Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Chapter 714 The absent core!
Will Game 4 between the Timberwolves and the Jazz be a one-sided crushing massacre or a fierce battle between dragons and tigers?

Such questions lingered in the minds of all fans and media when the Timberwolves announced to the public at the pre-match press conference that Garnett would miss the next week of games.

Game 3 between the Timberwolves and the Jazz became the biggest highlight among many NBA playoff games.

The Jazz and the Timberwolves are both well-known teams. The rising Timberwolves and the veteran powerhouse Utah Jazz are both attracting much attention in the Western Conference.

The game between these two teams turned into a group fight, which naturally caused quite a stir in the league.

Coach Jerry Longs, using his publicity power, also talked about the Timberwolves management's overly lax management of the team in front of the media, which led to the cultivation of players like Ben Wallace.

In the battlefield of public opinion, Coach Philip was not to be outdone and directly pointed out that players like Karl Malone and Stockton were the biggest cancer in the league and would affect and restrict the development of the league.

Coach Philip even showed close-up photos of Jazz players such as Stockton and Malone committing fouls on the court during the press conference.

The victims ranged from unknown fringe players in the league to superstars like Jordan, and Coach Philip's direct accusation also caused an uproar in the league.

Many teams and players who had been harmed by the Jazz bullies also spoke out and stood on the side of the Timberwolves.

The public opinion environment was also developing in the direction that the Timberwolves expected, and it was in this general environment that the league imposed penalties on the Timberwolves and Jazz for the group fight.

Stockton and Karl Malone are notorious players, but they have a strong mass base in Salt Lake City. Although the league wants to punish these players who commit malicious fouls on the court and improve the overall atmosphere of the league, when facing these two stars, the management chose to make a big deal out of a small matter.

After just being fined some money, he was brought up high and then put down easily.

Ben Wallace is not well-known among the Timberwolves.

There is absolutely no way to compare him with players like Karl Malone, and he was the central figure in that gang fight. The first to start the fight was actually Ben Wallace, and it was Ben Wallace who tore off Karl Malone's disguise and made the incident a big deal.

When faced with a marginal player like Ben Wallace, the league management wanted to kick him out of the league directly.

But after coordination among multiple parties, they still chose to compromise.

After all, they also realized that if they only eliminated Gaben Wallace without further punishing Malone, it would be difficult to convince the public.

The photos that Coach Philip released to the media fueled public opinion.

Led by Timberwolves coach Philip, there has been a wave of opposition to players like Stockton and Karl Malone in the league. The volume of the criticism is very loud, and the pressure on the league's management is also considerable.

The result was that the Jazz and Timberwolves, as well as the parties involved, Karl Malone and Ben Wallace, were fined by the league.

The team was fined $300,000 and the individual was fined $100,000.

For a player like Ben Wallace, a huge fine of $10 is simply too much to bear. Although his annual salary is $30, after deducting taxes and normal family expenses, he does not have much money left each year.

Although NBA players earn a lot, their expenses are also very high. A player at the bottom of the league like Wallace, even if he is extremely frugal, still has to pay the fees of his manager and the trainer he hired, so the expenses are actually very high.

Such a large fine also caused a burden on Ben Wallace's life.

Fortunately, Ben Wallace met a generous boss. After learning about the league's punishment against Wallace, the Timberwolves' owner Glen Taylor waved his hand and directly helped Wallace pay the large fine.

In Glen Taylor's opinion, Wallace would take action on the court just to protect the team's important asset - Garnett.

He has also communicated with the Timberwolves management and knows that Ben Wallace's role in the team is not just as a defensive gate, but also that Ben Wallace is the sword-wielding bodyguard of the Timberwolves' star players.

Some dirty and tiring work cannot be done by players like Wu Dao or Garnett. What is needed is a player like Ben Wallace who dares to fight and fight.

A player who truly dares to fight and fight!
The fight had a significant impact. After the league issued the fines, the fans' attention did not shift elsewhere. Their attention was also focused on the G4 game between the Jazz and the Timberwolves.

After that fight, the Timberwolves and the Jazz became a pair of arch-rivals.

Whether it is the Timberwolves fans or the Jazz fans, when facing the opponent, they all try their best to make their home team defeat the opponent and slap the opponent in the face.

It was in this context of public opinion that Game 4 between the Timberwolves and the Jazz was played at the Target Center.

Inside the stadium, the players from both teams have not yet entered the stadium, but the entire stadium has already been enveloped by the cheers of the fans.

There are quite a lot of Jazz fans, and thousands of them came to watch the game. Although they are not as many as the local fans in Minnesota, they are also a considerable force.

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.

Even though the players from both teams had not yet entered the stadium, the fans of both teams were already making a lot of noise.

The Timberwolves players could already feel the hot atmosphere when they were still in the player tunnel.

The enthusiastic cheers also calmed down the Timberwolves players who had seemed a little nervous due to the absence of Garnett and Ben Wallace.

Without Garnett and Ben Wallace, the Timberwolves' inside strength was greatly reduced, and facing a team like the Jazz, their disadvantages were clearly evident.

There is no way a big man like Stanley Roberts can withstand a player of Malone's caliber.

Although he is reluctant to admit it, Malone is actually a very strong basketball player. Even if we put aside his bad fouls, Malone is still one of the top scorers in the league.

Even though he is old now, he is still one of the best players in the league.

However, amid the cheers of the fans, the Timberwolves players have calmed down.

The sound of fans cheering is their most powerful fuel.

"squeak--"

The player tunnel was opened, and the light from the scene shone into the player tunnel. Coach Philip clapped his hands and shouted to the players, "Let's go!"

The Timberwolves players trotted out one by one amid the cheers of the fans in the stadium, and when Ben Wallace slowly walked out of the player tunnel, the fans gave him the warmest cheers.

When the Jazz players walked out of the player tunnel, deafening boos rang out in the Target Center. The overwhelming momentum made Coach Philip extremely happy and excited.

Playing at home, that's the advantage!

After the two teams entered the stadium, they didn't even greet each other politely, and went directly to their respective rest areas. The conflict between the two teams has been completely intensified, and there is no room for reconciliation at all.

The players on both sides prepared for the next game in silence, and a depressing atmosphere lingered in the stadium.

As the buzzer sounded in the stadium, the starting players of both teams also walked into the stadium.

Garnett still hasn't recovered from his concussion after a day of rest, and Ben Wallace was also suspended.

The Timberwolves' starting inside players also became Stanley Roberts and Cherokee Parks, and together with these two players were Wu Dao, Marbury and Tom.

Judging from the strength of the starting lineup alone, the Timberwolves have simply dropped a level compared to before.

Let’s not talk about how Wallace and Garnett can perform on the offensive end. Just on the defensive end, their roles are irreplaceable by other Timberwolves players.

The high-mobility inside sweeping defense of the two young players is actually one of the foundations on which the Timberwolves rely for survival.

The Timberwolves' ability to play a defensive counterattack tactical system also relies on their defense.

However, with the absence of these two players, the Timberwolves' defense is bound to have huge loopholes.

After entering the court, Wu Dao looked at the Jazz players who walked into the court with a slightly heavy gaze, but when his eyes swept over the five starting players of the Jazz, a hint of surprise appeared on Wu Dao's face.

In addition to the iconic Stockton and Jeff Hornacek, the two core backcourt players, the Jazz forwards are Greg Foster and Brian Russell.

The last starting player of the Jazz was not Malone, but "Little Bird" Adam Kiefer.

"Malon is absent?"

Suddenly noticing the Jazz's starting lineup, Wu Dao's gaze immediately swept towards the Jazz's rest area and looked at Karl Malone who was sitting next to the coach.

Wu Dao suddenly recalled that although Malone was wearing a jersey, he did not see Malone enter the court during the Jazz's warm-up, and he didn't know why.

But at this moment, seeing the bruises on Ma Long's face, Wu Dao couldn't help but touch his chin and said in his heart:
"Is it the same as Garnett?"

"This guy was also injured and can't play?!"

The more Wu Dao thought about it, the more he felt that his guess seemed to have touched upon the truth of the matter.

Recalling the loss of composure of coach Jerry Longs in front of the media reporters, it might be because Malone was unable to participate in the next game.

"I thought I would have to chew a hard bone today, but I didn't expect it to be a soft persimmon?"

Wu Dao calmed down and focused his attention back on the court.

When the referee walked into the court with the ball, the players on the field also took their positions in the center circle one after another.

"Beep——"

After a whistle, the basketball was thrown high into the air, and the fourth game of the series between the Timberwolves and the Jazz officially began.

The Timberwolves player who participated in the jump ball was Cherokee Parks, and the person competing for the ball with him was Greg Foster of the Jazz. The latter's bounce was stronger than Cherokee Parks, and he got the basketball first and pushed the ball to the backcourt.

Greg Foster, who won the jump ball, also received warm cheers from Jazz fans.

The Jazz launched an attack, and the basketball was passed to Jeff Hornacek after several passes. Facing Tom's defense, Jeff Hornacek received the ball on the wing and just made a fake move before quickly breaking through. He only took one step forward and then stepped back to shoot a three-point jump shot.

Jeff Hornacek shot the ball very resolutely without hesitation. Under the slightly surprised gaze of the Timberwolves players, the basketball hit the backboard directly and then bounced into the basket.

"Three-point shot hit the backboard?"

When Tom saw Jeff Hornacek score a goal, his eyes twitched slightly and he murmured.

He didn't expect the opponent to score in this way. In previous games, Jeff Hornacek was more likely to run to open spaces and then attack in open spaces. The number of times he directly attacked with the ball like this was relatively small, and he rarely shot three-pointers.

Because Tom is stronger than Jeff Hornacek and not much slower, he is not at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight.

But in today's game, Jeff Hornacek's playing style changed from his previous off-ball approach and caught Tom off guard.

Between offense and defense, the ball was transferred to the Timberwolves.

The basketball was sent from the backcourt, and after receiving the ball, Marbury quickly dribbled to the frontcourt. As he approached the top of the arc, the basketball in his hand was quickly passed to the side and given to Wudao who was on the wing.

Although the Timberwolves are missing two inside big men, Garnett and Ben Wallace, the Jazz are also missing another inside big man, Malone.

In Marbury's opinion, the Jazz's inside line is now quite "friendly" to martial arts.

The one defending Wu Dao was Brian Russell, while "Little Bird" Adam Kiefey played as a temporary power forward, positioning himself close to the basket.

But when the basketball was given to Wudao, Adam Kife quickly left the basket and stopped two steps inside the free throw line.

The opponent's defensive intention is very clear, they are defending against the point of martial arts.

Wu Dao quickly observed the Jazz's defensive formation, quickly dropped the ball with his left hand, and cut directly from the middle to the basket.

At the moment of breakthrough, Wu Dao's body directly hit Brian Russell. The huge physical advantage made Brian Russell forced to retreat and give up the route of advancement the moment their bodies touched.

Wu Dao who was rushing towards the basket immediately attracted the attention of the Jazz's inside players. Adam Kife and Greg Foster quickly double-teamed Wu Dao.

Facing the two men's upward push, Wu Dao had no intention of slowing down. He took the ball and jumped directly from one step inside the free throw line. In mid-air, his body collided with Greg Foster and Adam Kife, slowing down his momentum.

Just when the two men were delighted that they had withstood Wudao's attack, Wudao in mid-air suddenly raised the ball above his head with both hands, assumed a standard shooting posture, and gently threw the basketball in his hands.

The basketball passed over the fingertips of Greg Foster and Adam Kife, then gently fell into the net with a slight sound.

In the stands, after a brief silence, thunderous cheers suddenly broke out.