In fact, in Phillip Saunders' view, letting "Madman" defend Hamilton is the most appropriate choice.
After all, the "Madman" has a strong defense and has more than ten seasons of rich on-field experience. Whether it is defending against Kobe in the Western Conference Finals or defending against Billups in the Finals, he has done a good job.
If a player with Hamilton's style faced the "Madman", he would naturally still play what he is good at without the ball. Attacking with the ball is completely seeking death.
Although the "Madman" is not necessarily better than Lin Fei in chasing Hamilton's off-ball movements, he is definitely much better than the young player Trenton Hassell.
But the crux of the problem now is that the Pistons' two guns in the backcourt are very powerful. The "Madman" went to guard Hamilton. Who will limit Billups?
If Trenton Hassell or Darik Martin or Fred Hoiberg are used to guard Billups,
Let's not talk about the effect, but since then Lin Fei has to be removed, and the Timberwolves lack enough firepower and offensive space on the offensive end.
Thinking of this, Flip Saunders began to miss the injured Sam Cassel even more.
Throughout the second half of the second quarter, Flip Saunders made a desperate move and always kept Lin Fei on the court.
Larry Brown's side has also been running through the strategy of letting Hamilton hold the ball and beat Lin Fei in singles.
But Hamilton, who hadn't rested for a minute, would still get tired no matter how good his physical strength was. Especially when facing Lin Fei's ball-holding attack, which he was not good at, the physical exertion was greater than running without the ball.
In the last two minutes of the first half, under Lin Fei's active defense, Hamilton's efficiency with the ball began to plummet, and he made two consecutive offensive shots.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
With the help of Olowokandi's solid meat shield, the defensive rebounds were all grabbed by the Wolf King. The Timberwolves seized the opportunity in these two defensive counterattacks:
"Madman" roared loudly after driving to the basket and causing a big foul. He walked to the free throw line and made two free throws.
The Wolf King also regained his touch after continuous strikes. He turned over from the left high position and shot Rasheed Wallace in the face.
"Uh-huh!"
The second quarter lasted 1 minute and 02 seconds.
Timberwolves (38): (39) Pistons.
With the score difference reduced to just 1 point, the home fans at the Target Center Arena were in high spirits again and cheered.
The Pistons attacked again. Seeing that Hamilton was exhausted, he played several consecutive rounds with no effect, so this time Billups did not give the ball to the opponent, but chose to force the "madman".
"Madman" defended the ball very hard. Billups had no choice but to risk a pass back to Prince, but Szebiak, who was concentrated, reached out and cut it off.
"Snapped!"
Szebiak gave the ball to "Madman", and the Timberwolves once again launched a counterattack and fast break.
The starting five were aggressive, Lin Fei ran a long distance from the right, and made a cross screen with Szebiak at the top of the front arc.
Hamilton was obviously tired, and coupled with Szebiak's delay, Lin Fei was separated by more than one meter.
"Whoosh!"
"Madman"'s pass was accurate. Lin Fei bent his bow at a 45-degree angle on the left side, facing Hamilton who was coming to defend him, raised his shot arc, and shot another shot.
"Uh-huh!"
The moment the basketball hit the net, Hamilton's big hand on defense also touched Lin Fei's wrist.
The half was switched between with and without the ball for 23 minutes, and Hamilton was really tired.
"Beep!"
Joey Crawford had dazzling eyes, whistled quickly, and made the and1 gesture.
3+1.
Hamilton, who had made a mistake, was dejected and shook his head repeatedly.
Lin Fei high-fived the rushing "Madman" and Szebiak, and the Wolf King standing in the midfield also raised his hands and roared, arousing the enthusiasm of the home fans.
Lin Fei's chasing three-pointer has unknowingly become a distinctive symbol of the Timberwolves' reversal.
"Uh-huh!"
Lin Fei successfully scored 4 points, and the Timberwolves directly overtook the Pistons by 3 points.
With a full 5 minutes of game time in the second quarter, it was actually close to 20 minutes of rest time, which was enough to support Lin Fei to have a small explosion at the last moment of the first half.
Rasheed Wallace hit the Wolf King with his back in the frontcourt, but was unable to take action due to the Wolf King's defense. He could only give the ball back to Billups' organization.
"Madman" quickly came up, and Billups set up a pick-and-roll with Hamilton. During the gap between Lin Fei and "Madman" chasing around the screen, he made another decisive two-pointer.
"Clang!"
The physical exertion affected all five Pistons, but the ball still missed the frame.
"Snapped!"
However, the offensive rebound was strongly grabbed by Ben. This time, Olowokandi didn't have time to foul in advance and could only watch as Ben succeeded in making up the dunk.
"Boom!"
On the timer, there were only the last 9 seconds left in the first half, and the Timberwolves made the final attack of the half.
Lin Fei and the Wolf King provided a key screen at the top of the arc and quickly retreated to the left three-point line. The Wolf King, who was holding the ball, also quickly delivered the shells.
The two played in this position many times in the Western Conference finals with the ball in pick-and-roll coverage, and they cooperated quite well.
Hamilton was slow to get around the Wolf King's screen. Rasheed Wallace didn't hesitate and rushed up to change defense immediately.
After Lin Fei got the ball, he had no other choice, so he pulled it up and shot at the roaring Tianzun.
"Whoosh!"
Precisely because Lin Fei's shooting speed was 0.1 seconds faster than that of Ray Allen during this period, the basketball could fly leisurely less than three centimeters from Rasheed Wallace's fingertips.
If you don't watch the video in slow playback, the first impression of this ball is that Rashid's middle finger seems to have touched the surface of the basketball.
Even Rasheed Wallace himself didn't know if he touched the surface of the basketball. Maybe he did, or maybe it was just the strong wind brought by the flying basketball.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball hollowed into the net and made a wonderful splash.
At the same time, the time on the timer was also fixed at the last 1.2 seconds of the first half.
"Beep!"
Lin Fei fell to the ground after his shot landed, and the referee sounded the whistle again, indicating that Rasheed Wallace fouled Lin Fei's shot.
The roaring Tianzun finally couldn't control his temper and rushed towards the bald Crawford. He spread his hands and explained excitedly that he had not committed a foul at all.
"Beep!"
After a warning to no avail, bald Joey Crawford directly gave Rasheed Wallace a T, and the king of technical fouls came back online.
The first half has not yet ended. Tonight, both Wallaces received a technical foul from Mr. Crawford. This is a big hidden danger for the Pistons.
Rasheed Wallace was still angry and muttering that he didn't have a hitter. Lally Brown on the sidelines quickly chose to replace him with Hunter Lynch.
Judging from the slow playback of the video, Rasheed Wallace did not hit Lin Fei's arm, but the penalty was based on destroying Lin Fei's shooting cylinder.
"Uh-huh!"
Lin Fei smiled and walked to the free throw line to add another penalty, thinking that Mr. Crawford would still give himself some face tonight? It seems that I didn't brag about the old man after the game in vain.
Billups missed a long shot in the last 1.2 seconds, and the first half ended.
With Lin Fei's offensive explosion in the last minute of the first half, the Timberwolves also entered the 15-minute break with a 5-point advantage.
Timberwolves (46): (41) Pistons.
Suddenly bursting out in the last minute or two at the end of the quarter, this seems to have become the established impression Lin Fei has brought to the fans.
Of course, this is directly related to the opponent's defensive distraction and lack of physical strength.
Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace felt quite aggrieved and had been on guard for the whole quarter, but in the last half minute, Lin Fei took advantage of the situation.
The key point is that they have done their best in pursuit and defense change, but with just a 0.1 second delay and error, they were hit twice in the face by Lin Fei. It is really painful.
Larry Brown encouraged the Pistons' five Tigers and was very satisfied with their performance in the first half.
As for Lin Fei's two 3+1s, in Larry Brown's opinion, they can only be regarded as magic balls, and the defensive players cannot be blamed.
During the halftime break, players from both teams returned to their respective locker rooms. They took the time to rest, massage their muscles to restore their physical fitness, and at the same time summarize the experiences and lessons learned in the first half of the game.
At this time, the lights in the Target Center Arena also dimmed, and beautiful music sounded.
As a guest performer during the halftime break, Janet Jackson also walked onto the court wearing a sexy open-neck dress and sang three songs in succession.
The 38-year-old Janet Jackson is a famous female pop music singer in the United States in the early 21st century. She has won four Grammy Awards. Her brother is the famous Michael Jackson.
It has to be said that many talents need to be inherited, and this is true for music and basketball.
Watching the Timberwolves advance to the Finals and their chances of winning the championship continue to increase. As the team owner, Glen Taylor is naturally in a good mood. The tens of millions in luxury taxes this season have not been in vain.
Originally, Glen Taylor wanted to spend millions of dollars to directly invite Michael Jackson to support the finals.
But Jackson was recently involved in a lawsuit due to something, and his personal influence was not good, so he spent $500,000 to invite the equally famous Janet Jackson.
If this round of finals can return to home again, Glen Taylor will not be stingy with his money.
Of course, there are many celebrities who are not top-level entertainment stars. Being able to perform in the finals is also a good thing with great exposure, so the price of the appearance fee is easy to negotiate.
…
New York.
Olympic Building.
NBA headquarters, in the president's office.
David Stern, sitting at his desk, was watching the live broadcast of the Finals G2 on the wall-mounted TV.
Seeing the halftime break, David Stern opened the laptop in front of his desk again and played Lin Fei's personal highlights from recent playoff games.
The documents placed beside the desk contained Lin Fei's personal details and player resume.
David Stern frowned and thought about something, and the pupils behind his eyes radiated with a deep light.
As a Jewish old man, although he looks amiable on the surface, anyone who knows David Stern knows that he is a careerist with tough and resolute methods.
As early as the 1994 labor negotiations, David Stern had coldly threatened the NBA Players Association, saying that he knew where the bodies of the missing players were buried.
Taking over the position of president in 1984, exactly one year after Jordan entered the league, David Stern and Michael Jordan became the biggest contributors to the NBA going global.
Forbes defines David Stern as:
"An outstanding league manager, the craziest and most sane basketball marketing expert!"
But now in 2004, the NBA is in a troubled year. Jordan retired, Kobe Bryant retired, the Sharks declined, the Spurs took over, and defense won the championship...
The decline in the overall game viewing and competitiveness has caused the development of the NBA to encounter a bottleneck. David Stern urgently needs to support a new number one player in the league.
We hope to recreate the glory that Michael Jordan brought to the NBA, so that more fans around the world can fall in love with the NBA, and let the culture of the NBA spread across five continents.
But judging from the current situation in the league, it is obvious that no one has the potential to inherit Michael Jordan's strength and influence.
"Little Emperor" LeBron James is undoubtedly the choice closest to God. Of course, the previous person closest to God has already destroyed his future...
Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady have obviously also missed their peak development period.
Inside players like Duncan, Nowitzki and Garnett lack the enjoyment of playing like idol guards...
Among the rookie players, in addition to James, Wade and Anthony also have high potential.
But David Stern always feels inadequate. Can James really support him? He really doesn't have this confidence.
As he has been paying attention to Lin Fei's performance in the finals for the past two days, David Stern has become more and more interested in this undrafted Chinese player.
As an inside player, Dayao's rise in the NBA has attracted a large number of Chinese fans and the market, which surprised David Stern.
As a guard with accurate shooting, distinctive style and handsome appearance, Lin Fei can continue to play at a high level in the NBA.
Then the commercial value of the Tianchao market he drives will inevitably be greater than that of Dayao.
But with Grant Hill's experience, David Stern still can't believe how high Lin Fei's upper limit can be. James' strong body and terrifying talent are obviously more stable.
Although it is far from the point of praising Lin Fei, a foreign player, as an undrafted player in the 2003 class,
David Stern has begun to compare Lin Fei with James, Wade, Anthony and others in the same class.
Dallas.
In Steve Nash's private villa.
The Phoenix Suns' temporary recruitment team traveled thousands of miles to visit in person, and the leader was none other than the Suns' newest head coach, Mike D'Antoni.
The Phoenix Suns fired coach Frank Johnson before the trade deadline of last season's regular season and replaced Mike D'Antoni.
At the same time, the "cancer" Stephon Marbury and the injured Anfernee Hardaway were traded to the Knicks, finally gaining a basis for reconstruction.
Being able to give away Marbury's big contract is really a joy for the Suns management.
Before this guy came, Jason Kidd led the team, the Suns made the playoffs every year, and the Nets had lottery picks every year.
This guy swapped clubs with Jason Kidd, the Nets made the finals every year, and the Suns ranked among the bottom three in the Western Conference every year...
The pure team is a big cancer. If the New York Knicks can get Marbury, Suns general manager Steve Kerr will laugh out of his dreams. He is really afraid that James Dolan will ask him to return the goods again.
This offseason, the Suns management affirmed Mike D'Antoni's team building concepts and ideas, and decided to rebuild the team around an excellent point guard and set sail.
Steve Nash became the first choice of the Phoenix Suns, and Mike D'Antoni keenly discovered the huge potential he still contains behind his 30-year-old age.
A thousand-mile horse often exists, but a bole does not always exist.
This sentence applies equally to China and the United States.
Nash was originally interested in joining the Suns because he was very interested in D'Antoni's tactical system, but he was still worried that the contract offered by the other party would not satisfy him.
After all, he is already 30 years old, and the 8 million annual salary Cuban gave him has obviously made other teams see the possibility of lowering the price on him.
When the Suns recruiting team directly offered him a six-year, $65 million contract, Nash and his agent Bill Duffy were in disbelief. This level of sincerity was definitely high.
There was nothing to hesitate. The two parties hit it off immediately, reached a verbal agreement in advance, and decided to officially sign the contract after the free agent market opens on July 1.
At this time, on the TV in Nash's living room, the second half of G2 in the finals had begun.
Nash suddenly thought of something, pointed to Timberwolves No. 22 Lin Fei on the screen with a serious face, and said to Mike D'Antoni next to him:
"Mr. D'Antoni, I admire Lin's off-ball ability very much. As long as he can stay healthy, he will become one of the best off-ball players in NBA history!"
"So, in the team building ideas you explained, Lin will be a very suitable part!"
Mike D'Antoni also smiled and nodded. It seems that he was right to choose Nash:
"Steve, we have already begun to pursue Lin. We hope he will also be interested in our tactical concepts!"
"But in terms of contract quotations, the Suns may not be the most competitive!"
"After all, you also know that this kid is really popular now. More than 15 teams in the league are pursuing him! The Pacers' Larry Bird has offered him $10 million over two years. This is scarier than No. 1 pick James’ rookie contract!”
Nash nodded solemnly, but the expectation in his eyes was extremely strong:
"I understand. In G3 of the Finals the day after tomorrow, I will go to Detroit to watch the game with Dirk. Then I will personally recruit Lin!"
…
Look back to the Target Center Arena.
The third quarter of the game is in full swing.
Hamilton, who was well-rested, came forward fiercely. He pushed Lin Fei away with his back, turned over and made an emergency stop, and hit the target with half a basket.
"Uh-huh!"
After hitting this goal, Hamilton has scored 22 points, still the highest in the game.
The five-talented Pistons, who had regained their strength, pursued the defense fiercely and quickly, and switched defenses smoothly and perfectly. This once again put Lin Fei into the dilemma of not being able to catch the ball.
In order to better limit Hamilton, Philip Saunders took a risky test in the third quarter.
That is to create more substitution opportunities through dead balls, timeouts, and tactical cutting of Ben Wallace, allowing Trenton Hassell and Lin Fei to cross over to play against Hamilton continuously.
Such a defensive switching strategy will allow Hamilton to frequently switch between running without the ball and attacking with the ball, which will consume his shooting touch and affect the game state.
At the same time, Lin Fei and Hassell constantly alternated playing, which also allowed the two to more intuitively see the opponent's defensive advantages, achieving the effect of reinforcement learning.
Facts have proved that this strategy has achieved good results.
But Ben, who had been cut down continuously, clenched his fists and almost ran away. He went to the free throw line 6 times in a single quarter and only made 5 of 12 free throws.
The Timberwolves coaching staff was happy, and unexpectedly got a new harvest.
(End of chapter)
