Szczerbiak also has a nickname, 'Fighter Star Takeoff Booster'.
With the help of the opponent's booster, Li Ao easily scored 2 points and 1 assist in the beginning.
He retreated to the backcourt, preparing to continue to lure Garnett into the low post with his teammates.
But the Timberwolves changed their style of play!
Garnett asked for the ball directly from outside the three-point line!
Facing Odom's defense, Garnett dribbled like a guard.
Dribbling in front of the inside line from outside the three-point line and seeing the surprised and nervous expressions of his opponents is one of the sources of joy for Garnett in the game.
But this time, he saw Odom's speechless eyes, which seemed to say-that's it?
Garnett cursed twice and showed off to the wrong person.
This guy is a master who can't stop his fancy dribbling in front of Kidd.
With a hint of shame and anger, Garnett pulled horizontally to change direction and broke through!
Garnett's lateral speed is not faster than Odom's, but the offensive team has the initiative. Odom does not have the ability to predict the outside breakthrough. Garnett pulls horizontally and steps out to block Odom's breakthrough to the three-point line. .
Odom retreated quickly, and Garnett rushed to the right side of the free throw line, leaned against Odom, turned over, took off, and shot a long two-point shot...hit!
After watching the whole process of Garnett's singles, Li Ao couldn't help but complain - just hit from behind, just go to the high post to get the ball, the whole thing is so fancy.
When Spider-Man controls the ball better and plays better from behind, he will also play like this.
I don’t care whether it will be more efficient or not, just be cool and be done with it.
Li Ao came to the frontcourt, and an unexpected situation occurred - the person guarding him was Garnett!
Seeing Szczerbiak guarding Odom, Li Ao immediately ran to the baseline. Odom pulled to the top arc to catch the ball, and Li Ao slipped to the baseline to use the cover.
Garnett did not follow the baseline, but walked up to the front of the basket and opened his arms. When Li Ao came out from the basket, he immediately followed.
Li Ao was stunned. It turned out that the defensive pitcher could slip the baseline and still do this!
But with Garnett's wingspan...that's not right! His wingspan is one centimeter longer than Garnett!
It's his Spider-Man mentality that has solidified!
Li Ao came to the left side of the three-second zone. Seeing that Li Ao did not get a direct chance, Odom stopped being a card master and broke through directly.
Szczerbiak was deceived by Odom's fake move and rushed to the other side. Odom rushed in from the middle, and Garnett contracted to attack. He successfully blocked Odom's rush and also covered the three-second zone. left side.
Li Ao didn't just stand there stupidly. He immediately ran to the high post and received Odom's pass at a two-point position in front of the basket. Anthony Pillar moved in advance, and Li Ao was stuck as soon as he received the ball.
There was no strong shot. Li Ao shot the ball at a 45-degree angle from the right side. Big Q caught the ball and shot a three-pointer...hit!
7 to 5, the Clippers took the lead!
After beating the Jazz, Spurs, and Kings, the Clippers felt too relaxed offensively against the Timberwolves.
After the All-Star break, the Timberwolves, who were so far ahead in record, were caught up by the Clippers because their defense was mediocre and they couldn't keep up with the top and top defensive teams in March.
The Timberwolves' defense is not bad, after all, they have Garnett, but so far, they can only rank 17th in the league, a mid-range level. The only one who can help Garnett on the defensive end is Trier Bu. Langdon, Billups, Nesterovich, Dean Garrett.
There can definitely only be one center, and Trill Brandon and Billups, although they can form a meat grinder combination in the backcourt, they are completely incompatible on the offensive end. They can still work together in the early season, but when it comes In the mid-term, when the two played together, they were holding each other back.
Since March, Billups has become a pure substitute. In addition to key defense, the time Terrell Brandon and Billups play together can be counted on the fingers.
However, the Timberwolves players have become accustomed to this situation in the second half of the season.
If you can't defend yourself, attack!
The Timberwolves are averaging 99.2 points per game after the All-Star break!
Garnett continued to break through with the ball from the top of the arc. The fans' attention was all on Garnett. Suddenly, Garnett grabbed the ball and pushed it straight away.
Wing Szczerbiak used Nesterovich to block Li Ao and then cut in, caught the ball, rushed inside with O'Neal in his arms, took off, layup... pull-up layup... missed!
Li Ao rushed in shouting "Take my hat" and grabbed the defensive rebound.
The Timberwolves retreated quickly, and Garnett cursed at Szczerbiak.
Among the five swear words was one sentence: "What are you afraid of him doing when he is so far away? Even if he is blocked, it is better than missing the shot. The ball may pop out if blocked."
Just now, Szczerbiak broke into the frame, but was frightened by Li Ao's voice and pulled his lever.
Garnett has a headache because of Li Ao's intimidation. His teammates inside are timid and are afraid of being dunked. Teammates with poor attack skills are even more timid and worried about being blocked.
Li Ao, who passed the ball to Greg Anthony and then ran to the frontcourt, also understood why Garnett went to the top of the curved frame to launch the attack.
The superstar with the highest salary in the league is really selfless besides money.
In order to open up the team's offense, the mid-range, short-range and wings are freed up, allowing teammates to have better space to cut into the frame and run from the wings to catch and shoot.
Be willing to sacrifice your own performance and efficiency for the performance of your teammates.
Although Szczerbiak was determined just now, the opportunity did come up.
Li Ao came to the frontcourt and took Garnett to the bottom corner. He stopped running and opened up space for his teammates.
Keep Garnett away from the center to reduce Garnett's chances of covering up defense and create better offensive conditions for his teammates.
Who wouldn't sacrifice some data?
Odom broke into the inside easily under Szczerbiak's defense. Trier Brandon could only rush in from the left sideline in advance and tackle Odom. Odom scored the ball from the left sideline. Greg Anthony's wide-open three-point shot... is solid.
Although I didn’t make it, the opportunity presented itself very easily!
Li Ao went to the bottom corner and Garnett went to the top of the arc. Both of them created good offensive conditions for their teammates.
In the next few rounds, the scores of both teams continued to rise.
But the Clippers' scoring increased faster than the Timberwolves!
Garnett is not in the paint, and the Timberwolves have no one who can pass the ball from the inside to the outside. Trier Brandon can pass the ball, but he can't see anything when he gets inside.
As for the Clippers, Odom attacks from the outside and can pass when he breaks through. After passing out, he can also pass the ball back to the inside. O'Neal Jr. has a good ability to distribute the ball inside.
Without Garnett in the middle to radiate the entire mid-range defense, Odom played very easily.
Midway through the first quarter, the Clippers extended their lead to 6 points, with a score of 21 to 15!
Odom continued his performance from the previous game, scoring 6 points and 3 assists in the first half!
It can be said that Garnett made a very bad decision by switching to guard Li Ao.
Not only did he not limit the Clippers' offense, Li Ao was also able to paddle with his hands on his hips offensively.
After returning from the official timeout, Garnett returned to the regular defensive area.
With Garnett assisting in defense, the Clippers switched back to Li Ao's high-post attack style.
Li Ao launched an attack, and Odom or Maggette, who came on the bench to cut into the frame, distributed the ball inside. Although the Clippers' score was not as high as in the first half, they still maintained a high offensive efficiency.
At 11 minutes and 45 seconds, Billups, who came on the bench, stepped back and hit a three-pointer from the outside. The Timberwolves chased the score to 31-34, narrowing the price difference to 3 points.
When the Clippers attacked, Li Ao received the ball from a high position, turned around and passed directly to the left baseline without playing from behind.
After Odom covered Matt Halprin, he took advantage of Garnett to switch to guard Matt Halprin and moved to the baseline to avoid the area covered by Garnett and get a chance to pass the ball.
At the same time, he got rid of the opponent's substitute shooting guard Philip Lopez's close defense and bypassed him.
After receiving the ball, Odom rushed from the baseline, but Garnett's defensive awareness was really good. Seeing Odom's movements, he went directly to the basket.
Garnett was very confident, but Odom didn't dare to attack the frame under his defense. When he saw Philip Lopez losing Odom, he immediately turned around and went back to cover Matt Halprin who was running to the high post. He was very worried. Fortunately, there is still a defensive-minded shooting guard on the team.
It's a pity that this late first-round teammate from St. John's University in 1998 was 24 years old when he entered the NBA. He has good skills, but poor physical fitness, which is not enough to display his skills in the NBA's confrontation.
As Garnett expected, Odom passed the ball after reaching close range, but the angle of the pass did not seem to be at a 45-degree angle to the left... Garnett's eyes widened, and he quickly turned around to press... and was knocked out of the baseline. .
After Li Ao passed the ball, he immediately turned around and cut in. After receiving the pass from Odom, he took off, knocked back Garnett, and dunked the ball into the basket!
Garnett is going berserk!
He punched himself hard...in the chest.
This bastard little spider!
He didn't dunk when Nesterovich was in the paint, and he didn't dunk when Dean Garrett was in the paint.
Focus exclusively on him, the Wolf King, and dunk it all by himself!
What hatred and resentment!
In the last 3 seconds of the first quarter, Philippe Lopez took a step to receive the ball from the free throw line and did not shoot.
With Garnett scolding Philip Lopez for not shooting a long shot, the long whistle sounded at the end of the first quarter.
36 to 31, the Clippers maintain a 5-point lead!
Li Ao performed efficiently in the first quarter, making 5 of 7 shots, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, plus 2 of 2 free throws, for 13 points in a single quarter!
…
The Clippers are eager to rush to seventh place and avoid the Lakers.
The Timberwolves want it even more!
The setback in the first quarter did not affect the Timberwolves' desire to win.
In the second quarter, Flip Saunders got angry and let Billups and Garnett take turns to attack!
Billups's high ball-holding rate and promiscuous shooting style of play is difficult to be compatible with support-oriented teammates. When he holds the ball, Garnett's support ability is basically abolished, and the two people's court rhythm is not the same.
But now Flip Saunders can't control that much. Billups and Garnett performed very well in singles in the first quarter. There was no other way to improve the offense, so he chose to give it a try.
This time, he made the right bet!
Billups scored 10 points and 2 assists in the second quarter, and Garnett scored 7 points and 3 assists. The two scored wildly in isolation, leading the team to 31 points in a single quarter!
Billups is not good at partnering with supporting insiders, but Garnett has comprehensive abilities. He spares no effort to move, allowing him to be in a position to meet Billups at any time, allowing Billups to take advantage of the situation when the opportunity is really bad. , there is a connection point.
The Clippers also played well in this quarter and made more achievements. Piakowski, who came on the bench, scored two corner three-pointers, plus a cutting layup, scoring a team-high 8 points. Coupled with Li Ao's 6 points and O'Neal Jr.'s 5 points... the Clippers scored 28 points in a single quarter.
After halftime, the Timberwolves chased the score to 62-64, narrowing the point difference to two points!
It's easy to get into trouble.
It's the same on the court.
Billups' style of play can be used to hit opponents accurately, but it is also really scary when it comes to iron.
In the third quarter, Billups took all 4 shots!
Flip Saunders promptly replaced Billups with Terril Brandon and stabilized the outside offense. However, after the outside offense stabilized, he discovered that there was also a big problem inside.
In the second quarter, Garnett spared no effort to assist Billups, and together he led the team to beat the Clippers on the offensive end, narrowing the point difference, but his physical exertion was also very high!
He is willing to make sacrifices in his style of play, but that is not the style of play he is good at, and the cost is much greater than organizing his own offense.
On the Clippers side, Gentry noticed Garnett's decline in physical strength and made decisive adjustments - playing defense!
In the third quarter, the Clippers successfully limited the Timberwolves' offense, allowing the opponent to only score 18 points!
Garnett's physical strength declined, and Li Ao had more opportunities to catch and shoot from mid-range. He made 3 of 5 shots, plus 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 8 points in a single quarter, together with Matt Halprin who scored 4 points and 2 assists. Led the team to score 24 points in a single quarter.
88 to 80, the Clippers expanded their lead to 8 points!
At the end of the quarter, Flip Saunders once again chose to take a gamble. In a point-chasing battle, Trill Brandon was not suitable. He sent Billups on, with Anthony Peeler and Philip Lopez on the wings. Szczerbiak was placed at the power forward position, and Garnett played center.
In the second half of the third quarter, Garnett stayed within the three-second zone and did not expand out. The offense was also stationary and paddling, and finally slowed down. In the final quarter, he began to actively cover the flanks and cut into the attacking frame.
In this headwind situation, it is right to choose Billups!
At 11 minutes and 06 seconds into the final quarter, Billups hit a two-point shot. He scored in double figures in the final quarter, scoring 11 points, plus 2 assists, and led the team to 28 points in a single quarter!
However, on the defensive end... the opposite Clippers also scored 25 points!
108 to 113, the Timberwolves are still 5 points behind!
When it came to the Clippers' offense, the Timberwolves defended very hard.
But the offensive lineup they put up was poorly defended.
Li Ao easily cut inside and received Matt Halprin's transfer pass. Dean Garrett and Garnett both pressed towards him. Li Ao hit the ground and sent the pass, and O'Neal Jr. received the pass from the right side of the three-second zone. Take the ball, take one step, jump and put the basket successfully.
115 to 108, the Clippers' lead expanded to 7 points!
With 38 seconds left in the game, Billups caught the ball and quickly rushed to the frontcourt, facing Li Ao, who was defending, and scored a three-pointer... "Pa"...
A familiar scene appeared in front of Billups again.
Greg Anthony, who came back from the defense, grabbed the ball and the Timberwolves' last hope was killed.
At 10:27 pm, the final whistle sounded.
Odom had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, O'Neal Jr. had 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, and Li Ao had 29 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks.
The three of them worked together to lead the team and defeated the Timberwolves 115-108, improving the record to 49 wins and 31 losses!
Asking for a monthly ticket!
(End of chapter)
