Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

In the 99-00 season, the Western Conference Finals series between the Timberwolves and the Lakers reached G2, and the venue of the game was still the Timberwolves' Target Center in Minnesota.

Amid the enthusiastic cheers of the fans, players from both teams entered the field one after another.

The Lakers, who had just experienced a loss, adjusted their status very quickly. They have already realized the impact of Charles Barkley's absence on the Timberwolves' overall play.

Coach Phil Jackson also knows very well where to start in order to defeat the Timberwolves.

On the offensive end, the Lakers no longer need to make any adjustments. As long as they reduce Kobe's shots and let other outside players share the offensive ball rights, they will be able to avoid the Timberwolves' strong perimeter defense.

Correspondingly, O'Neal in the interior has absolute dominance on the court. As long as he can successfully get the basketball in the low post, the Lakers' offense will be unstoppable.

This has already been verified in one of the series.

Without Charles Barkley, the Timberwolves had no way to effectively limit O'Neal. Tom's double-teaming effect was far inferior to Barkley's front defense and double-teaming.

Although Charles Barkley's physical fitness is far from what it was when he was young, his strength is still maintained at a top level. If you want to defend a player like O'Neal, you must take into account both strength and speed. Tom's physical talent is not at this baseline at all.

Offense is not a big problem for the Lakers. What can determine the outcome of this game is their defense.

Coach Phil Jackson knew very well that as long as he could limit the Timberwolves' martial arts point, he would be able to win easily.

But
From a technical and tactical perspective, it is easy to find the Timberwolves' weakness, but unfortunately, this weakness is also the Timberwolves' strength that enabled them to win the championship.
If the Timberwolves' martial arts were so easy to restrict, their team would not have been able to display such terrifying dominance.

The Lakers' outside player lineup is extremely similar to the Bulls' outside player lineup coached by Phil Jackson.

Even within the Lakers team, there is no outstanding defensive player like Pippen to stop an ace player of Bu Dao's level.

Although Kobe Bryant is very good and is an all-around player who can balance offense and defense like Michael Jordan, the gap between his physique and martial arts is too great.

Wu Dao, who possesses excellent three-point shooting ability, is simply an unobstructed super turret in front of Kobe Bryant. The reason why the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in Game 3 of the series was precisely because they had no way to limit Wu Dao's three-point shooting.

The outside players they can rely on are Kobe and Glen Rice.

However, the height of these two players is only over 2 meters, about 10cm shorter than Wudao. In addition to the difference in static talent, it becomes a very easy thing for Wudao to shoot in front of these two players.

Coach Phil Jackson's arrangement for the team today was also very simple. He planned to let Robert Horry, who was 2 meters tall, defend Wu Dao. The purpose was not to limit Wu Dao's scoring, but only to let him confront Wu Dao and reduce Wu Dao's number of shots outside the three-point line.

If we can influence Wu Dao's shooting percentage in this way, that would be the best. If we can't, we just hope that Wu Dao can take as many long shots as possible instead of choosing three-pointers.

Wu Dao's 3-point shooting ability is already well-known in the league, and this kind of anti-aircraft artillery is a headache for all teams.

As the referee's whistle sounded in the stadium, the game between the Lakers and the Timberwolves officially began.

At the beginning of the game, the Lakers, who won the jump ball, passed the ball to O'Neal under the basket through skillful inside-outside connections. The latter took the ball, stuck to Ben Wallace's defense, and put the ball directly into the basket with a little hand.

Don't think that just because O'Neal can't shoot free throws, he has poor skills.

His hook shot under the basket is actually a killer move among killer moves. Players who are slightly inferior in physical confrontation have no way to effectively interfere with him.

Although Ben Wallace practiced diligently after joining the Timberwolves, his body size became bigger and his muscles became stronger, but compared with a talented monster like O'Neal, he was still a long way behind.

Not to mention comparing him with the long-time super center O'Neal, Ben Wallace's physique has actually determined his ceiling. Even if he meets the younger Yao Ming in the future, there is still no way to limit that talented freak.

The cruelty of this sport lies in the fact that there are always some players that other mediocre people cannot catch up with no matter how hard they try.

Ben Wallace's physical fitness is far beyond that of ordinary people, but in the NBA league, where there are many talented players like the center position, his physical fitness is still a little lacking.

Of course, if Ben Wallace's static talent was not as weak as it is now, he might be able to enter the NBA through the draft.

Not long after the Lakers scored, the Timberwolves quickly launched a counterattack.

After being passed around for several times, the basketball landed in Marbury's hands. The Lakers focused most of their perimeter defense on Wu Dao, which gave the Timberwolves' perimeter players in other positions more room to shoot.

Marbury also seized the opportunity at the right time and shot the ball directly into the basket from a high position.

This goal also set the tone for the Timberwolves' offense.

Coach Phil Jackson knows the Timberwolves very well. They know that if they want to win this team, they must block Wu Dao's scoring point. But the actual result is that the Timberwolves' outside scoring point is not just Wu Dao.

As the game progressed, Hulu and Tom gradually demonstrated their scoring abilities. At a time when Wu Dao's shots were greatly reduced, the two of them successfully absorbed those shots of Wu Dao.

Thanks to the efforts of these players, the scores between the Timberwolves and the Lakers were closely tied.

After halftime, the score between the Timberwolves and the Lakers was 47:46, with a difference of only 1 point. The Timberwolves, playing at home, even had the advantage.

In today's game, both Marbury and Tom were in excellent competitive form, and their outside shooting percentages were very high, not much worse even than those of martial artists.

The shooting accuracy of these two players in small and large open spaces has already caught up with Wu Dao's shooting level when he is in good shape. The only flaw is that the two players' three-point shooting output is slightly less, which is different from Wu Dao.

After Barkley's absence, the Timberwolves' rotation lineup strength no longer had much advantage over the Lakers, which also led to the Timberwolves' inability to widen the gap between the two teams during the rotation phase.

This is also one of the biggest reasons why the Lakers can compete with the Timberwolves. If Barkley had not been injured, the game between Sling and the Lakers would not have been so difficult.

Whether it is Tom leading the rotation or Barkley leading the rotation, it is not comparable to the current Lakers.

The Lakers bench was filled with players like Rick Fox and Fisher. Without a super center like O'Neal on the court, the role these players could play would be very limited. But Tom is different from players of Barkley's level. Tom is an All-Star player. Although Barkley is in decline, if he only plays a dozen or twenty minutes per game, he can still play his best form.

But it’s meaningless to say all this now. Barkley’s injury has already meant that the other Timberwolves players will have to rely on themselves to get through this difficult time.

As long as they can get past the Lakers, the Timberwolves will have a smooth road ahead. The two teams in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers and the Knicks, have no way to compete with the current Timberwolves.

As the buzzer sounded in the stadium, the third quarter of the game officially began.

Marbury dribbled the ball quickly into the Lakers' half, and after several passes, the basketball was given to Wudao who broke into the inside with an off-ball screen.

Wu Dao forced the ball into the net despite O'Neal's defensive pull. As the basketball entered the net, the stands were filled with warm cheers from the Timberwolves fans.

Although Wu Dao's shooting opportunities were reduced, his influence on the court did not decrease.

Garnett would come out from the inside to provide screens from time to time. Once there was a chance, Wu Dao would choose to attack the basket. O'Neal's deterrence under the basket was indeed very strong, but Wu Dao had no fear at all. He had confrontation and air retention. More importantly, since he signed with Nike, Wu Dao could feel the referee's bias towards him.
Today's Wu Dao truly understands what Michael Jordan felt back then. Supported by big money players, his performance both on and off the court has improved significantly.

The calls against him were not enough to be called physical whistles, but in Wu Dao's opinion, they were much more lenient than those he had received two years earlier.

Robert Horry only defended him for two quarters, but he had already received four fouls and had to rest early. Even O'Neal would try his best to avoid excessive physical contact when defending Wu Dao.

He was also afraid that he would be punished with too many fouls and be forced to leave the court early.
In this game, with the intentional or unintentional help of the referee, the Timberwolves still showed their unparalleled dominance.

When the whistle for the end of the game sounded in the stadium, the Timberwolves won the game with a difference of 3 points.

Six players on the team scored in double digits, including Wu Dao and Garnett who both scored 6+ points, and Marbury and Tom who both scored close to 20 points.

This is not the victory of one player, but the victory of the team.

After defending two home games in a row, Barkley, who was watching the game on the sidelines, breathed a sigh of relief. Even when he was resting on the sidelines due to injury, Barkley wore a jersey instead of a suit. He hoped that his teammates could feel that he was standing with them, rather than wearing a suit that made his teammates feel out of place.

The Timberwolves, who had won two games, finally played away.

After meeting the Timberwolves in Los Angeles, the game was finally not biased by the referee. The Timberwolves did not give their best in that game. After falling behind the opponent by 15 points after three quarters, Coach Philip chose to give up strategically.

Wu Dao didn't play well in Game 3, only making one of six 3-point shots, turning into a blacksmith.
But this was his worst performance in so many playoff games, which is closely related to the successive exhaustion of Robert Horry and Glen Rice.

At the same time, O'Neal also had an explosion in this Game 3, scoring 46 points and 17 rebounds in a single game, destroying the Timberwolves' inside line and helping the team defend their home game.

Glen Rice used most of his physical energy to defend Wu Dao. Kobe Bryant on the outside had a lot of shots, but Kobe's touch seemed to be infected by Wu Dao, and he also turned into a blacksmith.

But he is luckier than Wudao, as he has a super inside player like O'Neal to protect him.

Although Wu Dao also had the assistance of Garnett, Garnett and Ben Wallace were blown away by O'Neal today and were no match at all.
Game 4 of the series is still the Lakers' home court, but in today's game, the Timberwolves' main lineup has changed.

Barkley, who was obviously injured, chose to force himself to play with a closed injection before the game. Today's defeat has made Barkley realize that this team really needs him.

Although the martial arts are good enough, two fists cannot beat four hands. The Lakers led by coach Phil Jackson do have the strength to compete with the Timberwolves.

Barkley wanted to help the Timberwolves tackle this tough problem, and after discussing with the team doctor, he finally chose this approach.

Before the game, Buckley wrapped his feet tightly with leggings. Before the game, he became calm and resolute.

Barkley is very clear about what the consequences would be if a player of his age chose to play with a closed eye after suffering such an injury.

His career may come to an end after this season.

Barkley was really unwilling to just sit on the sidelines and watch the players struggle on the court.

Not to mention that the Timberwolves cannot easily defeat the Lakers now. Even if the Timberwolves have the strength to easily defeat the Lakers, then what is the value of Barkley in this team?

Barkley did come to the Timberwolves with the mentality of currying favor with the team, but Barkley still hopes that after he retires, when fans talk about him, they will not say that he picked up the championship.

Barkley also hopes to gain the respect of the fans and contribute to the team's victory.

When Barkley and his teammates appeared on the court, the Minnesota fans who came to Los Angeles to watch the game cheered.

Listening to the cheers of the fans in the stands, Barkley also showed a bright smile on his face.

For Barkley now, it doesn't matter what the future will be like.

All he wants is to win the game in front of him.

104: 90.

In Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves defeated the Lakers away and took a 3-1 lead.

When the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game, Barkley, who was wearing a sweat towel and had a swollen ankle with fluid on his side of the court, stood up and cheered for his teammates despite the pain.

At the post-match press conference, only player Barkley accompanied Coach Philip.

(End of this chapter)