Chapter 999 The first game of the season, hot discussion continues
After watching the live broadcast of the game, Wang Zelin, Lillard, and Jokic went back to rest. Fans on social media were already in a frenzy.
"Shocking! The Warriors lost the opening game at home by 29 points!"
"This game is so surprising. Can the Warriors lose with this lineup?"
"Facts have once again proven that it is not just a matter of pushing the giants to win the game. The four-star warriors still have a big problem with the running-in."
…
This season, the most discussed outside world is the Warriors, known as the "Cosmic Brave", and how to defeat the Warriors?
This has become the most discussed topic in basketball circles now.
When the result of the opening game between the Warriors and Spurs came out, it quickly caused a stir on the Internet, but the fans' attention was attracted by another game the next day.
The Trail Blazers and Cavaliers, opponents in last season's Finals, will usher in their respective season openers at the Trail Blazers' home court.
The scene of last season's big lead of 3-1, only to be forced into a 3-3 situation is still vivid in my mind. Wang Zelin's incredible performance of 7 49 22 8 5 2 also seems like yesterday.
And this season, while retaining the core framework of the Big Three, the Cavaliers also signed Roy Hibbert, who once competed with James in the Eastern Conference Finals. This traditional insider once played the No. 1 center in the Eastern Conference.
8 million a year is not expensive, but it is not cheap either.
The reason why the Cavaliers signed him is self-evident, precisely to target the Trail Blazers, their biggest potential opponent in the finals.
In fact, not only the Cavaliers, but now many strong teams in the league have begun to hoard insiders crazily in order to slightly limit Wang Zelin's performance in the game against the Trail Blazers.
After all, Wang Zelin's performance in the past four seasons has been incredible. With all kinds of data explosion, it is not an exaggeration to call him the contemporary Chamberlain.
Yesterday it was the Warriors vs. the Spurs, and today it was the Trail Blazers vs. the Cavaliers. At the beginning of the season, the league gave fans a feast.
On the day of the game, the Cavaliers held an open training session in the training hall.
The players were training on the field, and reporters were already standing around.
In such a topical and focused game, they tried their best to get something out before the game.
The mentality of the Cavaliers players seemed to be very good. Everyone was talking and laughing. James also looked relaxed and practiced one-on-one offense and defense with his new teammate Hibbert.
Leaving aside other aspects for the moment, James' emotional intelligence is indeed very good when it comes to dealing with people.
It can be seen from these that the Cavaliers are determined to win the championship in the new season, and they are also confident in the first game of the season that is about to begin.
After the training, reporters Wen Yong, head coach Tyronn Lue, and team core James were all focused on the attention of a large number of fans.
In addition to the two of them, there was another person who was surrounded by reporters for three floors. It was not Irving or Cousins, but Hibbert.
After all, Hibbert was a two-time All-Star and the starting center of the Eastern Conference Finals team. He still has some strength. Unfortunately, there are not many places for traditional centers to survive in this era.
From the Pacers to the Lakers, then to the Hornets and Nuggets, and finally to the Cavaliers, Hibbert has become an out-and-out league bum.
After joining the Cavaliers this season, as his exposure increased, Hibbert seemed to be dreaming back to the time when the Pacers were five players, and his heart began to expand.
From the peak to the trough and then to seeing hope, Hibbert's NBA career in the past few years has been full of twists and turns. Under the drastic change of mentality, the reporter got what he wanted from him in a few words.
"What do you think of tonight's opponent, the Trail Blazers?"
The reporter's first question was very straightforward.
"They are strong, but we are stronger!" Hibbert did not disappoint the reporter. He rushed to take the exam as soon as he opened his mouth.
"It's like their power forwards here this year are white, soft, and like noodles. I don't know when the league's interior players started playing like this."
The "noodle" in his mouth naturally refers to Jokic. In order to show his loyalty to the new club, he did not care at all that his words might offend Jokic and a large number of Trail Blazers fans after he left.
After several years of wandering, he has finally seen through it. Rather than perish in silence, it would be better to announce his new life with a vigorous explosion.
He is still very young, less than thirty, and he doesn't want to be unable to even play ball in the rest of his life.
At this stage, the knight is the last life-saving straw for him, and he will not let it go easily.
"Do you think the Cavaliers can win tonight's opener?"
The reporter then asked.
"Of course!" Hibbert replied without hesitation.
"We have only one goal for the new season, and that is the championship! Before I came here, this team had already reached the tiebreaker with the Trail Blazers. Now that I am here, we will definitely win, and win easily.
"
Hibbert's honeyed confidence almost spilled out of the screen.
If you are a fan who only read the data table after the game and has not watched the finals process, he may really be deceived by him.
Hibbert's interview was reported, and Cavaliers fans were excited.
They had always felt that the Cavaliers were strong enough before, but they always felt that something was missing. Only now did they realize that it was missing that kind of domineering attitude!
Although James' performance on the court is domineering, he is used to being low-key and humble in front of the media, and the same is true for Irving and Cousins... At least under the leadership of James, both of them were quite honest and did not develop into problem children later.
If you want to win the championship, among other things, you must at least have confidence.
Now Hibbert's arrival has just made up for this!
As expected, Trail Blazers fans were quite angry after seeing this.
In fact, why did you feel that the tiebreaker was possible last season? Did you really not count 13 in your mind? Was that a "miracle" that you achieved with your true strength?
Besides, Hibbert, a player who is getting worse as he gets worse in the league, actually attacked Jokic in order to lick his new club.
After all, you are also a center. If you want to attack, you should attack Wang Zelin!
In the final analysis, is it not about bullying the weak and fearing the strong?!
After this wave of operations, the smell of gunpowder between the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers began to permeate before the game even started.
The spectators of the other teams were not too concerned about the excitement. Siebert's remarks only made the game that had already attracted much attention become even more anticipated.
At 6:40 in the evening on October 26, players from both teams entered the stadium, and the Rose Garden Arena was packed.
After the Cavaliers played away games, they watched Lillard, Jokic, Barton, Batum, and Wang Zelin appear on the field one after another. They also watched Yi Jianlian, Harrell, Carter Sr., and Connett Lee in the Trail Blazers' bench...
...Hibbert, who was so excited before the game, couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
Licking, licking, but this does not mean that Hibbert is brainless. In fact, he is also very aware of the strength of the Trail Blazers.
He couldn't help it, who asked him to think about the Cavaliers just to earn a living.
The reason why there is such a big scene today is not only because the opponent in the opening game is the Cavaliers, but also because as the defending champion, the season opening game at home will include a championship ring awarding ceremony.
The ring belongs to the team, but the honor belongs to the fans, who will also witness the Trail Blazers' fourth championship banner hanging in the Rose Garden Arena!
There must be no pioneer like Xiaoyu who is willing to miss such an occasion.
There is still one hour left before the game, and players from both teams have entered the venue early to warm up.
After the main players finish shooting training, they take a rest.
Soon a reporter came in the morning and interviewed Lillard, Button, Batum, Jokic, and Wang Zelin, the five players recognized by the Blazers this season.
Topic interviews cover a wider range of topics.
One of the topics was asking, who is the best player among the five people?
This question is an old classic and appears very frequently, almost every year.
Lillard said it was Kobe, Jokic said it was Sabonis, the "roof of the world", and Batum and Batum said Jordan.
After he finished speaking, everyone felt Wang Zelin's burning eyes.
Seeing that Wang Zelin did not answer, ESPN beauty reporter Nicole Briscoe, who was otherwise conducting a group interview on the spot, looked over expectantly: "Wang, who do you think is the best basketball player?"
"it's me!"
Hiss...so direct!
Several teammates really didn't expect Wang Zelin's answer, and Nicole who was interviewing was also stunned for a moment.
He dug a hole, but it wasn't deep. He asked, "Who do you think is the best basketball player?" Any player who has experienced rookie training knows how to answer.
Therefore, all Nicole wants is for netizens to have arguments based on the answers given by the Trail Blazers' starting five, the legendary players, or players with high historical rankings.
Just like Lillard said Kobe, this is good, just like Irving and DeRozan's answers, it will cause quarrels among fans.
It's not necessarily the fans of Kobe and Jordan who are quarreling, but it may be the fans of Kobe, Wang Zelin, and James.
But now that Wang Zelin is directly talking about himself, the problem is huge.
Nicole can imagine that after this interview is broadcast, Wang Zelin will encounter ridicule from most netizens.
But... this is so in line with Wang Zelin's character!
It seems that except for the beginning of the league's rookie season, Wang Zelin was a little more honest. In the following time, wherever there is Wang Zelin, there will be topics and popularity.
The teammates who had been stunned for a while returned to normal in an instant, and Nicole also felt that it was normal...after all, this is a guy who dares to speak out!
At the same time, he is also a guy who performs very well on the court!
In fact, this beautiful reporter still admires Wang Zelin quite a lot.
Although Wang Zelin had caused heated discussions before because of his repeated oral pleasures, he finally proved himself with his strength and told the world what it means to do what he says!
This made Nicole sigh... We are all young people in their early twenties, why are you so prominent?!
Recalling some of Wang Zelin's past remarks, Nicole was immediately relieved. This was the Chinese boy in her impression.
"Last question, what do you think of Roy Hibbert's remarks?" Nicole looked at Wang Zelin, the look of anticipation in her eyes getting stronger.
The previous interview will definitely become blockbuster news after it is released, and will definitely trigger a new round of heated discussions, but she is not satisfied with this, and raised a question that many fans online are discussing enthusiastically.
Siebert's remarks caused an uproar after being reported, and are now well known to everyone.
"That's not important."
Wang Zelin answered very casually, and his expression didn't care at all.
Nicole was stunned for a moment. She obviously didn't expect Wang Zelin's answer.
Logically speaking, shouldn't you stage a domineering retaliation at this time?
But she looked carefully and saw that Wang Zelin's expression was definitely not fake. It seemed that he really didn't take Hibbert's words or even Hibbert as a person seriously.
After Nicole came back to her senses, she understood. Not to mention Hibbert, who got a chance to play again because of Wang Zelin's strong performance at this stage, even Hibbert at the peak of the Pacers, the gap between him and Wang Zelin was very big.
obvious.
The two are not players of the same level at all, so naturally there is no basis for talking to each other over the air.
To be precise, Hibbert is not worth Wang Zelin's extra breath. The unparalleled fan base behind him alone is enough for Hibbert to drink a pot.
After the warm-up of both sides ended, the on-site staff quickly began to set up the stage, and the players from both teams returned to the half court to wait for the championship ring awarding ceremony.
In addition to Wang Zelin and Lillard who remained calm on their faces, other members of the Trail Blazers, including Barton and Batum, also looked very excited.
And Aldridge, who came to the sidelines to watch the game today, couldn't help but have red eyes and almost shed tears when he saw the championship ring.
After all, this is the championship ring that symbolizes the Portland Trail Blazers' successful establishment of a three-peat dynasty!
At this time, on the other half of the Cavaliers bench, Irving and Cousins looked envious. Although they were already All-Stars in the league, they had never won a championship ring.
James' expression at this moment was very special, including envy, jealousy, and a hint of unwillingness... But all the above emotions eventually turned into endless motivation.
As a son of Akron, he said in front of his hometown father that he vowed to bring a championship to Cleveland.
In the finals of the past two seasons, the Cavaliers fell to the Trail Blazers one after another, but they still could not dampen James' strong belief in bringing a championship to his hometown.
Suddenly feeling a strange gaze coming from behind him, Wang Zelin turned his head subconsciously and happened to find James looking at him.
The two stared at each other for a long time, and finally smiled at each other, saying nothing.
Let's see the real results in the competition!
Kenny Smith was responsible for presiding over the on-site awards ceremony. NBA President Bald Hua and Vice President Stu Jackson also came to the scene.
"Hello, Portland championship fans!"
As an ace commentator, Smith knows how to shape the atmosphere of the scene, and can set off the emotions of the Rose Garden Arena as soon as he opens his mouth.
"At this moment, Charles shed tears of envy, because you are about to have a championship ring just like me."
As he said that, he looked to the west of the Trail Blazers bench, and the camera showed that Barkley was sitting in a row of auditoriums behind Wang Zelin.
After being teased, Barkley was very cooperative. He stood up decisively and glared at Smith with angry eyes, indicating that he was very unhappy now.
The plastic friendship between the two is evident at this moment.
Waves of cheers and whistles rang out at the scene, and the atmosphere was completely aroused.