On December 16, the Clippers ushered in another regular season game against the Timberwolves.
Min Congda was not very satisfied with the fact that the first opponent on the road trip was the Timberwolves.
The place is remote, the weather is cold, and the opponent is not very strong. Fortunately, the popcorn in the center of the target is quite delicious.
Min Congda slept until noon, had lunch in the hotel, and walked around Minneapolis in the afternoon.
Feel the charm of the corridor city. It’s snowy outside and the wind is biting, but citizens can walk through the closed corridor overpass.
"Hey, this American emperor is so damn rich. He builds closed corridors and overpasses all over the city, and they also have air conditioning inside. How much energy is wasted."
After criticizing the extravagant urban construction of the American emperor, Min Congda and the team came to the Target Center in the afternoon.
After tasting the good popcorn here, Min Congda thought of Curry. This kid also loves popcorn.
After Curry warmed up and rested on the sidelines, Min Congda ran over to share with him.
"Try it, the popcorn in the center of the target is better than Stamps. My God, those fancy popcorn from Stamps are so bad."
Curry took one and smelled it. The aroma was indeed good. Then he threw it into his mouth. The texture, crispness and taste were all good.
He extended his thumb and said, "That's great, Mr. Smart. How about you open a popcorn shop in Staples Center?"
Min Congda shook his head, "That won't work. Our team wants to open a high-end restaurant. I don't bother to make low-cost things like popcorn."
At 7:30 in the evening, the fans at the target center began to become sparse, and there were more fans in twos and threes.
For a team like the Timberwolves, who are in the same boat as the Clippers, or even worse, their attendance is very impressive.
The Target Center is a large arena with more than 20,000 seats. As a result, more than 12,000 tickets were sold tonight.
The occupancy rate is only 60%, and there are a lot of empty seats at the venue, just like a mangy dog, with a bald spot here and a bald spot there.
Before the game started, Timberwolves general manager Kahn came over to say hello to Min Congda, and the two exchanged a few words.
The Timberwolves management team is a legend in NBA history and can be called the king of tricks.
At that time, he reached an agreement with Joe Smith in private and was discovered to have engaged in a yin and yang contract. It was considered the pinnacle in the history of the Timberwolves' showmanship.
If a No. 1 draft pick in his prime signs a minimum-salary contract, do you think the league's legal department is blind?
As a result, the team was deprived of five-year draft rights, fined a large sum of money, and allowed Garnett to waste his youth in Minnesota.
Kahn became the general manager of the Timberwolves in 2005, and naturally inherited the fine tradition of the Timberwolves' management's aggressive operations.
Apart from anything else, the Timberwolves have already lost money when it comes to picking Thabeet in the draft.
After more than a month of competition, Thabeet's performance on the court has not improved at all.
The current highest score in a single game is 9 points, and he has never reached double figures.
Then you can't score well. As a defensive center, you need to be better at rebounding and blocking shots, right?
No, he also never had double figures in rebounding. Occasionally, he had a flash of inspiration in blocking shots, but most of them were nothing.
The Timberwolves have been very patient in training, making small efforts off the court and giving time on the court, but it's a pity that rotten wood cannot be carved.
But the Timberwolves don't plan to trade him for the time being. Time is still short. What if he gets the idea in the future? Be patient.
Min Congda chatted with Kahn for a while and felt that this person seemed quite nice, polite and enthusiastic.
Then I thought, "Wallace of the Grizzlies feels good to me. Are all general managers of bad teams like this? They are ordinary, approachable, and have no talent. And the general managers of strong teams are basically like this." Someone with an abnormal mind."
Min Congda was right. If he wanted to run a team well in the NBA, it would be impossible for him to play well with anyone with a personality close to ordinary people and normal people.
You must be cunning, ruthless, shameless, and a liar in order to gain maximum benefits in this alliance.
Take a look at those famous managers and judge them in daily life. Which one is not a little flawed or even has a questionable character?
Min Congda felt that he was quite ordinary, so he would be very successful if he acted badly.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the game officially started.
The Timberwolves have a full lineup tonight, Love is back, and Jefferson is also on the court. The Timberwolves' twin interior towers are completely worthy of the Clippers' black and white duo.
For the Clippers, with Gordon absent, Dunleavy actually made Ricky Davis the starter. This is the first time Ricky Davis has made a starting appearance this season.
When Min Congda saw this posture, he felt happy and thought: "Oh, things have really turned around. At the beginning of the season, the Timberwolves were missing Love, and we had a full lineup. Damn, they targeted me and lost to the Clippers. Now. Okay, your lineup is complete, but we are missing a general. Look, Dunleavy even put Ricky in the starting lineup. This is because he doesn’t want to play well."
According to Min Chongda's understanding, since Dunleavy has already played Ricky Davis, it must be because the experimental lineup does not want to win.
How bad Ricky Davis's state is. Min Congda has seen previous games and knows very well that if the Clippers don't renew his contract next year, he probably won't be able to stay in the NBA.
Min Congda thought that if the system allowed it, he would try to renew Davis' contract because he would need him to contribute to the Clippers' failure.
The first quarter of the game started. Min Congda watched the two sides jumping the ball with a smile, thinking that the Clippers would collapse in the center of the target.
A good start to their devilish schedule.
Kaman won the ball and the Clippers launched their first attack.
The ball was given to Ricky Davis, but he didn't stick to it.
Instead, he immediately released the ball to Randolph, who came to the high post to provide support.
Randolph and Kaman played a high-low game and passed the ball straight to the basket.
Kaman caught the ball, turned around and hit two points with a hook shot.
Very smooth high and low coordination.
At the first goal, Min Congda felt something was wrong.
This guy's sense of court is really keen.
What he felt was wrong was the pass Ricky Davis had just made.
He knows the playing habits of Ricky Davis. He is the kind of person who will definitely pause once he has the ball in his hands.
This is his habit of playing big ball. He plays with the ball too much, and he doesn't know how to catch the ball and find someone to pass it immediately.
But first, see if you can play alone. If you can play alone, then play alone, and don’t look for anyone else.
In this way, his passing speed is slowed down, and the opponent's defense can make up for it.
A seemingly inconspicuous habit is actually very detrimental to teamwork.
Tonight was different. The first ball was played very quickly by Ricky Davis without any pause.
Is this still him?
Now that you have recovered from your evil ways, you are ready to play ball again?
Min Congda immediately comforted himself: "It's okay, it's okay, this is the first ball, you're so worried. It's really a big fuss."
But then, Ricky Davis successfully stole the ball on defense and handed the ball to Baron Davis, and the Clippers counterattacked!
Min Congda felt that something was not right, and he smelled a very dangerous smell.
The smile on his face at the beginning has disappeared without a trace.
(End of chapter)
