At halftime, the Bobcats trailed by nine points, 47-56.

Rondo has bought himself a lot of playing time with his defense. The Bobcats managed to limit the Timberwolves from the outside. However, the Bobcats' offense could not be opened, and the Timberwolves left only Garnett in the frontcourt to grab rebounds, and the others immediately retreated to defend after shooting, limiting the Bobcats' fast break.

Hayes had 11 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in the half. The stats are good, but it's a very hard fight.

In the locker room, Hayes sat in a chair and took a few gulps of Gatorade without saying a word. He scored just two points in the entire second quarter. The Timberwolves players barely let him catch the ball, and in this case, his teammates couldn't attack and the Bobcats couldn't recover the score.

At this time, D'Antoni said to Hayes: "Chuck, I figured out how to crack the Timberwolves' defense and packing. However, we have hardly used this tactic, and it may be a little rusty. ”

"If you have a way, use it. We can't take the Timberwolves with our run-and-shoot and Hawks' offense, and if we don't change our tactics, we will lose today. I don't want to lose! As long as I get a chance to play alone, no matter who defends, I can get the ball in the hoop! Hayes smiled wryly.

D'Antoni called the players together, picked up the tactical board and said: "In the second half, Jose (Calderón) and Corunna (Azubuc) come on, you two must share the pressure for Chuck, and it is up to you whether the tactics will work." Let's fight ...... like this."

The Bobcats are desperate, and the Timberwolves are much more relaxed, after all, they are the leading side. Iverson has also scored 20 points. The excellent play of him and Garnett is the guarantee of the Timberwolves' lead.

"Kevin, if the Bobcats had only had this extent, we would have won today. As long as Hayes is trapped, there is nothing they can do. Posey said excitedly that he was also relatively successful in defending Hayes on the outside today, and almost never allowed Hayes to get an open shot.

"That's right, the Bobcats players are too young, and as long as Hayes doesn't get the ball, they often can't take a few shots and then rush to make a shot. In this state of the Bobcats, it is difficult to reach the finals. Iverson laughed.

Only Garnett still didn't have a smile on his face. Because he knew very well that he had the help of his teammates to limit Hayes. Even so, Hayes scored 11 points at halftime. This season, Hayes and his teammates did not have enough tacit understanding, and there were no All-Star players around him, so he was suppressed by the Timberwolves, but what about next season? If he has a strong offensive point next to him that can contribute 20 points per game, such as a shooter like Ray Allen, it won't be so easy to deal with. Garnett had no doubt that Hayes was already on the same level as him, and even vaguely surpassed him.

At the start of the second half, both sides changed their starting line-ups.

The Timberwolves attacked first, and Iverson took the ball to the left and handed it to Garnett on the line of the box.

The Bobcats defended well against Iverson in the second quarter, and now the Timberwolves have changed their offensive focus and let Garnett rely on his height advantage to single Hayes. Hayes focused and pushed Garnett outside the three-second zone, and Garnett received the ball and turned to face Hayes with the basketball held high.

The two were so close that Hayes seemed to be able to slap the basketball with a slight stretch of his hand. Hayes stretched out his left hand to test it, and Garnett immediately moved, dribbling the ball down the middle and into the three-second zone. Hayes immediately moved to the middle and took on Garnett.

Hayes can't get Garnett close to the basket, or he won't be able to defend due to his height.

But it doesn't take the strength to stop Garnett. The 32-year-old wolf king is still flexible. Garnett took the ball with both hands, turned left and went to the basket, resisted Hayes with his shoulders, and forced a jump with both hands to protect the ball. Hayes didn't lose his position and jumped up for the block. But instead of shooting from the front, Garnett dropped in the air, bypassed Hayes and hit a backhand layup. 47 to 58. The Timberwolves once again led by more than 10 points.

The Bobcats' offensive tactics have also changed. In the first round, they made the Timberwolves' defense tight.

Calderon dribbled beyond the left three-point line under Iverson's tight defense, Azubuuk ran to the left corner, and Hayes still asked for the ball at a 45-degree angle on the line.

Iverson switched to defend Azubuk to the bottom corner, and McCantz switched to Calderon on the weak side.

Calderon dribbled the ball and passed it to Hayes in the low post with interference. Stand in the position where the outside shot is most accurate and wait. Hayes singled Garnett with his back, and McCantz put Calderon forward to wrap Hayes. Hayes immediately passed the ball out of the line and to Calderon.

Calderón got an open shot. Calderon didn't get a lot of playing time in today's game, because he was the worst at defending Iverson, and he had not scored too much on 0-of-4 shooting before.

Oh God. Let me get into one. Before making a move, Calderón prayed in his heart. This time, he finally hit the shot in the open space. 50 to 58.

Calderon shoots well, but when he comes on, the Bobcats defense has obvious holes. Iverson picked up Garnett's cover and quickly passed the ball back to Garnett, who hit an easy high jumper. 50 to 60.

The Bobcats landed again, still using the same tactics as before, with Azubuike running to the baseline and Calderon passing the ball to Hayes on the weak side. The Timberwolves' 122 defense is in trouble. Iverson still has to defend Azubuike, otherwise Azubuike will get an open shot, but does McCantz still have to cover Hayes? If he goes to the trap, Hayes only needs to pass the ball out of the line, and Calderon can also get an open three-point opportunity. McCantz hesitated.

Calderon and Azubuke were the Bobcats' most accurate players on the perimeter, successfully pinning down the Timberwolves' defense.

Seeing that the opponent's weak-side player did not come up to wrap the bag, Hayes immediately dribbled with his back to Garnett. The right foot was the axis first to the left, then turned to the baseline and took a step, and took the ball with his left hand to make a low-handed layup, Garnett ate this feint, although he did not jump, but also lost his position. Hayes turned back, took the ball with his right hand and threw it back. Garnett can't get the cap. 52 to 60.

Finally able to play singles, why didn't we think about playing like this earlier? Wouldn't it be invincible if you went back and practiced this tactic well?! Hayes thought to himself.

Hayes was happy, but Garnett was in turmoil, and in this case, he had to defend Hayes on his own.

The Timberwolves still have a high-post blocking and dismantling tactic, Garnett once again shot in the high post, this time Wallace made up for the interference in time, Garnett missed, Hayes grabbed the backcourt rebound, and the Timberwolves retreated across the board.

The Bobcats played the same tactic again, with Azubuuk in the bottom corner on the side of Hayes, and Calderon lobbing the ball high on the weak side to Hayes, who was asking for the ball inside. The Timberwolves didn't dare to get caught up easily, Hayes received the ball and hit Garnett with his back to squeeze into the three-second zone, turned to the middle, squeezed Garnett with his strong body, made him unable to jump, and hit a basket with a low hand. 54 to 60.

Iverson dribbled the ball to the left and quickly handed it to Garnett. Garnett still received the ball on the line of the box and turned to face Hayes. Garnett knew it would be difficult to play with his back against Shanghai yes, so he opted for a face-frame attack. Dangling left and right twice, Garnett walked towards the baseline with the ball, and then suddenly turned around in the middle.

Hayes clings to Garnett, who is fully focused and ready to jump to the block. The height disadvantage means he has to jump and block, otherwise Garnett won't even be able to interfere with his jumper. Garnett took a step to the right with his left foot as the axis, his hands raised, and Hayes unconsciously made a small jump, and in the air he realized that he was being shaken. Garnett retracted his right foot, stepped forward and jumped, and scored an easy basketball. 54 to 62.

The weak-side players were pinned, and the Timberwolves still didn't plan to give Hayes a chance to play alone. Hayes was just getting down the middle for the third time when McDyes' stepped forward to make a tackle.

Hayes observed the situation with his eyes, smiled slightly, and chose to retreat with the ball, attracting the defense of Garnett and McDyes, and throwing the ball high into the air with one hand.

Wallace relied on Bidlings' off-ball cover to cut in from the baseline, jumped high to receive Hayes's pass, and scored with both hands to dunk the ball! 56 to 62.

The Bobcats played offense in the second half, and Timberwolves head coach Whitman hastened to call a timeout.

"Beautiful!" Hayes and Wallace bang their chests in celebration. They've found a way to break the Timberwolves' inside wrap.

During the pause, two ESPN commentators commented on the game. Joan Barry laughed: "At the beginning of the third quarter, Hayes had two singles chances. I'm sure viewers are wondering why the Timberwolves gave up the bag on Hayes in the third quarter. The Timberwolves were successful in defending Hayes in the first half and were the main reason for their lead. ”

Johnson laughed: "That's the beauty of tactics. The Bobcats' current tactics are a triangle offense. Azubuke and Calderon are two players who have good open three-point ability. Azubuke is in the bottom corner, Calderon is on the weak side, and the two are in a triangle with Hayes who wants the ball in the low post. This makes the Timberwolves' weak-side players dare not easily wrap up. Just now McDyce wrapped up Hayes and let go of Biedrins, and the Bobcats also had a way to crack it, but Biedlins didn't attack himself and made an off-ball cover for the players on the other side. Hayes drops back and hands the ball to the other side and can also pass into the open space. Hayes had only three assists in the first half and two assists to score four points in the third quarter, which is the power of the triangle offense. Garnett's one-on-one defense against Hayes also struggled. He's good at helping to defend and defend tall players, not Hayes' type. ”

The Bobcats had been running through pick-and-rolls and covers, and in this game Hayes was constantly packed, and D'Antoni and Van Gundy thought through all the tactics off the court, and finally forced a triangle attack, which did not expect to work. Could it be that the triangle attack is the most suitable tactic for the Bobcats?

What makes the triangle offensive unique is that, unlike most NBA fixed moves, it is a tactic that makes different adjustments by observing the opponent's defensive changes. The low-post triangle offense allows great players to move around the court in a systematic form. As the defender is pinned down by the constant movement of the offensive player, the most skilled player on the offensive side can get a single opportunity in the opposition as time and space go by. The triangle low post offense can maximize the use of excellent low post players, especially low post players with some passing ability. Hayes is just such a person.

The Bobcats were still behind in the scoreline, but D'Antoni and Van Gundy were happy, and the triangle seemed to be able to get the most out of Hayes in positional battles. This discovery is more crucial than winning a regular season game!

(To be continued)