Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Chapter 716 The old guys who refuse to admit defeat!

Malone is on stage.

The Jazz made a substitution adjustment. Brian Russell, who was originally responsible for defending Wu Dao, was replaced by Karl Malone, who had bruises on his face.

After the game the day before yesterday, only one day had passed, but the marks on Ma Long's face became more obvious and looked more serious than when he was injured on the first day.

The Salt Lake City fans who were watching TV and seeing Malone walking onto the court in this state through the camera must have been deeply moved by his spirit.

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Game 4 of the Timberwolves and Jazz was held at the Target Center. Minnesota fans didn't think Malone's spirit was admirable when they saw him in this state. Instead, they hoped that Malone's injury would be as serious as possible, and that he would have to stay in the hospital for a few months to calm down.

The buzzer sounded in the stadium, and Malone and the Jazz players stepped into the court amid boos.

Malone's appearance obviously attracted the attention of the Timberwolves players. Malone, who was already notorious for his viciousness, walked into the court with a face full of injuries, and the temperament he exuded seemed even more "ferocious".

Sam Mitchell and Cherokee Parks looked at Malone with a hint of fear in their eyes. Even Tom couldn't help but pause when he saw Malone's evil look.

These Timberwolves players have been affected to varying degrees.

Wu Dao and his teammates walked into the court together, and his eyes fell on Ma Long. After looking him up and down, Wu Dao finally laughed at himself:
"I was thinking we could easily beat the Jazz in this game."

"Now it seems that we can't rely on luck after all."

"I hope the opponent's main players can't play"

"I really am going backwards the more I fight."

I have to admit that before Malone came on the court, Wu Dao was really hoping for the best. The Jazz were a very strong team, and with the Timberwolves missing Garnett and Ben Wallace, Wu Dao was not sure that he could beat the Jazz.

Although the current Jazz is full of veterans, when these veterans unite, the Jazz is still one of the top teams in the league.

What kind of team would be good to deal with if it could compete with the Bulls led by Michael Jordan for the championship?

This is obviously impossible.

If we compare the current Timberwolves team with that Bulls team, the strength of their lineup is simply not as good as theirs.

Cherokee Parks and Stanley Roberts are both in the middle and lower levels of the league, and their fame is not as high as Luke Longley.

Wu Dao and Michael each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is difficult to say who can perform better on the court. When they really get on the court, there are too many factors that affect the performance of both of them.

Although Tom is young, he can only reach the threshold of All-Star in his peak period. He is not on the same level as Pippen, who has been selected as an All-Star multiple times, a first team, and a first defense.

Although Marbury's overall ability is greater than that of the Bulls' Ron Harper or Cole, Marbury's defense is actually a big problem. If the Bulls use pick-and-roll and the offense rotates to Marbury, with his physique, he probably won't be able to resist or delay Jordan or Pippen who are attacking with the ball.

The current Timberwolves do not have the inside players like Garnett and Wallace who can quickly assist in defense. Marbury's outside breakthrough is likely to become the Timberwolves' most fatal weakness.

The playing styles of the Jazz and the Bulls are very different.

But now when the Timberwolves face the current Jazz, the situation may be more serious.

Of course, in the final analysis, it all depends on how Ma Long performs!

At the beginning of the second quarter, the basketball was sent from the backcourt and given to Marbury.

It was the Jazz's center who won the jump ball in the first quarter, and in the second quarter, the Timberwolves took the first kickoff.

The Timberwolves already had a certain lead, and this goal at the beginning of the second quarter was quite important for the Timberwolves.

As long as they can score successfully, the gap between the two teams can be widened to 6 points or 7 points.

The score difference is 5 points, 10 points, 15 points. There is a hurdle of five points.

Leading by five points or less and leading by more than five points give players completely different feelings.

For the Timberwolves, as long as they can score this goal, it can more or less offset the slight blow to the morale of the Timberwolves caused by Malone's appearance.

Under the gaze of all the fans, Marbury quickly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, glanced at the scoreboard, quickly observed the Jazz's defense, and after a series of crotch dribbles, quickly passed the basketball in his hand to the hand of Wudao on the side.

The key ball!
For the Timberwolves, this is the key ball.

Marbury and Budo have been teammates for such a long time that he knows very well who to give the ball to at times like this.

Wu Dao had already conquered all the players on the team with his strength.

After quickly passing the basketball in his hand, Marbury intended to set a pick-and-roll for Wu Dao.

At this time, the Jazz's player defending Wu Dao had been replaced by the relatively thin Adam Kife. Although this player's physique is much worse than Brian Russell, he has one advantage, which is his good speed.

If Wu Dao wants to get rid of Adam Kiefer's defense, using force is naturally the best way, but Malone in the Jazz's center will double-team Wu Dao immediately.

If Wudao tried to use his footwork to get rid of Adam Kife, the opponent's excellent lateral speed would delay Wudao's breakthrough to the greatest extent, waiting for his teammates to double-team Wudao and force him to pass the ball.

When facing different opponents, you need to adopt different playing styles.

In Marbury's opinion, it is definitely a very good choice to set a pick-and-roll for Wu Dao and let him play against Stockton in a mismatch.

He simply couldn't think of any other means that Stockton could use to limit Wu Dao's scoring besides committing a flagrant foul!
Marbury moved very quickly and ran quickly towards Adam Kife after passing the ball.

After receiving the ball, Wudao quickly noticed Marbury running towards him. He took two steps back with the ball and left space for himself.

I thought the Jazz would quietly wait for the Timberwolves' offensive rotation to take shape, relying on Malone's help defense to limit themselves.

But what Wu Dao didn't expect was that Adam Kife, who was defending him, seemed to be trying to force Marbury's pick-and-roll, and didn't give Wu Dao any chance to retreat and get away. When Wu Dao was retreating with the ball, he quickly stepped forward instead of standing with one step.

Adam Kife's action was really beyond Wudao's expectations. Realizing that an opportunity had arisen, he quickly lowered his center of gravity, held the ball INOUT with his right hand, and quickly passed by Adam Kife's side.

Faced with Wudao's breakthrough, Adamkife was unable to even react. He didn't have time to adjust his steps and was left behind by Wudao. He watched helplessly as Wudao passed him and rushed towards Ma Long's defense line.

"Karl, don't force it!"

On the side of the court, Coach Jerry Longs was shocked to see that Wu Dao had no intention of slowing down when attacking the basket, and immediately shouted loudly to Karl Malone. At this time, Wu Dao, facing Karl Malone who quickly made up for him, quickly closed the basketball in his hand and jumped up.

Malone is obviously not the kind of person who would be afraid of his opponent and dare not defend. Facing the aggressive martial arts, Karl Malone also had a serious expression, raised his arms high, and jumped up directly.

He wanted to let young guys like Wu Dao understand that the reason he could stand firm in the NBA for so many years was not just because of his big elbows!
His personal ability is also top-notch in the league, and definitely not something that any kid can challenge!

Karl Malone stared at Wu Dao who was jumping with the ball, with all his muscles tensed, ready for the impact.

However, something happened that Karl Malone and everyone else could not have expected.

Wudao, who was jumping with the ball, actually made a big half turn in the air and held the basketball high in his arms. Wudao, who was originally facing the basket, glided with his back to the basket and the whole person flashed past Ma Long's eyes.

"!!!"

Ma Long quickly turned his head to look at Wudao, and found that Wudao was gliding with his back to the basket. He held the ball with his right hand and gently hooked it towards the basket behind him. The basketball flew out directly, hit the side of the backboard, and then bounced back into the basket with a crisp sound.

The exaggerated goal-scoring action stunned the spectators in the stands. The media reporters surrounding the stadium seemed to be afraid of what was being recorded in the camera and leaned their heads out to look at the stadium.

Wu Dao landed steadily on the ground. When he turned around, he saw the basketball slipping from the net, then fell to the ground and rolled to the sidelines.

Greg Foster, who was not far away, looked at Wu Dao with "clear eyes" without any movement.

"Wow—"

The cheers of Minnesota fans poured into the stadium. Wu Dao glanced at Karl Malone not far away, and without saying a word, he quickly ran towards his own half of the court amid the cheers.

At this point in the game, does trash talk still have much meaning?

People like Malone will not be affected by simple trash talk.

You must first take the absolute initiative on the court before the subsequent trash talk will be effective.

"Attack! Prepare to attack!"

Stockton loudly reminded his dazed teammates. Some Jazz players were shocked by Wu Dao's exaggerated goal, but veterans like Stockton would not be so shocked.

Stockton and Karl Malone are the veterans of the Jazz. They were once known as the two strongest teams in the league along with the Bulls led by Jordan.

In the game against the Bulls, Michael Jordan was able to often score incredible goals.

For Stockton, no matter what kind of magical ball he scored, it couldn't surprise him too much.

At Stockton's urging, the Jazz players came to their senses one after another, and the basketball was passed from the backcourt to Stockton's hands.

However, this time Stockton did not dribble the ball forward himself, but passed the ball to Jeff Hornacek on the side.

Now that Malone has returned to the court, the Jazz can make some appropriate changes to their style of play.

After Jeff Hornacek got the basketball, he immediately understood Stockton's intention and quickly dribbled the ball into the frontcourt.

However, he did not move towards the top of the arc, but slowly approached the elbow area on the right side of the court.

The Timberwolves played a zone defense, and after Brian Russell was substituted off the court, the Timberwolves also consciously narrowed their defense line.

Their team does not have players like Garnett and Ben Wallace who can quickly assist in defense, shrink their own defense zone, and maximize the defensive effectiveness of their team.

Wu Dao's position was on the extended line of the free throw line, exactly in the direction of Jeff Hornacek's position. Seeing him slowly approaching, Wu Dao thought quickly and chose to improve his defensive position and come inside the three-point line.

Jeff Hornacek
Schrodinger's three-pointer.

It's better to defend yourself just in case.

Just as Wu Dao was positioning himself for defense, Ma Long, who was originally running toward the inside, turned around and quickly came to the outside, positioning himself early to set a screen behind Wu Dao.

Hornacek sensed an opportunity and followed the direction of Malone's pick-and-roll, quickly advancing with the ball dropped to his left hand. His route was not straight to the basket, but instead he took a short detour and advanced towards the basket from the center.

After the pick-and-roll, Malone did not go down to the basket. Instead, he quickly went to the mid-range in front of the baseline and ran into an open space.

As Hornacek was moving, he obviously noticed Malone in an open position out of the corner of his eye. As he was moving, he quickly clenched the basketball in his hand and made a fake shot in the direction of Malone, forcing Wu Dao, who was chasing him, to retreat a step. Then Hornacek received the ball and jumped, making a fake shot and passing the ball to Stockton, who was now at the left foot.

The series of actions were very smooth, fooling all the Timberwolves players who surrounded them. At this time, because of Hornacek's breakthrough, the Timberwolves' defense line also quickly shrank, and a large open space appeared on the outside.

Stockton received the ball in the corner, made a slight adjustment, and then shot directly from three points.

Under the gaze of all the players, the basketball went into the net with a crisp sound.

The Salt Lake City fans in the stands burst into warm cheers.

The numbers on the scoreboard at the side of the court jumped, and the gap between the two teams narrowed to three points.

Wu Dao's previous magical goal brought tremendous pressure to the Jazz players and the Salt Lake City fans in the stands, but this pressure disappeared as Stockton successfully made a three-pointer.

Seeing that the score difference was narrowed to three points, the Timberwolves players on the field couldn't help but feel nervous.

Sam Mitchell and Cherokee Parks also showed obvious signs of anxiety.

Don't think that the players will have no pressure just because the team is leading.

In fact, when the score difference is small and the opponent is trying hard to catch up, the players have to bear more pressure.

This is definitely a huge test for some Timberwolves players.

The playoffs are different from the regular season. Players attach great importance to the playoffs, which makes them more sensitive to these details.

There is only one way to calm the military's morale at this time.

That's scoring.