NBA's Super Troublemaker

Chapter 65 Garnett Fights and Retreats

The field immediately descended into chaos.

The Timberwolves, playing at home, were met with a chorus of boos.

"These filthy prison team players, unable to beat us on the court, resort to violence, huh!"

"Despicable Trail Blazers!"

"Get out of the target area!"

"Kevin! Latrell! Get them!"

The players also rushed forward to help "The Madman" Sprewell.

Although he knew Sprewell was not someone to be trifled with, the other party was Hansen Lee, and if Sprewell were to throw another punch, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.

Now let's look at the Trail Blazers.

Damon Stoudemire, Rasheed Wallace, Ruben Paterson, Zach Randolph...

They all stepped forward, not to mediate the fight.

The prison team members had absolutely no concept of technical fouls or suspensions; they were clearly there to escalate the conflict.

It's okay to lose a game, because there are 82 regular season games, and you're bound to lose eventually;

But you can't lose a fight!

Such clashes are rare throughout the season; every one that happens is one less to come!

As the team's leader, Garnett was the first to stand in front of Sprewell and angrily shove Li He:

"Enough! Are you trying to cause trouble here?!"

"Rookie, you'll pay the price!"

Kevin Garnett then adopted an aggressive stance, making it clear that this was his home turf and he shouldn't try to cause trouble here!

Upon seeing that Yingte had stepped forward to help and even made a fighting stance, Li He was amused and immediately entered battle mode.

He took a step like a butterfly, assumed a boxing stance, and prepared to go head-to-head with Garnett.

In boxing matches, the butterfly step doesn't actually have much practical use.

But because of Muhammad Ali, this footwork is very famous and full of mockery.

"Oh my God!!!"

"There seems to be some problem on the field!"

"These players all have very fiery tempers!"

"What's Hansen Lee doing? That incredibly practiced butterfly step... he's getting ready for a fight!"

"Fuck! This guy can switch between playing basketball and fighting in a second, it's unbelievable!"

"Furthermore, I strongly suspect that Hansen Lee has received professional boxing training; otherwise, how could he stroll around so casually?"

"Won't his knockout list be getting another member added?!"

Garnett took a look.

Ber... are you serious?

The other players from the prison team also rushed over, and Li He went straight for Garnett.

Garnett's eyes immediately cleared, and he immediately used his signature "fight and retreat" tactic. He still looked like he was about to fight, but his feet betrayed him, and he kept shrinking back into the crowd.

He doesn't want to end up like Ron Artest, getting knocked out on the court!

With the team leader backing down, Sprewell and the others' momentum instantly vanished.

Then a very interesting scene unfolded on the field.

It was clearly Timberwolves' Sprewell who started the trouble, but Garnett stepped in and angrily pushed Li He.

As a result, the Trail Blazers' players were chasing after the Timberwolves' players...

They managed to make the away game feel like a home game.

Since there was no direct and intense conflict between the two sides, nor any egregious acts such as beatings or punches, the referee's decision to separate the two groups became controversial.

Ultimately, after deliberation, the referee only issued a technical foul to Sprewell.

The basis for this ruling is simple: "Madman" Sprewell was the one who started the trouble.

Although Hansen Lee put on a show on the court, he was on the defensive and did not actually fight back.

Kevin Garnett is the team leader at home. If Garnett receives a technical foul on top of Sprewell's, and the Trail Blazers don't get penalized, the home fans will explode, and the rest of the game will be even harder to control.

Such a ruling did have a somewhat perfunctory feel to it, but it successfully defused the matter and allowed the game to continue.

Sprewell, the "madman," was extremely frustrated after receiving the penalty. This situation was truly messed up; he had lost face, lost momentum, and now he even got a technical foul. Who could he complain to?

But there's nothing we can do about it.

Sprewell was indeed a tough guy, but on his side were five real bastards.

As soon as the ruling was announced, a chorus of boos erupted from the Target Center arena, filling the air above the stadium.

"Whoa..."

"Corrupt referee! Corrupt referee!"

What saddened the fans even more was...

On their own home turf, when a fight was about to break out, their own players chickened out before they even made a move.

Is this guy even a man?

Competitive sports are never short of passion, but once you lose that attitude and passion, even the god of luck will not favor you.

as predicted.

After the game restarted.

The Timberwolves, playing at home, were clearly out of sorts.

The home team was ready to fight, and the team leader was retreating while fighting, disappearing into the crowd. His underlings had lost all their fighting spirit.

They were swept 8-0 by the Trail Blazers.

53:46.

Coach Philip Sanders immediately called a timeout.

At the start of the second half, the biggest point difference was 23 points, but now it's down to 7 points.

The Timberwolves only managed 2 points in nearly half a quarter!

If things continue like this, let alone winning by a large margin at home, even winning at all is in question!

After a passionate encouragement, Coach Philipp prayed that the players would regain their form.

Otherwise, if this match has too much of an impact on the players, the team may go downhill!

Fortunately, playing at home, the Timberwolves gradually found their rhythm.

"The Alien" Sam Cassell regained his touch, hitting a three-pointer to help his team stop their losing streak.

However, on the defensive end, the Timberwolves were still intimidated by the Trail Blazers' relentless fighting spirit.

With Zach Randolph and Rasheed Wallace anchoring the paint, the Trail Blazers fought fiercely for rebounds, repeatedly finding second-chance points and maintaining their aggressive momentum.

This caused the Timberwolves' morale to be dampened again in the latter part of the third quarter.

The Trail Blazers unleashed a powerful offensive onslaught in the third quarter, scoring 32 points in the quarter alone!

In this slow-paced era that values ​​physical combat, scoring 32 points in a single quarter is a rare occurrence.

Even more unusually, the Timberwolves, playing at home, seemed to lose their way after that near-conflict.

He only scored 11 points in the third quarter.

The 21-point lead at halftime vanished in an instant.

After three quarters, the two teams were tied at 62, heading into the fourth quarter.

……

The highly dramatic match drew gasps of amazement from viewers in the TNT live stream.

Host Ernie Jensen couldn't help but exclaim:

"The Trail Blazers' strength has never been in doubt, but the biggest challenge is how to manage this group of problematic players."

"Without a doubt, the Trail Blazers, who maintain this level of efficiency in the third quarter, are the most terrifying force in the entire league."

"The real competition seems to have only just begun."

Charles Barkley, however, shook his head and offered a different perspective:

"Yes, in my opinion, the game is over."

"Yes, I mean this match. The outcome was already decided after that near-conflict."

Charles Barkley, nicknamed "The Flying Pig," is an MVP award winner; he understands the logic of how things unfold on the court all too well.

When a team loses its momentum, it's like a slow death; no matter how many points it leads, it's not enough to squander it.