After the team fell behind its opponent by a score of 2-0, the playing field finally returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the third game of the series, the two teams gathered in Minneapolis. The fans at the Target Center Arena did not give up on them just because the team lost two games. Many people still came to watch the game.
Before the official start of the game, there were many fans holding signs to cheer for the team.
"Don't give up! Last year we fell behind first and then won."
"They have Kevin and we have Zhao! The Timberwolves will not lose."
Live footage captured various slogans in the stands, and these words of encouragement for the team also cheered up many Timberwolves fans.
But at the same time, the Timberwolves players in the locker room did not show much desire to fight.
Only a few people in the team, such as Zhao Feiyang, could keep their spirits up, while everyone else looked listless, even though the team's head coach Eric Stotts had been boosting the team's morale.
"Guys, cheer up."
"Think about what we faced last year! We were also behind the Warriors at that time, but didn't we still win in the end?"
Of course, main lineup players such as Zach LaVine and Adrian can respond to such consolation, but for some substitute members who have only joined the team this season, it is obvious that these words cannot awaken memories that they do not have in the first place. .
In this atmosphere, the Timberwolves still entered the game on time.
Beep.
After the timer sounded, the Golden State Warriors' starting lineup also took to the court, and the two sides chatted with each other before the game started.
Completely different from the low morale of the Timberwolves, the Warriors' morale is quite high, especially starting players like Draymond Green, who look determined to win the game.
"Hey, Zhao, how do you feel about losing two games in a row? Don't worry, you will lose the third game next..."
"The last thing I like is to win on the road...but it doesn't look like there's anything that can change this time...so that's it!"
Green deliberately acted like he was "getting a bargain but still being good". Naturally, his words were disliked by the Timberwolves players. Others were about to retaliate, but Zhao Feiyang, the team leader, stopped them.
"Zach, don't talk nonsense! We shouldn't waste time on this... This guy just wants to deliberately interfere with our mentality..."
Zhao Feiyang reminded LaVine with one sentence.
Snapped.
The referee threw the ball out, and this time Serge Ibaka shot it out first. The basketball fell into LaVine's hands, and LaVine took the ball and accelerated towards the half court.
His offense made all the players on the court react, especially the Warriors. Durant took the lead and rushed out, planning to wait for LaVine to get into the basket before going up to block the shot.
LaVine did rush all the way to the penalty area, but before he lifted the basketball, he noticed Durant flying up behind him. LaVine was not stupid, and did not choose to force it, and decisively threw the ball to the bottom corner.
Sure enough, Zhao Feiyang still stood there with tacit understanding this time.
After receiving the pass from LaVine, he directly shot a three-pointer.
Uh-huh.
The basketball fell steadily into the basket.
Scoring a three-pointer at the beginning was a bit of encouragement for the Timberwolves' home fans, so many people stood up and cheered and applauded.
It was the Warriors' turn to fight back.
This time the Warriors put the ball in Durant's hands. After getting the basketball, he chose to play singles from outside the three-point line. Curry and Klay both made space for him, and Durant faced Andrew Wiggins who was marking him.
The two faced each other, and after continuous changes, Durant directly distanced himself and shot, and swoosh, he scored a crisp two-pointer.
There was an exclamation from the outside.
Although many Timberwolves fans know that Durant is very powerful, only after seeing his performance on the court did they realize how powerful this guy is!
"No wonder the team can't find a guy who can limit Kevin!"
"I think Andrew may be able to do it, at least his talent is no problem...but he is not the kind of player who goes all out, and he does not have enough heart. This determines that it is difficult for him to grow. For top stars..."
"As long as he had the 'hatred' that Westbrook had when facing Kevin, I'm afraid Kevin wouldn't be able to score so many points..."
The fans on the sidelines kept talking.
The game goes on.
There was not much difference between the two sides in the first quarter. Although the Timberwolves relied too much on Zhao Feiyang's scoring, LaVine also performed well this time. His three-pointers were much more stable than the previous two games. In the first quarter, Made 3 of 4 shots.
Soon came the second quarter.
Both sides adjust their lineups.
Coach Eric originally planned to replace Zhao Feiyang off the court, but Zhao Feiyang refused!
"Coach, I can still play!"
After losing two games in a row, Zhao Feiyang had no other thoughts in his mind. For this kind of game, if you want to win, you can only play the whole game yourself, otherwise it will be impossible for anyone else.
"Zhao, are you sure?"
"It's only the second quarter now... If you consume too much physical energy, the second half will be..."
Coach Eric said worriedly.
Zhao Feiyang nodded and interrupted, "I can do it. I'll have no problem playing the whole game."
Now that Zhao Feiyang has made such a statement, Coach Eric certainly has no reason to refuse. So, in the second quarter, Zhao Feiyang appeared again with other Timberwolves players.
call out.
The referee whistle sounded.
Timberwolves serve.
Derrick Rose held the ball through half court. After getting the ball, he slowly advanced with the ball. The person who came up to mark him was Shaun Livingston, who kept interfering with him after he passed halftime.
Zhao Feiyang saw the opportunity to pick and roll and helped Rose fend off Livingston. Rose also understood the situation and took advantage of the situation to dribble the ball to the basket.
After shaking away other defensive players, Rose jumped towards the basket and planned to take a shot. At the critical moment, JaVale McGee appeared in front of him. Faced with this talented monster with a wingspan of 2.29 meters who was known as "the best from the neck down", even though Rose had worked very hard to make physical adjustments in mid-air, he still couldn't There is no way to avoid interference from the other party.
Snapped.
McGee slapped the basketball out of Rose's hand.
Fortunately, the basketball bounced back to Rose's hands. After getting the ball, he chose to jump up and take a shot for the second time. However, this time he was blocked by Iguodala who was defending under the basket.
Snapped.
The basketball fell out again.
There was an uproar.
Rose, who was blocked twice in a row, was already lamenting. Although he took the basketball back for the third time, he did not continue to hit the ball, but quickly transferred the ball to Zhao Feiyang at the three-point line.
Zhao Feiyang took the ball and shot directly.
Uh-huh.
A three-pointer fell firmly into the basket.
In such a stark contrast, the fans at the scene couldn't help but sigh.
"If it had been in the past, Derek wouldn't have been blocked by them!"
“Before, I thought Derek would threaten Zhao’s position in the team, but now it seems that I thought too much... He is no longer the super defender who can change direction without slowing down... ..Injuries have greatly reduced his talent..."
