Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Although the Timberwolves' inside players changed frequently and Stanley Roberts was even fouled out for 6 fouls, their "Hack-the-Shaq" tactics against O'Neal were effective.

As the game progressed, the gap between the two teams became larger and larger. No matter how O'Neal played, he could not narrow the gap between the two teams.

At the end of the third quarter, the gap between the two had widened to 9 points.

O'Neal, the team's main attacker, was also out of breath after playing this quarter. The inside offense requires strong physical confrontation, and the physical energy consumed is often much greater than that of outside players.

Moreover, O'Neal is very heavy, and when he has concentrated his shooting rights, his physical energy consumption is very intense, and his condition declines very quickly.

O'Neal is not the kind of player who cheats. The worse his physical fitness is, the higher his shooting percentage will be.

He is a normal person, and his shooting percentage will naturally drop as his physical strength declines. The high-intensity physical confrontation under the basket is too much for even a monster like him to handle by holding the ball for a long time.

Not long after the fourth quarter began, the gap between the two teams had already widened to double digits.

As the game progressed, the situation became clearer and clearer.

As the final whistle sounded, the difference between the two teams was fixed at 91:107. The Timberwolves defeated the Lakers with an absolute advantage of 16 points and won G2.

In this game, O'Neal played his best game of the playoffs, scoring 41 points and 14 rebounds, showing his personal dominance and saving nearly half of the team's points, but he was unable to lead the team to the final victory of the game, which was also a big blow to O'Neal.

For the Timberwolves, Wu Dao's playing time reached a terrifying 44 minutes, and he scored 47 points in a single game, which was also his best performance in the playoffs.

When the real-time statistics of the game were played on TV, the Timberwolves fans who were watching the live broadcast were immediately excited.

The dominance of martial arts is far more terrifying than they imagined. At such a young age, he is not only able to put on an amazing performance in the regular season, but he can also show terrifying combat effectiveness in the playoffs.

The Timberwolves' ability to win against many tough opponents in succession is closely related to Wu Dao's outstanding performance.

The Lakers lost two consecutive games to the Timberwolves, which also allowed fans to see the terrifying combat power of the entire Timberwolves team.

And Wu Dao’s outstanding individual performance naturally left a deep impression on fans across the country.

The Target Center was filled with the cheers of fans, but these cheers had nothing to do with the Lakers players. After losing once again, the Lakers players left the court dejectedly.

O'Neal walked at the front of the team without saying a word, with a towel covering his head. He was in a very low mood and even ignored the fans who were shouting his name in the stands when he returned to the locker room.

This game was a huge blow to the Lakers. In the eyes of the Lakers players, this game was the biggest one they had ever faced. Almost everyone had played their best, but still could not help the team win.

The cloud of failure also hung over the entire team.

This round of the series has not yet ended. All the Lakers players are extremely confused about how to defeat the Timberwolves. At this time, they need someone to tell them what to do.

But there is no such person.

Lakers coach Del Harris is not the kind of coach who is good at on-the-spot command. What makes him famous is his training of players in technical details in normal times. In fact, many aspects of the Lakers' tactical arrangements are completed by other assistant coaches.

But for the Lakers today, they don't need a coach who is good at developing players' abilities. What they need is a coach who can bring out the players' personal abilities on the court.

Coach Del Harris clearly does not meet the requirements of the Lakers today.

In the lounge.

The Lakers players, who had just suffered the bitter fruit of defeat, were in low morale. Coach Del Harris tried to awaken the players' fighting spirit with words, but the consecutive defeats were such a huge blow to the Lakers players that his words did not have much effect.

Among these players, some are naturally very motivated.

Yes, it is true that this person was talking about Kobe Bryant, but at that time he had little influence in the Lakers, and his strong desire to win could not influence other players in the team.

Although O'Neal is extremely talented, he also has a strong personality and temper.

But his character flaws are also very obvious. When the team is facing a huge force, it is not easy for O'Neal to adjust by relying on his own will.

As the team leader, his emotions can affect every player in the team.

If O'Neal can't cheer up, it will not be easy for other players to cheer up.

After wasting a lot of time talking, Coach Del Harris realized that his words were of no use to his players. After thinking for a long time, he was at a loss for a moment.

The gap in hard power left him helpless.

O'Neal's performance today was so explosive, but he still couldn't beat the Timberwolves. Even coach Del Harris couldn't find a way to beat the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves' Martial Arts was able to display his personal abilities under such defensive pressure, and his terrifying scoring ability also left an indelible impression on coach Del Harris.

To deal with such a player, perhaps only an outside superstar of the same level can suppress him.

But the Lakers don't have such a player now.

The depressed mood in the Lakers locker room was also brought to the post-match press conference by the Lakers players. Facing the questions from media reporters, O'Neal, who was brought to the press conference by coach Del Harris, was unusually silent.

O'Neal, who has always been optimistic and arrogant in front of the media, now shows an emotion that is completely different from his past.

When the media asked him about his views on martial arts, O'Neal pondered for a long time before speaking glumly:

"What can I think of him?"

"He almost scored 50 points on the Lakers. What else can I say?"

"We did a good job today, and my teammates didn't try their best."

"If there is any problem with our Lakers in this game, it's that I'm not strong enough."

"If I can score 60 points, our Lakers can win."

There was complaint and anger in O'Neal's tone, and he seemed to be very dissatisfied with the questions from the media reporters.

His words also showed his deep recognition of Wu Dao's personal ability. For the Lakers' loss today, O'Neal did not blame anyone in the team.

Of course, O'Neal knew very well that at such a critical moment, he should bring the team together, but some of the words he said made people feel like he was shirking responsibility and complaining that his teammates were not strong enough.

The Timberwolves' strength made people like O'Neal feel a little powerless, so much so that he was a little absent-minded and behaved a little inappropriately at the press conference.

Unlike the dull atmosphere at the Lakers press conference, the atmosphere at the Timberwolves' post-match press conference was very cheerful. They were playing at home, and many of the reporters interviewing them were from local small media. The home team won two games in a row in the Western Conference Finals, and these media reporters were very happy. There were no difficult questions at all, and they were full of praise for the Timberwolves' performance today.

Wu Dao, who was regarded by Coach Philip as the biggest contributor to the game, also showed up at the post-match press conference, accepting praise from the media while also increasing his exposure.

"You know, Shaquille is an extremely good player."

"Today's game was very good and caused us a lot of trouble for the Timberwolves."

"If it was one-on-one on the court, I wouldn't be able to stop him. He is invincible."

"But you know, basketball is a team sport, and I'm pretty sure that the Timberwolves are a better team than the Lakers."

In front of the media reporters, Wu Dao was full of praise for O'Neal's performance today, but he also secretly laid some traps in his words.

If the Lakers players are too sensitive, they will feel that they are being implied after hearing Wu Dao’s words.

But this is not what Wu Dao needs to worry about. For him, whether on or off the court, as long as he can contribute more possibilities for the Timberwolves to win the Western Conference Finals, he will do it.

The series between the Lakers and the Forest is not over yet.

In G3, the home court was moved from the Timberwolves' Target Center to Los Angeles.

The next game is at the Lakers' home court. In fact, this is also the third game of the series, which is a crucial game for both teams.

If the Timberwolves can win this game, it can be said that they will definitely enter the finals. The possibility of being overturned 3-0 is too small.

For the Lakers, this game is a life-and-death battle.

The Timberwolves players attached great importance to this Game 3 and went to Los Angeles early to rest and adjust, showing the greatest respect to their enemy, the Lakers.

However, when Game 3 between the Lakers and the Timberwolves started, everyone thought it would be a life-and-death fight, but it turned out to be a one-sided massacre.

The Lakers seemed to have been completely defeated in the previous game, or perhaps the fierce battle in the seventh game of the second round of the series had depleted the Lakers players' physical reserves.

In Game 3 in Los Angeles, the performance of the Lakers players was very poor. They couldn't make shots from the outside and were blocked in the interior. The whole team played in this game very confusingly, without any rules at all.

When the game situation became disadvantageous, the Lakers players did not try to find a way out from the Timberwolves, but instead became somewhat passive and lazy.

Except for Kobe, Bryant was still active on the court, and the other players even seemed a little lazy in running.

89:71, the Los Angeles fans poured all their enthusiasm into the counterattack, but were easily crushed by the Timberwolves. The third quarter was not over yet, and the situation on the court had already become one-sided. The Timberwolves even replaced Wu Dao with a substitute player.

The huge 18-point difference made the Lakers fans fall into despair.

In Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the unmotivated Lakers players once again came to the Target Center.

In this game, the performance of the Lakers players was the same as in G3. After such a long period of adjustment, they still could not get back to their form.

108: 74.

It was a bloody massacre. The Lakers, who were favored by all fans as the championship hopefuls before the game, were swept away by the Timberwolves 4:0 in the Western Conference Finals.

Under the leadership of Wu Dao, the Timberwolves made it to the finals with a crushing attitude.

Finally stepping onto the highest stage of the NBA, Minnesota fans are already in a carnival.

At this time, they didn't even know who their opponent would be in the finals, but the Timberwolves fans were extremely excited.

In all these years, the championship trophy has never been so close to them as it is now.

The fans' decades-long dream seems to be just around the corner.

Many fans were still worried about whether the team could make it to the playoffs a year ago, but they did not expect that in just one season, the Timberwolves would become a strong contender for the championship and even sweep a powerful team like the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Even the arrogant Shaquille O'Neal has been defeated by the Timberwolves.

The finals haven't started yet, but the streets of Minnesota are already decorated with lights and colors. At this time, even if you are not a fan, you can still feel the atmosphere of the city.

What Minnesota residents talked about most during this period was that their home team, the Timberwolves, made it to the finals.

The basketball atmosphere in the entire city is even stronger than that of football and ice hockey. The Timberwolves team logo has been hung on the doors of many shops, and gray and white flags and logos can be seen everywhere on the streets of Minnesota.

As the Western Conference Finals came to an end, most fans' attention was focused on the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Bulls and Pacers were fighting fiercely at this time.

"The Timberwolves have already won?"

"The Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Timberwolves?"

When the Bulls players heard the news, they were a little surprised. The game between them and the Pacers had not yet been decided, but the game between the Timberwolves and the Lakers had already ended.

And the score is an exaggerated 4:0.

Jordan was a proud man, but even he had to admit O'Neal's dominance in the interior, and he never underestimated the Lakers.

It is precisely because of this that he was so surprised when he learned that the Lakers were swept by the Timberwolves.

In the Bulls locker room, Jordan, holding a baseball bat in his hand and an unlit cigar in his mouth, looked at Phil Jackson who told him the news.

Unexpected, it was really a bit unexpected.

But soon, Jordan got over his surprise.

For him, it doesn't matter which team wins the Western Conference Finals.

All the Bulls have to do is defeat all their opponents and win the championship.

Whether it is the Pacers, the Lakers, or the Timberwolves, they are all enemies he has to defeat.

(End of this chapter)