Early the next morning after the game with the Pelicans, Yiyang arrived at the U.S. Route Center arena in his "road tank". The Mavericks players meet at the arena before heading to the airport together and finally flying to Minnesota on a private jet from the Cuban.

Prior to this season, Yiyang had been the first to come every day for seven and a half years in a row. But this record was broken this season. When Yiyang pushed open the locker room door, Kuzma was already helping to clean up the bench in the locker room.

"Kuz, why are you here so early? What time did you practice yesterday? ”

"I'll go back after you've been gone for a while, hehe."

"What time is that?"

"Eleven o'clock."

Yiyang couldn't cry or laugh, he left at ten o'clock in the evening. After he left, Kuzma actually practiced for an hour! After a tired night, Kuzma was able to come so early today. Now Yiyang finally knows why Kidd was so surprised by his efforts back then. Because the current Yiyang is also surprised by what Kuzma has done.

"Keep pushing yourself, focus on what matters most and focus your life on the gym...... I've been like that for my whole career, and I'm going to do it too. ”

This is a sentence that Kuzma once said in an interview with Mougin, and Yiyang didn't pay much attention to it at the time. But now it seems that Kuzma is really acting towards that goal.

Is a training freak like yourself? It's funny. This summer league MVP is really not covered.

"Would you like to try your training tonight?"

"Absolutely! But ......"

"Well, today you're not against Tai. Gibson is the opposite Andrew. Wiggins. These two guys are not easy to mess with. If you're unlucky, the boss might even let you play against Downs. But that's okay, you still have a chance to show yourself, would you like to hear from me? ”

"Of course!" Kuzma excitedly came to Yiyang's side, and whatever Yiyang proposed to him, Kuzma would do!

After all, sitting next to him is the greatest star in the world!

"Don't force yourself to shoot some difficult shots, I think every shot I make is safe. If you force a shot, then with your current ability, you will play very hard. ”

Yiyang's words are simple, and this is what almost every coach would say to his players. But when this sentence came out of Yiyang's mouth, Kuzma thought about it very seriously.

Yiyang is well aware that whether it is against Wiggins or Gibson today, Kuzma will not get too many open opportunities. But the more this happens, the more Kuzma needs to be patient. As one of the best defenders in the league, Yiyang is well aware. If you can make your offensive players impatient, your defense will do more with less.

"Well, I'll do my job!" Kuzma nodded vigorously, then picked up Yiyang's luggage and carried it to the team bus. After all, taking the luggage for the big brothers in the team is also part of Kuzma's job......

※※※

At 8 p.m., the Target Center is bustling with activity, and the temperature in Minnesota is already very low in November. But around the target center, you can only feel the endless frenzy!

Jimmy. Butler, Andrew. Wiggins, Carl Anthony. Towns, this summer, the Timberwolves finally have their own Big Three. For a team that has missed the playoffs for 14 years, such a lineup is undoubtedly a great joy for fans. The Timberwolves can finally get rid of the label of fish belly!

It turns out that Jimmy, who is hungry for victory. Butler's arrival has really injected a whole new strength into the Timberwolves and brought a winning culture. The new season started with 5 wins and 3 losses, which is a dream for the Timberwolves.

The Mavericks' 10-0 start is just an exception, and you can't expect all teams to be as exaggerated as they are. The Timberwolves' 5-3 start is already very good.

And in the last three games, the Timberwolves have just won a wave of three consecutive wins. This is a sign that this team has also started to get on the right track, and they will become one of the forces to be reckoned with in the West. From being the first in the West that year to now having a chance to enter the playoffs, it took the Timberwolves a full 14 years, and it should be time to see results.

There is no doubt that the team, which has finally transitioned from the Huskies to the Timberwolves, is considered a hope to break the Mavericks' undefeated streak. You know, the Timberwolves' lineup on paper is extremely strong. In addition to the "Big Three", there is also Jeff. Teague, Tate. Gibson and Jamal. Crawford and other powerful players are in charge. Plus Tom. With Thibodeau's coaching, the Timberwolves definitely have the potential to make a big difference this season.

On paper, the Timberwolves don't lose to any team. But basketball is not a simple game on paper. Although it was back-to-back, the Mavericks didn't want their winning streak to end there.

Maybe you don't know the Timberwolves yet, but winning is also addictive!

In the warm-up before the start of today's game, Kuzma's shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line pleased Yiyang. Although the actual game and the warm-up conditions are completely different, you will be strongly disturbed during the game. But at least today, Kuzma's feel is no problem. Last night's serious training gave Kuzma an immediate effect.

Three-point shooting is like that, even Curry has a time when he has ice on his hands. But as long as you practice a lot, the frequency of hand heat is definitely much higher than the frequency of hand ice!

Kuzma, though not as fortunate as Mitchell, secured his starting position early. But this guy is still working hard, waiting for an opportunity that belongs to him. Yiyang believes that when the opportunity comes, Kuzma will definitely be able to seize it!

Opportunity is reserved for those who are prepared, and this may sound very cheesy, but it is true!

After the start of the game, the referee signaled that the starting teams of both sides were ready in their designated positions. Today, Nowitzki is back in the starting line-up. The reason is simple, Carlisle is afraid that Guy will not be able to handle Gibson.

Gibson has been a wonder soldier under Thibodeau since his time with the Bulls. This guy probably doesn't have the box-defining power of Embiid, the playmaking of Green, and the three-point shooting that he doesn't have particularly accurate. But Gibson is strange, he knows a little bit of everything!

Attacking in the low post? I can hit it. Pull to shoot beyond the three-point line? There is a threat. Defending and grabbing rebounds? His enthusiasm is also more than enough to cope. As a supporting role player, Gibson's panacea is exactly what makes him survive in the league.

Although Guy is active defensively, in the face of an interior player like Gibson, it is better to need a serious interior player to contain.

The referee blew the whistle, and the Mavericks fought for the first offense. However, at the beginning of the game, it was not Butler, Downs, or Yiyang who lit the target center, but Thai. Gibson!

Hayward received a pass from Yiyang and went into the box to make a strong layup. Butler's death delayed his death, and Hayward's speed suffered. Taking advantage of this delay, Gibson strode and jumped sharply to block Hayward's layup!

Teague picked up the basketball with quick eyes, then immediately launched a counterattack. He sent the ball to Wiggins with precision with a long pass, and Wiggins sprinted quickly to dunk the basketball before the Mavericks could get back into the game.

"Monster Dunk! The Timberwolves were very imposing, grabbing two points as soon as they started! The commentators all applauded the Timberwolves' positive applause, breaking the Mavericks' undefeated golden body, the Huskies...... No, the Timberwolves might be able to do it!

Hayward was a little careless, he didn't expect Gibson, who was only 2.06 meters tall, to have such a strong air defense capability. Gibson's athleticism has always been underrated, he just doesn't play on athleticism, but that doesn't mean Gibson isn't athletic. Just like Hayward, isn't his athleticism also underrated because of the color of his skin?

Thibodeau's iron-clad defense for the Timberwolves is not so easy to crack.

The Mavericks attacked for the second time, Yiyang took the cover and broke through Teague, and Downs switched to Yiyang.

This guy Downs is not like other big men, although he is a center, he is not dull. Yiyang wants to fight him alone, but it's not easy.

But in fact, Yiyang didn't plan to play alone with Downs at all, he threw the ball into the air at will after he got the ball, and Gobert, who got rid of Downs' shackles, easily caught the basketball with both hands and ate a pie angrily.

Once an interior player like Gobert meets a defender like Yiyang who can pass the ball, it is very simple to score. Look at Capela, the "pie king" of the Rockets, playing under Paul and Harden, doesn't Capela also play well?

2-2, the two sides returned to the same running line. On the next offense, Towns hit a jumper on Gobert's head. Just when everyone thought that the Mavericks were about to overtake the score, the positive Gibson pressed Dirk and snatched the offensive rebound!

Dirk, who is nearly 40 years old, is really bullied now. This guy's bounce of tens of centimeters has no way to effectively protect the rebounding ball.

After Gibson grabbed the rebound, he immediately jumped under the basket and put the ball in. The Mavericks have dropped two points in a row, and it was caused by Gibson's role player!

A few rounds later, the Mavericks relied on Yiyang's three-pointer to level the score again. This game was more anxious than Carlisle imagined, not because of the performance of the "Big Three" of the Timberwolves, but because Gibson used his enthusiasm to destroy the Mavericks' good opportunities again and again. Defending him was far more difficult than Carlisle had anticipated.

In the fifth minute of the first quarter, Jeff. Teague borrowed Gibson's cover to break through. Yiyang quickly bypassed the pick-and-roll, and Gibson pulled back into the bottom corner. This ball Yiyang was not blocked, and there was no delay in transposition. It stands to reason that Gibson shouldn't have a chance.

But this guy was stunned to rely on his faster pace to quickly get into position, and before Dirk could get back up, he received Teague's breakthrough ball and fired a long shot from the bottom corner, and the basketball went through the net, and the Timberwolves regained a 3-point lead!

"Pause, pause!" Carlisle called a halt, although the difference was not by three points. But it's not normal to be suppressed by the Timberwolves after five minutes of play.

Gibson, if the Mavericks fall into passivity because of just one Gibson, that's too bad! But the fact now is that the Mavericks' roster really doesn't have a very good way to take Gibson.

Dirk must not be able to defend himself, look at the panting appearance of old Dirk, the tracks of the "German tank" have rusted, and he cannot defend as aggressively as before. What about changing Guy? If Guy is replaced, Gibson will definitely hit the inside! Gobert dares to make up for the defense, and Downs has a chance! Therefore, without Gobert's protection, it would be tantamount to suicide to let Guy defend a pure power forward with abundant offensive means.

"Kyle! Come here, I need you to play, go play in the number four position! Eventually, Carlisle called Kuzma. Yiyang smiled slightly, no, the opportunity has come!