NBA: I have 3 but no D, and I still can’t dribble.

After uttering these threatening remarks, McHale admitted that he was indeed a little too impatient, and wanted to finalize Lin Fei's new contract as soon as possible.

But the most fundamental problem is that in McHale's traditional basketball philosophy, players with Lin Fei's style do not get enough respect.

As the legendary power forward of the Celtics in the 80s, Kevin McHale was a low-post offensive master with gorgeous feet and an excellent defensive end.

The "refrigerator" is 2.08 meters tall and is rumored to have an astonishing wingspan of 2.44 meters. His terrifying wingspan and body flexibility allow McHale to defend from the 3rd to the 5th position.

He has been selected to the league's best defensive team 6 times, and the iron-blooded spirit of the Green Army flows in his body.

After retiring and working for the Timberwolves, McHale single-handedly selected Kevin Garnett, who had a similar style to his own, and inspired to build a Timberwolves team with a tough style and both offense and defense.

This season the Timberwolves have gone all the way to the Western Conference Finals, which can be said to make McHale very gratified. The team-building concept he has insisted on for many years has finally succeeded.

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

But God had no control. Cassel's injury caused the Timberwolves to fall to the edge of the cliff. It was this accident that gave Lin Fei an opportunity to play and became famous with his three-pointers.

McHale is naturally grateful to Lin Fei for saving the team in two consecutive games, but he also knows very well that this is the result of Flip Saunders investing all the team's resources on Lin Fei.

Once Lin Fei's three-pointers lose their halo and return to normal levels, who among the Timberwolves' main players will be willing to wipe his ass on the defensive end and actively cover him on the offensive end?

Of course, even though McHale is stubborn, he is not a confused person. Threatening Lin Fei with tomorrow's tiebreaker is indeed indiscriminate and too impulsive.

Facing McHale's threat, Lin Fei had already expected it. He raised his head calmly and looked directly into the general manager's eyes, neither humble nor overbearing:

"Mr. McHale, I don't have to fight tomorrow's tiebreaker, but I will never accept anyone's threats!"

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

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

McHale's expression was complicated. He didn't expect Lin Fei to have such a rigid attitude. Did he really think he could become a star in the future?

There are three side-by-side indoor basketball courts in the training field 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 did not affect his mood at all. Regardless of whether he can play in tomorrow's tiebreaker, persistence in training is essential.

Obtaining more free attribute points and comprehensively improving your strength is the way to go.

Lin Fei had just finished shooting a set of 100 three-pointers under the guidance of the trainer. He walked to the sidelines to take a short rest. When he turned around, he saw a familiar figure walking into the gym accompanied by the team doctor.

The atmosphere in the training hall immediately became lively, and Wolf King, "Madman" and Szebiak all rushed forward excitedly.

The visitor is none other than "alien" Sam Cassel.

"Sam, how are you recovering from your back injury? I heard the coach said you can play tomorrow, which is great!"

"Sam, with you here, we will definitely win the tiebreaker!"

Lin Fei's eyes flashed, and then he realized. No wonder McHale was so confident that he dared to use the playing time in the tiebreaker to threaten him into signing a new contract.

It turns out that Sam Cassell will return in tomorrow's tiebreaker. For the Lakers who are missing Malone, the Timberwolves have a greater chance of winning at home.

Putting aside his grudge with the general manager, Lin Fei quickly walked up to greet Cassel with a smile.

Cassell has always had a good relationship with the newcomers in the team, and this veteran point guard also gave Lin Fei a lot of encouragement and guidance.

"Sam, welcome back!"

Needless to say, Sam Cassell really looks like an "alien", with a bald head, big ears, small eyes, and a big mouth. In terms of ugliness, Cassell definitely ranks first among the three-headed monsters.

When Cassel saw Lin Fei, his eyes suddenly lit up. He took the initiative to hug Lin Fei with a smile, patted him on the shoulder and said excitedly:

"Lin, thanks to you, otherwise the Timberwolves' journey this season might have ended long ago!"

In order not to offend the wolf king and "madman" around him, Cassel, who has high emotional intelligence, added the word "maybe", but the facts are before us, and everyone has a balance in their hearts.

As an All-Star point guard, Sam Cassell followed Olajuwon at his peak as a rookie and won two championship rings with the Rockets.

At his peak, he joined the Bucks and formed the Three Musketeers with Ray Allen and "Big Dog" Robinson. They were a perennial playoff team and even reached the Eastern Conference Finals in the 00-01 season, but they ended up regretting 3:4. Lost to Iverson's 76ers.

During the recovery period in the hospital,

Cassell watched the live broadcast of G5 and G6 of the Western Conference 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 Szebiak is the foundation, and Lin Fei's accurate three-pointers one after another are the key to the Timberwolves' rebirth in adversity and reaching the next level.

Cassel has always admired Lin Fei, the team's undrafted player, for his training attitude, but he never expected that Lin Fei's outbreak would come so suddenly.

Lin Fei smiled and responded modestly: "This is all thanks to the trust of the coach and teammates, who gave me more opportunities to perform. God is also on our side!"

"Sam, I look forward to fighting side by side with you!"

Sam Cassell admired Lin Fei's attitude of not being arrogant or arrogant even after becoming famous in the first battle. He nodded and encouraged:

"Lin, I like you!"

"Tomorrow's tiebreaker, I will pass the ball to you, I believe you can hit more three-pointers!"

Lin Fei had no intention of revealing his conversation with McHale. No matter whether he could play in tomorrow's game or how much time he could play, he would actively prepare for the game with his teammates.

"Sam, I believe you can get more assists!"

Lin Fei's joking remark made the Timberwolves players burst into laughter, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Lin Fei's temperament of confidence, hard work, perseverance, talking less and doing more is infecting every teammate.

The Wolf King clenched his fists and roared angrily: "In tomorrow's tie-break, we must at least win a 20+ victory. We must not let the game reach a life-or-death moment again!"

In Games 5 and 6 of the Western Conference Finals, although the Timberwolves passed through dangerous situations, they were so shocked that the Wolf King broke into a cold sweat.

In the end, it all relied on Lin Fei's accurate three-pointer, which saved him from a desperate situation and continued the suspense of the series.

But he, the Wolf King, is the core leader of this Timberwolves team after all, and he always has to rely on Lin Fei, a supporting role on the bench, to rescue him at critical moments of life and death.

In the next tiebreaker, the Lakers lost Malone and were weak inside, leaving only O'Neal.

The Wolf King knew that his opportunity had come again, and he had to perform a dominant performance.

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

After half an hour.

In the office of the Timberwolves general manager.

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

"Kevin, are you crazy? You actually use your playing time in tomorrow's tiebreaker to threaten Lin into signing a new contract?"

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

Phillip Sanders was very excited and slapped the desk hard.

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

"I was also impulsive, so I can't be so angry?"

"Besides, I feel like your tactical arrangements have over-strengthened Lin's role in the team!"

"We fought to the point of life and death in both G5 and G6. It was you who took the risk and let Lin's key three-pointer save the team. There is no doubt about it!"

"But in tomorrow's tiebreaker, whether Lin Shang plays or not, we are sure to win!"

"Malone was suspended. There is no one available for 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 Olowokandi, we can occupy the penalty area on both offense and defense. Absolute advantage!"

"In addition, Sam will be back again. Even if he is injured and unable to perform, the team's morale will increase!"

"In contrast to the Lakers, the conflict between O'Neal and Kobe has intensified. After losing two games in a row, the team's morale is low. The Lakers management is also very dissatisfied with Phil Jackson!"

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

"As long as Kevin, Latrell and Wally play normally, and your tactics on both offense and defense are fully implemented, winning is not a problem, and it may even be a big victory!"

"Philip, don't forget the original intention of us forming this team together?"

"Even though Lin has saved the team twice, there are still times when three-pointers are unreliable!"

"If the game can be won through a solid tactical system, who would bet on three-pointers?"

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

McHale's analysis is reasonable, but he is overconfident, and it seems that the Timberwolves will win the championship if they enter the finals.

How much do you look down on the Detroit Pistons?

Philip Sanders frowned and retorted, unable to help but want to speak for Lin Fei:

"Kevin, without Lin's 3+1, it would be impossible to return to the Target Center Arena in this round of the Western Conference Finals!"

"Just 20,000 tickets for tomorrow's tiebreaker will help the team earn more than tens of millions of dollars?"

"Lin does have many shortcomings, and his three-pointers cannot always be accurate!"

"But in that case, why are you so anxious to renew his contract? Are you afraid that he will be intercepted by other teams?"

Phillip Sanders' words made McHale speechless and his expression flickered.

"In short, I am the head coach of this Timberwolves. In tomorrow's tiebreaker, Lin will still be the most important role on the team's bench!"

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

Seeing that Phillip Sanders was about to get up and leave, McHale was finally convinced and quickly said:

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