After the battle with the New Orleans Pelicans, Adrian Ennis' condition finally improved.
In the next two games, Adrian's performance was pretty good.
After all, his scoring average is in double digits, and his rebounding and defense are also good, which can be regarded as reaching the passing line of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, the team management seems to be uneasy and is not in a hurry to convert Adrian's contract into a fully guaranteed contract.
Not only that, the team management also signed a non-fully guaranteed temporary contract with second substitute center Greg.
This move is not considered as a regular move for backup center Greg, but just an action taken by the team to make up for the vacancy inside.
As a result, the pressure naturally came to Adrian's shoulders.
If he cannot perform stably and perform better, I am afraid that he may not be able to keep his position as a substitute center. Even if he is still in the team by then, he may just sit on the bench and not officially appear.
By then there will be no chance of being a substitute!
Therefore, Adrian worked harder than before and even trained himself for a long time. Every time, he would not leave until the training hall was closed in the evening.
As the season continues, league teams have basically completed one-third of the schedule.
After Zhao Feiyang returned, the team's performance continued to improve. With more wins than fewer losses, the Minnesota Timberwolves finally reached second place in the Western Conference once again.
The only thing that can threaten them is the Golden State Warriors, who have been winning since the beginning of the season.
The Warriors had a great start to the season and won consecutively. Although they lost some in the middle, their results were generally very good.
Their performance has also made the outside world look forward to them. Many people in the industry are speculating that the Warriors are very likely to reach the finals again this season, and there is also a high probability that they may win the championship again.
Such a strong state of the Warriors also made the Timberwolves regard them as the most threatening opponent in the playoffs from the beginning.
And when both sides' records looked good, they once again had the opportunity to play against each other.
This time the Minnesota Timberwolves travel to Oakland to challenge the Golden State Warriors.
Compared to the last matchup, this time it was the opponent’s home court. When the opponent has the advantage of home court, how to defeat the opponent becomes a problem that the Timberwolves need to consider.
The showdown between No. 1 and No. 2 in the Western Conference attracted a lot of attention early before the game started.
Other teams in the Western Conference are also watching the situation of this game. Everyone wants to know which of these two teams can win.
The day before the game day, the Timberwolves players set off for the airport. Not long after everyone boarded the plane, a long-lost figure appeared in front of them.
The visitor was none other than Dwight Howard, who had not been to the team for a long time.
As soon as he appeared, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"Hey! Guys, how are you doing lately?"
"To give you a surprise, I only said hello to Manager Sam in advance... Hahaha, you didn't expect it! I'm officially back now..."
"This time I will fight against the Warriors with you. There is no doubt that we will defeat them..."
Howard is still as familiar as before, and he starts talking non-stop after seeing his teammates.
However, this time, as the team leader, Zhao Feiyang ignored him at all. Seeing Howard coming, Zhao Feiyang was not even happy at all.
He found a blindfold and lay down on a chair to rest, deliberately pretending to be about to sleep and pretending not to notice Howard's arrival.
Not only Zhao Feiyang made this gesture, but also Zach LaVine and Kevin Martin.
Like Zhao Feiyang, they are all people who work hard for the game. They have no extra thoughts about Howard, who has the highest annual salary in the team but is extremely lazy.
Ignoring it is their attitude.
It was Andrew Wiggins who took the initiative to say hello to Howard, "Hey, Dwight, I've finally waited for you..."
Seeing someone talking to him, Howard was embarrassed and hurried up to talk to cover up his embarrassment.
"Andrew, I watched the game on Friday night! Man, your dunks were more powerful than before. I suspect you are training secretly in private..."
"What? You haven't? Oh! No way! Are you still continuing to realize your talent? Man, I have never seen a player as talented as you..."
Master Huo's words made Wiggins very happy.
The two of them, who were neither very keen on training or competing, soon started chatting happily.
After the plane took off, other players chose to do their own things, and the chatter of Howard and Wiggins was still heard in the cabin.
Of course, it was just the two of them.
Most of the other players remained silent. They didn't have the firm attitude of LaVine and others, but they didn't really want to talk to Howard.
The plane arrived at its destination quickly.
The Timberwolves players stayed at the largest hotel in Oakland that night. After everyone entered their assigned rooms, Howard also took the opportunity to find Zhao Feiyang.
He stopped Zhao Feiyang, who was about to return to the room, "Hey, Zhao, I have something to tell you... Man, I'm back, and our next game will go smoother... .”
In response to Howard's words, Zhao Feiyang nodded very indifferently and did not respond with a single extra word.
"Anything else?"
"um, I......"
"If nothing happens, I'll go back and rest first!"
After speaking, Zhao Feiyang turned around and left, leaving Howard, who was hesitating, standing there looking at a loss.
In the evening of the next day, the game between the Timberwolves and the Warriors officially began.
Half an hour before the game started, Timberwolves players appeared in the locker room. After head coach Norman Thomas entered the locker room, he also began to arrange the team's starting lineup.
"Kevin, you play No. 2 today!"
"Zhao, I need you to organize the team's offense, and at the same time give you the task of marking Stephen. You must restrict that guy..."
"Andrew, I'll leave the third position to you! Your opponent today is not easy. I don't want you to continue paddling. Cheer up young man..."
"Gorgi, you go and play the fourth position...I need you to protect the team's rebounds and wings..."
When the position was assigned to No. 5, the center position, head coach Norman Thomas did not continue talking immediately, but glanced over and looked at the three players sitting in front of the locker.
These three people are the team's three insiders, Howard, the main center who has just returned, Adrian, who has been playing steadily recently, and Greg, the second substitute center who has just signed a temporary contract.
