Trail Blazers: Lillard, Patton, Batum, Jokic, Wang Zelin.
During the live broadcast on TNT, Barkley took the Trail Blazers' roster and said: "Judging from the lineups of both sides, the Trail Blazers are obviously much stronger than the Heat."
Kenny Smith said: "The return of Nicolas Batum and Patrick Beverley means that the Trail Blazers have returned to their previous full strength. The only worry now is how good Batum and Beverley will be after they return.
how?"
"If the Trail Blazers' outside shooters cannot return in time, and Batum and Beverley have just returned, they will definitely not be able to play for long. This game will most likely become a battle for Wang Zelin alone."
Barkley also nodded with approval: "Yes, the Heat are in good shape recently, and the Trail Blazers are just the opposite. The players feel cold. After all, the Heat are a team with playoff strength.
, If you still don’t get the support of your teammates tonight, it will be a bit difficult to rely on Wang Zelin alone.”
"Unless..." Buckley paused.
Kenny Smith understood it and continued with a smile: "Charles, what you want to say is 'unless Wang Zelin breaks out tonight', right?"
"That's right," Barkley nodded in approval and continued, "As a superstar, as long as Wang Zelin goes crazy, few current teams can stop him. At least as far as I know, the Heat's inside line
There is no way anyone can stop him. Wang Zelin’s opponents tonight are not teams like the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Spurs."
Appeared at this time.
"Miami must win! Miami must win! Miami must win..."
Before taking the field, starting from the Heat bench, the whole audience chanted the slogan of victory.
In the live broadcast of the Imperial TV station, Zhang Lijia said: "Theoretically, with the return of Batum and Beverley, the Trail Blazers' lineup no longer has obvious shortcomings. But I still have to remind you that Batum and Beverley have returned.
After all, Beverley has been out for more than half a month. According to the usual practice, the playing time of the first few games after the injured player returns will be strictly controlled by the team. They should only play for about 20 minutes at most tonight, and they will not play for too long.
."
"So strictly speaking, the Trail Blazers still have not fully returned to their previous full strength. And this is likely to be a breakthrough for the Heat."
Yu Jia looked serious: "The Heat's staffing is actually not bad. So far this season, a total of 8 people in the team have scored in double figures. Looking at the league, it is a very chilling thing. Although the German with the highest average per game
Lazic only scored just over 20 points, but the Heat's victory lies in the balanced distribution of scoring data, which also means that they are a team that focuses on team coordination, and it is often difficult for such a team to be restricted."
At this time, Wang Zelin beat Whiteside on the jump ball, and the Blazers attacked.
Wang Zelin wanted to play a fast break, but Whiteside was wary and slowed down his pace. He blocked it with his arm, allowing Luke Babbitt to return to defense in time.
Then the Trail Blazers formation unfolded.
Lillard holds the ball on the left, while Batum and Button are on the right. Their positions are opposite. The former goes deep into the wing and is ready to cut into the interception at any time, while the latter pulls outside the three-point line in the bottom corner.
On the left wing, Wang Zelin is in the low post and Lillard is active outside the three-point line.
Barton faced off against the Heat's undrafted Landney McGruder, who could grow into a shooting guard for the Heat as an undrafted player. On the one hand, it was inseparable from his efforts, but it was also inseparable from the Heat defenders.
Factors due to insufficient line personnel.
As an undrafted player, even though McGruder has incredible perseverance, he tends to confront the opponent's outside arrows in every game, go all out for the game, and dare to risk his life every time he defends.
This aspect is quite similar to Beverly.
But sometimes, the gap in talent is often disappointing.
Faced with Button, who crushes him in all aspects of body and size, no matter how hard McGruder tries, it will be difficult to keep up with Button.
Seeing Button get rid of the defender, Wang Zelin made a tactical gesture in the low post, and then Lillard passed the ball in.
As soon as he caught the ball, Whiteside couldn't wait to put pressure on Wang Zelin. This move was exactly what he wanted, and Wang Zelin took advantage of the situation and acted as if he was being beaten by Whiteside.
At this time, Patton suddenly cut towards the basket from the right side.
Button was a full 10 centimeters taller than his opponent, McGruder, or he couldn't keep up, so he easily left him behind.
This is also the reason why Wang Zelin requested it in advance, because he believed in Barton's ability.
The moment Button cut into the paint, Wang Zelin suddenly turned around, stuffed his right hand, and passed the ball straight to the former.
Whiteside's defensive awareness came to his senses, but his body failed to keep up. He stumbled and almost fell.
And just when he stabilized his center of gravity, a shocking sound of a basket exploding came from above.
2:0, the Trail Blazers opened the scoring.
Yu Jia laughed and said: "Using a small one to defeat a large one has a mismatch advantage, but using a big one to bully a small one can also create a misplacement advantage. It depends on how the players seize the opportunity accurately. Just now, Button formed the advantage of using the big one to bully the small one. He is taller
, faster and stronger, after leaving the opponent behind, he cooperated with the king to complete an air-cutting tactic."
"Zelin's passing is so perfect. After receiving the ball from Barton's chest just now, he took off and dunked with both hands. The two of them cooperated perfectly! This is the art of passing. No matter how many times you watch it, it is so intoxicating.
." Zhang Lili also let out a long sigh.
It's the Heat's turn to attack.
Heat point guard Dragic received the ball in the backcourt and observed the situation on the court. At this time, the Trail Blazers set up a defensive formation. He decisively gave up the fast break plan and slowly advanced.
This is Dragic's third year with the Heat, and it is also this season that Dragic's competitive level has exploded in all directions.
So far, apart from missing some games due to injury, Dragic has played in all the remaining 50 games for the Heat, averaging 20.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game, setting a career high in scoring.
Such a brilliant performance is not only due to Dragic himself, but also due to the wonderful operations of the Heat management in the summer.
Through trades, drafts and other channels, the Heat have now recruited players such as Dion West, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Josh Richardson, Landney McGruder, Lu
K. Bamet and other three-point players ensured that there was enough space on the court.
It just so happens that Dragic studied under Nash, the two-time regular season MVP winner. He is a good player in fast breaks, organization, and pick-and-rolls. He also has a tough style of play and is not afraid of confrontation, which gives him an excellent free throw rate. These
His technical characteristics allow him to perfectly integrate with the Heat's current system.
Coupled with the presence of a rim protector like Whiteside in the penalty area, the Heat's actual competitiveness is really not as mediocre as the current record shows.
What they lack now is just a star with the ability to make the final decision on the court.
If Bosh hadn't suffered that damn injury, and with him as the core and this group of high-quality helpers, the Heat would have a lot to do.
Unfortunately, fate is unpredictable, and no one expected that Bosh would suffer a career-ending injury.
Generally speaking, the Heat's current lineup seems to be extremely balanced. Dragic and Whiteside can mobilize the team's overall offense through pick-and-roll offense. The other three points have outside shooting capabilities. Once they are allowed to play smoothly,
Yes, the threat is really not small.
But will the Trail Blazers let them get their wish?
After pre-match analysis by the Trail Blazers coaching staff, the Heat's offensive system mainly revolves around Dragic, because Dragic is the only one in the team who has the ability to break through, and his breakthrough often requires the assistance of Whiteside.
Without him being able to hold him back, Whiteside was pinned down by Wang Zelin in the penalty area, leaving the Heat with only outside shooting tactics.
"Hit me!"
Seeing that Dragic was still unable to break through the Trail Blazers' perimeter blockade, Whiteside, who had been teased at the beginning, held his breath and reached out for the ball against Wang Zelin.
Ouch, you still want to fight me alone? Little brother, you have a hundred million points of confidence!
Wang Zelin glanced at Whiteside in front of him in surprise.
Even though Whiteside's scoring average this season has reached a career-high 17 points per game, this guy's offensive ability is very simple. He either eats the pie along the way or makes a second attack under the basket. Other than that, he has no third move.
.
The reason why he was able to score explosively this year is very similar to Dragic. It was all due to the Heat's group of shooters who helped open up the space, making him and Dragic's pick-and-roll tactics very comfortable.
.
At a cursory glance, the two of them really look a bit like the black and white duo in Utah back then.
Of course, the combination of Dragic and Whiteside can only be regarded as a bankrupt version of the Utah duo at best.
From the outside, Dragic suddenly moved from the top of the arc to the right wing and then threw his hands inward.
He knows very well how exaggerated Wang Zelin's reaction is. If the passing speed is average, half of the ball may be intercepted, so the passing speed must be increased.
But what he didn't expect was that Zelin had no intention of stealing the ball. Rather than destroying the pass, he was more looking forward to treating Whiteside to a few more hot pot meals in the next one-on-one.
He is very skilled at suppressing opponents and so on!
Whiteside wanted to play in the low post, but he had no chance at all. He was intercepted. Not to mention the gorgeous steps, he didn't have any of this stuff at all. Even Cousins, whose offensive skills forced him to several levels, only had
When he is in good condition, he can barely resist Wang Zelin's defense and score the ball.
In the first confrontation between the two sides tonight, Whiteside saw that his strong attack was not enough, so he turned and hooked, and then... nothing happened.
"Snapped!"
Wang Zelin suddenly jumped into the air like a rocket, giving him a hot pot that hit his head and face.
Everything happened so fast that neither Dragic nor McGruder outside could react.
The next moment, a figure suddenly appeared, grabbed the basketball that was slapped outside the three-point line, and then turned around for a fast break.
Everyone looked intently, and it was Trail Blazers No. 0 - Damian Lillard!
If there is anyone in the entire NBA who believes in Wang Zelin’s ability the most, it’s not Kobe, Duncan, James, or Durant. None of these opponents are as good as teammate Lillard.
Lillard, who was also a rookie in the 12th draft, as a teammate, witnessed with his own eyes how Wang Zelin moved towards greatness step by step. If you want to single out Wang Zelin's loyal followers among fans around the world, then Lillard is undoubtedly one of the die-hard fans.
A die-hard fan, he always has unconditional trust in Wang Zelin's abilities.
This is why whenever Wang Zelin defends against an opponent's attack, Lillard is always the first to react.
Wang Zelin laughed and quickly started the machine.
Quick retreat?
There is no need to count on Whiteside. He was better when he first entered the NBA. In the past two years, Whiteside has followed the trend of the league. In order to better match up with Wang Zelin, he chose to gain weight. Now he is as slow as an old bull. I think.
It can't go any faster.
The Heat responded promptly on the other four points, with Dragic taking the lead and catching up with Lillard.
But just as Lillard trusts Wang Zelin unconditionally, Wang Zelin also trusts Lillard unconditionally.
Wang Zelin knows better than anyone how proud this man named Damian Lillard is, and he doesn't think Dragic can stop him.
Sure enough, the next development quickly confirmed his idea.
Seeing Dragic completing the overtaking and trying to stop him from the front, Lillard flashed a cruel smile, stepped on the accelerator, and the speed instantly increased.
"What is he going to do?"
Dragic was surprised at first, and then his expression changed drastically.
Just because the Pioneer 0 not far in front of him had already taken off.
Seeing this, Dragic hesitated and wanted to take off, but it was too late. As soon as he stretched out his hand, Lillard was already there.
"ah!!!!"
With a roar, Lillard poured the ball into the basket with one hand, hitting Dragic head-on and face-first.
It’s not over yet…
Because Dragic did not occupy a good position when defending and leaned forward, tending to interfere with the offensive player's cylinder, the referee decisively blew the whistle.
Beep~~~
There will be additional penalties!
The scene on the court was like lightning. By the time the Heat fans at the American Airlines Arena reacted, everything had settled.
Seeing Dragic helplessly stretching out his hands to negotiate with the referee, they realized what had just happened.
Shet, this is our home court. Are you really a human being, referee?
All the surrounding Heat fans immediately became angry and couldn't help but booed loudly.
But the penalty has already been given, and NBA referees rarely change the penalty during the game.
"Good job buddy!"
Wang Zelin ran over with a smile and gave Lillard a high-five.
"Hehe, it's okay. The main reason is that Dragic hesitated in the end."
A smile appeared on Lillard's face, obviously very satisfied with the dunk just now.
Then, despite the endless boos from the away fans, he steadily hit the ball.
At 5:0, the Trail Blazers got off to a great start.