The time soon came to 7 o'clock in the evening, and at the whistle of referee Joey Crawford, the finals G2 officially started.
The starting five for the Minnesota Timberwolves are:
Point Guard (PG): Latrell Sprewell,
Shooting guard (SG): Lin Fei,
Small Forward (SF): Wally Szczerbiak,
Power forward (PF): Kevin Garnett,
Center (C): Michael Olowokandi.
Sam Cassell has confirmed in advance that he will miss tonight's game due to a serious recurrence of his back injury.
Even during the entire finals, it would be difficult for the "alien" to come back, but the Timberwolves officials naturally suppressed the news in front of the media.
Although Lin Fei is the shortest among the Timberwolves' new starting five tonight, he dribbles too poorly, and he mostly plays against Hamilton, while "Madman" mainly defends Billups.
So naturally let "Madman" be the starting point guard, and Lin Fei is still the shooting guard.
Szebiak at the small forward also has a great advantage against Prince. In G1 of the finals, Szebiak was accurate when facing Prince on the offensive end.
Therefore, Flip Saunders is still very confident about the Timberwolves starting five against the Pistons five tonight.
The starting five for the Detroit Pistons are:
Point Guard (PG): Chauncey Billups,
Shooting Guard (SG): Richard Hamilton,
Small Forward (SF): Tayshaun Prince,
Power forward (PF): Rasheed Wallace,
Center (C): Ben Wallace.
Larry Brown, sitting in the Pistons' head coach's seat courtside, looked calm and confident.
After careful analysis and experience summary of the G1 loss in the finals, the Pistons coaching staff has deployed more perfect targeted measures on both offense and defense tonight.
In addition to Hamilton increasing the proportion of offense with the ball,
Billups's use of multiple body thrusts on Latrell and double-Wallace's double-teaming of the Wolf King will be positive changes made by the Pistons tonight.
The Timberwolves fans at home cheered and looked forward to Lin Fei, who will be starting tonight, to have an even more crazy three-point output on the offensive end.
"Lin's 7 three-pointers in the last game seem to have directly tied the NBA Finals personal record for three-pointers in a single game. This seems to have been held by Scottie Pippen!"
"The first time I stepped into the finals, I directly tied the single-game three-point record in the finals. Lin's three-pointers were so damn accurate!"
"I have a hunch that Lin may be in trouble tonight, and the Pistons' defense will definitely target him even more!"
"Hey man, where did you buy Lin's jersey? I went to a dozen Nike stores and couldn't find it!"
on the court,
"Snapped!"
Ben Wallace, who walked into the center circle, once again took a step ahead of Olowokandi and flew the basketball. Billups took the ball and advanced, and the Pistons took the lead in the opening attack.
After arriving at the frontcourt, Da Ben glared at the Wolf King fiercely and angrily raised his middle finger at the opponent.
At the same time, he used lip language to insult the Wolf King in a deep voice: "fuck you bitch"
"(C you bitch).
Although Big Ben's movements were very subtle and he deliberately blocked the referee's sight with his body, Joey Crawford still knew everything and blew the whistle quickly in the first 3 seconds.
"Beep!"
Joey Crawford rushed up and pointed at Ben Wallace, giving him a technical foul.
Ben Wallace was stunned at the beginning. He turned his head and glared at the bald Crawford, gritting his teeth and saying nothing.
"Uh-huh!"
Lin Fei stepped to the free throw line, took Ben's technical foul free throw, and made it easily.
Lin Fei took the lead in helping the team easily score the first point at the beginning. Lin Fei felt that this was a good sign and hoped that he would have smooth sailing in tonight's game.
The Pistons continued to serve from the sideline.
However, just as Lin Fei chased Hamilton and quickly returned to defense, his right eyelid suddenly jumped three times without warning.
Lin Fei's heart thumped, and he suddenly had an ominous premonition.
Sure enough, Hamilton, who came to the frontcourt without the ball, changed his appearance as a "running syndrome patient" and went directly to the weak side high position with his back and lowered his center of gravity to resist Lin Fei, and reached out to Billups on the strong side for the ball.
Lin Fei was still preparing to run away, but he didn't expect that Hamilton would actually play with his strength on the spot.
This is like a sprinter who has stood on the 100-meter starting line to warm up, but the next second the referee tells him that the men's 80kg weightlifting competition has officially begun.
Before Lin Fei, who was unprepared, could react, Hamilton had already received Billups' pass with his back.
He pushed Lin Fei twice from the side, and took advantage of the moment when the opponent staggered, and quickly turned over and shot a jumper.
Lin Fei jumped up in panic and tried to block the shot, but the basketball had already flown over his head and hit the net.
"Uh-huh!"
Timberwolves (1): (2) Pistons.
Lin Fei was instantly stunned.
The other four main players on the Timberwolves field, as well as the head coach and substitute players on the bench, also looked confused.
Is this really Richard Hamilton, the master of off-ball movement?
The "escapeable masked man"?
Lin Fei felt that the Hamilton in front of him was definitely fake, but he had no evidence.
Perhaps it is Hamilton's distinctive off-ball movement style that completely obscures his ball-holding ability.
Flip Saunders on the sidelines frowned, and the difficulty came unexpectedly.
Because Hamilton has always been a master without the ball, his offensive ability with the ball is actually very average, so the Timberwolves coaching team did not pay attention to this.
But now that Lin Fei is in the starting lineup, his effectiveness in chasing Hamilton is also very obvious.
But when Hamilton switched to holding the ball, Lin Fei's shortcomings of poor ball defense were quickly magnified.
In fact, there is no need to replace Trenton Hassell. As long as he is an average defensive back, he can basically prevent Hamilton from holding the ball and playing behind the back, which he is not very good at.
After all, Hamilton is very thin and not strong enough.
But Lin Fei was the only one who couldn't prevent it...
It was just a defensive round, so Flip Saunders was not too worried. He believed that Lin Fei could adjust appropriately, at least not as stupid as he was when he defended for the first time.
On the court, the Timberwolves attack.
"Madman" advanced forward with the ball, and Hamilton followed Lin Fei from the beginning of the half, not giving the opponent a chance to easily catch the ball.
In tonight's pre-game warm-up session, Lin Fei once again performed a five-point combo of three-pointers and three-pointers that were farther than the previous one. The shots were also flawless and all hits were hollow, which aroused the jubilation of the home fans.
Therefore, in the subconscious mind of every Pistons player, Lin Fei already has the terrifying range of catching the ball and shooting from any position in the offensive half.
"Lin, let's change the game tonight. How about you come and hit me on the back?"
Facing Hamilton's cold voice, Lin Fei frowned and showed no expression, but secretly said something bad,
It seems that Hamilton hitting himself with the ball tonight was not an accident, but a clear arrangement of the Pistons' offensive tactics.
Now Lin Fei understands his situation more clearly. His current technical characteristics, which are seriously partial to science, once he has passed the outbreak period and is thoroughly studied by his opponents, the only consequence will be death.
It is urgent to improve the defensive attributes as soon as possible.
Lin Fei quickly suppressed the panic in his heart and actively ran around to find space to catch the ball through the cover, but he never got a good chance.
However, the Wolf King continued the touch at the end of the last game. Without calling a pick-and-roll, he directly singled out Rasheed Wallace with a back-up shot, and made a solid jump shot.
"Uh-huh!"
Looking back, Hamilton continued to hold Lin Fei back from the high post and reached out to Billups for the ball.
This time, Lin Fei chose to quickly go around and block Billups' passing line.
"Whoosh!"
Hamilton kept his feet, ran around the outside line and came behind Billups who was holding the ball, and quickly received the opponent's hand-to-hand pass.
Lin Fei chased after him and quickly moved his body against the defense, denying Hamilton a chance to shoot.
But Hamilton had no intention of shooting directly. Instead, he took two steps back and held the ball sideways, assuming a standard triple threat posture.
Lin Fei quickly followed up without hesitation, and Hamilton took the opportunity to use his crotch to change hands, accelerate and directly complete the breakthrough.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Fei turned over and chased. Hamilton deliberately used his body to block Lin Fei behind him while dribbling and breaking through, disrupting the opponent's pursuit rhythm.
The defensive attribute of 46 points still has some effect, allowing Lin Fei to stop his steps in time without committing a rear-end foul.
However, Lin Fei's subsequent shot behind Hamilton was still too risky, and his body was completely out of position.
Hamilton saw the opportunity and jumped decisively from a position 13 feet away from the basket on the left side to shoot half the basket.
"Clang!"
The ball was not interfered with and was very close to the basket, but Hamilton still shot.
After all, he is still accustomed to running without the ball to catch the ball and shoot. The series of breakthrough moves just now caused Hamilton to lose his accustomed shooting rhythm.
"Snapped!"
Big Ben may not have expected that Hamilton would miss the shot. He missed the opportunity to grab the rebound and was caught first by Olowokandi.
Lin Fei breathed a sigh of relief, the ball finally got through.
"Madman" took the ball and advanced, and the Timberwolves attacked again.
At this time, Trenton Hassell, who was sitting on the Timberwolves bench, began to frown and worry about Lin Fei.
He is not good at guarding Hamilton without the ball, but looking at Hamilton with the ball, Trenton Hassell saw obvious flaws from the triple threats, breakthroughs, and pull-up shots in the offensive round just now.
After all, the third-year Hassell started out as a defender. He can still maintain a good level of defense against Kobe, let alone Hamilton who is not good at attacking with the ball?
Just as Lin Fei can easily see through Hamilton's intentions of running without the ball, Trenton Hassell can also see through Hamilton's next choice with the ball.
Philip Sanders also subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Hassel sitting next to him. He and Lin Fei were really two extremes.
The Wolf King once again challenged the Roaring God on the offensive end. After a feint, he accelerated and broke into the penalty area. Facing the help of Ben, the strength of the jumping hook was obviously a bit weak.
"Clang!"
The basketball bounced in front of the basket and was easily caught by Rasheed Wallace who was chasing after him.
The Pistons counterattacked on a fast break, and Hamilton's running DNA that he had suppressed for two minutes quickly awakened. He shifted to fifth gear and stepped on the accelerator, running straight into the frontcourt in a snake-like motion.
"Whoosh!"
When Lin Fei saw Hamilton running, his eyes immediately shone with dazzling light, and he hurriedly caught up with him happily.
This is what makes him right!
Although Larry Brown advocates that Hamilton hold the ball more and beat Lin Fei, he cannot play like this in every round. He still needs to choose a more efficient and reasonable method based on the actual situation.
After Billups came to the frontcourt, he faced "Madman" and overtook him on the corner. After a not-so-pretty emergency stop to pray to Buddha, he rushed directly to the opponent's left side and used his strong body to push "Madman" straight to the basket. Down.
"Whoosh!"
In the first game of the Finals, Billups scored a team-high 24 points. However, after the "Madman" came up to switch defense in the third quarter, Billups only scored 2 points in the following quarter.
Facing the "Madman" defense switch, it was anticlimactic, which was also a key factor in the Detroit Pistons' loss in G1 of the Finals.
Larry Brown believes that Billups should rely on his stronger and stronger body to carry out more breakthroughs and confrontations when facing the "Madman", rather than blindly superstitious about his mid-range shooting feel.
At this time, seeing Billups entering the penalty area with the "Madman", Olowokandi quickly stepped forward to cover the delay.
And Billups also showed his ability as an All-Star point guard. He used a small-scale pass that changed hands in the air to assist Ben Wallace, who was behind the parallel draft pick, to jump and dunk.
"Boom!"
After being crushed and beaten by the opponent with his body, the hot-tempered "madman" naturally couldn't let it go. He came to the frontcourt and faced Billups with the ball, and said angrily in a cold voice:
"Boy, you succeeded in irritating me!"
Before he finished speaking, the "Madman" lowered his center of gravity and broke through directly. His sharp first step and explosive power were fully demonstrated. He passed Billups cleanly and reached the basket to pick up the basket.
"Uh-huh!"
Although he is 34 years old, "Madman" still has outstanding personal abilities. At his peak, he was definitely on the same level as Iverson and McGrady.
In this regard, Billups, whose talent is relatively mediocre, is far behind.
As the No. 24 pick in the first round of 1992, Sprewell scored 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals in his second season.
That year, he was selected to the All-Star Team, the All-NBA First Team, and the All-Defensive Second Team at the same time. It can be said that his talent is outstanding.
If it weren't for his personal temper and extreme behavior, Sprewell's upper limit would definitely be a Hall of Fame-level superstar.
Timberwolves (5): (4) Pistons.
The opening game was quite exciting, with the scores of the two teams rising alternately.
The Pistons' next offense found a way to get the ball into Hamilton's hands.
Hamilton hit Lin Fei from behind at the top of the arc, and the other four Pistons opened up enough space, waiting calmly to watch the show.
The outspoken "madman" was the first to dislike Hamilton's single-handed abuse of Lin Fei, so he took the initiative to replace Lin Fei's defense.
But Lin Fei reached out to stop the "Madman" from changing defense. Letting go of Billups was obviously more dangerous.
Turning to the "madman" and showing an OK gesture, Lin Fei indicated that I could do it, and at the same time, he mentally cheered himself up.
Facing Hamilton's two back-up collisions, Lin Fei lowered his center of gravity and stepped steadily, fearlessly and fully displaying his solid chest.
"Bang! Bang!"
After this period of training, Lin Fei's bench press strength has increased to 75 kilograms, and his personal weight has also increased from the previous 85 kilograms to 86 kilograms.
Although this improvement is weak, it is very critical when defending against a thin shooting guard like Hamilton.
Although Hamilton is 1.98 meters tall, he weighs only 86.5 kilograms. It can be said that he is only a little heavier than Lin Fei, who is 1.94 meters tall.
Mask Man's bench press strength is only 79 kilograms. Your Lin Fei is a bit higher, but it is far from the average NBA shooting guard.
Precisely because he was not good at physical confrontation and his post-playing skills were relatively rough, Hamilton gradually developed a personal style of catching and shooting without the ball and carried it forward.
Relying on his strong will, Lin Fei gritted his teeth and withstood Hamilton's two collisions without any obvious loss of position.
Hamilton seemed a little surprised, but he quickly adjusted and turned around after a feint to break through.
Lin Fei correctly predicted the direction of Hamilton's breakthrough, quickly moved sideways with a sliding step, and reached out to grab the ball.
"Snapped!"
Hamilton was not prepared enough, and the basketball in his hand was stabbed directly by Lin Fei.
But just when Lin Fei rushed forward to fight for the ball, Hamilton quickly turned around and controlled the basketball, taking advantage of the situation and dribbling directly into the penalty area.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Fei paid the price for two consecutive risky steals. Being eager to steal the ball and losing position is the most common mistake many rookies make on the defensive end.
Hamilton entered the penalty area and was defended by Olowokandi, but his ability to break through the ball was obviously far behind Billups.
"Snapped!"
The basketball was risked to be given to Rasheed Wallace, but the Wolf King with quick eyes and quick hands successfully intercepted it. He turned over and quickly distributed the ball to the "madman" who was about to play.
"Swish swish!"
Lin Fei on the right had already turned over and got off the ball immediately. Hamilton, who broke through the basket, turned around and chased after him, only to find that Lin Fei was already five meters away.
Rasheed Wallace did not dare to let go of the Wolf King in the middle, so he could only watch as Lin Fei drove straight into the right side of the frontcourt at a 0-degree angle.
According to statistics, Lin Fei's three-point shooting rate is still 100% when he is positioned at a 0-degree angle on the right side.
In the last game, he jumped up from the baseline and hit a three-pointer with a bloody nose from this position.
"Whoosh!"
"Madman" made a bad luck while moving and shook off the interference of Billups, and passed the ball directly to Lin Fei in the right corner.
Although the overall passing level is not as good as Cassel's, "Madman" is still relatively confident in passing such wide open balls. After all, he averaged 5 assists per game at his peak.
Lin Fei easily caught the ball at a 0-degree angle on the right side of the frontcourt. Facing Rasheed Wallace who did not dare to switch defenses, and Hamilton who quickly ran into the three-point line and was still 5 meters away from him.
Feeling the huge open space as vast as the Pacific Ocean, I have never shot such an easy three-pointer.
"3, 2, 1..."
Lin Fei had three numbers in his mind. He took off calmly and shot thousands of miles.
"Whoosh!"
The moment the basketball flew out of his fingertips, Lin Fei felt his perfect shooting rhythm. He stopped looking at the basket and quickly turned over after landing.
With his back to the basket and facing the Timberwolves fans in the audience, he raised a finger confidently.
This is the first one tonight!
"Uh-huh!"
The clear sound of the net being brushed sounded behind him, followed by cheers and screams from the Target Center Arena.
(End of chapter)
