The game started at 8 p.m., and the Trail Blazers arrived at the arena at 6 p.m.
At this time, the arena was brightly lit and there was already a sea of people outside.
Before the game, regarding the second-round series between the Trail Blazers and Mosaics, all major authoritative media sent their own expert teams to give their own predictions.
Even ESPN, which has never been very fond of Wang Zelin, predicted a win rate of 77% for the Trail Blazers and only 23% for the Mosaics.
Such a prediction is possible thanks to the ESPN expert team, which took into account the fact that the Mosaic team had their first win against the Trail Blazers in five years during the regular season and gave them some mercy.
In that game, Harden played what could be called the strongest regular season performance of his career. Not only did he efficiently score a career-high 56 points, he also successfully broke the five-year "one-stop" streak that began in the 2012-13 season.
The curse of "You will be defeated if you meet Wang Zelin" successfully proved himself.
Therefore, this also makes Space City fans have some expectations for the Mosaic team and Harden.
Several other authoritative media were not so generous. Their expert team did not even consider whether the Trail Blazers could advance smoothly. What they predicted on the program was how much impact the Mosaic team could bring to the Trail Blazers.
resistance?
In their view, Portland's only opponent in the Western Conference is the Golden State Warriors, a powerful dynasty. The result of the smart series with the Mosaics is destined to remain unchanged.
The difference is whether it is a 4-0 direct sweep or a 4-1 gentleman sweep?
The predictions of other media are similar. In short, no one is optimistic about the Mosaic team.
Dayao, who specially took the time to come to the Rose Garden Arena to watch the game in person, said in a media interview: "To be honest, I am a Mosaic team star, and of course I hope that the Mosaic team can go further. But to be honest, the Trail Blazers'
The strength is much stronger than the Mosaic team, the Trail Blazers have great advantages inside, and the other positions are very comprehensive and have almost no weaknesses."
Trail Blazers star Bill Walton was interviewed. He said: "The Trail Blazers have a great chance of defending their title this year, very great, because we have the best inside line and the strongest players in the league!"
In the away locker room, Harden's face turned so dark that he was about to drip with tears as he watched many famous players on the TV showing their disapproval of his own team.
"guys!"
Team coach D'Antoni suddenly stood up. After the players' eyes came over, he said loudly: "In this series tonight, everyone is not optimistic about us, but that doesn't matter. The important thing is that we have to believe in ourselves."
, we are going to defeat the Trail Blazers and the new dynasty! We are going to surprise everyone!"
By the end, his voice could be heard almost clearly outside the locker room.
"Is it D'Antoni's voice, is the Mosaic team infighting?"
"Is it possible that the conflict between D'Antoni and Melo broke out again before the war?"
The reporters waiting outside became heated, with Mosaic team CEO Harry and general manager Mo Gou requesting interviews.
Although the two of them didn't know what was going on inside, they knew without thinking how they could let these uncrowned kings break in at this time.
Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens.
the other side.
Home team locker room.
The atmosphere here with the Trail Blazers is much calmer than next door.
Wang Zelin and his teammates have already won three consecutive championships. They have long been used to big winds and waves, and their mentality is called a stable one.
As the playoffs progress, the opponents you encounter will become stronger and stronger. At this time, you must have a good mentality in order to use your full strength in the game.
Therefore, the core players have a stable mentality and the team members are calm and well prepared for the game.
Before the game started in the evening, both sides accepted interviews with the media.
When Wang Zelin was being interviewed by reporters, the reporter asked him about his predictions for this series.
Wang Zelin waved his hand with a relaxed look on his face. He really agreed with this prediction.
"There is no doubt that we will prove who is the true master of the league, and the legend and glory of Portland continues."
However, Harden was dissatisfied with this: "This will be a real battle. We will do our best. No one can decide the championship until the last minute."
Anthony, another core player, is not very interested in this: "I don't like to predict the results before the game. No one can predict how this series will go. So, please focus on tonight's game. I
I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
Both sides hold different opinions, but their attitude towards the game is the same, that is - you must go all out!
Immediately, the two sides announced their first releases.
Visiting team Houston Mosaic: Harden, Gordon, Anthony, Capela, Nurkic.
The Mosaic team also has high-quality substitutes such as Ariza, Anderson, and Nene sitting on the bench.
Home team Portland Trail Blazers: Lillard, Lillard, Barton, Batum, Jokic, Wang Zelin.
Aldridge continued to sit on the bench and played as the sixth man. After all, he missed the entire regular season, and he did not express any objection to this.
With Ade, an All-Star in his prime, sitting inside, plus Beverley, Connett Lee, Carter, Harrell, Yi Jianlian and others, the Trail Blazers' bench is obviously more luxurious, even looking at the league.
It's hard to find an opponent.
At 7:58 p.m., the referee signaled the starting players of both teams to come in. Wang Zelin took off his training clothes and jumped twice.
He looked around and saw that the Rose Garden Arena had been dyed into a sea of red by uniformly dressed fans.
On the Mosaic team, although Capela and Nurkic in the interior do not have the ability to shoot from long range, they are both very good at playing pick-and-rolls. Together with Harden, they can play sneakily in the pick-and-roll.
Gordon and Anthony at positions 2 and 3 both have long-range shooting abilities.
Especially Anthony, after joining the Mosaic team, he began to transform several seasons earlier than in the original time and space, greatly reducing the inefficient long two-pointers and switching to more efficient three-pointers.
During the regular season this season, he shot the third-highest three-point shooting rate of 5% in his career, almost breaking 40%. His overall shooting rate reached 48%, and his offensive efficiency was the best in the past 10 years.
Of course, this lineup is not the strongest lineup of the Mosaic team in terms of stretching ability. When the team needs it, Capela will play the 5th position, Anthony can cover the 4th position, and Ariza will be at the 3rd position.
In charge, there are Harden and Gordon in the backcourt.
This lineup is the strongest offensive system in the Houston Mosaic team system led by D'Antoni.
Perhaps because tonight is the first game, D'Antoni did not send out the strongest offensive system right from the start, but first used the regular starting lineup to test the depth of the defending champion.
The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, unceremoniously brought in the starting five.
They have nothing to hide, and there is no need to conserve their strength for future games.
As predicted by the media, the Mosaics are not among the potential opponents of the Trail Blazers for their fourth consecutive championship. The opponent is only worthy of being a stepping stone on their way to defending the title.