[外電] Love's injury adds drama to his 52nd …

看板Timberwolves (明尼蘇達灰狼)作者jinshenn (Don't panic)時間14年前 (2011/03/10 22:39)推噓1(1推 0噓 0→)

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http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_17576539 Why not add some drama to Kevin Love's double-double odyssey? Twenty minutes before tipoff of the Timberwolves' game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at Target Center, Love finally decided to see how much his bruised left knee could handle. Love woke up Wednesday morning in discomfort and spent the entire day thinking there was no way he would be able to play. He even had a conversation with reserve forward Anthony Tolliver to prepare him for an assignment change. "I told A.T. to be ready tonight," Love said. "He told me, 'I'm always ready.' I said, 'Be ready to start.' " Tolliver's role off the bench didn't change, and Love didn't let down his team or the crowd of 15,153 that gathered in Target Center hoping to see a semblance of NBA history. Shaking off stiffness in his knee, Love solidified his place among some of the NBA's legendary big men with 6:51 left in the second quarter, sinking a free throw to give him 10 points and 11 rebounds and his 52nd consecutive double-double (points-rebounds) during the Wolves' 101-75 victory. The free throw came after Love drew a foul on one of his four offensive rebounds. Fans were out of their seats before Love attempted the free throw. When the shot went through the net, the crowd remained standing and gave Love a huge ovation for at least a minute. That's what fans had come to see. "It was nice to see the crowd acknowledge that," Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said. The streak would not have ended if Love had chosen not to play, but it was in jeopardy the way Love was laboring on the court. He came out of the game with 4:27 left in the first quarter and had six rebounds but no points. He went to the bench and appeared to be in agony over his condition. Assistant coach Bill Laimbeer and trainer Gregg Farnam talked to Love on the bench to keep his spirits up but to also get a firm answer on whether he was capable of playing. Love gave a firm answer. "I wanted to make sure I was going out there for the right reasons," Love said. "It was about helping the team. If it was for just five or 10 minutes, so be it. I went back and forth most of the day about whether I should play, but I really wanted to." After the game, Rambis said he had no thoughts of sitting Love down for the rest of the night when Love had reached his latest milestone, passing former Philadelphia 76ers great Moses Malone, who had 51 consecutive double-doubles over the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons. Love's streak is now the longest in the NBA since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. Love hobbled through Wednesday's game for 26 minutes and finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds. Rambis sat him for the entire fourth quarter. By then, the Wolves were well on their way to a rare comfortable win, which gave everyone in the organization a chance to enjoy the milestone instead of fretting over another loss. "He came out here and played hurt and still got 21 rebounds," Wolves forward Anthony Randolph said of Love. "It's crazy. It's unbelievable the skills he has." Love is one of only nine NBA players who have streaks of 50 or more double-doubles. The others are Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor, Jerry Lucas, Elvin Hayes and Walt Bellamy. Love was able to appreciate his accomplishment a little more because of a Wolves victory. He even fought off the notion of sitting out the second half with his double-double streak tucked away for another night. Farnam asked Love if he wanted to take the rest of the night off, but Love refused. The Wolves had only a 10-point lead at halftime, and Love wanted to make sure the lead didn't get any smaller. "This game was bigger than the double-double," Love said. "We needed a win in a big fashion." --- 這場球值得記錄一下看得出來 Love 對於球賽勝負比較在意，那種鋼鐵般的意志讓他又更上層樓，連續雙十場次對他來說算是額外的榮耀。不過還是要注意膝蓋傷勢，保持健康也是重要。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 140.115.221.184