There are always people waiting for a miracle to come.
But little do they know that there are so many miracles in the world...
When the Trail Blazers trailed their opponents by 16 points at halftime, they still played with all their main players in the third quarter. Unfortunately, there happened to be a point guard god known for his "stability" standing opposite.
In terms of field control ability alone, Paul claims to be the best in current service. I am afraid no one dares to call him second. Even James, the little emperor of Miami Coast, is half as weak as Paul in terms of field control.
Even if placed in the long history of history and compared with a lot of field control masters, Paul is definitely one of the few who stand out.
What's more, Paul's touch today is really amazing.
In the first half, the Clippers shot 56.5% from the field and made 9 of 16 three-pointers. Among them, Paul was unstoppable and made 5 of 5 three-pointers. One person scored 21 of the team's 65 points.
In the two quarters of the first half, Paul only missed one shot.
Halfway through the third quarter, Paul succeeded in another long-range shot, hitting all his first six three-pointers.
At this time, the Trail Blazers' outside line had been completely defeated by Paul alone. Even though Wang Zelin performed tough under the basket, scoring 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in a single quarter, he was still unable to match the outstanding performance of Paul.
They lost 94 points in the first three quarters, which made the Blazers players very frustrated. It also made the home fans in the stands confused and kept asking:
How to fight this?
Less than two minutes played in the final quarter. When the Clippers expanded their lead to 30 points at 101:70, coach Terry Stotts had no choice but to raise the white flag and announce that he would give up the game.
After the timeout, all the Blazers' main players were replaced, and the game officially entered garbage time.
After the two sides came on the bench, they began to score three-pointers from each other. The scene was very lively, but there was no suspense about the outcome. The only thing the Trail Blazers want to do now is to narrow the point difference as much as possible, to within 30 or 20 points as much as possible.
At the end, the electronic buzz on the scoreboard sounded, signaling the game was over.
The first playoff contest between the Clippers and Trail Blazers ended with the Clippers defeating the Trail Blazers 122:105, a 17-point away win.
This defeat was like a basin of cold rain, pouring heavily on the heads of all members of the Trail Blazers.
The Clippers used a victory to tell them that the playoffs are different from the regular season after all. In the Western Conference, all teams that can make it to the playoffs are strong and all have the possibility of hitting the championship.
You guys, stop looking down on others!
…
…
rose Garden.
After the Clippers team members, all media and fans left, the entire arena suddenly felt lonely.
No, there are still a few lights flashing in the conference room of the arena.
After the loss, the Trail Blazers coaching staff and several core players stayed and held a review meeting.
"How did we... almost sweep the Clippers in the regular season?"
After Batum, the team's perimeter defender, raised this question, the entire conference room was silent.
Matthews scratched his head: "I remember, it seemed like I won just by fighting?!"
"The Clippers team...can't underestimate them anymore!"
After a long silence, Aldridge gave his own evaluation.
To be honest, tonight's 17-point defeat was like an extremely loud slap on the face of the Blazers players who were gradually becoming arrogant.
Make them extremely embarrassed.
At the same time, it also allowed them to wake up quickly.
"There are no weak teams in the NBA!" This slogan has never been just rhetoric.
The next day.
As expected.
The Trail Blazers lost to the Clippers by 17 points at home, which became the hottest news in the sports world the next day.
Wanghei from all over the world suddenly started celebrating like a birthday party.
"It's Dese! Where's your Dese energy?"
"I think you'll be slapped in the face if you like to fill cups before games!"
"You want to deal with the Clippers as soon as possible? I'm afraid the Clippers won't deal with you as soon as possible!"
"The playoffs are the big stage to test a player's gold content. Obviously, someone doesn't have the ability to dominate the playoffs. Maybe he thinks he is playing in the regular season?"
How do you say something?
Often the people who like to stab you in the back happen to be the people who know you best.
This sentence is most appropriate for the black men in China.
In this era where the public has the right to speak in public opinion and all "monsters" who follow Europe and the United States are rampant, the shepherd dogs really have no shame in order to kneel down and lick their beautiful father and mother.
Not only was Wang Zelin targeted, but Yi Jianlian, who averaged 5+2 per game in the first round of the playoffs and performed well, was also pulled out and severely criticized.
In the past, slogans such as "Bench Man", "Space Yi", and "Yi Emperor" were once again mentioned by Yin and Yang people and appeared in the public eye.
Fortunately, as the Internet becomes more and more popular, the domestic people's channels for understanding the outside world are no longer as scarce as before. As the people gradually become wiser, it is destined that public knowledge will gradually turn from bad to public toilets.
The masses are discerning and this saying will never go out of style.
Soon, there was another force in the country, which quickly suppressed the newly formed force of the sunspots.
Of course, you have to be strong in order to make iron.
As long as the Trail Blazers can win the second game and tie the series, naturally everything can be said, but once they lose, everything will stop.
…
…
The first game day of the second round of the series has passed. Four groups of Eastern and Western series faced off, with 8 teams. Fans have a new impression of each team's performance in the playoffs this season.
Some veterans lurk silently in the regular season but explode fiercely in the playoffs; there are also some young teams that lose because they are too young.
Similarly, the performance of some veterans this year makes you feel that they have indeed reached an age where their ambitions and abilities are insufficient, and it is time to stay away from the NBA; there are also young players who are ready to attack the throne, or are trying to catch up with the current generation. Even NBA historical celebrities work hard.
The Trail Blazers ushered in their second home game against the Clippers on May 8, 115:109. Although there were some twists and turns in the regular time, in overtime, the Trail Blazers still held on firmly. Home field advantage!
After the first two game days of the playoffs, the two sides tied at 1:1, which was more in line with the outside world's predictions of the outcome of the second game.
After scoring 26 points + 14 rebounds + 4 blocks + 4 assists in the last game, Wang Zelin once again contributed a double-double performance of 38+15 tonight. The most important thing is that tonight he no longer scored in vain.
As the Trail Blazers and Clippers tied at 1:1, the results of the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals also came out one after another.
In the East, the Pacers are 1:1 Wizards and the Heat are 2:0 Nets.
Another group of semifinals in the Western Conference faced the Spurs VS Thunder. The Spurs won both home games and gained a 2:0 lead.
Judging from the current trend, the Heat VS Nets and Spurs VS Thunder will be the first two sets of matchups to end in the East and West.
Thinking back to last year, it was the Heat and Spurs who broke through from their respective divisions and reached the finals stage.
This year, both the Heat and Spurs played dominant performances in their respective divisions, both defeating their opponents 4-0 in the first round.
This must not make the fans wonder, could it be said that this year's finals will be the same pair of enemies?
…
Back to Portland.
Even if they defeated the Clippers in the second game, they only won by 6 points, which made the Blazers even more afraid to underestimate the Clippers!
After playing the game and accepting the post-game interview, Wang Zelin did not practice any more tonight, but lay straight on the bed.
To be honest, the offense shown by the Clippers in the first half today really shocked him again!
At the end of regular time, JJ Redick hit a three-pointer from the top of the corner, and the two sides were tied at 101:101.
Fortunately, in the first round of overtime, Wang Zelin made a strong attack from the basket. Although he failed to score, it caused the Clippers' main center DeAndre Jordan to foul for the sixth time in the game. The latter fouled out and left the game.
DeAndre Jordan's departure led to the Clippers' overtime defeat.
Because no one could restrain Wang Zelin in the paint, in the later overtime, he was completely at odds with himself and scored 9 of the team's 15 overtime points, helping the team win.
Wang Zelin played a full 43 minutes in this game, and his super physical fitness of 91 points was too much for him.
Fortunately the result is good.
In 43 minutes, he made 15 of 23 shots and scored 38 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. Not only did he have the highest three data points, rebounds and blocks in the game, but his offensive and defensive efficiency was also the same.
Best of the match, well deserved!
Aldridge made 7 of 15, and was slightly lacking in touch. He scored a near-double-double with 17 points and 9 rebounds.
Lillard made 5 of 13 goals, and 3 of the 5 goals he made were three-pointers, which allowed him to get the fourth-highest 13 points on the team and the highest 12 assists on the team.
According to statistics, 7 of Lillard's 12 assists were directly related to Wang Zelin, 3 were indirectly related, and only 2 were actually passed to other teammates and played a role...
Once again proved the deep understanding between the two.
Over there with the Clippers.
Paul's touch was not as magical as in the last game, but his performance in organizing the team was still impeccable. He made 7 of 17 shots and scored a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists.
Griffin made 6 of 15, DeAndre Jordan made 4 of 9, and J.J. Redick made 6 of 11. The Clippers' two-core inside team performed averagely today and became a key factor in the Clippers' loss in this game.
However, the Clippers' resilience and desire to win in this game were far stronger than expected, which also made the winning Trail Blazers feel alarmed and refused to let go.
So, on May 9, after arriving in Los Angeles the night before the third game day, several veterans held a team meeting that night to discuss how to play more steadily in the next two away games.
Especially Garnett, who has been a veteran for 19 seasons, is still one of the important rotations of the Trail Blazers, and rest time is extremely important to him.
As of now, in the showdown between the Spurs and the Thunder, the Thunder may not last until the fifth game, and even if the Trail Blazers win the next three games, they still have to finish the Battle of Tianwang Mountain.
As a result, the Trail Blazers will inevitably have 1 to 2 fewer rest days than the Spurs. For young people like Wang Zelin and Lillard, it's okay, but for Garnett, Mo Williams, and Artest, missing a day of rest may cause ups and downs in their game-day status.
Oh, by the way, Yi Jianlian also needs more rest time, because his physical fitness is relatively average, and the length of physical confrontation in the playoffs is much greater than that in the regular season, so the rest time needed is as much as possible. .
It should be noted that any strong team in NBA history that ultimately aspires to win the championship has extremely strong control over details.
Moreover, the details of the game are different from the big strategic policies. The latter needs to be formulated by the team's coaching staff and management, while the former can only be pondered, discussed and studied by the players themselves.
After all, it is the players themselves who really play.
On the morning of May 10, while the Trail Blazers were actively preparing for the game, the players were still discussing details and small-scale cooperation. After a brief two-hour individual training in the afternoon, the clarion call for battle was getting closer and closer.
The next two away games can actually be regarded as a double-edged sword. If they can win two games in a row and rewrite the series score to 3:1, it will be fatal for the Clippers' morale. blow.
On the other hand, the Trail Blazers will return to their home court with the momentum of two consecutive away games to compete in the Tianwang Mountain battle, and will most likely defeat the Clippers in one fell swoop.
But it is also possible that the situation will reverse after the next two away games, and the Trail Blazers will become completely passive.
This is actually the charm of basketball. As long as the people responsible for formulating the rules don't mess around and ensure the fairness of the competition, the fans will pay the bill. Even if the players lose, they will immediately find the reason from themselves, rather than to others. The alliance is resentful.
…
…
At 20:00 in the evening, it was time for the third game of the series between the Trail Blazers and the Clippers.
The Trail Blazers arrived at Staples at 19:00.
As soon as we got off the bus, the interior of the arena was brightly lit, and there was already a sea of people outside.
Tonight, major media once again gave their predictions for the second round series between the Trail Blazers and Clippers.
Take ESPN for example.
Before a game was played in the second round of the series, ESPN was probably worried that it could not withstand the pressure from the outside world. The predicted winning rate for the Trail Blazers was 78% and the Clippers were 32%.
As a result, after two games, although the Trail Blazers later regained a victory, the Clippers won a home court after all. In the latest series of predictions, the Clippers' odds of winning suddenly increased from the previous 32% to 61%. , the Trail Blazers dropped to 39%.
In this regard, the reasons given by the ESPN expert team are:
The Trail Blazers' back line was completely destroyed by Paul alone, and there were back and forths at every line. Although Wang Zelin had a slight advantage inside, don't forget that in the next two games, the Trail Blazers need to play away from Staples. At a disadvantage in all aspects.
Not only ESPN, but also other media's predictions are similar, and the balance of victory is gradually leaning towards the Clippers.
But it’s also interesting to say that when they came to the Staples Center again, Wang Zelin and his teammates did not feel any nervousness. Maybe this has something to do with their 4-0 sweep of the Lakers in their last game!
Yes, even the Los Angeles fans' favorite team to this day is at our feet, let alone a mere stepmother.
No, no, the support given by Los Angeles fans to the Clippers cannot really catch up with the Lakers, right?
Those media had forgotten that Wang Zelin and his teammates had just captured Staples not long ago.
Let's stop making trouble about the so-called away disadvantage.
