Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Chapter 717: Rushing into the Western Conference Finals, Game 7 opponent!
What should the team's ace do at critical moments?
In fact, martial arts had already thought this through very clearly a long time ago.

Only scoring can boost the team's morale, thereby suppressing the opponent and ultimately winning the game.

Feeling the threat that the Jazz brought to the Timberwolves, Wu Dao changed his playing style and transformed himself into a violent scoring beast.

Although the Jazz's Karl Malone returned to the court despite the pain, his condition has not returned to its peak.

The many games before also consumed a lot of his physical energy.

This time he played with an injury. Except for a few good shots when he first came on the court relying on his own momentum, Ma Long's level showed a clear decline in subsequent games.

Perhaps because of his injury, Malone would be distracted from time to time on the court, and his footwork could not be compared with when he was healthy. He would often be a beat slower or miss the defense during the defense.

On the offensive end, Malone's impact is much less than before. Not only is his shooting accuracy poor, but the impact when attacking the basket is also completely downgraded.

Malone's ups and downs have greatly affected the Jazz's offensive and defensive efficiency.

On the other hand, the Timberwolves quickly stabilized their position thanks to Wu Dao's stable performance.

After several rounds of fighting with the Jazz, the Timberwolves gradually widened the gap, and the situation of this game became clearer.

Malone, who returned despite the pain, was ultimately unable to become the savior of the Jazz and failed to lead the Jazz to win a crucial game against the Timberwolves at this critical juncture.

107: 94.

As the whistle sounded at the end of the game, the score between the two teams was fixed at 107:94.

In the end, led by Wu Dao, the Timberwolves won Game 13 of the series by 4 points and swept the Jazz 4:0.

They defeated the Jazz in the second round of the playoffs and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

When the whistle sounded at the end of the game, cheers from the fans in the stands also rang out.

On the sidelines, Garnett, who was sitting on the bench, jumped up when the game time was over and excitedly yelled to his teammates on the court.

Garnett originally thought that the Jazz would rise because of Malone's appearance, but he did not expect that after Malone came on the court, although the Jazz showed signs of rising, they were strangled by martial arts after a few rounds.

I thought it was an extremely tough bone to chew, but unexpectedly, this bone became a soft persimmon and was squeezed at will by the Timberwolves.

The Jazz players, who suffered the bitter fruit of defeat, did not stay on the court for long. After returning to the rest area, they hurriedly packed up their things and left the court through the player tunnel, leaving only the Timberwolves players enjoying the joy of victory.

The Timberwolves players who successfully made it to the Western Conference Finals were extremely excited, and the fans in the stands were even more excited than the Timberwolves players.

The fans are different from the Timberwolves players. Some of the players were traded, some entered Minnesota through the draft, and the vast majority of the players have no so-called ties to this city.

But the fans have lived in this city for so many years, and they have been looking forward to it for so many years. They have deep attachment and expectations for this city.

For these fans, the moment the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals, they were witnessing history.

In this game, Wu Dao broke his own scoring record in this round of the series with a single-game score of 43 points.

At the post-match press conference, Coach Philip led the two players, Wu Dao and Marbury, to attend in high spirits. The two of them were the two biggest contributors to the game.

I thought they could finish this post-match press conference happily, but I didn't expect that this press conference would destroy the Timberwolves' good mood of winning.

Just before the Timberwolves defeated the Jazz, the NBA regular season MVP was awarded. Without any surprise, the winner was Michael Jordan of the Bulls. He won the fifth MVP trophy in his life with 43% of the first votes.

Wu Dao's vote share in the first choice was an astonishing 31%, but unfortunately, even with his incredible performance in the regular season, he still couldn't win the MVP trophy from Jordan.

Although Wu Dao's average points per game are higher than Jordan's, there is a slight gap between them in other aspects. Rebounding data and assists data have become important indicators for Jordan to beat Wu Dao.

Originally, Wu Dao didn't have high expectations of winning the MVP trophy.

He had already known his ranking in the MVP rankings. Not to mention surpassing Jordan, even Karl Malone was above him.

But Wu Dao, who had just finished the game against the Jazz, couldn't help feeling disappointed when he suddenly heard that the MVP trophy had nothing to do with him.

He is also eager for the regular season MVP trophy.

At the post-match press conference, Chicago media reporters brought up this incident with the intention of embarrassing Wu Dao.

Maybe you are very good at martial arts, after all, you can lead the Timberwolves to win the Jazz, but so what? You are not the best player in the league, Michael Jordan is.

Obviously, this is what the journalist friend wanted to warn Wu Dao about.

Wu Dao looked at the reporter who informed him of the news. As he expected, the reporter was wearing the armband of Chicago Sports Daily on his arm.

"Martial Arts, you Timberwolves are really strong enough to sweep the Jazz 4:0."

"Fans even thought that you, the Timberwolves, would be the champions."

"Who do you think will be your Timberwolves' biggest opponent in the playoffs?"

"Which team do you think is stronger, the Bulls led by MVP winner Michael Jordan or your Timberwolves?"

The Chicago reporter raised his hand and took the microphone to ask Wu Dao and others on the stage. Although his tone sounded gentle, Wu Dao could feel a strong hostility from his words.

Speaking of which, Michael Jordan was able to become the God of Basketball not only because of his strong strength, but also because of the group of media reporters he maintained.

Decades later, some people in the league also learned Michael Jordan's marketing ability. Although that player's personal ability was not necessarily that strong, he relied on marketing. Although he had a single offensive method and huge flaws, he was still able to become a candidate for "the first in NBA history" and was praised as "great" by fans.

Facing questions from the Chicago media, Wu Dao squeezed the microphone in front of him, adjusted his sitting position, and answered seriously:

"You know, Michael Jordan was an extremely good player."

"It was not unexpected that he won the regular season MVP, and I am happy for him."

"As for who is stronger between the Bulls and the Timberwolves, I don't think I can answer your question directly."

"Strength is not determined by comparison, but by playing." "If our Timberwolves are lucky enough to win the next game, and the Bulls can also make it out of the strong Eastern Conference, I think the answer to your question will be known by then."

Wu Dao's words were flawless. He did not show any anger or jealousy because Michael Jordan won the MVP trophy.

Wu Dao has a very good ability to manage his emotions. He can even show a bright smile on his face when talking about this matter.

This calm look made the Chicago reporter who asked the question look disappointed.

He asked this question at this time because he didn't want to hear such words from Wu Dao's mouth, nor did he want to see such a reaction from Wu Dao.

Everyone at the scene also vaguely sensed the provocative tone in the Chicago reporter's words. The local Minnesota reporter quickly took over the conversation and asked Wu Dao and others about their feelings after winning the game.

Although the Chicago reporter was unhappy about being diverted from the topic, he could not make his intentions too obvious in such an occasion.

The atmosphere at the press conference soon became cheerful.

The playoff schedule is very tight.

However, for the Timberwolves players, they also bought themselves a rare period of adjustment after sweeping the Jazz 4:0.

They won this round of the series quickly.

At this time, the game between the Lakers and the Spurs in the Western Conference was in full swing, and the series score between the two teams was 2:2, with both teams winning and losing.

The Lakers are a super team led by Shaquille O'Neal. Including O'Neal, the team even has four All-Star players.

Compared to the Lakers, the Spurs' star power seemed a little dimmer, but the strength they showed in the playoffs surprised all teams.

The Spurs, led by the Admiral and Duncan, performed far better in the game against the Lakers than in all their previous games.

I don’t know if it’s because the Spurs’ system restrains the Lakers, but Shaquille O’Neal struggled a bit when facing this Spurs team.

The Lakers are a team built around the inside Shaquille O'Neal. Although they also have outstanding scorers like Eddie Jones on the outside, these scorers are not good at shooting in low-efficiency areas.

The existence of players like Eddie Jones is more to find a way to get the ball to Shaquille O'Neal in the interior, so that O'Neal can receive the ball and attack the basket in a comfortable position.

According to the Lakers' previous game experience, as long as O'Neal can receive the ball in the low post, he can wreak havoc in the enemy's interior and no one can stop him.

However, in the game against the Spurs, O'Neal's lethality declined significantly compared to the regular season and previous playoff games.

Coach Popovich obviously did a lot of game analysis on the Lakers before the game.

The Spurs used a rotation strategy when targeting O'Neal.

This rotation game is not simply about constantly changing players to withstand O'Neal's impact.

Popovich arranged for Admiral David Robinson to confront O'Neal head-on, and also asked Duncan, who has strong mobility and excellent jumping ability, to assist him.

It was precisely because of the combined abilities of these two people that the Spurs were able to suppress O'Neal.

In Game 1 of the Lakers and Spurs, O'Neal "only" scored 24 points and 13 rebounds, and that game ended with the Lakers' defeat.

In Game 2, O'Neal had a big outbreak, scoring 33 points and 14 rebounds, and dragged the Lakers back to win over the Spurs.

But in Game 3, O'Neal scored 22 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, and the Lakers lost the game.

In Game 4, O'Neal had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Relying on his terrifying dominance, he gave other players in the team too many open opportunities to shoot.

Eddie Jones, who had been performing somewhat sluggishly, scored 33 points in this game, helping the Lakers defeat the Spurs and tying the series 2:2.

Combining these four games, O'Neal's performance can be said to be strong. His average playoff data of 20+10 per game illustrates what a superstar is.

You have to know that O'Neal's answer was given under the defense of Admiral David Robinson and Duncan.

If he hadn't met these two people, O'Neal would often be able to hit the terrifying data of 40+20 even in the playoffs during his peak period.

The saying among fans: "If there is Joe, choose Joe; if there is no Joe, choose Shaq." has never been groundless.

This has been tested in competition.

James' fans tried to prove that their favorite fans were bigger than Kobe by praising O'Neal and belittling Kobe. Although it is not advisable, from a factual perspective, during the OK period of the Lakers, O'Neal was indeed the biggest pillar of the team.

When this inside monster is on the court, the help he can provide to outside players is unimaginable to others.

If Wu Dao can team up with O'Neal, with his three-point shooting accuracy, he might be able to average 40+ points per game in the playoffs.

O'Neal's presence not only allows him to directly get the ball to the basket, but also can tie down most of the opponent's defensive strength, allowing outside players to get enough one-on-one singles opportunities and even open shooting opportunities.

When the series between the Timberwolves and the Jazz ended, the series between the Lakers and the Spurs had just entered its white-hot stage.

The Lakers and Spurs, who extended their schedules, also gave the Timberwolves enough time to recuperate.

This is very beneficial for the Timberwolves who just had a big battle.

According to the current situation, Garnett will be able to return to the team smoothly by the time the Western Conference Finals begin.

In Game 5 between the Lakers and the Spurs, O'Neal was "not in good form" in this game, with 20 points and 16 rebounds, but he failed to lead the team to victory. The big score of the series was 2:3, and the Spurs actually got the match point first.

When Game 6 started, all the Timberwolves players were sitting in front of the TV to watch this crucial battle.

In the crucial battle, O'Neal broke out, scoring 31 points and 14 rebounds in a single game; at the same time, the young blacksmith Kobe assisted O'Neal in the final quarter together with Eddie Jones, Fisher, and Robert Horry. Relying on the courage of a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger, Kobe scored 11 points in a single quarter and helped the Lakers win this crucial G6.

This battle between the Lakers and the Spurs also went to a game seven.

The Lakers and Spurs are going to play a Game 7, which is really good news for the Timberwolves.

No matter who they face in the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves have the physical advantage.