After making this threatening remark, McHale admitted that he was indeed a little impatient and wanted to finalize Lin Fei's new contract as soon as possible.

But the root problem is because in McHale's traditional basketball concept, players like Lin Fei do not get enough respect.

As a legendary power forward for the Celtics in the '80s, Kevin McHale was a flamboyant master of the low post offense, especially on the defensive end.

The 2.08-meter-tall "refrigerator" is rumored to have an astonishing 2.44-meter arm span, and the terrifying reach and flexibility of the body allow McHale to defend from the No. 3 position to the No. 5 position.

He has been selected to the league's All-Defensive Team 6 times, and has the iron-blooded spirit of the Green Army flowing in his body.

After retiring from the game, he came to work for the Timberwolves, and McHale single-handedly selected Kevin Garnett, who had a similar style to himself, and was inspired to create a tough, offensive and defensive Timberwolves.

This season, the Timberwolves have made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, which can be said to be very gratifying to McHale, and the team building philosophy he has adhered to for many years has finally succeeded.

If it weren't for the injury of "alien" Sam Cassel, the Timberwolves could have crossed the Lakers F4 level through tough play and style.

But God can't help it, Kassel's injury made the Timberwolves fall to the edge of the cliff, and it was this accident that gave Lin Fei the opportunity to play by mistake, and became famous with his three-point shot.

McHale is naturally grateful to Lin Fei for saving the team in two consecutive games, but he is also very clear that this is the result of Philip Saunders putting the resources of the whole team on Lin Fei.

Once Lin Fei's three-point shot fades and returns to a normal level, who of the main players of the Timberwolves is willing to wipe his ass for him on the defensive end and actively cover on the offensive end?

Of course, even if McHale is stubborn, he is not a foolish person, and threatening Lin Fei with tomorrow's robbery battle is indeed indifferent and too impulsive.

In the face of McHale's threat, Lin Fei had already expected it, raised his head quietly, and looked directly into the eyes of the general manager, neither humble nor arrogant:

"Mr. McHale, I can skip tomorrow's tiebreaker, but I will never accept anyone's threats!"

"If there's nothing else, I'll go to training first!"

Lin Fei got up from the sofa, turned around and walked straight out.

McHale's expression was complicated, he didn't expect Lin Fei's kid to have such a rigid attitude, he didn't eat soft and hard, did he really think that he could become a star in the future?

There are three side-by-side indoor basketball courts in the training ground of the Target Center Arena, which is very convenient for the players' daily training.

Lin Fei returned to the court and continued his three-point shooting training.

McHale's threat didn't affect his mood in the slightest, and whether or not he can play in tomorrow's tie-break, consistent training is essential.

Getting more free attribute points and improving your strength in an all-round way is the king.

Lin Fei had just finished throwing a set of 100 three-pointers under the feeding of the trainer, walked to the sidelines to take a short rest, and turned his head to see a familiar figure, accompanied by the team doctor, into the arena.

The atmosphere in the training hall immediately came alive, and the Wolf King, "Madman" and Sizebiak all rushed forward excitedly.

The person who came was none other than Sam Kassel, the "alien".

"Sam, how's the recovery from the back injury? It's great to hear from the coach that you can play tomorrow! ”

"Sam, with you, we will definitely win the seventh battle!"

Lin Fei's eyes flashed, and then he understood, no wonder McHale had no fear, and dared to threaten himself to sign a new contract by grabbing the playing time of the seven major battles.

It turned out that Sam Cassel would return in tomorrow's tie-breaker, and for the Lakers without Malone, the Timberwolves would have a better chance of winning at home.

Putting aside the grievances with the general manager, Lin Fei quickly walked up with a smile and greeted Kassel.

Cassel's relationship with newcomers in the team has always been very good, and this veteran on point guard has also given Lin Fei a lot of encouragement and guidance.

"Sam, welcome back!"

Should I say it or not, Sam Cassel really looks like an "alien", bald, big, ears, small eyes, big mouth, ugly, three-headed monster Licasel is definitely the first.

When Cassel saw Lin Fei, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he took the initiative to smile and hug Lin Fei, patting each other's shoulders and saying excitedly:

"Lin, thanks to you, otherwise the Timberwolves' journey this season might have been over a long time ago!"

In order not to offend the wolf king and the "madman" next to him, the high EQ Kassel added the word "maybe", but the facts are in front of him, and everyone has a scale in their hearts.

An All-Star-caliber point guard, Sem Cassel followed Olajuwon as a rookie and won two championship rings with the Rockets.

Joined the Bucks at his peak, formed three musketeers with Ray Allen and "Big Dog" Robinson, a perennial playoff team, and reached the Eastern Conference Finals in the 00-01 season, but lost to Iverson's 76ers 3:4 in the end.

During the recovery of treatment in the hospital,

Kassel watched the live broadcast of the G5 and G6 games in the Western Finals, and was amazed by Lin Fei's crazy performance of 15 three-pointers in two consecutive games.

The solid performance of the Wolf King, "Madman" and Sizebiak is the foundation, and Lin Fei's god-accurate three-point points one after another are the key to making the Timberwolves reborn in adversity and reach a higher level.

Cassel has always admired Lin Fei's training attitude as a team undrafted, but he didn't expect Lin Fei's outburst to come so suddenly.

Lin Fei responded modestly with a smile: "It's all thanks to the trust of the coach and teammates, who gave me more opportunities to perform, and God is on our side!" ”

"Sam, I'm looking forward to playing alongside you!"

Sam Cassel admired Lin Fei's attitude of not being arrogant or impatient after becoming famous, and nodded and encouraged:

"Lin, I'm optimistic about you!"

"Tomorrow's tie-break battle, with me passing the ball, I believe you can hit more three-pointers!"

Lin Fei has no intention of revealing the conversation with McHale, no matter whether he can play tomorrow's game or not, and how much time he can play, he will actively prepare for the game with his teammates.

"Sam, I'm sure you can get more assists!"

Lin Fei's joking witty remark made the Timberwolves players laugh, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

The self-confidence, hard work, perseverance, and temperament of saying less and doing more exuded from Lin Fei are infecting every teammate.

The wolf king clenched his fists and roared angrily: "Tomorrow's seven-game battle, we must at least have a 20+ victory, and we must not let the game fight to the moment of life and death!" ”

In the fifth and sixth games of the Western Finals, although the Timberwolves were in danger, they were shocked by the cold sweat of the wolf king.

In the end, it all relied on Lin Fei's accurate three-point shot, which was desperate and continued the suspense of the series.

But after all, the wolf king is the core leader of the Timberwolves team, and the critical moment of life and death always relies on Lin Fei, the supporting role on the bench, to save, which makes the wolf king a little uncomfortable.

In the next tie-break battle, the Lakers lost Malone, the interior line was weak, and only one O'Neal was left.

The wolf king knew that his chance had come again, and he had to play a dominant-level performance.

Let the fans at home know that there is only one core leader of the Timberwolves, and that is his "Wolf King" Kevin Garnett.

Half an hour later.

Inside the Timberwolves general manager's office.

Head coach Philip Saunders and general manager Kevin McHale inevitably quarreled.

"Kevin, are you crazy? You actually used tomorrow's playing time to threaten Lin to sign a new contract? ”

"Is it important to sign Lin, or is it important for the Timberwolves to compete for a championship?"

Philip Saunders was so emotional that he slapped him the desk.

Kevin McHale looked confident and calm, leaning back on the sofa chair with a reason:

"I'm also impulsive, so I'm not so angry, right?"

"Besides, I feel that your tactical arrangement has overstrengthened Lin's role in the team!"

"G5 and G6 we all played to the moment of life and death, it was you who took the risk and let Lin's crucial three points save the team, there is no doubt about that!"

"But tomorrow's tie-breaker, whether Lin Shang plays or not, we are sure of winning!"

"Malone is suspended, there is no one available at the Lakers power forward position, there is only one O'Neal left on the inside, as long as we play the twin towers of Kevin and Olovo Candi, we can occupy an absolute advantage in the restricted area at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends!"

"Plus Sam is coming back, even if he is injured and out of shape, the morale of the team will increase!"

"On the other hand, the Lakers, the conflict between O'Neal and Kobe Bryant intensified, the team's morale was low after losing two games in a row, and the Lakers management was also very dissatisfied with Phil Jackson!"

"All in all, tomorrow's tie-break, we have an absolute advantage at home!"

"As long as Kevin, Ratrill and Wally play normally, and your tactics are fully executed on both ends of the floor, winning is not a problem, it could even be a big win!"

"Philip, let's not forget what we were doing together to form this team?"

"Even though Lin has saved the team twice, there will be times when the three-point shot is unreliable!"

"If you can win a game with a solid tactical system, who is going to bet on three-pointers?"

"I just want Lin to understand that he is only a small role in the Timberwolves after all, and without him, the Timberwolves can win the championship this season!"

McHale's analysis of this statement makes sense, but it is overconfident, and it means that the Timberwolves will win the championship in the Finals.

How much does this look down on the Detroit Pistons?

Philip Saunders frowned and retorted, and couldn't help but speak for Lin Fei:

"Kevin, if it weren't for Lin's 3+1, it would be impossible to return to the Target Center Arena in this round of the Western Conference Finals!"

"It's just that tomorrow's 20,000 tickets for a seven-game tiebreaker will help the team earn more than 10 million dollars?"

"Lin does have a lot of shortcomings, and his three-point shot can't always be accurate!"

"But in that case, why are you in such a hurry to renew him? Afraid that he will be cut off by other teams? ”

When Philip Saunders said this, McHale was speechless, and his expression flickered.

"In short, I am the head coach of this Timberwolves, and tomorrow in this tie-breaker, Lin will still be the most important role on the team's bench!"

"I have only one goal now and the players, which is to reach the finals and win the first O'Brien Cup in team history!"

Seeing that Philip Saunders was about to get up and leave, McHale was finally convinced, and hurriedly spoke:

"Philip, say sorry to Lin for me, tomorrow's game, I hope he can perform well!"