On the bench, Zhao Chen looked around. He found his name from the light signs raised by the fans, and then there were hundreds of scattered fans wearing his jersey.
After these two wonderful performances, Zhao Chen's fan base increased very quickly.
The Thunder gained some advantages after the game started.
For most teams in the league, it is inevitable that the Thunder's starting combination will be at a disadvantage.
A lot of the time their victory over the Thunder started with their second unit.
In this era of combining small ball with positional warfare, the Thunder have Durant who can play positional warfare and Westbrook who can play in transition. Even if Lillard and Aldridge team up, it will be difficult for the Thunder to deal with such an away game. .
Durant and Westbrook are the offensive points that the Trail Blazers have never been able to limit.
This season is only Lillard's second season, and he is also very immature. He can only parry when he encounters Westbrook who is at his peak.
Lillard was hit by Westbrook.
During yesterday's training, Zhao Chen had a one-on-one match with Westbrook. Westbrook's success rate against Zhao Chen was very high, not to mention Lillard, who was not very good at defending.
Zhao Chen feels that Westbrook's difficulty in guarding him lies in his scissor moves when he breaks through.
That is, his first step is not only explosive, but also very confusing.
This kind of breakthrough is difficult to prevent.
It wasn't until later in the game that Lillard regained some form, succeeded frequently on the offensive end, and responded to Westbrook.
With 2 minutes and 28 seconds left in the game, Coach Brooks called a timeout, waved his hand, and Zhao Chen came forward.
This is the first time Zhao Chen has played in the first quarter. Coach Brooks has also fulfilled his promise to reporters. He will put Zhao Chen into the rotation to increase his playing time.
Brooks put his arm on Zhao Chen's shoulder and said, "Guard Damian and don't let him score a three-pointer."
Although Lillard was beaten by Westbrook on the defensive end, he also beat Westbrook back on the offensive end. Before the timeout, he hit two consecutive three-pointers to recover the score.
At this time, the score was 17 to 24, and the Thunder led by 7 points.
The Trail Blazers still let Lillard lead the team on the court during this rotation period, obviously because they want to seize the time when the Thunder's second lineup is weak in offensive power to chase points.
If the second lineup can't chase points, it will be even harder for the Thunder's starting lineup to return.
"OK, I get it." Zhao Chen nodded towards Coach Brooks, expressing his confidence.
Return from the timeout and the game continues.
Partnering with Zhao Chen are Reggie Jackson, Fisher, Robertson, and Adams.
This is a pure second team.
On the Trail Blazers side are Lillard, Mo Williams, Royce White, Aldridge, and Meyers Leonard.
Thunder offense.
After Reggie Jackson dribbled the ball into the frontcourt, and after passing the ball hand-to-hand with Adams and Robertson, he performed a series of cool moves and made a step-back three-pointer! !
"frame!"
The basketball hit the rim hard and bounced high.
Aldridge grabbed the rebound.
Reggie Jackson has a heart that wants to be the boss, but he doesn't have the ability to be the boss.
In the Thunder's second team, he considers himself to be the top player.
Reggie didn't pay attention to Zhao Chen, who was in hot form for two consecutive games.
Ignore Zhao Chen who just ran out of space.
Zhao Chen was at a loss when encountering such an attack method.
Coach Brooks frowned off the court. Reggie seemed to have no tacit understanding with Zhao Chen.
Trail Blazers offense.
Lillard advanced with the ball.
Zhao Chen mainly defended Lillard and started to put pressure on Lillard directly from the frontcourt.
Lillard turned around continuously after halftime and immediately passed the ball to Aldridge who was receiving the ball.
Lillard felt Zhao Chen's difficulty.
Zhao Chen kept close to Lillard and did not give Lillard a chance to catch the ball and shoot a three-pointer.
Lillard was restrained very well by Zhao Chen, but Reggie Jackson's defense on the other side was not good. He ran away from Mo Williams who was guarding him, and Mo Williams received Aldridge's ball. Passed the ball and succeeded in mid-range with an emergency stop on the right side of the free throw line! !
"Uh-huh!"
19 to 24.
Reggie Jackson's defensive attitude is a bit poor. He does not maintain defensive pressure on defensive players like Zhao Chen.
"Follow the others and don't miss out." Zhao Chen shouted to Reggie.
"Mind yourself, rookie." Reggie Jackson hit back at Zhao Chen, then took care of himself and pushed the ball forward.
Reggie Jackson has long been unhappy with Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen's status has improved too quickly, and he played more minutes than him in the last game.
The most important thing is that he scored higher than him in two consecutive games.
Reggie Jackson looks down on catch-and-shoot shooters like Zhao Chen.
He believes that his independent offensive ability is much stronger than Zhao Chen, and the Thunder does not need players like Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen doesn't like this kind of competition within the team, but that doesn't mean he's afraid of it.
The hostility Reggie displays on a regular basis explains a lot about his behavior on the court.
Thunder offense.
Reggie Jackson still ignored Zhao Chen who ran out of position to catch the ball and took the ball for a single.
Reggie Jackson does have a lot of offensive moves, but the efficiency is low. He faced a series of dribbles by Mo Williams and then continued to step back for a three-point jumper.
As soon as the ball was released, Zhao Chen knew it would not go in.
His curvature and hand shape are so awkward.
"rebound."
[Brush Skills] Explosive! Zhao Chen shouted and rushed over.
"frame!"
Just as Zhao Chen judged, the ball hit the basket and bounced high.
Aldridge quickly blocked Adams who was fighting fiercely.
But he ignored Zhao Chen, who jumped up and took the rebound away from Leonard's head.
After Zhao Chen got the rebound, he quickly transferred it to Fisher who was nearby.
Fisher did not give the ball to Reggie Jackson who wanted the ball.
Fisher is an old man, and he knows very well the current mentality of Reggie Jackson.
Reggie was too impatient.
When Westbrook was injured some time ago, Reggie played a lot of playing time and performed well. However, after Westbrook recovered from injury, his time was compressed, and now he faces competition from Zhao Chen.
As a result, his mentality was unbalanced in the second team, and he was eager to use his personal ability to score.
But unfortunately, he doesn't have that ability.
Fisher signaled for a steady wave, and after Zhao Chen ran out, he took Fisher's pass.
Lillard chased Zhao Chen.
Unlike Reggie Jackson who was rushing to attack, Zhao Chen took the ball back after a false shot. Zhao Chen's offense was not impatient.
The NBA now resets the clock to 24 seconds to grab an offensive rebound, so there is still a lot of time.
At a 45-degree position on the left, Zhao Chen signaled his teammates to pull away and play singles for himself.
Reggie Jackson stood directly in the other corner, motionless.
The other Thunder players gave Zhao Chen a lot of face and dispersed one after another.
Zhao Chen faces the competition with Reggie Jackson, and all he needs to do is show stronger abilities.
It was also a singles match, but he wanted a different result.
Lillard kept an eye on Zhao Chen and guarded against Zhao Chen's direct three-pointer.
In Lillard's eyes, Zhao Chen is a three-point shooter and is not good at such dribbling singles.
"boom!"
"boom!"
To Lillard's surprise, Zhao Chen started dribbling frequently while facing his defense.
Lillard's defense is not strong, and Zhao Chen wants to try his new skills.
Continuous crotch rhythm adjustment.
Lillard kept swaying to Zhao Chen's rhythm.
"Am I right? Is this rookie planning to fight on his own?"
"It looks like it is."
Fans are also talking about Zhao Chen's singles.
Coach Brooks frowned. He didn't like Zhao Chen playing like this, and Zhao Chen's dribbling looked a bit awkward.
Zhao Chen has no choice but to play with such luck. Reggie, the defender, won't pass the ball to him. What can he do? In the end, it is better to rely on others than on oneself.
Zhao Chen, who was frequently on the court, found an opportunity to take a step to the right, followed by [step back]!
A sudden pull and a sudden pull directly opened the distance between him and Lillard.
Zhao Chen collected the ball and quickly shot from outside the three-point line.
Lillard watched Zhao Chen complete a three-point shot.
The arc of the three-point shot is sharp and standard.
"Uh-huh!"
An arrow pierces the heart.
19 to 27.
Zhao Chen’s [step back] made his NBA debut.
After scoring the goal, Zhao Chen glanced at Reggie.
It's the same step back, but the result is completely different!
