From sparring to superstar

Chapter 144 142. A new trick to win!

Flip Saunders has a full defense in place for tonight's game.

Before the game started, he saw this tactic and agreed.

The Clippers often use top arc pick-and-rolls to attack in the starting stage. He starts with Dean Garrett, which can replace Garnett to defend pick-and-rolls.

Garnett was able to defend O'Neal inside alone with ease.

Facing opponents with a strong inside attack style, Garnett is not good at defending against Antonio McDyess, Antonio Davis, or even Marion.

But for those who are skilled, Weber will be deflated when he meets Garnett. The two have played against Garnett 10 times in their careers. Weber has only shot more than 1% on one occasion, three times below 5%, and one time on 3%. %the following.

O'Neal's current offensive methods are catch-and-shoot, catch-and-shoot in the three-second zone and withdraw to a short-range jumper, and a hook shot that turns around and crosses the sideline of the three-second zone to stay away from the defense after a strong inside shot. Garnett is good at defense.

O'Neal has locked this point, and Garnett can still stay in the three-second zone, defending the entire mid-range and short-range, and interfering with Li Ao's shooting in this area.

Szczerbiak confronts Li Ao at the mid-range on both wings. Let alone Li Ao, it is difficult for insiders like Duncan and Tianzun to shoot stably in Szczerbiak's mid-range confrontation, just like Garnett and Webber. A good turnaround jumper can deal with Szczerbiak.

If Li Ao runs to the bottom line and the bottom corner, Szczerbiak can cut off the passing line on the flank.

In this way, the three frontcourts that the Clippers rely on for their offensive survival are only left with Odom, who has no one. It is also difficult for Odom to open up the situation.

With the Clippers' player abilities and offensive tactics, Philip Saunders can't imagine how the opponent can break the game. As long as the Timberwolves' offensive performance is normal at the beginning, they may destroy the opponent from the very beginning, and then easily close. The next game wins.

After the start of the game, the Timberwolves' strategy execution tonight was very good. Garnett felt good in the mid-range shot, and the defensive end was also executed very well. Everyone defended well.

When Philip Sanders saw that he blocked Li Ao's wing shot with the defensive black hole of Szczerbiak, the corners of his mouth rose.

As a result, Li Ao rushed inside and dunked Garnett twice in a row!
On the court, Garnett was kicked and sat on the ground again, and the anger in his heart can be imagined.

It was impossible to fight, and he was still a high school student, a kid.

He wants to buckle... throw it back!

When it came time for the Timberwolves to attack, Garnett asked for the ball more actively. Facing Li Ao’s unchanging defensive interference, he turned around and shot again with a fadeaway jumper... The direction was very accurate, but the force was too hard, and the ball bounced on the opposite side of the basket come out.

Jermaine O'Neal and Dean Garrett interfered with each other's jumping, and Big Q went in to protect the defensive rebound.

O'Neal was fortunate to be reminded by Spider-Man, and to have the help of Big Q, a teammate with strong mobility and active rebounding.

This veteran center, who looks exactly like Garnett in terms of body size, jersey number and even surname, has a strong sense of rebounding and a coquettish positioning. He already attaches great importance to positioning, but the position of rebounding is still taken.

In the transition from offense to defense, the Clippers continued to attack with pick-and-roll top arcs, but the purpose changed-to vacate the inside line and create opportunities for Li Ao to hit the basket!

Li Ao turned around with a two-point distance on the right side, easily threw off Szczerbiak and entered the inside line. When the man arrived, Greg Anthony made the ball in time.

Li Ao received the ball and just reached the sideline of the three-second zone with a dribble. Garnett moved ahead of time to block the defense. Li Ao's second shot was not a dribble, but a ground pass...

Pass the ball without holding the ball in the breakthrough learned from Kidd!
After the 'transfer expert' has been upgraded to level 3, passing the ball on the move can still be triggered as long as it is within two seconds of receiving the ball!

The first-class passing of 85, without other interference items, was accurately sent to O'Neal who entered the three-second zone.

Jermaine O'Neal catches the ball and takes off, dunks with both hands!
6 to 4, the Clippers lead by two points!

Li Ao's two dunks successfully tore a hole in the "perfect defense" designed by Philip Saunders.

To the Timberwolves offense.

The Clippers completed the offense with 3 consecutive dunks, and the momentum is like a rainbow!

The morale boost brought by the 'Shark' buckle is higher than the morale bonus provided by the 'Pumper'.

The Clippers players' defensive actions became more and more rough, and the Timberwolves players moved very uncomfortable. In addition, they were dunked by the opponent for 3 consecutive rounds, and they played very impatiently.

Except for one -- Kevin Garnett.

Logically speaking, he who was dunked should be the most irritable one, just like he couldn't control his shooting strength in the last round.

But he was irritable for just one round, and now he has become the calmest person in the Timberwolves team. He took the initiative to catch the ball at a high position, transitioned, and passed the ball to Billups to catch the ball.

Trier Brandon is a player from the Jagged Knights that won 90 wins in the early 57s. Although he is stronger than Billups, he is easy to get ahead, and once he gets impatient, he will chug.

And Billups is currently the most calm Timberwolves except Garnett.

Garnett himself is the strongest shrinking defense expert in the league. He knows that the inside scoring ability of his two guard partners can only be bullied by Spiderman and O'Neal.

Billups did not live up to Garnett's trust, he chose outside singles.

But the long two-point shot that broke through the emergency stop was iron!

The Clippers protected the defensive rebounds, switched offense and defense, Greg Anthony and Odom picked and rolled from the top arc, and Li Ao ran back and cut in simultaneously.

After Dean Garrett followed Odom to the free throw line, he immediately turned around and retracted to help Garnett protect the frame.

Greg Anthony has a chance!
Three-point shot after the pick-and-roll...hit!
9 to 4, the Clippers led by 5 points, Philip Sanders called a timeout!

When the whistle sounded, Greg Anthony rushed to Li Ao excitedly, hugging and celebrating.

This is the Timberwolves, he actually has such an easy pick-and-roll three-pointer with the ball!
He made 41.1% of his three-pointers this season, the second highest in his career, and averaged 1.5 three-pointers per game, the highest in his career.

Three-pointers with the ball or off the pick-and-roll are Greg Anthony's strongest offensive method now. He averages 6.3 points and 3.3 assists per game, and more than 70% of his points are based on three-pointers.

But there are not many shots, and he averages 3.7 shots per game, not as many shots as Kidd. The opponents know that his positional battle scoring is only one of his strengths.

On the other side, Philip Sanders looked at the angry players, and he was numb too.

The 'perfect' defense he designed against the Clippers actually became a breakthrough for the opponent to open up the situation!
...

Back from the timeout, the Clippers did not make substitutions.

For the Timberwolves, Philip Sanders replaced two people, Billups and Dean Garrett were replaced, and Anthony Peeler and Nesterovic were replaced.

Flip Sanders likes Billups very much, saying that he has the strongest field control ability.

Even Garnett, when it comes to singles, trusts Billups the most.

But helplessly, Billups is a pure ball-handling player, and he can't get along with Garnett.

Philip Sanders did not accommodate Billups' style of play. With Garnett, no one will use Billups as the core, even if he is really good.

But Philip Sanders still gave Billups more than 20 minutes of playing time per game, because Billups has outstanding defensive ability, and Terrier Brandon can form a meat grinder-level backcourt defense .

Iverson dominated the scoring list this season, but played against the Timberwolves twice in mid-November and early this month, shooting 11% and 35.3% respectively.

Baron Davis has risen this year and is dubbed a 'new-age point guard' along with Steve Francis, but the duo also shot less than 40 percent from the field against the Timberwolves.

Unless it's Mike Bibby, who has accurate peripheral singles shots, or Kobe, who is tall, other top guards will fail when they encounter these two defenses.

After the game restarted, the Timberwolves' offense changed a little bit more.

Anthony Peeler catches and shoots accurately, runs well, and has a beautiful setter. With Garnett as the tactical core, his offensive performance is better than that of Billups. Both rate and playing time can be seen.

Although Nesterovic’s offensive rebounding threat is not as good as Dean Garrett’s, he has a better awareness of eating cakes and has a certain mid-range and long-range shots. He is very suitable for partnering with powerful insiders. Popovich He was the No.98 pick with the 24th pick in the first round, and McHale, who followed the advice of Philip Sanders, cut off his beard at the 1th pick in the first round.

With these two on the field, the Timberwolves played more smoothly. Trier Brandon cut in to receive a pass from Anthony Peeler and made a throw.

But on the defensive end, the Timberwolves couldn't defend.

Big Q fired from the flank and hit a three-pointer!

In the defense of the starting stage, except for the unexpected situation of Li Ao cutting into Garnett, the Timberwolves actually defended very well.

But now Billups has become Anthony Peeler, unable to keep up with the big Q.

Back then, Anthony Peeler was also considered a defensive champion, with good physical fitness, tough style of play, fierce confrontation, and strong stealing ability, but now at the age of 31, his athletic ability has declined rapidly, and he is no longer the mad dog in the backcourt of the Lakers.

In fact, even if Billups is replaced by Anthony Peeler, with Trier Brandon and Garnett, the Timberwolves' defense is still at the mid-range level of the league.

But facing the young Clippers, who are mostly young players and have played aggressively, the mid-level defense is not enough at all!
Nesterovic could only squat under the basket, Greg Anthony had just scored a three-pointer after a pick-and-roll, and Garnett had to expand.

Although Garnett reached the top arc and was within his defensive coverage near the free throw line, Nesterovic was not good enough to defend Odom and O'Neal's two-wing attack, which was beyond his ability.

Without Garnett's mid-to-short-range guard, Szczerbiak really became a pure black hole. After Odom dismantled it, he cut in and passed the ball to Li Ao, and O'Neal received the ball inside and passed it to Li Ao. Can't stop.

Without Billups, not only can't keep up with the big Q's running position, but also the defense ability of the back line is gone. Trier Brandon is only good at single defense. His body size is there, 180 cm, Anthony Pitt A defensive player of this type will degenerate in all aspects as he gets older.

It is equivalent to saying that the Timberwolves' front and back line have two defensive black holes!

Facing the Clippers' increasingly fierce offense, the Timberwolves can only rely on their league's top-level offense and the Clippers' hard steel.

So far this season, the Timberwolves have averaged 98 points per game, sixth in the league.

Faced with the Timberwolves' smooth and tacit tactical cooperation and excellent catch-and-shoot shots, the Clippers couldn't prevent it.

but!

The Clippers have no psychological burden, no fear, only an indomitable momentum!
Spider-Man said something that entered the hearts of his teammates-we are not afraid of losing, and the one who is afraid of losing should be the opposite.

They think this is the truth, very reasonable.

So any Clippers player who has the ball in his hand and thinks there is a chance will shoot decisively, even if it is actually not a good opportunity.

As for the Timberwolves, facing the unstoppable momentum of the Clippers, they played forward and backward. It is obvious that their star personal ability, peripheral shooting firepower, tactical cooperation fluency... are better than the Clippers, but they played very well. Conservative, always thinking about passing the best opportunity before shooting, but his performance was no better than that of the Clippers.

首节比分29比26，快船队领先3分；第二节比分24比28，总比分来到53比54，快船队被反超1分；第三节比分27比22，森林狼队单节出现5次失误，快船队打出多次反击，以80比76反超森林狼队4分进入末节……

At 10 minutes and 40 seconds into the final quarter, the Clippers continued to maintain a weak lead with 103 to 101 and had the ball!

The current lineup on the field, Timberwolves: Billups, Trier Brandon, Szczerbiak, Garnett, Nesterovic; Clippers: McGinnis, Big Q, Li Ao , Odom, O'Neal.

Billips, as always, was reused by Philip Sanders at critical moments, and Garnett handed over the offensive leadership at this time.

It's the Clippers offense again.

The Timberwolves defended quite well this time, and Li Ao was forced to come to the right side of the three-second zone and rely on Szczerbiak to respond.

After McGinnis passed the ball to Li Ao, the Timberwolves immediately began to go around frantically, preventing others from responding to Li Ao's pass.

There is not much time left for the attack in this round, so Li Ao can only come by himself.

Feeling the fierce confrontation behind him, Li Ao knew that the ball could not be directly forced, because the gap between strength and weight was too great.

Then use that!
Li Ao struggled to lean against Szczerbiak, protecting the ball with his left hand and dribbling with his right.

Szczerbiak held Li Ao firmly and continued to fight.

Li Ao turned around to the right, and Szczerbiak immediately went up to him...it was empty!
Li Ao turned right and turned halfway to stop his foot. The ball bounced off his right hand and pulled back to the left. He turned around suddenly and turned left 270 degrees... He staggered and took a step toward the basket, but his body stabilized. After the ball that was pulled back bounced up, it was held firmly!

However, Szczerbiak, who pressed the defense with all his strength and rushed to the air, was not so lucky. He played a handsome guy and fell to the ground!

Li Ao, who stood firm and grabbed the ball, jumped up immediately, ignoring Garnett who rushed up from close range, and shot decisively...

When the 'stop level 3' is triggered, Li Ao's 'emergency stop jumper' is greatly weakened by the impact of his body balance due to the emergency stop, and his core strength is supplemented, and he feels very stable when shooting.

Garnett's defensive action was ferocious and fast, but the distance was too far. When he jumped up and reached out to block Li Ao's shot, the ball had already flown above Garnett's head.

Li Ao made a sudden stop and hit a jumper with a back hit and a sudden step!

The Timberwolves called a timeout!
Thunderous cheers broke out at the scene, 105 to 101, with 58 seconds left, and the lead expanded to 4 points!
The offensive fans are already desperate for this round, and it's almost 24 seconds.

But their Spider-Man has come up with a new trick, back-hitting and scoring!

Although there was almost a 'Jordan flutter'...

But the ball was scored, and looking at Li Ao's handsome face on the big screen, the fans felt that even if Li Ao threw the ball like Jordan, he would still be handsome!

But those who want to watch "Jordan Punch" are not disappointed, Spider-Man did not pounce, Timberwolves' "ticket seller" Szczerbiak pounced!

The Clippers players were more excited than the fans.

Li Ao returned to the bench and heard a series of "I buy Karma".

The teammates know that Li Ao has been developing back-ups for the past two days, but it has only been developed for a few days?Use it at the critical moment!
Li Ao is also very excited. Combining high backs with emergency stops and jump shots, plus "stop level 3", this offensive development idea is correct!

...

After a timeout, the Timberwolves serve from the center line and attack.

The Timberwolves replaced Dean Garrett to strengthen offensive rebounds, and the other four remained unchanged.

The Clippers had a lot of substitutions, and a combination of Li Ao, Big Q, Odom, Jermaine O'Neal, and Chris Mihm played.

The Clippers can't play offensively with this lineup, but when the Timberwolves saw the lineup on the opposite side, they felt a strong sense of oppression, too high!The shortest big Q is 198 cm!

Especially Billups who advanced to the top arc, he suddenly felt that Li Ao had become extremely tall, as if the only big spider was in his sight!
Billups shook his head quickly a few times, and the feeling of wanting to escape was restrained.

He couldn't believe that he felt intimidated by a rookie.

But he had to believe it, because the sense of oppression was still there, it was just his strong psychological quality that held it back.

Billups noticed the movement of his teammates and began to play alone.

When he saw that Szczerbiak used Garnett to cover, he couldn't get rid of O'Neal who was changing defenses, and he knew he was coming.

Billups changed direction and made a breakthrough, but it's okay if he didn't make a breakthrough. After getting in touch with Li Ao, the feeling that Li Ao is getting taller and taller came again!

Billups took a step back, exited the three-point line, took off, and shot a three-pointer...

He wants to use shooting to repel this strong sense of oppression... "Pa"...

Li Ao slapped Billups' three-pointer away!

Li Ao did not lose his position, and Billups stepped back and shot directly, which was tantamount to finding a hat!
At a 45-degree angle on the left, Trier Brandon's big Q quickly rushed forward to grab the ball, and went down all the way, scoring two points with one hand.

The key CIC + block, Li Ao detonated the audience!
The fans cheered wildly, shouting 'Spiderman' and 'Leo'.

107 to 101, the point difference came to 6 points, they sealed the victory!

The opponent this time is the Timberwolves, the Timberwolves with superstar Kevin Garnett averaging 22+10+5 per game!

The Timberwolves still had a short timeout that was useless, but Philip Sanders didn't call a timeout again. The offensive tactics just arranged hadn't been played out yet, and there was no better tactic available for calling a timeout.

It's not that he can't think of tactics, but that he lacks the key link in tactics-attacking players.

Billups is the only one who can play hard shots, but Billups is good at three-pointers and long two-pointers, which happened to be restrained by the opponent's Spider-Man.

Garnett has top-level scoring ability, and scoring more than 20 points per game is as easy as drinking water, but let him single-play Odom or O'Neal at this time...it is better to let Billups single-play Li Ao.

In the last 30 seconds, neither team scored.

At 10:27 p.m., the final whistle blew.

李敖拿到18分7板9助攻1抢断4盖帽、小奥尼尔16分、大Q17分、奥多姆14分11板6助攻、马盖蒂14分、格雷格-安东尼11分……快船队6人得分上双，以107比101爆冷击败森林狼队，拿下本赛季第2次三连胜！

(End of this chapter)