Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

The Timberwolves players actually didn't know what was happening within the Lakers.

Or perhaps the Timberwolves players had no interest in the internal relationships of the Lakers. Wu Dao and the other players focused all their attention on the court.

When the Lakers started to counterattack, the Timberwolves players returned to their own half early and took up their respective defensive positions.

After O'Neal was substituted off the court, the Timberwolves' defense also changed.

A group of players pulled their defense line outside. In their opinion, Campbell of the Lakers did not have the same dominance as O'Neal, and there was no need to double-team this player to put pressure on him.

Although Stanley Roberts' personal ability is not that outstanding, he and Campbell are both power forwards. Even if he is at a disadvantage when facing the opponent, it will not be too big. What's more, Stanley Roberts has the help of Ben Wallace.

The game entered the second quarter, and Robert Horry gained some say for himself through his "rebellion" on the defensive end.

Maybe the Lakers' substitutes didn't feel it, but the players on the court could actually feel that Robert Horry's temperament had changed slightly.

Seeing his coach compromise with him, Robert Horry's mind became active.

He was supposed to move into the inside, but instead of continuing to move deeper into the inside like the Lakers' previous offensive method, he went directly to the bottom corner on the right and stopped outside the three-point line.

"Um?!"

His running position also attracted the attention of Ben Wallace. After thinking for a moment, Ben Wallace did not choose to leave the basket.

Although Robert Horry has certain three-point shooting ability, for the Lakers, his three-point shooting ability is not enough to quench their thirst.

This has actually been proven in many of the Lakers' previous games. Robert Horry's three-pointer has no way of being the deciding factor in a win or loss.

The Timberwolves' underestimation of Robert Horry also made them pay the corresponding price.

As Nick dribbled the ball into the Timberwolves' half, he quickly scanned the players on the court and noticed Robert Horry who was in an open position in the corner.

It was a great opportunity, and the Timberwolves had no intention of guarding against it.

Without any hesitation, Nick grabbed the ball with both hands and left Robert Horry in the corner.

Although Ben Wallace did not take Robert Horry seriously, when Nick showed his intention to pass the ball, he chose to leave the basket and move towards Robert Horry.

It's just that his steps were a bit loose and his movement speed was not fast. When Robert Horry got the basketball, Ben Wallace was still nearly two meters away from the opponent.

After getting the basketball, Robert Horry made a slight adjustment and then shot a three-pointer.

Wallace tilted his head back and watched the basketball fly over his head. His eyes also swept towards the basket. His face still had an indifferent expression.

"Uh-huh!!!"

However, as a crisp sound of the net rang out in the court, Wallace's face showed a little surprise.

However, the slight look of astonishment was fleeting and did not stay on Wallace's face for too long.

"Goal?"

"Yeah, that's right. It's too empty."

"You still have to give some pressure."

As an NBA-level player, it is not surprising to be able to make such an open three-pointer. Ben Wallace quickly adjusted his mentality and looked back at Robert Horry with a serious expression.

Robert Horry's three-pointer was also crucial for the Lakers.

His goal prevented the two teams from widening the gap too much, and also offset the impact of Wu Dao's previous three-pointer on the Lakers.

Such a response ball is quite useful in boosting the team's morale, which can be reflected from the cheers of the fans in the stands.

Although the number of Lakers fans in the Target Center is far less than that of local fans in Minnesota, the noise created by these thousands of people is enough to cover the entire stadium.

The basketball was passed from the Timberwolves' backcourt to Chris Kyle's hands.

Chris Kyle suppressed his own advancing speed, slowly dribbled the ball, and entered the Lakers' half.

The Lakers played very well as a whole, but Chris Kyle, as a substitute player, did not feel any pressure from these Lakers players.

When facing these Lakers players, even substitute player Chris Kyle still has a natural psychological advantage.

In their opinion, the Lakers are no match for the Timberwolves.

What's more, at this time, there is a person like Wudao in their Timberwolves team.

Budo on the right wing turned sideways to the basket, his body facing Chris Carr at the top of the key, and raised his right hand to press against Kobe Bryant who was defending him.

Just as Chris Kyle was about to pass the ball to Wu Dao, he suddenly discovered that Robert Horry, who was supposed to be defending in the interior, suddenly moved up quickly and ran toward the outside while shouting to Kobe Bryant:

"Kobe, switch defense!"

"I'll guard him!"

Robert Horry's voice was actually very loud. Not only the players on the court could hear it, but even the media reporters on the sidelines could clearly hear his shouting.

Even some equipment with better recording capabilities could record his words verbatim.

Kobe was obviously stunned when he heard this. He was about to turn around to see what Robert Horry was doing, but suddenly he found that Chris Kyle at the top of the arc had already passed the basketball in his hand towards Wu Dao at a high speed.

The martial arts that started with a basketball didn't give Kobe any chance to react. He quickly dropped the ball with his left hand and dribbled quickly towards the top of the lake.

Chris Kyle seemed to have a very good understanding with Wu Dao. When Wu Dao dropped the ball and started to move, Chris Kyle immediately ran to the wing and directly blocked Kobe's path, delaying Kobe's pursuit.

Wu Dao, who was holding the ball and quickly came to the top of the lake, successfully misplaced himself against Nick. At the same time, he changed direction and went straight towards Wu Dao at the top of the arc.

However, it was too difficult for Robert Horry, who ran out from the inside, to interfere with Wu Dao in the direction of the top of the arc. His speed was not fast enough to teleport in front of Wu Dao and interfere with his shooting.

This is simply not realistic.

When facing Nick in a mismatch, Wu Dao paused and shot a three-pointer.

Facing a short number one player who is only 188cm tall, Wudao, who has the body of a number four player, has nothing to worry about.

A player like Nick, even if given a running start and allowed to jump at full speed, may not be able to block Martial Arts. This is an absolute gap in physical talent, which cannot be changed by the player's will.

The basketball flew over the heads of Nick and Robert Horry respectively, and went directly into the net under the gaze of the players on the court.

"Shh!"

The basketball hit the net, landed on the floor, and rolled toward the sidelines.

Wu Dao, who successfully made another three-pointer, raised his lips slightly and spread his hands in a helpless manner. In the stands, Minnesota fans were already in a frenzy, watching the scoreboard ticking on the side of the court, and these Timberwolves fans gradually became fanatical.

"Defend!"

"Switch defense faster!"

"Robert, you should stand higher. Kobe, you switch defense with him and let Robert defend Wu Dao!"

The Timberwolves' consecutive goals also made Lakers coach Del Harris very angry. He was very dissatisfied with the Lakers players' defense and could only vent his anger in this way.

On the court, Kobe heard the coach's instructions and a look of unswerving determination flashed across his face.

He is a proud man. Whenever he stands on the court, Kobe wants to challenge the strongest outside player in the opposing team.

During the regular season game against the Bulls, Kobe challenged Jordan; similarly, when playing against the Timberwolves, Kobe's opponent was also martial arts.

Although he thought so in his heart, the young Kobe couldn't ignore the coach's words.

Although he has grown into an All-Star player, Kobe's voice in the team is far from comparable to that of a star player like O'Neal.

Stars of the level of O'Neal and Budo can influence the opinions of management, and their say in on-the-spot tactical arrangements is sometimes even greater than that of the coach.

Of course, O'Neal and Wu Dao are both sensible and will not interfere and cause trouble for the coach at such a critical juncture.

The corresponding coaches also show great respect for these star players and often follow their ideas and opinions.

But it is obvious that Kobe's opinions are not taken seriously by current coach Del Harris.

Or maybe coach Del Harris didn’t pay enough attention to young players like Kobe.

Kobe's status in the team changed only after the Zen Master came to the Lakers.

After Kobe established his position as the main attacker on the outside, he truly became an indispensable player for the Lakers. At that time, Kobe truly had a certain say.

The time when his voice in the Lakers reached its peak was when the Lakers chose to keep him and let O'Neal go.

The Lakers began to organize an offense, and Kobe, who was dissatisfied, suppressed his emotions and forced himself to focus on the court.

Nick dribbled the ball into the Timberwolves' half, and the Lakers players began to rotate and run.

Robert Horry wanted to repeat his old trick and still went towards the bottom corner on the offensive end, but this time, Ben Wallace, who was defending him, took it seriously and did not choose to stand on the side of the paint area and ignore Robert Horry like he did in the previous round.

This time, Ben Wallace ran directly to the baseline about two meters away from Robert Horry. If the Lakers still tried to connect from the top of the lake to the bottom corner, Ben Wallace in this position would be able to step forward and steal the ball in the first time, and would not give the Lakers such a shooting opportunity at all.

However, Ben Wallace's defensive strategy also left some defensive gaps for the Timberwolves.

After a series of cross-leg dribbles, Nick did not choose to pass the ball, but instead planned to attack on his own.

Relying on his excellent speed and explosive power, Nick found a breakthrough opportunity in front of Chris Kyle with a crossover, and quickly passed by Chris Kyle's side.

Nick is very fast, his movements are very standard, and his timing is very good.

Chris Kyle had no way of catching up with Nick in time by relying on his crab steps, so he could only turn around and chase after Nick with big steps.

This kind of pursuit is full of loopholes.

Nick glanced behind him, and when he reached the free throw line, he suddenly stopped and pulled back, instantly getting rid of Chris Kyle's pursuit.

Chris Kyle was moving at high speed and had no time to adjust when Nick suddenly stopped. He flashed and ran right in front of Nick.

The Nick also made a slight adjustment and took a jump shot in an open position.

It was a very smooth quick stop jump shot. The shooter who was considered a poor shooter in the eyes of Wudao and others was actually very stable when attacking with the ball. The basketball that flew out of Nick's hands fell steadily into the basket and went into the net.

This player is actually the same type of player as Wu Dao.

Or rather, there are certain similarities between the two of them.

That is, they all like to attack with the ball. Compared with catching the ball and shooting in an open space, attacking with the ball allows them to maintain their stability.

Even though Nick is a point guard, his playing style is actually very similar to that of a point guard.

The Lakers and Timberwolves both maintained a very good shooting percentage at the beginning of the second quarter. This also allowed the score difference between the two teams to widen, and the game became tense.

Between offense and defense, the basketball was once again given to Wudao.

At this time, the player he had to face changed from Kobe Bryant to Robert Horry. Kobe Bryant, who was originally defending Wu Dao, was driven into the inside to defend Ben Wallace.

"What operation is this?"

"Underestimating Wallace?!"

When Wu Dao saw the Lakers' defensive arrangement, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He lightly hooked the basketball in his hand and sent it directly towards Ben Wallace in the inside.

At this time, Ben Wallace used his excellent physical strength to occupy a corner under the basket. Kobe Bryant tried to defend in front, but was firmly trapped behind by Ben Wallace with his flexible footwork.

If it was Kobe Bryant after 04, he might still be able to fight against inside players.

After gaining weight, his tonnage is not small. Even if he is fighting against the other team's No. 4 position, he can still support his teammates to come up for defense.

But the gap between Kobe's physical fitness and Ben Wallace's is too big today.

Ben Wallace didn't feel any pressure from behind when he was positioning himself.

Ben Wallace steadily received the basketball from Wu Dao, quickly made a back-to-the-basket shot, broke into the paint area, and turned around and forced himself in front of Kobe.

The intense physical confrontation made it impossible for Kobe to bring out his full jumping ability. Watching Ben Wallace take off for a layup, Kobe could only raise his arms to try to interfere.

But this kind of defense is really useless.

Even a player like Ben Wallace who is not good at offense can still easily put the ball into the basket.

As the basketball went into the net, cheerful laughter rang out from the Timberwolves bench.

“Hahaha, easy!!”

"Ben, you can score 20 points on that kid!"

These young people were all laughing at Kobe for overestimating his own abilities. Ben Wallace's suppression of Kobe was too obvious. This was simply an unequal duel.

(End of this chapter)