On December 16, the Rockets marched to Minnesota. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoOlajuwon hugged Wolves' old Rockets teammate Sam before the opening kick-off. Kassel.

During the Rockets' two-game winning streak, Olajuwon was the absolute core superstar of the Rockets, while the "alien" Kassel was the oldest rookie on the team. In the 93-94 season, he had just joined the NBA, but he was already 24 years old. He was traded to the Suns after the team completed two championships and went on to play at star level. In the blink of an eye, 10 years have passed, and the 34-year-old Cassel has been mixed with the Rockets, Suns, Mavericks, Nets, Bucks, until he joined the Timberwolves and became a veteran in the league. He knows very well that he wants to support Garnett, the wolf king who is at his peak, and help him reach the top of the alliance!

Wolves' starting five was centre-forward Erwin Brown. Johnson (not the same name as the Lakers legend), power forward Kevin Brown. Garnett, small forward Ratril. Sprewell, shooting guard Trenton. Hassel and point guard Sam. Kassel. Compared to last season, the squad has been reborn. In the starting line-ups last season, Peeler went to the Kings, Nesterovic went to the Spurs, and the invaluable Hudson sat on the bench.

The Rockets lined up a small lineup, with Yao Mai starting alongside Billups, Reed and Wallace.

"Wolves have been in good form recently after a run-in at the beginning of the season, with a record of 5 wins and 1 loss in the past half month." Old Curry reported to Tang Shuai.

"How are they different from last season?" Tang Shuai asked.

"Defensively improved a lot, last season they were mediocre defensively, this season it's very different. In these six games in December, they only conceded more than 100 points, that was against the firepower Kings, which Wolves narrowly won by 3 points. ”

"It's strange to have a defensive superman like Garnett, and it's weird to have poor defense. Garnett's height and reach are among the best in the league, but he moves as fast as a smaller player. Seeing him defending reminds me of Hakim when I was younger. And he can dribble and jump like a small player, and his skills are very comprehensive. Tang Shuai not only reminisced about the past.

"So there was a saying back then that there was no center between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and O'Neal for almost 20 years to dominate the Finals. Hakim? He's just a small forward with a center. Smith burst out laughing.

These people laughed, but Tang Shuai's face gradually became a little solemn.

The score was 10-6, and the Rockets were still ahead, but Billups was really out of shape.

Garnett suddenly stepped forward to force the ball carrier, and Billups couldn't get the ball out in time and was tackled. Cassel assists "Mad Man" Sprewell for a mid-range shot.

Billups once again singled with the ball and hit a jumper. The madman who killed the rise got the ball and broke into Longtan alone, and a dragon broke through and made a layup. 10 to 10 draw.

Chauncey assisted on Maddy's three-pointer, but Cassel immediately assisted on another shot from Sprewell, 13-12. Tang Shuai called a timeout and replaced it with a big dream.

Unexpectedly, this move completely fell into the trap of the opponent. In the next few rounds, Garnett took the initiative to switch to Maddie, and under his interference, Maddie barely touched the ball, and the Rockets missed consecutive offenses. Tang Shuai began to secretly regret replacing Yao Ming too early, and now that Maddie is difficult to catch the ball, Yao Ming is not there, and the Rockets have no singles point.

Wallace made a strong shot, and the ball was slapped away by Garnett, who came from the defense, and Cassel got the ball and advanced at high speed. He drove to the basket and passed back to Garnett, who scored a big two-pointer to put the Wolves up 17-19.

The Rockets only managed one inefficient one-on-one win in the final two minutes by Wallace, while the Timberwolves created multiple scoring opportunities despite their poor shooting percentage. With a three-pointer from Kassel, the Wolves opened up a slight gap at 19:26 in the first quarter.

***

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"Chaunse, you're completely out of shape today." Tang Shuai criticized Billups by name.

Billups kept his head shut and didn't speak, and he was secretly angry with himself. When he was not welcomed by the Timberwolves, he was quiet on the outside and inside, but he actually minded it very much in his heart. He's eager to beat the Timberwolves and prove his strength. He did that last season, but against a fourth-rate player like Hudson, there was no sense of accomplishment at all. Now that the Wolves have replaced the star point guard Kassel, and the results are getting better and better, Chauncey's old scars in his heart seem to have been uncovered again, and he feels a faint pain.

"You take a break, second quarter Parker."

"Yes, Coach." Chauncey replied weakly.

And in the home team's dressing room, the wolves are in high spirits.

"We've been silent for a few seasons and it's time for the harvest. Sinking the Houston Rockets, we are only three and a half games away from the top of the Western Conference, and we are aiming for the regular season championship! Coach Sanders yelled.

"We want a champion!" The roar of wolves resounded throughout the stadium.

***

Parker was also lost in the face of the old fritter Cassel's defense, the fast break couldn't push the speed, and the shooting had no touch.

Reed, who is the team's most accurate three-point shot, can't shoot today, and Wallace is not known for his shooting in the first place, let alone a basketball.

Yao Ming also found it difficult to receive the ball in the face of the opponent's forward defense, so he had to drag his huge body back and forth to consume physical energy.

Maddie faces perhaps the league's strongest one-man defender and one-man player, Garnett. At this time, Garnett stretched out his slender limbs, as if a huge octopus was spread out in front of him, blocking all possible breakthrough routes for Maddie.

The Timberwolves' offense wasn't very good either, with only Cassel scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in the quarter. But after the entire first half, the score was already 35:50.

The experienced Tang Shuai could only scratch his head in the face of the collective downturn of the starters. In the third quarter, he fought with all his strength and replaced it with Wang Zhizhi's Okukao Fort's twin tower combination.

The score was 65-84 at the end of the quarter, and the Rockets' offense went up, and the defense went down. On the contrary, the score difference is getting wider and wider.

"Let me play, coach, I'm adjusted." Billups, who was silent for half the game, finally spoke: "I will definitely not be hot-headed this time." ”

Anyway, it's almost garbage time, and instead of seriously fighting for the victory or defeat of this game, it is better to let the players adjust their state. Lao Tang has always adhered to the "people-oriented" basketball concept and will not refuse such a request from players. Billups came off the bench with Battle, Bosh, Turkoglou and Johnson.

The Wolves also retained Cassel and Garnett, two starters, and Cassel sneered at the Rockets' lineup.

"Kevin, it seems that we are making too much of a fuss, and the Rockets have already given up."

Billups was expressionless, stared at Kassel and said, "But I haven't given up yet." ”

"Oh? Then I'd like to take a look. Cassel looked contemptuous.

***

At the end of the game, Billups did not rush back to the locker room, but stepped forward to shake hands with his opponent.

"Rocket seniors, thanks to your advice. Wolves are strong this year and hopefully we can meet again in the playoffs. Chauncy said respectfully.

Cassel also smiled, "You're very good, the Timberwolves let you go before and you were a loss to the team, come on." ”

Chauncey scored just four points on 2-of-8 shooting, but he dished out five assists in the final quarter. Bosh scored 10 points in the quarter on 4-of-6 shooting.

Contrary to the imagination of the vast majority of fans, the 94:100 Rockets lost, but it was not too ugly.