After playing away in Detroit, the Trail Blazers bought tickets with the team to return to Portland overnight.
In the next two games, they will play at home. The first thing they will usher in is a back-to-back home match against the Cavaliers tomorrow.
Wang Zelin got up early the next day, not because of the evening game. The Cavaliers seemed to him nothing to worry about. There was also a charity event to participate in today, and it was best to be in the fullest state possible.
"At 10 o'clock in the morning, go to the orphanage to donate daily necessities and extracurricular books? That's great, as long as the children don't be scared by us, hahahaha."
"After lunch, take the children to visit the team training, um... do you want me to take them to training?"
Wang Zelin looked at Terry Stotts, who nodded with a smile: "Wang, you are our absolute ace. Those who are capable should work harder!"
"Okay, maybe the process is a little troublesome, but to be honest, I still like playing ball with children."
Since becoming famous, he has done a lot of charity work in China. Although this is his first time in the United States, he doesn't have much objection to it.
…
…
…
"Wang, I want to try a dunk. Can you help me?"
"Haha, of course no problem, Fregus, come..."
The moment Wang Zelin appeared in the orphanage, a group of children jumped around him. Such an innocent smile could never be faked.
When he handed over the problem of donations to the children without their parents, he did not leave immediately, but stayed and played with the children.
To be honest, what Wang Zelin is doing now will not bring him any direct benefits. It can neither improve his record nor expand his wallet.
But whether he is in China or in Milicia, he is very happy every time he participates in charity activities, because he knows that he is doing something within his ability for people in need.
Looking at the group of children with different skin colors from his own, at this moment, he also had a pure smile on his face, no longer involved in any intrigues and interest disputes in the adult world.
"A group of black kids mingling with an Asian. This scene will probably only happen in Portland in the entire league!"
Aldridge looked at Wang Zelin surrounded by children, and even felt a little envious in his heart.
From entering the league as a controversial Chinese rookie to the Blazers' well-deserved top player, Wang Zelin's influence in Portland has become increasingly huge.
Aldridge has foreseen that if the Trail Blazers can really win the regular season championship this year and then advance to the finals, Wang Zelin will immediately have unparalleled influence in this city;
If we finally win the championship, he will surpass the "Red Giant" Bill Walton and become the greatest star in the history of the Trail Blazers!
After Roy retired, Aldridge has always wanted to do something for the Trail Blazers and help this team reach the top.
But he knew very well that relying on himself, the pioneers had little hope of completing the summit. Now, there is another young man doing these things...
"Since you can't become the king, then strive to be the man who gives the greatest support behind the king."
At this moment, Aldridge made an extremely firm decision in his heart.
Four p.m.
After seeing off the children who came to visit the arena, Wang Zelin was in a good mood, grabbed the ball and performed a few dunks.
Batum joked: "Wang, are you preparing for the All-Star Dunk Contest?"
Matthews came over and bumped Batum's shoulder, and smiled: "Do you need my help with the news? Believe me, if our new president knew about it, he would 10,000% agree to Wang's application."
"Stop making trouble. I know how much I weigh. If I really want to participate in the slam dunk contest, I will probably make a lot of jokes."
Wang Zelin was quite excited at first, but the next moment he looked at his dynamic body data and immediately gave up this tempting idea.
McGee's dynamic body during the Warriors period was certainly good, but after all, he was no longer in his peak form during the Nuggets period.
Let's wait.
When I draw a 20,000 piece, it won't be too late to participate in the dunk contest.
"What? You don't want to give up."
After Yi Jianlian hit a 3-pointer from the corner, he came over and asked.
"???"
Wang Zelin was confused when he was asked, what and what?
Yi Jianlian continued: "I mean, I really didn't expect you to like children so much. In this case, why not get married quickly so that you can have one."
"Get married!" Wang Zelin was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "Brother A Lian, I'm afraid you have forgotten that men under the age of 22 in our country do not meet the legal age for marriage according to the marriage law."
"That's right. It seems that you have to wait for another two years. Alas, unlike me, you will be a father soon."
"..."
Are you sure you're not here to show off?
Wang Zelin looked at him with disdain and went back to the locker room to take a shower.
There will be a press conference in a little while, and I’m still very busy.
…
I have to say, Irving is really popular recently.
His gorgeous playing style and good looks among black players have stimulated the fan market. From All-Star voting to now, he has been leading all Eastern backcourt players.
As this year's All-Star starter, Irving has secured a spot in the Eastern Conference backcourt in advance.
So much so that during the pre-game interview, there was an endless stream of media interviews, all asking Wang Zelin about his opinion on Irving's high probability of being selected as an All-Star starter.
To be honest, from the perspective of later generations, Irving has always been overrated among NBA players. Because of that three-pointer, people's expectations for him were too high.
To be fair, Wang Zelin's evaluation of Irving is very simple. He is just a normal All-Star player, never a league superstar.
But it happened that his morale was high and his reputation was high, so he didn't want to cause trouble, so he chose to cooperate with the media and chimed in casually.
"There is no doubt that Kyrie is a talented defender. He definitely has the hope of becoming the best number one position in the league. I am very optimistic about his prospects."
At first, the media listened happily, but slowly, they realized something was wrong.
Listening to this tone, those who didn't know it thought that a respected senior was cheering the young people on.
Is it okay that Irving obviously entered the league first?
Before the media had time to think about it, these words reached the ears of Irving, who happened to be being interviewed next door, and they felt happy in their hearts.
He thought to himself: "I didn't expect the king to think so highly of me. Is this what people in the Celestial Dynasty often call heroes who cherish each other?"
At 5:10 pm, Irving and his teammates entered the Rose Garden Arena. Wang Zelin checked the strength of the enemy team's top player as usual.
"Player: Kyrie Irving
Location:pg/sg
Hidden attributes of the body
Speed:92 Burst:88
Agility: 96 Jump: 85
Bullet speed: 80 Physical: 84
Overcome injuries: 77
Offensive ability
Hitting: 74 Layups: 94
Mid-range shot: 83 Long shot: 75
Dunk: 70 Pass: 78
Ball possession: 98 Free throws: 88
Breakthrough:95
defensive ability
Slightly~
Overall rating: 87 (All-Star)
Evaluation: An offensive All-Star guard who is in his isolation year, and his offensive arsenal is much better than other players at the same position.
Talent skills
Terminator (gold)
Marksman (Silver)
Quick Gunner (Silver)"
"Oh! Yes, my Ou Shenxian has improved by 3 points compared to last season, and has awakened three talents..."
"That's right. This guy plays in a bad team like the Cavaliers. He was able to make the All-Stars in his second year based on statistics and personal performance. This year he is even more popular as a starter. In the Eastern Conference where guards are crowded, he can't do without some hard stuff..."
Wang Zelin looked at Irving's ability evaluation and couldn't help but his eyes lit up, especially his ball control ability of 98. If he could control the ball like this, his organizational skills would probably be even better.
On Irving's side, he feels that he has now reached the pinnacle of his life. First, he received endless praise from the media, and then he received high recognition from Trail Blazers No. 36 before the game...
He has made it to the All-Stars for two consecutive years, especially this year, he is very likely to be a starter!
He is already thinking endlessly about attracting stars to join Cleveland after the end of his rookie contract, to become bigger and stronger together, and to create brilliance together. The best candidate is undoubtedly the Trail Blazers No. 36...
As for Andre Bynum, who was just signed by the Cavaliers management, Irving has long been disappointed with him.
This guy is no longer the former Lakers champion center. In the dozen games he played against the Cavaliers this season, he averaged only 8 points and 5 rebounds per game, and his shooting percentage was horribly low, only 42%.
An inside lineman's efficiency is even lower than that of an outside lineman himself.
Owen thought to himself: It’s no wonder that I was ready to start a big business with him at the beginning of the season.
"Wang, my brother, I have finally met you. You may not know that I have been preparing for this game for a long time..."
As soon as he got up, Owen took the initiative to approach Wang Zelin, and his words were full of cordiality.
"???"
Suddenly, not only Wang Zelin, but also the teammates on both sides who were warming up were confused.
Do you still have this friendship?
Teammates from both sides looked questioningly.
"a ha ha ha!"
Wang Zelin showed an embarrassed rather than decent smile, and Owen held his hand and spoke eloquently to him in words that he couldn't understand at all.
Is our friendship so good?
I do not know how?
…
In the home locker room.
"Wang, what's going on between you and No. 2?"
"There is adultery!"
"You'd better explain it to us, otherwise, hehe..."
"..."
Wang Zelin glanced at the teammates around him speechlessly, and almost took out his heart, liver, and lungs to check them out.
"If I said that I don't even have his contact information, would you believe me?"
"Really?"
Lillard still looked confused.
"of course it's true."
Wang Zelin nodded hurriedly.
"I do not believe!"
Lillard shook his head.
"..."
Am I crazy?
Wang Zelin went crazy on the spot. He had never been so speechless in his life.
"Bah bang bang!"
A familiar voice sounded.
Everyone looked back and saw Coach Terry walking into the locker room.
"Boys, although the strength of the knights cannot bring us any trouble, we still can't relax..."
Sure enough, it was the same old talk at the beginning, but fortunately, coach Terry stepped in and Wang Zelin was temporarily freed from everyone's questioning eyes.
But he is still angry!
It's all the damn Ou Zhuangyuan's fault. Just wait and see. I'll make you look good later.
…
5:30 pm.
The back-to-back games between the Trail Blazers and the Cavaliers at home have officially begun.
Since both sides have extremely popular players, tonight's game will be broadcast live across the United States by TNT and ESPN. It also created a huge public opinion atmosphere before the game, making fans full of expectations.
Will it be a fight between dragons and tigers?
of course not!
Although it is already the third season, the Cavaliers are still following the same old routine, just showing off and letting Irving continue to level up and buy tickets.
Of course, that's not to say that the Cavaliers management hasn't tried hard. It's just that Katsumura's appeal to other NBA stars is too low. It's a natural disadvantage that will be difficult to change the day after tomorrow.
Let me put it this way, had it not been for the selection of LeBron James in 2003, few people would have paid attention to the little-known small-ball market of Cleveland.
This season, in order to strengthen the team's hope of entering the playoffs, the Cavaliers did not hesitate to spend a huge price of about 24.5 million yuan on a two-year contract to sign the "king" Bynum who was reimbursed for the season due to knee position last season. As a result,
Ainum's performance was so disappointing that even the Cavaliers management became a laughing stock among fans.
As for Irving?
Stop making trouble, until now, everyone except Irving himself is still immersed in it, and everyone can see the gap between him and James.
He can be called an excellent scorer or a killer, but he can never be called a qualified leader.
It's already the third year. If Irving could prove his leadership qualities, he would have led the Cavaliers back to the playoffs long ago.
In the end he didn't do it.
Therefore, when the Cavaliers management found that introducing Bynum was useless and Irving lacked the ability to lead the team, they decisively started to mess up again.
They still don't believe it. Without LeBron, will the Cavaliers never make it to the playoffs?
At worst, if we are competing for the No. 1 pick this year, we can't have another great Bennett in our hands.
Not to mention, Irving definitely has unique skills in how to lead a team to lose and rebuild. Even the Cavaliers management itself firmly believes in this.
In the end, Irving did not let them down.
112:102, the Cavaliers did not cause any trouble to the Trail Blazers. Except for the loss to the Suns in early December, the Trail Blazers won all the next 9 games.
Wang Zelin, who scored 23 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, once again became the best player of the game.
In this game, Kyrie Irving played the longest time in the starting lineup for the Cavaliers, and his performance was equally good. He played 34 minutes, made 9 of 22 shots, 3 of 7 3-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 25 points.
A double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Wang Zelin saw all of Irving's performance. Not to mention anything else, just finishing at the basket, he was convinced that Irving had reached the top level in the league.
In the future, he will do his best off the field, but his strength on the field must still be recognized.
…
After sending Irving away, the Trail Blazers rested for two days, and the challenge of the Timberwolves was already coming.
As long as they defeat the Timberwolves, they can win their second 10-game winning streak this season. Isn't that exciting?
That night, the Timberwolves' performance was very consistent with their history. The star player, Kevin Love, was still unstoppable. He scored a huge double-double with 29 points and 15 rebounds. He played so bravely... but he was still blocked.
The Timberwolves could not stop their defeat from start to finish.
At 107:95, the Trail Blazers successfully defeated the Timberwolves with a 12-point advantage, and finally achieved a 10-game winning streak in December.