The first quarter of the game passed quickly. Although the Cleveland Cavaliers performed well, they fell behind the Minnesota Timberwolves overall. Losing Kyrie Irving, a super guard, has a huge impact on the Timberwolves. Even LeBron James cannot be as calm as before.
In the past, when Irving was here, LeBron could take the time to rest and let Irving help him take on some of the pressure. But now it's no longer possible. The team needs him to step forward to carry it. This will undoubtedly increase his workload and will inevitably make his physical exertion during the regular season even greater than before.
Fortunately, this was just a preseason game. After the first quarter, the main players quickly went off to rest.
Both sides put on their own substitutes.
Interestingly, coach Tyronn Lue of the Cavaliers did not replace Isaiah Thomas. It's not that he didn't want to do it, but Thomas took the initiative to request to play. Tyronn Lue couldn't refuse, so he simply let Thomas go up again.
Soon something embarrassing happened.
Iman Shumpert followed the substitute lineup and played the second position, partnering with Thomas in the backcourt. The two of them had just quarreled before, and now they were playing together, which would be a bit awkward.
"Iman, the team needs that guy right now... but I support you, you're a great guy and you've given a lot to the team... so you put up with it a little bit, you But not everyone can compare to our championship team members..."
Under coach Tyronn Lue's "persuasion", Shumpert suppressed his unhappiness and walked onto the court.
call out.
The referee's whistle sounded and the second quarter began.
Timberwolves serve.
The person holding the ball is Ricky Rubio, and his partner is Tails Jones.
The ball passed halftime, and Rubio rushed into the two zones under the cover of Taylor. Seeing the opponent's defense come up, Rubio chose to give the ball to teammate Adrian in the fourth position.
Adrian got the ball and played singles under the basket. He turned around and took a shot. Whoosh, a two-pointer fell steadily into the basket.
His increasingly sophisticated playing style also won applause from his teammates.
Especially Zach LaVine and Dwight Howard who were sitting on the sidelines couldn't help but applaud.
"That guy Adrian has improved so much this summer! He didn't waste any of his efforts... I'm really shocked by his performance!"
"This guy is not ordinary! There are not many people who can sacrifice their offseason for special training. Adrian is one of them. He really has the fierceness of Kobe..."
While the two were chatting, the ball on the court also came into the hands of the Cavaliers.
Thomas Jr. got the ball and pushed toward the half court. After reaching the top of the arc, he specifically reached out to signal to Shumpert.
"Hey, Iman, come up and pick and roll!"
"What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear what I said?"
Of course, Shumpert would not pay attention to Thomas, and Thomas knew that the other party would not come at all. It's all just to deceive the defender.
The next second, Thomas changed direction and headed towards the basket. He shook away Rubio, who was being marked in front of him, and dribbled the ball straight into the two zones. Just as he was about to reach the free throw line, Thomas came up with Adrian to fill in. He didn't slow down in the future, taking advantage of his small size and flexibility to rush to the basket and throw the ball high when he shot from the basket.
If you are short and want to prevent being blocked, the shooting angle naturally needs to be higher, and the shooting naturally needs to be faster. Thomas knows this style of play well, so he can successfully avoid the defensive player and throw the ball.
Snapped.
The basketball hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.
The ball went in.
There was also a round of applause from the Cavaliers' team bench, although it was a bit sporadic.
It was the Timberwolves' turn to fight back.
As the ball passed half court, Tails rushed into the basket from the wing with the ball. After being blocked, he chose to stop and take a jump shot. Bang, the basketball bounced out of the basket, and Adrian was the first to pick off the rebound. After getting the ball, he used his flexible steps to swing under the basket, avoided two defensive players in a row, and then threw the ball into the basket with his backhand. .
boom.
The ball went in.
Adrian's superb footwork once again earned cheers from the sidelines.
Even Zhao Feiyang, who was sitting on the bench drinking a drink, couldn't help but stand up and wave.
"Not bad! Adrian is much better than last season! If he keeps playing like this, he might be able to reach the All-Star level in two seasons..."
As he spoke, Zhao Feiyang couldn't help but look forward to it.
Once Adrian can break into the All-Stars, even if he is only a substitute, then the team's lineup will definitely be one of the best in the entire league.
Maybe we will be able to copy the Warriors' model and pull out five or six All-Star players at once. It may be difficult to get six All-Star players, but it may be promising to create an All-Star starter.
The game on the field continues.
Without LeBron on the Cavaliers' side, Thomas is basically in control of the ball on the court. Tyronn Lue also supported him more and gave Thomas more trust, almost treating him as the second Irving to build the system.
After gaining more possession of the ball, Thomas's scoring naturally increased.
However, Shumpert suffered a loss. Assigned to the second position, he not only took fewer shots, but also had almost all the ball rights taken away. He also failed to score the few shots he took. After this, he was quickly replaced by Tyronn Lue.
Shumpert, sitting on the team's bench, was extremely depressed.
The battle between the two sides soon entered the second half. With the Timberwolves continuing to lead, the substitute players also stabilized the situation. So, when the game came to the final minutes, the Timberwolves still led the Cavaliers.
The difference between the two sides widened to 8 points.
If it were in the regular season, Tyronn Lue would definitely send someone up to chase points as soon as possible, but now it's the preseason, and he has no idea of replacing LeBron and Love. He just made slight adjustments to the lineup and stopped struggling. .
The same is true for the Timberwolves, with all the main players resting off the court.
Beep.
The sound of the timer ending sounded.
The Timberwolves finally defeated the Cavaliers 109-103 and ended the battle, winning their first victory of the preseason.
After this game is over, the Timberwolves will usher in the next preseason game.
This time is different. The league officials specially arranged for the Timberwolves to play against the Liaoning team. As one of the playoff teams in recent years, the Liaoning team has always been very strong and is also one of the teams most likely to win the championship in the northern region.
It is one of the few super teams in the CBA.
Now let them play a friendly match with the Timberwolves. No matter what the result is, it has firmly attracted the attention of the fans.
Obviously, everyone also wants to know how big the strength gap is between NBA championship-level teams and CBA quasi-championship-level teams!
