Chapter 57 Rebounding streak
In the first game back after the All-Star Game, they lost to the Spurs at home, causing the outside media to collectively look down on the Trail Blazers' future.
After all, they are just a young team. Even if they performed well in the previous regular season, the Blazers still do not have enough experience and ability to show their best when facing some top teams.
Fortunately, for the Trail Blazers players, the loss to the Spurs' remnant team did not affect their mentality too much.
In the next two home games, facing two teams in the middle and lower reaches of the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers went on a killing spree, beating the Jazz with 23 points and beating the Timberwolves with 19 points.
The Blazers, who were full of fighting spirit, vented their negative emotions from previous defeats on these opponents.
Then they challenged the Nuggets in the rebuilding period away from home. Although Aldridge continued to be absent, the Blazers' tactical system was greatly affected.
However, Zhang Feng, whose performance in the previous three home games was "mediocre" and averaged only 10.3 points per game. In this game, facing the Nuggets' tall inside man Mozgov, he maximized his shooting ability.
Just to bully the opponent's center from the outside because he has no mobility and cannot extend to defend. Zhang Feng fired wildly from the outside. He made 8 of 14 shots in this game and scored 21 points, effectively making up for the loss of offensive firepower caused by Aldridge's absence.
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Coupled with the high-quality cover provided by Zhang Feng, Lillard gained enough shooting space. Lillard scored 34 points in this game, leading the team and finally defeated the opponent 102-95 and won three consecutive victories.
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Due to the commercial performance of the arena, the Trail Blazers' schedule in the second half of the regular season consists of a large portion of home or away games.
In the eight games after the All-Star Game, the Trail Blazers will play at home except for the away game against the Nuggets. This will be of great help to the improvement of the Trail Blazers' record.
Returning to the Rose Garden for back-to-back games, facing the visiting Brooklyn Nets at home.
Before the game, many people believed that even though the Nets team's record was not as good as that of the Trail Blazers and it had not yet reached a 50% winning rate, after all, the Nets were an Eastern Conference playoff team, and there were many former players in the team.
All-Star players, although these veterans are quite old, such as Pierce and Garnett, have the problem of poor competitive condition.
However, the Trail Blazers have just flown back home for this game in a back-to-back game, and the Nets, who are waiting to work, may not have a chance.
However, the trend of the game surprised everyone.
From the very beginning of the game, there was a tendency for the game to be ruined.
Even though Aldridge continues to recuperate from his injury, in this game, the Trail Blazers fully demonstrated the youth of their team.
Relying on running, athletic ability, and physical talent, the Blazers players completely "outran" the "old men" of the Nets.
Lillard is facing off against Deron Williams. Although on the defensive end, Deron Williams will look for opportunities and occasionally bully him when he gets a post-up opportunity.
But Lillard clearly takes the initiative in the offensive rhythm on the court.
From the beginning of the game, with Lillard's push, the Trail Blazers accelerated the pace of the game.
Even if the Nets want to slow down, the situation on the court no longer allows them to slow down and fight a war of attrition.
The Trail Blazers don't look like a back-to-back team at all. Everyone is running. If the Nets don't score, they just seize the opportunity to counterattack.
When the Nets score a goal, they also serve the baseline ball quickly, chasing behind the Nets players.
Today, Lillard is not too obsessed with shooting from the outside, but leads his teammates to take turns to break through and attack the Nets' weak inside line.
The aging "Wolf King" Garnett's performance at the center position is really limited. He is a power forward and guest center. As he gets older, he does not have enough bounce to support him. For the air defense in the three-second zone, Garnett
There was no good way to do it, and he was immediately overwhelmed by the Blazers' opening offensive impact.
In a single quarter of the game, with almost no three-pointers, the Trail Blazers relied on inside attacks, free throws, and counterattacks to build an 11-point lead of 31 to 20.
The Nets' defense was simply unable to form a matchup.
Lillard, Matthews, Livingston, and Batum can also pass Pierce with the ball.
The general manager of the Nets traded a large number of former superstars and built the team with these players who have made a name for themselves. He wanted to use the veterans to compete for a championship within one year, but he ignored the decline in the competitive status of these veterans.
There are so many veterans. Without a collective defensive framework, can they complete their individual defensive tasks well?
Today's pioneers are blooming in all directions, and everyone is doing their best to bully these "old men"!
Zhang Feng also became a villain once.
Facing the generation of "Wolf King" Garnett who is loved by many people.
Zhang Feng didn't care. Not only did he show his true qualities as a high turret on the outside, he continuously hit mid-range and long-range shots, and his super-high shooting percentage put Garnett, the "originator" of outside shots, to shame.
When Garnett couldn't stand it and had a rare chance to defend him, he made a fake move, knocked Garnett away, and then accelerated to the inside.
In the three-second zone, Zhang Feng, who had already started to speed up, directly jumped into the air and completed a two-handed dunk.
Kirilenko, who came over to defend, looked at Zhang Feng's sprint speed and wisely stepped back. On the one hand, he avoided being impacted, and on the other hand, he did not want to pay for the foul in vain.
At halftime, the Trail Blazers led 59 to 41 by 18 points.
The second half of the game was more of a battle between the two substitutes.
The Nets put on substitute players early to give their veterans some rest time, while the Trail Blazers, while ensuring a 15-point advantage or more, were happy to let C.J. McCollum, who had returned from injury, find his game form.
Lillard also took a long rest in the second half, giving more game time to McCollum.
Zhang Feng and McCollum, their college partners, began to continue their excellent chemistry at Lehigh University on the court.
With the high-quality cover provided by Zhang Feng, McCollum made a mid-range shot one step before the three-pointer and achieved a very high shooting percentage.
As for the "split" in pick-and-roll cooperation, the two of them also played it very well.
Lillard relies on his strong offensive attraction to create opportunities for Zhang Feng, while McCollum simply relies on the tacit understanding between the two and his excellent passing ability to find pick-and-roll "rolls".
"After Yang Feng created even a slight chance, he passed the ball to Zhang Feng in various ways, giving him a chance to attack the inside.
Rookie players like Plumlee also got a lot of playing time in this game after the "Wolf King" was exposed.
However, facing fellow rookie Zhang Feng, Plumlee's defense was obviously not at a level that could limit Zhang Feng's offense.
Especially in the pick-and-roll defense, when faced with Zhang Feng's elusive movement, Plumlee could catch a pass from McCollum, easily attack the basket, and dunk in a blink of an eye.
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In the third quarter, the combination of McCollum and Zhang Feng became the main offensive force of the Blazers. Asxs. In a single quarter, 40 to 23, relying on a high shooting rate, the Blazers won by another 17 points. The point difference was just
Went for 40 minutes.
The fourth quarter of the game has become garbage time within garbage time.
McCollum continued to be left on the court to find his own offensive state and further adapt to the NBA's defensive intensity during the game, while McCollum's "plug-in", Zhang Feng, was placed on the bench to rest.
Stotts knows the weight of the center and the wear and tear on his body. In this kind of garbage time, he no longer sends Zhang Feng to play again because he is worried about the risk of Zhang Feng getting injured.
In the end, the Trail Blazers beat the Nets by 32 points 121-89 at home!
Chapter completed!