You know, this is something Lillard has dreamed of but has never been able to do, but Jokic did it.
After the game, Jokic was highly praised for his sudden outburst during the Trail Blazers' winning streak, believing that he should be the second leader of the Trail Blazers this season, not Lillard.
At the same time, ESPN's expert team also raised an intriguing question, that is:
When Aldridge returns from injury at the end of the season, will Jokic, who has just played the highlight of his career, accept his original position as the sixth man on the team?
Obviously, these unscrupulous media are causing trouble!
But it is undeniable that this is indeed a major problem that the Trail Blazers must face in the future.
Aldridge, who was born in 1985, is now 31 years old, which is actually a rather embarrassing age. If he reaches 32 years old in another year, then Aldridge will enter the ranks of veterans, and then the Blazers will manage
The front office will most likely choose to support Jokic, who is in his early twenties, to take over.
But the problem is that Aldridge is only 31 years old now, still at the tail end of his prime, and he was also the absolute second-in-command during the Trail Blazers' three consecutive championship dynasty, second only to Wang Zelin in the credit book.
If the Trail Blazers choose to announce their complete overhaul of Jokic at this time, it will undoubtedly make this meritorious veteran feel chilling.
Don't forget, why did he suffer such heavy injuries?
Isn’t it for the Blazers’ dynasty hegemony?
Now when people are injured, they are abandoned. Who will serve the Trail Blazers wholeheartedly in the future?
Therefore, in order to play well in the long term, when Aldridge returns from injury at the end of the season, he will definitely return to the lineup.
Otherwise, how would you make the fellow team members feel?
But with this arrangement, Jokic's side will also become very messy.
Jokic, who was born in 1995, has just turned 21 years old, which is the age when his skills are improving like crazy. After replacing Aldridge at power forward this season, he performed so well and played a regular season without any complaints. At the end of the season, he was replaced.
Change it...
Will this make Jokic feel strange?
People are fickle, and no one can tell what Jokic, who seems harmless to humans and animals, will think when the time comes.
Don't forget, behind Jokic, there are also a group of young rookie players who are supporting him.
No matter how harmonious the team is, there will always be different small groups within it. This is determined by human nature and can hardly be changed.
Therefore, this move by ESPN is a naked conspiracy. It puts the embarrassing problems that the Trail Blazers will face in the future on the table in advance in an attempt to force them to make a choice now.
Once the Blazers management responds positively, no matter who they choose, it will hurt the other person and the interest groups behind that person.
To take a step back, even if the pioneers choose to ignore this problem for the time being, the seeds have been planted and one day it will grow into a big tree.
No matter how small the crack is, it cannot hide the fact that it has already appeared.
Needless to say, the ESPN expert team is absolutely professional when it comes to mentality, and is worthy of the title of "expert".
So, how will the Trail Blazers choose?
…
After defeating the Magic, the Trail Blazers will face a tough four-game losing streak.
On the 12th, the team arrived at Memphis, the first stop of four consecutive visits, one day early.
Tomorrow night, their family is going to have a big fight with the Grizzlies, the league's famous tough guy. Let's not talk about winning or losing for now. It is certain that they will lose some skin.
On the afternoon of the 13th, there were still three hours before the start of the game. Players from both sides were receiving pre-match interviews.
The process on the Grizzlies' side went very normally. The questions asked by reporters were basically how the Grizzlies players viewed tonight's opponents and whether the Grizzlies were confident of winning, etc.
But when I got to the Trail Blazers, the style of painting immediately changed.
The reporters on the scene, without exception, were all asking questions around the future position conflict between Jokic and Aldridge.
In this regard, the Blazers management was naturally not stupid enough to publicly state who they would choose, and decided to ignore this issue for now.
There is nothing I can do, the palms and backs of my hands are full of flesh!
Unless any one of them is willing to make active concessions, otherwise, this problem is destined to be unsolvable.
But, is this possible?
Few people are willing to sacrifice their own interests to benefit others.
When being interviewed after the game, Wang Zelin did not take the bait, and instead focused the interview on canvassing votes for Jokic's All-Star.
"Nikola Jokic has been our number one player during our recent five-game winning streak. With his ability, I think he is worthy of the All-Star honor! So please don't be stingy with the small tickets in your hands. Please, everyone
…”
After an hour of commotion, the press conference finally ended.
"call!"
Wang Zelin let out a long sigh, and then returned to the locker room with Coach Terry to start warming up for the evening game.
At 19:00 in the evening, FedEx Arena.
In this arena, which can accommodate 19,315 people, the battle between the Trail Blazers and the Grizzlies is about to begin.
So far, the Grizzlies' performance has finally come to an end, with their record basically remaining above 50% and hovering between 7, 8, and 9 in the Western Conference rankings.
The record is average and the ranking is not high, but this does not mean that the Grizzlies' strength is low.
On the contrary, this is the tough guy that the entire league has been known to have in the past 5 or 6 years. If it is not necessary, no one would want to encounter this Grizzlies team.
Since 2010, the core framework of the Grizzlies has basically remained unchanged, mainly focusing on the "black and white bears" Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol on the inside, outside core Mike Conley, and the bench.
The four defensive heroes Tony Allen are here to build the team.
Facts have proved that the Grizzlies' lineup is indeed very tough. Although the upper limit is not high, it is enough to cause every opponent a headache.
Under the fierce defense of the Grizzlies, the whole Trail Blazers team seemed to be under a weak buff, and their shooting percentage was so bad that it was impossible to even see it.
At halftime, 43:40, the Trail Blazers led the Grizzlies by three points.
At the same time, it also set their lowest score in the first half so far this season.
After 15 minutes, the two sides changed sides and fought again.
Just when the audience was expecting changes in this game, they were disappointed once again as the game progressed.
"Duang! Duang! Duang..."
On the field, besides making iron, you are still making iron.
This game is destined to be a meat grinder battle with meaning, defense and iron blood as the main theme.
After three quarters, the Trail Blazers expanded their lead to a certain extent, but not much... 62:57, leading the Grizzlies by 5 points.
Emmm, 62 points in three quarters, also set a new low in scoring in the first three quarters of the season.
Final section.
The voices of "DuangDuangDuang..." kept coming and going.
At this time, the fans were numb and chose to close their eyes and use their ears to "appreciate" tonight's fierce duel.
Isn't it intense?
It's hard to beat, if a certain person from Los Angeles who doesn't want to be named comes on the 24th, you have to call him an expert!
After the whole game, the Trail Blazers only scored 87 points. As an offensive team that currently averages close to 130 points per game, not only did they not score more than 100 points tonight, they did not even reach 90 points. This shows how efficient the offense is tonight.
Low.
Fortunately, the Grizzlies were less efficient than the Trail Blazers, scoring only 15 points in the final quarter. The Trail Blazers finally broke out in the final quarter, and the team scored 25 points.
But the Grizzlies were even more disappointed. The team only scored 15 points in the final quarter, a full 10 points less than the Trail Blazers.
In the end, the Trail Blazers "beat" the Grizzlies by 15 points in an away game 87:72.
Those who didn’t know better thought this was a crushing game.
Only those who have watched the entire game will know how difficult this game is.
It’s not just hard for the players, it’s even harder for the fans watching the game...