"Oh, guys, our opponent tonight is the Denver Nuggets... They are ranked fifth from the bottom, and they are not a threat to us..."
"But we still can't be careless in this game. We must maintain our winning streak and not relax..."
In the locker room, head coach Norman Thomas was giving instructions on what to pay attention to during the game.
Because the opponent is not strong and the team is basically guaranteed, the players are more relaxed and the atmosphere in the entire locker room is more active.
Zhao Feiyang and Zach LaVine, who were sitting in the middle, were also chatting non-stop. Even if their voices were not loud, their behavior was discovered by head coach Norman.
"Hey, Zach, Zhao, what are you two talking about?"
"It seems you are not satisfied with my tactics..."
Coach Norman didn't get angry with the two of them. Instead, he deliberately asked with a wicked smile. His words also silenced the locker room, and the teammates' eyes focused on the two of them.
The two people who were stared at by everyone calmed down, especially Raven, who had been talking non-stop. At this time, he stood up to explain with an embarrassed look.
"Coach Norman, I'm sorry... We are not dissatisfied with your tactics, it's just that I and Zhao just discussed the All-Star Game..."
Zhao Feiyang also stood up and explained, "Zach is looking forward to this slam dunk contest! I told him that we will all cheer for him... If he doesn't win the championship, he will invite all of us when he comes back. Go have a night of fun..."
"No, Zhao, you are too bad... I never said that..."
When Zach argued, his teammates couldn't help but laugh.
Head coach Norman did not blame the two and even joked with them.
"Zach, I have no doubt that you can win the slam dunk contest! After all, you were the champion last year! I'm just curious what kind of moves you will design to participate in the competition this time?"
"Zhao, have you seen your All-Star votes? Now you are ranked second in the Western Conference. Except for Stephen in front of you, no one has more votes than you... You are from our Timberwolves. Proud, when I get back from get off work in the evening, I will also vote for you..."
Everyone was chatting away, and soon the game started.
Timberwolves players enter the infield.
The game begins quickly after the referee throws the basketball.
The Timberwolves were the first to get an offensive opportunity. LaVine held the ball past halftime and handed the ball to Zhao Feiyang. After getting the ball, Zhao Feiyang stood outside the three-point line and raised the basketball to shoot a three-pointer.
Uh-huh.
The basketball fell steadily into the basket.
The Nuggets counterattacked quickly.
After halftime, guard Will Barton took the ball and entered the basket.
When he shook off the defensive player and entered the inside to take a shot, Dwight Howard came up from the inside to defend. The two met in mid-air, and Howard slapped the opponent's ball away.
The basketball that flew away fell into Zhao Feiyang's hands.
Zhao Feiyang ran wildly with the ball. This time he crossed the half court and threw the ball high into the hands of LaVine who was following up.
LaVine jumped high, took the basketball and dunked the ball hard into the basket.
The Timberwolves' cooperation is extremely tacit. Whether it is outside or inside, their performance is not comparable to that of the Nuggets.
Therefore, there was almost no suspense in the game. From the beginning of the game, the Timberwolves led the Nuggets, and in the second quarter, the score reached double digits.
Zhao Feiyang also felt good, scoring 11 points in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the number of shots decreased, but he still scored 9 points after playing half the time.
The Nuggets also tried to constantly restrict him, even taking measures such as marking and double-teaming, but such restrictions had no effect on Zhao Feiyang.
All Timberwolves fans thought it was just an ordinary game, including Zhao Feiyang, until the game came to 9 minutes and 11 seconds of the second quarter. Some small situations on the court made the game become... Not so ordinary.
At 9 minutes and 11 seconds, the Timberwolves attacked in a positional battle, but unfortunately Andrew Wiggins' breakthrough failed to score this time.
The basketball bounced out of the basket.
The Nuggets chose to fast break through halftime. This time, the Timberwolves players failed to defend in time, leaving only Zhao Feiyang to cover the halfcourt.
One to two!
Zhao Feiyang stared at the two Nuggets players playing fast break and put into a defensive posture.
Unexpectedly, when the opponent was approaching the basket, Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, who was holding the ball, suddenly threw the ball behind him. Guard Will Barton, who followed up, jumped high, caught the basketball and then Jump to the basket and dunk.
Zhao Feiyang stood in front of him. Because he was afraid of blocking the defense, Zhao Feiyang kept his defensive posture and did not move, but the opponent's dunk action had already been completed.
Under the shocked eyes of the fans in the audience, Patton held the basketball high and made a one-handed dunk in front of Zhao Feiyang.
boom.
This dunk was really powerful. Zhao Feiyang, who was standing on the defensive, not only made a background board, but was also knocked out by the opponent.
There was an uproar.
The referee didn't blow the whistle.
Button, who dunked the ball, was also very proud. Not only did he not pull up Zhao Feiyang from the ground, but he also kept making various arrogant gestures towards the fans at the scene.
"Zhao, are you okay?"
LaVine ran across half court and pulled up Zhao Feiyang.
Zhao Feiyang patted the dust on his butt and shook his head at Raven.
Although the sudden dunk was a bit unpleasant, Zhao Feiyang didn't pay too much attention.
The game goes on.
Seeing that the second quarter was coming to an end, with only the last 11 seconds left in the first half, the Nuggets made another fast break through the half.
This time, Zhao Feiyang blocked the wing position to prevent the Nuggets players from entering the basket.
The opponent can only choose to take a jump shot.
Seeing that the basketball failed to hit the basket and bounced out, Zhao Feiyang stood closest to the basketball. At this time, he only had to jump up and pick off the rebound.
Unexpectedly, the next second, a figure suddenly rushed from behind him.
With Zhao Feiyang completely unprepared, the opponent jumped up high, snatched the basketball away one second before Zhao Feiyang could grab it, and then dunked the ball into the basket before landing.
boom.
The ball went in.
Patton, who scored this dunk, deliberately fell to the basket and put his feet on Zhao Feiyang.
Zhao Feiyang doesn't care about the opponent's dunk, but he will not let the opponent do this.
He pushed away the opponent's foot that was resting on his body, but before he could reason with the opponent, the player named Barton took the initiative to cause trouble.
"Man, what do you want to do?"
Barton looked unhappy.
Unfortunately, he misjudged the situation at the scene.
When he just walked up to Zhao Feiyang and planned to make trouble, Lavin and others had already surrounded him. When Howard saw this, he reacted quickly and rushed over to knock Barton away.
Raven also extended his finger to threaten the other person's nose.
"You bastard, what do you want to do?"
"You want to fight Zhao? Are you worthy? You must pass my test first..."
"And I......"
When such a conflict occurred on the court, Zhao Feiyang had not fully reacted, and other teammates had already come up to support him.
Not only the players on the field, but also Kevin Martin, Adrian and others sitting off the field gathered around him like swarms of swarms.
In an instant, eight or nine Timberwolves players surrounded Button in the middle.
