He tried to control his emotions because he knew he couldn't be anxious now.
First, he must give full play to the team's greatest advantage, rely on defense to limit the opponent, and then he and Mark will sort out the offense together. With more than half a game left, he is confident that he will defeat his opponent.
Facing Lillard's stalking defense, Mike Conley stabilized the rhythm and initiated a pick-and-roll gesture.
At this time, Mike Conley did not have many rich personal offensive skills. What he was best at was relying on his teammates' pick-and-rolls to complete the offense.
So Mike Conley waved for Marc Gasol to come out. Anyway, Lillard was ready to use the pick-and-roll to get a three-pointer or a chance to break through.
"The Grizzlies are playing a two-man game. Can they score this offense?"
At this time, Marc Gasol caught the ball inside the free throw line and started to advance with his back. Wang Zelin was pulled too far by Marc Gasol. The entire penalty area was empty and completely exposed to the firepower of the Grizzlies.
At the same time, Zach Randolph and Aldridge turned around and cut to the basket after a push. Marc Gasol suddenly turned around and faced the frame. Wang Zelin hurriedly jumped high to block the shot, but when his feet left the ground,
, the whole person regretted it.
Marc Gasol's current offensive arsenal is not as rich as in later years. He averages only 14.5 points per game. This season's highest single game is only 27 points. 47% of his close-range two-point shots are taken.
Points and long-distance points are 40.6% and 38.2% respectively.
Turning around and shooting jump shots is not Marc Gasol's habit. In other words, he was deceived.
Sure enough, after Wang Zelin took off, Marc Gasol passed the ball under his arm and passed it to Zach Randolph who cut from the baseline. He was stuck behind Aldridge and couldn't find any space to block the shot.
You can watch the scene of "black bear climbing a tree" unfold before your eyes.
"Hahaha! Marc Gasol is definitely one of the big men with the highest basketball intelligence in the league. He doesn't have Wang's unstoppable power, but he knows how to maximize the use of his teammates and how to help the team win in another way.
!”
A few more minutes passed in the game amid Kenny Smith's admiration.
On the Trail Blazers side, Wang Zelin was on full fire and had already succeeded twice in low-post attacks. On the Mavericks side, Marc Gasol played several wonderful teamworks and sent two wonderful passes.
"Thank you for the wonderful game between the Trail Blazers and the Grizzlies! In just half a quarter, we saw the collision of two offensive styles, personal ability VS teamwork!
There are still two quarters left, and I hope the two teams can continue to maintain a high level of competition..."
At 49:48, amid the praises of commentators from major TV stations, the Trail Blazers entered the halftime break with a one-point lead at home.
The Grizzlies played very smart tonight and did not leave enough targets for the Trail Blazers like last time. The game was extremely anxious.
But these were all expected by coach Terry Stotts.
The Grizzlies' toughness and toughness are obvious to everyone. As long as there are no big holes inside, it will be difficult for a team at the same level as the Grizzlies to kill them with one stick.
Boil it!
This will be a battle of willpower, and it will be difficult to determine the winner if you don't persist to the end.
…
The game continued in the third quarter, with both teams tacitly changing into rotational lineups.
Wang Zelin played 19 minutes in the first half, shooting 7 of 11 from the field, scoring 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. He got more than 1/3 of the team's points and nearly half of the rebounds. He contributed all the victory points in this game.
Team first.
However, relying on Wang Zelin's near-double-double at halftime, the Trail Blazers could only lead by one point, which was difficult for Terry Stotts to accept.
After thinking about it, I can only say, "The grizzly bear is so lucky!"
Logically speaking, when Wang Zelin breaks out, the Trail Blazers will usually take a big lead, but there is a prerequisite: teammates must perform normally.
Fortunately, the Grizzlies happened to encounter a time when Aldridge was not feeling well.
Aldridge, who shot 1 of 6 in the first quarter, 1 of 4 in the second quarter, and 2 of 10 in the half, shooting only 20% from the field, must bear a lot of responsibility.
When one of the only two players on a team averaging 20 points per game performs poorly, another player has to step up.
Although Wang Zelin's performance was as heroic as coach Terry Stotts expected, even better than he expected, I hope this is also overdrafting Wang Zelin's physical strength.
It’s no joke that being both offensive and defensive takes a toll on a player’s physical energy. This is why every superstar has a unified label – being both offensive and defensive.
The emergence, decline, and team changes of superstars... every move they make plays a decisive role in the league's structure.
If he wants to become a true super giant, Wang Zelin still has a long way to go.
Due to physical problems, Wang Zelin has to wait until the last 4 or 5 minutes of the third quarter if he wants to return to the court. Terry Stotts can only pray that Aldridge can recover. He is the only one who is most reliable for the Trail Blazers.
.
But...at the official timeout in the 7th minute, Aldridge was replaced.
He scored 3 points and 2 rebounds on 1-of-3 shooting... The fans at the scene and the players from both teams knew from looking at the data that Aldridge's performance on the offensive end today was really terrible.
Even Wang Zelin didn't expect that tonight he would wipe the butt of Aldridge, who had a stable performance.
On the bench.
"LaMarcus, you... come down and rest first. The same goes for you Joel. Next, Mike and Wang will serve as the team's No. 4 and 5 positions."
Originally, Terry Stotts planned to let Aldridge find more touch on the court, but now it seems that the touch cannot be regained.
"Damien, can you still hold on?"
Shaking his head helplessly, Terry Stotts turned to look at Trail Blazer No. 0. Although this guy was sometimes a ghost and sometimes a ghost, he had to admit that the stamina pool was really strong.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Of course, Lillard is still very reliable in most games.
"No problem, Mr. Terry!"
Lillard smiled and waved his hand. It seemed that he had to play the whole game again tonight...
Fortunately, he is used to it.
"Wang, there are still 5 minutes left. I need you to score. If necessary, you can reduce your focus on the defensive end and let Mike take more of the responsibility." Tristos said.
"I see."
Wang Zelin replied, but he didn't care in his heart.
Offense and defense, I want them all!
On the commentary desk.
"The score is now 58:63, and the Trail Blazers are 5 points behind. If nothing else happens, Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts will replace LaMarcus Aldridge, who is not performing well, and will rest for more than half a quarter.
Wang Zelin brought it up." Kenny Smith said.
"LaMarcus's performance today is undoubtedly disappointing, but fortunately the Grizzlies are not a team that is good at offense. The Trail Blazers are not far behind. Next, we will see Wang's performance!" Charles Barkley continued
After a while.
Beep~~
The whistle blows and the game continues.
Aldridge looked at the score of 58:63 and his heart hurt. What happened to him today?
After being awakened by the whistle, Aldridge silently cheered for his teammates on the field, but unexpectedly Wang Zelin suddenly turned around and shouted to him: "LaMarcus, don't sit on your butt, the team needs you in the fourth quarter!"
Very much needed!”
"knew!"
Aldridge smiled back.
Terry Stotts sees everything in his eyes: That kid is always so reassuring.
"The King is here!"
"Punish the other side well!"
"Come on! We must win!"
Seeing No. 36 leading the team to play again, the cheers of the home fans almost shook the entire Rose Garden Arena.
On the Grizzlies side, Hollins glanced around at the players surrounding him, and finally stopped at the opposite white center, No. 33, who was about No. 36 in height and about the same size.
"Mark!" Hollins shouted, "It's almost time to rest, it's your turn to play!"
"Roger that, sir!"
Marc Gasol put down his towel and stood up, his eyes always fixed on No. 36 opposite.
Back on the court, the Trail Blazers attacked, and Marc Gasol immediately entangled Wang Zelin.
"King, you will definitely lose tonight!"
"That's not necessarily true. Look, I'm going to score on your head soon."
"Then I'm really looking forward to it!"
"..."
The two were stuck together roughly, and without stopping to talk, Matthews dribbled the ball to the right three-point line at zero angle, and immediately hit the ground and passed the ball. Wang Zelin got the ball in the low post.
"call!"
Marc Gasol took a deep breath and stopped the quarrel.
Wang Zelin relied on Marc Gasol to get the ball in the low post on the right side, and then faced Marc Gasol in the frame. He first took a test step, and then quickly changed direction to the left to break through.
Different from the electric and flint battle of outside breakthroughs, the breakthroughs of inside players are easy to judge. Marc Gasol quickly exerts his force to push forward.
Unfortunately, correct judgment does not mean that you can prevent it.
During the breakthrough, Wang Zelin felt happy after feeling Aldridge's exertion. He immediately exerted his strength and completed it, half-turning to the right. By this time, he had arrived in the triangle area and was facing the basket head-on.
Then Wang Zelin caught Marc Gasol with an off-ball hand and hit a small hook directly in the penalty area!
60:63.
"Mark, don't think that I can only use strength to suppress people. Your understanding of me is still too superficial!"
Many people are confused by O'Neal's highlights of dunks, thinking that the big fat man only knows how to squeeze in and complete dunks when facing anyone. However, what is really disgusting about O'Neal is his most commonly used half-turn hook.
.
O'Neal's touch is very stiff when making mid-range shots, and his shooting percentage is extremely poor, but his touch is extremely soft when he is at the basket. As long as the defender is pushed away, he does not necessarily have to dunk to complete the finish.
His career total points cannot be obtained by just dunking.
After discovering that his strength was less and less matched by others in the league, Wang Zelin began to like the little hook shot under the basket most of the time.
Different from the domineering dunk, sometimes the simple and unpretentious little master may be more suitable for Wang Zelin at this stage.
Who makes this trick save more energy!
"Wang is very smart in his game. He knows that no matter whether he hooks or dunks, the outcome is two points. This saves energy. He is not like a fat guy who only knows how to dunk."
Barkley said jokingly in the commentary box, but everyone knows that Wang Zejun on the court can reach where he is today, and it is really inseparable from O'Neal's natural power.
After Wang Zelin scored, Marc Gasol had a dull expression and ran forward.
He is catching the ball in the high post again, just like Wang Zelin, he has figured out his own way of basketball a long time ago.
With Wang Zelin's back in the high post, he quickly glanced at his teammates' movement, and then discovered that Prince was cutting into the penalty area, and directed him directly and accurately to throw him over.
After receiving the ball, Prince quickly took three steps into the penalty area and prepared to complete the layup. He couldn't help but think: If this was a few years ago, I would have had to dunk.
"Oh, nice high pass!
Marc Gasol is becoming more and more fascinating to me now. It turns out that there is still such a possibility for a center. Charles, do you think this ball looks like Chris Webber? Who of the two do you think is the better passer?"
After speaking, Kenny Smith glanced at his old partner.
"Let me look for it..." Buckley suddenly lowered his head and the camera followed him.
Then, Barkley took out a data sheet: "Marc Gasol averaged 4 assists per game this season, ranking first among the centers... Oh, this European white center has an enviable ability in passing.
Talent.
However, I still think Chris Webber was stronger as a player, and everyone watched it on the big screen."
At this time, Chris Webber's career data appeared on the big screen.
"oh!"
"So strong!"
"so amazing!"
Countless fans watching the game exclaimed.
The big screen showed that Chris Webber averaged 4.2 assists per game in his career, and for several seasons, he averaged more than 5 assists per game... He is an insider!
"Well, it seems I asked a very stupid question!"
Later, Kenny Smith joked and apologized to Weber in front of the TV.
After the Grizzlies counterattacked, the Trail Blazers attacked again. Wang Zelin still took the ball in the low post on the right side, but this time he did not choose to attack facing the frame, but played a post-up single.
After holding up Marc Gasol with his back, he hit the ball three times in a row the moment he caught the ball, pushing Marc Gasol into the three-second zone.
The defender behind him, Marc Gasol, could clearly feel that every time Wang Zelin exerted force, the score would increase by one point.
By the time the third impact was over, Marc Gasol was completely unable to keep his footing, and half of his body was pushed away. He completely lost his defensive position and was unable to interfere with Wang Zhilin's next offensive action.
In the end, Wang Zelin put the ball into the basket before Zach Randolph's defense was in place, and also caused a hitter foul because Zach Randolph couldn't stop his speed.
It’s going to be 2 1!
Seeing that Wang Zelin's attack was likely to score 3 points, Hollins' face instantly felt as uncomfortable as eating shit.
Looking back at the Trail Blazers bench, all the players jumped up and waved their towels excitedly.
"Viewers, have you seen this? This is a display of dominant power...
King is the future of Portland!
He will lead us to the top!"
The live DJ roared.
Wang Zelin stepped to the free throw line and hit extra free throws very steadily.