Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 427 Leading Myself Out of the Encirclement

Inside, Garnett and Nowitzki collided.

Garnett turned his back to Nowitzki.

Nowitzki's defensive ability is actually decent, but he still can't stop Garnett.

Garnett pushed the ball up the post in the low post, and in that instant, using his agility, he immediately turned towards the baseline and made a layup.

This style of play is typical of an inside center, very tough.

As a veteran of the Million Dollar Training Camp, having experienced two Million Dollar Training Camps, Garnett has virtually no weaknesses inside the three-point line.

It's a true inside game weapon.

With such a terrible roster, the Wolves' ability to win the division title this season was entirely due to him.

He averaged 27.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game in the regular season. It can be said that he is as well-rounded as Yao Ming.

Don Nelson didn't expect Nowitzki to be able to stop Garnett.

What he wants is an unreasonable attack; for every one you score, I will return the favor.

Even if you don't score, I can still score, completely overwhelming the Wolves in terms of momentum.

Nowitzki, in the low post, uses his power to attack from the side.

He might not have enough strength to face O'Neal or Yao Ming, but he would definitely have enough strength against Garnett.

After creating a sliver of space, he took a step back with his left foot, jumped up, lifted his right leg, and leaned back to throw his hand.

This is also the basic fighting style he practiced the most in the training camp.

With his height, his backward lean, and the increased arc of the basketball when he gets close to the basket, makes him really hard to defend.

When playing against Yao Ming during the season, Nowitzki often took similar shots.

Even Yao Ming had a hard time blocking him, let alone Garnett.

In a flash, it went in again.

With his soft touch and hard-earned core, Nowitzki's fadeaway jumper is truly deadly, allowing his upper body to maintain incredible stability.

Garnett clenched his fist in frustration.

At the training camp, he learned about Nowitzki and how Nowitzki trained with Townsend.

But it's very difficult to defend against.

It felt like it had reached the point where no one else could help; it all depended on his own feel for the game.

The score remained close.

Although it was the Timberwolves' home court, the Mavericks' momentum was slowly overshadowing the Timberwolves as Nowitzki made one unreasonable shot after another.

Others dared to vote.

Antoine Walker was riddled with flaws, shooting wildly and getting stabbed by everyone on defense.

But he's an emotional player; when he gets into a rhythm, he can make any shot.

Ideally, the opponent should be weak, and it would be best if someone could help him draw the defense away.

Therefore, this season, after Nowitzki took over the number five position and their positions no longer overlapped, he played quite well.

He's still averaging 19 points per game, but his efficiency has improved significantly.

Seeing Nowitzki firing away frequently, he also started to compete, reaching out for the ball a meter beyond the three-point line.

After catching the ball, he pulled it up and threw it before Eddie Griffin could pounce on him.

If you dare to invest, you dare to succeed.

And they come in several at a time.

A pull-up jumper after a breakthrough, a three-pointer from the corner.

They scored 8 points in a row, helping the Mavericks force the Timberwolves to call a timeout.

Don Nelson gave high-fives to the starting players with satisfaction, and finally hugged Nowitzki.

He didn't specifically ask Nowitzki to do anything, but Nowitzki did as he was told.

In just over 7 minutes of play, he has made 6 of 8 shots and scored a whopping 12 points, an unstoppable and terrifying performance.

Upon returning from the suspension, Sanders failed to offer any effective adjustments.

The Mavericks' strategy is too simple; they rely entirely on Nowitzki's relentless attacks.

With this kind of play, the only thing you can do is double-team.

The problem is that Nowitzki also likes to roam at high positions.

With double-teams at the high post, the paint was wide open, and Josh Howard and Tony Delk were quite effective at driving to the basket.

Sanders, dressed in a suit, paced restlessly on the sidelines as the first quarter ended, with the Mavericks leading 33-28 by 5 points.

Garnett scored 11 points efficiently in the first quarter, and Szczerbiak added 9 points; both were decent performances.

But they were already behind in the score.

Nowitzki on the other side was on fire with an explosive offensive performance.

He scored a total of 17 points in the first 11 minutes of the game.

He scored half of the team's points.

Both teams had mediocre starting lineups and terrible benches. After a few minutes of this back-and-forth, the Mavericks sent their starters back to the bench.

Nowitzki took the ball as soon as he entered the game and immediately went for it, sinking a three-pointer.

Sanders' attention was entirely focused on Nowitzki, his mind racing with thoughts of double-teaming versus not double-teaming him.

With the score difference reaching 8 points and heading towards 10 points, they still opted for a double-team.

Double-teaming is ultimately useful, but it inflicts heavy damage on both sides.

Even if Walker is bad, he's still a star player who gets a max contract.

In response, the Mavericks opted for more help defense in the paint, double-teaming Garnett.

Halftime score: 59-55.

Wolves have narrowed the gap and are now only 4 points behind.

But Sanders' brow remained furrowed.

The German machine on the other side has already scored 28 points in the first half.

28 points!

This offensive firepower made Sanders' liver tremble.

Inside the away team's locker room.

Old Nelson was very satisfied with the team's performance in the first half. He pulled all the players aside and reminded them to stay calm.

Don't be intimidated by Wolves' comeback. Maintain your current form and wait for the final decisive moment...

He looked at Nowitzki.

During this year's regular season, the Mavericks actually won many games only in the final moments.

It all comes down to Nowitzki's unstoppable shooting.

Imagine having a player who consistently makes difficult shots in the final two minutes; that would be devastating to the opponent's confidence.

With a single glance, Nowitzki said nothing and made no reaction, but everything was understood without words.

So this season, Nowitzki has a sense of loneliness.

Especially in the final moments of the game, no one can help you; you can only rely on yourself.

But deep down, Nowitzki actually enjoyed this feeling.

Doesn't she always say she's weak?

Doesn't he always say he can't lead the team to victory?
In those final moments, when no one else on the team stepped up, he stepped up and won the game.

One game, two games, many games.

This constant accumulation of confidence gave Nowitzki the ability to disregard all difficulties.

Therefore, by that time, Nowitzki always trusted his shooting.

Townsend's training camp is over, but throughout the regular season, Nowitzki never slacked off, practicing shooting like crazy whenever he had time.

In Tang Sen's words, basketball is ultimately a shooting sport.

At halftime, the Wolves were still chasing the score. Garnett scored 10 points in the quarter.

He scored 18 points in the first half and could potentially reach 40 points by the end of the game.

But old Nelson felt it wasn't enough.

He still believes Garnett played too rationally, always looking out for his teammates and trying to be a perfect leader, leading them to victory.

So he would constantly try to grab rebounds, set screens for his teammates, help defend, and pass the ball.

But human energy is ultimately limited.

Nowitzki's defense was poor today, and he scored a lot of points with high efficiency.

But he's not like Nowitzki, who, when you look at the statistics, scores a ton of points but has no rebounds, assists, or blocks.

Old Nelson really felt that Nowitzki was taking offense to an extreme, to an unreasonable degree.

This irrationality was enough to lead the team out of the encirclement.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 84-83.

Wolves have almost equalized.

Nowitzki has already scored 39 points in three quarters.

Both teams focused on offense and scored high points, but their stamina was considerable. In the fourth quarter, the offense became evenly matched again.

To Sanders' relief, as the game was nearing its end, Wolves not only took the lead but also gradually extended it.

He believed that the defense played a crucial role.

Garnett truly carried the team's defense single-handedly, providing various forms of help defense and holding off the Mavericks' offense.

Sanders' gaze followed Nowitzki.

He had to admit that Nowitzki's attack was incredibly fierce.

But as I said before, defense wins championships.

In crucial moments, when your shooting touch cools down, you still have to rely on defense.

Sanders believes that this is precisely where Garnett is stronger than Nowitzki—a true all-rounder on both offense and defense.

With less than two minutes remaining, the Wolves led 104-108, a four-point advantage.

Don Nelson called a timeout to give Nowitzki a breather.

He has already scored 46 points.

It was won despite Wolves' targeted defense.

Nowitzki sat silently, sipping his energy drink, and that familiar feeling of loneliness returned.

He knew in his heart that it was time.

No one can help you; only your own hands can carry you to victory.

The timeout ended, and Nowitzki took a deep breath and walked onto the court.

The Mavericks are on offense.

This attack was crucial. Garnett, who had already scored 37 points, was also covered in sweat, staring intently at Nowitzki.

Delk is pressuring the attack.

With five seconds left, Nowitzki launched.

Garnett was always by his side.

The ball has been passed over, and there's very little time left for the attack.

After receiving the ball, Nowitzki barely had time to adjust before pulling up and throwing it.

I still leaned back a bit as usual.

Garnett defended to the extreme, his finger almost poking Nowitzki's eye.

But it didn't work.

The basketball, as if equipped with precision guidance, plunged headfirst into the hoop.

The point difference has reached 2 points.

Old Nelson stood on the sidelines, yelling about defense.

Once you've contained the opponent, you don't need to worry about the offense; leave it to Nowitzki.

Garnett was double-teamed in the paint, but Nowitzki held his ground.

In the final moments, Garnett chose to pass the ball.

Szczerbiak pulled up for a jump shot, and Josh Howard stretched out his arm.

With a thud, the basketball bounced off the rim.

Nowitzki leaped and grabbed the rebound, with less than a minute remaining in the game.

Don Nelson didn't call a timeout.

Nowitzki coldly ran across the halfway line.

The ball was constantly being passed around, and time was still being reduced.

With 7 seconds left, Nowitzki circled out and received the ball near the three-point line at the top of the arc.

Garnett's heart pounded; he hadn't completely lost his position.

But at the moment he leaped up, he saw Nowitzki's face, as firm as a rock.

Even a three-pointer had a slight backward lean.

Garnett landed and quickly turned his head, just in time to see a scene that made his heart stop.

The basketball goes hollow into the net.

The target center was deathly silent.

In the final moments, Nowitzki hit a difficult three-pointer to give the team the lead.

Both sides should have one more attack and defense round.

Sanders called a timeout, a tense moment that urged Garnett to be decisive and make sure to score.

He scored, and with his defense, he believed it was enough to seal the victory against the Mavericks.

It's time to see the bayonets.

As the entire stadium held its breath, Garnett received the ball in the low post, faked left and right, and then turned and shot a jump shot.

It goes in.

Instantly, the center of the target erupted in chaos.

Garnett pounded his chest and roared to the sky like a wolf king.

With 14 seconds left, the Mavericks have one last attack.

Half-court serve.

Sanders was convinced it was Nowitzki.

But when Nowitzki was double-teamed and Walker was open, and Finley made a move to pass to Walker, Griffin, who was double-teaming him, instinctively turned around and lunged forward.

In that instant, Nowitzki ran out and got space to receive the ball.

Finley decisively passed the ball over.

There are 3 seconds left on the attack timer.

Nowitzki caught the ball and immediately launched a turnaround fadeaway jumper.

Garnett was not out of position; this was an extremely difficult play.

But the basketball still coldly sank into the basket.

Time reset to zero, and the target center instantly became as silent as a tomb.

Garnett looked ashen-faced.

With less than two minutes remaining, Nowitzki made all three of his shots, scoring 7 consecutive points, for a total of 53 points, sealing the victory against the Timberwolves.

Those two minutes seemed to break the Wolves' spine, leaving all the players looking bewildered.

(End of this chapter)