Quicken Loans Center.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves are in an NBA regular season game. The two sides have reached the last quarter, there is not much time left, and the point difference has reached 8 points.
After coach Thibodeau was replaced, the game continued on the court.
Zhao Feiyang and Wiggins, who were sitting on the bench off the court, became depressed.
They had been playing for such a long time, and they were supposed to join the main lineup against the Cavaliers at the last moment, but they were replaced by the head coach. Their physical strength was severely depleted, and they really did not have the extra energy to fight again.
"Zhao, why do you think Coach Tom replaced us at this time?"
"Honestly, I always felt like he was targeting me... You know what he said when he first met me? He said, Hey, Andrew, I know you. There have been rumors that you like Play healthy basketball, man, this style of play will not work under my hands. From now on, I will definitely keep an eye on you, and you will never escape my supervision..."
Wiggins said.
"I admit that sometimes I'm afraid of getting hurt and will choose to give up on head-on confrontation... But that doesn't mean he wants to kill me like this? You know? Since the beginning of my career, except for last season's conference finals and I have played for so long in the finals, and I have never played for so long at any other time..."
"This is just the regular season! I can't even imagine what it will be like in the playoffs?"
Zhao Feiyang also feels the same way about Wiggins' complaints.
"It's too risky to do this now... The schedule is already shortening, and the interval between each game is shorter than before. If it continues like this, it may be difficult to ensure the health of the team... ..”
"In the final analysis, whichever team can ensure the health of all members this season will have the possibility of reaching the finals..."
On the field.
The lagging Timberwolves began to counterattack.
Coach Thibodeau directly asked others to give the ball to Rose.
Rose held the ball and played singles at the top of the arc. Faced with Irving's marking, Rose did not dribble and sway in a hurry, but looked at the positions of other people on the court.
Looks like he has a passing intention!
But Thibodeau on the side kept shouting at him, "Derek, play it yourself! Don't pass the ball... Believe in your ability..."
Under Thibodeau's urging, Rose gave up the pass.
Soon, he picked up the basketball and kept shaking it.
The showdown between the two top defenders in the major leagues has officially begun.
Irving stretched out his hand to interfere, but Rose changed drastically and pulled away.
The two met each other, and Rose suddenly used a fake move to deceive Irving and rush into the two zones. Upon seeing this, the Cavaliers' inside players rushed up to fill the position, but this time Kevin Love came up, and Rose threw the ball in front of him. out.
Without the difficult skills and explosive performance at his peak, Rose chose to use the most concise and efficient method to complete the battle.
Snapped.
The basketball hit the rim, bounced and then fell smoothly into the rim.
The ball went in.
102 to 108.
Coach Thibodeau is very satisfied with Rose's performance. He never took the initiative to applaud, and this time he even stood up and applauded Rose.
His abnormal behavior fell in the eyes of the players on the bench, and made Zhao Feiyang, who was resting, increasingly suspicious.
"What does he want to do? Does he want to consume me and then suppress me?"
"Want to let Derek take my place? This will enhance his voice in the team?"
The Cavaliers fought back.
This time they chose to rush on a fast break, and LeBron took the lead, dribbling the ball towards the half court. Ibaka chose to confront LeBron halfway, trying to interfere with his offensive line, but LeBron directly knocked him away with his body.
boom.
When he was approaching the basket, LeBron jumped high and hit a tomahawk dunk that instantly ignited the atmosphere of the entire court.
"nice shot!"
"Well done!"
Cavaliers fans cheered.
The score was open again.
The Timberwolves did not dare to hesitate. After Rose held the ball again, he chose to take a quick shot after halftime. This time he had a pretty good feel for the three-point shot, and after shooting the basketball, he successfully threw the ball into the basket.
Uh-huh.
A solid three-pointer.
Although Zhao Feiyang doesn't like Thibodeau, his attitude towards Rose is still very good. Not only did he take the initiative to stand up and applaud, he also inspired teammates who were unwilling to applaud Rose.
There was applause outside the court, and the battle inside the court became more intense.
For more than a minute after that, the Cavaliers' offense stalled slightly. After Irving was double-teamed, he transferred the ball to J.R. Smith outside the three-point line. However, J.R. failed to hit the shot and the rebound was also missed by the basket. Ibaka took it off.
The ball was quickly transferred, and soon a long pass was thrown into Rose's hands.
Rose accelerated and dribbled the ball across the half court with the audience watching. At this moment, he seemed to have returned to the "Windy City Rose" appearance of the year. He rushed into the basket with the ball alone, and stood tall while the audience watched. Jumped up and smashed the ball into the basket with a two-handed dunk.
boom.
The ball went in.
This fast break was so exciting that even some Cavaliers fans couldn't help but applaud.
Coach Thibodeau’s face is getting more and more exciting!
"good!"
"As expected of my disciple!"
With Rose's steady output at the last moment, the difference between the two sides finally narrowed. With 1 minute and 11 seconds left in the game, the score between the two sides was 110 to 111, and the Timberwolves were only 1 point behind the Cavaliers.
call out.
The Cavaliers called their next timeout.
Players from both sides return to their respective team benches.
On the Timberwolves side, when Rose walked to the bench, Coach Thibodeau patted him on the shoulder with joy and praised, "Derek, good job! If you keep playing like this, sooner or later you will return to your former self." status......"
Rose was also very happy, smiling and nodding at Coach Thibodeau.
There is not much time left in the game, and the two sides are about to enter the final decisive moment.
According to common sense, in this situation, core players like Zhao Feiyang will naturally not be absent. However, Thibodeau did not call Zhao Feiyang when arranging tactics, even though Zhao Feiyang's physical fitness had recovered at this time.
"Andrew, you continue to play the third position!"
Thibodeau called Wiggins over under the watchful eyes of all the players.
This scene also stunned many players. They looked at Thibodeau and then at Zhao Feiyang who was resting on the bench. For a moment, they didn't know why this was the case!
"Coach, I've had enough rest!"
Zhao Feiyang took the initiative to stand up and express his position.
"No...just take a rest! I will call you when I need it!"
Thibodeau directly rejected Zhao Feiyang's statement on playing.
call out.
The pause ends.
The final battle begins.
Timberwolves serve.
Rose advanced with the ball.
The Cavaliers seemed to know that Thibodeau would give the ball to Rose, so after Rose got the ball, the Cavaliers directly adopted double-teaming measures. Rose was trapped between Irving and JR and couldn't move for a while.
Snapped.
After finally passing the ball, Wiggins, who got the ball, almost dropped the ball because he didn't stand firm.
Wiggins took the ball into the basket, turned around and shot a mid-range shot.
boom.
The basket bounced out, and this time it was Ibaka who grabbed the rebound strongly.
After getting the rebound, he did not choose to play it himself, but made a long pass to Rose on the outside. After getting the ball, Rose made a feint in the face of Irving's marker. It seemed that he was pretending to take a shot, but in the next second, he rushed to the basket with the ball.
However, what no one expected was that just when Rose was about to rush into the penalty area, he slipped and fell out one second before jumping up.
