NBA opening draw to twilight Shaquille O'Neal

Chapter 235
When the third quarter was over, 90:55, the point difference came to 35 points, so Wang Zelin didn't play again in the fourth quarter.

In the end, the score was fixed at 112 to 88. The Blazers beat their opponents by 24 points and achieved a record of 52 wins and 22 losses, ranking fourth in the Western Conference.

王泽林三节轰下18分12篮板7盖帽4助攻2抢断，差点完成4×5的数据，当之无愧的全场最佳。

The next day, the team returned to Portland, the next five games are all home games, tomorrow night will face the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.

This season the Blazers and the Grizzlies have a record of 2:1, and the latter is currently ranked sixth in the Western Conference.

I lay down on the plane and took a nap, came back in the afternoon and made up for a few hours, and called Lillard to come out for training at night.

Rose Garden Stadium.

"Wang, tell me, how far can we go in the playoffs this year?" Lillard asked.

"At least the second round!" Wang Zelin replied, then turned around and hit a mid-range shot.

"Oh, I thought you would say championship!" Lillard laughed.

He knew that his teammate was famous for his boldness, but he didn't expect to be humble this time.

"Stop making trouble, buddy. Let's not talk about the Spurs and Thunder. The rest of the Grizzlies, Clippers, Nuggets...even the Warriors, which team is easy to mess with." Wang Zelin said angrily.

"Then you are still so confident to break into the second round?"

"They are strong, but we are not bad, the days ahead will be long!"

Wang Zelin still had a word in his mind.

By next year, my goal is not just the second round.

……

Soon after another day, on April 4th, the Trail Blazers ushered in the visit of all members of the Memphis Grizzlies.

At the same time, there is good news that Aldridge is back from injury!
When it was the turn of the two teams to play, Wang Zelin made his final appearance, looked up at the fans in the Rose Garden Arena, and enjoyed countless praises and applause.

"Victory will belong to Portland!"

Wang Zelin's roar made the fans in the audience excited, and also aroused the dissatisfaction of the Grizzlies players.

"Did that guy forget that they are only the fourth in the west, not the first in the west, so they are so rampant?" Quincy Poundset said with a curled lip.

"Concentrate on warming up, don't worry about other people's affairs, we will see the outcome on the court!" It was Marc Gasol who spoke.

As a rising new-generation center in the league, Marc Gasol is still loved by many fans even though he is located in Memphis, which has not received much attention.

Just the combination of him and Pau Gasol's big and small Gasol is enough to make countless people talk about it.

There are many brothers in the league who compete on the same field, but the only ones who can make both All-Stars are the big and small Gasol brothers.

This season, Marc Gasol is not only a favorite for the best defensive player, but also a strong contender for a center. It is obviously unrealistic to say that he has no pride.

The reason why a saint is a saint is because he can accomplish things that ordinary people can't do, and he has a mind that ordinary people can't match.

Of course Marc Gasol is not a saint, he also has selfish desires, he also wants to defeat Wang Zelin, who is also a popular center forward, and get the honor of a team of players.

"Di..."

After the coaches of the two teams submitted the starting lineup list, the main players of both sides began to step onto the center stage of the arena.

Trail Blazers starting lineup: Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Aldridge, Wang Zelin.

The Memphis Grizzlies' starting five are: Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Tayshaun Prince, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.

Comparison of the current record of the two teams:
The Blazers are 52 wins and 22 losses, ranking fourth in the Western Conference.

The Grizzlies are 50 wins and 24 losses, ranking sixth in the Western Conference.

Unlike the Jazz playing the Trail Blazers in the previous game, tonight's game is a contest between the strength of the two playoff teams, and it is also the Blazers' home court. Therefore, before the game even starts, the outside world has already heightened the atmosphere to the extreme.

The home team Trail Blazers VS visiting team Grizzlies is destined to be a focus battle. The other 6 teams that are also the top eight teams in the Western Conference, except for those who have games, all watch the game in real time under the organization of the head coach.

Judging from the Blazers' previous strategic arrangements, they don't want to meet the Grizzlies in the playoffs, and the same is true for the latter, so this means that the remaining 6 teams must be careful.

Especially thinking that in the past two years, the Grizzlies dared to fall to the Spurs, which were eighth and just the first, and they had just succeeded in the glorious past, and all the managements felt a pain.

The power of the shit stick can be seen!
……

In the first quarter of the game, Grizzlies coach Hollins learned from the last failure and strictly restricted Zach Randolph's strong desire to attack, allowing Mike Conley and Marc Gasol to take turns organizing the team's offense with a combination of inside and outside.

Therefore, except for Tony Allen and Prince who failed to seize a few open opportunities, the overall efficiency of the Grizzlies is very impressive.

迈克康利三分球2中2，外加4中2的罚球得到8分、普林斯5中3得到6分、马克加索尔和替补出场的埃德戴维斯各自得到4分，再加上扎克兰多夫的2分。

24 points!
The Grizzlies played above-average offense while also doing a good job defensively.

The Blazers team on the opposite side made 19 of 9 shots and 6 of 1 three-pointers. The overall shooting rate was 47.4%, and the three-pointer rate was only 16.7%, scoring 21 points.

As an offensive team that can average 104 points per game, such an offensive efficiency is not up to standard.

If rounded, the Blazers should also score at least 25 points in a quarter.

The point difference seemed to be only three points. Only the Blazers players knew how difficult it was to get every point. Several offensive rounds were almost blocked by the opponent until the 24-second violation.

The reason why he was restricted so severely was that Aldridge, who had just returned, had to bear the main responsibility.

Under the close defense of Zach Randolph, who was focused on defense, Aldridge made 6 of 1 shots in a single quarter, and his shooting percentage was almost zero. It can also be seen from this that Aldridge has not yet found a normal game state, and his injury has affected his offensive firepower.

Except for Aldridge, the others were not much better. When the Grizzlies increased the frequency and speed of double-teaming, Wang Zelin, the best performer of the Trail Blazers, was also affected to some extent. He made 5 of 2 field goals and 3 of 2 free throws, scoring 6 points.

Fortunately, he did a good job in rebounding and got 5 in a single quarter.

Terry Stotts can see it. The Grizzlies have come up with a playoff-level confrontation early, but their own players have not yet reacted. Six turnovers in a single quarter are the best proof.

"Wow! The Grizzlies are playing very well, and the Blazers are already stuck. If this goes on, when the snowball gets bigger and bigger, the Blazers will definitely lose!"

As a high-profile battle of focus, how could we miss our familiar old friends ~ Sir Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

After looking at the statistics of the two teams in the first quarter, Charles Barkley said so.

"Perhaps the outside speculation is right. Frequent rotations and absences make it difficult for the Trail Blazers to maintain a good chemical reaction at the beginning and mid-season of the season. Of course, this is also a normal thing. No one can always maintain the peak state. There are highs and lows. Maybe this is also a kind of energy conservation."

Kenny Smith on the side spoke.

"Now the Trail Blazers have a big problem at the 4th position. LaMarcus Aldridge, as a league-leading scorer who averaged more than 20 points per game, turned out to be 6 of 1 in a single quarter. This shows that there is a big problem with him, which will greatly affect the overall performance of the Trail Blazers."

Barkley looked at Aldridge's personal data displayed on the big screen and shook his head.

"Charles, you also said that he is a first-class scorer with an average of 20+ per game. I believe he will adjust his state in his own way soon, so I don't think his scoring drought will last long."

"My idea is just the opposite. I don't think his touch will come back." Barkley pondered for a moment, "At least not this night."

"Then let's wait and see!" Kenny Smith said with a slight smile.

In the second quarter, the substitute lineup came on the field first, and the time was about to pass halfway, and the main players continued to appear on the field.

"Lamarcus, what's wrong with you?"

After standing up, Wang Zelin found that Aldridge was still sitting on the bench and asked.

"Wang, tell me, did my performance tonight suck?"

Aldridge was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and asked.

Aren't you talking nonsense?
6 out of 1, brother.

Cough cough, the above is what I mean.

"It's okay, continue to vote when there is an opportunity, we will always believe in you!" Wang Zelin pulled Aldridge up and replied sincerely.

"I see."

Aldridge is a smart person, and he knew that Wang Zelin said this to comfort himself. Everyone has seen how bad his performance was just now.

He cares a lot about fans' doubts, but what he cares more is that his teammates don't trust him. Only after Wang Zelin's reply did he feel a little more at ease.

People are like this, sometimes they have to rely on some external force to deceive themselves.

Back on the field, 33:28, the Blazers have the ball.

"Wang, it seems that this time it's your turn to lose!" Marc Gasol said.

When Terry Stotts called a timeout, Hollins understood the opponent's intentions and replaced the main lineup.

"Don't talk too much! Don't forget how you lost last time."

Wang Zelin replied sharply.

"Then you beat me again!"

"I can't ask for it!"

The game continues.

Seeing that Wang Zelin didn't ask for the ball, Lillard slowly organized the offense and handed it to Batum, who broke into the Grizzlies' inside line. When the latter was about to stage a beautiful layup, he was blocked.

"Snapped!"

The basketball flew straight off the sideline.

The person who sent the block was Zach Randolph, the black bear. This is his second block tonight. It seems that this guy is determined to gain a foothold on the defensive end.

"Dude, I advise you not to challenge me casually!"

Zach Randolph writhes hilariously, throwing a warning while doing a celebratory dance.

"Hei Fatty, don't be complacent, be careful, I will detain you in a while." Seeing his teammates being sprayed, Wang Zelin turned around and said.

Zach Randolph couldn't help but sneered, and said, "LaMarcus, maybe you should educate your little brother and let him know what fear is!"

"I gotta correct him, he's my brother, Zack!"

"Tch, big brother is not like big brother, and little brother doesn't look like a little brother. No wonder you guys have been beating so badly lately."

"Beep beep...do you still want to fight?"

Seeing that the two sides were getting further and further apart, the linesman blew the whistle to issue a warning.

Batum held back his anger, lowered his head and came to the sidelines to serve.

The Blazers continued to organize the offense.

Lillard took control of the ball and made a high pick-and-roll trend. Seeing this, Wang Zelin hurried forward and blocked Mike Conley behind him.

Lillard was not polite, he plunged into the inside of the Grizzlies, other teammates have shooting ability, what he has to do couldn't be simpler~ break points!

Sure enough, after attracting the attention of two defensive players, Lillard distributed the ball and handed it to Batum, who was running without the ball.

The reason why Batum is known as the French Pippen is precisely because he is an all-round forward. In addition to his trustworthy defense, his personal offensive skills are also quite comprehensive.

Lillard's pass was very comfortable in his hands, so there was almost no half-point stagnation, and Batum rose directly from the ground.

"Shh!"

He made a mid-range shot and easily scored another 2 points for the team.

33: 30.

The Grizzlies attacked, and after a slow pass, Mike Conley made a mid-range shot, and the basketball hit the Trail Blazers' neck of the basket, and the bounce flew up.

"Backboard!"

I don't know who roared, and the 4 big guys piled up to the basket and took off at the same time.

The reporter behind the basketball hoop had an idea, and with a "click", took a picture of the scene in front of him.

Two black-skinned, one white-skinned, one yellow-skinned... the three major skin-skinned races on earth, their eyes never leave the orange-red basketball whirling in the sky.

What a scene!
"mine!"

Marc Gasol, who was the first to get in position, was getting closer and closer to the basketball. The moment he touched the basketball, he was overjoyed.

pop~
A yellow palm followed, pointing the ball skyward.

Damn, it was almost there!

It was too late to worry, and Marc Gasol quickly took off for the second time after landing, and his position was still the best among the four.

pop~
There was another sound, and the basketball was pushed into the sky again.

At this time.

Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph thought of a word at the same time-Fack!
Take off for the third time.

Marc Gasol's bullet speed and jump height are not as good as the previous two, but there is one person who is different.

In the end, relying on his extraordinary wingspan and super continuous bounce, Wang Zelin beat the black and white bears to take off the rebound, and then passed the ball directly to Lillard, who made a three-pointer in the frontcourt.

33:33, the score is tied!
"Cool! Wang's penalty this time has the same taste as I did back then!"

In the TNT live broadcast room, Barkley patted his stomach excitedly.

Compared with the gradually popular three-pointers, old-school players like Barkley still prefer players to fight at the basket.

Seeing that his own penalty area defense was broken by the Blazers one after another and equalized the score, Hollins made a decisive decision and called a timeout!
"Come and tell me, what's going on? What about the defense in the first quarter, are you all sleepwalking?" Hollins asked loudly as soon as the main players came down.

"Don't forget, our housekeeping skills are defense, defense, defense... How many times do I have to say it before I understand!" Hollins continued to ask.

"I..." The grizzly generals didn't know how to reply for a while, so they could only stay where they were.

"Mike, put the rhythm down for me, don't let the opponent get up!"

"Yes sir, I see!"

"Zach, it's almost time for you to rest. Next, I will temporarily hand over the defensive work to Mark. The team needs your offensive firepower."

"Roger that!"

Zach Randolph nodded, his spear was already hungry and thirsty.

Trailblazers here.

Tristos encouraged the players, the timeout ended quickly and the game continued.

(End of this chapter)