Wang Zelin played 33 minutes and only played half of the fourth quarter. He made 14 of 22 shots and 6 of 8 free throws. He scored 34 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls.
Rose's efficiency was also very high in this game. He made 14 goals in 24 shots, scored 3 of 3 free throws, and scored a season-high 31 points. He also added 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. Considering that he is an outside shooter, he can do so.
Such high efficiency shows how hot he is tonight.
But the Bulls still lost to the Trail Blazers!
After this game, only Wang Zelin, who scored 34 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, will be remembered by people, beating Rose, who scored 31 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal!
Winner takes all has always been the only rule in the basketball world!
…
…
The previous theory is theory. When the Trail Blazers defeated the Bulls, they continued to maintain an undefeated record this season and once again shocked the media's attention.
Before the season, the media was generally not very optimistic about the Trail Blazers' title defense this season. Taking the championship experience as an example, although it ranked first in the major media lists, it was not much higher than the Cavaliers behind it.
You know, they are the defending champions!
The Cavaliers are a team that has never won a championship in the history of the team and proved itself. The reason why the probability of winning the championship is ranked so high by the major authoritative media lists without playing a game is that except for the Big Three coming together.
Well, the biggest reason is James.
But now, they have increased the Trail Blazers' chances of winning the championship, and the increase is not small. Even the most demanding ESPN for the Trail Blazers has increased it to 52%, exceeding 50% for the first time, which is higher than the previous 40%.
increased by 8 percentage points.
At the same time, fortunately, the Cavaliers and Thunder behind the Trail Blazers have seen changes in their chances of winning. The Cavaliers dropped to 37%, while the Thunder rose to 29%.
In this regard, the official explanation given by ESPN is:
The Trail Blazers are creating a new history that belongs to themselves and the entire NBA. Every subsequent victory will push this record forward. The Trail Blazers at this stage are worthy of awe from all teams;
The Cavaliers' lineup still has big flaws, and the Big Three still need a certain amount of time to adjust, but overall, they are still one of the strong contenders for the championship in the new season;
Although the Thunder's current record is mediocre due to a lack of personnel at the beginning of the game, with the successive comebacks of KD and Russell, we can clearly feel that the Thunder still have hope of hitting the championship!
December 13th.
Waking up early in the morning, the entire Trail Blazers team immediately boarded a chartered plane and headed for Indiana.
Today their opponent is the Pacers, and they are also their opponent in the last stop of this five-game road trip.
To be honest, tonight's game is destined to be difficult, not because of how strong the Pacers are, but because this is a back-to-back battle after consecutive away games...
During pre-match training, bad news came that Batum had a knee problem and would have to rest for two weeks.
Everything happened so unexpectedly, another key player fell down due to injury, causing the Trail Blazers' strength to decline once again.
grass!
Damn injury!
Batum's injury immediately sounded the alarm for Coach Terry, who quickly stopped the already average-intensity pre-match training and convened an emergency meeting.
At the meeting, Coach Terry glanced at everyone and got straight to the point: "Kids, our winning streak has been long enough, so I think... it's time to end it."
As soon as these words came out, everyone's expressions changed.
They understand the original intention of Coach Terry's words. The degree of victory at the beginning of this season has exceeded the expectations of the outside media and fans, and also exceeded the expectations set by the Trail Blazers at the beginning of the season.
Everything at the moment seems like a dream, which always makes people feel unreal. But this happens to be true, which makes people feel more cherished and unwilling to let go.
There was silence in the conference room for a long time, and Coach Terry continued: "I understand how cruel and ruthless it is to bury this great honor with my own hands, and my heart is bleeding. But please also remember that our biggest goal this season is
Defending the title is only the regular season now. We actually don't need to spend too much time and energy on the process. This has seriously affected the fruitful stage of the playoffs.
Next, no one in the team will be injured again, do you understand what I mean?"
The last sentence made the atmosphere at the scene become more solemn, so that no one dared to answer the question.
There was another long period of silence. This time, the reasoning coach looked at Wang Zelin sitting on the left, stood up and walked over, put a hand on Wang Zelin's shoulder, looked at him, and said:
"Wang, team leader, tell me what you think!"
Wang Zelin nodded, and as he stood up, everyone's eyes turned to him. Facing the surrounding eyes, he showed a confident smile that was familiar to all his teammates.
"Coach, I know what you are worried about, but I'm sorry that I can't agree to your request this time. I will continue to play tonight!"
He did not give a reason why he had to play, but both coach Terry and the teammates around him understood his choice.
"..." This time it was Coach Terry's turn to be silent, but unexpectedly, he did not try to persuade again, but forced out a smile with difficulty, "Don't I know better, you kid? I want you to
It's easier said than done to give up tonight's game with Damien."
"coach……"
"coach!"
The voices of Wang Zelin and Lillard sounded at the same time.
"Okay, you must protect yourself."
Coach Terry interrupted the two of them and then made arrangements for tonight's game.
First of all, Wang Zelin and Lillard will continue to play tonight.
After some consideration, the coaching staff made a choice to let Connett Lee, Will Barton, and Jokic take the second, third, and fourth positions respectively.
After the meeting, news of Batum's injury quickly spread, and everyone outside began to pay attention to this game that was originally considered to be no suspense.
Without three main players, it is entirely possible for the Pacers to upset the Trail Blazers.
The Pacers can be said to be the happiest. As the Blazers become weaker again and again, the greater their chances of ending the Blazers' winning streak.
That is an unprecedented 23-game winning streak, and it will most likely be unprecedented!
Roy Hibbert is also very excited. He has never defeated the Trail Blazers No. 36 since he met them. After the Trail Blazers won the championship last year, he has always envied the opponent for being able to stay in that kind of environment. This summer, he introduced Morrow.
and Carter, which greatly increased the thickness of the bench, and is expected to defend the title.
On the other hand, Paul George, the Pacers' starting five who once dominated the league and their core figure, suffered a calf fracture in the summer, and his return date has not yet been determined;
Point guard George Hill has been inactive due to injury and will not be able to play tonight.
Lance Stephenson was directly traded by the management;
At the moment, only David West and himself are left barely holding each other together for warmth. Ever since the Pacers' record in the new season dropped to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the two of them have been scolded.
Now that the Trail Blazers have injured three people, Roy Hibbert and David West actually have the urge to look up to the sky and laugh.
Jealousy separates hostage walls…
In the evening, the Pacers, who were at home, welcomed the Trail Blazers.
Before this game, the Pacers had a record of 7 wins and 16 losses, firmly ranking at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and basically hopeless for the playoffs. Their opponent was the Trail Blazers, who had won 23 games in 23 games and was hard to beat.
When the live footage was shown to the players of both teams, an extremely strange scene was discovered. The Pacers, who were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, all had smiles on their faces. On the other hand, the Trail Blazers, who had the best record in the league, all had serious expressions.
In front of the Pacers bench.
Hibbert looked at the back of No. 36 opposite him with disdain: Humph, you can enjoy yourself while the game hasn't started yet. I'll see if I beat you to a pulp later.
Hibbert was instantly excited when he thought that after tonight's victory over the Pacers, he would most likely have the title of "Wang Zelin's Terminator" on his head.
Sadly, it turns out that in Hibbert's subconscious, he no longer regards himself as a player of the same level as Wang Zelin.
"Brothers, blow up the opponent!"
The walkers roared with joy.
The pioneer generals on the opposite side always looked on with a cold eye, standing there watching this scene.
"Oh, Wang and the others...are they ready to give up on themselves?"
A Trail Blazers fan who arrived at the scene said reluctantly.
"Actually, we can't blame them, this wave of injuries is so ruthless!"
Another fan next to him who was also wearing Wang Zelin's jersey shook his head and sighed.
"well……"
The two looked at each other, saw each other's sadness, and sighed in unison.
Then again, in fact, the Trail Blazers' 23-game winning streak in the beginning is amazing enough, not to mention that they are already ranked third in the list of best winning streaks in a single season in NBA history, which is better than the first-place Lakers' 33-game winning streak and 3rd consecutive victory.
The Heat's 27-game winning streak was a record born in the middle of the season, but they are undefeated from the beginning to the present!
As we all know, no matter how strong a team is, the players need to go through a period of re-adjustment at the beginning of the new season. Only in this way can the team's problems be discovered as early as possible and improved.
But the Trail Blazers...
It can only be said that Wang Zelin and others have brought so much surprise to the world in the new season that they have now suffered a backlash, leading to a wave of injuries.
Before the game, both sides announced.
Pacers: CJ Watson, Rodney Stuckey, Solomon Hill, David West, Roy Hibbert
Trail Blazers: Lillard, Connett Lee, Will Barton, Jokic, Wang Zelin.
The game was broadcast live by TNT. At this time, Kenny Smith turned around and asked: "Charles, who do you think is more likely to win tonight?"
"Haha!" Barkley laughed, and then said: "I raise my hands and feet to support the Trail Blazers to win!"
"Oh, did your house just get internet access? Didn't you hear that Nicolas Batum was injured before the game?"
Kenny Smith looked surprised.
"Hmph!" Barkley glanced at Smith arrogantly, and then said: "Kenny, although I have always envied the two championship rings on your hand, but with all due respect, it is nothing compared to what you have achieved in your playing career.
It’s so high, it’s hard to understand what kind of terrifying energy an MVP in his prime has in his body!”
"king?"
Kenny Smith looked at Trail Blazers No. 36 on the court in surprise.
"That's right!" Buckley nodded and said with absolute certainty,
"So what if LaMarcus is injured? So what if Matthews is injured? So what if Batum is injured?
For an MVP player, unless he completely loses the ability to fight, as long as he is given a stage, he can bring back a miracle to all those who support him!"
"A miracle?"
Kenneth Smith originally didn't want to repay the Blazers for winning tonight, but after listening to Barkley's words, his expression suddenly changed, and his original firm attitude began to waver.
For some reason, the image of "Big Dream" Olajuwon, who led the Mosaic team to the championship in the 1993-94 season, suddenly flashed in Kenneth Smith's mind.
If MVP needs a clear definition, then deep down in Kenny Smith's heart, there is always only one MVP candidate. That person is not the "God of Basketball" Michael Jordan, but the "big dream" Olympus of the 1993-94 season.
Rajuwan.
Barkley said that he did not understand the terrifying energy contained in the MVP. This statement was actually wrong, because he had already seen a real MVP. The reason why he did not refute was just because it was in his subconscious, before his eyes.
Wang Zelin will never be as big as the former team member Da Meng.
Can giving you a stage really bring back a miracle?
Not only Kenny Smith in the commentary box, but also the fans who heard the conversation between the two in front of the TV, their attention was involuntarily focused on No. 36 on the field, and the same question appeared in their minds.