NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 42 Is this Lin trying to gain points during garbage time? He is a substitute!
A 12-point halftime lead is not much, but the home fans at the Target Center Arena are quite active and are determined to win tonight's tiebreaker.
In the entire seven games of the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves have never fought as richly as tonight.
During the intermission, the atmosphere in the locker room of the home team was quite active.
The Wolf King used a stool as a microphone and had already begun rehearsing his acceptance speech after winning the Western Conference championship trophy in advance, which caused everyone to burst into laughter.
"Lin, really, you and the team should be most grateful to you. Without you, there would be no tiebreaker tonight!"
Lin Fei saw that the Wolf King's words were emotional and the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he joked:
"Kevin, why are you thanking me? Doesn't this Western Conference championship belong to me?"
"Haha, yes, this championship belongs to each of us!"
Szebiak, however, went above and beyond for his good brother’s hard work:
"For winning the Western Conference championship tonight, the league should have a bonus of about 80 yuan. I propose that Lin Fen should be given at least 10 yuan! Do you have any objections?"
"That's right, if it weren't for Lin, we would really have fallen in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals!"
"Thinking about winning tonight, we will be able to play the Finals with the Pistons soon. I am really excited. I am really satisfied to be able to play in the Finals once in my career!"
"Fred, the finals are just the beginning, we want to win the championship!"
"The prize money is only a few dollars, and the O'Brien Cup is our goal! Right, brothers!"
When it comes to money, the Wolf King is inevitably a little sensitive. With an annual salary of 2800 million US dollars, letting these brothers follow him through life and death is really a double gain of fame and fortune.
"Is the bonus for the Western Conference championship only 80 US dollars? Is the league crazy about being so poor? I will personally contribute another 80, Lin will get 20, and everyone will share the rest!"
The teammates laughed and applauded, but they were muttering in their hearts, 80 dollars is not a drop in the bucket for you wolf king.
Lin Fei was a little embarrassed to be praised by everyone, so he cleared his throat and said:
"The game is not over yet. Don't let Coach Sanders hear this, or he will scold us again for underestimating the enemy!"
"Madman" also showed a rare sense of humor, pretending to be serious and said:
"Lin is right, don't get too happy too early. I have a feeling that Kobe Bryant will explode in the second half..."
Just when everyone thought that the "madman" was going to follow Lin Fei and say that it was not certain whether the team could win or not and that they had to stay vigilant, this guy suddenly made a big reversal with his eyes widened:
"So, our final score against the Lakers will probably not exceed 20 points!"
"Hahaha……"
The "alien" Kassel, who was in the physical therapist, was checked by the team doctor at this time and found that his back injury had recurred structural damage, and he could no longer play in the second half.
Cassel nodded solemnly. It was not impossible to fight through injuries, but he had to think about the next finals.
Listening to the laughter of his teammates in the locker room outside, Cassel also showed a satisfied smile on his face. The team's morale has been greatly improved tonight. I hope they can win in one go in the second half.
In the locker room of the visiting team, the atmosphere will be very depressing.
There is only a thin line between life and death. If you win, you will enter the finals. If you lose, you will go home to fish.
The winner is the king and the loser is the enemy. This has been the truth in the NBA since ancient times.
O'Neal and Kobe were silent, but their eyes were always burning with unyielding flames.
The Lakers didn't give up, and the Purple and Gold didn't give up.
If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.
The glory and pride of the three consecutive championships have always inspired the OK team to break through the hardships, even though the two are now in harmony.
"Zen Master" did not put too much pressure on the players. At this point, trailing by 12 points at halftime, chicken soup for the soul can no longer solve the problem.
He just sat among the players and used the top PUA method to calmly hit the soul:
"Since the end of the Bulls era in 98, the NBA has never produced an Eastern Conference champion!"
"The Western Conference Finals in the NBA in many years have been more exciting than the Finals! The competition is also more intense."
"So you know very well what winning this game tonight means!"
"Don't think about whether we are behind, let alone think about how many three-pointers Lin has already hit!"
"We have only two tasks when we step onto the court, and that is offense and defense!"
"Zen Master" finally called rookie Luke Walton alone outside the locker room, and said in a low voice like a hidden knife in his smile:
"Luke, you performed very well. Your father and I are both proud of you!"
"In the second half, you are likely to be given a new task. As long as you can complete it well, I guarantee that the Lakers can renew your contract with you in advance with a very considerable contract!"
Luke Walton was a little confused, but the soul of the middle school boy still burned brightly:
"Coach, everything will follow your arrangements!"
The second half started quickly.
"Alien" Cassel couldn't play, so Flip Saunders asked backup point guard Darrick Martin to fill in. The Wolf King, Madman, Szebiak and Olowokandi are still the mainstays.
Lin Fei is on mobile duty, ready to plug and play at any time, catching the Lakers off guard.
In the past games of G5 and G6 of the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves didn't have much choice when they were lagging behind. They could only give it a try. Lin Fei's three-pointer became the coach's bet.
But tonight, the Timberwolves are all soldiers, and they have obvious advantages in score and momentum. Lin Fei has been opened up to use more ways, which makes Philip Saunders full of joy.
The entire third quarter.
The Timberwolves have always followed the team's offensive and defensive strategies this season, which are calm, tough and methodical.
The two towers inside took advantage of the fact that the Lakers lacked Malone. The Wolves scored 20+10+3 before the third quarter was finished, and the new MVP was not worth the slightest bit.
Lin Fei played in the middle and end of the third quarter for less than 3 minutes in total.
While trying not to hold the team back on the defensive end, the offensive end showed the heroic qualities of an assassin. Relying on the excellent cover of his teammates, he threw away the defense and scored two more three-pointers.
One of the shots was hit over Kobe's head, and the other three-pointer was hit over the head of O'Neal, who was switching defense.
After hitting three consecutive three-pointers on Kobe's head, Kobe's touch also hit rock bottom under the influence of the [Superstar Killer Card].
At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers tried their best to chase points, but Kobe made 3 of 0 shots from the outside.
But O'Neal still stood up at the critical moment. He made 8 of 6 free throws in a single quarter despite being hacked by a shark. At the end of the quarter, he grabbed consecutive offensive rebounds and led the team to a 9:3 run.
However, the momentum at home was overwhelming, and the Lakers still resisted to the death.
After three quarters.
Timberwolves (82): (67) Lakers.
Still holding a 15-point lead.
At the beginning of the final quarter, Philip Sanders continued to deploy the five-tiger lineup with both offense and defense, while the OK combination of the Lakers obviously began to run out of energy, and the Black Mamba continued to fight crazily.
"Madman" took over the banner of the Wolf King's offense, scored 5 points with a sudden shot, and spat trash talk at Kobe:
"Kobe, tonight is the day you go home. Happy holidays, I can give you a pair of fishing rods for free!"
The game lasted 8 minutes and 02 seconds of the final quarter.
The Timberwolves have led by 21 points.
O'Neal's free throws began to be inaccurate again. "Zen Master" reluctantly replaced the Sharks and replaced him with Kareem Rush, letting go of the inside and increasing the firepower on the outside.
The second-year teenager Karim Rush was really upbeat. He let go and hit two three-pointers in a row.
But the Timberwolves' lead was still 20+, and the Lakers without O'Neal were easily penetrated by the Timberwolves inside.
Time is running out for the Lakers.
In the last 5 minutes of the game, the Wolf King turned over and entered the penalty area with a flying dunk.
"Boom!"
Timberwolves (98): (77) Lakers.
Still holding a huge advantage of 21 points.
It would be extremely difficult to recover 5 points in 21 minutes in the Western Conference Finals.
The "Zen Master" had no choice but to call a timeout and replaced Kobe, who was playing continuously, which was basically equivalent to surrendering.
The Target Center arena was filled with roars, and the DJ shouted in a loud voice:
"At 5 minutes and 02 seconds, the Timberwolves only have the last 302 seconds left to win the first Western Conference championship in team history!"
Pause back.
Out of respect, Phillip Saunders also removed Wolf King, Madman and Szebiak and replaced them with Lin Fei, Hoiberg and Mark Medsey.
Without the OK combination, the Lakers have obviously lost their soul, and their defeat has been decided. Even though Fisher is still on the court, he doesn't have much energy when chasing Lin Fei.
Lin Fei also took advantage of the decrease in the intensity of the game to fire continuously on the offensive end. Within two minutes, Sanyang made a successful start and scored three more three-pointers.
The Timberwolves' lead suddenly reached 28 points.
The home fans cheered and shouted: "Ninth, ninth, ninth..."
Kobe and O'Neal, who were sitting on the Lakers bench, were obviously unhappy, and said angrily:
"What is this guy Lin doing? He's trying to increase points during garbage time. Is this humiliating us?"
Gary Payton, who was next to him, smiled awkwardly and said: "You may have forgotten that he is a substitute. The Timberwolves rotate 9 people, and he will not be used in garbage time!"
OK combination: "..."