On the field, the two sides continued to compete with each other.
However, in the middle of the first quarter, when Harden was restricted by Button and Batum, the Mosaic team's efficiency began to plummet, and the offensive end was like a headless chicken with no goals at all.
In this way, the Mosaic team played very passively in the later period.
In the 10th minute, at 31:16, the Trail Blazers led by 15 points. Mosaic coach Bickerstaff hurriedly called a timeout and readjusted.
Returning to the bench, Wang Zelin high-fived his teammates one after another. As soon as he sat back on the bench and took the towel from Jokic and wanted to wipe the sweat from his face, there was a sudden exclamation from the stands.
"Boss, look up there!"
Harrell ran over and pointed excitedly at the big screen, with excitement and envy on his face.
Wang Zelin raised his head curiously, only to realize that it was his own game data that had been recorded on it.
In the 10 minutes of the first quarter, Wang Zelin was the main attacker, making 7 of 8 shots and 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 17 points. He also grabbed 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal, and was a blast on both offense and defense. Team Mosaic.
There are still about two minutes left before the end of the first quarter. If Wang Zelin is up, he can definitely score in double figures in one quarter.
Faced with such an efficient performance, it's no wonder the home fans had such a crazy reaction.
"Do you want to fight again?"
At this time, coach Terry came over and asked Wang Zelin what he thought.
"Keep going, boss, you're only 3 points away from getting 20 points!"
Wang Zelin hadn't said anything yet, but Harrell next to him was even more excited than him, the real owner, which made him confused.
It wasn't until Harrell explained to him that Barkley, one of the TNT commentary team, made a new bet with O'Neal, Miller, and Smith in front of countless fans in this live broadcast that Wang Zelin understood why Harrell was so excited.
60 points? !
Good guy, I really didn’t expect that guy Barkley to believe me so much.
Otherwise, let's play Barkley tonight!
A strange idea suddenly came to Wang Zelin's mind.
At this moment, he suddenly thought of Buckley's famous scenes in the past when he failed to make bets with others, and couldn't help but snicker.
It’s decided, let’s do it!
Then, Wang Zelin raised his head and found Harrell and the coach looking at him expectantly. After he said sorry in his heart, he said seriously:
"Forget it, we don't have much grudge against the opponent. We are already so far ahead. Let's let Harrell and the others go up and play, and find some feel at the same time. As for me, I'll wait until the second quarter!"
"???"
After hearing this, the surrounding teammates and coaching staff had big question marks on their faces.
Don’t you have much hatred against your opponent?
Are you sure your conscience won't hurt if you say this?
Coach Terry wanted to persuade him again, but when he saw that Wang Zelin had changed into Ge You's lying position, and confirmed that the latter was serious, he shook his head helplessly.
Forget it, this kid obviously doesn't want to play, so I can't force him to play.
And what Wang Zelin said in the second half is actually correct. The Trail Blazers are now so far ahead of their opponents. Substitute players will show their faces, which will also help increase the reputation of the substitute players.
After all, not everyone is like Wang Zelin, who has countless endorsements coming to him.
Thinking of this, Coach Terry instantly understood Wang Zelin's intention, and the latter's image became more and more majestic in his eyes.
What is a natural leader?
This is the kid in front of me!
However, Coach Terry's fiery eyes frightened Mr. Wang who was lying on the chair.
I'll wipe it, what's going on?
There's something wrong with the way the coach looks at me!
Wang Zelin raised his head and suddenly found that his head coach was staring at him more and more strangely, and he couldn't help but feel angry.
He felt that the show was over, but he still had to work harder, at least not so obviously.
Soon, the timeout ended and the lineups of both sides were adjusted.
The Trail Blazers, relying on their huge lead, started a bold five-up and five-down rotation, replacing Beverley + Connett Lee + Harrell + Yi Jianlian + Jokic's rotation.
This lineup is offensive, defensive and organized, which is enough to ensure that the Mosaic team will not quickly shorten the score in the next two minutes.
The Mosaic team has changed to a half-main and half-rotation lineup. Howard and Harden are still on the court, partnering with three substitutes.
Looking at this, there is a high probability that the Demonic team will play for more than 40 minutes tonight.
Inside the TNT studio.
"Oh, what is Wang doing! There are only 3 points away from 20 points, so give it to me!"
Seeing the changes in the Trail Blazers' lineup, Barkley couldn't help but scream.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
His exaggerated actions made everyone in the studio burst into laughter.
"Okay Charles, it's still a long time until the end of the game. Stay calm."
Old partner Kenny Smith offered words of comfort.
Back on the field.
In the last two minutes, the Trail Blazers' defensive intensity dropped, especially inside.
Howard during the Mosaic period is still at the tail end of his prime. So far, he is still averaging 14+12 double-doubles per game. If it weren't for the chaotic internal environment of the team this season, Howard's numbers might have risen even more.
When the opponent player became Jokic, the defensive intensity that Howard encountered was completely different from before, and the happy beast could finally be happy.
At the same time, after Harden no longer has to face the defensive treatment of two people on the outside, the offensive end has begun to take care of himself.
At the end of the first quarter, 38:27, the Trail Blazers still led by 11 points!
Although the opponent recovered some points, the 11-point lead was still within the acceptable range of the coaching staff.
In the second quarter, Wang Zelin only sat on the court for 3 minutes before having to play again.
It's not that he doesn't want to rest more, but the home fans in the stands are too enthusiastic. He can't let the fans go home disappointed!
However, as a skilled "actor", he naturally has a way to satisfy the fans while also achieving a plan to control points.
"Coach, let's play the Princeton system next."
During the timeout, Wang Zelin suggested.
"...Why did you suddenly have this idea?" Coach Terry asked curiously.
"Well... I haven't had a triple-double for a while, and suddenly I miss the feeling of having a triple-double?"
Wang Zelin had already found an excuse and immediately cleared the coach's doubts.
Then, Wang Zelin called his teammates to his side and easily defeated them for the same reason.
At this time, the timeout ended and the Trail Blazers returned to their main lineup.
"Haha, the king is here again, so be prepared to treat him to a feast!"
In the TNT commentary box, Barkley roared excitedly, as if victory was right in front of him.
However, when the game started, he suddenly found that something was wrong on the court.
"This ball is a good opportunity, dunk it... Oops, why did you pass it?"
"Wait a minute, isn't this ball also dunked?"
"Wang, what on earth are you doing? Stop passing the ball all the time!"
"Attack! I want to watch the attack!!!"
The roars of the flying pigs filled the studio one after another, but Wang Zelin on the field seemed to be determined to confront him, immersed in the great cause of the organization wholeheartedly.
As luck would have it, Wang Zelin suddenly changed his style of play, switching from the main attacker to the high-position lighthouse responsible for organizing and supporting the team. He successfully caught the opponent off guard and made the Mosaic team's carefully prepared double-teaming strategy completely useless.
On the court, the Trail Blazers' scores continued to rise, and it became more and more obvious that Wang Zelin made changes in the second quarter purely because it was easier for the team to win.
