Gerald Wallace is also considered a tough guy among NBA players.
He is one of the few All-Stars in the short-lived history of the Charlotte Bobcats team, known as Elvis.
He was traded to the Trail Blazers in the middle of last season, which significantly enhanced the team's strength.
But it's of no use. Wallace is not the kind of star who can bring qualitative changes to the team.
Originally, if Roy was still on the team, Wallace would be a good assistant to Roy and Aldridge.
Now that Roy has retired, Wallace temporarily serves as the team's top attacker on the outside.
In this game, his breakthrough with the ball was the engine of the Trail Blazers' perimeter offense.
In the second quarter, he was about to lead the team to catch up, but when he broke through, he felt like he hit the wall and was knocked far away.
He fell heavily to the ground, and his anger burst out. He got up from the ground and rushed towards Milicic who bumped into him.
Milicic's impact was really not light, but the action was quite clean. He used his torso to touch Wallace.
Although the person flew far away and fell to the ground, he was not seriously injured.
Just by looking at the way Wallace is jumping around and confronting Milicic, you can tell that he is very good.
In the previous game between the Bobcats and the Lakers, Bynum broke Wallace's ribs with an elbow, which was considered cruel.
The elbow hit not only broke Wallace's bones but also collapsed his lungs.
30%-40% of his left lung was damaged, and his fifth rib suffered a non-displaced fracture, which directly affected his competitive status and he has never been able to return to his peak.
So now Wallace is sensitive to any rough foul play.
If you dare to touch me, I will fight you to the death.
What about Milicic's thoughts?
If you dare to fight me, I dare to touch you!
Compared with the previous "parallel import second place", one season with the Clippers has completely transformed him.
The invisible pressure that once existed has long since disappeared. No one in the Clippers asked him to play like a second overall pick.
The team's tolerant and friendly environment made him fall in love with basketball again. He likes to play and wants to win.
There is also Dragic, a younger brother of the same race, in the team. When Cole arranges tactics, he often lets them play together.
Although one of them is a Serbian and the other a Slovenian, they were both Yugoslavs in the past.
Milicic found the meaning of staying in the NBA with this Clippers and found the position that truly belongs to him.
He no longer has to go home and smash the wall against the wall after losing, and he no longer has to kick over the bucket in the training hall.
He knows he doesn't have the offensive talent of Gasol, but he is taller, stronger and has longer arms.
During this long offseason, Milicic made two transformations on himself:
One is to further lose weight to make his feet more flexible.
The success of Tyson Chandler of the Dallas Mavericks is a wake-up call for all insiders.
The era of standing in the paint is passing, and flexible basket-protecting paint is the future.
The second is to develop his three-point shooting ability and practice three-point shooting with Bonner.
He has a very good shooting talent, and the mid-range has always been his scoring method.
Now he wants to further expand his shooting range so that he can also be a threat from beyond the three-point line.
This has great tactical significance for the team.
But Milicic's real transformation lies in his own heart.
He devoted himself to the basketball game soberly and calmly, all for the sake of victory.
The collision just now seemed impulsive, but it was actually carefully planned.
A small conflict broke out between the two sides, and the players on both sides were not too angry.
So they all started to break up the fight and separate Wallace and Milicic.
Milicic was not meant to fight, but to interrupt the Blazers' momentum of chasing points.
The conflict quickly subsided as the referee gave Milicic a technical foul.
The Trail Blazers made a free throw with a technical foul.
But then, when Gerald Wallace was still holding the ball and rushing in, his steps obviously hesitated.
A layup was changed to a floater, but the ball missed. Milicic got the backboard and handed the ball to Dragic.
The two made a simple pick-and-roll outside the three-point line, and Milicic cut outside after the pick-and-roll.
After receiving a pass from Dragic, he shot a three-pointer from the top of the arc!
The ball actually went in!
Three-pointer from Milicic.
This is reminiscent of an offensive bout between the Clippers and Trail Blazers last season.
At that time, Gasol received a pass from Harden and hit a three-pointer, which fully demonstrated the freedom of the Clippers' offense.
But that three-pointer was the only three-pointer Gasol hit all season, and there was an element of luck.
Milicic's three-pointer is different. He has been practicing with Bonner for an entire offseason.
He really has the ability to shoot three-pointers.
The defensive end successfully protected the basket and the offensive end hit a three-pointer.
Milicic defended and attacked, and Milicic suddenly stabilized the situation on the court.
Then, Milicic sat in the three-second zone and began to direct the defense.
The Clippers' defense is also very simple, retreat, shrink, and let you shoot mid- and long-range shots.
Crawford, who came off the bench, missed a mid-range jumper.
Leonard got the backcourt rebound, but the ball still went to Dragic.
The Clippers' offensive formation was very open, with all five players spread out.
Dragic dribbled continuously, went around the screen, and got to the basket for a layup!
The Clippers reestablished their 8-point lead!
Then, the Blazers still missed in attack!
The defense of this Clippers lineup is actually quite solid.
Milicic just hunkered down under the basket and couldn't get out.
Although the NBA has three seconds of defense, Milicic has flexible steps.
Crazy testing on the edge of defending three seconds, but not three seconds.
The Blazers started shooting a variety of mid-range shots.
They are originally a mid-range team, and McMillan likes mid-range.
But in fact, the efficiency of mid-range is very low.
In the middle of the second quarter, the Clippers still led the Trail Blazers by 8 points, 46:38.
The Blazers have begun to play the main team. The Clippers still have five substitutes, but they beat the Blazers to the point of losing their temper.
Their offense is poor. Dragic is the only one who can hold the ball and circle endlessly on the outside.
But Milicic and Bonner can throw three-pointers and open up the inside space.
The Blazers simply couldn't defend densely.
Leonard and Butler worked hard, rushing inside to grab offensive rebounds.
Milicic frequently clashed with Trail Blazers players in the paint. Anyone who wants to rush inside must first consider whether he can withstand the impact.
The score on the field did not change much, and the game scene was not boring at all, it could be said to be very intense.
The game continued until the official timeout, and the score was still 46:38. The Clippers firmly nailed their 8-point advantage!
Cole sighed in his heart, it turns out that these Clippers substitute players are playing so energetically.
They are really serious about fighting, using their brains and strategies to fight their opponents.
Instead of thinking about it, I just overdo it, hold on, and give the main force a good rest.
"No wonder Smart wants them to stay on the court. This is a trust in them!"
Some people died, but not completely...
