Staples Center Arena.
The Minnesota Timberwolves challenge the Los Angeles Lakers on the road.
After the game started, the Timberwolves took the lead in attacking with the ball. Derrick Rose, who got the ball, dribbled the ball past half court and organized the attack at the top of the arc.
Zhao Feiyang did not run rashly, but chose to look for opportunities on the wing.
Rose rushed in with the ball, and Ibaka suddenly lifted from the low post to the high post to cover. After Jordan Clarkson's defense was blocked, Rose took advantage of the situation and drove to the basket.
The Lakers didn't relax either. Striker Timofey Mozgov went directly to fill the spot. As soon as he went up, Rose lost his best shooting space.
He could take risks, but after rushing inside, he still chose to pass the ball to Zhao Feiyang on the wing.
Snapped.
After receiving the basketball, Zhao Feiyang stood on the three-point line and shot decisively.
Uh-huh.
A crisp three-pointer fell firmly into the basket.
The ball went in.
The Timberwolves players were also very happy, and everyone on the bench stood up and clapped and cheered. As they ran back, Ross and Zhao Feiyang also happily high-fived each other.
"Well done!"
Ross said.
"You're good too!"
Zhao Feiyang responded.
The game goes on.
It was the Lakers' turn to fight back.
Clarkson, who advanced with the ball, took the ball across the half court. He did not choose to play it himself, but gave the ball to his teammate D'Angelo Russell.
Coincidentally, the person Zhao Feiyang was defending was Russell.
Russell didn't care about last season's Finals FMVP. He looked confident when facing Zhao Feiyang, and after getting the ball, he faced Zhao Feiyang's defense.
Russell started to dribble and sway, and the two met each other. Russell was only halfway through his change of direction when Zhao Feiyang suddenly slapped him under his crotch and slapped the ball away.
Snapped.
The whole audience exclaimed.
Russell himself was stupid! His dribbling has always been very effective. Although it is not as good as those of superstars, it can be regarded as a few tricks. Unexpectedly, when facing Zhao Feiyang, he was cut off in just one face-to-face.
Such a gap was simply difficult for him to accept for a while.
The basketball rolled out, and while Russell was still entangled, Zhao Feiyang had already taken the ball away. When he got the basketball, he didn't hesitate at all and sprinted towards the half court.
Clarkson and others were chasing after him, but unfortunately they could not catch up with Zhao Feiyang. They could only watch from a distance as he leaped high and smashed the ball into the basket with a one-handed dunk.
boom.
The ball went in.
Zhao Feiyang's strong performance attracted applause from countless Lakers fans present.
As an away player, no matter how he performs, he will be booed as a rule. But because Zhao Feiyang started his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, fans here have different feelings for him.
After he scored, many fans in the audience couldn't help but cheer for him.
"Stupid management! Stupid head coach! If the team hadn't forced Zhao away, we would still be a strong team in the playoffs and have every chance of winning the championship..."
"If Zhao hadn't left the Lakers, we would definitely have won the championship! Come on, the Timberwolves can win the championship with such a badass lineup. We are a wealthy team, what else can't we do? We are not short of money. ....."
"Look at what these young people are like today! They are all messing around on the court...and Luke, how on earth does he command the team? I don't understand why the Lakers hired this guy. Be our coach? Does he have any great resume?"
On the field.
The offense and defense of both sides only lasted a few minutes, and the Lakers were completely defeated. The young people on the team not only lack experience, but also have a talent gap compared with seniors such as Zhao Feiyang.
After all, the Timberwolves are also a playoff team, and the championship team from last season is still there. They are much better than these guys who create chaos.
call out.
The referee's whistle sounded, and the first quarter of both sides ended.
34 to 23.
The Timberwolves directly lead the Lakers by 11 points.
Among them, the best performer of the Lakers was Nick Young who came off the bench. He scored 9 points and was the most stable performer of the entire team.
For the Timberwolves, Rose scored 7 points and 2 assists, while Zhao Feiyang scored 13 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal.
The game ended like this, and the Lakers fans at the scene were also very helpless.
However, they have already experienced several losses, but they can still accept it. After all, the team does not fail every day.
Break time.
On the Timberwolves' bench, Zhao Feiyang, the core of the team, took the initiative to stand up and express his stance.
"Coach Tom, the strength of the Lakers is very average. I suggest that substitutes be substituted in the second or third quarter. This can train them and also build the depth of the team's bench..."
Head coach Thibodeau was sitting on a chair with a tactical board in his right hand. Hearing this, he looked at Zhao Feiyang and then glanced around at the others.
"Zhao, who do you think can be replaced?"
"Zach and Ricky, they can... they're both great guys, and Tails and Shabazz... our second unit last season was in the playoffs. We have made great achievements in the game, so I think it is indeed necessary for us to continue to build the second team..."
Thibodeau laughed after hearing this, but it was just a cold smile.
"Oh! What a good suggestion!"
"Let's do this! After today's game, I will resign to the team management. How about you coaching the team from tomorrow?"
Zhao Feiyang heard something was wrong at this time. He thought he heard wrongly, "No, Coach Thibodeau, stop joking! You are the head coach, I am just a player..."
This time Thibodeau finally shouted angrily.
"I'm glad you still know that you are a player and that I am the head coach of the team... Since you know, then shut up without me asking you!"
"Do you hear that? Shut up! I don't need your advice!"
Originally it was just a suggestion, but when Coach Thomas was coaching in the past, players could express their thoughts and even discuss some situations.
But Thibodeau's completely different coaching style caused everyone to feel a strong sense of discomfort.
This time, let alone Zhao Feiyang, LaVine and Howard on the side couldn't help but frowned, and Rubio, Gorgi and others looked solemn.
The relationship between the two parties that seemed to have eased just before the start of the game seemed to be ruthlessly torn apart by coach Thibodeau at this moment.
"Just a suggestion! Coach Thibodeau, you don't have to yell at me!"
Zhao Feiyang's face darkened and he responded slowly.
Thibodeau did not respond.
Instead, he directly made a new arrangement, "LaVine, you replace Zhao at the second position! The other positions remain unchanged... Don't underestimate our opponents, I need you to take this game seriously... ..”
call out.
The referee's whistle sounded and the second quarter began.
The Timberwolves, who continued to play with their main lineup, were in pretty good shape and performed very stably on the offensive end, scoring both inside and outside.
On the other hand, the Lakers' team lineup was already in chaos, and after making adjustments, they played even worse. Not only did they fail to catch up in the second quarter, they were even further pulled away.
Beep.
At the end of the second quarter, the score between the two sides was 63-43.
The 20-point difference was something no one expected.
Entering halftime.
Fans on the sidelines also commented on the game online.
"I'm very confused! Is it necessary to play all the main players against the Lakers? If so, what's the point of winning?"
"Man, do you know Thibodeau's coaching style? His reliance on the main players is not comparable to that of ordinary coaches. I don't know what he is thinking, but such things have existed before... "
"Remember the game when Derrick was injured? It was because Thibodeau kept him on the court during the bad time! Although the main reason for Rose's injury was not because of Thibodeau, as a head coach, he was too obsessed with using the main players. Definitely a key factor in it!”
"Derrick finally recovered with great difficulty. I'm really afraid that this guy will be tortured by Thibodeau and cause problems again... I hope he can play with substitutes in the second half! What's the point of beating a weak team like the Lakers by 20 points? There is no need to let your stars risk injury to play..."
