If there was still a bit of suspense in the game after the first half, then at the end of the third quarter, there was no more bullshit suspense.
The height a team can achieve is created by everyone working together. But sometimes, there are always some unreasonable things that can shock the world.
These existences are called "Superstars!"
That's what happened with Chris Paul tonight.
While delivering 16 assists, Paul made 5 of 7 three-pointers and scored 31 points, the highest score among all players tonight.
In the end, the Clippers defeated the Trail Blazers by 13 points at home 118:105. The Clippers finally got back a game against the Trail Blazers.
Again, in this game the Blazers performed normally, but someone from the Clippers broke out, and none of them broke out tonight!
"Hey, it's finally my turn to win!"
I hugged the players from both sides after the game, and Griffin approached Wang Zelin and said with a playful smile.
"Tch, cherish it, you only have this chance."
Wang Zelin immediately raised his middle finger.
Needless to say, men's friendship is sometimes that simple. Even though there were some minor frictions before, as long as they have a drink, things will improve, and some of them will even become good friends.
The two of them are not at the level of friends at present, but they are much better than the slight hostility before, and they can be called friends.
Besides, Griffin's performance just now was also very impressive. If Paul is the first contributor to the team's victory, then Griffin can definitely be ranked second.
In this game, Griffin made 8 of 15 shots, a shooting percentage of over 50%, and a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. His performance was even better than his opponent Aldridge.
Here are the pioneers.
Wang Zelin played as steadily as ever, scoring 25 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. Unfortunately, it ended up being a scoreless game.
The other two pillars of the Trail Blazers were Aldridge with 20 points and 8 rebounds, and Lillard with 17 points and 9 assists. The three of them combined for 62 points. Their performance was not bad.
Losing this game can only be regarded as bad luck.
At the post-game press conference, Terry Stotts took all the responsibility alone and admitted that he underestimated Paul's offense.
After losing the game, no one was interested in playing outside. So excited, we took a chartered flight back to Portland overnight.
After a short break, the Trail Blazers faced the challenge of the San Antonio Spurs at home on February 21st.
Due to Westbrook's surgery some time ago, the Thunder's overall strength will inevitably decline without a general, as will their record.
On the 20th, that is, last night, the Spurs challenged the Clippers on the court. In the end, they relied on the outstanding performance of Belinelli and Danny Green, the two top shooters, who combined for a total of 6 of 12 three-pointers, plus the rock-solid Tim inside. Duncan scored a near-triple-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, and the Spurs finally defeated the Clippers 113:103 in an away game.
At this point, the Spurs' regular season record has become 41 wins and 15 losses, successfully surpassing the 40 wins and 14 losses of the Oklahoma City Thunder, ranking second in the Western Conference, and second in the league.
In the game against the Trail Blazers on the 21st, the Spurs were playing back-to-back games. I thought that the Trail Blazers, who were in a favorable location, could easily win this game, but I never thought that the Spurs would have the last laugh.
In this game, the two sides fought back and forth. When the battle was fierce until the last minute, You Neili hit a three-pointer at 24.9 seconds on the court, leading the score difference to 2 points.
At the last moment, the Trail Blazers, who had scored one goal ahead, were forced to foul. Diaw made 2 of 2 free throws, and the game lost suspense.
After winning this back-to-back game, the Spurs' record suddenly rose to 42 wins, and the league's top spot seems to be within easy reach.
As the season progresses, the Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers, two young teams that were unstoppable at the beginning of the game, have fallen behind. Although the Pacers' 39-win record still ranks first in the Eastern Conference, they are still ranked first in the league.
Among the 30 teams ranked, they can no longer reach the top 3 and can only condescend to 4th place.
It makes sense. The only three teams in the league that have won 40 games are all gathered in the Western Conference. You can imagine how fierce the involution is in the Western Conference.
Not to mention anything else, after the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Trail Blazers two days ago, their record has jumped to 38 wins, and they are only one win away from the Pacers.
It’s no wonder that there have been some rumors disparaging the East recently:
"This year's Western Conference champion = championship!"
As soon as these words came out, thousands of waves were instantly shocked!
Pacers fans, Heat fans, and even Knicks fans couldn't help but come in and yell a few words.
But when they discovered that the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference was not even ranked among the top three in the Western Conference, and was about to be surpassed by the Clippers behind them, they wanted to refute, but they didn't know what reason to find.
Despite what people always say, winning the regular season championship does not guarantee a 100% chance of winning the NBA championship that year.
But a team that actually wins the regular season championship will eventually have some natural advantages when playing against other teams in the playoffs.
Just talking about the psychological pressure on both sides, when the team ranked eighth in the division meets the first in the division, you don't have to think about it, the pressure will definitely be on Shanda!
…
…
"Two consecutive losses! The Portland miracle is coming to an end!"
"The Eastern boy's magic power seems to have bottomed out!"
"San Antonio~The true king of the league!"
"..."
After two consecutive losses, the Trail Blazers unexpectedly encountered crazy criticism from outside media and professional commentators.
No matter how high they stood, how miserable they would be if they really fell down!
Of course, the Trail Blazers are still ranked first in the league, and they can't even talk about falling directly from the top to the top of the mountain, let alone being shattered into pieces.
However, the Spurs' recent performance has really surprised countless people. This team, which has the largest average age in the league, fully explains that sentence:
"Running fast doesn't necessarily mean you win, but not falling down means success!"
Obviously, the Spurs, who are accustomed to following in their footsteps, may be aiming for the regular season championship again based on their current momentum!
A record of 44 wins and 10 losses seems unlikely to guarantee the Blazers' regular season championship dream. As long as they are not careful, the Spurs behind them are very likely to achieve a lead.
This is not just talk.
Therefore, it is no wonder that the media changed their past lukewarm attitude toward the Spurs and began to increase their efforts to spread the word about Spurs games.
Not to mention, while we were chatting about the Spurs, people actually started talking about a hot topic last year about pain in the balls:
He hired a private detective to track his wife and found out that he was suspected of being cuckolded?!
Ahem, Duncan probably wouldn't have thought that someone sitting at home would come from the sky. He really wanted to ask, how free are you people?
