After establishing a united front and clarifying goals, it’s time to make choices.
From the 22nd to the end of the month, the Trail Blazers still have 5 games in March, including a back-to-back away game.
To be honest, the schedule is not easy.
After these 5 games, entering April, there are still 9 games waiting for them.
Among the 14 games in total, there are many teams that are fully capable of the playoffs, such as the Warriors, Suns, Clippers, Lakers, Pelicans, Thunder, and Mavericks.
For example, in the next game, their opponent will be the Golden State Warriors.
But the game against the Warriors is crucial, because they are the team most likely to catch up with the Trail Blazers in the league.
Since entering March, the Warriors have achieved a total of 10 wins and 2 losses, and their record has reached 55 wins and 13 losses, but they are only 3 games behind the Trail Blazers.
In terms of threats, the Warriors rank first, and no one dares to say second.
Therefore, no matter how tired Wang Zelin is now, he still has to give his best against the Warriors. This not only affects the record ranking, but also affects the regular season MVP battle.
Moreover, once the two sides meet in the playoffs in the future, the side with a higher regular season winning rate will naturally have an advantage.
For top teams, sometimes even a half-point advantage is enough to become a key factor in changing the balance.
To be honest, without any open eyes, the Warriors are definitely a super dark horse that disrupted everyone's plans this season.
It was just dark for a while at the beginning of the season. No one expected that they could be dark all the way to the end of the season.
If it weren't for Wang Zelin's advantage in both team record and personal data, I'm afraid Curry would be the obvious choice for this season's regular season MVP!
It's a pity that since a king is born, how can a treasury be born?
However, this does not mean that Wang Zelin can stabilize Diaoyutai.
As a foreign player, his ability to win an MVP trophy is already a godsend in the eyes of many conservative media experts. If he wants to defend his title, he must be ahead of all major competitors in all aspects.
Therefore, the first place in the regular season must not be given to the Warriors. He must use an absolute crushing advantage to defend the mvp title!
…
There are still two days before the Warriors will play on the 24th. Wang Zelin and his teammates seize the time to rest and prepare for the strong enemy.
But these two days, the media has not been idle.
It can be said that some fans and media are eagerly looking forward to the Blazers breaking the Bulls' record of 96 wins; but more people are actually looking forward to the Blazers losing.
After all, there is only one championship, and no matter how many fans the Trail Blazers have, they cannot have more fans than the other 39 franchises.
As the Trail Blazers were double-killed by the Grizzlies, a hot topic quickly sparked discussions among countless fans.
What jumped out was ESPN expert Henry Abbott. He seized on Wang Zelin's past three games, a 22-point performance, a 23-point performance and a 27-point performance, and started all kinds of "Wang Zelin is not good", "This Is this the so-called terrifying battery life?" And the most outrageous part is this one:
"It turns out that Wang Zelin is a system player. Just look at the last game against the Grizzlies. Once either LaMarcus Aldridge or Damian Lillard failed to score 20+, the Grizzlies' In front of the iron barrel formation, he completely lost his scoring ability and only scored 27 points in the end..."
In fact, as soon as Henry Abbott's remarks came out, many colleagues were wondering, was that guy blackmailing King Zelin or bragging about Wang Zelin?
What does it mean to only score 27 points?
You know, Westbrook, who currently ranks second in the league in scoring per game, only averages 27.2 points per game. He scored 27 points in the Kings. Isn't it very low?
Yes, compared with Wang Zelin's previous scores of 30+, 40+, and even 50+, it is indeed a decline, but this must be viewed in conjunction with the entire league.
It’s really painful to watch!
…
Time came to the 24th, the last stop of four consecutive away games, the Trail Blazers came to Oakland, Golden State.
At the pre-match press conference, when Wang Zelin was asked about this hot topic, he did not express his own thoughts. Instead, he gave a heartfelt suggestion in front of the media:
"Mr. Henry Abbott, I think you can try to enter the comedy world. Really, please believe me, you are very talented in this area!"
This episode came to an end amidst the roar of laughter in the whole room, and everyone's attention returned to tonight's game. above.
To be precise, it was thrown at the Golden State Warriors.
In the past few days when the Trail Blazers were resting, the Warriors just played another game at home yesterday. In the end, 107:76, they effortlessly destroyed the two-gun team from Washington.
In that game, Bradley Beal scored a game-high 12 points, Wall could only score 11 points, and then Kevin Seraphine and Ramon Sessions on the bench scored 12 points each. .
Then, there was actually no player who scored in double figures.
To talk about the biggest undercover tonight, the first choice is Wizards star Wall. He made 4 of 16 shots from the field and 0 of 3 three-pointers. He almost smashed the basket of Oracle Arena.
For the Warriors, Stephen Curry's performance remained stable. He made 8 of 14 shots, including 5 of 8 three-pointers. He scored a game-high 24 points, plus 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.
The second highest scorer was Iguodala on the bench, with 6 of 9 shots, 2 of 5 three-pointers, 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
As well as Draymond Green with 13 points, Klay Thompson with 12 points, and Masli Speights with 11 points.
A total of 6 Warriors players scored in double figures!
After winning the Wizards, the Warriors' record also improved to 56 wins and 13 losses, firmly ranking second in the Western Conference and second in the league.
In front of them, the Trail Blazers, who are ranked first in the league with 58 wins and 10 losses, don't seem to be far away.
The supremacy of the Portland Legion seems to be swaying in the wind and is in danger.
There is still more than half a month left in the regular season. The Trail Blazers, who were tortured on the road in the last game against the Grizzlies, are in weak form. The Golden State Warriors, who are eyeing behind them, seem to have half a foot in the first place in the Western Conference. On the throne.
At the press conference, a reporter asked Wang Zelin a question:
"The Golden State Warriors have won 6 consecutive games and are getting closer and closer to the first place in the league. But now, the situation seems to be unfavorable to the Trail Blazers. You still think that the front-runners can keep the first place in the league with success. ?"
After hearing this question, Wang Zelin's eyes changed completely. His face suddenly turned from sunny to gloomy, and he looked at everyone with great seriousness:
"As long as I haven't fallen, the Warriors can't climb up. Tonight, the Trail Blazers will step over the Warriors' corpses and move on!"
David Vanderpool turned his head and glanced at Wang Zelin next to him. The murderous look in this guy's eyes made people afraid to look directly at him.
In the last dozen or so games, the competition for first place in the regular season will be fiercer than ever!
…
"King, if you are tired, don't force yourself. You are our guarantee for the playoffs."
After the press conference ended, Wang Zelin quickly returned to the locker room. At this time, Depur, who was following him, couldn't help shouting.
"Huh? Barely...Haha David, you underestimate me too much. Don't worry, we will win tonight!" Wang Zelin turned his head and gave Vanderpool a confident smile.
"But……"
Vanderpool knew that Wang Zelin was a competitive person and he would not let the Warriors succeed easily, but as soon as he was halfway through speaking, Wang Zelin held down his shoulders.
"David, just relax, I know it well. Not only do I have to win beautifully in the regular season, I will also stay strong in the playoffs! You know, my goal has always been to make the Blazers the fourth dynasty team in history. I will not fall easily before establishing a dynasty."
After patting Vanderpool on the shoulder, Wang Zelin immediately returned to the locker room.
Alas~
Looking at the figure fading away, Vanderpool sighed.
He knew very well that at certain times, Wang Zelin was as paranoid as Kobe Bryant. Once he was sure about something, no one could change his mind.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, many great superstars in history once had their paranoid side.
Wang Zelin is now on a path that continues to lead to greatness.
Vanderpool couldn't help but light a cigarette, even though there was a bright no-smoking sign behind him...
A few minutes later, he put out his cigarette and walked into the office where the coaching staff was.
Is it really that easy to win three consecutive championships?
He doesn't know, but... No. 1 in the league, he knows that Wang Zelin definitely doesn't want to disappoint all the fans who support him.
Now, as the core and soul of the team, Wang Zelin's will basically represents the will of the entire Trail Blazers team - either be great or die!
Obviously, he has made his choice.
…
At the end of the day's preparations, at 18:30 in the evening, Wang Zelin led his teammates into the Oracle Arena.
Looking at the opposing lineup, Wang Zelin felt that it was not unreasonable for the Cavaliers to perform like this this season.
Curry and Thompson formed a terrifying firepower coverage; Draymond Green can both defend and organize, and his current three-point shooting has not been completely lost; Barnes on the wing is also a hard-core style on the defensive end. A ruthless character.
The sixth man position also includes Iguodala.
It seems that this guy is gradually withdrawing from the Warriors' starting lineup, but his strength is definitely better than most players in the same position in the league.
Players from both sides take the field to warm up.
Before the game started, Curry performed his repertoire at home.
I saw Curry, under the spotlight, shooting an ultra-long three-pointer from the tunnel 20 meters away from the basket.
Before the start of the game, Curry throws a long shot from the tunnel. This has become a habitual performance for Curry before the start of every game. And as the Warriors' record improves this season, Curry's habit has become known to more fans.
Earlier, this habit originated from a bet between him and the team's deputy general manager Santa Croce. At that time, the two people made a bet: If Curry can hit a three-pointer in the player tunnel, then he will treat Curry to a feast; If not, then vice versa.
In order to win the bet, Curry found time to practice his shooting skills in the player tunnel, and finally reached the point where he is almost always hitting the target today.
Uh-huh!
With Curry's super long shot, the entire Oracle Arena was in a state of excitement.
I don’t know since when, Warriors fans have been almost obsessed with believing that as long as Curry can hit the opening three-pointer, it means that he feels great today, and the Warriors can win no matter what strong opponent they face in the future. Next game.
Today, Curry did it again.
The Warriors players who were warming up on the court were all smiling. It was obvious that they were extremely confident and did not take Wang Zelin and the Trail Blazers seriously before the game.
For the fans, this is always a day worthy of celebration, because as long as they defeat the Trail Blazers, they will no longer be extravagant hopes, but will most likely become a reality. .
The game hasn't started yet, but Warriors fans are extremely confident that the Trail Blazers, who just lost to the Grizzlies a few days ago and have been exhausted after three away games recently, will definitely fall here tonight.
As the defending champion, you were double-killed by a mere Grizzlies team?
The Warriors have also played two games with the Grizzlies before, one 105:98 and the other 100:93. They defeated the Grizzlies in both previous games.
This is what a top team should look like as a champion!
Instead of being like some coward who just barks incompetently before the game, thinking that it can show his toughness.
"The defending NBA champion is at this level, even the Grizzlies can't beat him!"
"Look, Stephen will definitely kill you tonight!"
"Stephen is the real mvp!"
At this time, Warriors fans had long forgotten the fear of being defeated by the Trail Blazers 106:89 by 17 points at the beginning of the season, and they booed the Trail Blazers players as soon as they started.
not only that.
Wang Zelin's speech before the game also made the Warriors players grit their teeth with anger.
After the warm-up, return to the rest area.
Drummond grinned and complained: "Wang Zelin is so arrogant and infuriating! We are one of the best teams this season. Didn't they win two more games than us? Damn it, does he really think, Are we still the same as we were at the beginning of the season?”
Klay Thompson on the side also saw Wang Zelin's remarks on his mobile phone. He, who has always been good-tempered, couldn't help complaining: "That's right, Wang Ye doesn't respect his opponents!"
"Hey, let's have a good fight with them tonight. Didn't we lose by 17 points last time? This time we will make them spit out the money and profits!"
Green clenched his fists, his face full of confidence.
"Okay, brothers, don't be so angry. Only by staying calm and focused can we really help us win this game!"
Curry smiled and ended the short conversation between the two teammates.
Although Curry has always been an optimist, this does not mean that he does not desire victory and the first place in the league!
In fact, in his heart, why doesn't he long for a championship?
After graduating from high school, no prestigious schools offered scholarships, and when he entered and left the league, he was often criticized for being thin, weak, etc.
Along the way, Curry will remember all the disapproval and cynicism!
Now he finally has an opportunity to defeat the defending champion Trail Blazers and prove the strength of himself and the team, and he will not let it go easily.
Today, let him see who stepped over whose body!
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