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Chapter 307 All by three points?

For the visiting Timberwolves, the Knicks completely ignored them.Their record in the first half of this season was relatively mediocre, but they got Billups and Anthony through trades before the All-Star Weekend, plus the originally signed "Small Overlord" Stoudemire, creating the Big Three in one fell swoop The core lineup of the team, the recent consecutive victories, is the time when the spring breeze is proud.

Although the Timberwolves welcome back their outside core Xu Hao, the Knicks team is still very calm. After all, Xu Hao's incompatibility in the last game was seen by everyone, and it is estimated that he will not be able to get rid of the embarrassing situation for a while. .

Knicks coach D'Antoni did not make any targeted arrangements for defending Xu Hao. In his opinion, this is completely redundant. As long as Billups pays attention to it during the game, the Chinese kid will definitely not be able to make trouble Come.No, maybe even the seasoned Billups doesn't need to exert force, maybe he will continue to behave dizzy himself.

But what D'Antoni didn't expect was that the Timberwolves' first goal in this game was precisely made by Xu Hao, and it relied on his three-pointer that made countless defenders terrified before he was injured.But this time Xu Hao didn't shoot with the ball himself, but set up three screens in a row, received a pass from Ellington at the bottom corner, and took off directly to kill with one hit.

Billups's expression was a bit unsightly. After all, he was a 35-year-old veteran. In terms of physical strength and speed, he could not compare with young people. This gave Xu Hao the opportunity to take action calmly.But he quickly regained his composure. In his opinion, it would have been good if Xu Hao made one or two shots in the whole game, but his condition was not that easy to find.

However, what they didn't expect was that after Xu Hao hit the three-pointer, he was out of control, as if he had turned on a secret switch in him.Except for Love's organization near the free throw line, the other Timberwolves players on the field tried their best to help him cover and create enough shooting space. Xu Hao also lived up to his teammates' efforts.

Xu Hao was replaced with 4 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first quarter. At this time, he had already hit 4 three-pointers and scored 12 points. The Timberwolves also led the opponent 21-17.The Knicks fans at the scene naturally booed, but the small area where Timberwolves fans gathered on the sidelines often gave out deafening cheers.For these simple Timberwolves fans, Xu Hao's hot touch from beyond the three-point line is a good start, which also makes them feel extremely excited.

And on the Knicks' bench, D'Antoni's face turned black, and he even felt that Xu Hao was here to play him.Just like that, why are you in a bad state?If the state improves, won't it break the single-game three-point record?
When Xu Hao walked off the field, he high-fived his teammates on the bench one by one, took the towel handed by the staff, and sat down next to McHale.Seeing him sweating profusely, McHale asked with concern: "Can your body hold it up? If your ankle feels abnormal, I'll let you play as a substitute in the next game..."

This made Xu Hao shake his head again and again, the starting opportunity was won by him with great difficulty, and it was called "strengthening the running-in with the main lineup", how could he spit out the meat he ate?He nodded and bowed and said: "Coach, don't worry, there is nothing wrong with my ankle. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mr. Torik to check me. I will still start the next game. You can control my playing time, but Don't put me on the bench!"

McHale glared at him, a starting position is so important?Is it worth risking injury for it?Fortunately, Xu Hao is not an idiot who doesn't know anything. He still agrees to limit his time for each game to 25 minutes.

According to the decision he discussed with McHale, Xu Hao will play 25 of the 15 minutes in the first half, and the remaining 10 minutes will be evenly distributed to the third and fourth quarters. The specific playing time will be decided by McHale.Even if it is the decisive moment of the fourth quarter, if Xu Hao has used up all his playing time, McHale will not let him play even if the team loses.Xu Hao was a little displeased with this restriction, but he couldn't object, after all, the decisive moment is usually the most intense.

After Xu Hao left the field, the Timberwolves' outside firepower suddenly collapsed.Although Love hit consecutive mid-range jumpers, he still couldn't contain the Knicks' scoring momentum. At the end of the first quarter, the two sides tied at 32.

It can be seen that the strength of the Knicks is above the remnant Timberwolves. If the latter does not go all out, they will suffer a defeat at Madison Square Garden.Of course McHale didn't want to lose, so he put Xu Hao on the court again at the beginning of the second quarter, but this time he didn't let Xu Hao shoot, but let him organize the offense.

Xu Hao is not hypocritical, and takes the initiative to control the ball in his own hands, but he does not force a breakthrough when facing the defense, but keeps playing pick-and-rolls with Milicic, or directly hanging the ball inside to Peko Vitch.Xu Hao didn't intend to organize the attack by himself, but hoped that all his teammates would participate, so that it would be convenient for him to continue shooting cold arrows.

By the time McHale replaced the main force, the Timberwolves had regained a 7-point lead. During this period, Xu Hao scored 2 three-pointers and sent 4 assists, completely revitalizing the team.McHale also breathed a sigh of relief, so that Xu Hao didn't need to rush to regain his explosive power, and he already had a foothold relying on passing and three-pointers.

In the second half, Xu Hao played more easily. Although he only hit 2 three-pointers in total, the Knicks no longer dared to ignore his existence. When Xu Hao appeared outside the three-point line, he would often attract the focus of defense. To create more opportunities for three-point shooters like Ellington, Brewer and even Love, the Timberwolves directly rained three-pointers.

In the end, the Timberwolves retreated 108-100. Xu Hao had his best performance since his comeback - 24 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists, including 14 of 8 three-pointers. stunned.Most of the public opinion that criticized Xu Hao has disappeared. After all, Xu Hao's touch on the outside has returned visibly.

However, Xu Hao is still not satisfied with his performance. To be precise, what he is not satisfied with is his role positioning. He doesn't want to be a pure shooter who shoots cold arrows from beyond the three-point line all the time, even if he can send out assists.He hopes to be able to return to the state before the injury and toss around the field, but he doesn't know when that day will come.

(End of this chapter)