The NBA of this period is naturally not like the small ball era. There are few situations where the Splash Brothers frequently shoot for three-pointers during counterattacks and fast breaks.
When there is no one to defend in the frontcourt, the counterattack player will naturally rush into the penalty area for an empty layup or a hot-blooded dunk. Such fast break scoring is more reliable.
Lin Fei could tell at a glance that Hamilton wanted to cross the right side of the frontcourt, open up the space, receive a pass from Billups, and then change direction and go straight to the basket to score.
Although Lin Fei is not as fast as the masked man Hamilton in the 100-meter time and the three-quarter sprint, his awareness of returning to defense is very fast, as fast as a fast break.
"Whoosh!"
Billups dribbled down quickly and wanted to quickly send a quarterback-style lead pass, allowing Hamilton to take the ball and complete a breakthrough dunk directly.
But "Alien" Cassel quickly rushed up and interfered with Billups' first pass.
When Billups used a behind-the-back dribble to change direction to get out of the passing space, he found that Lin Fei had already caught up with Hamilton.
So Billups didn't hesitate and took advantage of the situation to directly accelerate and dribble into the frontcourt. With his stronger body, he hit the layup against "Alien" Cassel.
"Uh-huh!"
Cassel was a little too anxious to chase the ball. When he reached for the ball, he touched an old injury on his back. He gritted his teeth and suddenly showed a look of unbearable pain on his face.
From G7 of the Western Conference Finals to G1 of this finals, Cassel has been struggling with injuries. The back injuries accumulated over the years are difficult to heal in a short time.
The Timberwolves served from the baseline. Cassel gritted his teeth and signaled for "Madman" to take the ball and advance. He moved early and squatted in the bottom corner of the frontcourt to open up space.
Billups clearly noticed the pain on Cassel's face, which is obviously good news for the Pistons.
In the next attack, he will continue to make a fuss about the injured "alien".
Lin Fei also opened up space outside the 45-degree three-point line on the right side to contain Hamilton.
"Madman" held the ball and played a pick-and-roll with the Wolf King in the high post. The Wolf King, who was out of position, received the back pass from "Madman", pushed away the thin Prince, and scored two points with a small hook shot.
"Uh-huh!"
The ball was transferred, and Billups came to the frontcourt with the ball and attacked Cassel. Seeing that Cassel could not defend him, he committed a foul in advance.
Then he gestured to Flip Saunders on the sidelines and asked to be replaced.
Phillip Sanders frowned helplessly. What he was most worried about was that Cassel's injury worsened, but all these are inevitable problems.
Darrick Martin quickly replaced Cassel, and the "Alien" quickly returned to the locker room accompanied by the team doctor.
Old-school NBA players generally have a tough style. Since Cassell feels like he can't play anymore, his back pain must be quite serious.
The Timberwolves coaching staff has actually been prepared for Sam Cassell to miss the finals, but the team's backcourt will inevitably suffer a big loss.
The Pistons serve the ball from the frontcourt sideline. Darrick Martin, who is only 1.80 meters tall, although his defensive attitude is very active, is still too short after all.
A change of pace after Billups shook his shoulders and pretended to break through, he immediately stood up and met Darick Martin's mid-range jumper for another two points.
"Uh-huh!"
There are no too fancy skills. Compared with point guards such as Iverson and Marbury, Billups' offense is very practical. Mid-to-long-range shooting and fouling have always been his common tricks.
Looking back, the Timberwolves attacked again.
Under Hamilton's patient pursuit and the tacit understanding of the Pistons' five tigers, Lin Fei still couldn't find a chance to catch the ball.
"Clang!"
Facing Rasheed Wallace's tough defense, the Wolf King's big jump shot still failed. Ben grabbed the defensive rebound and the Pistons counterattacked.
This time, through patient movement and speed advantage, coupled with high-quality screens from two consecutive teammates, Hamilton finally got rid of Lin Fei, received a pass from Billups, and hit a 20-foot jumper.
"Uh-huh!"
After scoring the goal, Hamilton stopped trash-talking Lin Fei. Instead, he focused his attention on Lin Fei and quickly pursued him from the backcourt.
Lin Fei was a little speechless as he was chased by Hamilton, so he simply reduced his running without the ball and squatted on the outside to create space for his teammates.
In a strict positional warfare offense, Hamilton's top-notch pursuit awareness and the Pistons' five-man defense are endless, and there are really some off-ball shooters like Clint.
In addition, Cassel, the best passer on the team, also left.
Lin Fei knew that it would be difficult for him to find opportunities to catch the ball and shoot, so he could only hope for the team's counterattack and fast break.
But the Pistons played very steadily throughout the third quarter, maintaining the team's preferred slow pace.
The defensive end was tough and united, and the offensive end was calm and solid, never giving the Timberwolves a chance to counterattack.
Billups took advantage of the matchup, and the midfield buzzer-beating three-pointer boosted his shooting confidence. In less than half of the third quarter, he was already 4-for-5 from the field. Got 10 points from free throws.
This also brought Billups' score tonight to 22 points, surpassing Lin Fei's 19 points and soaring to the highest score in the game.
Unlike Lin Fei, in addition to 22 points, Billups also had 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal, which can be said to be quite comprehensive.
When Hamilton, the team's leading scorer, was restricted by Lin Fei's maximum pursuit, Billups successfully stood up.
Timberwolves (59): (52) Pistons.
The score difference was also caught up to 7 points.
Flip Saunders can only play during official timeouts between sections,
Replace Darik Martin with Szebiak, face Prince, and let "Madman" switch to defend Billups, who is in hot form.
Lin Fei naturally stayed on the court, and Hamilton was there with him.
The fierce defense of the "Madman" really limited Billups' scoring. After the pick-and-roll, Rasheed Wallace's two straight-arm jumpers were all iron-free.
Olowokandi showed the courage of a kamikaze under the basket and struggled with Big Ben. The Wolf King also grabbed two defensive rebounds in a row.
But without the point guard on the court for the Timberwolves, the "Madman's" fast break organization ability is mediocre after all.
Lin Fei took advantage of the cover of Szebiak's quick rush during a fast break counter run, and successfully got rid of Hamilton's pursuit in a moment.
"Whoosh!"
But Sprewell failed to discern this fleeting opportunity. Instead, he rushed to the basket with his head in a hurry.
"Clang!"
The basketball shot missed the frame, and the "madman" who fell on the ground failed to hit the whistle.
"Snapped!"
Big Ben grabbed the defensive rebound and passed the ball very quickly. Billups counterattacked with the ball from the outside. The Pistons were vigorous and the momentum of chasing points was completely up.
Hamilton quickly moved forward. Lin Fei was delayed by Rasheed Wallace during the pursuit. Billups faced the "madman" blockade during the breakthrough and lightly passed the ball to Hamilton who was following up on the right. .
The Pistons formed a fast break 2-on-1 situation.
Lin Fei couldn't catch up anymore and could only watch as Hamilton caught the ball and went straight into the penalty area for a layup.
"Uh-huh!"
Timberwolves (59): (54) Pistons.
The score difference was caught up to 5 points.
The fiery atmosphere in the Target Center Arena cooled down, and the home fans frowned, worried that the team would be reversed.
The Detroit Pistons have shown their strong strength. The Pistons' five tigers have no shortcomings on the defensive end when they are on the court, and their offense has become smoother.
Being able to eliminate the New Jersey Nets and Indiana Pacers one after another to reach the finals, the Detroit Pistons deserve their reputation.
Charles Barkley in front of the commentary desk became rarely serious and pointed out the problem of the Timberwolves:
"Without an All-Star point guard to organize the offense, the Timberwolves once again fell into a situation where Kevin and Latrell were fighting independently, and the pick-and-roll between the two was ineffective!"
"The reason why the Timberwolves fell behind 1:3 in the Western Conference Finals was that Cassel's absence was the most critical issue. Even if Latrell and Kevin both scored 30+ points, the Timberwolves still failed to win!"
"If it weren't for Lin's emergence and the lack of Sam Cassell, the Timberwolves would have no chance of winning against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals!"
"Now Cassel is injured and has left the game. The Pistons' unlimited defense changes and Hamilton's pursuit have also prevented Lin from getting a chance to catch the ball. The other main players are also not feeling good!"
"If Flip Saunders doesn't solve this problem in time, it will be very difficult for the Timberwolves to hold on to their advantage and win tonight's game!"
Kenny Smith, who was beside him, nodded in agreement: "Charles, your analysis is very correct. It seems that Luo Ben is beneficial to the intellectual development of the commentator!"
"Kevin and Latrell have only made 2 of 8 shots in the third quarter. This efficiency is indeed catastrophic!"
"But the two spent too much energy on the defensive end, focusing on the Pistons' offensive core on the inside and outside respectively. This may also be the reason for their poor offensive touch!"
"Lin was heavily guarded at this point and couldn't get a chance to catch the ball. It's time for Szebiak to step up!"
"After all, he has been the fourth man on the team besides the Timberwolves' three-headed monster this season, and he is also the most stable scoring point on the bench!"
