Vol 3 Chapter 267: Old bull

One minute can change a night’s effort, even a season’s effort. In the third game of the Thunder and Timberwolves series, the meaning of this sentence was vividly portrayed.
At the critical moment, An Luo's 3+1 directly smashed Timberwolves' hopes. They led their opponents forty-seven minutes this night. But in the last minute, it was reversed.
No one blames Butler for making mistakes in that defense. He has done well enough. In 40 minutes, he scored 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. He has given everything for this game! But Thunder is too strong! They have been clinging to the score under the Timberwolves' runaway state, laying the foundation for the final reversal.
In the following dozens of seconds, the Timberwolves launched a dying foul tactic. But nothing can be changed. The Thunder made 6 of 6 free throws, which was more desperate than that 3+1.
After the game, Donovan was very happy. However, he still sincerely affirmed the Timberwolves' performance in this game. He felt that winning in the end was all luck. The two sides have achieved the ultimate on both offense and defense, and no problems can be found. Thibodeau, who is also the head coach, has a very difficult face. Although he also praised the performance of the Thunder team up and down, but the helplessness and frustration in his words was beyond words.
"We don't have a player like this. At the critical moment, we can only play to the basket more conservatively! The players performed very well and have always been positive on the court. But they performed better!"
This opposite sentiment is more pronounced in both players. Except for Butler, both Towns and Wiggins showed no fighting spirit. But when the reporter asked Butler if he would be swept by the Thunder, his voice was very cold: "I don't think we have the power to fight back. In fact, we have a great chance of winning this game. . Next time, nothing like this will happen."
And An Luo's answer turned out to be the same as Butler. But that meaning is a thousand miles away!
"The next game, we won't let the things happen again tonight. I promise that when we meet again next time, I'm already preparing to go back to Oklahoma to rest!"
After winning the battle, the Thunder tied the score to 3:0. For this series, it can basically be declared that the Thunder have won. You know before this season, there were 129 3:0 series in NBA history. Without exception, all the leading teams eventually advanced.
Of course, if you add this season, it will take a few more times. In several series in the Western Conference, the Rockets and Spurs, Warriors and Jazz all played 2:1. This is not surprising. The Spurs and Jazz should not be able to beat their opponents, but they will not lose too ugly. But the Blazers and Pelicans are a bit surprising. You know, before the start of the playoffs, this series has always been the most uncertain. From the perspective of regular season rankings, the Trail Blazers and Pelicans are ranked fourth and fifth, almost equal; from the perspective of the lineup, although the Blazers have a strong backcourt, the Pelicans Davis and Holiday are in the same position. Besides, it is not bad. Everyone has been expecting to see seven games, but they didn't expect the Pelicans to play three games in a row.
On April 23, at Target Center Arena, the fourth playoff game between the Thunder and the Timberwolves began.
Unexpectedly, the situation in the first half of this game was exactly the same as the previous one. However, the scene of this game is different from the previous one. The Timberwolves just returned to the home court last game, with a strong momentum. The players sighed and played very hard. But under toughness, it is inevitable to be a little rush. Although it made the Thunder very uncomfortable on the defensive end, his offense was not smooth. In this game, although the Timberwolves were still tough, the suffocated breath died down. Perhaps, after knowing the ending, they can let go. So Towns and Wiggins performed very well in a game. Under Butler's leadership, the Timberwolves won another half-time victory.
In the third quarter, the Thunder took off! It's like a lion awake. The audience at the scene can enjoy it! Although the Timberwolves are the home team, it is a pity that the Thunder are too strong. It was too big for them to boo.
As soon as the third quarter came up, Paul George took the lead to challenge. Although the Thunder had the upper hand in this series, Paul George was very mediocre. In the first three games, with the exception of the defensive end, he averaged less than 20 points per game, which was actually less than Westbrook. Not to mention An Luo!
In fact, Paul George himself was aggrieved! The media and fans did not make irresponsible remarks about these things. Therefore, in this game, Paul George broke out~EbookFREE.me~ He first pulled up directly under the cover of Adams and hit a three-pointer. Then he rushed to the rim again, carrying Towns to make a layup. It also includes two 2+1s. These two 2+1s were all made to Towns's head, so that he was fouled 4 times and could only be viewed from the bench.
With a Towns missing from the basket, the Timberwolves' defense has dropped to a new level. Westbrook followed and started rushing. In the first half of the third quarter, the Thunder scored at the basket except for Paul George's two three-pointers.
After Thibodeau called a timeout, he shrank his defense a bit. He wanted to limit the Thunder's unbridled inside attack. In fact, he did succeed. But his opponent is the Thunder, and there is one who has the most stable score and An Luo did not participate!
Of course, Thibodeau is not to blame. With these cards in his hand, he can't play any tricks!
However, the Timberwolves did not vent in the third quarter like the second game. And it was two old Bulls who helped the Timberwolves bite the score: Butler and Rose. One of these two is tough and the other determined. Become the core of the Timberwolves defensive and offensive end.
Butler even broke his head in a defense in the third quarter. And Rose's outburst made people cry. In recent years, Rose is no longer like the youngest regular season MVP that year. Wandering around, hurt and good, good and hurt. Repeatedly, exhausted. Joining the Timberwolves at the last moment of this season, under the command of old coach Xibodu, do not know where to go next season.
However, these two people can barely stabilize the situation. If a healthy Rose teamed up with Butler and Downs, he would naturally not be afraid of the Thunder. But now, he can only do that!