Chapter 181 How strong is Lillard, who was not selected for the All-Star Game?
After finishing the exchange with Zhou Yang and returning to the training hall, Wang Zelin checked the time and found that there were still 5 hours left before the 4 o'clock meeting stipulated by the coaching staff.
Tonight's game is earlier, starting at 18:00, but this does not mean that Wang Zelin can be idle, because there are still a series of press conferences waiting for him.
Wang Zelin and Aldridge were both selected to the All-Star lineup. The former and the latter were substituted, which is undoubtedly a big thing for the Trail Blazers.
It seems that this is the first time in the history of the Trail Blazers that two players have been selected to the All-Star Game at the same time.?
So sometimes it is said that not being able to stay with the Lakers, a powerful team like the Celtics with rich ancestors, is not a bad thing from a certain perspective.
By staying on a weak team, players have more hope of contributing to the team's glory.
Just like LeBron James is to the Cavaliers.
Although James has left the Cavaliers for some time, he is still the well-deserved number one player in the history of the Cavaliers.
No matter how much the Cavaliers bombarded James' decision by the fans, his two regular season MVPs can be described in four words... quite explosive!
…
Due to back-to-back games, the Trail Blazers management had to set the shooting location for Wang Zelin and Aldridge's All-Star makeup photos in Los Angeles.
Strike while the iron is hot!
By taking advantage of the current popularity, we can build momentum for ticket promotion and team advertising in the second half of the season.
Fortunately, Los Angeles is a global entertainment center, and there are countless people who are good at filming.
Moreover, as long as real benefits are involved, the efficiency of capitalists is amazing.
At 12 noon, the shooting of Wang Zelin and Aldridge's All-Star promotional posters had been completed. General Manager Nell Orsi immediately contacted the advertising company to collect the posters.
Of course, in addition to the posters of the two people, the team management also specially prepared a huge poster including all the players on the team.
The two protagonists stand in the middle. Wang Zelin and Aldridge are wearing white jerseys of the home team, with their hands folded on their chests, serious expressions, and facing each other.
In front of the two people squatted Lillard, Batum, and Matthews, five people gathered in the center, and the remaining seven substitutes stood on both sides.
During the pre-match interview, reporters took photos of the huge poster.
After a long time, Wang Zelin and Aldridge came to the press conference under the leadership of team coach Terry Stotts and general manager Orsi.
Everyone quickly gathered around. Wang Zelin did a rough count and found that there were at least hundreds of people.
It is not an exaggeration to say, "Dark clouds are threatening to destroy the city!"
"Wang, congratulations on becoming another rookie to enter the All-Stars after O'Neal and Yao Ming!"
"It is said that after Kobe was robbed of his vote-leading status by you, not only was he not angry, but he was quite appreciative of it. He even attended the game between the Clippers and Trail Blazers tonight and became a special guest in the commentary box tonight. Regarding this
What do you think?"
"..."
I just sit and watch, what else?
Listening to the reporters' tedious and messy questions, Wang Zelin also became drunk.
But as a public figure, he must keep smiling when facing the camera.
Aldridge on the side was secretly glad: It turns out that low popularity also has its advantages.
When the noise gradually subsided and the scene began to quiet down, Wang Zelin finally said: "I am very grateful to every fan who voted for me. It is their support that made me selected as an All-Star. Secondly..."
Two hours have passed.
Wang Zhilin finally got rid of the reporters' difficulties and came to the training ground at Staples Center.
I checked the time again... 4:30!
There is just over an hour left before tonight's game.
…
At 5:50 p.m., amid roars of boos, all Blazers entered the court.
Staples Center is indeed one of the best vanity fairs in the league, rivaled only by Madison Square.
Speaking of stars, the top auditorium was filled with Hollywood stars and celebrities from all walks of life.
For example, Scarlett Johansson has gradually become famous because of Marvel movies.
At this time, the widowed sister was only twenty-eight years old, which was the most beautiful period in a woman's life.
"Wow, it seems that Wang is also fascinated by this beautiful lady Scarlett. Look at his appearance, he is almost drooling!"
By coincidence, Wang Zelin's peeking behavior was shown on the big screen by the director, and Charles Barkley on the sidelines couldn't help but laugh at him.
"Charles, this is your fault. Let alone young people in their early 20s, even most of the men present would have a hard time resisting Scarlett's charm."
Kenny Smith replied seriously, but everyone noticed the sullen soul under this face through the appearance.
It must be said that the American style is all about openness. After Scarlett Johansson discovered Wang Zelin's subconscious behavior, she turned her head and winked at him.
Good guy, the DNA almost moved.
Thinking that there would be a game tonight, Wang Zelin turned his head silently.
In addition to a large number of extremely eye-catching Hollywood female stars competing for their beauty, the biggest star in the audience today is undoubtedly Kobe Bryant, the boss of the Lakers from the same city.
Staples is the real king!
"Wow!"
"What is Kobe doing?"
"His direction is the Blazers bench!"
Although LeBron James has officially replaced Kobe as the new league's number one player, Kobe still tops the scoring list this season with an average of nearly 30 points per game.
No matter how the major media ranks him, Kobe is still a top-three superstar in the league.
At this time, Kobe suddenly stood up and walked towards the Trail Blazers.
Wang Zelin also stood up and walked forward on his own initiative.
"Boy, I haven't seen you for a long time. I didn't expect that when we meet again, you are already the All-Star vote winner. From this point of view, you are no worse than your compatriot Yao."
Kobe came over and patted Wang Zelin on the shoulder, and the two hugged each other naturally.
This is undoubtedly sending a message to those who are interested: The King of Heaven and Kobe are extraordinary!
You know, the Lakers have always had a tradition of recruiting super centers.
Although Wang Zelin is far from a super center now, and may not even be as high as Howard, the current number one center in the movie, he has already shown the seeds of a super center.
Combined with the Lakers' consistent tradition and Kobe's unusual behavior, everything has to make people suspicious.
No, a certain muscular man who was watching this game at home was very dissatisfied.
"When I first came here, I called me Little Beast!"
"Now that we have a new person, we forget the old one and call him Mr. Warcraft instead!"
…
Staples Center.
After chatting for a few words, Black Mamba left after leaving a few words.
"Don't be polite to the Clippers, you'll hit me in the smoke later!"
Kobe Bryant, who has been on the throne for a long time, inevitably feels that "there are always unscrupulous people who want to harm me" when it comes to the Clippers team that is showing a rising trend.
Farewell to Kobe, Wang Zelin turned around.
"Nicholas, did you hear it? Our opponent is cheering for us!"
At this time, Wang Zelin kept waving his right hand in greeting, and those who didn't know thought he was the host.
"Man, you have such a good attitude!"
Batum said.
After chatting with my teammates for a while, the time soon came to 6 o'clock, and both parties arrived near the center circle.
The Clippers at home fielded their regular lineup of Chris Paul, Willie Green, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan.
The same is true for the Trail Blazers, who have a lineup of Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Aldridge and Wang Zelin.
After the game started, Wang Zelin won the jump ball again, and Jordan fell into depression...
After playing several rounds, the development trend of the game was almost the same as that of last night.
The only thing that was somewhat surprising was Lillard's outburst.
After hitting a three-pointer at the beginning, Lillard hit three more in the later part of the first quarter, plus 3 of 3 free throws.
15 points in a single quarter!
Originally expected, what everyone wanted to see was who among Wang Zelin, Aldridge, Chris Paul and Griffin, who had just qualified for the All-Star Game, would break out.
As a result, Lillard jumped out to steal the show...
Especially among the four three-pointers in the first quarter, two were unreasonable three-pointers made against Paul.
35:21!
With Lillard's 15 points in a single quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Clippers by 14 points in the first quarter.
The expected fight between the dragon and the tiger did not happen, and I don’t know how many people were shocked.
However, Lillard's sudden outburst couldn't help but make more people gradually pay attention to this cold-looking No. 0 player.
…
Lillard's sudden outburst reminded Wang Zelin of something that fans would talk about in later generations.
Things have to start from the 2015~2016 season.
That season, the Trail Blazers sent away four players, resulting in a poor record before the All-Star break, with only 27 wins and 27 losses, ranking outside the top eight in the Western Conference.
However, Lillard's personal performance was very good, averaging 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. He was sixth in the league in scoring and seventh in the league in assists. Such performance was undoubtedly an All-Star level, but he failed to qualify for the All-Star Game.
star.
Regarding the "unselected" All-Star, Lillard chose to fight back with strength.
In the first game after the All-Star break, facing the Golden State Warriors, which had just achieved 48 wins and 4 losses and was in full swing, Lillard scored 51 points, 7 assists and 6 steals to lead the team to victory.
While breaking the career single-game scoring, three-point field goal and steal records, Lillard made no mistakes in the entire game, becoming the first player in NBA history to score in a single game since Reggie Miller in 1992.
A player who scored 50 points, 7 assists, and made no mistakes.
If a coincidence can be said to be true.
Then in the second game, facing the Toronto Raptors, who are second in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the league, Lillard once again scored 50 points in a single game...
With a series of superb performances after the All-Star break, the Trail Blazers achieved a record of 17 wins and 11 losses and successfully returned to the playoffs.
Since then, the NBA has left a legend like "How good is Lillard who was not selected as an All-Star?"
But that was several years later, why was it so early?
Feeling sorry for his sister, Wang Zelin gave up his pursuit of a dead end.
Anyway, the biggest beneficiary of Lillard's explosion is the Trail Blazers, so why should I worry about this and that...
Cheap or not!
Back in the second quarter, except for Lillard, who was feeling explosive, he was still on the court, and the other four players had already gone off to rest.
On the other hand, for the Clippers, Paul, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are still on the court.
Many Clippers fans are thinking: Now is the time to chase points!
Unfortunately, the idea is good, but the reality is very skinny.
Paul scored suddenly and assisted Jordan for a dunk under the basket, scoring two points and further narrowing the score.
When the Trail Blazers were on offense again, Lillard dribbled to the frontcourt and stood at the top arc to make gestures.
We want to play singles!
This is not only Lillard's own wish, but also Coach Terry's deployment during the break.
At this moment, not only other personnel, but also members of the Trail Blazers team want to see how crazy Lillard can be.
The Trail Blazers' substitute interior duo of Joel Freeland and Jarek Freeland followed the coach's instructions carefully and quickly spread around.
Substitute forward Will Barton and substitute defender Victor Clive reacted very quickly and ran 45 degrees to both sides.
When the movement is completed, the inside space opens up, and a one vs one situation between Lillard and Paul is formed at the top arc of the three-point line.
"Chris~Pao'er! Chris~Pao'er!..."
Clippers fans at Staples Center spontaneously chanted Paul's name.
At this moment, Paul, who was in the center of the whirlpool, felt unspeakable pain in his heart.
As expected, the boy No. 0 in front of him has definitely entered an indescribable super state. He has no idea whether he can defend the opponent.
Halfway through the offensive round, Lillard had a thought in his mind and quickly crossed paths to break through. He passed Paul and went to the basket, carrying Jordan on his back and hitting the board. At the same time, he caused the latter's foul and hit the Clippers with a 2.
1!
"O~M~G!"
Kenny Smith was chanting.
"Crazy! The Blazers' No. 0 is going to go crazy tonight!"
Buckley shouted with an exaggerated expression.
"That's crazy!" Kobe muttered to himself, "After the Thunder, there is such a young army again. Have times really changed?"
As he gets older, Kobe feels more and more incompetent. The most obvious thing is that this season he is no longer able to attack and defend as well as before.
Just as the Trail Blazers defeated the Clippers at home last night, the Lakers led by Kobe Bryant also experienced a brutal fight.
The location is Staples Center!
Last night, the Lakers played at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the top team in the Western Conference.
At that time, the Thunder ranked first in the Western Conference with a record of 34 wins and 10 losses, while the Lakers ranked 11th in the Western Conference with a record of 18 wins and 25 losses.
I thought it was a one-sided massacre, but who would have thought that Kobe would end up with 21 points and 9 rebounds in a different way... 14 assists, 1 steal and 1 block all-around data... the league's top center scored 8 points and 10 rebounds.
Next, he led the team to a crucial victory.
This campaign for the Lakers is not as simple as a superficial record of rising to tenth in the Western Conference, but more of a spirit, a tenacity, a resilience... and a hope.
A hope of seeing the door to the playoffs!
Kobe, who was high-spirited because of a big victory, suddenly felt that he was really old after witnessing the rise of another young team in the league.
"No, I still have time, I have to get another ring, and I have to slap that guy in the face..."
Unknowingly, when Kobe's mentality turned negative, the figure of the No. 23 jersey exploded in his mind like a thunder, instantly sweeping away the negative mentality that had just occurred.
Black Mamba will never admit defeat!
Recovering his mind, Kobe turned his attention back to the game on the court.
At this time, Lillard was still continuing his performance.
In the second quarter, he scored 16 points and led the team 61:45 against the Clippers.
No one expected that the game would be defeated in just half time.
31 points at halftime!
Lillard set a career-high half-time scoring record, and what awaits him next is a new single-game scoring record.