NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"Here's the thing, we've all been fooled! It's my fault that I didn't discover the plans and dirty tricks of those bastards in the walkers in time, which led to us being in this predicament now."

"My idea is very simple. If we continue to play with all our strength in this game, we will probably lose even more miserably than the last game! And we will also incur a lot of unnecessary consumption."

"So, we give up this game tonight! We accept the 2:0 deficit and we fight back from the away game! We start from the away game and go all out to beat the Pacers!"

"I know it's hard! I know it's a hard road, and I know this decision will put us in a desperate situation."

"But if we want to win, this is our last chance! Maybe even our only chance!"

"Whether you support me or want to fight for this game, you decide."

Well, Sanders’ last sentence was actually bullshit.

At this point in the game, we are already 27 points behind.

Fight? Fight for nothing!
Therefore, Sanders didn't actually let the Timberwolves players choose. He simply gave them this only one way!

In this game, the Timberwolves' main players only played one quarter, so their consumption was negligible. There would be a two-day gap between the third and fourth games because they had to fly from Minnesota to Indiana. If the night of the second game and the day of the third game were added, the Timberwolves would get a full three days of rest!

Adding the two days between the first and second games, and taking into account all the odd moments, the Timberwolves can get almost five days of rest!

enough!
It’s enough for the players to recover and have a real fight with the Pacers!

Sanders believed that in desperate situations, his team would definitely be able to unleash unparalleled strength. Even if they fell into a desperate situation of 0:2 on the road, he believed that his players would not give up!

As long as the Timberwolves win two of the next three away games, they can bring the series back to Minnesota!

Then we will definitely win the series!

At the start of the second half, Sanders was full of confidence!
He believed that he had found the only viable route out of despair! Even though it was a road full of thorns, Sanders believed that he could do it!
He even had other ideas!
In the second half of the game, when the Pacers saw that the Timberwolves did not play their main players and surrendered directly, would they be angry? Would they go crazy? Would they attack frantically, beat them to death, and then win the game by 40 or even 50 points to vent their anger?
It would be better this way!

Well, Saunders really hopes that the Pacers can lose their minds, beat their own team to death, and create a new record for the largest score difference in history!
Now, it's your turn, the Pacers, to make heavy consumption, and then we'll take advantage of the situation!

Then, in the second half of the game, when the confident Sanders sat in his chair and looked at the opponent's lineup with his extremely wise eyes, he almost vomited blood.

Shameless!
Shameless!

There are actually five substitute players on the court!
Even Parker and Howard, the two main substitutes who played for a lot of time in the first half, were not there!
The Pacers are also starting to play badly!

Even more thorough than the Timberwolves!
At the very least, Sanders' idea of ​​letting the Pacers' main players consume their physical energy and release their energy on the court was aborted.

All I can say is: the Pacers have Bird, Carlisle and Lin Tian, ​​three generations of insidious kings. That’s true. When it comes to dirty tricks, no team in the league can compare to them!

This kind of psychological dirtiness can sometimes cause more damage to the opponent than physical dirtiness!

After both teams sent out pure substitute lineups at the beginning of the third quarter, the most angry people were not the fans at the scene, not the fans watching in front of the TV, and not Barkley and Kenny.

The angriest person is Stern!

This is fucking destroying my reputation! How can my alliance allow such blatant mutual letdowns?

He was really furious!
Then Stern picked up the phone without any hesitation and called the bosses of both parties, and started to criticize them wildly!
At this time, the angry old man doesn’t care whether you are a billionaire or a bigger household, I’m going to scold both of you today!
Although the old man Stern is usually cheerful, the big bosses often look down on him for no reason and act as if they don't take him seriously.

But at this time tonight, both sides knew very well that the old man was really angry and really out of control.

At a time like this, the top bosses who have reached this level and stage will certainly not give Stern face. They know very well when to confront him and when to give in.

For example, during the lockout, the reason why both sides were able to successfully resume the game in February was not only because both labor and management were unable to hold on, but also because Stern's rage and threat to completely end the league season and shut down the entire season were important triggers for the two sides to compromise.

This old man is still very prestigious.

So, at this time, both bosses chose to obey.

Whatever you say, we'll do it!
Just after Stern hung up the phone, Bird, who was watching the game with the team, received a call from his boss Simon. Simon warned Bird on the phone and told him that this situation must not happen again!

But of course, Simon's tone was still very calm, and he was mainly relaying.

After all, this game is held at the Target Center, not at our Conseco Center.

The bad reputation is caused by you in Minnesota. It has nothing to do with us in Indiana!
When we get to our home court we will play well and bring out the intensity and excitement of the game. If the whole team plays beautifully, then that’s it!
Bird was not criticized at all. The boss just asked him to pay attention in the next game. But the Timberwolves were not so easy to deal with.

It is true that the team owner was sitting in the box, but he didn't watch the game at all. As for what he was doing in the box?
Can't tell! Secret.

But anyway, if Stern hadn't called, he wouldn't even know that the team didn't have the main players in the second half, so after receiving the call and being inexplicably scolded, this guy immediately rushed to the court in anger and went all the way to the back of the bench.

"Philip, you have to give me an explanation! Or let Allen and Kevin play now!"

Sanders looked back and saw that it was his boss. He was not afraid at all and said directly and firmly: "Go, we can't win. We need to save strength and energy for the next game. We consumed too much energy in the Western Conference Finals!"

"We give up this game, but we'll go all out in the next one. This is our only chance to win the championship!"

"What about our fans? They'll protest! They'll be angry!"

"If we win the next game, they won't be angry. If we win the championship trophy, they won't be angry." Sanders still didn't give in. "I don't want to say more. This is how it is. It's that simple. Whether you can accept it or not, this is the only way tonight's game."

"Even if you want to fire me, you have to wait until the game is over. No matter what happens, Allen and Kevin will not play tonight!"

The team owner looked at Sanders's decisive and unquestionable expression and simply snorted, "You said it."

"If we can't win this round of games and we can't get the championship trophy, I want you to resign this offseason!"

"A word is settled!"

The Timberwolves owner got angry, then turned and left, returned to his private room and called Stern.

As for Sanders?
He didn't take the team owner's words to heart at all.

He knew very well that the old man was just bragging.

Which boss would directly fire a coach who just led the team to the finals and has a good relationship with the players?
Are you crazy?

The boss just came here, obviously to save face and feel good. In all likelihood, the league knew about the situation of this game and came here specifically to intervene!

After this small episode where the game situation did not change at all after the league intervened, the game progressed at a rapid pace.

The quality of the game played by both sides was extremely low, and the level was at most that of the preseason. There were countless low-level mistakes and various missed shots on both sides. Apart from the rapidly increasing number of turnovers and fouls on the court, the speed of increase in other technical statistics was quite limited.

The substitutes of the two teams fought back and forth throughout the second half of the game, but neither team gained the upper hand.

Finally, when the whistle sounded at the end of the game, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's finally over!" Barkley cheered the moment the game ended!
The second half of the game was a torment for everyone.

For others, they can turn off the TV, leave early, or use other methods to escape from such a round of games.

But Barkley and Kenny can't do that!

They can't just give up and leave, right?

They had to stay in the studio and commentate on the game.

But when the content of the game between the two sides was really unremarkable and there was nothing to explain, Barkley and Kenny could only make crazy associations, from the weather in Minnesota to the history here, from the annual results and draft since the team was founded to their team-building ideas.

Finally, he turned back and began to talk about the local customs and culture of Minnesota and the interesting experiences the two had when they came here to play away games.

Just as the two of them had been chatting awkwardly for almost the entire second half and were about to start analyzing which nightclub in Minnesota was more fun, the whistle for the end of the game finally sounded.

"I really hope that the next game won't be like this again." Kenny said with a lingering fear after Barkley's statement: "I don't want to have such a commentary experience again! This kind of thing, once in a lifetime is enough!"

"God bless me that I never have to commentate on a game like this again, and God bless my colleagues that they never have to experience a bad night like this again."

Barkley followed up with: "I can't believe this is the finals. I can't believe it! Both teams actually played like this in the finals."

“But on the other hand, the next game will definitely be very exciting!”

Barkley, who was complaining, suddenly heard the director's instructions coming from the headset. They asked Barkley and Kenny to look forward to the next game carefully, and it would be best if they could describe the next game as the battle of the century.

Otherwise, judging from the ratings of the second half of this game, the ratings of the next finals will most likely drop significantly!

We must retain the audience as much as possible and provide them with some gimmicks!
"They did it on purpose." Barkley said some nonsense, and then said: "They are all accumulating strength, they are waiting for the final battle! After all, the Timberwolves have gone through such an epic Western Conference Finals, and they are all very tired."

"They chose to rest tonight. They chose to recharge their batteries tonight and then give their best in the game two days later!"

"Yes! That's right! It must be like that! So I think the next game will be the most exciting finals of this season or even this century! At the very least, it can be discussed as one of the most exciting ones!"

The suffering that Barkley and Kenny endured was basically the suffering endured by everyone who watched the game tonight.

So boring!

Even the main players of both teams on the bench felt that this game was a torture.

It's really boring.

That bad feeling made most players on both sides feel guilty.

It's the kind of guilt that comes from feeding someone shit and making them vomit.

People who can have this kind of guilt sense can still be saved and still have a conscience.

But there are always a few people who are exceptions without conscience.

For example, Lin Tian.

This guy didn't feel embarrassed at all, he just felt a little disappointed.

The Timberwolves reacted so quickly.

If they can fight for another half in the second half today, the Pacers will basically secure the victory in the next game.

such a pity!
Today, both Iverson and Garnett played only one quarter before going off to rest, which is such a pity.

However, at this time Lin Tian also felt a little excited!
These two games were really boring.

Then when both sides are destined to be bombarded by public opinion and face waves of blood and criticism, both the Timberwolves and the Pacers will definitely gain extra motivation and morale, and then burst out at their best level!
So what Barkley said is actually not wrong.

In the next game, both sides will most likely play the best game of their careers!
The real peak battle!
At the same time, it is also possible that this is the only real duel left in this season!
Lin Tian doesn't care what kind of energy the Timberwolves can burst out at this time. Anyway, he wants to win!
In the first two games, we used so many strategies and made so many moves, and we got a 2:0 lead as we wished. But if we can't withstand the firepower of the Timberwolves when it comes to a real head-on confrontation, it will be a shame!

Mr. Lin can’t afford to lose face!
Must sweep!

Head-on confrontation and conspiracy, I, Mr. Lin, want them all!

If you win, you have to win completely!

That night, both Sanders and Carlisle knew what their disciples would experience and what they would encounter.

So both of them fulfilled the responsibilities of a head coach.

Protect your players.

They did not allow their players to attend the press conference, but instead went out to face the media's questioning and ridicule, and to accept their judgment.

As for the players of both teams, the two head coaches not only did not allow them to attend the post-match press conference, but also helped them reject all interview invitations. They both strengthened the team's security, leaving reporters with no chance to interview their players in any way.

They all knew that at this time, the best way was to protect the players, isolate them from the world, and prevent them from being disturbed by external voices!

Only in this way can our players be in the best condition to face the third game of the series, which is also the real ultimate battle to the death for both sides!

It turns out that what these two head coaches did was quite correct.

That night, the entire basketball community across the United States and even the world expressed a variety of opinions on this game.

Many people can analyze that the two teams need to conserve their strength and then make a final effort, bursting out a lot of energy to duel in the third game.

But although this statement has a market, and although many people believe that this is true, belief does not mean approval, nor does it mean that everyone can forgive these two teams for playing such a bad game at this time and on this stage.

This is beyond the bottom line of many fans.

For a time, the whole community was filled with criticism of these two teams, with all kinds of comments being made, some of them very harsh!
At the same time, while the public was madly launching a violent attack on the players of these two teams, the two teams boarded planes to Indiana at the same time.

None of them stayed overnight in Minnesota, they all chose to fly overnight to Indiana and get some rest there!

They will be able to rest for almost 70 consecutive hours in Indiana, which is also the last rest time for both sides in this round of series!
After the third battle, no matter what the outcome, neither side would be in the mood to rest.

They all confirmed that the third battle would be a duel!
During these two days, players from both teams did not conduct any intensive training, and all their tasks were to recover!
To restore physical strength, regain form, find the touch, and maintain the feeling of the game, neither coach arranged any new tactics, nor prepared too many new things to welcome this game.

As I said, everyone has already revealed all their cards!
In the next game, the two sides will compete on the spot performance and the breath! Whoever has a longer and stronger breath will win the game!

.........

Two days later at the Conseco Center, Indiana fans obviously did not show any resistance because of the poor performance of both teams in the second game of the series. The fans still filled the entire arena early.

Apart from the fans' unabated passion, the players on both sides remained indifferent and quiet tonight.

No one was playing or joking during the warm-up, and no one was greeting or chatting with the opposing players.

Both sides are trying their best to get into the right state while adjusting their feelings in every detail.

Whether the insole is comfortable, whether the shoelaces are tight enough, whether the leggings are thick enough, whether the angles and tightness of various protective gear are just right, etc.

The silence of both parties added an extra sense of solemnity to the game!

Even the fans on the sidelines, the commentators in front of the TV and the people watching the game could feel an invisible pressure looming over the court.

Everything indicates that this game will be very exciting! It will definitely be a top feast that will not lose to the Western Conference Finals and the Pacers' first round black eight!

As both sides finished their warm-up, the Pacers did not change their starting lineup and still used the traditional two big and three small lineup.

The Timberwolves changed their main lineup tonight. The team took off the starting center Nesterovic and replaced him with the team's top scorer Szczerbiak on the bench!

Generally speaking, the Timberwolves' recognized 'strongest lineup' is only used in the fourth quarter of the game or the more crucial second half of the fourth quarter!
At least when they faced the Lakers, they never used this starting lineup to play against the Lakers!

Sanders' substitution tonight also shows his determination!
We must be determined to do everything we can to win the game tonight!

After tonight, the score is 1:2 and the Timberwolves still have a chance.

If the score is 0:3 after tonight, the Timberwolves can book their vacation tickets in advance. Although it is not a win or go home game, its importance and influence are definitely no less!

"We know what tricks you played in the first two games!" When players from both sides walked onto the court and prepared to kick off, Iverson couldn't help himself and became the first person to speak to the opposing players tonight.

"Don't even think about playing that tonight!"

“Really?” Lin Tian curled his lips and said disdainfully: “You are so amazing that you discovered our conspiracy! So amazing that you are now 0:2 behind.”

"People who don't know would think you are so great! Our plan has been perfectly successful, but you just discovered our plan. What's the point? Your daughter is pregnant and you just remembered that you didn't bring an umbrella on that wonderful night. Is that useful?"

Lin Tian's words left Iverson speechless. He could only resort to swearing again: "FUXX! Don't think you can always win by relying on such a filthy thing!"

"We will always win, Allen." Lin Tian bent down, supported his knees with both hands and said: "No matter what method we use, we will always win!"

"And you will experience an extremely painful off-season! You will spend the entire off-season in pain, regret and loss!"

"Let's wait and see! Let's see who will suffer the whole summer!" Iverson once again accepted the reality that he was no match for Lin Tian in verbal battles. He turned around decisively and left, ready to receive the ball and attack.

If you keep talking, I'll lose my mind!
It’s better to shut up!

The referee stood in the center circle, looked at Miller and Garnett on both sides, nodded, and then put the whistle in his mouth.

"Dudu!"

With a whistle, the basketball flew into the air. Garnett, who played as center because Nesterovic went down, immediately showed his unparalleled talent and easily got the first wave of ball possession for the team.

"Kevin, you are so good at jumping balls, why don't you jump balls normally and play center directly? Is it because you are selfish?" Garnett had just landed when he heard a voice that almost made him slip and fall.

Garnett looked up and saw Lin Tian smiling at him in a nasty way. After cursing in his heart, he ignored Lin Tian and decisively turned around and left, going to the frontcourt to prepare for the attack.

The first key to the Timberwolves' victory tonight: Don't talk too much to Lin Tian! So as to maintain a balanced and stable mentality.

Iverson was fooled before the game even started, and Garnett must not repeat the same mistake.

Cassell slowly moved the ball to the frontcourt. This time he was not in a hurry to give the ball to Iverson. Instead, he let Iverson run without the ball. Then Cassell let Garnett come forward, and after a pick-and-roll with him, he faced Miller.

Facing Miller who was not moving fast enough, Cassell jumped up and made a mid-range jump shot!

Although there were no major changes in the Timberwolves' personnel, the team's tactics at the beginning of the game were completely different from before.

Completely different from the Timberwolves who no longer play with superstars, the Pacers' offense is still initiated by Lin Tian!
They don't have as many offensive initiators and ball controllers as the Timberwolves. This entire season, they only have Lin Tian!

While dribbling the ball, Lin Tian waved his hands to signal everyone to get out of his way. Then facing Cassell, Lin Tian suddenly accelerated and passed by Cassell cleanly. Then he just moved one step towards the three-point line, and Garnett's tall figure had already arrived!

After resting for so many days in a row, Garnett's movement speed and defensive strength have indeed improved by at least one level!
At the same time, it's not just Garnett who has changed in the Timberwolves!

Just as Garnett moved up to defend Lin Tian, ​​the flaw in the interior caused by his moving up had been filled by others, and Cassell had even moved to Christie next to Lin Tian. The entire Timberwolves' defensive lineup seemed to have turned in a circle, but there were still no flaws, no loopholes, and no missed people!

interesting!
Facing Garnett's close defense, Lin Tian first dribbled the ball and quickly took a half step back, making everyone think that Lin Tian was going to walk out of the three-point line and reorganize. Then, at the moment when Garnett relaxed a little, Lin Tian suddenly lowered his center of gravity, suddenly accelerated, and flashed past Garnett!

Even though Garnett's agility is unique and bug-level among all 7-foot tall people, he is still not good enough when facing Lin Tian's speed!
He could only manage to turn around, and then tried his best to step forward and chase, but it was completely too late!

He couldn't catch up with Lin Tian at all!
When Garnett just ran to the edge of the 3-second zone, Lin Tian had already completed a one-arm dunk and sent the basketball into the basket!

2: 2!

"Too slow." After scoring the goal, Lin Tian did not forget to turn around and sneer.

It's not to make Garnett lose his mind, it's just to say it feels good!
"If you want to defend me, you need to have at least Allen's speed plus your height and wingspan to barely get behind me and eat my exhaust!"

Garnett chose to ignore Lin Tian's trash talk. He silently returned to the baseline, then passed the ball and let Cassell continue dribbling forward.

This time, neither Lin Tian nor Christie chose to press the entire court, nor did they closely guard Iverson and Cassell from the frontcourt.

Because they all knew that this game was a seesaw battle, a real duel! The kind of defense that was full of intensity from the beginning would only make them exhaust all their physical energy first.

This evening, we have to take it slow!

After Cassell came to the frontcourt, he once again did not give the ball to Iverson or Garnett. This time he gave the ball to Sprewell who was blocking Artest's pass in the low post.

The 'madman' blocked the 'beast' with his back to him, then suddenly turned around and pushed Artest towards the basket, but who is Artest? Except for Lin Tian, ​​no one in this league can subdue him!
This guy is using all his strength to fight head-on with Sprewell in the low post!

There were bursts of sounds of muscles colliding. Sprewell tried many times, but found that he could not get into the inside at all. He changed his tactics very quickly. Suddenly he took a step back to create distance, then straightened his knees and raised his head, as if he was going to shoot.

Of course, his clumsy way of praying to Buddha did not fool Artest!
Artest was not moved at all, still maintaining his center of gravity and continuing to defend Sprewell closely.

But his goal was not to shake Artest off, but to suddenly make a one-handed ground pass to Cassell who was cutting to the other side. After getting the ball, Cassell took three steps, attracted the defense again, and then passed the ball to Szczerbiak who was at a 45-degree angle on the other side.

The Timberwolves' top 3-point shooter drew his bow and shot directly at Haslem who was rushing out from the inside!

The 3-point ball drew an arc and went into the pocket accurately!

"Shh!"

In this shot, the Timberwolves definitely played as a team!

Except for the two top stars, the other three players all had opportunities to handle the ball and to shoot!
This can be considered as the change of the Timberwolves tonight!

Let the ace duo of Iverson and Garnett make a feint attack first to attract the Pacers' defensive focus, and the rest of the people will complete the offense!

As for the firepower and physical fitness of the two superstars, there is no doubt that Sanders will be saved for more important times!
Compared to the changes made by the Timberwolves, the Pacers still played in a very simple and rough manner.

Lin Tian!

Just beat Lin Tian!
The Pacers' offensive round was still a one-on-one breakthrough after Lin Tian opened up. This time he dribbled the ball twice in the Timberwolves' territory, and then attracted a double-team from three Timberwolves before suddenly making a one-handed ground pass near the free throw line without looking at anyone.

The basketball passed between Sprewell's legs and flew straight to the basket.

After Miller got the ball, he jumped up on the spot and made a two-handed dunk to score another 2 points for the team!
Although it has only been two rounds so far, the tactics and main playing styles of both sides in the opening stage have been clearly revealed!

One word can explain the tactical difference between the two sides!

Team VS Individual! (End of this chapter)