Set the time back ten minutes.
When Wayne and his good brothers defeated the Bulls at home and won three consecutive games, when people were discussing who was the best rookie in 2004 between Wayne and Okafor.
At the Target Center in Minneapolis, the Timberwolves, who ranked first in the Western Conference last season, handed the New Orleans Hornets, who resisted fiercely, two consecutive losses at the start of the season.
Last season's MVP Kevin Garnett also put up a brutal stats of 29 points and 15 rebounds when facing the muscular inside combination of Magloire and P.J. Brown.
And the hit rate is as high as 59.1%.
True MVP.
On the Hornets side, "Mickey Mouse" David Wesley and the first-generation bearded Baron Davis combined to score 42 points, but it was still of no avail.
Minnesota's "Wolf King" is leading his team to continue its push for the championship.
Well, at least it looks like that now.
As the Sharks moved east, the Lakers' F4 disintegrated.
So in the strength rankings before the start of the season, everyone agreed that the Timberwolves would continue to lead the Wild West.
In everyone's mind, the Timberwolves still have a lot to offer this season.
Garnett himself thinks so.
Therefore, when the game was over, a reporter who was not afraid of trouble conveyed to the "Wolf King" what O'Neal Jr. said yesterday, and the new MVP smiled disdainfully.
"Their combination can challenge most of the inside players in the league without losing? Hahahaha, this definitely does not include me. After two days, everyone will understand."
Garnett showed his full white teeth and was very confident.
As the MVP, he will not give in to such provocation.
A rookie + an All-Star want to challenge for MVP?
Those guys in the cornfield must have been drunk.
During this period, KG was always full of confidence when facing interviews with reporters.
"I don't really care about the definition of my position, after all, I am very comprehensive, which makes me different."
"I believe in my style of play. Even if I can't make it further with this style... I believe it is the only correct way."
If you look closely at what Garnett said in interviews during this period, it is not difficult to find the confidence revealed between the lines.
This regular season MVP is not afraid of any opponent, even the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference two days later.
Yes, two days later.
On November 9, the Pacers will face their first Western Conference opponent of the season at home - the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The matchup between last season's No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference and last season's No. 1 team in the Western Conference has already been booked for nationwide live broadcast.
What Garnett said to the reporters undoubtedly made this already highly anticipated matchup even more exciting.
He is openly refuting O'Neal, who was third in the MVP rankings last season!
By grasping this point, reporters can do whatever they want.
Before the game even started, the two main players at center position were already in a confrontation.
So at this moment, far away in that big cornfield, a player who was still in a daze was "dinged" by the system.
Why can’t I remember last season’s MVP?
Wayne only remembered that he was the Big 12 regular season MVP and Tony was the Big 12 tournament MVP…
Ahem, a hero never brags about his past achievements.
At this time, Ron Gangtai, my mortal enemy in the entire league, must be asked to help Wayne recall.
"Ron, you were sixth in the MVP rankings last season, right?" Wayne turned his head and came to Artest who was changing clothes.
"Tsk, let's not talk about things in the past anymore." Although A Tai said no, his expression suddenly became smug.
"Last season, I was just..."
"I still remember that Jermaine was third in the MVP rankings, right?" Before Artest finished speaking, Wayne's words made him go from being proud to having a black face.
"...Yeah, it seems so, who knows. Hey, why are you asking these questions?"
"Just curious, if you had to choose, who do you think should have been the MVP last season?"
Wayne thought Artest would give a decisive Yao-style answer: "Me!"
However, it was different from what Wayne expected.
After hearing this question, Artest looked at Xiao Ao who was sitting in front of the locker listening to music and was silent for a while.
"Last season? I think Jermaine should be the best player..." Rarely seen, Artest's expression turned serious.
"What!?" Wayne didn't expect Artest to answer like this. Shouldn't you two dislike each other?
After spending some time together with Artest and O'Neal, Wayne discovered that the relationship between the two was actually very complicated.
They did not completely fall out, and there was still a trace of trust and appreciation between them.
But too many factors destined them to not be friends.
Interpersonal relationships are really complicated.
"But you know, I don't have the final say. In the end, they let the guy in Minnesota take the MVP trophy.
Jermaine, that bastard, is always a little bit off in everything he does. That's just how he is. That's just how he is! Just a little bit off, always a little bit off..."
Artest muttered in dissatisfaction, and Wayne got the answer he wanted.
Yes, I actually forgot about the Iron-Blooded Hard One.
Mistakes, mistakes.
No wonder this task came suddenly and inexplicably, because the team’s next game is against the Timberwolves.
But when it comes to the Iron Blood Hard Special...
Wayne looked at the mission description in front of him and suddenly felt that the reward was not attractive.
Damn, at this time I was fighting Garnett with my head!
To be honest, Garnett during this period was indeed super strong, which was completely different from his previous time when he could beat weak opponents by 20 points.
Mid-range shots from all angles, excellent court vision , historic help defense, and explosive athletic ability...
Apart from not being as dominant in the low post as Duncan and Shaq, and his ability to play one-on-one with the ball being a little lower than that of superstars, he has almost no shortcomings.
Wayne's speed advantage will have no room to play in front of KG.
Not to mention the high shooting point. In the 2002 playoffs, Dirk, who still liked to play as a small forward , was beaten by KG more than once when shooting.
Was Dirk's shot high enough? He still couldn't escape the fate of being slapped away by KG.
Wayne has a rough idea in his mind. He doesn't know what will happen in the future, but there is still a big gap between him now and the MVP-level star.
He hasn't gotten carried away by bullying the weak.
Fortunately, the mission goal is to beat the MVP's team, not the MVP himself.
Otherwise, this mission would be impossible to accomplish.
Since the goal is to defeat the opposing team, Wayne just needs to do his job to the best of his ability.
The job of confronting KG head-on will probably have to be handed over to O'Neal.
But then again, getting something for free from a distance...seems pretty good too!
All the hard work was done by O'Neal, and Wayne was responsible for taking the rewards.
Okay, ok, perfect.
Come on, Aoge!
Early the next morning, the news of KG's comments on O'Neal made headlines in major sports newspapers.
The reporters started to get busy.
After all, this is a game that is broadcast live across the United States, and everyone will try their best to take advantage of the popularity of this game.
In China, there has also been a heated discussion about Wayne VS Wolf King!
At the beginning, the duel between Yao Ming and O'Neal was called the "Yao-Shaq Battle".
As a result, a new gimmick of "Wei Lang War" was created in China.
This is Wayne's first opportunity to compete against a true superstar, and domestic fans are extremely looking forward to it.
The fans were all happy that there would be an exciting game to watch, but Carlisle as a coach was not happy at all.
Facing the team that was No. 1 in the Western Conference last season, Carlisle doesn't want to return empty-handed.
This can basically be regarded as the first test of the Pacers' strength.
To be honest, the previous Cavaliers, Celtics and Bulls were not strong teams.
Among them, the Cavaliers and the Bulls were lottery teams last season. Although the Celtics made it to the playoffs, they only had one more win than the Cavaliers.
Three consecutive wins are beautiful, but there are some reasons of bullying.
This time, facing the Timberwolves, who are also a championship contender, Carlisle also wants to see how capable the Pacers are this season.
So, in a very rare move, Carlisle called a tactical meeting with the players the day after the game against the Bulls.
In the conference room, the word Carlisle said most often was defense.
"In the next game, we must reduce the Timberwolves' offensive efficiency as much as possible. Use pressure defense and don't leave them too much space!"
Carlisle's tone was the most serious Wayne had ever seen since he joined the team.
Gene Kelly, who can't laugh, is actually a little scary.
Although the Pacers also emphasized defense in the previous few games, to be honest, they could have defeated the opponent with offense.
But in the next game, the Pacers did not have an absolute advantage on the offensive end.
KG versus O'Neal, "Madman" Sprewell versus Gangtai, and "Alien" Cassell versus Jackson.
The Timberwolves' "three-headed monster" averaged 24.2 points, 16.8 points and 19.8 points per game last season.
You may not be able to win by just attacking them.
So this time, Wayne's task is not just to jump back and forth between the third and fourth positions to help O'Neal create space.
When he and O'Neal are on the court at the same time, he also has to take on the task of helping defend KG.
"Wade, take advantage of your defensive range. Kevin was the MVP last season, but he is not omnipotent. When he breaks through the basket, I hope you can show up in time to protect the basket."
Wayne nodded, feeling that he seemed to have more and more tasks to do.
However, it is actually a good thing to be able to gain a higher tactical position in the team.
It would be the same with or without you, and that would be scary.
On the other side, in the multi-purpose conference hall of the Target Center, Philip Saunders was also gathering his men to study the strong opponent who had recently won three consecutive victories.
As a championship-contending team, a strong opponent like the Pacers is exactly what the Timberwolves need.
Flip Saunders, the godfather of the Timberwolves, always matches his hairstyle and suit perfectly even in tactical meetings.
The academy coach always holds himself to a strict standard, just as he does his players.
"Defense is what we should pay attention to in the next game." As soon as Sanders opened his mouth, he said almost exactly the same words as Carlisle.
There's nothing we can do about it. After all, they are both from the academic school, lacking in variety and being somewhat rigid.
It seems that the next game will be a defensive battle.
"Especially with the No. 12 pick this year, we have to be extra careful with him.
Some of you may not know him, it doesn’t matter, you just need to know that he averaged 17 points per game in the past three games, and his efficiency was extremely high!
Kevin, I want you to spend more energy on him tomorrow. If he gets a chance, you have to go over and defend him as soon as possible. "Sanders emphasized Wayne, he didn't want to be beaten to death by a rookie like the Celtics did.
That's just too embarrassing.
If Wayne knew that he was being studied as a key focus in someone else's tactical meeting, he would definitely call Tony to show off.
Brother, I’ve made it!
Garnett nodded: "Leave it to me. Let me say welcome to the NBA to him."
After Garnett finished speaking, everyone laughed in relief.
Yes, that rookie averaged and was hailed by the media as the strongest player in the 2004 class.
But so what?
He is facing last season's MVP!
No one really took Wayne seriously.
They do not look down on Wayne, they admit that Wayne is the best among this rookie class.
But even the best rookie is not fatal in front of the MVP.
KG is eager to try, and it's time to let the recently popular rookie know what real top-level competition is like.
Did he win the trash talk against Payton? It doesn't matter, he will also let Wayne hear what the real killer trash talk is like.
Payton is old after all. I will do what he can’t educate!
Minnesota's ace education master, apply to compete!