Chapter 58 Unexpected assist, Lin Fei: I am used to shooting 3-pointers, but 2-pointers are unfamili
Originally, when Lin Fei caught the basketball in one step inside the three-point line, even though he was a little panicked, he was still relatively confident in this 1-on-0 frontcourt fast break.
Although the layup and dribbling attributes are now 0, Lin Fei has also tried many times in off-court training. There is no big problem with dribbling the ball for layups and dunks without defense.
Of course, the movements will look a little blunt and without aesthetic feeling,
But just like Szebiak's breakthrough, scoring points is the key.
After finally getting a chance to dunk on a fast break, Lin Fei knew he had to seize it, knowing that this was the NBA Finals stage.
As long as he completes this fast-break dunk, he will no longer be the rookie who can only catch the ball and shoot three-pointers in the eyes of black fans.
In a flash of lightning, Hamilton, who was chasing after him while bypassing the cover behind him, was left three meters away.
Lin Fei, who was a little distracted, even thought about whether to fly into the air for an additional dunk.
However, perhaps because he didn't adjust his pace properly, Lin Fei's take-off position felt a little far away from the basket. The moment his ankle suddenly increased the force of pushing on the ground, the smooth floor directly caused the sole of his foot to slip.
With a "pop", the whole person fell sideways and hard under the basket of the penalty area, and the half-flap skin drum that landed on the ground almost burst into pieces.
Barkley in front of the commentary stage widened his eyes with an exaggerated expression, and Kenny Smith beside him said awkwardly: "Uh...he won't!"
Hamilton, who was chasing after him a few meters away, had already given up the defense in frustration.
Because in his opinion, even if Lin Fei does not have the ability to hold the ball, it is still easy to make a layup after catching the ball in a fast break. This is obviously a basic skill necessary for a defender.
Moreover, even though Lin Fei is not an outstanding player in China, he is still tall and has a good wingspan, so he should have no problem dunking on a fast break.
But Hamilton didn't expect a surprise to happen suddenly. This guy actually slipped comically without any confrontation...
So the masked man accelerated instantly and rushed forward to snatch the ball from Lin Fei.
Although he slipped and fell to the ground, Lin Fei's consciousness on the playing field was still very clear.
When he fell to the ground with the ball, his feet had already deviated from their original position. If he tried to get up with the ball again, it would definitely be a violation.
The assistant referee beside him could also see clearly that Lin Fei's feet were already very close to the bottom line after slipping, and his whistle was on his lips, ready to blow at any time.
Looking back at Hamilton who was rushing towards him, Lin Fei was in a panic and without thinking much, he threw the basketball close to the ground toward the top of the arc like a bowling ball.
Hamilton was chasing so fast that he didn't have time to bend down to pick up the ball. He didn't dare to kick the ball, which was against the rules. He could only watch the basketball roll past him. When he stopped and turned over to look again,
"Whoosh!"
The "Madman" who followed up quickly bent down and quickly grabbed the basketball. After getting up, he European-stepped Hamilton away and made a solid hit with his left hand.
"Shh!"
"Madman" scores +2,
Lin Fei assists +1.
The staff in front of the technical desk believed that the madman did not stop after receiving the ball and his breakthrough movements were consistent, so he recorded an assist on Lin Fei's data column.
Lin Fei stood up quickly after passing the ball and high-fived the "madman" who scored the goal.
"Lin, are you too showy? Are you so obsessed with three-point shooting that you can't even dunk an empty basket?"
"Madman" didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fortunately, this fast break was not wasted by Lin Fei.
But the scene where the basketball slipped just now was really enough to make a "madman" laugh for a month.
Lin Fei returned to the defense and coughed twice in embarrassment, pretending to cover up: "The floor is too damn slippery, and the cleaning is really unreliable!"
"Those who have three points are already used to it, but these two points are unfamiliar to me!"
The "madman" forgot to take a look at Lin Fei with his contemptuous eyes, and then patted Lin Fei friendly:
"Haha, as long as you don't get injured, otherwise the team will lose a lot!"
The moment when Lin Fei fell down for the first time, Phillip Sanders didn't feel funny or speechless. Instead, he was worried that Lin Fei would be injured.
Seeing Lin Fei returning to defense and showing an OK gesture to the bench, Phillip Sanders felt relieved.
The substitutes on the Timberwolves bench couldn't help laughing at this time:
"Lin's dunk slip was so funny. This is definitely one of the top five embarrassing moments!"
"At the same time, he was on the top ten goals and the top five embarrassing goals today, and it was him who wore the Timberwolves' number 22!"
Naturally, the many star fans in the VIP front row couldn't help but feel ridiculous for Lin Fei's funny performance.
The Target Center Arena suddenly had a lively and joyful atmosphere.
Timberwolves (73): (63) Pistons.
The score difference was widened to 10 points again.
Only the Pistons players were in no mood to be amused by Lin Fei's antics.
In the last 10 minutes of the final quarter, they were behind by 10 points. Although there is still plenty of time, it is still difficult to reverse.
Larry Brown, who was sitting on the sidelines as the head coach of the Pistons, was even more convinced that Lin Fei's ability to hold the ball was very poor through Lin Fei's slip on the fast break just now.
And his basic passing skills seem to be very poor. He played 4 good games but only had a total of assists by mistake.
Larry Brown's deep eyes sparkled under his glasses, and he suddenly had an immature and bold idea:
If Lin Fei went out to catch the ball after Lin Fei had no ball to cover, the Pistons could have the two nearest defensive players rush up to double-team the first time.
This will not only destroy Lin Fei's shooting feel, but also once he is unable to take a shot and stops the ball, the Pistons will have a greater chance of completing the steal.
Because once Lin Fei is unable to take action quickly after receiving the ball, his ability to release the ball and get rid of the ball in the next step is very weak.
Of course, this defensive strategy is immature and somewhat risky. At present, insisting on unlimited defense changes is enough to limit Lin Fei's three-point shooting after catching the ball.
charlotte.
On the banks of the Broad River, in a luxurious villa.
In front of the TV wall in the spacious living room, Game 1 of the Finals between the Timberwolves and the Pistons was playing on the screen.
Sitting on the sofa at this time is former NBA Charlotte Hornets retired player Dell Curry and his three children:
Stephen Curry, 16, Seth Curry, 14, and Siddell Curry, 10.
Dell Curry was the 1986th pick in the first round in 15. He played for the Charlotte Hornets for most of his career and retired with the Toronto Raptors in 2002.
Although Dell Curry's career is not too bright, he was one of the main players of the Hornets at the beginning. He also won the Best Sixth Man Award in his career and averaged a maximum of 16 points per game in a single season.
After playing 16 seasons in his career, Dell Curry received a total salary of more than 1900 million US dollars, which was enough for the Curry family to live a quite wealthy life.
Compared with stars such as LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, Curry's childhood was obviously happier and better.
On the TV screen at this time, while Curry was excitedly waiting for Lin Fei to complete a dunk on a fast break, the opponent was caught off guard and slipped to the ground...
The living room was instantly filled with the laughter of the younger siblings.
"Stephen, is this the Lin you admire? He even slipped during a dunk. Can he really only shoot three-pointers?"
"Haha, Stephen, I hope you won't do the same stupid thing in the NBA in the future!"
Facing the teasing from his brother and sister, Stephen Curry said awkwardly:
"This dunk slip is indeed a bit funny. Lin's dribbling is indeed very stiff now, but I am different. My dribbling is very strong. What do you think? Dad?"
Dell Curry turned to look at his thin eldest son and smiled: "That's right. It's impossible for Stephen to slip when dunking. The prerequisite is that you must be able to dunk first!"
Curry curled his lips angrily: "Mr. Dell, I'm still growing. I believe that when I reach 18 years old, I will be able to slip... No, I will definitely be able to dunk!"
Look back to the Target Center Arena.
On the court, the Pistons attack.
Hamilton became more and more confident in his running, using his absolute advantage of speed and agility to get ahead of Lin Fei by one meter. After receiving the ball from a high position, he almost tilted his body and shot decisively.
Lin Fei didn't dare to pounce on the ball for fear of getting another foul.
"Shh!"
Hamilton's touch gradually recovered.
Timberwolves offense.
When Szczerbiak was covering for Lin Fei from a high position, he was obviously suspected of moving. This time, the referee didn't give in, and quickly blew his whistle.
"Beep!"
Dick Bavita flags Zebiak for a move screen foul, the Pistons have the ball.
Perhaps to make up for the Timberwolves' last fast break round, Szebiak clearly blocked Hamilton's mobile screen, so this time the call was strict.
During this period of the 03-04 season, the league did not strictly enforce mobile screens, but this did not mean that the screener could do whatever he wanted.
Throughout most of the final quarter, Lin Fei failed to get a good chance to catch the ball. The defensive end was always chasing Hamilton to limit the opponent's catch and score to the maximum extent.
On the offensive end, Lin Fei reduced his interspersed movements and chose to squat more on the outside to help his teammates open up space while also trying to save energy and wait for opportunities.
Fortunately, both the Wolf King and the "Madman" were in good condition in the final quarter, taking on most of the team's offensive responsibilities, and their shooting percentage also rebounded.
Although the Pistons tenaciously set off another wave of point-chasing frenzy, with Billups, Hamilton and Rasheed scoring jumpers after each other's pick-and-roll screens,
Once hit a 7:2 chasing point climax, chasing the point difference to only 3 points.
But after the Timberwolves came back from a long timeout, the Wolf King stood up at a critical moment and singled Rasheed Wallace for two consecutive rounds. The Jagged Big Jumper made all 2 shots and scored 4 points.
Immediately afterwards, the "Madman" made a wall-to-wall cooperation with the Wolf King on the offensive end. He cut to the basket and then returned the pass, facing Ben's defense and hitting the basket with difficulty.
"Shh!"
"Madman" scored two points against Big Ben, which added great momentum to the Timberwolves at home, and the team's lead returned to 8 points.
At this time, on the timer, there were only 3 minutes and 02 seconds left before the end of the final quarter.
Time is running out for the Pistons.