That night, at 91:105, the Trail Blazers defeated the Celtics at home by 14 points and won their ninth consecutive victory, halting the Celtics' four-game winning streak in one fell swoop. The momentum was so great that the entire league raised eyebrows.
In this game, the Celtics were weak inside. The inside combination with Brandon Bass and Kelly Olynyk as the starting lineup was bombarded by Wang Zelin and Arter's combination on both offense and defense.
Facing his old club, Connet Lee started tonight and played 28 minutes. He made 8 of 13 shots and 4 of 5 three-pointers. He scored 23 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 turnover and 0 fouls, becoming the best player in the league. Best of the match.
Jordan Crawford, who was in the Celtics atmosphere, and Connett Lee, who was in excellent form and in great shape, couldn't find the defense. In 34 minutes, he made 4 of 12 shots and scored 11 points.
Wang Zelin played 30 minutes and didn't exert much effort. He made 7 of 9 shots and 6 of 8 free throws. He scored 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks.
Kelly Olynyk, who had played well before, did not meet the Celtics' expectations for Wang Zhilian's defense. His physique was too brittle and his athletic ability was average.
Although his offensive skills are comprehensive, in front of Wang Zelin, his physical confrontation ability is seriously insufficient, and it is difficult to maintain his shooting hand later on.
At the end of the game, a piece of news quickly detonated the league as soon as it was released, successfully stealing the spotlight from the Trail Blazers' 9-game winning streak.
Before November 15, the league has scheduled two games, one is the Portland Trail Blazers vs. the Boston Celtics at home, and the other is the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the Golden State Warriors.
In the end, Westbrook hit a precious go-ahead three-pointer with 2.3 seconds left. The score became 115-114, and the Thunder took the lead by one point.
With only 2.3 seconds left in the game, a buzzer-beater was hit, helping the Warriors complete the victory at 116:115, making Westbrook's go-ahead three-pointer in vain.
After this game, the Warriors narrowly defeated the Thunder by one point. They remained unbeaten at home with 4 wins and 0 losses this season. The Thunder suffered two consecutive losses in back-to-back games.
"The Thunder can't do it this year. It's a pity that we have one less opponent to play in the playoffs."
After learning the detailed process from the media, Wang Zelin said with great disdain.
The media reporters were speechless, but they could not refute anything because Wang Zelin, who led the Trail Blazers to 9 consecutive victories, had the confidence to say this.
After winning against the Celtics, the Trail Blazers ushered in a nine-game winning streak in the first half of November.
Although there were five regular season teams from last season including Mosaic, Bulls, Knicks, Nuggets, and Celtics, they still won, and most of them won with an absolute advantage of 10 or 20 points or more.
Next, it depends on whether they can continue to maintain this momentum in the second half of November?
Before the start of the regular season, the authoritative American media ESPN guessed the probability of the championship: After the defending champion Heat experienced 27 consecutive victories in the last game, the probability of winning was once as high as 75%!
Although there are losses and losses at the beginning of this season, and the probability of winning has dropped a bit, the media unanimously believes that their probability of winning is leading the entire league.
Before the nine-game winning streak, ESPN estimated the Trail Blazers' championship probability at 28%; after the nine-game winning streak, it has now soared to 42%, below the Heat's 48% and the Spurs' 46%.
The famous basketball commentator "American Yang Yi" wrote in his SP column: "Leading the league with 9 consecutive wins is not the biggest reason why the Trail Blazers have a 42% chance of winning the championship. The biggest reason is that this team has built a A very balanced system of offense and defense.
Not only does it lead the league in scoring average of 110.6, it also controls its opponents' scoring average to 94, and its 16.6 point differential is something no team can match.
With such a team, it’s hard for me not to associate it with the championship stage next June! "
After only playing for half a month, the Trail Blazers have become one of the most anticipated teams in the country. Whether it is Wang Zelin or several other starting players, and even the substitute players, they have received great attention.
"Do you really think we are a department store?"
Nel Orsi received a large number of trade requests, some trade chips, and even he was moved by them.
For example, the Spurs submitted a trade request for Cornette Lee, the Bulls wanted Mo Williams, and the Wizards took a fancy to Batum... The Miami Heat were the most outrageous, wanting to trade Bosh, one of the Big Three, for the Blazers' main power forward. Aldridge.
But he ultimately refused them all.
The team's chemistry is very good this year. If you are a marginal player, you can still consider it. He will not move players who are above the important rotation level.
…
On November 17th, in the away game, the Trail Blazers are about to challenge a tough opponent-the San Antonio Spurs.
This has been the case for the past few seasons. This year, the Spurs have always started so steadily. Except for the game they lost to the Lakers, which couldn't withstand Kobe's 43-point bombardment, the Spurs didn't let go in any of the other eight games.
The current Western Conference pattern is that the Trail Blazers lead the Western Conference and even the entire league with 9 wins from 9 games, followed closely by the Spurs with 8 wins and 1 loss. The Clippers and Warriors, ranked third and fourth, both have 6 wins and 3 losses. The fifth is the Oklahoma City Thunder, the sixth is the Grizzlies, the seventh is the Lakers, and the eighth is the Mosaic.
Among the top eight teams in the Western Conference, except for the Mavericks, who fell behind and were squeezed out by the Lakers, the other seven teams have remained unchanged.
The biggest change is the Portland Trail Blazers, who were supposed to be in the middle of the Western Conference, but are now directly ranked first in the league.
Tonight, fans are about to see the first matchup between the No. 1 team in the Western Conference and the No. 2 team in the Western Conference. In addition, the two teams are the two Western Conference Finals teams from last season. Therefore, after being exaggerated by media reporters, this game successfully turned into a preview of this season's Western Conference Finals.
After all, as far as the current strength ranking of Western Conference teams is concerned, no matter how the media ranks them, it is impossible for the Trail Blazers and Spurs to be ranked outside the top three.
The Western Conference Finals preview is a bit exaggerated and can especially arouse the hatred of other teams, but after reflection, fans still agree with it.
In the away locker room, several major media were allowed to enter for interviews.
Flying Pig Barkley, no, now the ace commentator Barkley asked: "King, just tell me, how many consecutive games do you want to win this season?"
Good guy, Barkley selectively ignored the outcome of the game and directly asked Wang Zelin about his ambitions.
Wang Zelin said: "Charles, you know. Things like winning streaks are actually not important. What our team is pursuing is victory. If you are asking about victory, then naturally the more the better."
Well, after working on it for a long time, you don’t mean you want the Blazers to keep winning, so just say no...
Then, the title before the game is decided by you: The Chinese boys are in high spirits, and no one can stop their winning streak. Will they keep winning?
Barkley cursed and asked: "Going back to the next game, do you think the Spurs will put a lot of pressure on you?"
Wang Zelin smiled and said: "You should ask the people in San Antonio next door about this and ask them to open their eyes and take a look. Who is number one in the record rankings now?"
When asked by the media about the team's record leading the league, Wang Zelin never shied away from the pride and confidence of himself and his teammates.
Putting aside the fact that this is a fact, have you ever seen anyone who was timid when they were young? They have to be crazy when they should be crazy. How can you live up to your youth?
"Oh! According to what you said, the Blazers are already 100% sure."
"With the strength in place, can victory be far away?"
Wang Zelin asked rhetorically.
"...Okay, then I wish you victory in the game." Barkley was once again stimulated by Wang Zelin's pretentious words and fled the locker room.
Wang Zelin was stunned and quickly waved: "Hey buddy, you've only been here for a few minutes. This is a rare opportunity. Don't give up so easily!"
Barkley moved faster.
"Ha ha……"
The locker room burst into laughter.
In the home locker room, Simavici and his players were also being interviewed.
Speaking of which, the Spurs are really an amazing team!
When interviewing other teams, media reporters first ask about the core players, and only occasionally interview the head coach.
It's completely different here in San Antonio.
The main interview subjects of media reporters became head coach Sima Wei, such as Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and the team's new core Leonard, but few reporters interviewed them.
The reporters said: "Do you think we are thinking that those guys all have ice faces, and even if they laugh with you for a long time, they won't even make a fart! If you have this time, why not ask Sima Weiqi a few more questions? question."
Hey, the little old man seemed to have had another two ounces of wine before the game. He was so red-faced that it would be a pity not to hurry up and interview him.
Kenny Smith, who was in charge of interviewing the Spurs, asked: "Greg, are you ready to interrupt the Trail Blazers' winning streak?"
Sima Weiwei pretended not to hear clearly and asked: "Winning streak? What did you mean to interrupt? What other winning streak is there..."
Kenny Smith frowned and added louder: "Do you think the Spurs are ready to interrupt the Trail Blazers' 9-game winning streak?"
"Oh, that's it."
Hearing it clearly this time, Simavici quickly laughed and said: "The Spurs have never pursued such illusory things like winning streaks or anything like that. Besides, every season for every NBA team, there are It is a marathon race, and we pay more attention to the final result.
Winning streak or something, you should go to the bottom where you interview the players. Well, Tim and the others are right here, go, hahahaha! "
It seems that Sima Wei did not drink enough fake wine today, and Kenny Smith will not be able to get any valuable information from the interview.
Before the game, both sides announced the starting lineup:
Spurs: Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter
Trail Blazers: Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Aldridge, Wang Zelin
The focus of the battle will always be indispensable for the staff of the imperial court.
After getting the starting list, Zhang Li said: "The starting lineups of the two teams are exactly the same as what we speculated before the game. Yu Jia, what do you think will be the key to victory between the Trail Blazers and Spurs tonight?"
"Oh! It seems that Director Zhang has an idea, why don't you talk about it first."
Hearing what Zhang Lili said, Yu Jia instantly knew that the former had something in his stomach.
"Haha, let me start the discussion first."
Then, Zhang Helin explained: "This season, Simavici took Tiago Sprit from the rotation list into the starting lineup. Although this European white big man has no shooting ability, he is not afraid of confrontation, is good at pick-and-rolls, and can handle the basket. He is very good at protecting the basket and holding up low positions.
The interior defensive system formed by him and Duncan allowed the Spurs to have a net margin of 11.5 points in the eight games they won this season, second only to the Trail Blazers.
Considering that many players broke out at the beginning of the season for the Trail Blazers, and after playing for a long time in the regular season, the average points per game will definitely drop to a certain extent. It can be said that the two teams' offense and defense are at the top of the league, and their starting lineups have already meshed very well. Then, the key depends on the performance of the rotation players! "
"Director Zhang, you mean, the battle between Ginobili and Mo Williams?" Yu Jia said.
"It's possible." Zhang Li said with a smile.
If we were to select a list of players who have a chance to win the Best Sixth Man award this season, Mo Williams, who averaged 15+ points per game with the Trail Blazers, would definitely top the list.
With the league's No. 1 team scoring among the best substitute players, Mo Williams naturally has the greatest chance of getting the best sixth man spot.
For Mo Williams, who has only been a backup to the Eastern Conference All-Star once in his career, the Sixth Man of the Year award is very tempting.
The Spurs' Manu Ginobili happens to be a frequent contender for the Sixth Man of the Season award.
What kind of sparks will collide between the two will be known until the game starts.
In the player tunnel, players from the two teams met.
"We meet again, the number one power forward in history who occasionally plays the center position!"
Seeing Spurs No. 21, Wang Zelin couldn't help but joked.
"..."
Duncan remained silent and slowly walked away, but there was a smell of embarrassment in the air.
Both of them knew very well that in the game, Tiago Split would not be able to guard Wang Zelin. The person who mainly defended Wang Zelin had to be Duncan, but this guy was in the power forward position in the starting lineup...
It’s no wonder Wang Zelin teased Duncan so much just now.
After the game started, Tiago Sprit was naturally no match for Wang Zelin.
As soon as they came up, Duncan and Wang Zelin began to fight hand-to-hand without even showing off for a while. Tiago Sprit completed the jump ball and took the initiative to find Aldridge.
Duncan's stance was at an unusually tricky angle and he used both hands and feet to prevent Wang Zelin from receiving the ball in a comfortable position. In the playoffs last season, he used this method to make Wang Zelin uncomfortable.
"How does it feel to be eliminated in the Western Conference Finals?" After struggling with Wang Zelin for a while, Duncan took the initiative to speak out.
Duncan is... anxious?
After being stunned for a moment, Wang Zelin suddenly burst into laughter.
An NBA game lasts 48 minutes. Naturally, no one can stay silent for an entire game, and Duncan is certainly no exception.
However, he is always fully focused during the game and is proficient in psychology, which results in him rarely being stimulated by his opponents.
Maybe it was the loss in last season's finals, or maybe it was the emerging team Blazers' strong strength shown to the outside world. Lian Shifo finally felt the pressure.
Deng Cheng knows that the Spurs' players this year are even better integrated than last year, which is a key year for winning the championship. If there is no success this year, GDP will be one year older, and the hope of winning will become increasingly slim... He does not want to miss this year.
Wang Zelin, who vaguely understood Duncan's psychological changes, responded with an indifferent expression: "So what? You are not the championship. Essentially, you are a loser like us!"
After responding, he suddenly raised his position high and set up a cover for Lillard.
Lillard took the opportunity to break through so fast that the team's defense had no time to react.
This is the new task Terry Stotts has set for Wang Zelin: increase the frequency of high-post screens and side responses, and temporarily reduce the number of low-post attacks.
Wang Zelin has no objections to the coach's arrangements.
Basketball is a game for five people. Not to mention that he does not have the NBA ceiling strength of the basketball god Jordan. Even if he did, he would not be able to play for 48 minutes from beginning to end by himself.
So, good teammates are really important!
After Lillard broke into the three-second zone, Leonard immediately came up to block it. Lillard stopped the ball and just passed it to Batum, who was in the open. Tony Parker had already connected.
The speed with which the Spurs change defense is evident.
The Blazers passed the ball down and there was not much time left.
"here!"
Suddenly Wang Zelin's shout came, and Batum on the wing immediately took the ball and handed it to Wang Zelin in the short corner on the right wing.
Duncan reached out to cover his face, and Wang Zelin completed his shooting gesture, ignored the interference, and sent the ball into the basket.
2:0, the Trail Blazers took the lead and the players retreated quickly.
Why Wang Zelin agreed to coach Terry and implement his new tactic was because he discovered in several previous team training matches that sometimes it is not necessary to attack the frame in the low post to have an offensive threat.
After being pulled out, Wang Zelin, who has a high shooting threat, will force the opposing players to follow him. At this time, the opponent's penalty area will be vacated, and the breakthroughs of outside players such as Lillard, Batum, and Matthews will be useful. The place of martial arts...
Because Wang Zelin's passing ability has been recognized by everyone on the team, he can find teammates who have opportunities as soon as possible and accurately guide the basketball to his teammates.
Moreover, both Lillard, Batum and Matthews have very good ball-playing abilities. If they are blocked, they can transfer the ball to teammates with better opportunities as soon as possible.
Such a style of play will increase the number of times the team passes the ball, increase the team's overall assists, and also make teammates' statistics look better...
As for Wang Zelin, his scoring may drop, but his assists will rise.
However, he doesn't mind such a tactical play if it makes it easier for the team to win. After all, this style of play is more healthy and more conducive to protecting the body than playing hard in the low post.
There was no way around it. In the city of Portland, there were so many players who had suffered from the "injury curse" that he couldn't help but feel frightened.
Don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens!
Of course, when necessary, when the team's key ball needs someone to step up and handle it, Coach Terry will still choose to let Wang Zelin use his most reliable low-post attack to attack the frame.
After serving the baseline ball, Duncan shook his head secretly in his heart. Even though the ball seemed to be blocked in time, it was actually more than one beat too late.
Duncan, who has old arms and legs, can no longer keep up with Wang Zelin's movement speed.
Spurs attack.
Coming to the low post on the left wing, the ball was indeed handed to Duncan.
The 37-year-old Duncan may need help from his teammates on the defensive end, but on the offensive end, he is still as stable as when he was 27 years old.
Sitting in the low post, Wang Zelin pushed in with his back arched. As he got closer to the basket, Duncan immediately turned right and tried to slip into the bottom corner.
Wang Zelin reacted and turned around immediately.
But at this moment, Duncan made an emergency stop, turned left, stepped on the edge of the paint area, and shot a two-pointer from close range at a 45-degree angle.
"Bang~swish!"
Hit the board.
2:2, the Spurs tied at home.
"Oh! Tim hit the board over the head of Trail Blazers No. 36. Is this the defense of the league's No. 1 center?"
It's not too big a deal to watch the excitement, Barkley started shouting jokingly.
"This is Tim, this is the charm of Stone Buddha! As unpretentious as ever, his opponents can't stop him!" Kenny Smith exclaimed.
When Wang Zelin and Duncan faced off, Barkley and Smith on the TNT commentary desk couldn't help but gradually favored the old guy who started playing football in the last century.
However, the Trail Blazers No. 36 on the opposite side has no idea of respecting the elderly.
It's the Blazers' offensive round.
It was a familiar pick-and-roll again. Lillard used the screen to break through. After being blocked by Danny Green, he handed the ball to Matthews.
Matthews dribbled the ball and took two steps in. Tony Parker switched defense and blocked the forward path...
The familiar voice sounded again, Matthews shot the ball, Wang Zelin received it from a high position, and completed the shot in front of Duncan...
The next moment, Trail Blazers No. 88 came out from the baseline, jumped when he was close to the basket, caught the ball with his right hand and pushed it into the basket.
"Bang! Blind Karaka!!!"
"Alley-oop!!!"
Barkley and Kenny Smith exclaimed simultaneously.
Outside the court, Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts showed a satisfied smile.
If you want to defeat the Spurs, you must first defeat Duncan.
Looking back at Shi Fo's playing history, who can really gain the absolute upper hand in his matchup? The most impressive thing for fans is the first of the five games between the Suns and the Spurs in the 2005 Western Conference Finals. The little bully Stoudemire averaged 37 points.
It was a playoff round that was easily memorable, and even led to the legend of "Suns Stoudemire beating Duncan at his peak" in the mouths of many fans.
In fact, the Spurs won the Western Conference Finals that year.
Because from the Spurs' point of view, there is no need for them to pair Duncan and Stoudemire. Investing too much energy on the defensive end will lead to a lack of offensive energy, not to mention that Duncan has not lost weight at that time.
However, when looking back at past game videos, Terry Stotts still got some inspiration.
On the defensive end, Duncan relies on first-class anticipation and a strong body. His super wingspan allows him to block the sky at the basket; his strong body allows O'Neal to not get any advantage when facing Duncan, and Duncan also has excellent coping skills.
After talking about the advantages, let’s move on to the disadvantages.
The lateral movement speed is relatively average, which makes it difficult for Duncan to defend himself against opponents with fast feet and excellent shooting ability. This is an undeniable fact.
When Duncan faced off against Stoudemire when he was young, he allowed the latter to score high scores many times, which is evidence of this.
It's okay that when Duncan was focused on defense, his opponents would not score so many points, but at that time, Simavici did not allow him to just focus on defense, and the Spurs still needed him to score.
But now, Duncan is old. Whether he wants to or not, he won't be able to guard against Stoudemire in the Suns era.
The Trail Blazers don't have the overlord Stoudemire, but they have a stronger Wang Zelin.
The latter has all of Stoudemire's offensive abilities, and his personal offensive and support abilities with the ball are stronger than Stoudemire's...
Using an enhanced version of the Bully to beat Duncan was the strategy the Trail Blazers coach worked out for several nights.
At this time, Terry Stotts smiled obscenely and was captured by the photographer on the sidelines.
