Chapter 285: Does the Knicks have a player called Wall?

The game then officially begins.

The Timberwolves’ starting lineup is:
“LeBron James at No. 1, Kevin Martin at No. 2, Derrick Williams at No. 3, Kevin Garnett at No. 4, and Dwight Howard at No. 5!”

After getting LeBron James and Howard in the summer, the Timberwolves also welcomed the return of Kevin Garnett. But their summer trades did not stop, and they subsequently got Kevin Martin, a “first-class shooter” in off-ball running!
It also caused some noise at that time.

However, compared with the previous joining of LeBron and Howard, the arrival of Kevin Martin can only be regarded as a “small explosion” and cannot reach that level.

But it is also this deal that has given the outside world more expectations for the Timberwolves’ new season.

after all……

If he hadn’t come, the shooting distance of the three core players of the Timberwolves would have been…too embarrassing! The arrival of Kevin Martin alleviated this embarrassment to a certain extent, making the Timberwolves’ space less tight.

The New York Knicks’ starting lineup is still their regular lineup.

The competition officially began amid the howling of wolves.

The Timberwolves got the first attack.

Howard touched the ball first during the jump ball.

As soon as LeBron got the ball and moved it to the frontcourt, Howard came forward to screen and roll.

Paul George, who was defending LeBron, crashed into Howard’s “human wall”, and LeBron got the opportunity to accelerate.

The next second after Su Wan took over his defense, LeBron made a “no-look pass” with full “pose” and stuffed the ball into the inside.

“Bah!”

Howard took the ball and slam-dunked it, successfully scoring the goal.

There was a huge cheer that broke out at the scene.

The Timberwolves’ first attack was to use their core tactics to score a goal.

Howard excitedly high-fived LeBron!

His eyes were full of fighting spirit.

In tonight’s game, LeBron was angry, and Kevin Garnett was angry.

His heart… was also filled with anger!
do not forget!
He has a lot of accounts to settle with Suwan and the New York Knicks, let’s settle them together tonight!
The New York Knicks fought back.

It can be seen that the Timberwolves did not prepare for this game as an ordinary regular season game, but made extremely targeted preparations.

They used Derrick Williams to guard Diaw.

As the former “Little LeBron”, although he did not achieve great success in his transformation to the power forward position, his physical fitness and mobility when defending the power forward position are there, so he will not be at a disadvantage in terms of tonnage and strength when facing Dio.

But Dio is also a veteran.

He faced Williams with his back, and then just carried himself to the three-point line.

Derrick Williams is only 2 meters tall, which makes him smaller than Dio.

Regardless of whether Dio chooses to break through with the ball or tries to solve the problem with confrontation, Derrick would not be afraid. But now, Dio tries to “bully the weak with the strong”, which makes Derrick Williams a little embarrassed.

Since he couldn’t interfere with Dio’s shooting, he could only grit his teeth and try his best to prevent Dio from taking even a single step forward.

Dio felt the force behind him, suddenly released it, turned around and drove towards the basket.

Howard quickly came up, and Dio saw everything and predicted this, so he threw the ball directly into the basket.

“Bah!”

Tyson Chandler dunked with both hands to complete the goal.

The Knicks responded successfully.

Philip frowned slightly.

It was a bit unexpected that Diaw found the right way to play Derrick Williams in just one possession.

As a veteran head coach, he actually knows very well that if he wants to limit the New York Knicks, then Dio, the engine, must not be allowed to function normally.

But I didn’t expect that this guy’s eyes were so experienced now!

Su Wan was not surprised at all.

Just kidding, this was the Spurs team’s “ball-holding core” who stepped up to take on the responsibility of being the core of the offensive organization after Tony Parker was unable to take on the responsibility of being the core of the offensive organization!
He even understood the Spurs’ system.

Not to mention the New York Knicks’ current system that tends to be more “bombarding”.

As for what kind of defender to face and what kind of feedback to give, that’s even more so!

All we can say is that Dio stayed in a bad team for too long, and he had no ambition to improve himself, which led to him not reaching the height that his talent should have reached.

But this time, he had already found the feeling of “happy basketball” in the Pacers, and then came to New York and returned to Suwan. In this process, he became more sophisticated and in better condition than before, which can be seen from the fact that he once won the league’s “assist king”.

His current experience is not comparable to his original one.

This ball silenced some of the “Huskies” at the scene.

The Timberwolves plan to do the same thing, with LeBron and Howard setting a pick-and-roll and Howard following suit.

But this time, because the Knicks quickly changed their defensive formation, when Howard made a pick-and-roll, Tyson Chandler and Paul George followed up from the inside and immediately double-teamed him.

This was the moment LeBron was waiting for. He deliberately slowed down a beat and watched Howard being surrounded by two New York Knicks players. He gave him a helpless expression and tried to rush in with the ball.

Su Wan came to defend from the side, but instead of going to LeBron, he stood near the free throw line where he could have a confrontation.

As soon as the two men confronted each other, LeBron jumped up decisively and shot the ball in an extremely stiff posture, trying to make Su Wan commit a defensive foul. However, after the confrontation, Su Wan immediately took two steps back and pulled away. His extremely ugly shooting posture did not cause any contact with Su Wan at all.

There was a “bang” sound.

Missed!

Tyson Chandler noticed Suwan turning around to grab the rebound, and he immediately pushed Howard behind him.

At this time, Suwan’s only opponent was Kevin Garnett.

If it was Kevin Garnett three years ago, Suwan would definitely not be his opponent.

But now it is three years later, and Kevin Garnett has suffered a serious injury. Judging from his eyes when he jumped, Kevin Garnett is still the “Wolf King” of the past, but his jumping speed is obviously much slower than Su Wan.

“Snapped!”

Su Wan got the rebound one step ahead and turned around to counterattack with the ball.

So fast that only LeBron James can keep up with him.

LeBron also subconsciously quickened his pace. When he reacted, Su Wan and he had already reached the basket. Su Wan made a move to make a layup in advance, and LeBron immediately jumped up to confront him.

As a result, when he was flying in the air, he found that Su Wan jumped slower than he thought. This guy…

Go one more step!
It was this step that made LeBron the one who jumped early.

Suwan rushed directly towards LeBron and successfully put the ball into the basket with an extremely soft “layup”.

“beep!”

2 plus 1 opportunity!
The moment the ball went in, Suwan did not make any celebration moves. Even when the referee blew the whistle, he just nodded slightly without even looking at LeBron.

It seemed as if he had already thought of scoring “2+1”!

LeBron threw his hands up to the referee impatiently.

He actually knew that he had committed a foul, but if he didn’t do so, it would seem a bit embarrassing for him.

The referee ignored him. He returned to the sidelines in dismay. At this moment, he glanced at Su Wan and cursed in his heart:
If I had known earlier, I should have pulled him down directly!
Since a foul has already occurred, letting Su Wan take the shot is his biggest mistake!

There is a reason why his ideas are so radical:
Just now he wanted to make Su Wan commit a “cylinder foul”, but Su Wan dodged it;
What’s even worse is that in the next round, Su Wan committed a “cylinder foul” on him.

Su Wan’s action seemed to say:
Look carefully, this is how the new rules work!
This made him feel ashamed…

“Shh!”

A solid hit!

Su Wanga made the free throw.

It was the Timberwolves’ turn to attack again.

Philip also realized at this time that the New York Knicks’ focus in this game was LeBron and Howard’s downfield run after the pick-and-roll.

When Howard goes down the court, the New York Knicks will immediately double-team him.

This makes it difficult for Howard to receive the ball after the pick-and-roll.

LeBron will get a fairly stable space, which is enough for him to shoot directly, but Suwan’s help defense makes him dare not shoot easily.

This means the New York Knicks can be more confident and bold in leaving LeBron open.

For example, in this round, the New York Knicks continued to leave LeBron open and double-teamed Howard, preventing him from receiving the ball under the basket.

After not getting the ball for two consecutive times, Howard became a little impatient, and his temper was written all over his face.

LeBron is also a “god man”. Seeing the large open space in front of him slowly being occupied by Suwan, he immediately turned around and passed the ball to Kevin Martin who was coming around.

Su Wan, who was halfway through the attack, rushed directly towards Kevin Martin.

Martin acted hastily and braked the car directly.

With a “bang”, the ball bounced out of the frame.

Su Wan noticed that Martin’s shot was too hasty in this round, and wanted to foul him, so he slowed down immediately.

Defensive interference, sometimes it’s that simple…

Kevin Martin is considered the “Porcelain King” among pitchers. His average number of free throws per game is difficult for ordinary pitchers to achieve.

By grasping this point, Su Wan was able to influence Kevin Martin’s psychology, causing him to make an obviously impatient move. Kevin Martin thought that Su Wan would hit him directly if he pounced so hard.

Tyson Chandler and Howard were fighting over the ball.
Howard was really anxious. He jumped up and farted several times. Fortunately, the sound was loud enough to cover it up. Otherwise…

In the end, Howard grabbed the frontcourt rebound, but when he was about to put the ball into the basket, Dio fouled him in advance and sent him to the free throw line.

Howard was silent, clapped his hands vigorously, and cursed fiercely:
“fxxk!”

Then he stood on the free throw line and took a lonely shot.

“Dangdang!”

“Dangdang!”

After missing two consecutive free throws, Tyson Chandler this time firmly protected the rebound.

The New York Knicks’ counterattack focused all their attention on Suwan. Stephen Curry, wearing braces, hit his first three-pointer of the night. It looked so easy for him.

The Timberwolves are now under even greater pressure.

With such great pressure, the first thing they need to solve is the problem of their own missed attacks.

It’s time for someone to step up and break this “scoring drought”.

On the New York Knicks side, Tyronn Lue made a “shrink” gesture on the sidelines, asking all the New York Knicks players to continue to “shrink” under the basket after double-teaming, ensuring that Howard had no space for a “second jump” and eliminating his chance of a “second attack.”

Obviously, from Tyronn Lue’s arrangement, it can be seen that he is full of confidence that the Timberwolves will not be able to score on the first shot of the offensive round.

Sure enough, LeBron James rushed to the basket in the next minute, and the result was…

Before he even reached the basket, someone snatched the ball away from him while he was trying to chase the cicada in eight steps.

no……

The moment LeBron was intercepted, he did not chase after Su Wan who had stolen the ball from him. Instead, he stood there and spread his hands towards his teammates, looking so anxious that his true form was almost exposed.

“Bah!”

After a slam dunk, the entire stadium became silent. Those fans who were initially howling like wolves with great excitement suddenly became mute and could no longer make a sound.

Su Wan glanced at Philip on the sidelines while returning to defense, which meant:

Still not calling a timeout?

Phillip shook his head helplessly, and under Su Wan’s gaze, he called a timeout.

He had no choice but to call this timeout!

LeBron lowered his head when he left the court, and Howard cursed something unhappily when he left the court. They haven’t had a good game since the opening shot.

And the one who was even more depressed than the two of them…

It’s Kevin Garnett!
In the past few rounds that have ended, he had no sense of presence at all!

Everyone can see Kevin Garnett’s aging this season. He averaged only 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

His aging is even more obvious in this game!

So far, his stats are…

0 points, 0 rebounds and 0 assists.

Compared to the other people on the court, his movements on the court seemed like slow motion.

Especially when Su Wan finished “picking the melon” over his head, he felt even more ashamed. What’s worse is that he had tried his best to grab the rebound, but the result was still…

Kevin Garnett has come to accept that he can’t do many things now that he did back then.

but……

He has expectations and ambitions for tonight’s game.

He couldn’t accept how old he was tonight.

No!

I can’t just give in like this!

Absolutely not!

Not only did he cheer himself up in his heart, he also cheered up the other Timberwolves: “Come on, brothers, the game has just begun, don’t be discouraged, let’s get back to our form!”

Philip also clarified the Timberwolves’ offense, starting with the ball handler on the outside to open the situation. Only in this way can the Knicks continue to include Howard, so that their core style of play can be revived!
Otherwise, it would be really difficult…

LeBron nodded, and Kevin Martin beside him also nodded. They all knew that Philip’s words were meant for the two of them.

“beep!”

The buzzer sounded, the game resumed, and some “wolf howls” were heard again.

The Minnesotans used their own unique way to inspire the fighting spirit of all Timberwolves players.

LeBron’s breakthrough in this round was more determined than before, and this time, he did not call for a pick-and-roll on Howard, but instead let Howard move to the bottom corner three-point line to help him open up space under the basket.

But Howard moved very actively, but the New York Knicks’ defense under the basket had no intention of following suit. Tyson Chandler’s eyes were completely focused on LeBron who broke through the basket.

“Dangdang!”

Before LeBron rushed into the basket, the double-team of Suwan and Paul George made it increasingly difficult for him to rush into the basket. Now he couldn’t even see the basket when he looked up. The ball he shot with difficulty passed the interference of three people but failed to fall into the basket.

Kevin Garnett noticed the rebound and jumped at the first opportunity, but this time he was still a step too late, and the person who touched the ball first…

It’s Dior!
Gan!
Kevin Garnett punched hard.

Once again, he was just a hair’s breadth away from success, which really made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

The New York Knicks launched a counterattack during this period.

Five people ran down the court quickly, and as they crossed the center line, they scattered and ran to different positions outside the three-point line. The ball finally fell into Suwan’s hands, and LeBron rushed towards him again. Suwan was originally just making a “fake shot” and then prepared to break through directly, but seeing LeBron flying in the air, he no longer hesitated and rushed straight towards him.

“Dangdang!”

“beep!”

Suwan once again caused LeBron James to commit a “cylinder foul”.

damn it!
Is this also considered a defensive foul?
I let him go, I just let my hand fly past him…

LeBron explained his actions at the time.

He looked extremely excited.

If he was about to show his true colors just now, he has already shown his true colors now, jumping up and down like a gorilla and complaining to the referee.

In his heart, he was madly complaining about the alliance:

What the hell is this rule change?

Bullshit rules!

Can’t we touch Su Wan?

Does it mean I’m breaking the rules if I touch you?
Fuck it, are the rules changed for me?
LeBron is a little suspicious about which side Silver is on?
If he was on his side, why did Su Wan always get the greater advantage after the rules were changed twice?
Can’t you just make a rule just for me?

I can’t fucking touch him right now, you know that?
Silver was watching this game and he was also extremely annoyed.

No, what’s wrong with LeBron? Why is it that every time I modify the rules for him, others use them better?

Is this fucking possible?

He is really depressed…

Otherwise, how about trying someone else?
Suppressing Su Wan is something that the joke must do, but considering Su Wan’s reputation, if he dares to target the New York Knicks in refereeing, then what awaits him will definitely be a fire and warnings on the streets of New York.

Therefore, he had no better way than to support other forces to deal with Su Wan.

He can’t put all his hopes on LeBron!

“Shh!”

“Shh!”

Made two free throws.

Barkley looked at Su Wan calmly retreating from the free throw line and suddenly laughed: “To be honest, Su Wan’s hatred for LeBron really continues!”

Kenny Smith gave him a “why?” look.

Barkley said: “Didn’t you notice that Su Wan has been using the cylinder rule to commit fouls in this game?”

As we all know, last season Suwan only used the “SOMA step” against the Heat. This was his way of venting his dissatisfaction with the league.

This season, until this game, Suwan had never used the “cylinder rule” so frequently, and whenever he faced LeBron, he would deliberately create contact when shooting, causing LeBron to commit a “cylinder foul.”

In fact, this season, when facing other teams in the league, LeBron has committed “cylinder” fouls many times, but he usually defends the opponent’s weakest link, some unknown little Kyami, and even if the referees find out, they will turn a blind eye and let him escape.

This is also the reason why LeBron commits very few fouls.

He was not active in defense to begin with, and with the protection of his “superstar” status, he committed even fewer fouls.

But his fans praised him for his high IQ, which made Su Wan a little confused.

Is there really a necessary connection between fewer fouls and higher defensive quality?

However, facing Suwan, his status is not enough, even though this is the Timberwolves’ home court.

Just like the referees in the 90s, after seeing Jordan being physically touched, they would proactively ask Jordan “Did the opponent commit a foul on this ball” when they were unsure. This was a manifestation of their superior status.

Su Wan, who has stabilized his godhood, also possesses such a transcendent status.

If a foul is committed, the referee dare not not blow the whistle.

Philip looked at LeBron who had made two free throws, and hesitantly touched his bald head. Less than 6 minutes had passed in the first quarter, and LeBron had already committed two fouls. Normally, he should have been replaced at this time, but the current situation was very unusual. The Timberwolves needed someone to become the “engine” to drive the entire team. LeBron was that engine. If he left the court, then the Timberwolves machine would not be able to operate…

But if he doesn’t substitute, if LeBron gets his third foul, the situation will become even more passive.

In the dilemma, the Timberwolves had already served the ball. Seeing this, Philip made up his mind:
Fight!

In the current situation, LeBron will die if he leaves the court, and he will die if he doesn’t leave the court. It is better for him to stay on the court and continue to fight!

His eyes followed LeBron to the front court, and he murmured in his heart:

LeBron, it’s up to you!

Before coaching LeBron, due to outside public opinion, Philip’s impression of LeBron was not even 70% of that of the peak “Wolf King”.

Maybe he had expected it to be low enough, but after the actual contact, he suddenly found that it seemed…

LeBron is still okay. He is not much different from peak Kevin Garnett. Both of them can easily beat weak teams and basically deal with pseudo-strong teams. With Howard, they can deal with 90% of the teams in the league without any problem.

His real level should be around the second tier of “superstar”.

He cannot reach the level of Suwan and Kobe, who are the absolute core and can win the game, but as an “engine” with the cooperation of high-quality teammates, he also has strong lethality.

For example, the combination of him and Howard can be said to be the most powerful combination in the league in terms of offensive threat, especially after the league changed the rules this season.

The Timberwolves’ slump and passivity in this game so far are all due to the fact that their core offensive weapon, which had always been invincible, was broken.

All Philip has to do is reintegrate this weapon!
Bill Walton looked at the New York Knicks’ defensive position and said, “The New York Knicks’ defense today is like a city wall. It is very targeted at the Timberwolves. It is really difficult for them to break through this wall. What they need to do is to bypass this wall to attack!”

“Breaking through is definitely not their best option right now!”

“They’re going to open up the situation on the outside!”

Bill Walton thinks the best way is long shot!
At this stage of innovation in basketball concepts, there is already a standard template for how to break through double-teaming in the interior, which is to force the opponent to expand the defense through outside shooting.

Once the area that needs to be defended becomes larger, it will not be so easy to retreat in time.

Howard has shown so far this season that his ability to attack the basket while moving is definitely outstanding among the inside players in the league.

As long as there are people willing to pass the ball to him on the outside, it won’t be a big problem for him to become the next “Stoudemire”.

Although the solution is here,…

LeBron…

“I really don’t dare to shoot!” Barkley frowned. There was one thing he couldn’t understand:
Why is LeBron reluctant to develop his shooting ability even though he knows that he is not good at it?

If he had a certain shooting ability, wouldn’t it make his breakthrough more sharp?

This is especially true after the rule changes this year…

Once the opponent is concerned about his shooting ability, it is impossible for him to leave such a long distance, which will allow him to complete the first step of the breakthrough more quickly.

So he really couldn’t figure it out.

Kenny Smith said: “Actually, LeBron’s shooting has become much more stable this season, but…just like before, I don’t know why, when he meets Su Wan, he is a little afraid to shoot!”

“Dangdang!”

As soon as Kenny Smith finished speaking, LeBron gritted his teeth and rushed to the inside.

His attitude is firm enough!

But as Bill Walton said, the New York Knicks’ positioning was too targeted. They were like a wall standing in front of LeBron.

LeBron’s offense is like a train, but it is not easy to hit the wall.

This time he protected the ball in his hand and did not let Su Wan steal it halfway.

It was just a final, forced shot, and the ball hit the rim and fell out.

Howard and Tyson Chandler took the initiative in the fight.

Tyson Chandler’s condition has declined this season, which should be a natural decline caused by his age, while Howard has begun to enter the peak period of his physical use. This is the second time in the first quarter that he has defeated Tyson Chandler through physical function, which has rarely happened in the past.

However, Dio came over immediately and intercepted him. Suwan and Kevin Garnett fought for the rebound and successfully protected it again.

“rough!”

Kevin Garnett felt frustrated once again.

The New York Knicks strike back.

This time the Timberwolves returned to defense in time, and Suwan passed the ball directly to Dio.

The “French Magician”‘s brain was working rapidly and he made a quick judgment. When Paul George walked past him, he passed the ball to Paul George with a move that looked very smooth.

George took a step forward and found that he had an extra ball in his hand.

Just transported it for a while.

“Bah!”

Flying and exploding the frame!

The basket vibrates.

The atmosphere in the venue dropped even lower.

Dio pointed to the sky with one hand, and his lazy expression made people inadvertently think of Tracy McGrady.

Same temperament, different style, and different on-court influence.

Dio’s shot allowed the New York Knicks to end the first quarter with a 14-point advantage.

If the Timberwolves hadn’t recovered in the final few minutes, the gap would have been even bigger.

Howard looked like he was about to cry. He enjoyed this kind of “gay burger” in private, but on the court, it really made him uncomfortable. He had never hated men as much as he did now!

So damn…

Uncomfortable!

LeBron James’ expression remained gloomy.

Philip called him aside: “Dude, where’s your shooting? Why didn’t I see you shoot once in this game? Believe me, your shooting stability this season is better than the previous two seasons. You can shoot three-pointers with confidence!”

In fact, LeBron’s problem in the first quarter was far more than just not being able to shoot.

He has a lot of concerns on both the breakthrough and defensive ends.

Of course, this is understandable. Who made him commit two fouls right at the start?

Given LeBron’s psychological endurance, it is completely understandable that he is so timid.

This is why Philip did not mention this matter.

The most important thing is that compared with sharp breakthroughs, there is more active defense. Shooting is the most advantageous weapon to change the opponent’s wall-like defense to the greatest extent. Bill Walton also mentioned this point.

Therefore, when ESPN interviewed LeBron during the intermission, they asked: “Facing the opponent’s wall-like defense, LeBron, do you think that you should shoot more from the outside instead of continuing to break through?”

Faced with the same proposal as Philip, LeBron did not speak, he just said: “We will find a way to solve this problem!”

This is nonsense!
The ESPN reporter who interviewed him couldn’t help but complain in his heart.

Then the second quarter officially began.

Both sides started with a substitute rotation lineup, and after playing for less than 3 minutes, the Timberwolves had already put all their main players on the court.

Jimmy Butler and Isaiah Thomas have made great progress this season. Coupled with Ray Allen’s ability to be above the rotation, the New York Knicks have the deepest bench in the league this season.

Compared to them, the Timberwolves, who gambled on the Big Three in the summer, obviously do not have such a deep foundation.

LeBron scored his first goal with a breakthrough layup after cooperating with Howard, which caused huge cheers from the audience.

For Timberwolves fans who were constipated throughout the first quarter, this kind of smooth offense is what they want to see.

Tyronn Lue raised his hand to make substitutions and put all the main players on the court.

LeBron continued to play pick-and-roll with Howard.

This time when Howard was going down the court, he also quickly dribbled the ball and attacked the basket.

LeBron’s explosive power is obvious to all, but Suwan still managed to get his feet ahead of him, forcing LeBron to “emergency brake”, swing his whole body to the right, and then jump shot in an extremely ugly posture.

“Dangdang!”

You must grab it this time!

Kevin Garnett really used all his strength to grab the rebound, but Dio held him tightly this time and didn’t give him any chance to get around.

He could only watch as the ball was once again protected by Su Wan.

Howard was a step slower this time and failed to reach out to delay, causing Su Wan to rush ahead of everyone.

LeBron is the only one left with a chance to catch him.

Another early ball…

While LeBron was still hesitating, Suwan jumped high and completed a slam dunk.

“The Timberwolves can’t stop the New York Knicks’ fast break!” Barkley said after seeing this, “I think there is a high possibility that this game will be garbage time!”

Bill Walton continued his “wall theory”, believing that the Timberwolves have only one way to play like this, and then he mentioned the New York Knicks’ “defensive counterattack”: “This is the third year that these guys have played together, and their understanding of defensive counterattacks is definitely the best in the league!”

“If you look closely, you’ll find that the Timberwolves’ style of attack and defense is exactly what the New York Knicks can control!”

Needless to say on the defensive end, their “wall formation” really restrained the Timberwolves.

On the offensive end, the Timberwolves’ attack on the basket caused their outside players with the ball to keep rushing to the basket, which resulted in a shortage of players who could return to defense if they failed to score.

This is the key to the New York Knicks’ wave of “defensive counterattacks”.

At the same time, this is also the key to improving the tactical status of three-pointers.

The three-point shooting tactic can form a faster transition between offense and defense by completely abandoning the “second offense”, greatly reducing the opponent’s chances of quickly forming a fast break after a successful defense.

In fact, we can see from here what changes have taken place in the “small ball concept” from 11 to 15.

The Mavericks team in 11 played a “defensive counterattack” game, using shooting to solve the offense.

In 15, the shooting changed from more mid-range shots to shots outside the three-point line. The defense speed became faster, which could suppress the opponent’s offensive rhythm…

But if you analyze the NBA carefully, you will find that more points come from offense and defense transitions rather than rigid positional battles.

This is the basis for the formation of the “small ball theory”!

It can be said that the New York Knicks have completely completed their transformation and become a completely “small ball” team.

That is why they seize opportunities and complete attacks in the transition between offense and defense with such a high frequency.

This kind of offensive rhythm is not something that most teams of this era are adapted to, including the Timberwolves!
At the end of the first half, relying on repeated “defensive counterattacks”, the New York Knicks widened the gap to 25 points.

LeBron faced that question again at halftime:

“The New York Knicks’ defense tonight was like a wall. Will the Timberwolves adjust your strategy in the second half? Use other defenses to break the wall?”

LeBron said: “So far this season, we have been playing the way we want to play, and we have won most of the games. We must have confidence in ourselves, and I believe that we will find the answer in this difficult time!”

This sentence means very well translated:
We will continue to be stubborn!
then……

There’s no after that!

Under the restraint of style, if you continue to stick to your own way of playing, you will end up dead.

Although the Timberwolves’ full main lineup remained on the court until the end, at the end of the game, the New York Knicks defeated the Timberwolves by 115 points with a score of 85 to 30, winning this “focus battle.”

苏万在这场比赛中砍下了35分6篮板6助攻，命中了5记三分球；斯蒂芬-库里在这场比赛中砍下了23分4篮板3助攻，命中了4记三分球。

The “Tsunami Brothers” triggered another “three-point rain” in this game.

反观森林狼这边，勒布朗-詹姆斯最终23投7中，罚球8罚5中，砍下了19分4篮板6助攻8失误；霍华德10投6中，罚球8罚3中，砍下了15分，此外还有8个篮板。

Both Timberwolves’ duo performed below their usual standards.

Barkley said: “After this game, those media who use the strongest duo to tie LeBron and Suwan together can take a break. They are not on the same level at all!”

Kenny Smith also said: “I don’t know if Suwan has the natural ability to restrain LeBron. LeBron has changed three teams and has worked with many superstars in this league. But no matter who he partners with, in the end his team meets Suwan’s team, and the style of his team is restrained!”

“Honestly, in this situation, it’s really hard to compare them together. Su Wan… is LeBron’s nemesis!”

“This conclusion is a foregone conclusion!”

“I really don’t want to see any more articles comparing LeBron and Suwan. This is disrespectful to Suwan!”

On the Timberwolves side, the “trio” that lost the game looked extremely frustrated.

Kevin Garnett’s final stats for this game were 7 points and 4 rebounds.

If you only look at the data, who would have thought that this was the “Wolf King” who dominated the world back then!
“Wolf King” is really old!

Even Minnesota fans who watch Kevin Garnett through a filter have to admit this.

Kevin Garnett himself was also deeply shocked. Before he even reached the bench, he fell to the ground and kept knocking his head against the bench in front of him.

Irene recorded this scene.

Howard’s smile also turned serious. He thought tonight would be his revenge match, but in the end…if there was nothing wrong with his memory, then this was the worst defeat he had ever suffered against Su Wan.

He really didn’t expect this result.

As for LeBron…

The reporter asked him again: “Why do you keep breaking through the New York Knicks’ wall-like defense instead of choosing other offensive methods?”

LeBron was upset: “No, buddy, is there a player named Wall in the New York Knicks? Why do you keep emphasizing Wall, Wall, what’s wrong with Wall? Did I play against him in this game?”

The reporter who asked the question was confused.

no……

Don’t you understand what I’m saying?
But in this case, he doesn’t need to continue asking questions because the fun is already great enough.

But LeBron’s complaints continued: “The main reason we lost tonight is that the New York Knicks were so good at counterattacking. They seized almost every counterattack opportunity. This is where we need to improve!”

“Also, our offense was too one-dimensional. The Timberwolves could only rely on me and Dwight tonight. Our other players failed to step up, which was a big part of the reason why we lost. So putting all of this together, this is the fundamental reason why we lost!”

“It’s not that the New York Knicks played so well tonight, it’s just that we didn’t do what we usually do, this is the fundamental reason!”

He excluded Howard from the group.

That’s how he sums up the past nine seasons.

main……

He found that Howard was a giant baby and he had to coax him all the time in order to maintain the relationship between them.

LeBron has never been so tired, but there is nothing he can do. Howard is his only hope for a comeback, and he must bind the bond between him and Howard.

“It’s really depressing tonight, LeBron, how about we go relax?”

LeBron returned to the locker room, where Howard was waiting for him. When he saw him come in, he immediately stepped forward and put his arm around his shoulders, but LeBron dodged in time.

“Go ahead, Dwight!” LeBron was in no mood.

There was no choice, Howard had to go by himself.

Since LeBron didn’t go, Howard went to a more exciting place.

As he said, he was too tired tonight, so he played very extravagantly.

“…

Howard learned the identity of one of them and was a little surprised: “Are you a Timberwolves fan?”

The man said, “In fact, I was there tonight.”

“This is not a wonderful night…” Howard felt a little embarrassed when he heard that this man was there tonight.

So this is ah……

“By the way, let me tell you something…” Howard was daydreaming when the man suddenly spoke again, “LeBron is likely to be the same as us!”

Howard’s eyes widened into copper bells.

How can it be?

The man said, “He should know that you like to come to places like this, right?”

Howard nodded.

“That’s right!” The man was even more certain, “Even if he isn’t one now, he must have had similar experiences before, so he is very resistant to any contact with you!”

Howard still had some doubts.

Isn’t it normal for a normal man to have some resistance after knowing his orientation?

The playmate seemed to see that Howard didn’t believe it, so he didn’t explain much. He just said, “I also encountered similar things at the beginning, which led to my current state. So I know very well that his current state is the stage I was in at the beginning!”

Howard’s eyes wavered a little now:
or……

Try it out?
He vented his inner depression by “driving the train”. When he left the nightclub, it was already dawn and various reports about the game were emerging one after another.

First of all, the discussion about the league’s “strongest duo” this season has disappeared.

Any reporter who watched yesterday’s game knew very well that continuing to hype up the “strongest duo” would be forcibly binding LeBron and Suwan together.

If this kind of thing happened four or five years ago, the media might still do it.

But now, anyone with a discerning eye can see that LeBron really doesn’t have the ability to offend Suwan.

On the contrary, after this game, LeBron was ridiculed again.

Before the start of last season, the league changed the traveling rules for LeBron, and then before the start of this season, it specifically clarified the concept of “cylinder” so that LeBron can reduce the interference of confrontation during breakthroughs.

But the result…

After two waves of improvement, LeBron’s performance is getting worse and worse!

In addition to his still poor personal performance, he committed 5 fouls in yesterday’s game and almost left the game with 6 fouls. 4 of the fouls were “cylinder” fouls when defending Su Wanshi.

This rule, which was specially tailored for him, became Su Wan’s weapon to attack him!

Just like last season…

Suwan used the “SOMA step” to make LeBron suffer a great loss.

Shaquille O’Neal said: “The league needs to seriously consider what kind of rules can really strengthen LeBron James!”

Barkley retweeted his tweet and said, “Man, do you think the league will really continue to change the rules for him?”

Shaquille O’Neal: “I got it, man!”

In addition, LeBron’s statement “Does the Knicks have a player named Wall?” also caused ridicule on the Internet. They really didn’t expect LeBron to be so outrageous:
“No, LeBron, don’t you know what a metaphor is?”

“OMG, is this a high school student!? Don’t tell me this is a high school student!”

“This is supposed to be LeBron’s dry humor, right? Damn, this must be LeBron’s dry humor!”

“This is what it’s like not to go to college!”

“We are all high school students, why is there such a big gap?”

“Read more, LeBron!”

Facing these ridicules, LeBron chose the most stubborn counterattack: “I am just an NBA player. Why should I study more? What’s the point of studying? Isn’t it better for me to play two more games?”

Then there was the photo of Kevin Garnett banging his head against the bench after losing the game, which also caused a lot of discussion on the Internet. In particular, in the report posted by Erin, the image of him banging his head against the bench with great passion before formed a sharp contrast with the image of him banging his head against the wooden fish at this moment…

“Wolf King” is old!

Many media outlets also released photos of him roaring to the sky when he eliminated the Kings, with Chris Webber kneeling down with his hands on his knees. Comparing the photos with his lonely appearance now, he looks even older.

But no media analyzed the real reason for Kevin Garnett’s collapse.

These media outlets believe that Kevin Garnett is unable to accept his own incompetence.

But in fact, what made Kevin Garnett collapse the most was this loss and his embarrassing statistics, which all showed how correct the New York Knicks’ choice was in the summer. He is indeed worth more than that much money. He is only worth 550 million, no…

He’s not even worth 550 million!
Many New York media mentioned this:
“The best thing Donnie Walsh did was to give up Kevin Garnett, who looked like he was barely even getting a veteran contract!”

This is the real reason why Kevin Garnett’s defense was broken.

Another reason is:

It seems that he really can’t touch the championship trophy again!

Good thing…

The championship is gone, but the money is still there!
Kevin Garnett muttered to himself angrily when he saw the newspapers with the words “Wolf King” written on them.

Then he clenched his fists, pretending not to care.

If I had known earlier, I should have gone to the New York Knicks!

Ok……

He still regretted it!

Now that the money is in his pocket, Kevin Garnett regrets not going to the New York Knicks!

While he was complaining to himself, Howard entered the locker room, greeted Kevin Garnett, and immediately looked around the room, and finally his eyes fell back on Kevin Garnett:

“Kevin, have you seen Raymond?”

“He should have gone to the training ground for extra practice, right?” Kevin Garnett looked at Howard with a puzzled expression, “What’s wrong?”

Howard waved his hands quickly: “It’s okay, it’s okay, I just have something to discuss with him! Since he is at the training ground, I will go to the training ground to find him!”

As he spoke, he had already changed his clothes and ran towards the training ground like a flash.

Kevin Garnett showed a surprised expression. When did this guy become so keen on training?

How about I go to the training ground now?
Kevin Garnett just had a surge of motivation, but he immediately gave up the idea.

When you reach middle age, you have no control over your life, so you might as well soak wolfberries in a thermos!

“Raymond?”

As soon as he entered the training ground, Howard saw LeBron shooting with his bare chest and greeted him enthusiastically.

LeBron turned and glanced at him.

He didn’t say anything and didn’t seem to be in a very good mood.

Howard also saw the ridicule of him online, and was not surprised by his attitude. He comforted him, saying, “Don’t take these people’s words to heart, LeBron. They are just jealous of our talent!”

LeBron agrees with this.

Those who criticize him are those who are unhappy with their lives!
Howard also walked in front of LeBron at this time.

Looking at his strong chest muscles and angular muscles, “World of Warcraft” couldn’t help swallowing.

Is this guy really gay?
If he really is…

In the circle, this is considered a “heavenly dish”!

LeBron seemed to notice his look and cursed in his heart:
abnormal!
Howard was even more curious when he saw LeBron wearing his training suit and continued to practice shooting. He suddenly asked, “Raymond, are you gay?”

When these words came out, Howard clearly saw LeBron’s hand tremble, and then he made a “three-point miss”.

The ball fell to the ground with a series of noises, then rolled to the corner, and the training ground suddenly became quiet.

After about two seconds, LeBron said in a strong tone: “Damn it, what are you talking about? Dwight, this, how is this possible? How the hell can I be gay?”

Seeing LeBron getting more and more excited, Howard quickly waved his hands: “Don’t get excited, Raymond, I’m just kidding you!”

“This is not funny, Dwight!” LeBron yelled.

But his furious look made Howard even more certain for no reason:
This sadist is indeed gay!

Howard said that one day, he will reveal LeBron’s true face.

Just wait and see!

Now he continues: “Don’t get excited, don’t get excited, LeBron, I’m really just kidding!”

LeBron realized that his reaction was a bit too much, so he stopped talking and walked off the court. But when he passed by Howard, he glanced to the right with a guilty conscience.

He didn’t quite understand why Howard would suddenly ask him these questions.

Could it be that he knew something?
It shouldn’t be!

Only Diddy, him and Jay-Z should know about this…

He immediately sent a text message to Diddy, asking him if he had any contact with Howard?

Diddy replied with a message:
Dwight? Is that your new partner? No, I’ve never met him. What’s up?
Make sure Howard hasn’t met diddy.

Jay-Z is even more impossible!
LeBron gradually came to believe that Howard was just joking.

Because he knew Howard went to that kind of place last night.

This made him wonder:
Am I on the “must-eat list” among men?

Why are you all interested in me?
After initially confirming that Howard was just joking “accidentally”, LeBron was still a little worried, so he continued to ask questions in a roundabout way. Finally, after confirming that Howard was just joking, he forgot about the matter.

Howard also sensed his indirection. He was not a thoughtful person, but this was a question he wanted to know! So when LeBron was indirecting, he was more certain that LeBron might have had a similar experience.

That man is so brave…

who is it!
He was filled with intense curiosity.

At this time, the league also broke out this blockbuster deal:
The Lakers sent two first-round picks and some expiring contracts to the Jazz to get Al Jefferson, launching a final attack on this season’s championship.

As for the Jazz, they sent away Deron Williams in the summer and now sent away Al Jackson, officially announcing a rebuild.

The Lakers won a big victory in their first game after getting the reinforcements:
Al Jefferson makes up for the Lakers’ ability to play strong under the basket, as well as the ability to grab rebounds and defend under the basket.

The original Al Jefferson was too short to defend the five position and too slow to defend the four position.

But now there is only one player in the league who is over 2 meters tall at the center position, and that is Tyson Chandler. The others have all retired.

Therefore, Al Jefferson’s height of 2 meters is not too short for the center position.

This is especially true now that we have entered the “small ball era”.

Originally, he went to the Bobcats the next season and led the Bobcats into the playoffs. He was also selected into the “Best Third Team”. Michael Jordan specially bought a page to thank Al Jefferson.

It can be said that during the period when Michael Jordan owned the Bobcats, the acquisition of Al Jefferson was one of the few transactions that had obvious positive feedback among his many operations.

From this you can understand why he was so excited!

However, this time, just the deal of “selecting” Lillard is enough for him to be proud of it.

It is also worth mentioning that the Lakers also got Tucker as a “bonus” in this deal:
Don’t forget, Ariza and Chris Paul were already on the Lakers at that time. With the addition of Kobe, as long as there was a more mobile power forward, it would be a replica of the “19 Rockets.”

But now only Su Wan noticed this.

Whether Tucker can be found to be very suitable to play as Jefferson’s “five position” in the “death five small” will have to be tested by time…

But the good news is that due to the unsatisfactory performance of the team in 09, Phil Jackson did not think about climbing to a higher position and still sat in the head coaching seat. In fact, he had the concept of the “Death Five” in his mind.

Just look at the ’96 Chicago Bulls to see this.

At that time, his favorite lineup was: Harper, Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Rodman and Kukoc.

What’s more worth mentioning is that Steve Kerr was on this Bulls team that year.

because……

Rather than saying that the “Death Five” was just him copying others’ ideas and picking up Jack’s peach, it would be better to say that this question was an open-book question for him, as he had witnessed the horror of a lineup similar to the “Death Five” with his own eyes.

That Bulls team could limit their opponents to around 81 points per game. They were a team that relied on defense to win the championship!

It was also the incredible chemical reaction of this lineup that allowed the Bulls to win their second “three consecutive championships” in the 90s…

So if Phil Jackson really moves Tucker to the 5th position, Suwan wouldn’t be too surprised.

But this obviously takes time. In any case, in the “Christmas Game” when the Lakers challenged the New York Knicks away, Phil Jackson had not yet thought of using Tucker. He did put Tucker at the power forward position for a while. During that time, Tucker was very successful in restricting Dio.

Tucker is not very tall, only 1 meters, but the problem is that his chassis is too stable, and Dio’s “back-to-the-basket” singles strength is not enough to push him away.

This is also the reason…

More often tonight, Dio had to face Tucker with his back to the basket and defend against his attempts to steal the ball.

However, this further demonstrated his all-round vision. Various passes without looking at people and “passes behind the head” as if he had eyes on his back made this Christmas Eve look particularly gorgeous.

However, due to his “back-to-the-basket” position, most of the time he could only pass the ball to his teammates who moved to his side, instead of using various offensive methods to disrupt the opponent’s entire defense.

This resulted in him tonight being very much like Draymond Green, becoming a “dealer” with a fixed position.

Suwan took more initiative to receive the ball in this game. Facing Kobe’s defense, he kept breaking through the basket, forcing the Lakers to shrink to the inside. – There was no other way. Chris Paul was entangled with Stephen Curry in various ways, making it difficult for him to connect the ball.

Coupled with the fact that players from other positions on the Lakers helped Chris Paul with defense, this made Stephen Curry even more passive.

He needs Su Wan to help him create more shooting space.

But I don’t know whether Kobe changed his playing style or he was facing the New York team tonight. He focused more of his energy on the fight with Suwan tonight. With the help of Tucker and Al Jefferson’s backup defense, even if the Lakers did not shrink to the basket, the defense could stabilize Suwan’s offense.

This was one of the few games this season where Suwan had to play alone, but even though he scored consecutively, the Lakers were able to keep up with his scoring pace.

The problem that Tyson Chandler and Dio both lack the ability to play one-on-one in the interior is highlighted.

Fortunately, Paul George broke out in this game.

After Suwan and Stephen Curry were both targeted by the Lakers’ defense, the Lakers’ defensive resources were clearly insufficient.

Of course, the person defending Paul George was Ariza. Phil Jackson originally thought that was enough, but the result was…

Paul George’s various “quick stop jump shots” after catching the ball, “interference outside the three-point line” and slam dunks under the basket were full of energy and drew huge cheers from the audience.

By the end of the first half, he had already scored 17 points!
Phil Jackson tightened his nose and looked like he had a headache.

The New York Knicks are really…

It is impossible to guard against it!
In the second half, the Lakers adjusted the focus of their offense and launched the offense from Chris Paul.

Stephen Curry’s entanglement with Paul did not cause any obvious interference, and Paul was not afraid of defenders of his type.

Paul George interfered from the side.

Ariza made 3 of 3 shots from beyond the three-point line in the first half tonight, but in the second half, he suddenly woke up and, at this critical moment, received a pass from Chris Paul and completed two consecutive three-pointers.

The situation remained deadlocked until the last moment, when Suwan defended Kobe after a near-game-winning shot.

Faced with his persistence, Kobe dribbled the ball away, and the ball flew right into the hands of Chris Paul.

Paul made a quick throw from mid-range.

Curry is out of reach.

The ball bounced on the rim four or five times and finally fell into the basket.

The Lakers narrowly defeated the New York Knicks on Christmas night with a score of 103 to 102, a 1-point advantage.

This tense match caused the commentators to talk more when summarizing the game.

Bill Walton said: “The Lakers obviously not only got Al Jefferson in this deal, they also got a very strong addition, PJ Tucker!”

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that his defense against Dio was exceptionally successful tonight!
Barkley also said: “After this Christmas game, the Lakers are back in the championship race!”

Kenny Smith agreed very much: “Obviously, PJ Tucker’s role as the No. 4 was Phil Jackson’s sudden idea in this game. We can notice that he had never done this before, but it was this game that allowed Phil Jackson to find the right way to use PJ Tucker, which will make the Lakers’ lineup more solid!”

It can also be seen from the data that tonight’s Lakers:
科比21分3篮板4助攻1抢断；克里斯-保罗18分8助攻2抢断；阿里扎14分5篮板3助攻；pj-塔克10分5篮板；艾尔-杰弗森16分9篮板；奥多姆11分4篮板3助攻……

A set of regular rotation teams has been established.

And they defeated the defending champion New York Knicks tonight.

No team has been able to mess with them so badly so far this season.

The Lakers guys did it, which further proves the ceiling of this team!
Chris Paul was obviously in a very good mood after the game. Although his statistics were not “top-notch”, if you knew that Stephen Curry only had 14 points and 4 assists tonight, and made 7 of 2 shots from beyond the three-point line, you would know why he was so happy!

Tonight he let everyone know, including Stephen Curry himself:

Chris > Stephen!
Before, they just lost because of an unreasonable lineup!
And this is just the beginning, they will continue to prove this fact!

The next morning, all media outlets had similar attitudes:

The Lakers are back in contention for the championship!

After the Christmas game, the All-Star voting channel opened. It was also at this time that LeBron faced another difficult time in his career. Next, he will return to Miami for the first time after being traded to challenge the Heat…

(End of this chapter)