The coaching staff did not arrange training on the day off on the 14th. On yesterday's team activity day and today's rest day, the coaching staff was preparing for the game on the 15th.
Although the Trail Blazers' first-round opponent is the Utah Jazz, whose record is 22 games worse than theirs, the Jazz are currently a new team with young people at their core and slightly less experience. No matter from which perspective, they are They are all the weakest teams in this year's Western Conference playoffs.
But there is a saying that goes well, even if a lion attacks a rabbit, you need to go all out!
No matter what, the Jazz are a playoff-level team, so the coaching staff has been working hard to prepare.
The Trail Blazers have been overlooking the league as kings for the past three years. Sometimes victory is like a cup of poison. After you taste it, you never want to give it up to others.
The Trail Blazers are used to winner-take-all, and they don't want to be an exception in this playoffs.
At the same time, each team in the league has its own things to be busy with.
On April 15th, the Trail Blazers' preparation training began. They were in the last training session before the start of the playoffs.
At the same time, after some consideration, Coach Terry also submitted the Trail Blazers' 13-man playoff roster to the league.
The list is as follows:
Center: Wang Zelin starts, substitutes Zubac
Power forward: Jokic starts, substitutes Yi Jianlian and Aldridge who just returned
Small forward: Batum starts, substitutes Connett Lee, Harrell
Shooting Guard: Starting Will Barton, substitutes Seth Curry, Vince Carter
Point guard: Lillard starts, substitutes Beverley
The playoff spots are limited, and Coach Terry has to make a choice. In his opinion, the tacit understanding between Jokic and Wang Zelin this season is very good, so he decided to only be tight in the early stage and continue to let Jokic serve as the starting power forward position.
At least in the first round.
This has something to do with Aldridge not playing for almost a season.
Aldridge rested for the entire regular season and suffered a serious injury before. No one can say for sure how much of his peak level he will be able to maintain after his return?
And at the airport where he just returned, he must take his time and wait until the team observes him and his body is indeed fine, then slowly chooses to increase his playing time.
As for the starting position... Regarding this topic, whether it is Coach Terry, Wang Zelin, or Aldridge himself, everyone has consciously avoided this topic.
No way, Jokic became the starter this year and played really well. After the regular season, in just the third quarter of the season, he was able to average 18+7+8 quasi-triple-doubles per game, a perfect successor. Wang Zelin played the role of the insider lighthouse in the past.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Trail Blazers' offensive system this year is inseparable from Jokic. His importance in the team system is even higher than Lillard, second only to Wang Zelin.
Therefore, after learning that Aldridge had not made any noise about re-entering the starting lineup while he was preparing to return, everyone acquiesced that Jokic would continue to be the starter.
This made Jokic, another party involved, also relieved.
To be honest, he still has great respect for Aldridge, his big brother. Ever since he joined the Trail Blazers, he has learned from Wang Zelin and Aldridge. The reason why he has been able to grow so quickly is because of his own qualifications. In addition, I have to thank the team boss for his selfless teaching.
However, people all have selfish motives.
If Aldridge had not been injured last year, Jokic would probably have been arranged by the coaching staff to continue to serve as the inside core of the rotation, and naturally there would be no current entanglement.
But the problem is that there are no ifs in this world.
The fact is that Aldridge was injured, and Nikola Jokic successfully stepped up during this period and delivered results that satisfied everyone. Whenever he thinks back to the cheers and applause given to him by the fans during the game, Jokic does not want to leave the starting lineup more and more.
Except for saints, the desires of ordinary people will always change depending on their location. This is an eternal truth.
Fortunately, Aldridge is one of the few good-natured players in the league. He is kind-hearted by nature and always puts the team's interests first, so he did not have a single dispute with Jokic after his return.
The team's worries during the All-Star period were unexpectedly resolved like this.
This also disappointed many teams and media who joined in the fun. They originally thought they would see a big show, but they didn't expect it to end like this.
While feeling regretful, other teams once again lamented the strength of the Blazers' lineup.
When they saw the playoff lineup submitted by the Trail Blazers to the league, the coaching staff of some strong teams were extremely emotional, just because the Trail Blazers' lineup... was so luxurious!
You know, whether it is Connett Lee, Harrell, or Yi Jianlian, if he switches to many teams, he is fully qualified to compete for the starting lineup. However, in the Trail Blazers...
Sorry, just go get a substitute!
The Trail Blazers had an invincible momentum during the regular season, and now they have the return of core general Aldridge. As long as Aldridge can maintain 80% of his peak strength level, it will be equivalent to the Blazers gaining more players out of thin air. An All-Star player.
Everyone says how awesome the Warriors’ Big Four are?
But just thinking about it now, it seems that the Trail Blazers are now part of the Big Four team.
Wang Zelin and Lillard need not say much. Jokic is this year's new All-Star starter. Although this has something to do with the strong support of countless Chinese fans behind the scenes, others can see that because of these performances this season, Definitely a real All-Star level.
Coupled with Aldridge's return, judging from paper strength, the Trail Blazers' lineup can be said to be the best in the league!
Even if the Big Four of the Warriors come, they will have to accept defeat.
How can we fight this?
Some teams that originally aspired to the championship immediately became like eggplants beaten by frost. They screamed and felt extremely depressed.
Could it be said that they will run together again this year?
A desperate thought came to everyone's mind.
…
On the afternoon of the 15th, this afternoon’s training ended. All the players gathered together to cheer each other up, ending all preparations before the playoffs.
After finishing the preparation training, Wang Zelin returned home and checked that the time was almost 5 o'clock. He was going to have dinner, then went to the weight room to train two more groups, and then watched today's playoff showdown with Kendou and the two elders.
On April 15th, the NBA playoffs will begin, but since the Trail Blazers are first in the Western Conference, they will have to wait until April 16th to play.
Therefore, the day before the playoffs started, Wang Zelin did not go to the team headquarters to watch the game together. Instead, he went home to enjoy the last warm moments with his family before the playoffs started.
On the day of the 15th, a total of 4 groups of duels were arranged, with two groups in the east and west.
The two groups in the Eastern Conference are: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards!
The two groups in the Western Conference are: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers, and the Mosaics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder!
Considering topics, traffic, grievances, etc., today's two matchups in the West are obviously inferior to those in the East.
As the two most successful teams in the past 20 years, the Spurs and Lakers are both in the Western Conference. There have been too many disputes between the two teams.
Even though the current core framework of the Spurs has become Leonard + Love, the boss of the Lakers team has not changed for 21 years. He is still the "Black Mamba" Kobe Bryant who makes all Spurs fans hate him. Bryant.
When the Lakers players arrived at the AT&T Center, home of the Spurs, starting from the jump ball session, every time Kobe touched the ball, all the Spurs fans at the scene would invariably let out deafening boos at Kobe.
On Kobe's side, he was very familiar with the Spurs and Spurs fans. When faced with the boos around him, not only did he not get angry, but instead, after every goal, he would immediately smile and wave to the surrounding fans.
For those who didn’t know, I thought the Lakers were playing at home today.
This undoubtedly further angered Spurs fans and also annoyed Spurs players.
Are you kidding me? This is our home court, you old guy is so young, I will make you look good right away.
In the first half, the two sides were still in a close game, but in the second half, the Spurs began to change their formation.
In front of the experienced Sima Wei, young Luke Walton quickly paid tuition for the first playoff game of his direct career.
At 107:93, the Spurs easily defeated the Lakers at home. With both players performing well, the duel between the coaches of the two teams became a balance that affected the outcome of the game.
Obviously, Walton was completely at a disadvantage in the coaching level matchup and was unilaterally defeated by Simavici.
After watching the game, Wang Zelin felt that the Lakers were hanging on in this series.
You deliberately picked your opponent before, but are you dumbfounded now?
Then he checked the game reports of the Mosaic team and the Thunder team.
This set of duels can be regarded as a brotherhood, a civil war between the three Thunder boys in the past.
Facing his former second brother Westbrook, Harden showed no mercy tonight. He scored 37 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals, a near triple-double. He beat Westbrook's 22 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. The Mosaic team They also defeated the Thunder 118-87 and got a good start in the playoffs.
This game was purely one-sided. Whether it was the leader or other members of the team, the Thunder were inferior to the Mosaic team in all aspects.
If nothing unexpected happens, there is a high probability that this duel will be the same as in the previous life, and the winner will be decided within 5 games.
…
A night of silence.
Time flies, and on the 16th, the playoffs for the Trail Blazers officially begin.
It’s only the first round and fans can’t wait.
And equally impatient is the final winner of the regular season awards.
In the latest MVP rankings of famous and authoritative media such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and TNT Bleachers, Wang Zelin still ranks first.
But if you want to know the final result, you have to wait until the end of the season in a few months.
It all came from a certain bald guy who had to make a stupid decision.
According to past traditions, NBA regular season awards are often held together with the playoffs. Each award is like adding fuel to the already war-torn playoff teams and can also inspire them. It sparked discussions among fans about the ownership of awards and further increased fans' sense of participation in the competition for major honors during the season.
But starting from this season, the regular season awards have been moved to an annual awards ceremony after the end of the season.
The purpose is obvious. Bald Hua’s original intention is probably to attract a large wave of traffic with this wave of tricks after the end of the season. He wants to make the regular season awards similar to the Oscars night to further enhance the league’s image and commercial value.
Imagine this picture: a group of football stars in suits and leather collars gather together, listening to the host on stage talking boring nonsense, and then announcing the winning players one by one...
This house is so weird!
In the past, although there was no way to hold a large-scale award ceremony during the playoffs, the award process was often very crude. There was even a famous scene where No. 21 of a certain Holy City wore a pair of slippers to receive the MVP trophy.
But at least this is very good for controlling the rhythm of watching games throughout the season.
Speaking of which, I have to give a thumbs up to Mr. David Stern’s arrangement.
The regular season ends and the playoffs begin. As the playoff games gradually deepen, awards are announced one after another. This is done in a clear logic and in a progressive manner.
After the finals in June, once the FMVP is announced, the biggest winner of this season will be clear.
At that point everyone can start paying attention to the annual draft, awaiting the crazy transfers of the offseason, and focusing on next season.
But now after being messed around by Bald Hua, it has become that after the regular season, the awards that should be awarded have not been moved. When the finals are over, the draft is almost over, and everyone is starting to think about how to break through next season. Things have come to an end, and the award ceremony is long overdue.
The championship was over at that time. To be honest, the fans' attention to the regular season awards at that time was not as high as it was when the regular season just ended.
The two biggest suspenses of the summer, the championship and the draft, have been revealed. Who else has the confidence to pay attention to winning such titles as "Last Season's Most Improved Player", "Last Season's Best Sixth Man", and "Last Season's Best Rookie" Who is the winner of other honors?
By then, I'm afraid only MVP winners and Best Team winners will be able to make some splash.
It is completely illogical for a bald man to do this, and this is already another idiotic decision he has made since the All-Star voting reform.
The annual All-Star event was originally a feast for the fans, but as a result, he deprived the fans of the right to select their favorite players, greatly reducing the fans' sense of participation and enthusiasm for the All-Star event.
The same goes for the regular season honors awards.
Awards are inherently effective, but in the end, he created an awards ceremony that people couldn't even look forward to. It's funny no matter how you watch it...
When Mr. Stern was still in office, many fans also scolded Stern. Especially at the annual draft, the fans' boos resounded throughout Madison Square Garden in New York.
But now, people are full of nostalgia for the NBA during Stern's era and full of respect for the old man.
The reason is very simple, peers set off!
Compared with the previous president of the league, Bald Hua really seems to have received a real joke.
Not to mention the fans' complaints, even Wang Zelin found it difficult to wait.
After the regular season ended, whether it was the Trail Blazers' 72-10 record or Wang Zelin's unprecedented 40+20 average per game, they were all telling the world one thing, that is:
This year’s MVP was booked by someone like me!
Of course, if you have to say it, Westbrook's average of 30+ triple-doubles per game is also very impressive, but considering that the regular season record gap between the Thunder and Trail Blazers is as much as 18 games, this is no longer a gap. It's so simple, but it's two or three positions apart.
Just based on the record competition, even fans who don't watch much football on weekdays can easily see that the Trail Blazers and Thunder are by no means two teams at the same level.
There is such a big difference in record, but in terms of statistics, Wang Zelin's average of 40+20 per game is equally astonishing!
From this point of view, Wang Zelin seems to be the only winner to choose MVP. There is no suspense at all, and he has been booked for a long time.
It's just that according to the original process, the result can be known until the second round of the playoffs at most. Now it's better, we actually have to wait until the end of the draft...
Your sister!
Adam Joke, this guy is purely a mentally retarded idiot!
By then, Wang Zelin will probably be too lazy to attend any bullshit awards ceremony!
If you have that in mind, why not go back to China with your parents and have a good time to relax the nerves that have been tense for the entire season.
When he thought about the game in the evening, Wang Zelin temporarily put aside his complaints about Bald Hua's another wave of eating tricks and thought about his opponent in the evening.
Anyway, what should be yours will come sooner or later.
(End of chapter)
