Chapter 291 The whole world is giving trouble to me, Big Ross
In Portland, Wang Zelin and Lillard caused some turmoil, and in another corner of the league, a turbulent battle began.
If there is one thing that fans are most looking forward to this season, the top priority is whether the all-powerful Big Three can achieve three consecutive championships in three years and establish a dynasty.
If we were to choose the player that fans are most anticipating this season, it would undoubtedly be Derrick Rose, the Rose of the Windy City, who has been off the court for 18 months due to injury.
On October 6th, US time, the NBA season officially started. When the Bulls announced that Derrick Rose was back on the roster, all Bulls fans couldn't help but burst into tears:
Their MVP~is back!
The youngest MVP in history is finally back!
Even fans of other teams couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for Rose's experience before the new season started.
Ever since!
The biggest suspense comes out: How much success does Rose have left in the MVP season after not playing for such a long time?
On the afternoon of October 6, Rose's comeback after 526 days became the biggest focus of the game.
Facing the Eastern Conference powerhouse Pacers, Rose played 20 minutes and scored 13 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers.
For the Pacers, star Paul George was sent off for 6 fouls and became one of the highlights of the day.
For Bulls fans, they saw Rose's still sharp performance, which already made them satisfied.
The Bulls' six preseason games include the Pacers, Grizzlies, Wizards, Pistons, Pacers and Bucks.
In the end, the Bulls won 6 out of 6 games and became the only four teams in the league to win all preseason games. The other three teams are the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.
Judging from the preseason performance, Rose performed as before. He brought explosive power, speed and creativity back to the court. Therefore, many American experts are optimistic that he can compete for the MVP of the new season and that the Bulls can compete for the championship.
But all this must have a premise, that is, can the Roses withstand the ravages of the regular season?
Due to the emergence of the dark horse team Portland Trail Blazers last season and occupying one of the eight spots in the Western Conference playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers did not reach the playoffs like the original Time Hunters.
Therefore, here comes the biggest variable.
The king of Los Angeles, the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant’s Achilles tendon did not suffer a rupture like it did in the original time and space.
The Los Angeles Lakers also became one of the six opening teams of the 2013~2014 season. Their opponent was the New York Knicks, who are also located in a world-renowned city.
The Chicago Bulls naturally lost the qualification for the opening game.
This game can be seen as a contest between the teams from the most luxurious cities in the eastern United States and the teams from the most luxurious cities in the west.
Another major focus of the game is naturally the offensive battle between the league's new scoring champion Carmelo Anthony, who ranked first in last season's scoring list, and Kobe Bryant, who ranked second.
Experts originally agreed that the Lakers had just lost one of their generals, Dwight Howard, and their strength would inevitably decline. The Lakers were left with Kobe, Nash and Gasol, who were all a year older, and the Knicks led by Anthony at their peak.
Compared with Sri Lanka, it should be on the weaker side.
The result surprised everyone.
The Lakers, led by the Big Three in their twilight years, won their first win of the new season 101:95 against the Knicks.
It can be said that Kobe's playing style has undergone a 180-degree change compared to last season, completely moving towards off-ball play. The points scored in the paint are also less than half of last season, with most of the points coming from mid-range shots and three-pointers.
He made 13 of 22 shots from the field, 3 of 7 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists with the highest efficiency in the team.
In addition, Nash's old tree blossomed and he scored 8 points and 14 assists. Pau Gasol did not have to play the leading role like in the original time and space. In addition, the negative impact caused by the strength of the plantar fascia was much better. He scored 20 points in the game.
With 13 rebounds, he and Kobe were the only Lakers players to score 20 points.
Anyone who has watched the game can find that without Howard's singles that are out of touch with the game, the tacit understanding between the Lakers players in the new season has become stronger. Kobe, Nash, and Pau Gasol have shown a very strong style.
Complementary.
The Lakers beat the Knicks, but Mosaic lost the opening game, which caused many radical Lakers fans to flood into Howard's personal Twitter, instantly sinking the entire comment section.
Howard has been troubled by these bad things lately!
On November 1st, it finally came out after being called for.
The Bulls ushered in the first game of the new season, and their opponent was the same time and space as the Miami Heat. The only difference was that the battle between the two was postponed for one day.
It was so exciting from the beginning, and all Bulls fans began to worry about Rose's performance in the first regular season after being retired last season.
It turns out that their concerns were correct.
Compared with the preseason, the challenges of the regular season are more difficult.
In the last game, the Miami Heat just held a championship ring awarding ceremony at home, showing off in front of the players of last year's Finals runner-up San Antonio Spurs.
When it came to the game, the Heat players continued to play with great momentum. Seven players on the team scored in double figures. James had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Wade had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Bosh had 16 points and 6 rebounds.
Moss had 13 points, 4 assists and 5 steals, Ray Allen had 11 points and 7 assists, Norris Cole had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, and Shane Battier had 14 points...
With his perfect substitute performance, he finally defeated the Spurs 107:95 and got off to a good start.
Two days later, the Heat drove the Bulls crazy with championship-level defense at home. After the game started, the Heat's defense was quite active, forcing the Bulls to make consecutive mistakes.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It can be seen that they attach great importance to their opponents in this battle and Derrick Rose.
And what about Rose?
His performance was undoubtedly disappointing.
He only made 4 of 15 shots in the game, and only scored 12 points and 4 assists. He also made 5 fatal turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio was worse. He was a bad example for a point guard.
It can be seen that Rose played very hard, trying to find his former self.
But today, facing the really overflowing Miami Heat, he gradually became timid in playing. If he was wearing a red No. 1 jersey, people would even wonder if the guy playing on the court was Rose?
Perhaps he was afraid of injury, fear of leaving the field again, and leaving the fans who supported him, so he did not show his sharp breakthrough today, but made jump shots again and again in the outside world.
Taking 7 three-pointers in a single game only resulted in 1 hit... In Rose's MVP season, this is simply unimaginable.
Rose is actually afraid of physical confrontation?
No matter how sad Rose's situation is, no one cares now.
After the game, what the management of other teams cared more about than this was that James showed his low-post post-playing ability in this game, and his success rate was quite high.
Before the season, James had made a high-profile statement that his goal this season was to help the Heat complete their dynasty of three consecutive championships. At the same time, he also knew very well that the Bulls after Rose's comeback would most likely be one of their main rivals in the Eastern Conference.
There was even a survey before the game that ranked the Bulls' probability of winning the championship second only to the Heat!
This shows how high the outside world's expectations for Rose's comeback are.
And on the night of the showdown with the Bulls, the Heat got off to a bad start, felt bad, and did an excellent defensive job, but failed to score...
At this time, James stood up and showed off his low-post skills that he had practiced hard in the summer. Facing Hinrich's defense, he turned over and hit a jumper, becoming the key player for the Heat to get out of the quagmire of lagging behind.
James, evolved again!
As soon as this point of view came out, other strong teams aiming to win the championship instantly became restless.
This summer, in the trading market, everyone has repeatedly blocked the Heat's reinforcement plan, but James can't stand it and become stronger!
While the management of each team was trying their best to study James, Rose, who had just had a sluggish performance in the first game of the regular season, had a super moment in the second regular season matchup.
On November 2nd, this will be Rose's first home game back. The Bulls will face the New York Knicks back-to-back at home.
Knicks star Carmelo Anthony just won the first heavyweight honor of his career last season - the regular season scoring champion, at the height of his popularity.
In the first quarter of the game, Anthony seemed to want to prove that he was not only good at attacking, and played an amazing quarter on the defensive end.
First, he slapped Rose for a layup when the official timeout came back. With two minutes left, he successfully grabbed Rose and succeeded in a one-stop dunk.
Rose didn't even score a single point in the second quarter!
This kind of Rose has made many Bulls fans feel sad.
However, all the foreplay seems to be for the final climax...
With 4.7 seconds left before the end, the Bulls were temporarily trailing the Knicks by one point at 82:81 at home. Who would handle the key ball?
No need to guess, it must be Ross!
The Knicks did the same thing, always having two defensive players following Rose.
But MVP has never been a "parallel import". Rose hit a high throw in front of two defensive players. With this ball, the Bulls finally defeated the Knicks 82:81 at home and won their first victory of the new season!
Although he missed 16 of his first 22 shots, Rose made the last crucial shot! The Bulls won!
Rose was undoubtedly the best player in the game!
When the deafening cheers of "MVP" resounded through the Bulls' home court, people suddenly realized that Windy City Rose was in tears even during her absence due to injury. At this time, two lines of clear tears had been left on her determined face.
this day,
It’s been too long!
Thinking about it too long!
I have been depressed for too long!
A victory, a near-final victory, made all the fans who were looking forward to Rose's comeback overjoyed, and also made all the stars of other teams who were just preparing for a huge stone in their hearts once again start to be on tenterhooks.
Roses are tricky after all!
In the end, Rose was favored by the fans in the center of the court. In this game, he proved himself with an accurate shot, and his mood instantly felt much better.
"Congratulations, Derek! You scored a sure hit in the second game. It seems your condition is starting to improve! But..."
Ross, who was looking happy, immediately became vigilant when he heard the reporter say "but".
"However, just now, Damian Lillard scored 35 points and 8 assists in the Rose Garden Arena, including a career-high 9 three-pointers in a single game."
"There is also another Wang Zelin who just scored a super double-double of 33 points and 21 rebounds against the Mosaics in the opening game. The Portland Trail Blazers led by the two of them are definitely one of the league's strongest players. Your next game
The opponent will be them, what do you want to say about this?"
The reporter's words made Rose lose his smile.
In two consecutive games, some players in the Trail Blazers have performed superbly. It seems that this young team is ready to show their toughness from the first day of the new season!
At the beginning of last season, they contributed an astonishing 7 consecutive victories, once ranking first in the regular season record. In the playoffs, they broke the prejudice and reached the Western Conference Finals stage.
It should be noted that some stars have not been touched yet!
This young army not only has unlimited potential, but their current combat effectiveness is also at the top of the league.
As a result, this year, the Trail Blazers showed even better momentum than last season. They were not willing to simply win two consecutive games. Instead, they chose a way to beat their opponents by a big score and won two consecutive games with an extremely strong attitude.
Win!
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In the latest team strength list, the Portland Trail Blazers surpassed all the league's powerful players with an average of 129.5 points per game and successfully dominated the list.
Although everyone knew that as the regular season progressed, the Trail Blazers' scoring average would definitely drop, but they were still horrified.
In the opening game against Mosaic, Wang Zelin broke out, and in the second game against the Suns, Lillard broke out. So what about the next game against the Bulls?
Who knows whose turn it will be to explode!
Aldridge, Nicolas Batum...even Garnett and Mo Williams on the bench have become the subject of speculation.
As one of the focal points of this battle, the Bulls' coaching staff began studying the Portland Trail Blazers overnight.
The right way is not to be afraid of ten thousand, but to be afraid of the worst case scenario!
Whoever allowed the Blazers to come up and start the game with a bang, even if they didn't know what their cards were, the fighting power they showed at the moment had already made many teams feel scared.
"They played great, but the season is still long, we'll see."
Rose said politely, turned around and left the court.
Bull No. 1 subconsciously licked his lips, and the joy after winning his first victory was instantly wiped away.
If I remember correctly, ESPN ranked him 6th in the new season player rankings, 7th was Dwight Howard, and 8th was the Portland Trail Blazers' No. 36. As for the Trail Blazers,
That No. 0 on the team can’t even make it into the top 30...
The Mosaics led by Howard have already lost. If Rose leads the Bulls and loses to the Trail Blazers, I don't know how much controversy will arise among the fan base.
Asking himself, Rose really wanted to win, but he looked at the team's schedule and saw that there were several strong teams waiting for the Bulls when the season started...
From the Heat to the Knicks, and then to the Trail Blazers, Rose instantly felt that the whole world was against him.
