Wang Zelin's alley-oop dunk played a huge role in stabilizing morale.
Now, Trail Blazers players are unafraid of the Pepsi Center, known as the Devil's home stadium, and the fractious fans surrounding it.
On the contrary, the Nuggets players were a little more wary of Wang Zelin.
In the second quarter of the game, the two sides were still fighting each other in hand-to-hand combat. The equalizer that George Karl expected did not appear. The Trail Blazers adapted very quickly, and the away pressure no longer affected the opponent, while the Nuggets
I feel a little bit beaten here.
At halftime, the score became 45:39. Although the two teams scored pitifully, the Trail Blazers further expanded their lead.
A furious George Karl roared hysterically in the locker room, and all the Nuggets players lowered their heads.
"A mere first-year rookie has scared you. Where is your confidence? Where is your courage? Use what you are good at and try it once, and you will know that the opponent is not as scary as you think."
After scolding some players for poor performance, George Karl suppressed the anger in his heart and began to motivate the players.
Because I really can’t lose anymore.
…
The game restarted, with the Denver Nuggets attacking first.
In the crucial third quarter, Terry Stotts put together his most trusted lineup of the top five players, and the Blazers' five top players got into shape. In the next few rounds, the Nuggets' defense was perfect.
At this time, the Nuggets are in urgent need of scoring points to stop the bleeding, and they urgently need a player who can make the final decision. Unfortunately, this is exactly the fatal shortcoming that the Nuggets lack.
When a team does not have a strong offensive point that can score points indiscriminately, it is very difficult to do something in anxious moments.
At this moment, countless Nuggets fans’ minds are filled with Carmelo Anthony’s charming smile.
Attack Kaleidoscope, where are you?
We miss you so much!
Another official timeout ended, the game continued, and the Trail Blazers served from the frontcourt.
Lillard took the ball and called for a pick-and-roll. During this period, Batum also moved along and reached a 45-degree angle to help Matthews block Iguodala.
Matthews just ran to the left corner and caught the ball. He half-turned and adjusted his body to face the basket. He caught the ball and shot a three-pointer~hit!
One is in the pick-and-roll with the ball to attract double teams, and the other is in the pick-and-roll without the ball to help teammates find opportunities. The two are connected. It is a very simple tactic, but it is very effective.
Mainly due to Lillard's outside shooting threat and keen judgment on passing timing!
At 58:49, in the first round just after the official timeout, the Trail Blazers scored a three-pointer, widening the point difference to 9 points.
George Karl was so angry that he stopped the game.
"Are you sleepwalking? Look what you are defending! In the playoffs, you can actually let your opponents get wide open opportunities...
Oh, my God! This is the playoffs!"
Sure enough, as soon as the Nuggets players came off the court, George Karl cursed him.
The previous encouragement, warmth, and comfort... were all false. This is George Karl's nature.
For him, the best way to train players is to scold, which is also the method he is best at solving problems and believes to be the most effective.
"Javier, you will come on the court later, be smart and foul intentionally; also, if anyone dares to challenge the penalty area, let him have a taste of hot pot."
Unable to stand Kostakoulos' slow speed, George Karl replaced McGee with better athletic ability, thereby enhancing his defense ability inside the three-point line and protecting the basket.
"Um!"
Mikey nodded excitedly and quickly took off his training clothes.
Last season, McGee averaged 2.4 blocks per game, ranking second in the league, second only to 28ka's insane average of 3.7 per game.
As long as he doesn't lose focus, this guy is definitely an excellent helper defender, and his physical talent is visible to the naked eye.
"Don't play hero ball on the offensive end. You fucking don't have that ability. Give me more passes and share the joy of scoring, okay? You idiots!"
Beep~~~
Fortunately, the electronic buzzer finally sounded after the timeout, and George Karl's yelling was interrupted. The Nuggets players were saved, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
The game restarts and the players take the field again.
Fareed had just taken a step, but was grabbed by George Karl.
No, sir!
Haven't scolded enough yet...
Fareed, who thought he was unlucky, felt his heart tremble, turned around with a slumped face, and prepared to continue being scolded.
As everyone knows, the head coach was not cursing, but whispered in his ear: "I hope you can play like a warrior in the future and don't care about the life or death of your opponent."
Fareed lowered his head and looked at the coach in surprise, who blinked meaningfully.
"hiss……"
Looking at the opposite side, Trail Blazers No. 36 was the first to appear. Thinking of the coach's words, he felt an inexplicable sting in his chest, and memories of the past flooded into his heart.
Forget it, if you piss that guy off, you'll get killed.
Wang Zelin probably didn't expect that his elbow would leave such a deep memory for Fareed.
The cause is another day, the effect is today.
Facts have proved that only violence can overcome violence!
Later, the scene that George Karl had been dreaming about did not happen. Fareed verbally promised himself, but never took action.
Throughout the game, the Nuggets were miserably suppressed by the Trail Blazers. In the few minutes of the third quarter and the rest of the fourth quarter, the Nuggets' offense was always sporadic and unable to form an effective and lethal attack.
counterattack.
On the other hand, the Trail Blazers followed the instructions of the head coach, played steadily and used an iron-clad defense to keep the score difference between the two teams between 5 and 10 points.
In the last few minutes of the game, the Nuggets still had no improvement. George Karl sighed, replaced the main players, and announced that he would give up the game in advance.
What surprised the main players was that this old guy didn't even curse.
This unscientific!
As far as George Karl is concerned, what qualifications does he have to scold him after being beaten now? He really can't scold him anymore.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! In the end, a set of iron barrel formations came down, and both teams scored a record low in the playoffs in recent years. The score was fixed at 88:81. The Trail Blazers
The team defeated the Denver Nuggets by 7 points on the road and defeated the Devils at home.
With 15 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists, Wang Zelin got extraordinary statistics of 20 15 5 today.
20 rebounds in a single game in the playoffs, let alone the Trail Blazers, are rare even in NBA history.
Don't forget, it's just a rookie who achieved this achievement.
Watching Wang Zelin end, a deep sense of powerlessness spread throughout George Karl's body.
As for Wang Zelin, although he played very well in the regular season, George Karl never took him seriously.
A mere rookie, but in the playoffs he still doesn’t know what he’s doing!
The results of it?
Wang Zelin still played with ease.
I even wanted to beat him 4:0.
After the game, Wang Zelin, who got some unusual data, became a hot potato in the eyes of reporters...even though he has always been.
The playoffs never lack attention. It is not only a stage for stars, but also the biggest stage for making stars.
If you win, you can have everything!
"Wang, what do you think of 20 rebounds?"
asked a Los Angeles reporter.
"I'm just sitting and watching!"
"..."
"Wang, are you confident that you will sweep the Nuggets in the next game?" a New York reporter asked.
"You asked a pretty stupid question and I don't want to answer it."
Wang Zelin pretended to be angry.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
On the other side, George Carle is on trial.
"Already trailing 0:3, Mr. George Karl, do you think the Nuggets still have hope of winning?" a Philadelphia reporter asked.
"Yes, we have lost three games in a row. Forgive me for not wanting to discuss this matter now."
George Karl glanced at the reporter in front of him and said expressionlessly.
"What do you think of Wang Zelin, the core inside player of the Trail Blazers?"
At this point, a Portland reporter ripped off George Karl's fig leaf.
"What else can I say?"
George Karl became irritable as expected, but to the surprise of all reporters, the old man quickly returned to his previous cold appearance: "I must admit, I underestimated him! No, it should be said that all teams in the league underestimated him.
He, he definitely deserves to be on the All-NBA team."
George Karl's words suddenly made reporters confused.
When will old man Karl publicly admit that his opponent is powerful?
Maybe he is really old.
Or should I say, I was impressed by Wang Zelin's 20 rebounds in the game.
Many of these are unknown to outsiders.
What is clear is that George Karl's words will definitely cause a bloody storm in the league.
…
The next day.
The day after the game between the Trail Blazers and the Nuggets, the news that Wang Zelin got 20 rebounds became the most exciting sports news of the day.
There were three games yesterday. The other two were the Knicks playing the Celtics and the Spurs playing the Warriors. Both games were won by the home team, with a huge 3:0 advantage.
The second most popular one is "Anthony scored only 26 points and led the team to a 3-0 lead in the series."
Considering the previous two games of 30, although this title is a bit exaggerated, it is not unreasonable.
The next hot search was No. 21 pick Tim Duncan.
Duncan played 31 minutes in this game, making 12 of 16 shots and contributing 26 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. His total career playoff minutes increased to 7,515 minutes, thus surpassing "Lord of the Rings" Bill Russell.
With 7,497 minutes, he ranks 8th on the all-time playoff playing time list.
In addition, Duncan made 1,626 field goals in the playoffs, surpassing "Logo Man" Jerry West's 1,622 field goals and ranking sixth on the list of historical playoff field goals.
After that night, countless people fell into silence, and even roared wildly in their hearts: Who the hell said that the Spurs are old? With the strength Duncan has shown so far, I will believe it in another five to eight years.
O'Neal, who was dissatisfied with his calm state after retiring, immediately jumped out and joked: "He is indeed a man I recognize. Keep playing Tim, I believe you can surpass Kareem!"
The Kareem O'Neal refers to is none other than the famous "Sky Hook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a President Hill player who deserves to be ranked among the NBA's historical status. No matter how he is ranked, he cannot fall out of the top three.
A 39-year-old old monster who is still averaging 23.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 blocks per game!
After this news came out, everyone saw that when O'Neal compared Duncan with this NBA superstar, he was rarely able to find fault.
After all, Duncan was recognized as the number one power forward in history even before he retired.
Except for Michael Jordan, the god of basketball, who is too tough to touch, all the remaining players, no matter who Duncan is, have the capital to fight for it.
…
The fierce battle in the NBA is in full swing, and another day has passed in the blink of an eye. The game on the 27th has been played, which means that all series have been played in three games.
Currently in the Western Conference, the top four teams are the Thunder, Spurs, Clippers and Trail Blazers in the top half. Without exception, they all lead the teams in the bottom half 3:0.
It has been rare to see uniformity in recent years.
In the East, the Heat and Knicks are both 3:0 ahead of the Bucks and Celtics. The Pacers and Nets, who are ranked third and fourth, are playing back and forth with the Bulls and Bucks.
The Bulls, in particular, played a low-down game and led the Nets 2:1.
When Wang Zelin read the news, he couldn't help but sigh, the Bulls are really ruthless, but it's a pity that Derrick Rose, the youngest regular season MVP in history, is missing.
If Rose were built in a few years later in the Eastern Conference, the Heat and Pacers might not be the two arrogant rivals, but would become a tripartite rivalry.
Unfortunately, everything is just what if.
The suffering of the dusty rose is far from over. If it wants to bloom again, if nothing unexpected happens, it should wait until the Husky period.
The Trail Blazers are still preparing for the game in an orderly manner in the next two days. They will take a break on the 27th and watch the game videos of other teams.
After a half-day training on the 28th, at around 7 p.m., the Trail Blazers ushered in their fourth game day.
Unsurprisingly, the Trail Blazers failed to take the series back to Portland, as their first-round playoff performance ended in Denver.
At 121:108, the Nuggets had almost no resistance throughout the game. After falling behind 0:3, the team collapsed and the Trail Blazers easily swept the Nuggets 4:0.
After four games, the average point difference between the two teams has stabilized at around 10 points, which also shows that there is indeed a certain strength gap between the two teams.
Of course, the gap is actually not that big. The Nuggets could have won such a game no matter what.
The key is that they won G1 and G2 at home too easily, with the Trail Blazers leading the whole game. In G3, the team went against the norm and engaged in a defensive battle, successfully destroying the Nuggets' mentality.
How can a team win if it has no confidence?
After the first round, Wang Zelin averaged 21.5 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in four games. Except for a slight drop in scoring compared to the playoffs, other statistics have increased, especially rebounds, which have increased by nearly three.
The main reason is that in the third game, Wang Zelin only scored 15 points, which was a serious hindrance. Otherwise, his average points per game would not be less than in the regular season.
But then again, without the 20 rebounds in that game, his average rebounds per game would not have increased to 15.
I can only say there are pros and cons.
However, for the media and fans, they don't care about Wang Zelin's psychological activities. They only know that at the end of the series, the Chinese boy averaged 20.10 per game...