FedExForum Arena.
This is the home arena of the Grizzlies and the largest public facility in the history of Memphis. It took 28 months and cost $250 million to build. The arena can accommodate 18,300 fans and is the only venue for the Grizzlies. A team rents this arena.
It's not easy to win games here, and the Grizzlies' home court is one of the toughest in the league.
In addition to the Grizzlies' own outstanding defensive performance, there is also the huge number of fans in the arena, which is a huge pressure for any team.
Moreover, this venue also has some unique features, that is, their court is relatively small, and visually, the backboards are relatively close to each other, which can easily cause discomfort to away players.
This evening, the stadium was packed with people, completely occupied by the cheers of the fans.
When the big news about the Timberwolves came out, almost every Grizzlies fan realized that an opportunity had come. In their view, it is impossible for the Timberwolves with a incomplete lineup to continue to fight against them. Even if Zhao Feiyang is a superstar, he will never be able to lead a team with a weak lineup to perform a "miraculous" performance.
Therefore, even if the game has not started yet, many fans are already cheering and celebrating the victory.
Especially when the Timberwolves players entered the stadium, the Grizzlies fans on both sides of the stands cheered loudly.
"You will lose!"
"Go back! You can't defeat us!"
"Let's gather together your starting lineup first!"
All kinds of boos and taunts came.
The reaction of the Grizzlies fans was not much different from that of the Grizzlies players. They did not mock their opponents, but they also had an extremely optimistic attitude towards this game.
So much so that during the warm-up before the game, many players deserted and instead of training seriously, they gathered together to talk about things that had nothing to do with the game.
"What are you doing?"
"Be cautious, young man!"
"The game hasn't started yet, don't think you are certain to win."
Coach Tom Thibodeau is still very sober.
Although he said many proud words after the game, before the game officially started, even though the Timberwolves' lineup was already like this, he still had no intention of looking down on his opponent.
"No matter how our opponent plays in today's game, we must be in the best condition to deal with it! As long as we win this game, we will get the match point."
"I won't allow any of you to make a mistake."
Thibodeau urged while arranging the team's starting lineup.
Soon, the starting lineups of both teams took to the court.
Before the formal jump ball, the players on both sides inevitably said hello together.
Mike Conley, who was crazily crushed by Zhao Feiyang before, now has the moment to feel proud, so he can't help but deliberately mock Zhao Feiyang.
"Hey man, why are there only a few of you? Where are the other players?"
Conley deliberately pretended not to know and asked. When Zhao Feiyang and other Timberwolves players looked at him in surprise, Conley pretended to "suddenly realize" and said, "Oh! Sorry! I forgot, those guys They were all arrested for being drunk and causing trouble..."
"It seems like it will be difficult for you to fight today!"
"How about this? I'll go talk to coach Tom and replace our main players and bring up our substitutes... If you still can't win like this, then I really can't help. You guys..."
Conley pretended to be helpless and spread his hands.
The ridicule on his face also made Derrick Rose standing next to him a little unhappy. He didn't say anything because of his introverted personality, but he still pushed Conley with his hand to tell him to shut up.
"Hey, referee, look what this guy is doing?"
"He's pushing me! Doesn't this call a foul?"
When Conley saw Rose taking action, he immediately shouted to the referee who was preparing to throw the ball. How could the referee not know their situation, but this situation was not allowed, so he hurried over to warn Rose.
"Derek, if you do this again, I will definitely give you a technical foul!"
"Be careful...I'll keep an eye on you...and you..."
Seeing Rose deflated, Conley was in a good mood, with an unconcealable smile on his lips. Zhao Feiyang was afraid that Ross would be excited, so he called him and shook his head at him, and Ross temporarily suppressed his anger.
Snapped.
The referee throws the ball out.
Serge Ibaka took the lead to shoot the ball, the basketball fell into Zhao Feiyang's hands, and the game officially started.
Zhao Feiyang, who got the ball, was not in a hurry, but made gestures with Rose to communicate, seemingly intending to give the ball to Rose.
However, it was this move that fooled all the Grizzlies players.
One second, Zhao Feiyang was still on the spot and didn't move. The next second, Zhao Feiyang immediately ran with the ball. He rushed into the penalty area with the ball all the way. Because he was too fast, he caught the Grizzlies off guard. When he entered the basket, he only had Marc Gasol rushed to cover the defense.
The two met each other, and Zhao Feiyang suddenly jumped up high before Gasol could fully react. Then, amid the exclamations of the audience, Zhao Feiyang pressed Gasol and hit a shot in mid-air. One-handed chop.
boom.
The moment he smashed the ball into the basket, not to mention the Grizzlies fans on the sidelines, even Gasol himself was shocked.
"Damn it!"
"Is this guy so violent at the beginning?"
It was the Grizzlies' turn to serve.
It was Conley who got the ball. He held the ball and attacked towards the half court, and it was Rose who came up to mark him. Because of the previous taunt, Rose worked very hard this time, constantly following Conley to interfere.
Soon after arriving at half court, Conley protected the basketball and motioned for his teammates to come up and cover.
As expected, Gasol on the inside moved up to the high position. The moment he helped Conley block Rose, Conley accelerated from the other side.
After getting rid of Rose, Conley rushed to the basket.
Ibaka under the basket was under a lot of pressure today. Without Adrian and Gorgi, the defense in the paint relied entirely on him. Even though there was substitute striker Nemanja Bjelica, the latter had too little experience. He can't compete with players like Gasol and Randolph, so in general the team still has to rely on him.
Seeing Conley enter the basket unobstructed, Ibaka sighed helplessly, then accelerated up to fill the position, trying to block Conley's shot.
The two faced each other, and Conley threw the ball with a wonderful pass.
Standing on the right side of the basket, Randolph threw away Nemanga, rushed to the unmanned left side to catch the ball, and then smashed the ball in with a two-handed dunk as the fans in the audience screamed.
