At 94:102, the Trail Blazers finally lost to the Suns and unexpectedly lost the game.
After the game, when he returned to the locker room, Wang Zelin sat down directly on the floor. He was very tired today. This may be the most tiring game he has played since entering the NBA.
It's not because of how competitive the game is, but because Wang Zelin has been living too comfortably in recent days, and so have his teammates.
The Trail Blazers have not played a game for nearly a week, and the team is mainly composed of young people. Facing the attraction of the colorful world off the court, it is difficult to maintain a firm willpower.
Batum and Matthews were obviously having fun, and coupled with the abnormal performance of Lillard and Aldridge, Wang Zelin had to play the leading role for the first time.
The result was obvious, he lost.
When the rest of the Blazers were unable to step up, Wang Zelin's physical fitness was completely unable to support his dominant offensive and defensive performance throughout the game. Even in the second half of the fourth quarter, even the offense was a little weak.
"When will I have the physical strength pool like Kobe's?"
Wang Zelin played a total of 37 minutes today, his playing time reached a season high, and his game usage rate exceeded 35% for the first time, but he still lost.
He felt that if he could have the stamina to support himself throughout the game, it might be possible to get the score back.
This reminded him of Kobe in the 2005-06 season. In that season, Kobe's usage rate was as high as 38.7%, breaking the NBA's historical record. He needed a lot of singles with the ball every night, and had to face two to three players.
folder.
This was the most "unreasonable" year for Kobe's style of play, but Kobe had to do it.
2005~06 season.
When Kobe is on the court, the Lakers' offensive efficiency ranks third in the league;
When Kobe Bryant left the game, the Lakers' offensive efficiency ranked last in the league.
Once upon a time, Wang Zelin also complained about Kobe's all-encompassing style of play, but tonight he felt a little bit more sympathetic to Kobe's situation back then.
Sometimes, circumstances can really force a person to change!
The difference is that Kobe has endless physical strength to support him until the end, even playing a few overtimes without mercy, while Wang Zelin can't stand up until the fourth quarter.
Fortunately in the regular season, the Trail Blazers have enough time to make mistakes. After all, in 82 games, Lillard and the others cannot be themselves every night.
But if it comes to the playoffs, where every game must be fought, and when it comes time to fight for the bayonet, if your teammates are not strong enough at that time, and your own physical strength is not enough...
It’s bad enough just thinking about it!
When talking about the playoffs, Wang Zelin sounded like an 18-year-old man in his thirties again.
That guy is a pervert too!
It’s almost 34 years in 2018, and he can still play 82 regular season games with full attendance. At the same time, he ranks first in the league in playing time at 36.9, and the playoffs are even more outrageous.
First, there was a tiebreaker in the first round; in the semifinals, the old acquaintance Melancholic God was better, and Lin easily swept it 4:0; in the Eastern Conference finals, there was another tiebreak.
Finally won!
"No!" Anticipating the cruelty of the playoffs, Wang Zelin couldn't help but shudder, "By the end of the regular season, the number of fans should exceed 100 million. It's best to draw 20,000 Zhang by then..."
Wang Zelin places his hopes on the future purple diamond lottery...Currently there are only 81.43 million fans, with half a season left. According to the growth trend, it is very likely to exceed 100 million by the end of April.
Generally speaking, the regular season ends in mid-to-late April, and then takes a 3-5 day break before the playoffs.
In other words, around the time the Trail Blazers play in the first round of the playoffs, Wang Zelin will be able to participate in the second purple diamond lottery and get a super center ability card that is no less than O'Neal.
If he can perform some more performances that surprise fans, his fan base may grow even faster.
"However, it is unlikely."
Wang Zelin quickly rejected this idea.
Everyone suffers from aesthetic fatigue!
Fans have become accustomed to Wang Zelin's superb performance. Even averaging 20.10 per game, which is enough to be blown to the sky for ordinary All-Star players, seems to be used to Wang Zelin.
It's like getting used to a 15cm diameter, and suddenly a 16cm diameter... It's not easy for anyone to detect this subtle change.
Unless you can go directly to 20...
Let’s save slowly!
…
"Damien was obviously out of sorts tonight. He may have forgotten what he said when he won the skills competition championship. With such a performance, I don't expect him to be an All-Star next year."
"The same goes for LaMarcus. As a big brother, he went 3-for-13. His style of play is as soft as ever."
"Wang played 37 minutes today and had a big triple-double with 35 points and 17 rebounds. But don't forget, he is a standard seven-footer and weighs 286 pounds. With such playing time and physical fitness,
Consumption is simply a kind of destruction to his body."
"And Nicholas, Wang needs help, but no one from the team stepped up. For the playoffs at the end of April, Wang should consider taking a rest!"
After losing the game, more and more Trail Blazers fans called for Wang Zelin to rest, so that he could not consume a lot of his physical reserves in the regular season.
Not only because Wang Zelin has a history of injuries before, but more importantly, for Portlanders who have been entangled in terms such as "torn city" and "center curse" for decades, are they okay now?
It's easy to see the hope of the team's revival, but naturally we don't want to see the flame of hope fade.
After the game, Wang Zelin did not blame his teammates in an interview. When faced with questions from the media and requests from fans to take a break, he responded to them one by one.
"The Trail Blazers are not my team alone. Victory is the result of everyone's hard work, which is very exciting; similarly, failure should be faced by all of us together...
I always believe in my teammates, just like they always believe in me. It doesn’t matter if we lose tonight, as long as we work together in the next game, we will win...
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Regarding the rotation of rest, first of all, thank you for your concern, but I personally think it is not necessary."
On the way back to Portland, everyone was in a low mood, and Wang Zelin didn't say anything.
The 82-game regular season is too long. It is normal for players to occasionally become mentally slack and perform abnormally.
On the contrary, there are a small number of guys such as Kobe and James who can maintain their playing status for a long time. This type of talent is the rarest.
After getting off the plane, everyone went back to their homes to find their mothers.
Today's game is a lesson. The Trail Blazers have three games left in February, and their opponents are the Lakers, Celtics, and Nuggets... all of whom are notoriously bitter.
After the All-Star break, the coaching staff's original plan was to try to win two of the next four games. The Suns were definitely going to win, but unexpectedly they lost.
Now we can only steal meat from the Lakers, Celtics and Nuggets.
Fortunately, the Blazers' intensive games and away games this season are concentrated in the first half of the season. The match days of the next 27 games are relatively spread out, and nearly 60% of the games are played at home.
It's a good thing after all.
…
Staples Center on the 23rd.
The Trail Blazers challenge the Los Angeles Lakers away from home.
The Lakers currently have a record of 26 wins and 29 losses, ranking ninth in the Western Conference. The tenth-placed Dallas Mavericks are two wins away from them, and they are still 3.5 wins away from the eighth-place Mosaic in the Western Conference. They are firmly ranked in the Western Conference.
The position of nine.
But the situation of the Lakers is still not optimistic. Kobe once said in front of the media that he must lead the Lakers into the playoffs this season. Under his supervision, the Lakers entered the game early tonight.
At halftime, the two teams battled to a score of 55:53, with the Trail Blazers temporarily trailing by two points.
The Lakers are in the lead. In addition to Kobe and Howard's 11 points and 15 points, the most critical figure is Antawn Jamison on the bench.
The most low-key man with 20,000 points in NBA history is one of those players whose strength outweighs his fame.
Last season with the Cavaliers, he averaged 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists per game. This season, his numbers dropped to 9 points and 4 rebounds, but this was due to the decline in the team's tactical status and the compression of playing time.
With Pau Gasol absent due to injury, Jamison, who came on as a substitute, got a lot of playing time. He played 10 minutes in the second quarter and scored 8 points on 4-for-4 shooting, as well as 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
It can be said that he single-handedly defeated the Trail Blazers' second lineup.
However, Wang Zelin is not anxious at all. His teammates played to their due level tonight. If this continues, he believes that the team will eventually complete the overtake.
However, after the start of the third quarter, what Trail Blazers fans were most worried about happened.
Aldridge, who steadily contributed 7 points and 5 rebounds in the first half, scored 2-1 on a layup in the third quarter. When he was about to score in double figures, the audience was surprised to find that his opponent fell to the ground and could not get up.
According to the replay on the big screen, after Aldridge broke through the frame and completed the finish, he accidentally stepped on the instep of Lakers pseudo-Earl Clark when he landed, spraining his ankle and having to take a rest.
Aldridge is one of the core members of the team, and his sudden injury has left the Blazers in a state of morale.
Through constant replays, everyone knew that Earl Clark did not mean what he said. After all, the opponent's reputation in the league was not bad.
In the end, Wang Zelin and others could only blame Aldridge's bad luck.
This seems to be the epitome of Aldridge's career.
Since entering the NBA in 2006, Aldridge has never truly played 82 games in his career, and various injuries will always come to his door from time to time during the regular season.
The good thing among misfortunes is that every time Aldridge gets injured, it's just a minor problem that can be cured after a period of rest.
"I hope it will be the same this time!"
This is what my teammates thought.
Aldridge's injury made the Trail Blazers completely passive, especially Lakers No. 4 Jamison. After returning from the timeout, he scored 6 points in a row, helping the team widen the point difference to 8 points.
Seeing that the score difference was getting bigger and bigger, Wang Zelin used all his strength to barely allow the Blazers to stabilize the situation.
But the invasion of injuries is like a dark cloud hanging over the heads of the Trail Blazers players. As long as Aldridge's injury report does not come out, everyone will not be able to concentrate on the game on the court.
After rushing through the third quarter, the Lakers led the Trail Blazers by 11 points 83:72, but no one cared about it now. Wang Zelin looked anxious and led everyone back to the bench.