RNP Chapter 26 Garnett in a daze
Chapter 26 Garnett in a daze
The Lakers' offense ended with Rice's jump shot, but the ball bounced off the rim and missed.
Garnett immediately went to help his teammates deal with O'Neal under the basket, but even so, O'Neal still touched the ball first and completed the putback.
But under double-team pressure, O'Neal missed the putback!
But then, Lin Ze arrived on the other side of the basket!
He caught the basketball in mid-air with both hands and then slammed it into the rim!
"boom!"
Lin Ze made a successful putback, securing two pairs!
"Tonight was truly Lin's career night!" Wilmarcus exclaimed immediately. "He had the most brilliant night of his career against Garnett! His first 30 points, and also his first 30+10 game! Plus, his five offensive rebounds broke his career high!"
"There are still more than seven minutes left in the game!" Smith added. "Lin is definitely going to break more records tonight than just this! Let's keep watching!"
"Positioning, high schooler!" After the putback, Lin Ze continued to yell at Garnett, "You make almost 2000 million a year, and you don't even know the most basic positioning? Why don't you go back to college now! Not to play games, but just to learn the most basic basketball knowledge."
Garnett felt waves of adrenaline rushing to his head.
In the next possession, he abandoned his high post position and moved to the low post.
This is not Garnett's preferred offensive area, and he has never liked physical, head-to-head attacks.
But he was furious!
He also knew that his shooting touch was terrible tonight.
So he went to the low post, backed down with the ball, raised his elbow and rammed into Lin Ze!
Bang! Bang!
Lin Ze was struck twice in quick succession, taking two hard blows to the chest, but he still stood firm and remained unmoved!
Garnett wasn't known for his strength, and Lin Ze had trained hard in both strength and defense, so it was perfectly normal that Garnett couldn't overpower him.
Left with no other option, Garnett had to resort to his signature move again. After dribbling once, he suddenly flipped over and pulled up, attempting to end the attack with a jump shot.
This is also what has always been a point of criticism against him.
They lack a reliable offensive weapon and a unique offensive skill that no one can defend against.
His over-reliance on jump shot makes him unsuitable to carry the team's offense as the main scorer. He needs teammates who can score aggressively to share the pressure and take on the responsibility of breaking through defenses.
"Snapped!"
Lin Ze, who had anticipated that Garnett would turn around and shoot after he couldn't keep up with him, calculated the timing perfectly and arrived in time, successfully making the prediction!
He slapped Garnett's jump shot away!
"Wow!" Wilmarcus no longer held back, yelling wildly, "Asian rookie gets a bloody block on the King of Minnesota! This shot is definitely going to be in the top ten of the week!"
"And that leads to the rest!" Smith continued, "The Lakers launch a counterattack! Kobe, dribbling and driving, no chance, hold on! Pass to Rice, Rice passes to Harper! Harper passes to Lin! Left corner, Lin dribbles and faces Garnett!"
As soon as Lin Ze received the ball, Garnett rushed over, but Lin Ze was not going to give Garnett any chance to get his footing. After receiving the ball, he immediately raised it and faked, causing Garnett to lose his balance and jump.
Then, he lowered his center of gravity, bent over, and tried to force his way past Garnett.
Just as Lin Ze was about to completely wipe Garnett out, Garnett, who had lost his balance, suddenly grabbed Lin Ze's shoulder in mid-air and pressed his other hand against Lin Ze's neck.
This dog is dirty! If it presses down hard, Lin Ze could get hurt!
Lin Ze had played basketball with Rodman, Jordan, and others on the Bulls for two years; he wasn't some naive newcomer.
Sensing Garnett's malice, Lin Ze ignored it and thrust his shoulder to the side, aiming a powerful blow at Garnett's lower body.
Then, Lin Ze didn't forget to get up and throw the basketball, tossing it casually with a flick of his wrist, shouting, "AND ONE!"
Garnett, who was already weightless, completely lost his balance, fell headfirst, and flew out of bounds. His big head slammed heavily onto the floor, where he lay motionless for a long time.
Lin Ze, like him, lay motionless on the floor.
Most of the fans at the Target Center didn't know what had happened. All they knew was that their hero had fallen, so a deafening chorus of boos erupted as they demanded an explanation from Lin Ze!
The referees quickly arrived at the scene, first separating the players to stabilize the situation, and then went to the technical table to review the replay to see what exactly happened in this round.
As the slow-motion replay began on the big screen, the boos and curses from the audience gradually disappeared.
Fans saw that Garnett committed a malicious foul first, while Lin Ze's action was merely a reactive move that was unclear whether it was intentional or not.
At the same time, fans began to worry that this play could clearly have resulted in a flagrant foul on Garnett! If it were a flagrant foul, combined with the previous technical foul, Garnett would be ejected immediately!
The fans are on edge!
As long as Garnett is there, there's still hope for the game, but if Garnett gets sent off...
The referees quickly discussed and studied the matter, and soon the three reached a consensus.
This is the target center, in Minnesota, and the referees gave the Timberwolves a way out.
A common foul! They gave Lin Ze two free throws, and although Garnett had his fourth foul, he was still able to stay on the court.
"I'll remember this!" Lin Ze stepped to the free-throw line, glaring at Garnett. "You bastard, I'll show you that not leaving the court isn't a good thing for you!"
"We'll see!" Garnett retorted, but now everyone could see that he was all bark and no bite.
He wasn't really tough to begin with, and Lin Ze's action just now proved that he really dared to cripple him. Garnett's anger had gradually turned into a sense of unease.
With Lin Ze making the free throw, the Timberwolves returned to the frontcourt. Lin Ze, now a complete bully, yelled at Garnett, "Come on, you son of a bitch! Come on, come inside! You want to cripple me? Come on inside, let's see who walks out of the arena standing up! Come on!"
Garnett didn't go.
He received the ball at the high post, then pulled up for a jump shot, but missed again.
"Garnett's finished!" Wilmarcus concluded. "At least tonight, Garnett was completely dominated by Lin! An incredibly humiliating game!"
"Perhaps we've all underestimated Lin?" Smith followed up. "He's not just a finish line; he actually has much more potential and greater room for growth?"