One Guard

Early the next morning after the game against the Pelicans, Yiyang drove his "road tank" to the American Airlines Center Arena. The Mavericks players must first meet at the arena, then go to the airport together, and finally take Cuban's private jet to Minnesota.

Before this season, Yiyang was the earliest person to arrive every day for seven and a half consecutive years. But this record was broken this season. When Yiyang opened the door to the locker room, Kuzma was already helping to clean up the benches in the locker room.

"Kuz, why are you here so early? What time did you practice yesterday?"

"I'll go back after you leave for a while, hehe."

"What time is that?"

"Eleven o'clock."

Yiyang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He left at ten o'clock in the evening. After he left, Kuzma actually practiced for an hour! After a tired night, Kuzma can still come so early today. Now Yiyang finally knows why Kidd and the others were so surprised by his efforts. Because now Yiyang is equally surprised by what Kuzma did.

"Continue to push yourself, focus on the most important things, and then put the focus of your life in the training gym... This has been the case for Yi's entire career, and I will do the same."

This was something Kuzma said in an interview with Mu Ran. Yiyang didn't pay much attention to it at the time. But now it seems that Kuzma is really acting on this goal.

A training freak like yourself? What fun. This summer league MVP is really not something to be denied.

"Do you want to try out your training tonight?"

"Of course I do! But..."

"Well, today you will either face Ty Gibson or Andrew Wiggins. These two guys are not easy to mess with. If your luck is even worse, the boss may even let you face Towns. . But it doesn’t matter, you still have a chance to show yourself, do you want to hear my opinion?”

"Of course!" Kuzma excitedly came to Yiyang's side. Kuzma would follow any suggestion Yiyang gave him!

After all, sitting next to him is the greatest star in the world!

"Don't force yourself to shoot some difficult shots. I think every shot I make is very safe. If you force the shot, you will struggle with your current ability."

Yiyang's words are very simple. This is what almost every coach will say to his players. But when these words came out of Yiyang's mouth, Kuzma thought very seriously.

Yiyang knows very well that whether he is facing Wiggins or Gibson today, Kuzma will not get too many open opportunities. But the more this happens, the more patience Kuzma needs. As one of the best defenders in the league, Yiyang knows it. If you can get your offensive players to get impatient, your defense will get twice the result with half the effort.

"Well, I will finish my job!" Kuzma nodded vigorously, then picked up Yiyang's luggage and carried it to the team bus. After all, it is one of Kuzma's jobs to carry the luggage for the big brothers in the team...

※※※

The Target Center was extremely lively at eight o'clock in the evening, and the temperature in Minnesota was already very low in November. But around the center of the target, all you can feel is endless frenzy!

Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns, this summer, the Timberwolves finally have their own Big Three. For a team that has missed the playoffs for 14 years, this lineup undoubtedly makes fans extremely happy. The Timberwolves can finally get rid of the label of fish belly!

Facts have proved that the arrival of Jimmy Butler, who is eager to win, has indeed injected new strength into the Timberwolves and brought a winning culture. The new season started with 5 wins and 3 losses. This kind of results can be described as a dream for the Timberwolves.

The Mavericks' 10-0 start is just an exception, and you can't ask all teams to be as exaggerated as them. The Timberwolves' 5-3 start is already very good.

And in the last three games,

The Timberwolves have just won three consecutive games. This indicates that this team has begun to get on the right track and they will become one of the forces that cannot be ignored in the West. It took the Timberwolves a full 14 years from being No. 1 in the Western Conference to now having a chance to enter the playoffs, and it's time to see results.

There is no doubt that this team, which has finally transformed from the Huskies into the Timberwolves, is considered to be the hope of breaking the Mavericks' undefeated streak. You know, the Timberwolves' paper lineup is extremely strong. In addition to the "Big Three", there are also powerful players such as Jeff Teague, Ty Gibson and Jamal Crawford. Coupled with Tom Thibodeau's coaching, the Timberwolves are definitely likely to make great achievements this season.

On paper, the Timberwolves won't lose to any team. But basketball is not a simple game on paper. Although it is a back-to-back game, all members of the Mavericks do not want their winning streak to end.

Maybe everyone in the Timberwolves doesn’t know that winning can be addictive!

During the warm-up before today's game, Kuzma's shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line made Yiyang delighted. Although the actual game and warm-up conditions are completely different, you will receive strong interference during the game. But at least today, Kuzma's feel is no problem. Kuzma achieved immediate results through serious training last night.

That's what happens with three-point shots, even Curry has his hands on ice sometimes. But as long as you practice a lot, the frequency of hot hands is definitely much higher than the frequency of cold hands!

Although Kuzma was not as lucky as Mitchell, he secured his starting position early. But this guy is still working hard, waiting for an opportunity that belongs to him. Yiyang believes that when the opportunity comes, Kuzma will definitely be able to seize it!

Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. This sentence sounds very tacky, but it is the truth!

After the game starts, the referee signals the starters of both teams to prepare at designated positions. Today, Nowitzki returned to the starting lineup. The reason is simple, Carlisle is afraid that Guy can't handle Gibson.

Gibson has been a surprise player under Thibodeau since he was with the Bulls. This guy may not have Embiid's dominance in the penalty area, Green's organization, or particularly accurate three-pointers. But the strange thing about Gibson is that he knows a little bit of everything!

Low post attack? Can fight. Pulling up to the three-point line and shooting? There is a threat. Defense and rebounding? He's also motivated enough to handle it. As an auxiliary role player, Gibson's snake oil attributes are exactly the capital that allows him to survive in the league.

Although Gay is active in defense, facing an insider like Gibson, it is better to have a serious inside player to contain him.

The referee blew the whistle and the Mavericks fought for the ball first. However, when the game started, it was not Butler, Towns or Yiyang who lit up the center of the target, but Ty Gibson!

Hayward received a pass from Yiyang and entered the penalty area for a layup. Due to Jimmy Butler's desperate delay, Hayward's speed was affected. Taking advantage of this delayed opportunity, Gibson strode forward and jumped, successfully blocking Hayward's layup!

Teague quickly picked up the basketball and immediately launched a counterattack. He accurately delivered the ball to Wiggins with a long pass. Wiggins ran quickly and dunked the basketball before the Mavericks could return to defense.

"Monster dunk! The Timberwolves are very impressive, scoring two points right from the start!" The commentators all applauded the Timberwolves for their activeness, breaking the Mavericks' undefeated streak, and the Huskies... no , maybe the Timberwolves can really do it!

Hayward was a little too careless. He didn't expect Gibson, who is only 2.06 meters tall, to have such a strong air defense ability. Gibson's athletic ability has always been underestimated. He just doesn't rely on athletic ability to play, but this does not mean that Gibson's athletic ability is not good. Just like Hayward, isn't his athletic ability also underestimated because of his skin color?

The iron-blooded defense Thibodeau brought to the Timberwolves is not so easy to crack.

In the Mavericks' second attack, Yiyang took the screen and broke through Teague, and Towns switched defense to Yiyang.

Towns is different from other big men. Although he is a center, he is not slow. It is not easy for Yiyang to defeat him alone.

But in fact, Yiyang had no intention of playing singles with Towns at all. After he got the ball, he threw the ball into the air casually. Gobert, who was freed from the constraints of Towns, easily caught the basketball with both hands and dunked it, and was furious. cake.

Once an insider like Gobert meets a defender like Yiyang who can pass the ball, it will be very easy to score. Look at Capela, the "Cake King" of the Rockets, playing under Paul and Harden. Isn't Capela also playing well?

2 to 2, both sides returned to the same starting line. On the next offense, Towns turned over and made a jumper over Gobert. Just when everyone thought the Mavericks were about to take the lead, the active Gibson overpowered Dirk and snatched the offensive rebound!

Dirk, who is nearly 40 years old, is really bullied by others now. This guy's bounce of tens of centimeters has no way to effectively protect the rebound.

After Gibson grabbed the rebound, he immediately jumped to attack the basket twice and put the ball in. The Mavericks lost two consecutive points, all caused by Gibson, a role player!

A few rounds later, the Mavericks tied the score again with Yiyang's three-pointer. This game was more anxious than Carlisle imagined, not because of the performance of the Timberwolves' "Big Three", but because Gibson used his enthusiasm to destroy the Mavericks' good opportunities time and time again. Defending him was far more difficult than Carlisle expected.

In the fifth minute of the first quarter, Jeff Teague used Gibson's cover to break through. Yiyang quickly bypassed the pick-and-roll, and Gibson withdrew to the bottom corner. This ball was not blocked by Yiyang, so there was no delay in switching positions. Logically speaking, Gibson should have no chance.

But this guy was stunned to get into position quickly with his faster steps. Before Dirk could rejoin him, he received Teague's breakthrough pass and fired from the bottom corner. The basketball passed through the net and the Timberwolves regained the lead by 3 points. !

"Timeout, timeout!" Carlisle stopped the game, although the 3-point gap was not big. But it was not normal to be suppressed by the Timberwolves after five minutes of the game.

Gibson, it would be outrageous if the Mavericks were passive because of just Gibson! But the fact now is that the Mavericks' lineup really has no good way to take Gibson.

Dirk must have lost his defense. Look at old Dirk's panting appearance. The tracks of the "German tank" are already rusty, and he can no longer defend as actively as before. What about Guy? If Gay is replaced, Gibson will definitely hit the inside hard! If Gobert dares to cover up, Towns will have a chance! Therefore, without Gobert's protection, asking Gay to defend a pure power forward with rich offensive methods is tantamount to suicide.

"Kyle! Come here, I need you to come on and play the fourth position!" Finally, Carlisle called Kuzma. Yiyang smiled slightly, no, the opportunity has come!