On the court, the Pistons attack.
Billups didn't take advantage of Cassel, so he took the initiative to find Hamilton.
This time, the Masked Man didn't even use any cover. He got rid of Hassell through continuous counter runs, received a pass from Billups, and took another mid-range shot.
"Clang!"
This time it didn't happen. Olowokandi gritted his teeth under the basket and resisted the attack, and the Wolf King flew over to grab the rebound.
The Pistons' defensive return was very timely, reflecting strict military discipline. Cassel could only maintain a steady rhythm and play positional warfare.
The Wolf King's big jump shot at the buzzer close to 24 seconds was successfully interfered by Rasheed Wallace. The basketball missed, and the Pistons protected the rebound and launched a counterattack.
Rasheed Wallace received a pass from Billups after the pick-and-roll and directly chose to break through the basket.
However, the Wolf King who followed up followed him and sent him a flying shot to catch the ball.
"Snapped!"
The Timberwolves counterattacked quickly, and Cassel made a long pass to "Madman". The latter threw against Prince's breakthrough and the ball finally went in.
"Uh-huh!"
The defense of both teams was suffocating at the beginning, and the offensive and defensive rhythm was also very slow. The sound of iron hitting the baskets on both sides took turns.
The game lasted for nearly 4 minutes, and the two teams scored a total of only 8 points.
Timberwolves (4): (4) Pistons.
The Wolf King broke through with the ball and caused Rasheed's shooting hitter to foul. He went to the free throw line and made one of two free throws, finally breaking the scoring drought.
"Clang!"
"Uh-huh!"
Looking back, Ben Wallace caught the ball between the left corner and the basket. Olowokandi put it far away, making sure that Ben did not shoot.
Hamilton suddenly moved from the top of the arc to the bottom corner, using the roaring sky as a cover, quickly shook off Hassell and came to the left bottom corner behind Ben.
When Ben passed the ball back to Hamilton behind him, he also took a step sideways, delaying Hassell's pursuit.
Hassell struggled to get around Ben Ben and attack Hamilton sideways, but in the end he was still half a beat too late.
"Uh-huh!"
"Beep!"
The basketball went hollow into the net, and at the same time the referee's whistle sounded, and Hassell paid for the thug's foul.
2+1.
Before half the quarter was played, Hassell had already received two fouls. Flip Saunders, who was sitting on the sidelines, frowned.
"Uh-huh!"
Hamilton, who stepped to the free throw line, also made the extra free throw and successfully scored 3 points.
Timberwolves (5): (7) Pistons.
Flip Saunders had no choice but to call a timeout and replaced Hassell who committed two fouls in advance.
Even without two fouls, Flip Saunders had no intention of keeping Hassell on the court. His effectiveness in chasing Hamilton was really poor.
Whether in the regular season or the playoffs this season, Hamilton is the Pistons' scoring leader, often scoring 30+ points at every turn, so we must not relax our defense against him.
But it was not Lin Fei who replaced Hassel, but Szebiak.
At the same time, Flip Saunders also replaced "Alien" Cassell with Darrick Martin.
Although Cassel performed very well at the beginning of tonight's game, he did not fall behind in the face of Billups.
But after all, he was fighting with injuries, and Flip Saunders could not let Cassell play the entire first quarter like he did in the tiebreaker of the last Western Conference Finals.
Experienced veterans should stay on the field at the most critical moment to deliver a fatal blow.
"Next, Latrell will go after Hamilton and Szebiak will face Tayshaun Prince!"
"Kevin and Latrell can play more pick-and-rolls, and Szebia and Martin can open up the space!"
"Olowokandi, don't be afraid of confrontation with Ben, your performance has been very good tonight!"
After the timeout, players from both teams resume playing.
The Pistons still have an unbeatable starting five.
Lin Fei saw Hassel sitting back next to him with a frustrated look on his face, and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him:
"Trenton, don't be too stressed. You have tried your best. The only fault is that Hamilton's movement is too sharp and unpredictable!"
Hassell shook his head helplessly and said in a depressed mood: "Lin, it's so difficult to defend top off-ball players like you and Hamilton!"
"No one can tell which direction he will run next, and whether he will suddenly run back the next second! This guy is like a ghost on the court!"
Having said this, Hassel suddenly turned his head and looked at Lin Fei intently, then glanced at Phillip Sanders next to him, looked back and whispered to Lin Fei in a serious voice:
"Lin, you are so similar to Hamilton, you will definitely be able to judge what he will do next. I feel like he and you are really like two sides of a mirror!"
"If you go after him, wouldn't this be the best result?"
Lin Fei smiled awkwardly and pretended to be humble: "I probably can't do it. Besides, you have to listen to the head coach!"
Philip Sanders looked towards Lin Fei and Hassell. He obviously heard the conversation between Hassell and Lin Fei.
On the court, the "Madman" and the Wolf King picked and rolled and misplaced Rasheed Wallace, causing a foul on the defensive shooter.
"Beep!"
Facing an outside player with a body as strong as an ox, who dares to risk his life to rush in, the "madman" is definitely one of the few in the league.
"Uh-huh!"
"Uh-huh!"
The "Madman" who stepped to the free throw line made both free throws, and the Timberwolves tied the score.
The ball was transferred. Billups used the pick-and-roll to break through the penalty area, attracting Szebiak to cover and then pass the ball to the outside.
Tayshaun Prince from the bottom corner made a three-pointer, but it was still a hit.
"Clang!"
The rebound was grabbed by Big Ben, and Olowokandi quickly stepped forward. Big Ben turned around and gave the ball to Hamilton who got rid of the "Madman" and ran out of the space.
The latter caught the ball and shot in one go, the basketball went hollow into the net, and scored two more points.
"Uh-huh!"
Timberwolves (7): (9) Pistons.
For nearly half of the opening quarter, Hamilton scored 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting, the highest score in the game.
The Wolf King turned over and hit a jumper from the baseline, helping the Timberwolves tie again.
The game enters the official timeout.
Home fans at Target Center were buzzing.
"Isn't this Hamilton too accurate? How come no one can guard him?"
"This running position is so sharp, he is worthy of being the masked man who can't run to death. In the Eastern Conference finals, Hamilton was the scoring leader. He faced Reggie Miller with 30+ points in two games!"
"Flip Saunders should think of a way to stop letting him shoot like this. Otherwise, if we can't attack tonight, we will lose!"
"Why don't you go to Lin? Since you can't guard Hamilton, let Lin compete with him! He has two points and we have three points. Let's see who is afraid of whom!"
"That's right, let Lin play, we want to see Lin shoot a three-pointer!"
After the timeout, Phillip Sanders still did not send Lin Fei.
Flip Saunders had "Madman" and Darrick Martin guard the passing lane, which reduced Hamilton's chances of catching the ball.
The offensive and defensive rhythm of the two teams is faster, but they are still dominated by tough defense, and the scoring efficiency of both sides is not high.
The game quickly reached the last two minutes of the first quarter.
As the Pistons tightened their defense, the Wolf King entered the penalty area and scored the ball from Szebiak in the bottom corner. The latter also seized the opportunity to take an open shot and hit a three-pointer steadily.
"Uh-huh!"
Timberwolves (17): (15) Pistons.
Successfully took the lead by two points.
Pistons head coach Larry Brown called a long timeout.
Phillip Sanders also flashed his eyes and decided to boldly try out his idea:
"Lin, it's your turn to play next, and Sam too, let's join you two in the backcourt, replacing Darrick Martin and Madman!"
"Lin, you and Hamilton are the same type of players. Next, you should defend him and try to keep up with him and prevent him from catching the ball!"
Lin Fei stood up and took off his coat, his eyes determined, it was finally his turn.
"Okay, coach, I'll do my best!"
After the timeout, the first quarter entered the last 2 minutes.
As Lin Fei stepped onto the court, long-lost cheers and screams erupted in the Target Center Arena.
Tianchao, in the five live broadcast rooms of Tianchao.
"Lin Fei is on the court. This is the first time that our Chinese players have officially entered the NBA Finals!"
"Let's cheer Lin Fei together and look forward to his wonderful performance in the finals!"
Director Zhang's face glowed red, and whenever he mentioned Lin Fei, his explanation voice became loud and clear, as if he was twenty years younger.
Look back to the Target Center Arena.
The Pistons attacked, and Billups brought the ball to the frontcourt to face Cassel.
Lin Fei was pressing against Hamilton in the left corner.
"Young Chinese rookie, the Timberwolves coach actually let you play? Is he crazy? Do you think you can guard me?"
Lin Fei didn't talk nonsense with Hamilton, and concentrated on him. He just said lightly: "You will know if you try it!"
"Haha, then which direction do you think I will throw you away next? Left or right?"
As soon as Hamilton finished speaking, he suddenly started to accelerate from Lin Fei's side towards the top of the arc.
Lin Fei's prediction was completely accurate, and he followed Hamilton closely. Although his speed was a little slower, his consciousness was not bad at all.
Hamilton borrowed a screen at the top of the arc, and then rushed towards the right corner. During the pursuit, Lin Fei judged that this was a feint by Hamilton, because it was difficult to receive the pass at this position.
Sure enough, the next moment Hamilton ran counterattack and retreated to a 45-degree angle on the outside line on the right, and Lin Fei also accelerated to follow, and at the same time unconsciously stretched one hand towards the middle.
Lin Fei subconsciously felt that the ball would be passed from this direction. He didn't even look at Billups on the left.
But the ball did come.
"boom!"
Lin Fei's outstretched arm actually blocked the basketball. It was a beautiful interception.
With quick eyes and quick hands, Cassell rushed up to get the basketball and dribbled it down quickly.
"Lin, charge up!"
Lin Fei attacked from the right, leaving the shocked Hamilton far behind.
"Sam, here!"
The Target Center Arena was filled with excitement.
Charles Barkley in front of the courtside commentary table excitedly slapped the table and jumped up: "OMG, who said Lin didn't defend?"
The Timberwolves' counterattack was overwhelming. Lin Fei made a sharp change of direction while traveling on the right, and went straight to the left at a 0-degree angle.
Cassel's lead pass was in tune, and when Lin Fei landed in the bottom corner, the ball also came into his hands.
"Finals, here I come!"
Lin Fei shouted, jumped up suddenly, and unsheathed his sword...
"Uh-huh!"
