U.S. time, on October 30, 2013, the Portland Trail Blazers were selected as one of the six opening teams in the league.
These six teams are the Heat, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Lakers, Spurs, and Mosaics, with a total of three battles.
In the original time and space, the Trail Blazers were naturally not qualified to be selected for the opening game, but today is different from the past. In terms of popularity and strength, they are no longer comparable to the Trail Blazers in the original time and space.
In the first game of the 2013~2014 season opener, the Trail Blazers' opponent was...
Houston Mosaics!
With Wang Zelin's outstanding performance in his rookie season, all games of the Trail Blazers this season have been included in the broadcast schedule by Tianchao Sports.
This treatment is not inferior to that of the Mosaic team during Yao Ming's era...
There is no way, who allows the only two Chinese players in the NBA to play for the Trail Blazers!
Across the ocean, domestic fans are thinking about this program. For this reason, China Sports Channel specially asked Zhang Lili to commentate on this game.
For such an arrangement, Zhang Lili readily accepted it and thought to himself: Isn't it just to brag Wang Zelin hard? I am a veteran!
"Director Zhang, what do you think of the Trail Blazers' signings this season? Do you think they really have the strength to win the regular season championship?" Yang Yi asked.
"I think it's completely possible." Zhang Liji said with a sigh: "I think the most important actor for the Trail Blazers this summer is the introduction of veteran Kevin Garnett. He will greatly supplement this team.
A group of valuable experiences that young people don’t have…”
"There is no doubt that the Trail Blazers are stronger than last year, and they are fully capable of going further on the road to victory!"
"Then how do you evaluate the Mosaic team's signing of Howard? Many fans evaluate the combination of him and Harden as a Magic combination, and it is very likely to become an OK combination for another team..."
Hearing this, Zhang Lili couldn't help laughing and said: "Sorry, I was laughed at! I must admit that this team's Demonic combination is very strong, but if you want to compare it with the OK combination in the Zongheng Alliance, I don't think they have it.
This strength.”
"Director Zhang, who do you think will have the last laugh between the Trail Blazers and Mosaic in this opening game?"
"That must be..." Zhang Lili was about to blurt out the words and stopped abruptly: "Well, the NBA is a place of miracles. No one can draw conclusions in advance before the game officially starts."
"As for the outcome, we still have to look at the specific situation in the game. Don't look at the preseason game where the Trail Blazers won all and the Mosaic team lost two games. After all, the science and technology competition is just training. We must not be disappointed because of the preseason record.
It is not rigorous to determine the strength of a team."
"Personally, I think the Trail Blazers have a slightly better chance of winning."
Zhang Lili replied.
On the other side, the special guests invited by ESPN TV were Clyde Drexler and Cuttino Mobley.
After all, it is the home ground of the Mosaic team, so the person invited is naturally a famous player of the Mosaic team.
Whether it is public or private, Drexler and Mobley must support the Mosaic team to win. This is a matter of butt deciding head.
When ESPN invites them to commentate, this layer should be taken into consideration.
…
Toyota Center Houston.
At this time, it was already very crowded and full of fans.
Today's game attracted a lot of attention.
Everyone wants to see how the Trail Blazers No. 36, who was constantly talking before the game, will prove that he is capable of completing the season with a clean sheet against the Mosaics.
You know, the Mosaic team is by no means a weak team. Last season, Harden alone led the team to the playoffs, not to mention that this year they have strengthened the inside with a superstar in his prime, Howard.
en, in the eyes of the outside world, isn't Howard in his prime?
At present, except for Wang Zelin, a very few people know that Howard has begun to decline from his peak. Most people agree that Howard is still at his personal peak.
As for why the Lakers failed to enter the playoffs last season?
It's not because Los Angeles is Kobe's territory, Howard can't adapt at all, and the Lakers haven't created a learning environment suitable for him.
Compared with Kobe, who is 35 years old and in the last few years of his career, people are more willing to believe in the 28-year-old Howard, believe in his strength, and believe that his low performance last year was due to "acclimatization".
The above are the unified statements made by Howard and his agent in recent interviews with the media.
But Wang Zelin knows that Howard is destined to disappoint his fans.
At the beginning of the game, the Trail Blazers sent out a lineup of Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Aldridge and Wang Zelin. Wang Zhelin and Aldridge were responsible for controlling the inside, while Lillard, Matthews, and Batum were responsible for the outside and division of labor.
Very clear.
The Mosaic team sent out a lineup of Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik, and Dwight Howard.
To be honest, the Mosaic team's inside combination is top-notch in the league in terms of both single defense and assist defense capabilities. Breakthrough experts from all over the league really need to be very determined if they want to challenge the Mosaic team's penalty area.
But will the Trail Blazers face each other?
The answer is no!
"Rookie, this time there will be no Kobe holding you back. Get ready to pay your tuition!"
Howard and Wang Zelin met, and the smell of gunpowder instantly filled the air.
"..."
Wang Zelin couldn't help but be stunned, Kobe was holding him back?
Oh my God!
How did he have the ability to say such things? Did Liang Jingru give him the courage?
"Dwight, I don't know where your illusion comes from, but you should be able to maintain such incredible confidence after the game starts."
Wang Zelin narrowed his eyes slightly with a cold smile.
"Really? Arrogant boy, get ready to cry!" Howard said confidently.
In the Mosaic team, he is the biggest guard, and no one can stop him from playing in the low post.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! This summer, Howard went to the Dream Training Camp again in order to regain his place with Wang Zelin. This season, he is still recognized by SP as the league's number one center. Let him
I feel a little more confident.
Tonight, he will show his strength as the strongest center in the league at Toyota Center and let the girls in Houston cheer for him!
…
Jump ball from both sides.
Wang Zelin and Howard left the ground almost at the same time, and their speed reached the top level in the league!
However……
"Snapped!"
A yellow arm was obviously one step faster and touched the orange basketball.
This is impossible!
Howard looked surprised.
He was actually defeated by Trail Blazers No. 36.
After landing, Wang Zelin quickly settled into position. Lillard held the ball and pushed forward, not rushing to play fast break.
After halftime, Lillard directed the players' movements with a stern expression.
Batum detoured from the wing, received Lillard's pass, turned and headed inside.
When the breakthrough failed, he passed the ball back to Lillard, and then ran towards the bottom corner.
Three points?
Parsons and Asik's eyes involuntarily focused in the direction of Batum.
At this moment, Lillard raised the ball over his head and suddenly threw it into the air...
"Oops!"
Jeremy Lin secretly thought something was wrong and was about to turn around when a loud noise came from behind him.
It turned out that Wang Zelin cut in from the middle, and then flew high.
"boom!"
Lillard's pass was perfect. Wang Zelin took the ball with his left palm and slammed the ball into the basket.
The Trail Blazers score first!
"Beautiful pass! The tacit understanding between King Wang and Lillard is getting better and better. I hope they can continue to maintain it."
Zhang Lili stood up excitedly.
There was an alley-oop at the beginning, and the Trail Blazers made a wild move at the Toyota Center when they first arrived, making the Mosaic fans crazy.
"Dwight! One more!"
"Dwight! One more!"
The cheers became louder and louder, and everyone's eyes focused on the Mosaic team's No. 12 player on the field.
As early as when Howard joined Mosaic, I don't know what he was thinking. He chose to pay tribute to O'Neal's drama when he joined the Heat and said: "I am here to bring victory to Houston!"
These words are naturally not as heroic as O'Neal's back then, but Howard's strong confidence can also be heard in his words.
In this regard, Harden's choice was to agree with Howard.
It was also from then on that Howard, who was superior to Harden in terms of qualifications and strength, was officially confirmed as the boss of the Mosaic team.
Now, it’s the boss’ turn to respond!
Turning around, Mosaic attacked for the first time.
After Jeremy Lin advanced to the top of the arc, Harden came over to respond, got the ball, and directed his teammates to move.
It can be seen that Jeremy Lin, who has overlapping functions with Harden, has become increasingly awkward in the team. He has gradually become a false No. 1 position. The most offensive end is to pass halftime and then hand the ball to Harden.
If Mosaic's opponent in today's opening game was not the Trail Blazers, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to play.
Enter positional warfare.
Through conduction, the ball finally came to Howard's hands.
This should be the singles strategy developed by the Mosaic team for Howard.
The tactics are in place, now it depends on the strength of the ball carrier.
Howard received the ball and started to hit confidently, once or twice... he couldn't hold it up!
Seeing that there was not much attack time left, Howard turned sideways and took a throw shot...
Duang~~~
As the sound of iron was struck, Wang Zelin picked off the rebound in the backcourt and passed the ball hand to hand to Matthews on the side.
"What?"
Not only Mosaic coach McHale off the court, but also the players on the court had question marks on their faces.
After a long time of fussing, you just show us this?
"Is this the result of Howard's summer training?"
Yang Yi shouted.
"..."
Zhang Lili was also stunned. He managed to control his expression and did not laugh out loud.
Trail Blazers offense.
Wang Zelin asked for the ball in the low post on the right wing, and Howard defended from behind. When the two were engaging in physical confrontation, Wang Zelin did not forget to joke: "It seems that the hundreds of thousands of dollars you gave to Dameng were in vain again. This summer, you should
Are you trying hard to practice blacksmithing?"
"Stop being so verbose, you just want to score a goal!"
Howard groaned.
At this time, Lillard pretended to dribble, took two steps inside the three-point line, and lobbed the ball over.
As soon as the ball was in hand, Wang Zelin turned to face the frame, looked at Howard and said: "Next, please be sure to keep your eyes open. It's teaching time. Watch carefully! Study hard!"
"Really? I really want to see..."
Just as Howard was mid-sentence, the opponent suddenly took a shot, hit the basketball on the board, and penetrated the Mosaic team's block at a 45-degree angle.
4:0.
When Howard came to his senses, the first thing he saw was the retreating figure of Trail Blazers No. 36.
Mosaic changed tactics here. Chandler was afraid of life and death and broke through the pick-and-roll. Then, he saw Trail Blazers No. 36 hit a big block and slapped him out.
It’s simply not that exciting!
Lillard was well prepared. After Wang Zelin successfully blocked the shot, he immediately took the ball down the court and dunked hard towards the Mosaic team's basket.
6:0!
"Boy, what were you doing just now? Why didn't you pass the ball to me?"
Howard, who returned to defense at halftime, saw his opponent's attack complete and couldn't help but yelled at Chandler Parsons on the side.
"I...I just move according to tactics."
Due to Howard's status in the team, Chandler Parsons didn't dare to reply and gave a hesitant answer.
"Hmph! Just give me the ball next time. Don't forget, I am the team's number one tactical point."
After saying that, Howard did not choose to serve in the backcourt, but turned to the frontcourt to take a position.
On the next offense, the ball passed to Howard's hands as expected.
Wang Zelin was laughing so hard in his heart: It seems that the beating Master Huo has experienced is not deep enough, and he is still immersed in the fantasy of "a low-level killer".
So, a familiar scene happened again.
Howard continued to play Wang Zelin in singles.
Unlike Howard, whose physical fitness has already reached its peak, Wang Zelin's physical fitness has become stronger after another season.
Especially the strength attribute, whether it is upper body strength or lower body strength, has completely surpassed Howard.
Therefore, last season was better. At first, Howard could rely on his strength to occasionally beat Wang Zelin, but now he basically has no advantage against Wang Zelin in singles.
If nothing changes in the future, Howard's career trajectory will be completely blue-collar.
After several attempts with his back to no avail, Howard wanted to face the frame and use his body to squeeze Wang Zelin away so that he could take a shot at the basket...
Facts have proved that the effect is extremely poor!
Wang Zelin did not reveal any flaws. In order to avoid attacking for three seconds, Howard could only continue to take action.
There is nothing more to say. It is just asking the teacher for homework...
"Snapped!"
Wang Zelin slapped the ball directly and the basketball flew out of the sideline.
"In the Magic era, you could rely on your body to overpower your opponents. Now that your physical fitness has declined, it's just a dream if you still want to give and ask on the offensive end like before! Shaquille is right. In the era of the four major centers, you
The so-called best center in the league is a joke."
Listening to Wang Zelin's words, Howard said angrily: "Do you think you can criticize me just because you guarded one? You don't need to teach me how to play!"
"Haha, you think I want to call you, but don't say goodbye. I don't know how to teach someone even a dream, I don't think I have this ability!"