May 29, 2004.
Minnesota, Target Center Arena.
This is the home court of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
All 20,456 seats in the auditorium on all sides were full, and there was a sea of people.
Although it is a small-market team that has just joined the NBA for fifteen seasons,
But this year's Timberwolves have reached their peak in team history.
Under the leadership of "Three-Headed Monster" Kevin Garnett, "Madman" Sprewell and "Alien" Cassell,
The Timberwolves not only won 58 games in the regular season,
Overwhelming the Lakers who have F4 (O'Neal, Kobe, Gaga, Payton) to win the first place in the Western Conference,
In the playoffs, they even eliminated the Denver Nuggets (4:1) and the Sacramento Kings (4:2), reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history.
But in a high-end game like the Western Conference Finals, facing the powerful Lakers with F4, coupled with the injury of the team's All-Star point guard Sam Cassell,
However, the Timberwolves seemed unable to continue. After the first four games of the series, they were already trailing 1:3.
On the court at this time, the game had reached 8 minutes and 02 seconds of the fourth quarter.
"Snapped!"
As Derek Fisher swooped in to steal the basketball from Darrick Martin to Garnett,
Kobe also turned over immediately, received the pass from Lao Yu, and faced the "madman" Sprewell who was struggling to return to defense.
He goes directly to the basket, without fear of aerial confrontation, and the reverse pull is a signature gorgeous back dunk.
"Boom!"
The Lakers also extended their lead to 12 points.
Timberwolves (73): (85) Lakers.
After completing the explosive fast break dunk, Kobe was also emotional and spat out trash talk at "Madman" Sprewell:
"Old guy, you want to guard me? Are you worthy? You should have retired a long time ago!"
Kobe Bryant is in great form tonight. So far, he has made 9 of 19 shots, 3 of 7 three-pointers, 4 of 6 free throws, 25 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 1 steal.
He has the highest score among the Lakers and is second only to "Wolf King" Kevin Garnett's current 27 points.
"Madman" mainly defended Kobe tonight. Although he failed to limit Kobe's explosion,
But he also made 9 of 17 shots on the offensive end, 21 points and 5 rebounds.
The two can only be regarded as mutual blows at best, and as the team's second scoring point, "Madman" is even more efficient than Kobe.
With Sam Cassell injured and retired, Sprewell and Garnett took on the responsibilities of team leaders.
However, in the last 8 minutes of the game, the team was trailing by 12 points. In addition, the team was trailing by 1:3 in the series.
The Timberwolves are clearly on the precipice of being eliminated.
Tonight's Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals is likely to be the glorious last dance of the "Three-Headed Monster" in the 2003-04 season.
The "madman", who was already grumpy, couldn't bear it when faced with Kobe's arrogant trash talk. He clenched his fists and rushed forward:
"If you yell again if you dare, believe it or not, I will blow your dog's head off with one punch!"
"Madman" Sprewell is a well-known villain in the NBA. When he refused to obey the discipline of the Golden State Warriors, he choked head coach P.J. Carlesimo, almost killing him.
The league also dealt with it seriously after the incident and was directly suspended for 68 games.
What is even more surprising is that during the suspension period, Sprewell was also under house arrest by the local police for three months because of drunk driving and hitting someone...
Although Kobe is the most popular star in the NBA today,
But "Madman" is also a veteran figure in the alliance. He has never seen any big storms. How could he be bullied by a junior?
The Timberwolves players knew the character of "Madman" best. Garnett was the first to rush forward and stopped in front of "Madman" to avoid the escalation of the conflict between the two sides.
"Latrell, there's no need to be rough with a QJF, you're just trying to be careful!"
Garnett's trash talk is definitely unique in the league. This understatement, which seemed to be trying to persuade a fight, actually made Kobe instantly furious.
After all, the "Eagle County Incident" happened less than a year ago, and Kobe fell out of favor in the league because of it.
David Stern is more interested in cultivating the 2003 No. 1 pick LeBron James into a new face of the league.
"Kevin, shut your stinky mouth, tonight is the end of you and the team!"
"I will personally send you home to fish!"
Although he talks tough, Kobe doesn't dare to really fight against "Madman" and "Wolf King". He can't beat either of these two guys.
Seeing Kobe's side facing off one against two, Fisher and Devin George also rushed forward.
The three referees immediately rushed to control the situation and the conflict did not worsen.
On the other hand, the three old guys on the Lakers side, O'Neal, Karl Magong and Gary Payton, are another camp in the team.
Seeing the conflict between Kobe and "Madman", he always watched the excitement from the sidelines without any intention of stepping forward to help Kobe.
This season, although the Los Angeles Lakers have introduced two superstars, Karl Magong and Gary Payton, to form a luxury version of the Lakers F4,
But after all, Magong and Payton are already in the twilight years of their careers, and their combat effectiveness has declined rapidly.
Coupled with the intensification of conflicts between Kobe and O'Neal within the team, it is well known that the Black Mamba wants to seize the heir.
Therefore, the Lakers, who appear to be strong on the surface, are not united. Under the appearance of winning, there is hidden trouble.
This is also the main reason why the Lakers were swept by the civilian Pistons 4:1 in the 2004 Finals.
Even in this round of the Western Conference finals, if Sam Cassel is not injured, it will be difficult for the Lakers to defeat the Timberwolves.
After all, "Alien" Cassel's importance to the Timberwolves this season is second only to new MVP Kevin Garnett.
And with two championship rings in his hand, the 34-year-old experienced Cassel is the team's real leader in the locker room.
It can only be said that this series won by the Lakers was not glorious, which is why the Timberwolves team is unconvinced.
"Beep!"
The referee gave Kobe and "Madman" a technical foul each, and the free throws canceled each other out.
Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders quickly called another long timeout.
At this time, he frowned, facing the "Zen Master" who was sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, there was nothing he could do.
In the era of big ball with a slow offensive and defensive rhythm, and in the Western Conference finals where bayonets are red,
Want to recover 12 points in the last 8 minutes,
It can be said to be a very difficult thing.
"Latrell, Kevin, we must not be angered by Kobe. We must stay rational, otherwise we will lose the last chance to make a comeback!"
"The focus of the Lakers' defense is on the two of you, so you must trust your teammates, attract double teams, and pass the ball to the open teammates at the same time!"
"Wally Szczerbiak and Fred Hoiberg,"
"Both of you shot over 50% tonight. The team needs you to continue to stand up and provide firepower support at the last moment!"
"Wolf King" clenched his fists and looked very angry.
"If Sam was here, how could we be beaten by the Lakers tonight? Mader, the team doesn't even have a decent open space now. I'm so frustrated!"
While venting his emotions, Garnett also glared at Darrick Martin across from him.
Backup point guard Darrick Martin was trembling with fear. He knew that his low-level mistake just now made the team boss very dissatisfied.
Flip Saunders is actually not satisfied with Darrick Martin's performance. He has committed 3 turnovers and 4 fouls tonight.
But he still patted the other person on the shoulder to show encouragement.
The Timberwolves are already tight on point guards this season.
Apart from Sam Cassel, there is only a third-rate Darrick Martin left.
You can't expect him to perform at a super level.
At this moment,
A bold idea suddenly popped into Phillip Sanders' mind.
He knew very well that if he continued to play his cards according to the usual routine, the possibility of the team completing a major reversal would be almost zero.
Turning his head to look at the handsome Asian man with empty eyes sitting on the bench, Phillip Sanders made a decision by mistake:
"Lin, you come on next and replace Darrick Martin!"
Lin Fei, who was sitting on the bench, heard the head coach's call. Suddenly his eyes flashed and he came back from his thoughts.
At the same time, with excitement and complicated emotions, I accepted the reality of my time travel.
"I...actually traveled through time!"
The original owner of the body was also named Lin Fei. His parents died in a car accident and left Lin Fei a sum of compensation.
After Lin Fei finished his freshman year in Imperial City, he decided to participate in the 2003 NBA draft as an overseas rookie, despite the opposition of those around him.
But the reality is cruel, Lin Fei lost the election.
Fortunately, he got a non-guaranteed basic salary contract with the Timberwolves, with an annual salary of $350,000.
"Coach, did I hear you correctly? You...really want me to play?"
Lin Fei was completely confused. Was this the beginning of hell when he just crossed over?
In G5 of the Western Conference Finals, the team fell behind by 12 points in the final quarter, and their opponent was the powerful Los Angeles Lakers.
He is a thin defender from China who is only 1.92 meters tall and weighs 85 kilograms. Isn't he looking for abuse when he comes on the court?
Even if the opponent doesn't abuse him, he will still be scolded to death by the boss of his team, the "Wolf King", right?
Forget it, just go ahead and show up in the NBA Western Conference Finals. Even if you get abused, it's worth it.
Facing the head coach's decisive nod, when Lin Fei took off his jacket and revealed the Timberwolves No. 22 jersey on his body,
The long-lost system voice in my mind also arrived late:
[Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully traveling through time. He is about to step onto the stage of the NBA Western Conference Finals and unlock the NBA free attribute system]
Lin Fei clenched his fists instantly, and his blood boiled all over. This system must have arrived just in time!
