Kevin Garnett's retirement ceremony was quite smooth. After he gave a speech, the live game finally officially started.
A more interesting episode is that after Kevin Garnett finished speaking, he deliberately mentioned Zhao Feiyang in front of the fans, "Although I have left you, there is still this guy...he is A very good person, I think that in the next time, he will lead the giant ship of the Timberwolves forward, and he will be your captain..."
After Kevin Garnett finished speaking, he called Zhao Feiyang and gave him a big hug.
Of course, the fans on the sidelines were also very happy about such a scene. It seemed that at the time of the replacement of the old with the new, a new inheritance was going on.
Even though no one knows how long Zhao Feiyang will stay in Minnesota, they still hope that this young man who has brought them miracles can once again lead them to glory.
Beep.
The timer sounds.
Players from both sides are about to enter.
This time the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Portland Trail Blazers.
This team has a pretty good start to the season and is currently ranked fifth in the Western Conference. Compared with the Timberwolves, which lost consecutive games and dropped to seventh in the Western Conference, their performance is indeed much better.
The two players that pose the greatest threat to the Trail Blazers are undoubtedly the combination of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
These two are strong, averaging 20+ points per game.
Especially Damian Lillard. In the eyes of the outside world, he has many labels, such as an "older rookie" like Zhao Feiyang. Although he is much younger than Zhao Feiyang entered the NBA, he is indeed one of the rookies of the same period. Not very favored.
As a result, he continued to prove himself with actual performance, not only showing his worth, but also repeatedly proving his value as a key player.
"Today's opponents are very strong, but we are not bad either... In fact, we are very similar to them. We have excellent core players on the back line, but there are some deficiencies inside..."
"If Dwight was here, maybe it would be easier for us to beat them. Now that he is not here, we have to go all out...Also, welcome the return of Zhao. With him, I believe we can win the game. ..."
Head coach Norman Thomas arranged tactics while giving instructions to the players.
Tonight is Zhao Feiyang's comeback. Originally, Zhao Feiyang hoped to start the game, but head coach Norman Thomas was afraid that his injury would recur and insisted that he stay on the bench for more time before going up.
Zhao Feiyang did not refuse. He followed the instructions of head coach Norman Thomas and started various warm-ups. He even asked the team doctor to help him rub his ankle.
call out.
The referee's whistle sounded and both teams started playing.
When Zhao Feiyang did not appear in the starting lineup, the fans watching the game were undoubtedly a little disappointed. Many people came here for his comeback, but now that they haven't been able to see him for the first time, they can't help but speculate.
"Has Zhao's injury not fully recovered yet?"
"Could he be forced to come back? If that's the case, I would rather he rest for a while... A forced comeback will definitely have a great impact on the injury..."
"Damn it, Fuck! It's all the fault of Dwight, a guy who doesn't live up to expectations. If he hadn't failed to lead the team to consecutive defeats, Zhao wouldn't have returned in a hurry under this situation..."
Snapped.
The referee threw the basketball, and Portland Trail Blazers center Mason Plumlee fanned the ball first. The basketball fell into the hands of Damian Lillard, who held the ball across half court.
The game officially begins.
The Timberwolves players immediately set up a defensive formation after halftime.
As soon as Damian Lillard passed half court, Zach LaVine immediately moved over to mark him. There is not much age difference between the two, but Zach LaVine is obviously not experienced enough in terms of experience.
The two sides met each other, and Damian Lillard suddenly used the cover of his teammates to enter the two zones. Zach LaVine wanted to make up the defense, but was blocked by the opponent and lost his position.
Damian Lillard, who entered the two zones, was not in a hurry. After observing the situation in the penalty area, he chose the simplest throw.
Uh-huh.
A floater successfully threw the ball into the basket.
This offensive method may seem ordinary, but it is extremely efficient and successfully helped the Trail Blazers get a "good start" goal.
It was the Timberwolves' turn to fight back.
Zach LaVine was attacking with the ball, and as soon as he passed halftime, he was marked by Damian Lillard. Zach LaVine was not in a hurry to play singles, but distributed the ball to the wing, and Kevin Martin came up to respond.
Snapped.
After getting the ball, Kevin Martin rushed to the basket. Faced with the interference of CJ McCollum, he suddenly braked and made an emergency jump shot.
It’s a pity that the basketball failed to score.
boom.
The basketball bounced out of the basket.
Gorgui Dieng went up to grab the rebound, but failed to grab the opponent's main center Mason Plumlee. The ball fell into the hands of the Trail Blazers.
This time the Trail Blazers directly launched a fast break counterattack.
Damian Lillard accelerated with the ball and ran wildly. After halftime, he glanced behind him. Facing Zach LaVine's chasing defense, Damian Lillard threw the ball high behind him. .
CJ McCollum, who followed up, jumped up and dunked the ball directly into the basket.
boom.
The ball went in again.
The Trail Blazers' two consecutive attacks made the Timberwolves a little uncomfortable.
When the Timberwolves counterattacked again, this time, Kevin Martin took the initiative to catch the ball after the ball passed halfway. After getting the ball, he set a screen with Andrew Wiggins. The latter came up from the wing and pretended to receive the ball, but actually helped him fend off CJ McCollum who was defending in front of him.
Just by blocking this shot, Kevin Martin seized the opportunity and made a direct shot.
Uh-huh.
A crisp three-pointer was finally scored.
Seeing that the team finally scored, Zhao Feiyang, who was resting on the team bench, was also very happy to lead the substitutes to stand up and cheer. The fans on the sidelines were also very happy, and many people were moved by Kevin Martin's performance. Cheers.
However, they were still too happy. Here, Kevin Martin had just thrown in a three-pointer, and just after halftime, Damian Lillard, like a cheat, pulled away directly to the midline and shot out. A super long three-pointer.
Not only did he vote, he also deliberately attracted Zach LaVine in front of him, and just threw it against Zach LaVine's head and hands.
This style of play is really a bit domineering.
But there is nothing the Timberwolves can do. After all, guarding Damian Lillard is not an easy task, especially for a rookie like Zach LaVine.
The game between the two sides continues.
After finally waiting until the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves players on the field quickly came off the court to rest.
Zach LaVine was very tired after playing one quarter, especially defending Damian Lillard, which consumed a lot of his energy. Therefore, after sitting on the bench, he began to replenish water.
"Zach, take a rest! I'll be on the next section!"
"good."
Zach LaVine did not refuse, but told Zhao Feiyang, "Zhao, Damien's three-point shooting touch is very good, even as good as yours... and that guy is very fast. Quick, the physical resistance is also very good, you have to be careful..."
"oh?"
Zhao Feiyang suddenly became interested, "The physical resistance is also very good? Then I would like to give it a try!"
The break passed quickly.
After the second quarter started, Zhao Feiyang volunteered to come on the court. Head coach Norman Thomas was still hesitant. Before making a decision, he kept asking about Zhao Feiyang's situation, "Are you sure?"
"Zhao, I don't want you to risk your career. You are the core of the team. If anything happens to you, the team's entire season may be ruined. You have to understand this..."
Zhao Feiyang was very touched by the concern of head coach Norman Thomas.
"Coach Norman, don't worry!"
"I think I'm recovering well and I shouldn't be injured for quite some time..."
Coach Norman Thomas was dubious.
"It would be great if that were the case, but you must remember that you are already a 30-year-old player, and protecting your health is also a very important thing..."
"clear."
In this way, Zhao Feiyang was allowed to appear.
The moment he walked onto the court, all the fans in the Target Center stood up and cheered and applauded, and even the host and guests in charge of the commentary screamed.
"Oh! Man, he's finally back!"
"Hahaha... I've been waiting for him for a long time. I don't know how this guy is recovering... I hope he can bring us a little surprise..."
At the same time, the Trail Blazers on the opposite bench also noticed Zhao Feiyang's comeback.
CJ McCollum was very worried about Zhao Feiyang's appearance. He said to Damian Lillard who had just walked onto the court, "Damien, be careful if you play against him later." One thing, that guy's three-point shot is also very strong, and his dribbling is also very good..."
Damian Lillard was a little disapproving.
"McCollum, don't worry...have we met too many stars? Objectively speaking, Zhao is capable, but I think there is also a lot of luck. He is improving, and so are we. ..."
"I would really like to test how much he has grown compared to last season..."
call out.
The referee whistle sounded.
The second quarter officially started, and the ball was in the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Damian Lillard dribbled the ball forward.
Before halftime, he was marked by Zhao Feiyang.
When the two met each other, Damian Lillard was not in a hurry to pass. Instead, he used his body to resist Zhao Feiyang and continued to exert physical confrontation.
The two have played against each other in the past, and Damian Lillard has never suffered a loss in physical confrontations.
However, this time, as soon as Damian Lillard came into contact with Zhao Feiyang, he felt as if he had hit an iron wall.
Before he could fully react, Zhao Feiyang stretched out his hand to steal.
Damian Lillard didn't believe it and used his body to push Zhao Feiyang away again, but unfortunately it was still in vain. Zhao Feiyang didn't move at all. Even if Damian Lillard was allowed to collide, Zhao Feiyang hardly moved. .
Snapped.
The next second, Zhao Feiyang made a sneak attack and took advantage of Damian Lillard's unpreparedness to slap away the basketball he was carrying in his right hand.
The whole audience exclaimed.
