Yao Ming is difficult to guard, which Whitman had expected before the game. But what he didn't expect was that Pekovic, who was 2.11 meters tall and weighed more than 240 pounds, would be teased by Yao Ming between applause!

Maybe it's the first time Pekovic has encountered such a perverted opponent, with a difficult step-back jumper, a guard-like flexible turn, solid footsteps under the basket, and a small hook that he can't interfere with even if he struggles to jump! In just four minutes, Pekovic received his second foul of the game of the day and was forced off the court.

"It's okay, it's okay. Everyone is miserable about defending Yao Ming, and you've done a good job. Whitman patted Pekovic on the shoulder and comforted the disciple with a somewhat depressed expression.

The Timberwolves replaced Yao Ming's old rival - Chris Anderson.

In any case, Anderson played against Yao Ming in 7 games last year, and compared to Pekovic, he has a lot of experience and experience in Yao Ming's defense, although he can't completely lock Yao Ming, but it gives him different pressure.

At the same time, Zheng Ke began to increase his individual singles.

"Pull away!" Billups waved his hand and motioned for Afflaro to slip away from the baseline and open up space for Zheng. Ariza hesitated, but followed Afraro out of the corner.

Zheng Ke took a deep breath, his back muscles tensed, and he leaned towards Battier like a mountain.

"It's coming!" Battier held his breath, his pupils dilated, and all his strength was taken out.

"Bang!"

The sound of the two muscles collided together, and Battier secretly pushed forward and used the strength to feed. barely resisted Zheng Ke's back. But he still snorted, felt a tingling in his arm, and lost consciousness.

Zheng Ke turned his back. The left foot is the axis, the right foot draws a circle, and the harrier leans back like a turnover.

"Bang!"

He shot a little harder, and the basketball smashed into the neck of the basket and bounced high.

"Mine!"

A few giants were wrestling under the basket, and Anderson roared, his thick, tattooed arm outstretched. With his birdman's terrifying bounce, he was the first to touch the rebound in front of a group of floor streamers.

The basketball point is outward. Billups was quick to get his hands on it, crashed through Brooks' small body, and took control of the basketball.

Because of the rebounding, the Rockets' formation has been messed up. Zheng Ke, who had already returned to defense, ran back to the half. From beyond the three-point line, he received a ball from Billups, at which point Battier reacted and pounced on Zheng from the box.

Zheng Ke took the basketball and pointed it on the tip of his right foot, and at the same time grabbed the basketball with both hands and shot it into the air. and slew it diagonally.

At this point, Battier couldn't control his body at all, and he wanted to reach for Zhengke's jersey. only to find that Zheng Ke's speed was a few points faster than he expected, and he only caught a piece of air.

Straight in!

The inside line huddled together, and Scola watched in horror as Zheng Ke came in.

"Defense!" Battier turned his head and yelled, and Ariza heard the sound and cut at Zheng Ke like a rattlesnake.

"Chance!" Zheng Ke's eyes lit up.

He crosses the ball in front of his body and turns his right hand into his left hand. Then he grabbed the basketball with his left hand, looked to the left, grabbed the ball with his left hand and went around his back, a coquettish back without looking at people passing!

The orange basketball turned into a ray of light, and it accurately found Aflalo, who was ambushed on the outside.

There was no need to adjust, and he went straight to the jumper and shot.

"Huh!"

This time, the basketball obediently fell into the hoop.

"Rebounds, rebounds! What are you doing? Louis, Yao! Protect the backcourt rebounds, don't let them erase them easily, card position! Annoyed by losing a frontcourt rebound and being shot on a three-pointer, Adelman yelled loudly from the sidelines to remind the Rockets players of their protection of backcourt rebounds.

"Oh ho, the top 10 balls!" Seeing Zheng Ke make such a wonderful pass, the two TNT commentators were excited. Barkley laughed: "Zheng Ke's big picture is getting stronger, his passing has developed a unique style, and he has become very skilled at breaking through like this, and he can accurately find open teammates on the perimeter. ”

This is a very scary skill, and with such a breakthrough point, or a bag point, Zheng Ke's average assists per game this season has skyrocketed.

Afflaro stepped back, and Zheng smiled and high-fived him in celebration.

Where is the strongest place for the Timberwolves? Some say their defense is fierce, some say their fast attack is sharp, but in Yao Ming's eyes, the strongest thing about the Timberwolves is that tenacious willpower. In the Western Conference Finals last season, no matter how many points the Rockets led and no matter how passive the Timberwolves were on the court, they were always able to hold on to the end. And often, in the final white-knuckle battle, the rocket will be defeated, that is, as the saying goes, the chain will be dropped at a critical moment.

To that end, they will send away the Western Conference championship in hand, and more likely the championship.

This year, the rocket went downhill, and Yao Ming felt a little tired. Not from physical fitness, but from the mind, he feels that the Rockets that have supported him for 7 years may gradually decline as he gets older.

"Your team needs a consistent scorer from the outside, or a battery."

Watching Brooks miss another outside shot, Yao Ming suddenly remembered what Zheng Ke had said to him in the summer, and it seemed that it was necessary for the team to seek a new trade.

"The main focus of the Timberwolves has always been Zheng Ke, and Zheng Ke has been particularly active in recent times." On the court, Zheng Ke once again threw in a mid-range shot, Smith said.

As Smith said, Zheng was particularly active in the middle of the first quarter, and if the Rockets didn't wrap the box, or if the pack was a little slower, Zheng would be determined to attack the basket individually. His huge step-back jumper, unpredictable pull-up jumper, and bulldozer-like layup caused a lot of trouble for the Rockets.

"Bang!" "Huh!"

Zheng Ke was put down by the unbearable good old man Scola. Before losing his balance, he relied on the feeling of thousands of training sessions to shoot the ball to the rebound. At the referee's whistle, the basketball was lucky to hit the board.

"Roar!"

Zheng Ke quickly got up from the floor, he slapped his butt for fear of being dusted, and yelled at the audience.

The audience was infected by it and yelled in response. There were even many spectators in the stands, with their hands together and stretched forward, leaning over to the ground, making a gesture of worship. "Wolf God!"

The Rockets called a timeout, and at the same time, a second official timeout arrived.

The players surrounded Zheng Ke, who had already scored 13 points, and the stars sent him back to the bench like a moon. "Well done, Zheng!" Head coach Whitman also applauded, and the players who came down and Zheng Keyi applauded one by one.

After the bench, Iverson and Lowry came on together.

The Timberwolves have nothing else, the people who want to play are wave after wave, different styles, players with different personalities form different basketball styles, like Lowry and Iverson After they came up, the Timberwolves implemented full-court pressing, and at the same time implemented 7-second bombardment tactics on the offensive end.

The scene became a bit chaotic, you went back and forth to speed up the tempo of the attack, and the fans loved to see the scene of the two bangs and cheered.

Yao Ming was in agony, and a minute later, Hayes replaced him out of breath.

"Bang!" Here, Ariza made a rare breakthrough and completed a one-handed split.

"Huh!" The Timberwolves were already on a fast break, Ariza hadn't jumped off the basket yet, and Iverson had already made a solo ride and made a precise small throw.

At the end of the quarter, the Timberwolves led the Rockets by five points, 34-29.

"It's too fast!" When Zheng Ke came off the field, it was as if he had soaked up from a pool of water - soaking wet. He breathed heavily, apparently using up a lot of energy from the frequent switchbacks. He sat on the bench, took the water cup from the staff behind him, and drank it with his neck up.

It's a very physically demanding tactic, with the whole court pressing on the defence and seven seconds on the offensive. Even Iverson, who was recuperating, was physically exhausted after the second quarter and a half. At this time, Whitman waved his hand and replaced Iverson, who had already scored 8 points, with Ty Lawson, who was gearing up!

Gibson, Anderson, Brewer, Lowry and Ty Lawson are a very young lineup, but they are also a standout runner.

With more players, Whitman has a lot more substitution options, and the Timberwolves' roster changes have added a bit of flexibility.

Although such a lineup will not lead the Timberwolves to victory, and even allow the experienced Rockets bench to catch up with a few points, it is all worth it, because under such a lineup, the young players of the Timberwolves have a great opportunity to grow! (To be continued......)