In the last 4 minutes of the second quarter, neither Lin Fei nor Hamilton played again.
The Timberwolves and Pistons also resumed a suffocating defensive battle, the rhythm became dull again, and the sound of iron was endless.
In the last 0 minutes and 5 seconds before the end of the first half, the "Madman" took advantage of the Wolf King's breakthrough layup after the pick-and-roll, and was deflected by Olowokandi's base and sent a huge block.
"Snapped!"
The ball was impartial and shot directly into the arms of Rasheed Wallace, which shows Ben's outstanding shot-blocking ability.
Roaring Tianzun turned over and quickly gave the ball to point guard Billups. Billups, who had not rested for 24 minutes in the first half, was already somewhat exhausted at this time.
But he still gritted his teeth and used an in+out change of direction while dribbling the ball to get rid of the blocking "alien" Cassel.
After crossing the center line, he directly rode his horse and shot an arrow, sending a super long shot across the half court.
The red light on the timer lit up, the first half of the game was over, and the speeding basketball also roared into the basket.
"boom!"
The referee indicated that Billups' three-point goal was valid, and the home fans at the Target Center also widened their eyes in shock.
"Chauncy is indeed a player with a big heart. He seems to have made this kind of half-court three-pointer more than once!"
"Lin is still better. Three-pointers have never been Billups' regular weapon!"
With this magical three-pointer, the Pistons struggled to catch up to 12 points before halftime.
Timberwolves (51): (39) Pistons.
Although he hit a three-pointer at the half-time buzzer, Billups did not celebrate at all and ran straight to the tunnel with an expressionless face.
The team is still 12 points behind, and every player on the Pistons knows very well that the second half of the game will definitely be more difficult.
"Chauncy's three-pointer at the half-time buzzer reminded me again of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Pistons and the Nets!"
In front of the commentary desk, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith were filled with admiration.
"That's right Charles, I'm lucky that we partnered to commentate on that classic battle!"
"If I remember correctly, Chauncey hit the buzzer-beating shot that spanned half court in the last 2.9 seconds of regular time, and the two teams then played three full overtimes!"
"Yes Kenny, it's a pity that the Pistons lost that game in the end, otherwise Billups's tying three-pointer would have been even more significant!"
"Winning or losing that game no longer matters. After all, it is the Detroit Pistons, not the New Jersey Nets, who are competing with the Timberwolves on the finals stage!"
Intermission time.
The high-definition four-sided screen above the roof of the stadium played the highlights of the Timberwolves in the first half tonight, boosting the enthusiasm of the home fans.
There are "Madman"'s breakthrough, Cassel's wonderful pass, and the Wolf King's hot-blooded hat.
Of course, what excited the fans the most was Lin Fei's five incredible three-pointers and that desperate save.
"Oh my God, I originally thought that Lin's three-pointers would lose their magic due to the unlimited changes of defense by the Pistons' five tigers, but I didn't expect that after halftime, he had already hit 5!"
"There were 5 three-pointers at halftime and 10 at the end of the game. Is my math okay?"
"Lin made 5 of 6 three-pointers and 4 of 4 free throws in the first half. He scored 19 points by himself. This scoring explosion is too strong!"
"The Timberwolves scored 51 points at halftime. The rhythm of this finals was forced to be lifted by Lin alone?"
"Wait a minute, look at the four-sided screen. I just realized now that the beautiful fan Lin knocked down when he was saving the ball was actually Erin Andrews!"
"Oh, where did it hit? I'm so envious that I cried!"
"Haha, I think Lin and Andrews are a good match. Irene is 5 years older, which is just right! Maybe they can create sparks!"
"I heard that people in China are not like us Oumi, they still prefer young beauties. For Lin's grade, an 18-year-old is the most suitable!"
"Nonsense, who the hell doesn't like 18-year-olds?"
In the VIP auditorium in the front row, celebrity fans also had a pleasant conversation, and the topics basically revolved around Lin Fei.
The popularity of the finals is several times higher than that of the Western Conference finals. Only tonight can Lin Fei truly become famous in one battle with the attention of hundreds of millions of fans around the world.
You know, this is the NBA Finals!
Which rookie can play in the Finals in his first year in the league and be the only focus on the court?
Leaders of the 2003 golden generation who are watching this finals G1 on TV from all over the world,
"Little Emperor" LeBron James, "Flash" Wade, "Melo" Anthony, "Dragon King" Bosh, all of them cried with envy...
Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, who were sitting in the first row on the sidelines, were also envious of Lin Fei, an undrafted player, for having such a wonderful performance in the finals.
Jordan led the Bulls to the first round of the playoffs in his rookie season, and Larry Bird didn't even make the playoffs in his rookie season.
The 22-year-old Kaka is not a loyal fan of the Timberwolves, and has only heard a little about Lin Fei, a Chinese defender who emerged in the NBA.
During this period, Kaka had just transferred back to AC Milan and had not yet reached the peak of his career.
Like Lin Fei, Kaka also wears the No. 22 jersey in AC Milan.
Because the Serie A season has ended, Kaká accompanied AC Milan to Chicago, the United States, to play a charity friendly match.
I took the time to go to Minneapolis with my teammates to watch an NBA Finals.
"This Lin's three-pointer is so amazing, I think I have become his fan now!"
"It just so happens that he is number 22 like me. This is really a fate!"
Teammate Mario next to Kaka said: "I still like Kevin better. He plays with more passion. The Timberwolves have always been his team!"
After hearing what his old teammates said, Kaka smiled and said nothing.
His current situation should be similar to that of Lin Fei. They are both in their youthful years that need to be fought for.
AC Milan is also not his team. Will he show his worth here?
The second half of the game started quickly,
The Pistons continued to field the starting five, and Hamilton, who had adjusted his mentality, changed into a new mask and regained his confidence.
For the Timberwolves, Phillip Saunders also sent "Alien" Cassel, Lin Fei, "Madman" Sprewell, Wolf King and Olowokandi.
The Wolf King and Olowokandi played the entire 24 minutes of the first half. The Timberwolves were tight inside. Apart from the two, there was only one old Johnson, so they could only fight the twin towers inside.
On the other hand, the Pistons not only have double Wallace in the starting lineup, but also have Memit Okur and Elden Campbell on the bench, and they instantly beat the Timberwolves in terms of depth inside.
Although Lin Fei performed brilliantly in the first half, shining for the whole game with 19 points, Phillip Saunders, as the head coach, knew very well that the Wolf King and Olowokandi made greater contributions to guarding the inside.
At least judging from the first half of the game, Lin Fei is the face, and the Wolf King and Olowokandi are the face.
Let an undrafted draft pick take so much credit from the team's main players and superstars, and attract countless fans after playing more than ten minutes in the NBA Finals.
Lin Fei is definitely the first in NBA history.
The Timberwolves took the lead in attacking in the third quarter. Hamilton regained his calm mood and focused all his energy on chasing Lin Fei, without any irritability.
As coach Larry Brown said: "Richard, we can no longer regard a person who can hit five three-pointers in the Finals as a rookie!"
"You should think of him as Kobe. You may not be able to guard him even if you put all your energy into it!"
Lin Fei made continuous interspersed runs, but never succeeded in getting rid of Hamilton, and the ball could not be passed easily, even with Cassel on hand.
During the halftime break, Flip Saunders specially formulated a tactic in which the first attack of the second half would still revolve around Lin Feilai. He hoped that Lin Feilai could hit another three-pointer to impact the Pistons' mentality.
But there was no chance for several consecutive screens. Even the elevator door raised by the Wolf King and Olowokandi was still completely destroyed by the Pistons through quick and smooth defense changes.
When the elevator door screen is in progress, whether it is Hamilton chasing Lin Fei, or Rashid guarding the Wolf King alone, or Ben Olowokandi,
You can move around the screen and move in front of Lin Fei at any time, and at the same time consciously cut off the passing line.
As expected, "Alien" Cassel passed the ball too carelessly. Lin Fei, who rushed through the elevator door, was immediately replaced by Ben.
Because Ben clearly knows that Olowokandi does not have the ability to attack at a high position, so when Hamilton is delayed by the elevator door, he is the best choice for defense.
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Daben pushed away Lin Fei with his strong body, extended his long arms, and swatted away the flying basketball with his big hand.
Big steal +1.
Taking control of the basketball for the first time, Ben Wallace quickly passed it to Hamilton who was about to turn over.
Hamilton passed the ball to Billups behind him, and then he slid into the right frontcourt.
Lin Fei endured the pain in his arm after being hit by Ben, gritted his teeth, turned around and accelerated the pursuit, seeing through Hamilton's movement attempt at a glance.
