another good game today.

His figure shuttled tirelessly around every corner of the court. Facing the frequently running martial arts, the Bulls players had to put a lot of energy into martial arts when defending. This also allows other Timberwolves players to often have good offensive opportunities.

The game entered the third quarter, and the Timberwolves, which held a huge lead, began to abandon their best fast-break play, and instead began to actively press the rhythm and engage in positional warfare.

At a rough glance, the height of the Timberwolves' interior players will be very advantageous.

Due to the superposition of various unfavorable factors, this game quickly lost its suspense.

For example, in the game between the Nuggets and the Lakers some time ago, the Lakers made such a mistake. With a huge advantage of 20 points, they still chose to play fast-paced offense and defense transitions.

Whether it's shooting percentage or rebounding.

In the game between the Timberwolves and the Bulls, Coach Philip's handling of this aspect was quite sophisticated.

Moreover, the Timberwolves players played very easily in this game because they always had the initiative, and the Timberwolves players had a "lay down" mentality before the game.

Jordan took 25 shots in the half and scored 35 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

The purpose is also very simple, which is to reduce the number of rounds as much as possible and make the most of your lead.

Facing the young, strong and talented Marbury, Cole really had no way to stop the "lone wolf"'s one-on-one breakthrough.

Rodman's defense was very tough and he was brave enough to make moves, but unfortunately, the height difference between him and Garnett was too big. When Garnett was playing high, Rodman was actually It's hard to interfere with Garnett.

The Timberwolves changed to the full lineup again. Tom, Wallace, and Chris Kyle returned to the sidelines to rest. The Timberwolves' full lineup also changed to Wu Dao, Garnett, Marbury, and Chiello. Ky Parks and Sam Mitchell are the five.

The huge point difference, which was about to break 20, also made the originally bustling Bulls auditorium become a lot quieter.

117: 100.

The Timberwolves finally defeated the Bulls with a 17-point disparity and won the game. Bulls fans thought that the team could complete their revenge against the Timberwolves at home, but unexpectedly, they ushered in another major defeat.

But this style of play is very risky for a team that is as strong as its own team. After all, you can lead the opponent by more than ten points at half-time, and your opponent can also recover the point difference at half-time and erase it. flat.

As for martial arts, although his personal score was "only" 37 points, which was only two points more than Jordan, he only used 19 shots to obtain this score.

Coach Philip was also very happy with the victory.

But the reality is that Jordan's performance today was below his "average performance" during the regular season this season.

The Bulls couldn't defend themselves inside. Facing the young Marbury, Cole also struggled a bit on defense.

In fact, many young coaches tend to get carried away when their teams have a huge lead and choose to continue to attack fiercely in order to further widen the point difference and directly defeat the opponent's momentum.

The Bulls were penetrated by the Timberwolves both inside and outside.

At this time, the highest heights on the Bulls side became Scott Burrell, Rodman and Pippen, who were just over two meters tall.

It was a complete win for the Timberwolves.

The score difference between the Timberwolves and Bulls widened even further in the second half of the second quarter.

The Timberwolves defeated the Bulls by a full 13 points in a single quarter. Together with the first quarter, the score difference between the two teams was close to points.

As the whistle sounded at the end of the second quarter, the players from both teams returned to their rest areas.

Completely relaxed, they actually performed better than their season average on the field.

He didn't expect that he just "moved his fingers" and the Bulls, who were No. 1 in the Eastern Conference and won the championship twice last year and the year before, were "vanished into thin air".

This victory also greatly enhanced the confidence of the Timberwolves players.

These young people are full of yearning for the next playoffs!

At the end of the game, Phil Jackson did not get angry because of the loss. On the contrary, he was more relaxed than ever after losing the game.

The reason is simple, because the Bulls players were very satisfied with the state they showed after losing the game. After the game ended, the Bulls players returned to the lounge.

Jordan sat on the bench without saying a word, digesting the negative emotions caused by the failure, and reviewed over and over again in his mind the shots he missed in this game that should have been made.

Pippen packed his backpack, and from time to time, Wu Dao's "ugly" face when he was mocking him would appear in his mind.

As for Rodman, his ears were still buzzing at this moment, and Garnett's random curses kept echoing in his ears for a long time.

Garnett talks a lot and talks trash all the time.

The young challenger also completely aroused Rodman's competitive spirit.

Phil Jackson looked around at the players in the lounge. He knew that he didn't need to say anything. The Bulls at the moment were completing their own evolution.

"Timberwolf, I really want to thank you!"

"This time, no one can stop us!"

After the game against the Bulls, the Timberwolves took a day's rest and faced the Atlanta Hawks on the road.

The Eagles have an excellent record this season with 44 wins and 29 losses.

Dikembe Mutombo, the No. 91 pick in the first round of 4, is considered the most influential player on this Hawks team.

In this game with the Hawks, it was difficult for the Timberwolves to win.

The most important reason is that Wu Dao's hand suddenly collapsed in the third quarter. He scored 5 of 1 and only scored two points. And the most uncomfortable thing is that Wu Dao's hand suddenly collapsed, which even affected Garnett and Mabou. These people.

It was a dark 12 minutes for the Timberwolves, which made the Eagles' home fans cheer again and again.

14: 20.

The Timberwolves, who have always been famous for their terrifying offense in the league, only scored a total of 14 points in the third quarter. Although the Hawks were defended by the Timberwolves for only 20 points in a single quarter, the two teams have different foundations.

The Hawks themselves are a team that is better at defense than offense, but the Timberwolves are not.

Alan Henderson (1995th overall pick in the first round of 16, 206cm/104kg), who was responsible for guarding Wu Dao, even shouted to the media and fans on the sidelines after the game ended:

"I can guard against that martial arts!"

"It doesn't work in front of me!!!"

"We will win!"

And his "declaration of victory" at the end of the third quarter was also heard by Martial Arts.

In the final quarter, Wu Dao changed his style of play.

The offensive end began to attack the basket, and the defensive end began to press closely. Alan Henderson, who was facing off against Wu Dao, was held by Wu Dao for 2 points in a single quarter. On the other hand, Wu Dao was completely invincible on the offensive end, scoring 21 points in a single quarter, directly leading the team to penetrate the Eagles' defense.

37: 19.

In just one quarter of the fourth quarter, the Hawks were trailed by the Timberwolves by nearly 20 points.

After the game, the Eagles' Alan Henderson instantly became a news figure on the front pages of major media.

"I guarded that martial artist!" This sentence, accompanied by martial artist's astonishing performance of scoring 21 points in the final quarter, became the talk of the fans after dinner.

In the subsequent games of the Hawks, some players who played against him would always tease him about this incident and ask him: "Alan, did you guard Wu?"

4 month 6 number.

The Timberwolves players got on the plane back to Minnesota. They will face the Heat at home on the 7th.

When Wu Dao was reading the morning newspaper on the plane, he suddenly found a piece of news that interested him.

In the corner of the Sports Express newspaper, there was a small section reporting a news about Oak Hill High School.

Oak Hill won the weekly championship again, and a name in the report also attracted the attention of Martial Arts.

"Sakura."

Sakuragi Hanamichi's name appeared in the newspaper, and this newsletter, which occupied a small space, briefly introduced Sakuragi Hanamichi.

It can be summed up in one sentence - Oak Hill's new ace.

While praising Sakuragi Hanamichi, the media also thoughtfully attached Sakuragi Hanamichi's results at Oak Hill in March Madness, as well as Sakuragi Hanamichi's current physical test data.

He is 213cm tall, weighs 103kg, has a wingspan of 220cm, and a maximum reaching height of 377cm. He can sprint meters in just over ten seconds.

19 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.

When Budao saw Sakuragi Hanamichi's current physical test data in the newspaper, his expression couldn't help but be a little shocked.

Sakuragi's jumping talent is outstanding, he has known this for a long time, but in his memory, Sakuragi's maximum reach height is basically around 365cm. I haven't seen him for a while, and this kid's reach data has actually expanded to 377cm. ?
Touching height does not mean that the taller you are, the higher you can reach. Sometimes as people grow taller, if their athletic ability deteriorates, the maximum reaching height will actually decrease.

The simplest example is giants like Yao Ming and Wenban Yama. No player taller than 220cm can rank at the top of the league in terms of extreme height.

Wu Dao's current height, the maximum reaching height is "only" 388cm, which is "not even as high" as the 389cm reaching height of Jordan, who is less than two meters tall at his peak.

But Martial Arts and Sakuragi are different. The last time Martial Arts saw Sakuragi, his lips and chin were even covered with downy hair.
The opponent's body still has room to grow, and this is what surprises Wu Dao the most.

If Sakuragi Hanamichi grows up smoothly, even if his talent is not as good as those of the historical giants, it will be more than enough compared to other star players.

On the road of basketball, Sakuragi Hanamichi's physical talent is no longer a shackle restricting his progress, but can instead provide him with considerable assistance.

"In this way, I'm afraid I'll be able to see this kid on this field in a few years!"

Wu Dao thought to himself, carefully folded the newspaper in his hand and put it in his bag.

He turned his head and looked out the window at the endless sea of ​​clouds, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

He couldn't help but look forward to seeing Sakuragi Hanamichi in the alliance.

It should be very soon. If this guy grows up smoothly, plays college for two years and makes a name for himself, he should be able to enter the lottery easily.

If enough teams noticed Hanamichi Sakuragi during this period.