Oracle Arena.
Late in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors, who were already lagging behind, were in pieces as they entered the final quarter.
Draymond Green didn't come at all. Even though team general manager Bob Myers and head coach Steve Kerr kept calling and trying to communicate, Draymond Green never responded.
When the game entered the final quarter, Bob Myers and Steve Kerr finally gave up the idea of communicating with each other.
At this time, the Warriors' situation had become extremely bad.
Their tactical system is difficult to perform in a better state without Draymond Green. Especially without more time to adjust, the team has a big problem.
What's worse is that Stephen Curry's performance in this game was not good enough.
Facing Zhao Feiyang's marking, his shots frequently hit the mark. Not only that, he also failed to restrain Zhao Feiyang well on the defensive end.
Firstly, Zhao Feiyang can shoot, and secondly, Zhao Feiyang is also very capable of breakthroughs. No matter how he defends, he must face two choices.
Compared with some players who are either strong in shooting and weak in breakthroughs, or weak in breakthroughs and shooting, it is really difficult to defend a player like Zhao Feiyang who is strong in both aspects.
On the field.
The Warriors have been opened up by 11 points, and there are less than 4 minutes left before the end of the game.
The Warriors serve.
Stephen Curry held the ball through half the court. This time he cooperated with Andre Iguodala to cover the ball and took a shot directly after widening the distance.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Feiyang was already prepared. He rushed forward and slapped Stephen Curry's dribble away.
This block drew exclamations from the crowd.
Fortunately, the basketball did not fall out and the ball fell back into Stephen Curry's hands. This time, Stephen Curry did not choose to force the shot. He suddenly pulled away and faked a shot, but actually changed direction and hit the basket from the right side.
When other Timberwolves players came up to defend, Stephen Curry had already thrown the ball with a throw with his right hand.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
Although Stephen Curry has made many two-pointers like this in this game, his power alone is really limited.
Other than him, the other players on the Warriors didn't perform very well.
Seeing that the game time is getting shorter and shorter, the Warriors still cannot catch up with the Timberwolves.
At the critical moment, Zhao Feiyang successfully hit two long three-pointers from outside the three-point line. This move also completely cut off the possibility of the Warriors' counterattack.
When there were less than 30 seconds left in the live game, the score between the two sides was already 116 to 106.
A 10-point gap doomed the Golden State Warriors to be unable to reverse the outcome.
Beep.
The moment the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, fans throughout the Oracle Arena couldn't help but sigh.
"Oh! No, why did you lose again?"
"Is this guy Draymond so important to the team? Why can't the team win without him?"
"What on earth is Stephen doing? Why has Clay become invisible again? How can such a Warriors team reach the finals?"
Fans were buzzing, obviously very disappointed with the Warriors' performance.
At the same time, news of the Minnesota Timberwolves' win spread throughout the league.
Not only fans of the Timberwolves were shocked, but fans in other cities around the league were also in disbelief. In their opinion, how could the Timberwolves, a weak team, defeat the Golden State Warriors, the second-ranked team in the Western Conference?
The two sides are not on the same level at all.
Although the "Black Eight Miracle" does exist, this kind of thing is too rare.
In the eyes of many people, the Timberwolves, who have frequently failed in the past, must have no chance of such a thing, even if they have the leadership of Zhao Feiyang!
As a result, many local fans left messages on the official website of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"I really didn't expect the Timberwolves to win. I questioned them before, but now it seems I was wrong... I underestimated this team..."
"If the Timberwolves can keep doing this, then I'm willing to support them all the time..."
"The root of all this comes from the leadership of Zhao Feiyang... He is a great guy who can turn a weak team into a treasure..."
Fans not only praised the Timberwolves, but also praised Zhao Feiyang. For a time, his reputation in Minneapolis was comparable to that of Kevin Garnett.
As for China, after the Timberwolves won the game, fans also expressed complete disbelief.
"Holy shit! This will work!"
"That guy Green didn't play, but the problem is that the Warriors wouldn't be so weak without him! Could it be that Curry is restricted by Zhao Feiyang?"
"It's unbelievable. I really didn't expect the Warriors to lose this crucial battle... Now the score is 3-3, and the two sides are on the same starting line again..."
After the Warriors lost consecutive games, Bay Area fans were extremely dissatisfied. If Draymond Green's scolding with fans made them despise or unhappy before, then this time, Draymond Green's unexplained absence from the game has undoubtedly made them angry.
Many people went to Draymond Green's social media account to leave messages.
"Damn bastard, the Warriors shouldn't have signed a guy like you in the first place... Do you think the Warriors can't change without you? Get out of the team! No one needs an ungrateful guy like you. ..."
"I have always hated you. I hate that you have turned the Warriors into something that no one likes. Now it seems that my hatred is correct..."
"Asshole, you will be punished for what you did..."
The fans' anger was not over yet, and the Warriors management also held an emergency meeting on the matter.
Regarding Draymond Green's situation, team general manager Bob Myers immediately explained to the owners and shareholders.
Neither the team owners nor the shareholders have any intention of agreeing to Draymond Green's request for an annual salary of 20 million.
"This talkative guy, why does he think he is worth 20 million? I admit that he is indeed valuable, but he is definitely not worth so much money..."
"David Lee only has 15 million US dollars, and even Klay Thompson will only have 15.5 million US dollars next season... Doesn't this guy Draymond not recognize himself? If we can give him If it's 20 million, then we can also give 20 million to other players, and we can definitely sign a star..."
After the boss expressed his dissatisfaction to the shareholders, he did not continue to ridicule.
Soon, a group of people negotiated and finalized a suitable price, and then sent team general manager Bob Myers again to find Draymond Green for negotiations.
"Bob, tell that guy that if he refuses to compromise this time, then let him get out when the season is over!"
