one-handed ball

Chapter 265 The Difficult Thunder

Durant looks skinny, but in fact he is physically superhuman.Like Zheng Ke, Durant's physical strength is at least above 90, which may be a basic requirement for a general wing player to become a superstar, or a basic condition for becoming a model iron man.

Whitman's expectations did not appear, and Durant, who played in the second half, was still very active. Although he and Zheng Ke were no longer singled out, their performance was still amazing.

The two continued to rival each other in other aspects of the game, including defense, rebounding, passing and more.

The fans watched mesmerized, but Zheng Ke felt a little annoyed.You know, the Timberwolves in the new season are aiming for the championship, but now, it is difficult for a mere Thunder team to win.

"Whoo~"

Panting heavily, Zheng Ke received Love's support pass, slid the bottom line and burst into the paint area.

"Don't even think about scoring a goal!" Congo striker Ibaka, who was eye-catching in the first half, hypnotized himself, roared and jumped up, and opened his Buddha-like palm.

"drink!"

Zheng Ke yelled, his body sank, he straightened his back, twisted his body into a twist in the air, and lifted the basketball from Ibaka's armpit.
Go in!

Zheng Ke's buttocks landed on the ground, feeling a piercing pain.However, he stood up regardless of the pain in his body, and roared like a king kong towards the camera.

Ibaka's expression was a little helpless, can this all go in?

Zheng Ke's miraculous performance stimulated the Timberwolves, and their morale gradually began to rise.Many players, including Love, have played more aggressively, and the level of defense and offense has improved a bit in vain.

The Thunder's turnovers began to increase, and the Timberwolves' offensive efficiency increased accordingly.The Timberwolves fought back again and again in the middle of the third quarter, and at the same time they succeeded again and again in positional warfare, instantly hitting an 8-0 spurt.

Upon seeing this, Brooks immediately requested a timeout.

"Is this the strength of the championship level? The pressure is really extraordinary." Durant walked off the field with a flat face, but there was a huge wave in his heart.For a while, the Timberwolves' defensive pressure made him breathless. Billups, Afflalo and Zheng Ke formed an outside iron gate that almost cut off all their ball-holding offenses, leaving only Westbrook Can barely break through once or twice.

After returning from the timeout, Harden made a three-pointer to stabilize the situation on the court.

Some people say that the Thunder actually only have three tactics.Westbrook holds the ball and opens the singles; Durant holds the ball and opens the singles; Harden holds the ball and opens the singles.And under the execution of such a simple tactic, the personal talents of the three were infinitely magnified, and the independent offensive choices also greatly increased the personal abilities of the three.But once the team's stars grow up, such tactics will become a little lack of change. There have never been a few times in the history of a team that really relied on talent to win the championship. Usually, it still needs to be supplemented by certain Tactical training.

Therefore, when Zheng Ke saw that the Thunder relied on such a simple tactic to hang behind the Timberwolves, he was completely speechless.

At the end of the third quarter, the Timberwolves led 85 to 84 by 1 point. A battle of confrontation made the audience snore.Zheng Ke scored another 14 points in a single quarter. He didn't take many shots, but he caused great damage to the inside of the Thunder. Ibaka received three fouls in a single quarter, all of which were committed by Zheng Ke.

With 41 points in three quarters, if it is normal, the Timberwolves may already have a big lead.But today is different. The young Thunder team is also not at a disadvantage. Their toughness makes Zheng Ke feel a threat, a threat from another hungry wolf in the Northwest Division.
A few minutes later, Iverson sprained his left ankle in the drive.

Whitman and others rushed to the venue.

"How's it going, Aaron?"

Iverson was hugging his ankle, sweat dripping from his forehead, his complexion was as pale as snow, his facial muscles were convulsed, and he looked extremely painful.However, he tried to stand up, still stubbornly, gritted his teeth and said: "I'm fine, I can do it, it's an old problem, I'm fine, I'll be fine in a while"

Whitman stopped Iverson. He greeted the staff and waved: "Allen, it's ok. You've done well. Your health is important. You should go to the team doctor for treatment first, and see the results of the team doctor's examination. Bar"

"Coach, me."

"Listen to me, check it out." Whitman had a rare domineering tone, and his tone was unquestionable.

Iverson is not in so much pain at this time, it looks like what he said is an old problem, and the pain will disappear after a while.However, from his frown when his left foot touched the ground, it can be seen that there is still some tingling pain.He saw Whitman's firm tone, and Whitman looked at each other for a few seconds, and then lost.

He started to turn his head and limped towards the player tunnel, his back was lonely and desolate.
"This is already the No.3 player injured by the Timberwolves this season." The local TV broadcaster in Minnesota said with some helplessness: "The three players are all aging veterans, which is not a small blow to the Timberwolves. Originally, the offseason was to bring in veterans to increase game experience, but now it’s all right, and it’s all young players. I hope Chauncey will be fine in the future, God bless”

Iverson's end made McHale's eyes brighten in the private room. Although he knew he shouldn't think so, after Iverson was injured, he would definitely have 20 minutes of playing time to share with several rookies. Stabilize the role of the team.Moreover, if Ty Lawson can display his worth and potential during this period of time, it will be beneficial to his trading plan without any harm.

The small calculation in McHale's mind started "slapping", he flapped his fingers, and began to calculate.
The lineup of Timberwolves on the court was also affected accordingly. Seeing Zheng Ke who looked a little tired, Whitman couldn't bear to put Zheng Ke on the court again. He gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and said to Thornton: "Marcus, play!"

"What, me?" Happiness came so suddenly, Thornton pointed at himself, unable to believe his eyes.

"What are you still doing, you haven't played yet!" Whitman shouted softly.

Thornton stood upright like a spring, almost without a military salute.

"Okay, Coach!"

Thornton's appearance surprised Brooks.He turned his head and asked the assistant coach beside him: "Who is this No. 23 player? Why have I never seen it before?"

The assistant coach was also sweating. He flicked through the materials and finally found this player on the Timberwolves roster.So he introduced in a low voice: "This is the player selected by the Timberwolves in this year's draft - Marcus Thornton. He is a player from Louisiana State University and is a shooting guard. Um~ the characteristic is to break through and create damage And precise three-pointers, he is 22 years old this year, with a registered height of 1 meters and a weight of 93 pounds (205 kilograms). He was selected by the Timberwolves with the 93th overall pick in the first round. Well, this is his third game. In the first two games, he only scored 28 and 4 points, and his shooting percentage was 3 of 9. He is a young rookie, nothing to be afraid of.”

The assistant coach's words came to an abrupt end. Thornton got an offensive opportunity in the third round after he came up. Lowry broke through and gave him the ball, and decisively hit a three-pointer from the outside.

Brooks glanced at the assistant coach with some dissatisfaction, and the assistant coach was sweating even more
Thornton cherishes this hard-won opportunity very much. After he came on the field, he tried his best to play the game, and wanted to play his own characteristics in this short period of time, so that the coaches would pay more attention to him, so that his playing time could be for it. Increase.

In terms of talent, Thornton is not as good as Harden.However, Thornton is a player who has played in college for four years. His various skills are approaching perfection. Although he is finalized, he is an out-and-out combat power.

After several rounds, Thornton became the protagonist for a while, not only made a three-pointer, but also broke through to the inside twice in a row to complete a layup.After Iverson of the Timberwolves was off the court, the momentum on the court did not decline but rose, and they played a wave of 11 to 4 spurts, leading by 8 points.

Whitman made a good move, and this player who no one knew gave the Timberwolves a huge surprise
"Defense, defense! What are you doing? Are you being breached casually? James (Harden), what's wrong with you? You are a third-round pick, and you were breached casually by a player with the 28th overall pick? What about your defense? Don't you know how to Do you use your big eyes to stare at others?" Brooks yelled at Harden who came off the court, and said that Harden, who was dark-skinned, was a little embarrassed.

As for the Timberwolves, Thornton was praised by all the players of the Timberwolves. Zheng Ke took the lead in teasing him, rubbing his head, and everyone laughed.
(End of this chapter)