Chapter 363: Successfully Defending the Title: We Are the Champions
(Recently, there is a book shortage of book friends, so the fisherman recommends two books, one is the super all-round king of the fat man, I have recommended it before, the protagonist of this book is a big book, and the beginning of this book is a big book, which leads to some lack of feeling, but this is indeed a good book, the content is very humorous and funny, if the friends of the book shortage can pick it up, it will not disappoint you)
(The second book is Magic Coach, the author Stone is a very good person, this book is not on the shelves, there are already 800,000 words, it can be slaughtered, this is a very good coaching book, everyone must not miss if you feel very hungry for basketball coaching books)
"Larry, do you think the 76ers have a chance to beat the Timberwolves in this game"
On June 13, 2001, at the Center Arena of the United Bank, Michaels on the ABC commentary bench looked at the guest Larry Bird next to him with a worried look and asked, everyone thought that the Timberwolves would win the game easily, but there was a small accident, the Timberwolves actually fell behind by 8 points after the end of the first quarter, and it looked like they had been beaten by the 76ers and had not woken up. Even in the last game, Garnett thought that foul trouble failed to contribute too much, and the Timberwolves were able to bite the 76ers all the time, and finally completely overtook them, but today it was a bit surprising. ABC can be said to be ready today to even promote the Timberwolves winning the championship, and if the Timberwolves really have an accident, ABC may be busy in vain. And Michaels also believes that many people are as prepared as ABC for the Timberwolves to win this game, and if the Timberwolves really lose this game, it is estimated that many people will be slapped in the face.
"It was just an accident. The Timberwolves look a little excited now, and now it seems that even if they have won the championship, they can't keep their hearts at this time, but the 76ers, who have lost 3 games in a row, are relatively stable, but I believe that the first quarter of this game is definitely not the epitome of this game, and the Timberwolves will catch up" Larry Bird thought for a while after hearing Michaels' question and said, the all-time No. 1 small forward did not forget to glance at the Timberwolves bench after finishing speaking, Now the Chinese is really serious about laying out tactics against the Timberwolves players. For this Chinese Bird is to have confidence, last season when the Timberwolves encountered his Pacers, there was also a brief situation where the team fell behind due to overexcitement of the players, but in the end the Timberwolves also chased it all back. Even if it is mature, after all, this is a young team, and at this time, Bird feels that the Timberwolves are not a god-like team, and they also have a human side.
Michaels, on the other hand, was slightly relieved by Bird's determined gaze. With the addition of that Z coach's ability to deal with such a thing, there should be no problem.
Zhuang Fei is a little dissatisfied with the team's performance in the first quarter of this game, that's for sure, any coach will be dissatisfied with such a performance, the Timberwolves players played too simple and rough in the first quarter, and the speed was too fast, since Nash upgraded in controlling the rhythm, the Timberwolves haven't played so fast for a long time, the first quarter of this game is getting faster and faster, Nash can't slow down, Although this is also the inherent bombardment system of the Timberwolves, it is clear that the Timberwolves in this game are not the Timberwolves of the regular season at all, which makes these Timberwolves players lose their previous rhythm. This is also the reason why the Timberwolves fell behind at the beginning of this game, the players are too impatient and want the championship too much, and even Nash, who has always been steady, now looks flushed, which is very abnormal compared to the past. It looks like the Timberwolves' point guard is probably already thinking about his own Finals MVP trophy, so even if Zhuang Fei called two timeouts in the first quarter to calm the players down, it would be a bit futile. …,
Zhuang Fei actually doesn't blame the players for having such emotions, looking at a beautiful woman lying in front of you, if your heart is not surging, then you are really not a man, even if the royal maid is estimated to be impulsive, but what makes Zhuang Fei a little angry is that Zhuang Fei obviously told the beautiful woman lying there that she has syphilis, and these people are still ready to carry a gun on the horse, then it is a little too much to say.
This match is likely to be this year's 'Championship Game' and it will be the one that will determine the champions. So this game can be said to be the focus of the United States, according to NBA officials and ABC estimates that the ratings of this game are likely to reach more than 18%, and it is very likely to set a record for the NBA Finals, and in addition to being the case in the United States, it is also the same around the world.
Since Zhuang Fei led the Dream Four team to sweep the world last summer, the NBA has once again entered the front of people all over the world, Dream One has brought the NBA to the world, and Dream Four has made the NBA widely popular in the world, and this year's NBA Finals is the largest number of live broadcast countries in NBA history.
When Zhuang Fei looked at the Timberwolves players around him with a cold face, Zhuang Fei's cold face was transmitted to the world through the TV lens, and at this time, all basketball fans around the world saw that the Timberwolves players who were extremely proud in the past were a little silent under Zhuang Fei's majesty, which also made many people who didn't know much about Zhuang Fei see the other side of Zhuang Fei.
"I need you to calm down now, no game in the NBA can be won casually, not to mention that you are still playing in the Finals" Zhuang Fei looked at these Timberwolves players with their heads down and said coldly, seeing Zhuang Fei like these Timberwolves players was also a little ashamed, and their heads hung lower, obviously because they didn't listen to what Zhuang Fei said to them, which led to such a passive start.
"Steve, your performance today makes it impossible to see that you are a master point guard, your passing is too freehand, but it is obvious that this freehand is suspicious of showmanship, do you want the world to know that the Canadian of the Timberwolves is a person who likes to interact with fans in games" Zhuang Fei glared at Nash after speaking, and the other Timberwolves players also laughed after hearing Zhuang Fei's ridicule of Nash.
The reason why the Timberwolves lost their rhythm in this game was because of Nash, and the always steady Timberwolves brain completely lost its previous calm in this game. Zhuang Fei said that Nash's freehand passing and interaction with the fans is because of this game, Nash keeps passing those amazing aerial relays, but it is obvious that under the basket guarded by Mutombo, many times these freehand passes are thrown to the fans.
Seeing that Nash Zhuang Fei, who was a little suffocated by what he said, blushed and didn't dare to explain, he sighed, under the temptation and attraction of the finals MVP, even Nash was like this, which really surprised Zhuang Fei, and when he saw the expressions of other Timberwolves players who wanted to laugh but didn't dare to laugh, Zhuang Fei was also relieved.
"Well, our goal in this game is to end the fight, so the first quarter is a lesson. You need to forget about him, start over and make this the first game of the season. How are we going to fight or how to fight, get it?"
"Got it!"
Zhuang Fei glanced at all the Timberwolves players who had raised their heads and chests at this time and nodded, this is what he wants.
It's just that what happened on the Timberwolves bench made many 'follow-up' fans who rarely watched the Timberwolves games a little interesting. In professional sports, it is rare for such a scene to occur, and these 'masters' in the professional arena will be trained by their coaches to stand straighter than the soldiers at the end, and these people will almost salute their coaches at the end.
"No wonder the Timberwolves have such terrifying execution"...,
Larry Bird, who saw this scene on the commentary seat, couldn't help but sigh when he saw the Timberwolves players walking to the court murderously after Zhuang Fei's words, in fact, he himself is also a very controlling coach, and the execution of the Pacers is also very high under his tutelage, but compared with the Timberwolves at this time, it is not a level at all, these people have been completely tamed by Zhuang Fei without a trace of temper, If Zhuang Fei lets these people play, deliberately throws the basketball to his own basket, it is estimated that these Timberwolves players will do the same.
Larry Bird is not a professional coach, he is a halfway monk, and in his opinion, the most important thing as a head coach is not the so-called theoretical knowledge. It's about being able to control the team, unleash your influence in the team, and then make the players listen to you, and finally completely control the players, that's execution. The stronger the execution, the more effective the team, and in this regard, all teams in the NBA are not as good as the Timberwolves.
"It seems that the Timberwolves are going to fight back" Larry Bird was still in his own thoughts, and Michaels, who was next to him, watched the restarted game on the court and shouted, because after the game restarted, the Timberwolves' bench lineup under the leadership of Ginobili soon began to chase points, at this time, all five main players of the Timberwolves were sitting honestly off the court, and the 76ers were Iverson with a group of substitutes playing, and Iverson was obviously not ready to play again in this game.
For the proud 76ers star, letting his opponents lift the championship trophy on their own turf is definitely not something he can accept. And the opponent has his own big enemy Nash, Nash's performance in this game is not good, although he sent 5 assists in the first quarter, he also had 5 turnovers, and he himself scored 15 points in a single quarter, it can be said that this game is the first time he occupies the so-called 'initiative', and this game is also the only game where he can achieve his 'complete' Nash promise.
But it is clear that there is still no panic in the face of the 76ers Timberwolves' second lineup, Ginobili, Wang Zhizhi, Reed, Bowen, Crawford, these five people look better than those in the first quarter, the reason why the Timberwolves have been considered by many people to be sad to pass the Lakers this year is because the Timberwolves' second team has some flaws, lacks stability, and does not have the absolute dominance of Mobley last season, but it is such a somewhat ' The Timberwolves' second lineup of the Nervous Knife really played a nervous knife performance with the 76ers, and the Timberwolves' second lineup of scoring guard Jamal Crawford and the 76ers' leading player Iverson actually soared in the game.
Crawford's performance this season is a bit sorry for his pick, although the guard was also selected to the rookie first team because of the Timberwolves' outstanding record, but the performance of this guard has been very criticized, there is some taste of high and low, and in the second half of the season, the guard was even suppressed by the former 'zero' Mr. Reid, and he is famous for his 'quasi-game'. Iron Yi' to the back is also only seen iron is not accurate, and even some experts have called on Zhuang Fei to give up Crawford directly, obviously those experts think that Zhuang Fei is for his own face and let Crawford stay on the court to be one of the main attackers of the second team of the Timberwolves, and even the NBA official is to save Zhuang Fei's face and let this No. 4 show be selected into the first team with an average of 7 points per game.
"Still decisive offense" Iverson looked at Crawford in front of him in surprise, he was directly opposite Crawford in the second lineup, both are now scored, Ginobili and Snow are the point guards of both teams. When he saw Crawford make three points in front of him without the slightest hesitation, the most decisive defender in the league at the moment was also shocked, and it was obvious that Iverson saw his shadow in this guard. …,
Iverson is an extremely egotistical player, and that's easy to see from the look in his eyes. And Crawford is exactly the same now, Crawford's disregard for Iverson naturally makes the 76ers leader very unhappy, so this game has become a performance of the two in the second line.
Originally, the 76ers bench lineup led by Iverson himself and Snow was not bad. Zhuang Fei never thought that the substitute in this game could catch up with the score in the second quarter, he was just a normal rotation, as long as the Timberwolves, the second-team players, did not lose, as long as they made a smooth transition for a period of time and then waited for the main force to play after calming, the Timberwolves would start chasing points.
But it is obvious that such a development on the court is a little unexpected for Zhuang Fei, the feeling of the nerve knife in this game is finally back, this guard has been iron for three games in the first three games, plus a few games with the Lakers, this guard has never been accurate since entering the Western Conference Finals, not only Zhuang Fei was surprised, but the fans and 76ers head coach Brown were also extremely surprised. These people really didn't expect that a casual young backup guard on the Timberwolves could be inseparable from Iverson.
"It's another three, this guy is endless" Iverson immediately launched an attack after a successful breakthrough just now, and he retreated quickly, but when he replied that his half just came to the top of the arc to stand within the three-point line, Crawford, who was still one step away from him, was ready to shoot outside the three-point line again. Now this guard feels very hot, which Iverson knows very well, so although the 76ers can also score, most of them are two points, and this guy has been scoring three points, which also makes the Timberwolves' score closer and closer, thinking of this, the leader of the 76ers is also anxious. Then, before he could stand firm, he flew up and pounced on Crawford, who was already ready to shoot.
Iverson is really trying to block the hot Timberwolves nerve knife, although Crawford's height does not look very high, but it is obviously a lot stronger than Iverson, but this time Iverson jumped really high, it seems that he can reach the ball, when Iverson flew in the air and saw Crawford in the face of his own flying still with a firm look It seems that there is no self in the eyes of this Timberwolves guard, this Timberwolves guard's eyes make Iverson's heart also suddenly, Iverson didn't touch the ball but touched Crawford's hand, which also made Iverson scream in his heart. And when he landed and looked back at his own basket, the ball that Crawford threw fell into his pocket.
At the same time, the referee's whistle blew, the three-pointer was effective and a free throw, and Iverson fouled the player. It's a four.
Everyone at the scene, including 76ers fans, 76ers head coach and Zhuang Fei and others, were silent.
Crawford hit a free throw and hit a four-pointer, and the Timberwolves actually used the second lineup to recover the score with only three minutes into the second quarter.
"What a cold shot, such a strong offense, this is a natural sixth man" Larry Bird, who was on the ABC commentary bench, couldn't help but sigh after seeing this scene. Michaels next to him was clearly much crazier than he was, and the defender was already shouting at this point.
"Playing four points, this is a four point in the Finals, this guard will let basketball fans all over the world know him because of this shot, his goal is completed on Iverson's head, it's so beautiful, the Timberwolves tied the score in one fell swoop" Michaels got up from his seat excitedly and shouted in the direction of the court, this goal was a goal from the Timberwolves to tie the score, all the efforts of the 76ers in the first quarter came to naught, which also made Michaels' heart sink that has been worried so far, When the Timberwolves catch up with the score, it will be difficult for the 76ers to pull away again. …,
Originally, Zhuang Fei was going to play five minutes in the second team and then rotate the main players, but it is obvious that this situation is not suitable now, in the second quarter of the rotation time, the Timberwolves' bench players played more than six minutes, until the end of Crawford and Iverson's madness Zhuang Fei replaced the team's main force.
"Will it really be swept" 76ers head coach Larry Brown sighed in his heart as he looked at the main players of the Timberwolves who returned to the court on the court, and at this time the famous coach was also a little out of taste in his heart.
At this time, the score on the court is also a draw, but although it is average, everyone knows who is in favor of the current situation, the Timberwolves have mastered the situation, and the 76ers have this game hanging.
In fact, as many people estimated, the Timberwolves did not let the 76ers turn back in this game, and at the end of the half, the Timberwolves, who were eight points behind in the first quarter, were ahead by 4 points, and after the second half, the 76ers were also a little depressed, although the 76ers boss Iverson was still fighting but it was still a little difficult to recover the defeat, and what was even more uncomfortable was that the Timberwolves players had now fully entered the game mode, without the extreme excitement of the first quarter of this game. In the face of such a Timberwolves, the 76ers are completely helpless, so at the end of the third quarter, the Timberwolves have led by more than 10 points, and when Shuangfei entered the fourth quarter with all, he only played six minutes and replaced all of them, and the Timberwolves directly raised the difference to 20 points in these six minutes, and the game completely entered garbage time. It's just that what made the 76ers fans at the scene a little distressed was that Iverson, the team's boss, didn't end the game even when it was garbage time.
"It seems that this defender is really reluctant to leave his first finals field" Zhuang Fei looked at Iverson on the court from the court and sighed in his heart, this is indeed a fighter, but at this time the figure of this fighter is a little lonely.
The final score of this game was 120-105, the Timberwolves won by 15 points on the road, and the most points in this game were still Iverson, the guard scored 51 points again in this game, and the Timberwolves were Crawford who scored the most, the nerve knife scored 22 points in this game, and Nash handed out 16 assists, Nash also became the first player in Finals history to average 22 assists per game, At the same time, he also swept the opponent in his second finals and won the team's second championship trophy, when the referee on the spot blew the whistle at the end of the game, Zhuang Fei had already rushed to the court with all the players on the bench, although this is not Zhuang Fei's first championship, but it is clear that Zhuang Fei's mood is no worse than last season, and he is still extremely excited.
And when the Timberwolves players and coaches were going crazy on the court, those bigwigs and 76ers fans on the sidelines were also giving their own applause for the game.
"Congratulations to Coach Z for winning his second championship in his third year in the NBA, and congratulations to him for successfully defending his title," Larry Bird, who was on the commentary seat, looked at Zhuang Fei, who was a little crazy on the court, and said enviously, although this legendary player has no shortage of championships in his playing career, but his coaching career is a little difficult. That Chinese is just too strong. It's hard enough to win a title in the NBA, and it's even harder to defend it. But the Chinese was stunned that he successfully defended his title in his third year, which is almost a miracle.
When Zhuang Fei lifted the O'Brien Cup again from the hands of NBA President David Stern, Zhuang Fei couldn't help but shed tears, even when he won the championship last season, Zhuang Fei never lost control of his emotions like this, and other Timberwolves players are similar to Zhuang Fei.
Unlike last year, this year's 76ers and the outside of the 76ers U.S. Bank arena were all occupied by Timberwolves players.
Philadelphia is now occupied by the Timberwolves.
Maybe the whole of America belongs to the Timberwolves this night. (Your support is my biggest motivation.) )