The moment the basketball hit the net, the entire Target Center arena exploded, as if an atomic bomb had been dropped.
Timberwolves (20): (15) Pistons.
In just 20 seconds after Lin Fei came on the court, he completed a steal and a fast-break three-pointer from the corner, which instantly sped up the dull pace of the game at the beginning of tonight's game.
You know, this is the NBA Finals.
"Alien" Cassel was the first to rush up and high-five Lin Fei, and said excitedly: "Lin, the interception just now was so beautiful!"
Lin Fei also smiled brightly: "I admit that I gambled, but I was right!"
Wolf King, Sizebiak and Olowokandi also rushed up to high-five Lin Fei, extremely excited.
Compared with this fast break three-pointer, Lin Fei's divine steal while chasing Hamilton is obviously more precious.
Billups and Hamilton, who made a pass error, were stunned. They never expected that the ball would be intercepted by Lin Fei.
Isn't this guy defenseless?
Madman, Hassell, Darik Martin and Hoiberg on the Timberwolves bench all jumped up excitedly, waved towels, and shouted Lin Fei's name.
Hassell was as excited as a child, and at the same time he was happy for Lin Fei’s performance on the defensive end:
"It seems that my guess was correct. Lin is really the best choice to chase Hamilton!"
The person who is most surprised is Flip Saunders. If Lin Fei can really defend Hamilton without suffering a disadvantage, the effect will be better than Hassell and Madman.
So in this round of the finals, it can be said that he has both offense and defense. At least defense is no longer a drag.
In this case, let alone giving Lin Fei enough playing time, even if he is put into the starting lineup, it will not be a problem at all.
Flip Saunders is so excited and deeply understands the importance of a high-quality 3D player to the team. That is undoubtedly the best puzzle piece for winning the championship.
Lin Fei wasn't sure before he came on the field. After all, his defensive value was only 20 points, but now the facts have given him enough confidence that he is serious about chasing Hamilton.
Many stars in the NBA have a situation where one thing defeats another, and mutually reinforcing each other. Lin Fei finally believes this.
In front of the live commentary table, Barkley excitedly repeated what he just said:
"Who said this guy can't defend? His awareness of pursuit and interception is far better than Hassell and Latrell!"
Kenny Smith analyzed: "Both Lin and Hamilton have top-notch awareness of off-ball movements. It is probably because the two are so similar that Lin can predict Hamilton's predictions!"
"If in this round of the finals, a rookie like Lin can go up against Hamilton and not suffer losses on both offense and defense, then the Timberwolves' chances of winning will be great!"
"Kenny, I just want to see Lin play more time, hit more three-pointers, and break all three-point records in the finals!"
In China, there are five live broadcast rooms.
The moment Lin Fei stole the ball and counterattacked and hit a three-pointer, Coach Zhang and host Yang Jian couldn't help but excitedly slapped the table and screamed, and even almost said uncivilized words.
"That's incredible! Lin Fei's interception of the ball is all based on his subconscious. It seems that letting him chase Hamilton, who has a very similar style, is really a good choice!"
"Lin Fei completed a steal and a three-pointer within 20 seconds of his appearance in the Finals. This also made him the first Chinese player to score in the NBA Finals!"
"By the way, Director Zhang, Lin Fei stole the ball just now. Should this steal be recorded on him or on Cassel?"
Director Zhang analyzed in a professional tone: "Lin Fei only blocked the basketball, but he did not control the ball right away. The ball was taken by Cassel who rushed up!"
"Normally, in this case, this steal should be recorded on Cassel!"
Yang Jian shook his head and smiled: "This is really a pity. After all, Lin Fei played three consecutive Western Conference finals. Except for scoring, all other statistics were zero. By the way, he had an assist in G6 of the Western Conference Finals!"
Director Zhang's face glowed brightly, and he said with confidence and expectation: "Don't worry, watch the ball carefully. I believe that Lin Fei will be able to contribute more energy on the defensive end tonight!"
In Souhu and Xinlang's live text broadcast room, the message posts refreshed the screen at the speed of light, and the server faced a crash:
"Brother Fei is so awesome. He just stole the ball and scored a three-pointer. The Pistons were immediately blinded, haha!"
"Who dares to say that my brother Fei has no defense? This counterattack fast break is scheduled to be among the top ten goals tonight. Is there no problem?"
"Philip Saunders is really a good coach. I can see that Lin Fei and Hamilton have similar technical characteristics, which makes him more effective in chasing and defending!"
"I feel like it's not Phillip Sanders who has seen through everything, otherwise we should have let Lin Fei play!"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Brother Fei is so damn handsome. My mother asked me why I was kneeling down to watch TV. I said I saw someone trying to bring down the sun!"
Look back to the Target Center Arena.
The Pistons attacked, and Lin Fei continued to tirelessly pursue Hamilton, like the shadow following the masked man.
But after all, Hamilton is an experienced running master, coupled with faster speed, after an off-ball screen from Rasheed Wallace, he finally found an opportunity high on the left side of the arc.
The Wolf King did not change defense on this ball, and Lin Fei was half a beat too slow to get around the screen. Hamilton received the pass from Billups and quickly took off and shot two points longer.
Flip Saunders reminded the Timberwolves players that once the opponent sets a pick-and-roll screen for Lin Fei, they must not switch defenses and must go around the screen to keep up.
On the defensive end, Lin Fei can only face Hamilton without the ball. If he is misplaced and matched with any other Pistons ball-handler, his defensive flaws will be exposed instantly.
"Clang!"
Although it was a good opportunity, Hamilton may have been too eager to regain face. He shot the ball with a little more force and missed.
Ben grabbed the offensive rebound, but his position was slightly far away from the basket, and Olowokandi quickly defended.
Although he was the top pick in the parallel imports, being selected in the first place must mean that he is still very good physically, but his skills at the basket are too rough.
Olowokandi, who is 2.13 meters tall, weighs 122 kilograms, close to 270 pounds, and has a wingspan of 2.26 meters. He will not suffer a loss in terms of strength against big players.
Ben passed the ball back to Billups on the outside to reorganize. Billups deliberately summoned Hamilton's pick-and-roll, hoping to hit Lin Fei with the ball in a misplaced position.
On the offensive end, Lin Fei is familiar with various moves using screens, so on the defensive end, he can also quickly bypass the screen and chase the defender.
Billups took advantage of the gap when Cassel didn't pounce and decisively shot an outside three-pointer.
In the current Pistons team, Billups has the highest percentage of three-pointers, and his ability to draw fouls is also excellent. His style of play is more inclined to the magic ball.
"Uh-huh!"
With this ball, the point difference was reduced to 2 points.
Flip Saunders, who was standing on the sidelines of the Timberwolves with his arms crossed and a calm expression, knew that Billups' opportunity came from Cassel and Lin Fei not switching defenses immediately.
But Lin Fei absolutely cannot change defense at this point. He must go around the screen to catch up, otherwise he will become a defensive screen for the opponent's offensive end.
Moreover, this kind of ball opportunity is very difficult to get, and Billups cannot grasp it every time.
The ball is transferred and the Timberwolves attack.
This time it was Hamilton's turn to chase Lin Fei.
"Lin, don't even think about catching a basketball in front of me!"
At this time, Lin Fei finally felt Hamilton's helplessness on the offensive end.
Although Hamilton is thin and lacks the physical aggression of Fisher and Kobe, he can really run, has accurate predictions, and always stands between Lin Fei and the person with the ball.
Lin Fei ran around the frontcourt twice without getting rid of Hamilton, so he directly chose to squat outside the 45-degree three-point line, dragging Hamilton along and helping his teammates open up space.
This effect has actually killed Trenton Hassell, who was unable to shoot accurately.
Szebiak squatted in the bottom corner, and Olowokandi and Big Ben struggled under the basket.
The Timberwolves formed a two-on-two situation, with Cassel and the Wolf King facing off against Billups and the Roaring God.
"Alien" Cassel played a pick-and-roll with the Wolf King in the high post, met Rasheed Wallace out of position, broke through and scored the ball back to the Wolf King.
The latter faced Billups, who was more than 20 centimeters shorter than himself, and decisively shot a face-to-face jumper.
Billups tried his best to interfere with the Wolf King. The ball hit the side of the basket and fell out after two rounds.
"Snapped!"
The rebound was snapped out by Olowokandi. After getting the ball, Cassel looked at all directions and pretended to break through while facing the frame, but the basketball in his hand was passed vigorously to the right outside line.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Fei successfully got rid of Hamilton with a reverse run, crossed the top of the arc and came to the right side to receive the ball at a 45-degree angle, but Hamilton's pursuit was also very quick, leaping up to block Lin Fei's shot.
Lin Fei didn't think much after taking the ball. He leaned up quickly and threw the ball towards Hamilton.
