Chapter 283 Big ball collides with small ball, 611 Madison Square Garden tragedy!
Garnett's effort to block the 280-pound Eddie Curry in the low post ultimately resulted in a loss in strength, which also affected his overall performance in helping to defend Lin Fei and on the offensive end.
Coupled with Artest's absence, the effect of putting Sizebiak in the starting lineup in G2 was not good, so tonight the lineup was changed again, and the 98th No. pick Olowokandi was re-entrusted with the important task.
Although Olowokandi has rough defensive experience and skills, he still doesn't suffer much as a meat shield in the penalty area against Eddie Curry.
At the beginning, Eddie Curry took the lead and successfully jumped the ball, and Stephon Marbury dribbled the ball into the frontcourt.
There were huge cheers and shouts inside and outside Madison Square Garden. The finals G3 that everyone was looking forward to finally kicked off in the presence of hundreds of millions of people around the world.
There are more than 20 camera positions on the sidelines, at least twice as many as in normal games.
Lin Fei first came up to contain Gerald Wallace's defense on the outside, and then quickly moved up to a 45-degree high post on the left side, creating a solid screen for Marbury, who was holding the ball.
"Whoosh!"
Because of Lin Fei's huge threat without the ball and shooting, this screen caused Gerald Wallace and Carlos Arroyo to focus their defensive attention on themselves for the first time.
Marbury dribbled the ball quickly and moved sideways to the right. After finding an opportunity, he decisively shot a high pull-up jumper.
"Shh!"
Marbury played very resolutely from the beginning and hit a goal first. The Knicks are at home tonight and obviously have more attempts in offensive tactics.
In the last G2 of the finals, even though Lin Fei scored 47 points efficiently, the Timberwolves cut him off from his main teammates.
Marbury was even more obsessed with giving Lin Fei the ball. Although he sent 9 assists in the game, he also made 6 turnovers and only scored 9 points in personal offense.
As this year's Eastern Conference All-Star substitute and the Knicks' nominal second-in-command, Marbury only scored 9 points in the Finals. Naturally, he was criticized by many fans.
Therefore, the Knicks coaching staff and Marbury himself have learned lessons and worked hard to change their tactics, hoping to provide the team with greater firepower tonight.
Isaiah Thomas also actively encouraged Marbury and others in the pep rally before the game. Once they find an opportunity, they must act decisively and everyone must be aggressive enough.
As a 30-year-old offensive point guard in his prime, Marbury's personal talent and offensive level are actually not inferior to those of famous players such as Iverson, Wade, Nash and Paul.
In his first trip to the finals in his career, Marbury made a profound reflection. He knew that he had to stand up and share more for the team and Lin Fei.
Looking back, Garnett, who was in the high post, held the ball and faced David Lee in singles, and made a solid jump shot.
"Shh!"
The "Wolf King" scored a total of 61 points, 35 rebounds, 11 assists, 6 steals and 7 blocks in the past two finals. He ranked second in the finals in scoring and steals, second only to Lin Fei, and ranked second in rebounds and blocks. The team ranks first, and its comprehensiveness is quite explosive.
Moreover, in the two finals, Garnett's shooting percentage exceeded 50%, and his certainty of key shots has also been greatly increased.
Tonight, the position returned to power forward. Garnett faced off against second-year David Lee. His advantage was even more obvious, overwhelming him on both offense and defense.
Leading the team to the finals for the second time in his career, the 31-year-old "Wolf King" urgently needs to further prove himself in order to narrow the historical gap with Tim Duncan.
In the second row of seats on the sidelines, the Spurs KDP trio also came to watch the game. After being unfortunately eliminated by the Timberwolves in the tiebreaker in the Western Conference Finals, Duncan Carter and Parker could only pin their hopes on the new season.
"Tim, if Kevin wins the championship again this year and gets the FMVP, his historical status will be almost the same as yours!"
"In the final analysis, I still have to thank the Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor for being willing to spend money. The Timberwolves' forward lineup is really luxurious, and Kevin is indeed more dominant than in previous seasons!"
Listening to the words of Carter and Parker beside him, Duncan's eyes widened with a dull expression, but he was thoughtful:
"Kevin and I both know that we are no longer young. The league belongs to these young people. I hope that while I am still at my peak, our Spurs can win another championship!"
The low-key but strong Tim Duncan, as the proud son of the 97th No. pick, has been at the top for decades since his debut, but he has to admit that the passing of time has passed.
Under the influence of plantar fasciitis and other injuries, Tim Duncan has felt that he has declined slightly from his peak years. People have to accept aging, and the same goes for stars.
Since single-core led the team to win the championship in 03, the Spurs have missed the championship for four consecutive years. In these four years, Lin Fei has represented his respective team in the finals.
Somehow, could this be a kind of inheritance and destiny?
Duncan is not a time traveler, so naturally he would not know that he could have won 5 championship trophies in his career. Now with Lin Fei's rapid rise, he feels that he is quite satisfied to win the third championship in his career.
After all, who can deny Lin Fei's strength in the NBA?
Judging from the comparison of the timeline, Lin Fei's butterfly effect caused Duncan to lose the two championships that originally belonged to the Spurs in 05 and 07, and the odd-numbered dynasty was also wiped out.
Now Duncan is 31 years old. Even if he stays at his peak for a long time, he still has to rely on the support of the Spurs' overall lineup. Without Ginobili, a Carter at the end of his peak, it will be difficult to support the Spurs to reach the top in this era where all the heroes are coming together. .
Therefore, even if Duncan can win another championship trophy, it will be difficult for him to win FMVP as the first core player. His historical status is destined to drop much lower than in the original world.
The person who directly benefits from the same position is naturally the "Wolf King" Kevin Garnett.
The root cause of all this ebb and flow must be the championship that Lin Fei helped the Timberwolves win in 04.
On the court, the Knicks attacked again. Lin Fei used the pick-and-roll to break into the penalty area with the ball. While being double-teamed by Ray Allen, he quickly passed the ball to Ariza in the right corner.
After receiving the ball, the latter yawned in the wide open space and took the shot calmly, and the basketball hit the net.
"Shh!"
After completing the buzzer-beating smash in the first game of the Finals, Ariza's self-confidence was unprecedentedly improved, and just this classic dunk allowed his agent Bill Duffy to finalize a three-year 3 contract that could not be negotiated with Nike. A $1600 sneaker contract and three more advertisements.
If you say which goal is the most valuable in the NBA, Ariza's finals buzzer-beater smash will definitely be one of them.
The increase in self-confidence has also made Ariza more decisive in his shots during the game, and he has also become more active in running without the ball, cutting to the basket, and on the defensive end.
As the leader of the team, Lin Fei naturally hopes that his teammates can perform wonderfully to enhance their confidence and go smoothly, especially young players like Ariza and David Lee.
Facts have proved that situations like Lin Fei's 1-point score in G63 of the finals, which changed his fate and led the team to win, can only happen on a few lucky nights.
If the Knicks want to win this round of the Finals, they must rely on the strength of the team.
Returning to the defensive end, Gerald Wallace's jump shot was missed by Ariza. Eddie Curry withstood Olowokandi and actively grabbed the defensive rebound.
The Knicks once again launched a counterattack. Lin Fei used David Lee's breakthrough after the pick-and-roll to pass the ball back under his arm, and assisted David Lee in the high post to also hit a jumper.
"Shh!"
Knicks (7): (2) Timberwolves.
At the beginning, Lin Fei turned into a master of ball control and sent 2 assists. The Knicks' main players hit all 3 shots and felt hot.
Isaiah Thomas, who was standing on the sidelines, waved his fist excitedly and shouted at the Knicks players on the court:
"Well done, cheer me up!"
The Timberwolves felt the tremendous pressure from Madison Square Garden, and the roaring shouts made the players playing away games feel somewhat unstable.
The ball was transferred, and Garnett set a pick-and-roll for Arroyo at the top of the arc. The latter broke into the penalty area with the ball and made a small throw in the air, but the basketball missed the frame.
"Bang!"
"Snapped!"
However, as Eddie Curry and Olowokandi struggled, Garnett, who quickly followed up, grabbed the offensive rebound and directly sent in a strong rebound dunk.
"Boom!"
Looking back, Lin Fei broke through with the ball, and after being double-teamed, he decisively passed the ball to Marbury on the left.
After receiving the ball, Marbury accelerated and broke through Arroyo, and entered the penalty area to face Olowokandi's defense. During the process, he suddenly stopped and started dribbling behind his back to change hands, shaking Olowokandi's defensive focus. At the same time, he took a jump step and changed direction and succeeded in a layup.
"Shh!"
The smooth flow of Ma Guiding's breakthrough and scoring this time is pleasing to the eye. It may not be easy to score without Garnett's help defense, but he is still confident against Olowokandi.
Especially when facing Arroyo, Marbury's offensive talents should be more fully utilized.
There was a lot of excitement at the scene, and many old Knicks fans also applauded Marbury's wonderful breakthrough layup.
"Stephen is so cool. After breaking through, he dribbled behind his back and then jumped for a layup, which stunned Olowokandi!"
"Stephen's offensive level is still the top among point guards in the league, but with the arrival of Lin this season, he has focused more on assists!"
"The old horse should be more resolute and just be more cautious when facing Billups. Why don't you abuse him when facing Arroyo? The Timberwolves' defense against Lin Fei is too tight. Other players must share the pressure!"
In a subsequent counterattack by the Knicks, Lin Fei's movement down the right sideline directly attracted the crazy pursuit of Gerald Wallace and Ray Allen.
Marbury, who was running down the left wing with the ball, made an in+out change as he moved forward. He quickly shook off Carlos Arroyo, quickly entered the penalty area and flew for a layup to score two more points.
"Shh!"
After scoring a fast break goal, Marbury also pumped his fist and shouted. He showed the temperament of the team's second-in-command at home tonight.
The Timberwolves called timeout, and Lin Fei also smiled and walked up to give Marbury a high-five: "Stephen, you should have done this a long time ago!"
The Chinese commentary team on the second floor of the stands was also delighted with the Knicks' smooth start tonight.
"It seems that the Knicks made the right decision tonight with their tactical change. With Lin Fei being strictly defended, Marbury must unleash his offensive attributes. In terms of personal breakthroughs and dribbling skills, he is not at his peak. Under Iverson and Francis!”
"The advantage of home court really showed up tonight, and Ariza, David Lee and Eddie Curry also performed more actively on the defensive end!"
"Only when other main players and role players other than Lin Fei are aggressive enough and take confident and decisive shots in open spaces, the Timberwolves' defense will have some scruples, thus freeing Lin Fei!"
After the timeout, the Timberwolves' advantage on the front line was once again on display. Arroyo hit the ground while breaking through at a 45-degree angle and assisted Gerald Wallace, who slid in from the baseline and cut through the air. The latter flew over and dunked successfully.
"Boom!"
Looking back, Marbury, who had already scored 6 points, finally received the attention of the Timberwolves' defense. He used the pick-and-roll to break through the basket and attract Garnett's cover, and passed the ball to Lin Fei, who was cutting in from the right.
Lin Fei took a step after catching the ball and jumped up, switching hands in the air and scoring a layup.
"Shh!"
In a subsequent positional battle attack by the Knicks, Lin Fei took the initiative to set up a pick-and-roll for Marbury, who was holding the ball. The latter moved sideways to find an opportunity to shoot, and directly attempted a long shot from outside the three-point line.
"Shh!"
There are also.
Knicks (14): (8) Timberwolves.
Isaiah Thomas on the sidelines clenched his fists excitedly. It seemed that the Knicks coaching staff had finally made clear the tactical policy. The team's biggest advantage against the Timberwolves is undoubtedly the double guns in the backcourt.
With Lin Fei being taken care of by the defense, Marbury, a three-time Eastern Conference All-Star, must step up.
Less than 4 minutes into the first quarter, Marbury had already scored 4 points on all 9 shots, and his total score in the last finals was only 9 points.
Marbury's father and sister, who were sitting in the front row, also applauded their son (brother) for his performance.
Kevin McHale, who was on the sidelines of the Timberwolves, was frowning at this time. He never expected that the Knicks' main players, who returned to the home court, would start in such a explosive state tonight.
Want to change your defensive strategy? After careful consideration, McHale decided to remain unchanged in the face of changes.
Throughout the first quarter, against the backdrop of the extremely fanatical atmosphere of Madison Square Garden in New York, the Knicks played wonderful team basketball.
Whether it is Marbury, Eddie Curry and David Lee in the starting lineup, or "little potatoes" Nate Robinson and Quentin Richardson who came on as substitutes at the end of the quarter, they all had wonderful scoring performances. .
Lin Fei only took 2 shots in the first quarter, hitting a 2-pointer and a 3-pointer. He pushed his personal "Lin Yougravity" to the limit and sent out 5 assists in a single quarter.
Helped the team achieve a super high shooting rate of 80%, scoring 31 points.
On the other hand, the Timberwolves, although they clearly had a 10:5 advantage in rebounding in a single quarter, only scored 22 points, 9 points behind the Knicks.
Knicks (31): (22) Timberwolves.
马布里化身尼克斯今晚首节的冲锋箭头,单节6投5中独揽12分,外加3次助攻和1次抢断。
After the start of the second quarter, the home game had an even more obvious impact on the substitute players' condition.
"Little Potato" Nate Robison continuously hit the Timberwolves basket and caused damage. At 9 minutes and 02 seconds of the second quarter, he received a pass from Lin Feimiao and ejected. Facing Szebiak who was assisting in defense, he directly sent Exploded partition buckle.
"Boom!"
Nate Robinson, who is 168cm tall, dunked on Szebiak, who was just over two meters tall. His three-time All-Star dunk king wowed the audience.
The offensive end was smooth, and the defensive end naturally worked harder. Robinson flew to steal and returned the favor. Lin Fei, who was assisting and turning quickly, made a brilliant move. After entering the penalty area, he delivered a gorgeous soaring crotch dunk.
"Boom!"
Throughout the first half, the Knicks' defense thoroughly implemented the one-on-one strategy of not double-teaming unless necessary. Although Garnett almost defeated the strong offensive and defensive David Lee, he scored 18 points, 9 rebounds and 2 rebounds in the half. Covered super data.
But Lin Fei was guarding Ray Allen who only made one fast break shot in the entire first half and scored only 1 points. He also committed 2 turnovers and 3 fouls.
Ray Allen's second scoring point was contained, and with Artest's suspension, the Timberwolves only had two scoring points in Gerrard and Szebiak besides the Wolf King.
But the performance of the two players in the first half can only be described as lackluster. Ariza and Quentin Richardson played very hard defensively.
Before the end of the first half, Lin Fei suddenly broke out at the right time, hitting two consecutive three-pointers from Gerald Wallace, including a 3+1.
The scene was filled with cheers, and the Lin Fei explosion that New York fans had been waiting for finally came.
"Oh my God, Brother Fei's amazing three-pointer arrived late but it's really cool!"
"In the first half, he scored 5 points on all 15 shots, and also sent out 9 assists and 2 steals. Isn't Lin's efficiency too incredible?"
The celebrity beauties in the front row on the sidelines looked at Lin Fei running on the court, and they couldn't help but have peach blossoms and little stars of admiration in their beautiful eyes.
"Oppa, Lin is so handsome. How could there be such a perfect man in the world?"
Lin Yoona dragged her chin with her hands and showed signs of infatuation. Son Ye-jin beside her also blushed, pursed her lips and said nothing. Although she was 25 years old, her brows and corners of her eyes showed the quiet beauty of a young girl.
"This Lin... is really handsome!"
Five seconds before halftime, the Knicks executed the last attack of the first half. Lin Fei misplaced the pick-and-roll and faced Kevin Garnett's defense.
After a realistic shoulder-shaking fake move, he stepped down with his right hand to dribble on the same side. In a very confusing move, Garnett successfully shifted his defensive focus to the left, accelerated into the penalty area from the right, and flew to the basket to beat the buzzer. hit.
"Shh!"
Knicks (62): (45) Timberwolves.
After the first half, driven by Lin Fei's 6 points, 17 assists and 9 steals on all 2 shots, the Knicks led the Timberwolves by 17 points at halftime, completely igniting Madison Square Garden.
"omg, isn't Lin Fei's dribbling look so cool when he crosses over and dribbles on the same side? This action is very difficult!"
"Haha, even Garnett was deceived. I dare say that Lin's current dribbling breakthrough level is definitely among the top three in the league, and it is not an exaggeration to say he is first!"
"Just this shoulder-heavy step, dribbling for a layup while crossing over with the same hand, is enough for me to learn for ten or eight years!"
In fact, before the start of this game, Lin Fei's personal layup attributes had been improved to 99 points, meeting the conditions for unlocking new basketball attributes.
At present, the basketball attributes that Lin Fei has not yet unlocked mainly include rebounds, mid-range shots, and post-ups. Lin Fei is still considering whether to unlock rebounds or mid-range shots first.
After all, once you start to unlock it, you have to wait until this attribute reaches 99 points, which may span one or two seasons, so you have to be more cautious this time.
Intermission time.
After the New York City Ballet's beautiful dance, famous singers Beyoncé and Swift also sang songs, and popular mainland singer Jay Chou also sang the song "Cowboys Are Busy" from his new album.
As one of the most famous stadiums in the world, Madison Square Garden has a long-standing reputation. Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Madonna and other top singers in the world have held personal concerts here.
For newcomers to the music scene, being able to sing songs here as a guest performer, even if the Knicks organizer does not pay, there will definitely be a lot of people willing to attend.
After all, this is the NBA Finals that attracts the most attention in the world, with full traffic and exposure, and great opportunities for hype and fame.
After the start of the second half, the Timberwolves calmed down and continued their defensive strategy of pinching Lin Fei, guarding the basket and outside, and appropriately letting role players go for mid-range shots.
Lin Fei also constantly used pick-and-rolls with the ball to attract double teams, becoming a point guard master, assisting Marbury, Eddie Curry, Ariza and David Lee to score one after another.
Although the Knicks' main players' shooting percentage was not as abnormal as it was in the first half, they were still close to 50% efficient. In less than half a quarter, Lin Fei once again sent out 4 assists.
"Within less than 6 minutes in the second half, Lin once again sent out 4 assists. Tonight, my personal assist count has reached 13!"
"Led by the Knicks' full strength, their lead over the Timberwolves has reached 19 points!"
During the commentary, the Timberwolves started attacking again on the court. Garnett was obviously angry and impatient. He faced the frame and hit David Lee directly, accelerated to the basket, and leaped up for a dunk.
However, Eddie Curry's supplementary defense caused Garnett to make a sideways escape in the air and change direction. Immediately afterwards, Lin Fei, who had gone down early, jumped up from the other side and was about to dunk towards Garnett. The basketball that entered the basket was knocked down hard.
"Snapped!"
Lin Fei's flying shot to block the shot came out of the blue with great force. When Garnett had already unloaded his force when he avoided Eddie Curry's defense on the first try, the basketball was severely slapped out.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball was rotating at high speed, flying all the way from the penalty area to the sidelines, hitting the front of a star beauty in the front row with precision and impartiality.
"what!"
This time the big ball collided with the small ball so suddenly that the celebrity beauty screamed and mixed feelings came through her body.
The camera lens on the sidelines showed a close-up. The star fan hit by Lin Fei's blocked shot was none other than Hollywood actress Jessica Elba.
"Oh my God, are you trying to scare me to death?"
Jessica Elba covered her breasts with her hands, and then hugged the basketball, with a surprised and complicated expression on her face.
Just when the referee was about to come up to ask for the ball, Jessica Elba's beautiful face showed a smile, holding the basketball and not intending to hand it to the referee:
"I think this basketball should belong to me. Who let it hit my heart? What do you think, referee?"
Facing Jessica Angel's face, the old referee Joey Crawford, who had always been fair and strict, couldn't be serious at this time. He could only spread his hands and said with a smile:
"Beautiful Ms. Jessica, it seems hard for me to disagree with your request!"
The players from both teams on the field also laughed. Lin Fei took the initiative to go up to Jessica Elba and apologized with a smile:
"Jessica, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you with the ball! How are you feeling now?"
Jessica Elba deliberately pretended to be cute towards Lin Fei and said with a smile: "How should I put it, it hurts a little. Your bump made me at least 5 years younger, so I must collect this basketball!"
Lin Fei smiled and said: "Of course, after the game is over, I can also sign my name on the basketball!"
Jessica's beautiful eyes flickered: "That would be perfect!"
The fans at the scene also booed. Is the 23-year-old Lin Fei about to have a spark with Jessica Elba, who is 3 years older than him?
"Haha, didn't Lin block the shot on purpose? Otherwise, how could he be so accurate?"
"Kevin was looking dumbfounded on the sidelines. He must be thinking: You blocked me? Why are you still trying to pick up girls in front of me? The key is to pick up my goddess?"
Garnett's favorite actress in Hollywood is Jessica Elba, and many fans know this.
McHale frowned and called a timeout again. It seemed that the team had to make changes on both offense and defense.
However, at this moment, the excitement and excitement of the more than 80,000 fans gathered outside Madison Square Garden reached its peak.
No one would have thought that somewhere in the back corner among the crowds of people, just because of crowding and pushing, a horrific shooting massacre in the history of the United States would occur.
"boom!"
When the first gunshot rang out, due to the noise and chaos of 80,000 fans, it only caused a small commotion among fans around the center of the incident.
But then there was the second sound, the third sound, the fourth sound...
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Madison Square Garden, once a bustling and joyful place, quickly became a hell on earth.
A burly black man held a Desert Warrior and shot another white man who had a conflict with him in the head with one shot. He was obviously very skilled in shooting.
But he did not flee quickly because of this, but continued to face the surging crowd and shoot wildly...
Screams broke out one after another, and the crowd caused a stampede as they fled frantically. At the same time, several innocent fans who were shot also fell into a pool of blood one after another.
Among them was a female international student from China in her early 20s.
After the gun-wielding black man fired dozens of shots, he quickly turned around and fled, and was drowned in a sea of people.
The security personnel stationed around Madison Square Garden quickly came out, and the Manhattan Police Department in New York also dispatched police immediately...
At this time, nearly 20,000 fans in Madison Square Garden still didn't understand what was going on. The huge sea of people and noise almost swallowed up the gunfire a few hundred meters away.
Lin Fei sat on the bench and stood up, preparing to return to the court after the timeout. Joey Crawford jogged to the technical table, exchanged a few words with the staff, and quickly made a timeout. Game gesture.
"What's going on? Why are we suspending the game?" Marbury, who was next to Lin Fei, frowned.
Isaiah Thomas, who came back from the technical stage, frowned and said seriously: "Oh no, there was a shooting just outside the arena! The specific casualties are not yet certain!"
As soon as Isaiah Thomas' words came out of his mouth, Lin Fei suddenly trembled in his heart and was extremely shocked.
This seemingly prosperous New York is full of sin and madness.
It seems that tonight is destined to be remembered in NBA and American history.