Minneapolis.
In the evening, at a local hospital, Timberwolves players gathered to visit the injured Zach LaVine and Kevin Martin.
As soon as they recovered from their injuries, the two were sent to the hospital for examination.
Perhaps in order for them to have company, the two of them were specially arranged to be in the same ward. Because of this, the two watched the team's remaining games after the inspection. They were also very happy with the Timberwolves' victory at the last minute.
However, after being happy, a problem arises. The team is suddenly missing the two of them. If their injuries are not optimistic, what will the team do next?
Raven and Martin couldn't help but feel depressed.
They naturally hope to follow the team to hit the Western Conference championship. After all, for them, this game is very important.
Needless to say, LaVine is a newcomer. He is still the team's main defender. Even if he doesn't care about the championship, this kind of game experience is extremely helpful for his growth, not to mention that it is impossible for him to not care about the championship.
For a veteran like Martin, who has only played in the playoffs three times in his previous career, this is undoubtedly a failure.
Not to mention the gap with the division champion, even achieving some results in the playoffs is difficult.
Fortunately, the arrival of Zhao Feiyang last season changed everything. Martin followed the team to the playoffs twice in succession. This time he reached the Western Conference finals as a main player. This is probably a rare event for his career. Lots of opportunities.
If he wants to win the championship, then this is probably the closest he will get.
For a veteran player, making money is no longer the main issue, honor is. He is too old to play for several seasons. If he does not seize this opportunity, he may not have another chance in the future.
Martin certainly doesn't want such a regret to happen.
"Guys, I'm going to be fine... I just have some discomfort in my fingers, and I don't think it will affect the rest of the game for sure..."
While chatting with his teammates, Martin acted extremely tough, even though his fingers were already wrapped in bandages.
LaVine on the side was obviously more seriously injured than Martin. He was lying on the ground temporarily unable to move, and his sprained ankle was also fixed. It looked like the situation was much more serious.
It was at this time that the team's general manager, Sam Mitchell, came in from the outside. After seeing a group of players waiting for news, he quickly called them together.
"Guys, listen, I just went to check on Zach and Kevin..."
As soon as Manager Sam opened his mouth, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Zhao Feiyang even stood in front of him and motioned for him to tell the result quickly.
"Kevin's problem is not serious. The doctor said that his finger will be fine if he rests for more than a week. As for Zach, his ankle problem is not serious, but he needs more rest time. I am afraid it will take more than two weeks... ....”
Manager Sam's words made everyone's expressions complicated.
Even head coach Norman Thomas lowered his head and looked a little depressed.
This kind of news is not bad news, but it is not good news either.
The team will play in the Western Conference Finals after a period of rest. Both the Warriors and Thunder will be very strong by then. If the main lineup of the team cannot be guaranteed to be healthy, then the team may not be able to defeat the opponent.
Now it is obvious that Martin needs some time to recover. Although it will not be long, according to the normal schedule, I am afraid that the two sides will have played one or two games by then.
This is even more true for LaVine.
More than two weeks of rest time is a lot, and if nothing unexpected happens, he may even miss the next Western Conference Finals.
For the Timberwolves, this is undoubtedly adding insult to injury.
Under such a situation, the two main defenders of the team were knocked down by injuries at once, which made the Timberwolves, whose original lineup lacked depth, even more weak.
The expressions of the two of them were not relaxed either.
LaVine was more cheerful and took the initiative to break the solemn atmosphere in the ward, "Hey guys, don't think too much, maybe you will enter the finals when I recover... I won by lying down..."
Martin on the side also echoed, "If this is the case, we will not give you the bonus for the conference finals. Who told you to be lazy..."
As soon as the two spoke, everyone quickly burst into laughter.
In any case, the injury status of the two has been determined, and all the Timberwolves have to wait for is the results of the other two teams.
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, the other two teams in the Western Conference finals reached the seventh game. After the two sides fought hard with a score of 3 to 3, the series finally came to an end.
Oracle Arena.
This is the home of the Warriors.
The Thunder are playing on the road.
In the seventh game between the two sides, the game has reached the final moment, with less than 30 seconds left for both sides.
The situation on the field was almost one-sided. All the fans on the Warriors side stood up and cheered. Even if the game was not over yet, they were already cheering for the upcoming victory.
The score was 86 to 96.
The Thunder were stretched to 10 points.
The ball was in their hands. Russell Westbrook held the ball across half court and handed the ball to Kevin Durant after reaching the other side of the court.
With the team lagging behind like this, Durant had no other choice but to quickly pick up the basketball and attack the opponent's basket.
The one who came up to guard him was Andre Iguodala. The two faced each other, and Durant shook Iguodala away and made a mid-range shot.
His singles were still so unsolvable. Iguodala's hands had blocked Durant's sight, but he still couldn't stop him from throwing the ball into the basket.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
88 to 96.
There are only 19 seconds left.
The Warriors serve.
With the score stretched to such a situation, the Warriors will certainly not take risks again. Therefore, they deliberately delayed the time, constantly transferred the ball after sending out the basketball, and waited until the time was up before passing the half-court. After reaching the half-court, they got the ball and did not choose to attack.
With such a move, everyone can see their intentions.
On the Thunder side, Durant also sighed deeply. He did not go up to grab it again, but looked at Westbrook, and then took the initiative to shake hands with the Warriors players.
The move also drew applause from outside the court.
Everyone knows that Durant is planning to give up!
In fact, even if you don’t give up, there is no time left for them!
For the Warriors, players such as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson took the initiative to shake hands with Durant and others.
No matter what the two sides are like on the court, there is still respect off the court.
The two sides hugged and high-fived each other until the sound of the timer ending sounded.
Beep.
The game is officially over.
The Warriors defeated the Thunder in Game 7 and eventually advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
