After returning to the locker room, Scott Brooks looked at Durant and said: "Kevin, we need you to be full of firepower. Can you suppress the Blazers' offense?"
Scott Brooks knows very well that after Fisher's short burst, the team did take off, but how can a team only rely on role players in the playoffs?
It still needs the boss to stand up and control the general direction.
Durant happens to be the only one that the Thunder has an advantage among the five positions on the field. It can be said to be the only key to victory.
That's why he asked.
"Of course, no problem." Durant replied, his expression unchanged, but only he knew what his chances of winning were.
Trail Blazers locker room.
Terry Stotts was not stingy with his compliments and highly praised Wang Zelin's performance in the first half, especially in the third quarter. It can be said that he single-handedly suppressed the Thunder's counterattack.
You're done, now it's our turn!
Terry Stotts thought.
Back at halftime, Wang Zelin was still on the court, which made the Thunder's inside group feel desperate.
Fortunately, the Thunder generals turned around and saw that player No. 35 was also on the court, and felt a little relieved. This was their only bargaining chip for victory.
At this time, there are two teams of players on the field.
The Trail Blazers put out their full lineup.
Thunder lineup: PG Derek Fisher, SG Kevin Martin, SF Kevin Durant, PF Serge Ibaka, c Kendrick Perkins.
A closer look shows that the independent defensive capabilities of positions 1 and 2 in this lineup are approximately 0. In other words, the Thunder are ready to fight hard.
Both sides knew that if the fight continued, Durant would definitely have physical problems.
This has become the norm.
Therefore, the third quarter is the moment that determines the outcome.
At the top of the arc, Durant holds the ball and others pull away.
At the same time, Wang Zelin moved to the basket.
In the first attack, Durant did not choose to attack the basket and moved to the right wing. At this time, Perkins came over to do a pick-and-roll, and he got a short opening.
"Whoosh!"
At the beginning of the third quarter, Durant scored two mid-range points.
At 60:57, the Thunder led by 3 points.
Durant still looks unstoppable.
Trail Blazers offense.
Aldridge positioned himself in the right corner, Matthews moved to the right wing, Batum moved on the left wing, and Wang Zelin relentlessly moved to the basket.
The Thunder reacted promptly and double-teamed Durant immediately. Batum caught the ball and faked a shot to Kevin Martin. He rushed into the reasonable collision area, exploded, and completed a one-armed shot over Durant's head. Split buckle.
"Bang!"
Batum hangs high above the rim and rises and falls.
60:59.
"The Thunder are also crazy. Nicolas Batum on the opposite side is not an ordinary guy. He has a scoring ability of about 15+ in the regular season. It would be too disrespectful to let Batum go." Teacher Yu Jia complained.
"There is nothing we can do about it. Who made him pose such a threat to our Lan family's attack that even Thunderbolt is afraid of being beaten." Zhang Lili said with narrowed eyes.
"yeah!!!"
Batum landed and was greeted by cheers from the audience.
Offense and defense transition.
Durant leaned against Batum on the left side and asked for the ball.
Fisher excitedly distributed the ball and began to move without the ball.
Durant took two steps in and suddenly turned over and shot a jumper.
This attack was caught off guard, and Batum didn't have time to jump, but Durant had already come out from the basket to help defend, leaped high, and slapped Durant in the air.
"KD made a shot. The ball was too fast. Nicholas didn't react. The basketball flew towards the Trail Blazers' basket! Oh, Shet! Wang's reaction speed was so fast. He took off and the bounce was very fast!"
Amid Kenny Smith's exclamations, Wang Zelin seemed to appear out of nowhere, intercepting the ball between the basketball and the basket, getting closer and closer.
Durant looked up suddenly. He didn't believe that Trail Blazers No. 36 could stop the ball.
Unless you can have the help defense ability of Howard during the Magic era, but that is at the dpoy level, you can't...
"Pa~"
With a loud noise, Wang Zelin fanned the ball out of bounds.
Volleyball hat!
"It's terrible! That jump just now reminded me of Dwight from the past two years!" After Kenneth Smith finished speaking, one of his partners, Reggie Miller, followed up and said: "The block just now, whether it was the defensive reaction, , jumping height, and shot blocking method are very similar to Dwight before the serious injury. Moreover, such a volleyball block is like a shot of stimulant, which can not only encourage the morale and fighting spirit of the team, but also stimulate and inspire the emotions of the audience. !”
"That's right." O'Neal nodded: "I never think Dwight is a so-called super center, but when it comes to defense, he is definitely a super blue-collar player in history. Not to mention anything else, just his height and size. The advantage is much greater than that of Big Ben back then.”
Barkley quickly added: "It's just that the technology is too worrying."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
After laughing, Kenny Smith continued his analysis: "I have to admit that Wang's blocking point just now is indeed frighteningly high. Compared with Howard, even if it is not as good, I am afraid it is still a big difference. The Thunder will be in trouble next."
Durant faced the frame and attacked again, and the Trail Blazers also treated him with the highest treatment.
Double team!
Just after a step of space was released and he was about to take action, Aldridge dropped Ibaka from the left elbow area, and the double attack was successful.
With one draw and two, Durant was naturally unfazed. He pulled it up and made a mid-range shot... It was definitely not because there was not much time left.
Durant is not a god either. Under the defense of the two, the defensive pressure intensified and his shots were in vain.
Wang Zelin got the ball and passed the ball directly. Lillard, who was unguarded, caught the ball and made a layup.
61:60, the Trail Blazers took the lead by 1 point at home!
Just a few rounds into the second half, the Trail Blazers took the lead, and the fans in the Rose Garden Arena burst into cheers.
"Alas~"
Scott Brooks hesitated repeatedly and did not choose to call a timeout.
He had thought that the score would be overtaken, but he did not expect that time would come so quickly.
Perhaps, this year’s journey ends here.
The Thunder coach thought so.
But obviously the team just reached the finals last year!
Why did this happen in just one year?
In a daze, he thought of No. 13, who was fighting for the Space City in another place.
If that guy hadn't left, the situation wouldn't have been so bad. At least after Russell was injured, the team would have another organizational point.
"Well."
Scott Brooks couldn't help but shook his head, as if asking himself: What am I thinking about? James has been traded.
Yes, he was traded away.
…
After 5 minutes, the situation on the court was completely different from the first half.
69:63, the Trail Blazers lead by 6 points.
Immediately afterwards, as Matthews hit a three-pointer from a negative angle on the right side, the Trail Blazers' lead reached 9 points.
The Thunder coach called the first timeout between the two teams since the third quarter.
Looking back on the previous few minutes, when the five tigers of the team came out, Wang Zelin's role changed from the offensive core to the defensive core.
With Wang Zelin as the core of the defense, it spreads outward, and with the tacit cooperation of others, Lillard organizes, Matthews makes a cold arrow, Batum mainly defends the opponent's arrowhead, and Aldridge takes on Wang Zelin's previous offensive responsibility. The five people have a clear division of labor and form an organized, disciplined and effective system.
The Thunder suffered losses in the playoffs, and the overall situation was in a precarious state. They were far less organized and united than the Trail Blazers.
Mainly relying on Durant's performance, or occasionally other role players breaking out, it's okay to play with the wind. Once they enter a headwind situation, the Thunder's declining trend will be difficult to reverse.
Mainly because Durant's offensive characteristics are different from Jordan and Kobe.
Is Durant's offensive talent strong?
Very strong!
It can even be said to be rare in history.
But he is different from the previous scorers.
Let’s not mention the scoring champions of the last century, let’s talk about the previous scoring champions since the 21st century.
Allen Iverson, who has won the three-time scoring champion, Magic Wheat, the two-time scoring champion, Kobe Bryant, the two-time scoring champion, James and his wife, the scoring champions in 2008 and 2009, and Agua, who just won the scoring champion.
Each of these guys is a famous iron man in the league. Their terrifying physical strength pool can support them in key games from beginning to end during their peak period, without affecting offensive efficiency.
In this regard, Durant seems to be a bit not tough enough and not as strong as his predecessors.
Efficiency is one thing, but durability is another.
When there is a lack of strong helpers, to put it bluntly, if you want to target Durant, the strategy is too simple, just separate him from his teammates.
After the third quarter, the Trail Blazers opened the point difference to 11 points, which was not too big. It seemed that the Thunder still had a chance to chase.
But just one look at No. 35 on the Thunder bench, his entire jersey soaked with sweat, and everyone knows that the game has gone far.
The fourth quarter lasted until the 7th minute. When the official timeout came, fans from both sides left the field.
At this time, the scoreboard showed that the score between the two sides was 115:92, and the point difference was 23 points.
When Durant couldn't score anymore, everything became dusty.
Sure enough, the Thunder gave up the game, the official timeout ended, the main lineup did not return, and the Trail Blazers immediately withdrew their main lineup.
125:98, the Trail Blazers beat their opponents by 25 points in Game 3 of the series.
Wang Zelin did not go as everyone expected. He played 41 minutes, made 13 of 15 shots, and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 28 points, 18 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, and 4 fouls. While achieving a near triple-double, I also got a rare piece of 4×4 data.
Hey, no, it seems like he just won it in the last game.
Ahem, then again.
Compared to the astonishing 11-of-13 shooting in the first half with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal, Wang Zelin only took two shots in the second half and never made a hit, plus he scored 5 points from free throws.
But no one still dares to question Wang Zelin's key role in this game.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Wang Zelin's offensive touch has not declined at all, he has just shifted his focus to the defensive end.
Team player, selfless, perfect teammate...a series of words that accumulate positive energy suddenly appeared in the mouths of the media and fans.
Even a small part of the media that had been criticizing "Wang Zelin is a brush" began to change their tone and called him a model player with high moral standards.
In fact, Wang Zelin never thought about it so much.
As the game continued, Wang Zelin naturally accepted his role on the court because he wanted to use more effective methods to help the team win.
It wasn't until the end of the game when his teammates told him that he regretted losing a triple-double that he realized that what he cared about most was the team's victory, and he wasn't that particular about the gorgeousness of the data.
On the premise of winning, it is gratifying to get good data, but if you can't get it, don't force it.
After all, being the winner is gratifying enough.
It can only be said to be "unintentional planting of willows and willows".
After the game, Wang Zelin immediately noticed the sharp increase in his fan base, and also learned from external comments that his number of anti-fans seemed to have dropped slightly.
After the game, interviews were held on the spot, and reporters surrounded the scene.
Wang Zelin took the towel, wiped the sweat off his head, and prepared to be interviewed.
"Surprise!"
A bucket of ice water fell from the sky, and Wang Zelin was so wet that he shivered.
Damn it, which grandson is it?
As soon as I turned around, another bucket of ice water hit me.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Wiping his face, Wang Zelin saw the retreating figures of Mike Roberts and Batum.
Just wait for me, it’s written down in the notebook!
"Haha! King, first of all, I want to congratulate you for leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 3-0 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the series. Congratulations in advance on your advancement to the Western Conference Finals."
As old friends and fellow countrymen, Director Zhang Li and his partner Teacher Yu Jia occupied a favorable position and were the first to conduct the interview.
"Thank you, I hope everything goes as you wish."
"My King, once again played 5×5 in the playoffs, what do you want to say most?" a tnt reporter asked.
Wang Zelin took a look and saw that she was a girl. She was quite big and fair. He laughed and said: "There is nothing to say. The most important thing in my heart is always the team's victory. I don't care so much about the pursuit of data."
His answer made the reporters nod silently. After all, he is a man who is ready to give up on a triple-double in the playoffs.
Half an hour later, Wang Zelin finished the interview and returned to the locker room. He turned on his cell phone and received many congratulatory calls.
"My King, I wish you will continue your efforts, sweep away your opponents, and advance to the finals as soon as possible!" Anta official made the first call.
After all, it is a big company and there must be a lot of customer service.
"That's necessary, and I also hope that the sneakers can sell better."
"You're an incredible kid. You're going to capture the Western Conference Finals territory in your first year!" Chairman Yao called for the second time.
"It's okay, Brother Yao, do you want to consider playing in the NBA again? Even if you sit on the bench, I can help you get a championship ring."
"Forget it, my old legs are no longer good, but don't worry, I will always pay attention to the following games, and I have to return to China beforehand. If you really reach the finals, I will definitely support you then."
"Okay bro."
Chairman Yao's phone number just hung up, and as expected, it rang again.
"King, you are too fierce!"
The caller ID said Scarlett.
"Tch, don't you know very well how fierce I am?"
"See you at the same place then."
"Ah, forget it now, wait until I finish the finals."
"Well, that's such a shame."
"Ahem, I hung up beforehand."
Let me choke, the lady here is so fierce. Fortunately, I have high concentration, otherwise I would have fallen into the trap of this monster.
This was Wang Zelin's personal phone number. Not many people knew about it. After answering a few more phone numbers, the ringtone finally stopped ringing.
At this time, the text message ring suddenly rang.
Hey, why is it him!
Click to take a look:
Zelin, congratulations on your victory over the Thunder, and I wish you can go further and further in the playoffs. Come on!
——Yi Jianlian
As a teammate of the national team, Yi Jianlian of course has Wang Zelin's personal number, and the remaining major players such as Da Zhi and Sun Dasheng also have his number.
After being stunned for a moment, Wang Zelin casually replied, "Thank you!"
Then he suddenly remembered.
According to the various basketballs I have seen in my previous life, as long as it is a Chinese male protagonist in the 21st century, his team will basically include this top male basketball player.
Perhaps, we should also obey the tradition of time travellers and accept A Lian.
One thing to say is that as a ready-to-combat player, apart from his fragile body, Ah Lian still has some strength.
No matter what happens, Wang Zelin's status in the team at this moment and the importance of the management, as long as he gives a little hint to the team to sign the United Arab Emirates, even if it is just as a mascot, he still has such qualifications.
Don't you know, the senior Bucks team in the future, in order to renew the contract with Antetokounmpo, they would not hesitate to have the world's mascot Antetokounmpo, just to successfully renew the contract.
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