This Forward is Not Serious

"I don't know, the way to beat them, I don't know."

At the post-game press conference, Davis answered questions from reporters exactly as he did at the end of the game.

This is to tell the reporter directly, really don’t ask, he really doesn’t know!

"We need to be more patient, we need to trust our teammates more and do better in every aspect. I still have confidence in the team. I mean, this is just our first game, we will It’s getting better and better.”

Paul is obviously a bit more sophisticated, and he got to the point of the issue.

As for James, after playing such a game with 9 points of confidence, he did not attend tonight's press conference.

It can be seen that the final result of this opening game was exactly what Paul thought, allowing the Nets to establish a good prestige at the beginning of the season.

However, the subsequent evaluation itself is an afterthought, because if the Nets lose, it will be Tatum's disgrace to the Nets.

Of course, the Nets are happy now.

The Nets locker room was filled with laughter after the game, and Kobe's name appeared frequently.

Kobe's first game back was too perfect, even more perfect than Jordan's.

If you want to judge the best comeback after retirement, Kobe's performance tonight will definitely be on the list.

However, Kobe himself did not appear in the locker room. After the press conference, he went to the infirmary.

His old legs need ice after every game.

Also missing from the locker room was Lin Ying, who accompanied Kobe to the infirmary.

In the infirmary, Gary Vitti did not apply ice to Kobe immediately. Instead, he first performed a set of detailed examinations on Kobe.

Fans who are familiar with Kobe know that behind Kobe's personal team is not only a woman (Judi Seto), but also a man (Gary Vitti).

Judy is a masseuse and Gary Vitti is Kobe's team doctor.

In the most classic scene in history when Kobe cracked his fingers, Vitti was the one operating for Kobe.

After Kobe retired, Judy continued to serve the Lakers. During the warm-up before the game tonight, he warmly hugged Kobe and greeted him.

But Vitti retired with Kobe before, and then followed Kobe to Brooklyn.

The relationship between them is a bit like that of Phil Johnson and Jerry Sloan, who worked for each other and shared weal and woe.

After the inspection, Vitti didn't look too good.

Kobe did not suffer a serious Achilles tendon rupture as in history, but this time he put himself at a very high intensity in order to come back.

The first show exploded, and the effect was immediate, but Kobe is a human being, not a machine, and no one can resist the erosion of the body by time.

Especially when he started playing with the Lakers at a high intensity, his "old buddy" couldn't stand it at first.

Vitti iced Kobe as usual and placed his feet directly in the prepared ice bucket. This was a two-pronged approach.

But even after doing so, he still gave Kobe a piece of advice afterward.

His advice: take breaks.

Although Kobe was not injured to the point where he had to sit out, his body's reaction was obvious.

This means that if such high-intensity competition continues, the next step is likely to be injury.

Don't underestimate injuries. For veterans, even minor injuries may cause them to retire.

So even though Vitti knew Kobe's character very well, he still fulfilled his duty and made such suggestions to Kobe.

If it were the previous Kobe, he would have rejected it immediately.

But it can be seen from the previous chat records between Kobe and Lin Ying on the rooftop that he has changed a lot from before.

He did not answer immediately, but after a while of silence he spoke:

“If I played less minutes, could this problem be solved?”

This kind of thing is really hard to accept for a player of the last century like Kobe.

Vitti simply shook his head.

How could he not think of other methods? If he had the option, he would not suggest Kobe to do this.

"I think resting is a good choice."

Seeing Kobe's confusion, Lin Ying spoke at the right time.

"We have had this arrangement for the past two seasons, and that can keep us energetic in the playoffs."

This is true, especially last season. The Nets, like the original Spurs, tried all kinds of reasons to give players a rest, and in the end they forced the league to amend the rest rules.

Seeing that Kobe still didn't speak, Lin Ying changed his way of saying:

"Don't think that taking a break is easy. You don't have a game for a few days, but you need to maintain your condition. This is not an easy thing, but a challenge."

Lin Ying's words finally caused some changes in Kobe's expression.

Although his personality has changed, some things are engraved in his bones. The words "challenge" and "not easy" are most effective for people like Kobe.

Sure enough, Kobe finally nodded.

Although he was a little helpless, he believed in his team doctor, which was a trust established over more than 20 years.

"Get a good rest. Without you in the next game, we all have to do more."

Lin Ying finally said with a smile.

After hearing this, Kobe smiled and shook his head.

The feeling of being needed always makes people happy.

…

The Nets' opponent in the second game was the Timberwolves.

From the opponent in the first game, you can't tell what Tatum's attitude is towards the Nets.

But if you look further, you can still see that Tatum wants to overwhelm the Nets.

No matter who is the president, he will not want to have an unbeatable team during his tenure.

Because over time, it means that fans' aesthetics will become tired.

Just like the small ball era detonated by the Warriors in history, fans are less interested in the scene of crazy three-pointers.

A wave of strong opponents at the beginning of the season is a challenge to the Nets.

Moreover, they are playing away from home.

Minnesota in November is a true portrayal of the scene outside the Great Wall in "A Song of Ice and Fire", with thousands of miles of ice and freezing temperatures.

From New York to Minnesota, it feels like winter has thrown you into an ice cellar.

Because of the rest, Kobe did not go to Minnesota with the team, and veteran Nene stayed with him in Brooklyn.

Nene had a high attendance rate last season, but this season she also has some back discomfort due to age.

Resting is Vitti's advice to Kobe, but it is also a strategy of the Nets as Lin Ying said.

Their goal is dynasty, and the regular season is the kind of game you want to "simulate" when playing 2K Dynasty, and it's not that important.

However, it is precisely because of this strategy that this game will be a big challenge for the Nets.

Losing their starting shooting guard and first backup big man at once will cause big problems in the Nets' rotation.

So despite a big victory over the Lakers in the first game, most people didn't think it was a game without suspense. On the contrary, the suspense was not small.

…

At the Target Center training hall, the Timberwolves are preparing for tomorrow's game.

In the past two seasons, the Timberwolves' regular season record was good, but in the playoffs it always felt like something was missing.

Rondo brought this thing to them, which can be called game attitude, or it can also be called championship gene.

So this season the Timberwolves are also working hard to prove themselves.

After the training session that day, Harden and Towns sat on the sidelines, wiping sweat and looking at the court.

Over there Rondo is still training shirtless.

Because of his relatively large frame, Rondo looks very thin wearing the jersey, but he is still full of tendons without the jersey.

The theory of "no meat" can only deceive Yun fans. There is no shank that cannot be produced.

After watching for a while, Harden and Towns turned their eyes away from Rondo and began to chat about other topics.

Of course, it has nothing to do with basketball.

Harden and Towns still get along very well. They are both the kind of people who clearly distinguish between basketball and life.

The training was over. They let the sweat on their bodies dry before taking a shower. It was natural to talk about happy things at this time.

Like nightclubs in Minnesota, like games.

This is not their common hobby, but it does not prevent them from becoming a topic of communication.

While they were chatting, Rondo walked up to them at some point.

After noticing Rondo, Harden looked up at him, and then asked kindly:

"finished?"

Harden is really a very polite person, gentleness is his nature, and being kind to others is his way of doing things.

However, Rondo didn't seem to answer his words, but motioned for them to come up and practice together again.

"I think we didn't do a lot of things well in the previous training. Now that it's over, we should do it a few more times. I'm sure it will get better."

Rondo's tone was firm, it didn't sound like an invitation, but a command.

Harden and Towns looked at each other.

Although he was very conflicted in his heart, he still stood up one after another.

Rondo had just arrived, so it was a bit inappropriate to have a conflict with him.

And as said before, the two of them still have great expectations for this season, and they don't want to give up so early.

Well, that's what they thought until...

An hour later, the two of them were breathing heavily, and finally waited for Rondo to say the final words.

The two looked at each other again, and each seemed to have made up their mind to go straight back to the locker room after the next training session.

This is just working overtime, and it’s the kind of workaholic!

Rondo looked at the two people running away quickly, and of course he knew that they were against his ideas.

However, this is not the first time he has experienced such a situation, especially after leaving the Celtics.

But in order to win and win the championship, this is a step that must be taken.

Harden and Towns are both outstanding in talent and strength. As long as they take this step, it is not impossible for the Timberwolves to become the second Celtics team.

Like Towns and Harden, Rondo is also looking forward to this season.

They played the weak Rockets in the opening game and won easily, but that game didn't matter.

The most important thing is playing against the Nets tomorrow, which is why he will force the two of them to practice extra.

It's all for their own good. Maybe they won't understand it now, but when they succeed in the future, they will naturally understand it.

…

The second night, the Target Center was packed to capacity.

In the past two seasons, although the Timberwolves' record has improved, the improvement in attendance has been limited.

Before the Timberwolves really hit the mark, Minnesotans' hearts were as cold as the city's.

Of course, even if they are like this, they will become hot for a short time when the team plays against the Nets.

It’s not that they treat each other differently, it’s just that the Nets are too popular now!

Although Kobe did not come this time, it did not make the Nets' popularity drop much.

This is like the Timberwolves' popularity is 100 and the Nets' popularity is 1,000. Even if Kobe's absence makes the Nets 200 less popular, there is still a huge difference.

During the warm-up before the game, the scene was constantly showing shots of Lin Ying, Durant, Jokic, Carter, Rose and others.

Brooklyn Stars.

Perhaps feeling the enthusiasm of the fans, Lin Ying performed several dunks, which directly lifted the mood of the fans at the scene.

This sounds incredible, but what Durant said on the bus before was really right. This kind of explosion of popularity is the norm for the Nets this season!

On the other side of the court, Harden and Towns looked up at the figures on the LED camera, both showing expressions of wonder.

Although they are opponents on the court, this does not hinder their respect for Lin Ying off the court at all.

Lin Ying's four championships in the past five years, like Jordan and Kobe back then, were established by defeating an opponent.

But while they were watching, Rondo suddenly shouted. He frowned and called all the players together.

Obviously, unlike Harden Towns, Rondo's character does not allow him to have the mentality of respecting his opponents. He only thinks about how to defeat his opponents.

Even if this opponent is Lin Ying, the ruler of this era.

Harden and Towns looked helpless at this time.

They all felt that Rondo had gone a bit too far.

At this time, they did not feel Rondo's idea of ​​doing good for others, but the feeling of being dragged around like a child made people uncomfortable.

But in the end, they still didn't express anything.

After all, they also want to beat the Nets, which is what all teams want to do now.

Especially after the Lakers, who were considered to have the best chance, were directly bloodbathed, the desire of others became stronger.

"Believe me, this team definitely has the potential to win the championship, but everyone needs to do more. I can lead you to do it, just like I did in 2008. Come on!"

Rondo said to everyone at the end.

This team does not lack talent and strength, but it lacks someone who can lead them.

He is suitable for such a role, and he is as confident as ever that he can play this role well.

After the two sides finished their pre-match warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony, and the starting lineups of the two teams also appeared one after another.

Timberwolves: Rondo, Harden, Batum, Towns, Capela;

Nets: Rose, Bradley, Durant, Lin Ying, Jokic.

The competition is about to begin!