Before the game on May 27, Yuanfei approached Billups for a private communication. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Chauncey, I have a set of data to share with you."

"Of course, I'll hear you."

"In the regular season, you averaged 16.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists on 12.8 shots per game, and in the four games against the Timberwolves, you averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 13.5 shots per game. There are more shots, but the data has shrunk. Yuan Fei observed Billups' face and continued: "The players have ups and downs, and this kind of abnormality is very normal. But I suspect you probably have some understanding of this issue. ”

"En......" Billups was silent for a while, and said with difficulty: "I have seriously considered this issue, but in fact, I have low self-esteem. ”

Yuan Fei raised his eyebrows, although this conclusion was expected by him, but the process surprised him. Yuanfei didn't expect Chauncy to be so honest.

"My time with the Timberwolves was a time when I couldn't do anything. During this difficult time, I was in great pain. It was Tracy and Jason who changed my career, and I was even an All-Star because I joined the Rockets. For that I am grateful. Billups said in a heavy tone, "But when I think of how hard I fought at Wolves and couldn't get the attention of the team, and when I think that they only saw Garnett and didn't respect me at all, I feel angry." This subconscious feeling made me lose my cool and become impatient, so there were some dysfunctions. ”

"Chauncey, you have to understand that you don't have to be jealous of other players anymore. You're an All-Star guard, the star head guard that every team in the league craves. Cassel may have the respect you didn't have for the Timberwolves in the past, but he's just an old star. You have the youth and a broad future that he can't have anymore, and he should be jealous of you. Yuanfei looked directly into Billups's eyes and said sincerely: "You just need to be yourself and create a Chaunce. Billups' basketball. ”

"What a fan of the authorities!" Billups suddenly brightened. yes, what else am I not satisfied with? I'm an All-Star and a respected star in the league. I have teammates who are nice to get along with, a team with a good atmosphere, we are still competing for championships, and I am in an enviable position. And all grievances and unhappiness have passed. "Thank you, Jason. Wake up the dreamer in one word! ”

Yuanfei smiled and held out a friendly hand.

***

This simple conversation resulted in a Billups with unprecedented concentration on the field.

The Timberwolves rely on T London. Hassell's opening two steals in a row gave him a five-point lead. But the Rockets were unusually calm today, and Commander Billups was not in the slightest impatient because of the start of the game. He controls the tempo steadily, shouting at his teammates to run and get the ball into the right place.

Billups feints for a three-pointer and Daric. Martin pounced on it and fouled it for three points! Chauncy calmly made three free throws, and the score was tied at 9:9.

Sanders saw that the momentum was not good, and immediately called a timeout. Replaced by veteran Kassel, who failed to start due to injury, in an attempt to contain Billups. The veteran made a top two, and Cassel contributed on the court, and Hassel hit a 2-point jumper with a wonderful pass.

Chauncey was still unhurried and controlled the ball left and right, and suddenly a start-up was about to break through, and Cassel rose up to follow. Billups looked straight at the basket and made a jumper, only to slam the ball to the left side of the court.

The other nine were watching Billups' shooting action and had no idea that the ball would suddenly be diverted to the other side. Turkoglu received the ball, but was a little scrambling and didn't have time to shoot in the first place. But he is also an intelligent player with excellent tactical literacy, and instantly observed Garnett, who was attracted to Billups to help defend, and Wang Zhizhi, who was vacant in the bottom corner. Lao Te's pass is in place, and Dazhi hits three points!

At 12:11, the Rockets took the lead for the first time. It was Turkoglou who had an assist and Billups didn't statistically grow, but the crowd saw that the goal was the result of Chauncey's good big-picture vision and clever passing. This is a typical "second assist" goal.

Garnett's strong hit was held by Wang Zhizhi, the wolf king turned over and hit a jumper, and Yao Ming protected the rebound. Although Garnett had a fairly accurate jump shot in his prime, there were always times when he couldn't shoot with a bad hand. Wang Zhizhi did not hesitate to consume him with physical strength to prevent him from cutting, that is, to bet that he would not score a goal. Of course, Garnett is not willing to attack the basket repeatedly, after all, the Rockets still have the little giant Yao Ming under the basket to guard, and the Wolves center has no shooting ability to pull Yao Ming out.

The Rockets gave the ball to Yao Ming again for singles. Garnett was pulled out by Wang Zhizhi, and the little giant faced Johnson by chopping vegetables and melons, causing a defensive foul. Johnson was replaced with two fouls, and Olovokandi was forced to play, which was also an inaccurate jumper. As long as he pulls 10 feet away, he doesn't shoot 30 percent from the field, and he only makes 60 percent of his free throws. In the three-second zone, in addition to O'Neal and Big Ben, Yao Ming can push the league's centers.

Kassel scored a three-pointer to level the score, prompting cheers and shouts from the crowd. If Garnett is the team's ace and defensive core, then Kassel is the spiritual pillar. The Timberwolves are still slightly inferior to the Rockets in terms of lineup configuration, relying on Kassel's motivation to hold on to their opponents.

Chaunsey shook sharply left and right, broke through two steps sharply, and made a jumper. Kassel struggled to keep up, losing his center of gravity as he retreated, falling to the ground.

Ball in! Billups threw his fist and roared.

Kassel didn't get up.

Sanders immediately called a timeout, and the Timberwolves players surrounded him. The Rockets gathered around Townsman, and only Billups hesitated and followed the Wolves players to the fallen Cassel.

"Senior, you don't matter, right?" Billups asked with concern.

Cassel had just stood up with the help of the staff, and he turned to look at Billups and smiled, "You're better than before." Now I'm not as good as you. ”

Billups was stunned, and Cassel had turned and walked to the players' tunnel.

At this moment, Billups's demons were completely destroyed.

And Sam. Kassel said goodbye to the Western Conference Finals. He played five minutes in this game, and had three points and one assist on 1-of-3 shooting.

At 107:95, the Timberwolves, who lost Kassel, were unable to compete and were defeated by the Rockets at home. Chauncey. Billups played 30 minutes against Wolves' weak defenders and contributed 16+5+8, Yao Ming scored another double-double of 19+11, and Maddie contributed a game-high 31 points. The CTM trio worked together to give the Rockets a 3-1 lead with three match points in hand.