ATPnovel Chapter 488
Chapter 488
Chapter 488
The Nuggets played a high level for the Timberwolves outside in the first half, and fell behind by 2 points in the first half. Xiang Chu rarely lost his temper in the locker room.
George Karl is also very angry, Kevin Martin is old, and the Nuggets shouldn't let him score like that.
As for those young men with excellent physical fitness, as long as the team defends in place, they will not have much chance.
After playing in the third quarter, the mental outlook of the Nuggets was completely different. At least Middleton completely locked Martin.
In fact, the two strong points of the Timberwolves are the double champions, Towns and Wiggins, and the Nuggets really didn't pay enough attention to Martin in the first half.
Now that the Nuggets have strengthened their defense and Towns is watched by Xiang Chu again, it can only be played by Wiggins.
Gallinari's defense is not bad, but Wiggins can still find some opportunities by relying on it.
But that's all, the Timberwolves can play against Wiggins in the third quarter.
The Nuggets showed their power both inside and outside, and extended their lead to double digits after overtaking the score.
While Xiang Chu scored in double figures, the team also hit 7 three-pointers. The Nuggets, whose offensive ability was fully displayed, exploded like this.
Timberwolves head coach Mitchell was a little confused, he played well in the first half, what's wrong now.
George Karl nodded slightly on the sidelines, secretly thinking that these young people still have to scold them.
If the Nuggets are so strong, the Timberwolves will not be able to play well. You must know that they are not good at three-pointers from the outside, and chasing points is not their strong point.
The Nuggets played very easily in the last quarter, especially after Xiang Chu came up. The team won the game without any surprises.
After the game, Timberwolves head coach Mitchell also lamented that the Nuggets' second-round pick was more talented than their No. [-] pick.
More than a month after the start of the new season, the status of each team has become more or less clear.
The Nuggets have a small winning streak, and the team's new lineup has stabilized.
The team will basically not seek a deal anymore, and now they are only waiting for Nurkic to come back, but this buddy is in a bad condition, and now he is being treated conservatively, but he has not been fully reimbursed.
In fact, their bench is still a bit weak. Jeremy Lin, the sixth man, actually plays with the main lineup most of the time, but it's not bad.
"Three consecutive championships, I didn't expect that the season has not started for a long time, and I am a little worried about gains and losses." George Karl sighed.
As an old coach, he would not have such emotions logically, but who doesn't want to have a good time.
The championship is a hurdle, defending the title is a big hurdle, and three consecutive championships is an epic level of difficulty.
It doesn't mean that a strong team will definitely win, and there are many accidents in the professional league, so there are not many teams that have achieved three consecutive championships.
"If there is an opportunity, of course we must strive for it." Xiang Chu was more calm.
His career has been much smoother than that of George Karl, and he has been getting stronger all the time, so he is naturally full of confidence.
"Don't worry, coach, I am confident that everything will be done. What we have to do is to make the team more united, more positive, and more eager to win."
If the team's injuries are well controlled, and there are no other factors to hold them back, Xiang Chu feels that they still have a great chance.
Now the league is full of heroes, but there are not many really strong teams.
Their previous three-peat championship team was the Lakers, the OK combination of double superstars, but now the league does not have this configuration.
The Cavaliers are known as the Big Three, but in fact there is only one superstar. The gap between the general All-Star players and the quasi-All-Stars is not that big.
Of course, other teams are also possible, it's just a matter of probability.
In the Nuggets, Xiang Chu is the absolute core. Veteran player Gallinari and Middleton who just got a big contract also admire him. He has a good relationship with George Karl, and tactics can be discussed, so the team is actually better than many opponents. Saved a lot of trouble.
After a few days of training in Denver, the team's tactics have become more organized.
On December 12, the Rockets came to the Pepsi Center to challenge them.
The Rockets started this season very poorly. Harden has become stronger every season, but the Rockets have not kept up.
Howard's strength has declined, Ty Lawson's deal has been proven wrong, and the scapegoat McHale has also been laid off, but their problems have not been resolved.
The Rockets' offense has not deteriorated this season, but their defense is even more messy.
There must be problems within the team, and most players in the defense are not active.
As far as the Rockets' personnel are concerned, in fact, they still have the strength to fight in the West. It depends on whether the team can change over.
They have now replaced the No. 3 position with Beverly. Facts have proved that Beverly's [-]D No. [-] position is more suitable for Harden. Of course, their weakest No. [-] position can't be helped.
The Nuggets also used to be short at the [-]th position. Now they are playing the Twin Towers, and they have David West on the bench.
The current style of play of the Nuggets does not require a strong first position, so Jeremy Lin is fine as a substitute.
The Nuggets have played against the Rockets twice before, and this time the opponent is also full of energy and intends to find their way back.
But the Rockets' start was a mess, with no bright spots in either offense or defense.
Rockets acting coach Bickerstaff was also annoyed, changing players one after another within 4 minutes of the start of the game.
The Rockets' rotation players still played well, with Motiejunas, Thornton and Brewer all hitting three-pointers.
But in this case, the Nuggets still led by double digits in the first quarter.
The shortcomings of the Rockets are obvious. On the offensive end, they like to throw three-pointers randomly, and their defense is not good. If they don't feel good, they can only be hit by pressing.
The Rockets' poor performance also made the Nuggets a little careless. Harden played again and showed a strong offensive power, hitting 3 consecutive three-pointers, which was completely different from the first quarter.
The key is that the Nuggets' defensive players did not lose their position when Harden shot, which is entirely due to strength.
Harden may not be particularly stable, but his scoring ability is indeed amazing, and it is difficult to guard when he feels it. After all, he has a very good ability to create damage in addition to shooting and passing the ball.
It is not enough to deal with Harden's general flanking attack, and more targeted defense is required. Block the three-point line and let him in, but he is less threatening when he comes in.
Harden is now also one of the more powerful All-Star players, and he can catch a slight defensive loophole.
The Nuggets' defense did not keep up in time in the second quarter, which caused the Rockets to play an offensive climax and catch up with the score.
During the intermission, the outside players were also a little ashamed, and they all thought they were stable.
Every All-Star is not easy to mess with, especially the highly competitive Western Conference All-Stars.
The Nuggets emphasized the details during the halftime break, so there is no need to change their tactics. The Rockets have obvious advantages and disadvantages, and they have the ability to target each other.
(End of this chapter)