Junior Basketball says

Chapter 451 Different Treatments
As the overall runner-up last season, the Heat also updated the lineup.Of course, with the Big Three as the core, it is difficult for them to get stars who are in their prime. They mainly rely on veterans and rookies to fill the lineup. If the level is higher, they will not be able to pay.Their biggest signings last summer were naturally the original Sonics duo Ray Allen and Lewis.

Although Lewis's performance was mediocre, Ray Allen became the best helper around the Big Three.He played off the bench in all games and is the Heat's fourth-leading scorer after the Big Three, averaging 10.9 points per game and shooting 41.7% from three.Most importantly, he is the leader of the Heat's second team and the most reliable person at critical moments.

However, Xu Hao didn't take this outdated old guy to heart. As long as he could kill the Big Three, it wouldn't matter how well Ray Allen performed.Moreover, the Timberwolves' bench is also very strong. Xu Hao firmly believes that his teammates are stronger than the Heat. As long as they can handle the Big Three in the starting lineup, the gangsters on the bench will definitely be able to continue to expand their advantages.

In order to allow the main players to better deal with this focus battle, McHale even rested several main players in the previous game against the Suns, the vice squad leader of the Western Conference, including Xu Hao, Kirilenko and Love.Of course, with their strong strength, the Timberwolves still defeated their opponents, and then returned to the target center to wait quietly for the arrival of the Heat team.

This game can be said to be a preview of the finals, and it is also the first time the two sides have played with a full lineup this season.In fact, Xu Hao has a normal heart for any game, but he also believes that if he can beat the Heat in an upright manner, the morale of the team will be greatly improved, and he himself will lead James in the regular season MVP competition. bit.

The other players of the Timberwolves also knew the importance of this duel. They were very serious in the training before the game, and they were not afraid of being injured on the training ground. Such a positive attitude made McHale very pleased.Of course, he doesn't care about the outcome of a regular season, but it is still very cool to beat the Heat in front of the home fans.

On April 4, local time, the Timberwolves sat at home and ushered in a challenge from the Heat.For the Heat, this is their sad place. Although they were finally defeated by the opponent at their own home court last season, as the saying goes, if you hate the Timberwolves, you must hate their stadium together, let alone Talk about those crazy Timberwolves fans.

When the Heat players were warming up before the game, Timberwolves fans who entered the field early booed them.The veterans naturally kept their expressions on their faces, but the young people on the team were very upset. Cole walked to the sidelines and sprayed trash on the fans in a free time. If he was not afraid of the league issuing a ticket, he would even give them a middle finger. , make them shut up.

Spoelstra didn't say anything about Kerr's approach, and he also hated the hostility of Timberwolves fans towards their team.But he has nothing to say. Any home game in the league is very unfriendly to visiting teams. The behavior of the fans at the Target Center is considered normal. It is not bad if they do not play insulting or even racially discriminatory signs.

In this game, McHale played Rubio, Xu Hao, Kirilenko, Love and Jordan as starters, while the Heat had Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh and Haslem. It was also the starting lineup they used most often last season.Seeing the Heat's starting roster, Xu Hao smiled. He is already familiar with this lineup, as are most other Timberwolves players. Isn't it easy to beat the Heat in the starting five?

In fact, when they played against the Heat last season, it was not easy for the Timberwolves to win, largely relying on Xu Hao's personal performance, and they did not limit James.But this time, the Timberwolves have Kirilenko as the perimeter defensive gate. Apart from the lower tonnage, he has no more disadvantages in other aspects, so it should be no problem to play against James.

McHale also thought so, so the task he assigned to Kirilenko before the game was to stare at James and not let him have a chance to score.If he's hot, block his passes and force him to play with the ball more.

At the beginning of the game, James felt a lot of pressure, and Kirilenko's defense made him feel very uncomfortable.The two are considered old rivals in the league. Kirilenko entered the NBA two years earlier than James. When he played for the Jazz, whenever he met the Cavaliers or the Heat, he was assigned to defend James alone. that one.

With Kirilenko watching James, Xu Hao can free up his hands to attack with all his strength.Wade's defense against him is actually good, but Xu Hao's physical fitness is not inferior to the opponent's. He can often get rid of Wade's defense with a dribble around his crotch.Not to mention that Xu Hao occasionally switches to off-ball mode, and easily hits an open three-pointer by running to catch a pass from his teammates.

With Xu Hao's offense and Kirilenko's defense, the Timberwolves got off to a 10-2 start, only allowing Wade to score 2 points in transition, and James made 2-of-0 shots with no assists.Seeing such a performance by the home team, the Timberwolves fans on the sidelines cheered. This is what they want to see most: the team rampaging potential Finals opponents at home.

Such a situation forced Spoelstra to call a timeout. If he did not pause again, he would only give up all the initiative to the Timberwolves.In order to allow James to get enough shooting space, Spoelstra simply let Wade control the ball, and James switched to playing off the ball, hoping that he can create opportunities for himself through smart tactical moves.

However, the reality makes Spoelstra feel helpless. Kirilenko is completely bound to James. Whether he is playing singles with the ball or running without the ball, the Russian just sticks to him and compresses his activities. space.Although James can occasionally get rid of the defense and cut to the basket for dunks, most of the time he is still entangled with Kirilenko.

With James locked up, the Timberwolves steadily controlled the situation on the court, and Xu Hao naturally played very easily.When there were more than 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the two sides replaced each other with a tacit understanding. When Xu Hao left the field, his personal statistics had reached 9 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, and he also contributed 2 times. Steals and 1 block, the performance is very comprehensive, he also won the shouts of "MVP!" from the home fans, at least in this quarter he beat his competitors.

(End of this chapter)