"That's right, I seem to have never been anything in your hearts..."
No one noticed that from the beginning to the end of this fast break, Lillard, Westbrook, and Wang Zelin were always followed by a panting and taciturn big man.
LaMarcus Aldridge!
Because of his taciturn nature, he has been habitually ignored by Portland fans and even most of the media.
There was Roy before him, and there was Oden after him. Especially the latter, even if he missed the season, he still got the praise and expectations of the fans and took away all the attention.
On the other hand, Aldridge himself has obviously been working hard to play, but he has never been welcomed.
Later, after Roy was injured and Oden was hopeless, he was pushed to the boss position. However, during those two years, he was often criticized by fans for being "soft on the ball" because of his outside-oriented style of play.
The two rookies of the current team have only been here for a short time, and they have already been welcomed and encouraged by Trail Blazers fans.
Have you forgotten that in the 2010-11 season, it was me, LaMarcus Aldridge, who led Portland to the playoffs again without being favored by everyone?
Do you like to treat people as dumb if you don’t speak?
Why can't you look at me more?
Am I really that bad?
Aldridge, who was once again left out and ignored, looked at everything around him and always felt that he was so out of place.
Compared with the cheering atmosphere at the scene, a coldness from the inside out made Aldridge feel an inexplicable tingling in his heart.
Inadvertent neglect has become commonplace.
Maybe, I never belonged here...
Just as Aldridge once again had the idea of leaving the team, a familiar voice sounded again in his mind.
"LaMarcus, Portland will all depend on you from now on."
This voice was full of regret and unwillingness, and its owner was none other than the previous king of the Rose Garden—Brandon Roy.
In fact, after the end of his rookie season in 2009-10, Aldridge thought about staying away from Portland.
Not only because this place has the curse of "Tear City", countless talented insiders have buried their futures in this "ominous place", but more importantly, Aldridge has never been here in his heart.
I had a sense of belonging.
He and Roy didn't get along at first, but as the two found some like-minded hobbies outside the court, they gradually became familiar with each other, and later the two developed into good friends.
Although Roy suffered from some injuries during the 2009-10 season, he still performed well, playing 65 games and averaging 21 points, 5.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Aldridge averaged 17.9 points and 8 rebounds per game.
The two of them formed the Blazers' twin stars that shined in Portland, even though he was the one ignored by everyone.
But I have to admit that the Trail Blazers were indeed full of hope that year. It was precisely because of the repeated persuasion of his friend Roy that Aldridge chose to renew the five-year, 65 million-meter gold contract provided by the Trail Blazers in advance.
.
No one expected that Roy would be injured the next season, and the words that came to mind just now were what Roy said to him personally on the night when he decided to retire.
At the same time, this is also a commitment. If it weren't for his commitment to Roy, Aldridge felt that he might not have been able to persist for so long.
"What are you thinking about, boss? Hurry back to defense."
The many emotions that emerged in Aldridge's heart actually lasted only a few seconds in reality.
On the way back to defense, Wang Zelin saw Aldridge in a daze and quickly stepped forward to remind him.
"You, what did you call me just now?"
Wang Zelin's words brought Aldridge back to reality, but what surprised him even more was the word in the former's mouth.
"Boss, what's wrong? You are our leader. If we want to win this game, we have to rely on you!"
Almost, Wang Zelin was about to put his hand on Aldridge's forehead to see if Aldridge's blood was high and he had a fever.
"Um."
After the word leader came out of Wang Zelin's mouth, Aldridge once again recalled his promise to Roy, and he had another reason to convince himself to stick to it: There are still three years, hold on for three more years, and then I will leave.
, this is worthy of everyone.
Wang Zelin would never have imagined that in just a few seconds, Aldridge's inner world in front of him would rise and fall like a roller coaster.
…
The game continued, and Westbrook, who was reduced to a backdrop, took Perkins' baseline serve and quickly advanced towards the Trail Blazers' half court.
He is very angry now and just wants to find an opportunity to take someone back, preferably from Wang Zelin.
Ibakali used his stronger strength than Aldridge to get stuck in the inside position in advance and beckoned for the ball.
Westbrook saw this, and although he was reluctant to give up, he still made a lob ball and lobbed the ball into the inside.
The fourth brother, ah no, it is the third brother who rarely speaks, so the second brother has to obey.
However, both Westbrook and Ibaka somewhat underestimated Aldridge's desire to win this game.
Although Aldridge hates physical confrontation, this does not mean that he is afraid of physical confrontation. Otherwise, he would not have followed Coach McMillan's arrangements before and would always switch to the No. 5 position.
Aldridge predicted the passing route in advance, aimed at the right moment and stretched out his left hand to stab the basketball, but unexpectedly hit Durant's back.
Fortunately, Durant quickly grabbed the ball with his quick eyes and hands, thus avoiding Westbrook's mistake.
"TMD, did this weakling take his medicine today? Why did he react so quickly?" Ibaka was a little surprised. This was not the first time he faced off against Aldridge. The latter's previous performance was not as tough as today.
After Durant received the ball, Wang Zelin added: "Man, look behind you."
Seeing this, Batum quickly ran towards Perkins from behind.
"Scoring champion, come and hit me!"
Durant is a guy who has mixed reputations and reputations in later generations.
But as far as Wang Zelin is concerned, his approachable temperament alone makes him full of joy for Durant.
Durant had no expression on his face and made moves to face Wang Zelin in singles.
He knew very well that there was a disparity in strength between the two sides. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if he couldn't move after being hit from behind for a while?
"Man, do you think that little guy can guard this ball?"
Charles Barkley glanced at Wang Zelin, and then asked Kenny Smith.
"It's probably difficult. Wang Zelin is facing him, but Durant, who is ranked in the top 5 in the league, is an MVP-level player. What about you, what do you think?"
Kenny Smith replied seriously.
"I think so."
Buckley agreed very much and nodded repeatedly.
"Then you still ask me?"
Kenny Smith thought Barkley would have such a brilliant idea.