Target Center Arena.
The Timberwolves faced the New York Knicks at home. While winning the game, Derrick Rose's second 50-point night also attracted much attention.
After the game, a small group of die-hard fans wearing Rose's numbers appeared on the sidelines of the Timberwolves court. They held banners cheering Rose, cheered and chanted Rose's name, and some even wore the number Rose wore in the All-Star Game.
The reporter was obviously very interested in such things, so when the cameraman's lens quickly focused on these fans, the reporter also took the opportunity to interview them.
"What do you think of the existence of Zhao and Derek? In other words, who do you think is the leader of the team now?"
As soon as the reporter came up, he asked a very tricky question.
Fans who are slightly wary will definitely not fall for it. Unfortunately, there are always those simple-minded and overly straightforward fans in the crowd. They took the reporter's microphone and responded to the camera, "Oh! Zhao is a Great guy! But where is he now?"
"He led us to win the championship, yes! But that is in the past... Now, we are welcoming our new commander-in-chief..."
"Derrick is the youngest regular season MVP. His performance is obvious to all. In the past, he was unable to show his strength due to injuries, but now it is different. This guy seems to have emerged from the haze of injuries, and he has also changed. With my own style of play, I think that guy at the top should be back..."
The fans' words were recorded on camera, and as soon as the interview ended, the relevant media posted the interview online.
Unsurprisingly, the interview caused an uproar.
Many old Timberwolves fans disagree with the comments made by these fans in the video. They create comments online to refute these people's views.
"No, you are wrong! Zhao is the leader of this team! Without him, the Timberwolves would still be a weak team that can't even make the playoffs..."
"I admit that Derrick used to perform very well, and his recent performance is also good, but he cannot be compared with Zhao at all... Zhao has proven his ability to lead the team, Derrick has not. His career He has not proven that he can lead the team to the finals, even in the Eastern Conference, he has not been able to do it..."
"That's right. Let's not mention personal abilities. Zhao Feiyang's ability to lead the team is far superior to Derek's...Open your eyes and see clearly. Zhao Feiyang led the team to win the championship in the Western Conference last season! The teams in the West are much stronger than those in the East... Don't think it looks easy. What Zhao can do may not be possible for others..."
Although the majority of Timberwolves fans support Zhao Feiyang on the Internet, there are still a considerable number of fans who support Derek, and some even express neutrality.
In this case, expressing neutrality is actually supporting Ross.
There was a lot of noise here in Minneapolis, but far away in China on the other side of the ocean, the CBA Finals had just begun.
The first game between the two sides was held at Wukesong Basketball Stadium.
This is the home arena of the Shougang team and where their championship dream began. Before the game officially started, perhaps to motivate the players, some video clips of previous championships were played on the big screen.
These clips also made the fans excited, making the Shougang team's morale rise in a short period of time, as if they were determined to win the championship.
When the two teams started playing, Zhao Feiyang also went over to shake hands with Dwyane Wade.
The two were once teammates on the Heat.
At that time, Wade was one of the core members of the team and one of the Heat's Big Three that attracted much attention. Although Zhao Feiyang's performance is not bad, he still doesn't get that much attention. The most important thing is that Zhao Feiyang's subsequent departure from the team had something to do with Wade.
There was no shortage of disputes and grievances, but fortunately neither of them took this matter to heart, allowing them to maintain a good relationship off the court.
"Zhao, I finally fight you!"
"Dwayne, I have been looking forward to this day for a long time!"
The two looked at each other and smiled, then stared at each other.
call out.
The referee whistle sounded.
Snapped.
The referee threw the basketball up, and the big player of the Shougang team took the lead in shooting the ball. The ball fell to defender Sun Yue.
Because Wade entered the starting lineup, Sun Yue was placed in the first position to control the ball.
After getting the ball, he carried the ball across half court.
The person defending Sun Yue is Hu Yiyang.
Hu Yiyang is only a little over 1.8 meters tall, but Sun Yue is 2.05 meters tall. Playing as a striker with such a height is not a problem. Facing Hu Yiyang now is simply a dimensionality reduction blow.
Sure enough, after halftime, Sun Yue directly broke through with the ball. Hu Yiyang tried to block his pace, but was knocked away by Sun Yue's strong body.
Although Hu Yiyang is younger and has physical advantages, the height gap is there, and he is completely unable to stop Sun Yue.
After entering the two zones, Sun Yueku took the right opportunity to take a mid-range shot. When he jumped up, Hu Yiyang, who also jumped up, could not reach his ball at all.
Uh-huh.
A mid-range shot fell firmly into the basket.
Shougang team took the lead to score 2 points.
The suppressed Hu Yiyang undoubtedly became the most obvious loophole of the Bayi team, which also made the head coach Wang Zhizhi on the sidelines sigh helplessly.
"get ready."
He turned around and pointed at Wang Lang, who was sitting on the team bench to rest.
Obviously, Wang Zhizhi already has plans to replace Wang Lang.
Wang Lang is not as good at passing the ball to Zhao Feiyang as Hu Yiyang, and his cooperation is almost useless, but he is a little taller and does not suffer as much as Hu Yiyang in defending Sun Yue.
More than a minute later, the referee's whistle sounded.
Hu Yiyang was indeed replaced.
Wang Zhizhi went up and patted him on the shoulder to express comfort.
"have a good rest."
"There will be many times when I need you later..."
Hu Yiyang also knew why he was replaced, so he could only nod helplessly and sit on the bench.
It was the Bayi team's turn to attack again.
After halftime, Wang Lang gave the ball to Zhao Feiyang. Zhao Feiyang, holding the ball with one hand, faced Wade's one-on-one defense.
Sun Yue, who was on the side, originally planned to double-team, but Wade waved it off.
"do not come."
Wade's words made Sun Yue stop the car and quickly return to his position to be ready for any response.
The two faced off head-on. Wade did not reach out to interfere rashly, and Zhao Feiyang did not dribble out in a hurry. It was just a face-to-face meeting. After a feint, Zhao Feiyang suddenly raised the basketball and pulled it out.
Wade had already jumped up, but was fooled by Zhao Feiyang's feint, so he was a step too late and failed to stop Zhao Feiyang's shot.
Uh-huh.
A crisp three-pointer hit the basket steadily.
