The outside world now has the opinion that McCollum has officially announced the rotation rest, and basically thinks that the Timberwolves should be released.

After all, McCollum has averaged about 25 points per game in the past few games, and he is an extremely important firepower point for the Timberwolves.

Although McCollum's efficiency has been a little low at times, Gobert's ability to provide effective pick-and-rolls is a perfect fit for the Timberwolves.

After Middleton's inexplicable DNP games, McCollum and Curry Jr. basically took on the three-point firepower of the Timberwolves.

McCollum's efficiency isn't great, but it's okay to solve the Timberwolves' lack of projection on the offensive end.

Now that Iguodala has been injured and McCollum has been rested again, it seems that the Timberwolves do not intend to hit the all-time record of winning streaks at the beginning of the game.

Some people think that Su Chen's move is wise.

After all, under the high-intensity and low-rotation game, the players were too tight, and Iguodala was directly injured.

There are also people who feel pity.

Among them, the most regrettable are Timberwolves fans.

For a small ball city like Minnesota, it is very indifferent to the fact that the team is winning the championship.

It's more practical to see a team set a history than an illusory championship.

Because of a small place like the Timberwolves, a championship is indeed out of reach.

The natural disadvantage of the small ball market is that it is not able to attract big-name stars from the free market, let alone big-name stars, and it is difficult for big-name managers and coaches to attract them.

The Timberwolves are like licking dogs in a relationship, and a coach like Su Chen, who has the title of champion coach, is already a point where the Timberwolves need to lick.

Even if it is not a goddess-level, but a girl with slightly higher appearance conditions, it is difficult to pursue a licking dog like a timberwolf.

Like Connelly, the manager who later led the 10-for-1 trade of Gobert, the manager who made Nuggets fans jokingly call Kang Thief, was hired by the Timberwolves at a great price.

It's not just a matter of high salary, but even giving a little team stake to Connery, which poached Connery.

In addition to not being able to attract big-name players, managers and coaches, the Timberwolves themselves don't like the league.

Whether it was before or after Xiao Hua took office, he put forward a request for the Timberwolves to relocate from Minnesota to big cities, but the Timberwolves just refused to move.

This makes the Timberwolves one of the worst-rated teams in the league at the whistle.

For these reasons, Minnesota fans don't have such high expectations for the team, and they all feel that they have the value of inviting Su Chen to break the winning streak.

Even if they couldn't make the playoffs, they recognized the coach.

Fans in the small ball market are so simple.

November 25, 2013.

Minnesota.

Target Center Arena.

Tonight, before the game even began, a large number of fans had already gathered near the target center arena.

Fans with tickets were the first to enter, and fans without tickets were also waiting on the big screen in the square outside the stadium.

Although the Timberwolves have been out of the game since before the game, there has been news that McCollum is rested and Iguodala is out for a week.

Perhaps, in order to keep impacting the playoffs, the team will strategically give up this game.

But there were still a lot of Minnesota fans coming.

Minnesota is a vast expanse of forest, and many Minnesotans work in agricultural production.

Some farms started to shut down early this day, and the farmer gave the workers a day off, and the farmer drove to the arena with his family to watch the game.

The Timberwolves' record of 16 consecutive wins at the start of the season is already known throughout Minnesota.

Minnesotans have a special affection for the Timberwolves, many of whom are avid fans from the Garnett era.

Garnett then left, but the Minnesotan still loves the team deeply.

The owner of the team also didn't want to abandon these Timberwolves-loving fans, and even though the league repeatedly asked for it, the threat of using the whistle many times still stuck to the city.

Today may be record night, and these fans have almost unanimously chosen to gather here tonight.

Inside the arena.

The live DJ roared loudly, setting off the atmosphere.

The wolf cub of the mascot is also running around busily, working hard to drive the atmosphere.

Even the owner Taylor came to the sidelines to watch the game in person at this time.

After signing the VAM agreement with Su Chen, Taylor complied with the agreement and did not ask Su Chen about his actions.

Even when trading LeFou, Taylor was stunned for a moment when he heard the news, but he still didn't stop the deal.

But tonight, Taylor couldn't help but ask Su Chen if he wanted to fight for tonight's game.

Taylor also felt that this night was too important for Minnesota, and it was worth it for Su Chen to make this record.

After getting a positive answer from Su Chen, Taylor also pushed off all his work and came to the stadium to watch the game.

He is looking forward to this game.

It's just that the opponent is not Su Chen who wants to win it, Taylor is also a little nervous, the opponent is the Pacers, a first-class team in the East.

With the help of lights and DJs, the Timberwolves completed the entrance ceremony.

Judging by the entrance ceremony, Butler is back in the starting lineup.

After the entrance ceremony, Su Chen stood on the sidelines with his hands on his chest and watched the training of the players.

It is not difficult to see from his expression that Su Chen is very serious this time, and he has been observing the shooting feel of the players since the beginning of training.

The Pacers on the other side also entered the field.

The Pacers were obviously not too relaxed in this game, and everyone's expressions were still quite serious.

It stands to reason that the Pacers are a team at the level of Eastern powerhouse, and against an ordinary team like the Timberwolves, it is still in the regular season.

It's normal to take turns off.

But tonight's Pacers are fully on the line, and no one is on the bench at all.

It's simple, tonight these guys don't want to be a stepping stone to the Timberwolves, the historical backdrop.

If they lose tonight, then when we talk about the longest winning streak in the game, people will say that it was the Pacers who lost to the Timberwolves.

Pacers leader Paul George, who also has a more serious look in his eyes tonight, doesn't want to be a backdrop.

Kindness. Although George was always in the backdrop.

Shake hands before the game.

Su Chen and Frank Vogel shook hands in front of the technical table, and then returned to their respective positions.

The two didn't talk at all, and as in this match, both sides were driven by the idea that they didn't want to lose.

The Timberwolves want to set a record of 16 straight wins in the opening game, and the Pacers don't want to be the backdrop for that record, and the intensity of this game will certainly not be the same as in a normal playoff game.

Just like the Eagles led by Wilkins in history, unwilling to be the background board of the Rockets.

Even though Olajuwon guarded the inside line, Wilkins still fought hard and kept hitting the inside line.

The whole Hawks team worked together to scare off the Rockets, so that the Rockets did not dare to surpass the record of 15 consecutive wins.

Tonight's Pacers clearly have the determination of the Eagles.

Both starters take the field.

Timberwolves starting lineup: Rudy Gobert (C), Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF), Lore Deng (SF), Robert Covington (SG), Jimmy Butler (PG).

Pacers starting lineup: Roy Hibbert (C), David West (PF), Paul George (SF), Lance Stephenson (SG), George Hill (PG).

Resting McCollum in rotation, Su Chen is going to play the ultimate defense.

Whether it's an inside or outside line, the height and size can be easily matched.

Although it will be more difficult on the offensive side, after all, there is Gobert squatting on the inside, and there is no room for the outside line to break in.

But whether it's Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jimmy Butler, they both have more than a dozen abilities, such as throws or step-back shots after confrontations near the basket.

Gobert was clubbing on the inside, so he waited intently to eat the cake, and if there was no cake to eat, he grabbed the rebound and played a second offense.

Such an attack may seem more difficult to carry out, but it is still the same sentence.

Limit your opponent to less than 80 points, and then score more than 80 points yourself, and this game can be won.

The key is to see if the defense is right.

In terms of the inside line, Su Chen actually didn't have too much to worry about.

Although in the playoffs last season, the Pacers were able to tie the Heat to tie seven, Hibbert played a big role.

But Hibbert's regression is so fast, last season's playoffs, basically Hibbert's peak.

In the original timeline, Hibbert's offensive rebounding defense has dropped significantly.

The most obvious is that after the intensity of the playoffs went up, Hibbert's performance was very unsatisfactory.

Last season, Hibbert averaged 17 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, as well as very good defensive efficiency and high-end statistics.

But in this season of the original timeline, Hibbert in the playoffs slipped directly.

can only average 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Hibbert's drop in light speed this season was something that the Pacers management did not expect, and they originally thought that Hibbert's performance last season was the beginning of the Pacers' peak.

But in fact, for this Pacers, the Eastern Conference can play a tie-break with the Heat is already the pinnacle of this team.

David West also slipped as well, just not as much as Hibbert.

After two more seasons with the Pacers, it was time to go to the Spurs with a base salary, and then West almost faded out of the league, which is no longer the era of a player like West.

It's the outside line that I really have to worry about.

George has just entered the peak of his career this season, and for George's defense, he still has to use more resources to defend.

As for Stephenson and Hill, these two have also slipped quite a bit.

This Pacers can still make it to the Eastern Conference finals, and George is the key point.

In the playoffs, George scored 37 points, West supported more than 10 points, and the rest of the scattered points became the epitome of this Pacers this season.

Jump ball.

Gobert jumped to the ball for the Timberwolves.

The ball is in Butler's hands.

McCollum didn't play in this game, and the Pacers designed defensive tactics against Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they also saw who was the core of this team.

Su Chen also probably guessed that Giannis Antetokounmpo would be under a lot of defensive pressure this time, so this one directly gave Butler the right to shoot.

Butler is now mature, and he was originally the duo of this team, but McCollum temporarily delegated him because he was going to brush up on the data.

Butler's strength is erratic, and sometimes he is pitiful, but when he is fierce, even the Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo can black eight.

So this ball is played to Butler, and there is no problem.

For the Butler Pacers, it was obvious that Stephenson, the team's defensive backcourt, was ready to help defend Giannis Antetokounmpo at any time in the help defense position.

So the defender who faced Butler directly, it was Hill.

Hill's defense is not bad, and even among the guards, it is not too much to call him a defensive striker.

But that's against the defenders after all.

Hill is 1.91 meters tall and has an arm span of 2.06 meters, which is quite good among defenders.

But against a forward player like Butler, it's a difference in size.

Hill's strength is good among guards, but against Butler's strength, it's obviously still a lot worse.

Hill is very good at defensive guards, but the Timberwolves have no guards in their starting lineup.

Butler was also unkind, went straight to his body, and ran Hill all the way in with his back.

After getting to the shooting position that Butler is good at, Butler turned around directly, found a confrontation with Hill, and then threw the ball to the basket against Hill.

Honk!

This ball Butler is aiming for a foul.

Hill, who is not big enough, must foul to stop his ball.

But Butler had a good hand tonight, and the ball actually slipped in.

2+1！

Butler's opening 2+1 made the Timberwolves fans cheer.

Butler walked to the free-throw line to the cheers of the fans.

Penalty scored.

Timberwolves 3-0 Pacers.

After scoring the goal, Vogel yelled a few times from the sidelines to keep his team focused.

Of course, the Pacers' players can't do anything about this ball, and the pre-game arrangement is not arranged like this.

Vogel didn't have much to blame the players, and he didn't expect that Su Chen would let Butler play singles this time.

Although it is true that Butler and Giannis Antetokounmpo have taken turns to break through before, after the replacement of McCollum, the Timberwolves' offensive system has changed.

His attention to the Timberwolves, that is, when he knew before the game that he would hit the Timberwolves to hit the first record in the history of the opening game, he began to study the footage of the Timberwolves.

But it's certainly not at the level of the playoffs, it's just a brief look.

The Timberwolves are a Western team, and if they want to meet only the Finals in the playoffs, the Pacers have a chance to break out of the East.

So can the Timberwolves have a chance to break out of the West?

However, this one goal did not disrupt the Pacers' position.

For the Pacers, they have the strength to crush the Timberwolves, as long as they play well.

(End of chapter)