The Grizzlies started the season with three consecutive losses, followed by two consecutive wins, rewriting their record to 2 wins and 3 losses. Although it is not said that they are completely out of the quagmire, they completed the consecutive losing streak without two starters.

Winning, this is enough to show the strength of this team.

The good news is that the team's starting point guard Mike Conley will return in the next game. His injury is actually not serious and he could have played in the last game, but the team decided to postpone it considering his health.

He played and returned in the next back-to-back road game against the Timberwolves.

Because Conley is back, those who expect to see Xie Kai continue to perform well at the No. 1 position can only look forward to the next time.

In the two games where Xie Kai temporarily served as the starting No. 1 position, he averaged 30+10 points per game and led the team to two consecutive victories. It can be said to be a perfect guest appearance.

Conley's comeback is certainly a good thing for the Grizzlies. Xie Kai, who plays the No. 1 position and has to organize and score, has too much pressure on his shoulders. His comeback can allow Tony Allen to return to the second lineup, so as not to let the opponent's second lineup

Too arrogant.

On January 5, the Grizzlies played back-to-back away games against the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves have been rebuilding since "Wolf King" Garnett left, but the rebuilding has never been completed. Last season, they ranked last in the league with a record of 17 wins and 65 losses.

In the offseason draft, they used the second pick to select Beast forward Derrick Williams from the University of Arizona.

But judging from the few games at the beginning of the season, this beast forward does not seem to be able to adapt well to the NBA game. He lacks a shooting threat from the outside when playing small forward, is a bit short when playing power forward, and is not very good at rebounding and positioning.

.Having a similar body shape to James, he is currently a bit "unconventional", which is very embarrassing.

But after all, he is only a first-year rookie. Even though he currently has many shortcomings, his physical talent is there and there will be many opportunities to improve himself in the future.

Since the Timberwolves were rebuilt, they have accumulated a large number of high-ranking players. The previous starting five were two No. 2 picks (Beasley and Milicic), one No. 4 pick (Wesley Johnson), and one No. 5 pick.

(Love). There is also a No. 2 pick (Derrick Williams) and a No. 5 pick (Rubio) sitting on the bench.

If such a team is still lacking in talent, it can only mean that there is a problem with the management's selection vision, or there is a problem with the team's training mechanism.

Strictly speaking, except for All-Star power forward Love, who has obvious advantages and disadvantages, other high-ranking players are not enough to become the cornerstone of this team.

Interestingly, the Timberwolves signed Mavericks guard JJ Barea on December 15, 2011.

Combined with this game against the Grizzlies, the names of Xie Kai and Barea were linked together again.

The good news for the Grizzlies is that Barea will not play in this game. In last season's Western Conference Finals, the scene where Xie Kai was restricted by him is really vivid in my mind!

Xie Kai himself is also very puzzled. In the eyes of many people, his relationship with Barea seems to be that of a mouse and a cat. Although he is restricted by the other party's defense, it is not like a mouse meeting a cat, right? He is resting

During the season, I worked hard on my back and strength, just to make some changes when meeting a short and stocky defender like Barea. But this is not a bad thing. Barea is not big, so he directly became the lucky one. It really makes people feel bad.

pain.

Philosophy also says that we should look at problems from the perspective of development. After three days of separation, we should look at things with new eyes. We were restricted before, will we always be restricted?

However, Xie Kai also understands that only if he proves with his strength that he can break through Barea's defense will this argument really go away.

Minnesota borders the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north. The northernmost point of the continental United States (49 degrees 23 minutes north latitude) is in the state, so it is also called the Northern Star State.

It’s still quite cold to play here this season, even though the arena is heated. Many NBA players just don’t like the cold climate, so they prefer to be drafted by teams in the south, such as Miami.

Target Center Arena.

The sky above the arena is as empty as the Grizzlies, and there are no hard honors for any team. This team joined the NBA in the late 1980s and is considered one of the new teams in the NBA.

Players from both sides have already entered the stadium to warm up, and there are not many fans in the stadium. After all, this is not a big city. Once the team's record is bad, fans will choose other entertainment methods. You can't win 20 games in a season.

Come to the home court to watch you guys perform poorly?

——Except for die-hard fans, there are really not many ordinary fans who often come to the home court to be fed shit.

In this game, the starting lineup of the Timberwolves at home is: Center - Darko Milicic, Power Forward - Kevin Love, Small Forward - Michael Beasley, Shooting Guard - Wes

Leigh Johnson, point guard - Luke Ridnour.

"03 second overall pick" Milicic is in his third season with the Timberwolves. Last season, he averaged a career-high 8.8 points, plus 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 2 blocks per game. He is considered a very good player.

A good blue-collar center.

But considering that he was the second pick in the 2003 Platinum Section, this data is just...

Beasley, another second overall pick in the Timberwolves' starting lineup, had the best statistical performance of his career last season. He averaged 19.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, making it known that he is not a second-place pick.

The Grizzlies' starting lineup for the away game is: Center - Marc Gasol, Power Forward - Dante Cunningham, Small Forward - Rudy Gay, Shooting Guard - Xie Kai, Point Guard

——Mike Conley.

Conley is back, Xie Kai is back at No. 2, the Black Bears are far from coming back, and Cunningham is still the starter.

Because of Wei Shao's relationship, Xie Kai and Love have a very good relationship, and the two have trained together in private.

There is no grudge between the two teams. After all, they are both new teams in the NBA. Their ancestors are not rich and they have never played against each other in the playoffs, so there is no grudge.

Compared to the fact that the Grizzlies have completed their reconstruction, the Timberwolves' long road to reconstruction seems to be going on for some time.

The commentators for this game were Marv Albert and Jeff Van Gundy. Since Mark Jackson has served as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors this season, of course, the commentary work can only be temporarily stopped.

"Groom, will you feel a little uncomfortable working with me?" Jeff Van Gundy, who had few hairs on his head, said with a smile.
Chapter completed!