Not only bai steel will also be around the finger soft down to the perfect basket
"TMD can't make me stop a little!"
Ten minutes before Carl Anthony Downs sent this tweet, the Timberwolves officially announced that Downs had once again triggered the health and safety agreement.
No wonder Towns was so emotional, having been diagnosed with the coronavirus in January. In less than 2 years, the new crown virus has taken the lives of seven relatives of Towns, including Downs's mother, Jacqueline. In the first 4 years of his career, Towns was the representative of the NBA Ironman, 3 seasons full attendance, the fourth season also only missed 5 games, but throughout 2020, Towns suffered 3 injuries, a total of only played 14 games.
After all that misfortune, Towns was in a state of flux, he didn't know if he could return to the court, sadness, depression and other negative emotions caused Downs to have a huge psychological obstacle, and When the panic attack, Towns only wanted to escape the court.
Downs spent a long time to find the pleasure of playing, carrying his mother's hopes to embark on a new season journey, and returned to the "first center" battle with Jokic and Embiid with excellent performances, and Towns also won the Western Conference's best of the week last week. But suddenly, the tribulation came to the door again.
April 14, 2020, was a day that Downs will never forget. On this day, Downs' mother, Jacqueline, passed away due to complications from the new crown virus. Jacqueline's death dealt a heavy blow to Towns, who for a time could only wash his face in tears, and the death of his mother seemed to suck away his soul.
"You may still see me laughing, but that Towns died on April 14," Downs said sadly, "and he will never come back, I don't remember what that person was like, I don't know that person, you were talking to my flesh, but my soul died a long time ago." ”
Downs revealed that when Jacqueline was treated and could only maintain her life through a respirator, he decided to remove the respirator so that her mother would no longer endure the pain of illness. You can imagine what a cruel decision it was and how courageous it was for a son who loved his mother.
In just a few months, Towns has lost 7 relatives, including his mother, the ferocity of the epidemic and the fragility of life have made Downs experience the cruelty of life, and that sense of powerlessness torments Downs, and he can only watch the virus take away his relatives.
"I've seen a lot of coffins over the last few months, and I've had too many family members infected with the virus," Towns said.
On the last day of 2020, Downs tweeted: "Message from my family for 2020: Fxxk you. Downs wanted to say goodbye to the twists and turns of 2020 in this way, but he didn't know that the ordeal brought to him by fate was far from over.
On January 16, 2021, Towns was diagnosed with the new crown virus, and he was suspended for more than 20 days and missed 13 games. The coronavirus has caused downs so much physically and psychologically that in just over 20 days, Towns has lost 45 pounds and is in very poor physical condition when he returns to the team in early February. Downs said: "I'm the same size as D'Angelo Russell, I'm the same size as our defender, do you think in this state, I can play center forward? ”
Weight and muscle loss can be recovered through scientific diet and training, but Downs's love for basketball is not so easy to find. During his isolation, Towns was plagued by depression, and the more he reflected on how much he had suffered in the past year, the heavier his psychological burden became, and he found that his love of basketball was fading.
On February 2, 2021, Towns traveled with the team to Cleveland and embarked on a 5-game trip, which was the first time towns had traveled with the team since he was infected with the new crown virus, and he did not play because his status had not yet been adjusted. That night, Towns sat on the bench, his first appearance at a crowded scene since he ended isolation, and he suddenly developed symptoms of panic disorder.
Just after the first verse, Towns texted the agent: "I can't be here again, I can't do it." "He ran back to the locker room, sweating profusely and his chest tight, which were all symptoms of panic disorder. Towns considered leaving the arena immediately to return to the hotel or simply flying back to Minnesota, but when Towns calmed down, he chose to stay.
"I don't think it's the same sport for me as it used to be," Towns said, "I said I was going to play for 20 years, but now I'm not even sure if I can play for the 8th year." ”
Everyone knows that Towns' problems are more psychological, and in order to help Towns find his love for basketball, those who care about Towns have thought of many ways.
In October 2021, the Timberwolves traveled to Brooklyn to play preseason, and the Timberwolves drove 45 minutes to Keane University to train, the alma mater of Downs' mother Jacqueline, whose family built a basketball court at Keane University to commemorate her after her death.
The next day, Downs' alma mater, St. Joseph's High School, gave Towns the 44 jersey retirement ceremony, and Towns entered the school's Hall of Fame. In the cheers of the hometown fans "We want Towns", Towns felt the warmth of a long absence, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
"I'm very happy that I'm finally getting back to playing again," Downs said.
This season, Towns' goal is to return to the "first center" battle, and in the past two years, he has been thrown away by Jokic and Embiid, especially in terms of leading the team.
Towns said: "I was angry when I entered the offseason because my peers were competing in the playoffs and I had to sit at home and watch the ball. ”
Downs brought this anger into the regular season this season, compared to the past few years, his data has not changed much, some data has even declined, but Towns's playing style and mental outlook have changed dramatically. While shooting a career-high 42.6 percent three-point shooting, Towns also increased the aggressiveness of the low-post offense. Playing Jokic, Towns slashed for 32 points. Facing Anthony Davis, Towns exploded with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Downs' biggest change is his toughness, in the past few years, Towns has become a laughing stock because of many back-to-back hits, but this season Downs has ravaged opponents from the low position very easily, and it is not a problem to force Davis's level of defenders. Previous data show that in the first 16 games of the season, Downs' low-post offense was still a bit negative, with only 20% of the shots, and he had too many passes, which led to a lot of mistakes. But in the 14 games that followed, Downs' low-post offensive shooting percentage reached 41 percent, which is why his score has skyrocketed recently.
"I feel that no one can stop me, I just play with this mentality, I feel that no one can stop me, only myself can prevent me," Downs said, and he also claimed to be "the most powerful projection man in history" caused a lot of discussion.
Before the health and safety regulations were triggered this time, Towns had returned to the "first center" battle, a competition that had changed from a two-legged rivalry to a three-legged rivalry.
This stroke did catch Downs off guard again, but after so much experience, Towns has transformed, and the suffering he has endured has now become his armor, and his love of basketball and desire to win will not be affected by this accident.
"I feel like I've grown and I have no choice. I feel like I'm entering a new phase, becoming a new me. ”