Los Angeles.
Staples Center Arena.
This is the home court of the Lakers and the Clippers.
Although the Clippers have been rumored to build a new arena for the team for many years, after all, the construction of the arena cannot be easily completed in one or two years. Therefore, the Clippers still share a home court with the Lakers at this time. .
Originally, the Clippers were far less popular than the Lakers. However, the team has traded for Chris Paul in the past few seasons. In addition, the team also has Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Ja Mal Crawford and a number of other outstanding players.
Judging from the lineup, their book strength is quite strong.
After the start of this season, their record was not bad, and they once maintained the fourth position in the Western Conference.
Compared with them, the Timberwolves, which previously suffered a losing streak under Dwight Howard's leadership, are currently ranked sixth in the Western Conference.
There doesn't seem to be much difference between the two sides.
Before the game, in the Timberwolves locker room. Adrian Ennis, who finally returned, attracted the attention of his teammates, and even head coach Norman Thomas couldn't help but ask about him.
"Adrian, how does the special training feel?"
"I can give you a chance to start today. Do you want to try?"
Adrian was naturally flattered by Coach Norman's regard for him. Soon, he told Coach Norman, "Coach, I can do it."
"I promise I will not disappoint your expectations!"
"Okay! Then you will play the starting five position in a moment... Adrian, I am looking forward to seeing your performance on the court..."
Teammates are somewhat envious of Coach Norman's support, especially those players who are struggling on the bench.
However, the teammates also know very well that all this stems from Zhao Feiyang's support.
If it weren't for Zhao Feiyang's support and help, Adrian, a substitute player, wouldn't have much money to hire Olajuwon for special training. Even if the money was enough, the other side might not pay attention to him, an unknown guy.
Beep.
The timer sounds and the game begins soon.
The Timberwolves and Clippers sent out their respective starting lineups.
call out.
Players from both sides come on stage and prepare for the jump ball.
Snapped.
The moment the referee threw the basketball, Griffin and Adrian jumped up at the same time. The result did not exceed the expectations of Clippers fans. Griffin successfully took the basketball and the ball fell into the hands of Chris Paul.
"Oh! What a pity!"
"It's not surprising, the opponent is Blake...Have you all forgotten his performance in the 2010 season? Those dunks are not something ordinary people can do..."
"That's true. Blake has been famous for a long time and is an All-Star striker. It's not surprising that Adrian lost to him..."
Teammates on the sidelines were talking a lot.
Meanwhile, fans in Minneapolis were watching the game live at home.
Ever since news of "Olajuwon's special training" came out in the gossip media, fans have been looking forward to it. Although they don't know much about newcomers like Adrian, it does not affect their hope that this young man can make up for Howard. of vacancies.
Regarding the scene of fighting for the ball in the game, the fans in Minneapolis were relatively calm after seeing it.
"It's normal to not be able to grab Blake..."
"God! Why not let this guy Blake go to the Timberwolves? Why trade for that playboy Dwight?"
"It's impossible to expect a newcomer like Adrian to make it to the top in one fell swoop. I just hope he can make some significant progress so that we can have hope for the playoffs..."
At the same time, Howard was watching the live broadcast at home.
Howard was very nervous when he learned that Adrian was coming back. When he learned that Adrian was going to come back in this game, Howard immediately stayed in front of the TV. When the show started, he sat in front of the TV and watched the game intently.
When he saw the performance of both sides fighting for the ball, Howard did not laugh at it.
"This guy's jumping is not bad, but there is still a gap compared with the stars..."
"It's just a possession of the ball. It doesn't show anything at all..."
His eyes returned to the stadium.
The game goes on.
After halftime, Paul held the ball at the top of the arc to organize the offense, and he was marked by Zach LaVine. The two met each other, and Paul suddenly used a teammate's pick-and-roll to break through the two zones. LaVine was pulled away by Paul because of the pick-and-roll.
After entering the two zones, Paul pretended to sprint towards the basket.
At this time, Adrian, who was marking Griffin, was closest to Paul. If he didn't come up to defend, Paul would have a chance to make a throw.
After a slight hesitation, Adrian quickly stepped forward and stretched out his hands to block Paul's offensive line of sight.
But he never thought that the opponent had been waiting for him for a long time. Only when Adrian stretched out his hands to interfere, Paul immediately threw the ball behind him with a high throw.
Griffin, who was standing behind Adrian, leaped high, caught the basketball Paul threw into the air and dunked it with two hands.
boom.
The ball went in.
It's another alley-oop scene familiar to Clippers fans.
There was a round of applause and cheers.
Adrian looked a little frustrated after making a defensive mistake, but fortunately his teammate Gorgui Dieng patted him on the shoulder.
"Adrian, don't think too much, it's just a ball...continue to defend seriously!"
Adrian nodded from Gorgi.
It was the Timberwolves' turn to attack.
LaVine advanced with the ball and was marked by Paul in various ways after halftime. Upon seeing this, Zhao Feiyang stepped forward to respond and got the ball on the right side of the basket.
Seeing this, Adrian quickly moved to a high position, trying to cover and cooperate with Zhao Feiyang.
Zhao Feiyang saw him coming and gave him a look. Adrian quickly blocked Zhao Feiyang's right side. This block helped Zhao Feiyang fend off the Clippers defensive player JJ Redick. After successfully breaking through the blockade, Zhao Feiyang walked quickly. Driving to the basket.
Griffin, who was guarding the side, had to make up the defense. Zhao Feiyang saw that the opponent was trying to block him and threw a ground pass to Adrian who was following up on the left.
"nice shot."
The exquisite pass drew applause from his teammates.
Head coach Norman Thomas also looked delighted.
The next moment, Adrian, who successfully got the ball, faced the basket alone. All he had to do was to rush into the basket and take a shot. Either a layup to end the battle, or a dunk to end the battle. It seemed that neither method would work. question.
However, no one expected that just when Adrian rushed to the penalty area and jumped high to end the battle with a two-handed dunk, Griffin, who had previously guarded Zhao Feiyang, suddenly fired a shot back.
He suddenly turned around and flew towards Adrian. The two met each other in mid-air. Adrian was completely unprepared. The basketball he was holding with both hands was slapped and flew away.
Snapped.
The basketball flew far.
This big shot also ignited the passion of the fans at the scene, causing countless people to scream.
"pretty!"
"Great dunk!"
"As expected of Blake..."
The teammates on the bench of the Timberwolves also stood up subconsciously. Everyone obviously did not expect that this seemingly inevitable goal would happen again. Even the head coach Norman's brows suddenly tightened.
"Gift Crab! Blake's reaction ability is too fast..."
"No, I think Adrian's dunk was too soft! Man, don't have any advantage with the ball like that just now. Just dunk it down hard. If you hesitate at all, you will fail... ..."
"Adrian's strength is indeed a bit lacking..."
This big shot brought more than just reactions. Not only the fans at the scene were surprised, but the Timberwolves fans watching the live broadcast were also disappointed.
"Oh! It's so miserable!"
"I can't bear to watch anymore! Is this special training? Why do I think there is no change from before?"
"Olajuwon's unique skill is his flexible feet! But I don't think this guy's footsteps are flexible either! What's the problem? Is it because he has limited qualifications? Or has he not learned anything at all?"
On the field.
Zhao Feiyang was also a little surprised to see Adrian being blocked, but as a participant, he knew very well that the goal just now was mainly due to Griffin's too quick reaction.
As the basketball was fanned out, LaVine, standing outside the three-point line, got the ball. But not long after he got the ball in his hands, Paul, who was standing next to him, slapped him hard, and while slapping him back, he pulled LaVine with small movements.
This move did not receive any whistle from the referee.
Before LaVine could fully react, Paul took the ball away from him.
After getting the basketball, Paul quickly started to accelerate and rushed towards the half court. By the time he entered the two zones, Griffin had already rushed behind him.
Paul only glanced back, then suddenly threw the ball high, followed by Griffin and flew up to catch the ball and dunk.
boom.
The explosive performance shocked the entire audience.
And Adrian, who was chasing behind him, was once again questioned. When Griffin ended the battle with a dunk, he just happened to catch up to the two-zone position.
Speed has never been his strong point, and this move has caused even fewer people to be dissatisfied with him. Even Chinese fans watching the live broadcast on the other side of the ocean also participated.
"Holy crap! What are you doing? Adrian is chasing Griffin at this speed? I'm afraid the opponent had to run back and forth before he got to the basket!"
"I'm convinced too! Are you going to special training in this state? Special training is a waste! If the money is not wasted, I will change my name..."
"Alas! Feiyang was wrong this time. Why did he choose this guy for special training? With all this money, it's better to find a more powerful blue-collar player..."
There was a lot of complaints on the Internet.
Adrian himself at the scene also doubted himself.
After Griffin scored, Adrian stood under the basket and prepared to serve. Perhaps the frustration caused by successive failures made him a little dazed. Just when he was about to serve the basketball, he did not notice that he was standing in the bottom corner. Griffin pretending to tie his shoes.
Snapped.
As soon as Adrian threw the ball to LaVine, Griffin in the bottom corner moved.
He suddenly burst out of the way, intercepted Adrian's pass with a slap, and before the latter could react, he entered the basket and dunked the ball.
