Jump ball from both sides.
Snapped.
As soon as the referee threw the ball, Draymond Green and Dwight Howard jumped up at the same time. Both of them performed very hard, but Dwight Howard was better.
He slapped the ball away, and the basketball fell into the hands of teammate Zach LaVine.
Zach LaVine advanced with the ball, and the Timberwolves took the opportunity to prepare for the attack.
After halftime, Zach LaVine organized the offense at the top of the key. Stephen Curry didn't intend to give him any chance. He marked him from the very beginning and pressed the defense to bring pressure.
Zach LaVine did not act rashly, but transferred the ball to Zhao Feiyang.
Zhao Feiyang came up from the flank to respond.
After getting the ball, he faced Klay Thompson's close defense. He first put up a posture and feinted to test, and then suddenly made a pull-up shot from the three-point line.
Uh-huh.
The three-pointer fell firmly into the basket.
The wonderful goal caused a round of applause from the audience. The Timberwolves fans obviously wanted to see their star perform such an outstanding performance.
Only head coach Norman Thomas was not happy. He stood in front of the team bench with his lips pouted and walked around from time to time. He didn't know what he was thinking.
Soon it was the Golden State Warriors' turn to fight back.
Stephen Curry dribbles the ball forward, his reaction is quick, and the Warriors' offense is also very fast. At this point, they are obviously much better than the Timberwolves, who have just adapted their starting lineup.
After halftime, Stephen Curry quickly rushed into the two zones with the help of Draymond Green's screen.
Dwight Howard stepped forward to cover the defense, and Stephen Curry deliberately made a pass, causing Dwight Howard to focus back on Draymond Green.
The next second, Stephen Curry made a throw and the basketball fell steadily into the basket.
After the Warriors scored, the Timberwolves also tried a fast break counterattack.
Zach LaVine had just sprinted far with the ball when Draymond Green and Stephen Curry double-teamed him halfway.
This move made Zach LaVine almost drop the basketball from his hand.
Fortunately, he transferred the ball away at the critical moment and the basketball fell into Zhao Feiyang's hands.
Zhao Feiyang originally planned to drive straight to the basket and cooperate with other teammates. After looking around the court for a week, he was shocked to find that Dwight Howard, who should have been positioned earlier, had not come over yet, so he slowly walked to the midline. .
"What are you doing?"
"Wouldn't you like to run over here quickly?"
Zhao Feiyang, who was afraid of not being able to score, had no choice but to slow down the offensive rhythm, dribble the ball again and organize the attack again. He also took advantage of this time to wait for Dwight Howard to run across the half court.
After all, the opponent's inside core Draymond Green has already reached the basket. If the Timberwolves' inside line is not in place and the offense fails to score, the rebound will belong to the opponent.
After finally waiting for Dwight Howard to enter the inside line, when Zhao Feiyang was planning to mobilize the entire team for offensive coordination, Dwight Howard, who was standing outside the penalty area, stretched out his hand to ask for the ball from Zhao Feiyang.
"Zhao, give me the ball."
Dwight Howard shouted to Zhao Feiyang.
Zhao Feiyang hesitated for a moment, but even though he didn't want to do it, he still threw the ball into the hands of Dwight Howard.
Snapped.
Dwight Howard caught the basketball with one hand.
Draymond Green was standing behind him at this time. Facing Dwight Howard's singles, Draymond Green was not nervous or anxious at all, but looked at the opponent very calmly.
The two faced each other. Dwight Howard hit twice first, then turned around and pulled away. Just when Draymond Green stretched out his hand to interfere with Dwight Howard, the latter rushed to the other side of the basket. Remember to backhand the ball into the basket.
boom.
The ball went in.
Although this dunk didn't look violent, it still proved his strength.
After scoring the goal, Dwight Howard looked very relaxed. With a smile on his face, he made a proud gesture to Zhao Feiyang, "Hey, man, this is another assist for you... Look! It's very simple. Yes, you don’t have to use your method to break in..."
After that, Dwight Howard looked at Draymond Green and admonished him in a senior tone, "Young people... don't be discouraged. Of course, we are different... When I was your age, I was already a superstar in the league..."
Draymond Green didn't say anything, but just gave Dwight Howard a blank look.
The game goes on.
As time went by, the coordination the Minnesota Timberwolves expected did not appear. Zhao Feiyang's personal ability is very strong, and Dwight Howard's personal ability is also very strong, but there is not a good chemical reaction between them.
Moreover, as a member of the team, Dwight Howard has shown himself to be a superstar.
He may not always go when he is needed for a pick-and-roll, and he will also deliberately delay when he is needed for a fast break. The most surprising thing is that when Zhao Feiyang encourages his teammates on the court, Dwight Howard is always inappropriate. interjected.
Zhao Feiyang didn't quite understand this.
Looking back at the Golden State Warriors, the team led by Stephen Curry has already been getting along quite well as early as last season. The team's lineup has not changed significantly at the beginning of this season, and all the core players have been retained. .
Therefore, the team's tacit understanding in terms of offensive cooperation and tactical advancement is much better than that of the Timberwolves.
The most important thing is that Stephen Curry's status as the core of the team is unquestionable. At this point, it is much better than the problems shown by the Timberwolves.
call out.
The referee's whistle sounded and the first half came to an end.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors tied 44 to 55. The 11-point gap made the fans at the Target Center extremely frustrated.
Many fans were looking forward to it at first, but after watching the first two quarters, not only did they no longer have expectations for the combination of Dwight Howard and Zhao Feiyang, they even began to be pessimistic, thinking that it might be difficult for the team to recruit players. A win over the Golden State Warriors.
Break time.
In the Timberwolves locker room, head coach Norman Thomas also had a serious face and kept talking to the players about the problems on the court.
"Our lineup is not bad, I even think it's pretty good... But what's bad is our team morale and the team's cooperation..."
"The Warriors' coordination is so good. They know how to cover and how to help their teammates find better shooting spaces... But what about us? Our coordination is very poor, and it even makes me feel that we are all fighting on our own. ..."
"If you want to beat the Warriors, playing like this is absolutely impossible...We must make changes in the second half..."
