When the first three-pointer was scored, many fans at the scene looked ecstatic. A group of substitute players stood up on the bench of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and they cheered and shouted for the team leader's goal.
It's the Cleveland Cavaliers' turn to attack.
Isaiah Thomas advanced with the ball, and after the ball passed half court, he organized the attack at the top of the arc. Seeing LeBron James running on the wing, Thomas quickly transferred the ball to LeBron.
This pass was accurately thrown to the running LeBron.
LeBron also shook off the defensive players behind him while running, and after receiving the basketball, he entered the basket and dunked with two hands.
boom.
The ball went in.
LeBron's surprise attack caught the Timberwolves off guard.
The Timberwolves continue to serve.
Derrick Rose took the ball across half court and attacked with the ball. Zhao Feiyang pretended to catch the ball to help him cover. The next second Rose dribbled the ball from the left and rushed into the two zones. Seeing that he was approaching the basket, Tristan Thompson decisively stepped forward to cover the position. Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out, Rose threw the ball directly into the air behind him.
Serge Ibaka stood behind him and jumped high, making an alley-oop and accurately hitting the ball into the basket.
boom.
The ball went in.
In the first quarter, the confrontation between the Cavaliers and the Timberwolves was extremely fierce. Both teams performed very well and no one made any major mistakes.
On the Cavaliers side, Thomas did not show any willfulness, nor did he stick to the ball. He has been working hard to organize offenses to assist his teammates, and from time to time he will choose opportunities to take action.
His style of play makes LeBron very happy.
In the past, Kyrie Irving helped him share the pressure, and now Thomas' performance looks pretty good. If it can help him share the pressure, and even lead the team when he is off the court, then Thomas's deal is definitely a good deal. of.
For the Timberwolves, the best performer in the first quarter was undoubtedly Andrew Wiggins.
He had always been very low-key in the team before. He trained when he needed to train and never practiced too much when he needed to rest. He was extremely talented and could always cope with everything with his own talent. Even if he put in less effort than others, he could still do it sometimes. Perform better than others.
This is also the reason why he has always been more Buddhist.
But since the beginning of this season, Wiggins' enthusiasm on the court has increased significantly. Perhaps it is because the contract year is approaching and he needs to perform better, or perhaps he is finally interested in basketball. In short, his data since the beginning of the season has been good. Not bad.
For most of the first quarter, even though the person he faced was LeBron, he kept reacting positively.
So with his fiery touch, Wiggins scored 11 points in the first quarter, the best performance among the Timberwolves' starting lineup.
In addition, Rose and Ibaka's performance was very stable. There was no outstanding performance between the two, but they did not make any mistakes. They were quite active in both defense and offense. It seemed that both of them were saving energy.
Dwight Howard is still relatively active on the offensive end. After returning from injury, he knows that the team's current situation is different.
In the past, he was the team's absolute striker, and no matter who was the head coach, he had to rely on him. But now he is getting older, and the team has acquired a big man like Ibaka. In terms of strength and skills, the opponent is now not inferior to him, and even performs better than him in some aspects.
Not only that, in addition to Ibaka there are young people like Adrian.
If Howard had never regarded Adrian as an opponent before, then since the beginning of this season, Adrian's performance has forced him to pay attention.
Whenever the team is not that strong, head coach Eric will choose to let Adrian into the inside. His superb footsteps and delicate skills have become more and more mature with constant training. He not only performs well in statistics, but also in efficiency. Howard also felt threatened.
If he doesn't work hard, his starting position may be taken away by Adrian.
Howard's performance on the offensive end was okay, but on the defensive end he was somewhat uninteresting. He didn't seem to be in very good condition today, so most of the defense at the basket was focused on Ibaka. Howard was specifically responsible for interfering with Kevin Love and occupying a favorable position under the basket to compete for rebounds.
Everyone else's performance was okay, but Zhao Feiyang didn't take too many shots except for the three-pointer in the opening game.
After playing the first quarter, he scored 9 points, shot two three-pointers, scored a layup, got two fouls, made one free throw and missed one.
Overall his performance was not as explosive as before.
It's not that he was paddling, but after the game started, Zhao Feiyang gradually felt that his steps were heavier than before. Especially when making some violent movements, he obviously felt that his ankle was very awkward. It was indeed more flexible and light than before. A lot slower.
Zhao Feiyang didn't think much about it, thinking it was because he had just come back. However, to be on the safe side, he still did not put his full strength into the game.
call out.
At the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves and the Cavaliers were tied 34-33, with the Timberwolves temporarily leading by 1 point.
Soon came the second quarter.
The Cavaliers made adjustments. LeBron took a rest and Love also temporarily left. Thomas became the absolute core of the team. Tyronn Lue also arranged other substitute players to cooperate. It seemed that Thomas' tactical status was instantly A lot higher.
For the Timberwolves, Zach LaVine appears as the second player, and Ricky Rubio is still his partner. The inside line is handed over to Gorgui Dieng and Adrian Ennis, and the third position is occupied by Ty Gibson, the player the team traded in the offseason.
call out.
The match between the two sides started again.
The Cavaliers serve.
Without LeBron on the court, Thomas simply let himself go. After getting the ball, he rushed over with the ball before his teammates had even passed half court. As soon as he reached the top of the arc, he immediately signaled for others to cover.
A teammate came from the wing to block Rubio who was guarding him, and Thomas took advantage of the situation to get to the basket. He is very fast and his movements are quite flexible. He can take action decisively before the Timberwolves can defend themselves.
Snapped.
A layup was thrown onto the backboard and crashed into the basket.
It was the Timberwolves' turn to fight back.
Rubio dribbled the ball across half court and handed it to LaVine on the wing. LaVine faced the defensive player one-on-one, but instead took a shot from the three-point line.
boom.
The ball he threw didn't go in.
The basketball bounced out of the basket. Before the big man on the Cavaliers side could jump up, Adrian under the basket had already jumped up and touched the rebound first.
He didn't even intend to take a shot after landing, but directly tipped the ball in as soon as he touched the basketball.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
