Beep.
A beep sounds for the start of the live timer.
The game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Cleveland Cavaliers has officially begun.
Both sides sent their respective starting lineups.
The lineup of the home team Timberwolves remains unchanged. Zach LaVine and Derrick Rose are still the main backcourt players. Isaiah Thomas, who newly joined the team, failed to get a starting opportunity and was replaced by head coach Eric. Stotts was put on the team's bench to wait for his chance.
For the Cavaliers, other positions remain unchanged, with Zhao Feiyang continuing to serve as the team's No. 1 position and J.R. Smith playing as the No. 2 position. After the experience of the previous few games, these two have now become the Cavaliers' most stable backcourt combination.
In the eyes of countless fans looking forward to it, the game officially started.
Snapped.
The referee threw the basketball, and Dwight Howard caught it first. He slapped the ball out, and the basketball fell into the hands of Zach LaVine.
After getting the ball, LaVine chose a fast break and drove the ball straight to the Cavaliers' basket.
Seeing him rushing into the two zones on the other side of the half court, LeBron James took the lead and rushed over to block the shot. LaVine planned to lay up, but when he saw that the person chasing him was LeBron, he gave up the idea of laying up. He deliberately raised the basketball high, but when LeBron flew up, he threw the ball into the air behind him. .
Snapped.
Howard followed up, jumped high, took the basketball, dunked with two hands and slammed the ball into the basket.
"nice shot!"
"Wonderful!"
The fans on the sidelines shouted excitedly.
Zhao Feiyang on the court saw LaVine and Howard's cooperation and almost couldn't help but give them a high-five. Fortunately, he reacted in time and didn't make a joke on the field.
It was the Cavaliers' turn to fight back.
The ball fell into Zhao Feiyang's hands.
Zhao Feiyang advanced with the ball, and the person who came up to mark him was Rose. When the two met, the smile on Rose's face could not be hidden.
"Zhao, I've been waiting for too long...I finally have a chance to fight you..."
"Come on, brother."
Ross said.
Although Zhao Feiyang is no longer in the same state as in the past, it does not mean that he has no ability to fight. Facing Rose's challenge, Zhao Feiyang deliberately showed weakness, "No, Derek, you are bullying me because I am injured. I will not challenge you..."
Ross smiled bitterly.
"I don't have one. Of course, if you need time, I can wait..."
Rose thought that Zhao Feiyang really didn't intend to duel, so after reaching the half court, he backed away a little, intending to distract his attention elsewhere.
However, what no one expected was that just as Rose retreated, Zhao Feiyang jumped up and threw a three-pointer in front of him.
"Depend on!"
"You lied to me again..."
Rose shouted that he had been fooled, but when he pounced, the three-point ball thrown by Zhao Feiyang had already fallen firmly into the basket.
Uh-huh.
He hit a three-pointer right at the start, and the fans screamed excitedly. Many people were in a daze. At this moment, they seemed to have seen the super core of the past.
"nice shot!"
Head coach Eric, who was standing in front of the Timberwolves team table, subconsciously shouted out and even took the initiative to applaud Zhao Feiyang.
By the time he reacted, the embarrassing scene had been captured on camera. The fans on the sidelines did not blame their head coach, but thought his move was quite heartwarming.
"Sure enough! In the eyes of Coach Eric, Zhao Ye is still one of ours."
"I really hope Zhao can come back one day! Even if he is old and can't play anymore, as long as he is still on the team, it will be great! I hope he can retire in Minneapolis!"
"What a pity! Although I really want to, I think Zhao will probably not come back in a short time... With such a team management, his return will only be a disaster... ."
"What is regrettable is that Zhao single-handedly led a championship team, but had to watch and miss the team's most peak lineup... If he had not left, our current lineup would definitely win another championship within three years. A championship..."
On the field.
Ross was quite speechless after being deceived, but he often complained in front of Zhao Feiyang. Zhao Feiyang is also quite funny, always mocking Rose.
Of course, the communication between the two is completely like that between friends, just like playing ball with a buddy on the field. No matter what they say, they will never be malicious.
The Timberwolves continued to attack.
Rose dribbled the ball across half court. After reaching the half court, LaVine attracted the attention of defensive players on the wing, and Howard inside took the opportunity to move up to the high post to help Rose cover.
The two faced each other, Howard blocked Zhao Feiyang, and Rose rushed to the basket.
Just when he was about to rush into the penalty area for a layup, the Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson came up to block the shot. Rose didn't hesitate and threw an alley-oop. Howard, who followed up inside, jumped up and hit it again. A dunk.
boom.
The ball went in.
The Timberwolves' pick-and-roll tactics overwhelmed the Cavaliers.
The screams and applause from the sidelines also became more and more enthusiastic.
"really not bad."
Although he was the one who was passed over, Zhao Feiyang was still happy for his former teammates in his heart. The strength displayed by the Timberwolves is no less than that of the Cavaliers with LeBron James.
In Zhao Feiyang's view, as long as there are no major problems in this game, even if the two sides meet in the finals in the future, the Timberwolves will definitely be a strong opponent of the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers continued to fight back.
This time, Zhao Feiyang organized the team's offense after halftime. JR tried to catch the ball but was blocked by LaVine and failed. LeBron on the wing quickly ran out to catch the ball.
Snapped.
The basketball fell into his hands.
It was still Andrew Wiggins who came up to guard.
Although Wiggins has made significant progress in the past few seasons, his progress is really nothing compared to a superstar like LeBron. However, because he was unwilling to be traded, Wiggins still put on his best defensive attitude and actively interfered with LeBron.
The two faced each other, and LeBron didn't talk nonsense to Wiggins. He chose to hit Wiggins with his back. After two consecutive collisions, he suddenly pulled away and took a shot.
Uh-huh.
A precise two-pointer fell firmly into the basket.
Wiggins has defended very hard, but unfortunately he still failed to interfere with LeBron's shot. In terms of technical sophistication and beauty, LeBron's fadeaway is not as good as Kobe's. However, as he grows older and improves his skills, LeBron's back-up play and fadeaway shots have indeed improved a lot.
The first quarter of the two sides was very intense, with both the Cavaliers and Timberwolves showing the strength of super strong teams.
When the buzzer sounded at the end of the first quarter, the score difference between the two sides was 36 to 35, with the Timberwolves leading the Cavaliers by 1 point.
