After Game 4 between the Trail Blazers and the Rockets, social media across the United States has exploded.
TNT, ESPN, and NBA, the three largest broadcast platforms in the United States, successively launched special programs to report on this round of the series. Barkley even bluntly stated that the Trail Blazers will end the entire series in the next game.
For the Trail Blazers team, they have spent five years without making the playoffs, and they will successfully reach the second round after entering the playoffs in the first year.
This is a team that has successfully rebuilt.
All the commentators and the media are contemptuous of the evaluation of the Rockets. This team, which successfully formed Yao Ming and McGrady that year, was hailed as the next OK combination and will soon lead the Rockets to create a dynasty. Plagued by injuries, they can only stop in the first round every year.
This year, they finally ushered in a healthy Yao Mai, but he was about to fall into the hands of a young army.
In their view this combination was very unsuccessful.
Barkley said very seriously: "The management of the Rockets thought that with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, they could win the Western Conference. They were so confident that they chose leftover players when building role players."
"They're a team that doesn't want to pay a high luxury tax and ignores its weaknesses."
"In fact, even if it was an OK combination back then, there were Robert Horry, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher and Devin George in the team."
"And the Rockets only have Uncle Mu who is too old and rookies who are inexperienced."
"In addition, the Western Conference where they have been in the past few years is all strong hosts. If the Nuggets who have not made the playoffs this year are ranked in the top four in the Eastern Conference."
"In such an environment, apart from Yao Ming, McGrady and Battier, none of the Rockets has a player with an annual salary of more than 5 million US dollars. How can they win?"
In other words,,,..version. 】
…
portland.
Steve Patterson, who was working hard, directly increased the price of the fifth game ticket by 50%. He was worried that such a high ticket price would usher in the resentment of the fans, and no fans would even buy the ball. Tickets to the scene to watch the game.
But the result was exactly the same as the previous two home games.
Tickets in Portland have gone crazy.
Steve Patterson was very satisfied with this picture, and then found Nate McMillan and told the opposing team that the entire series must be ended in the fifth game.
Because the next home game has to wait until the tiebreaker, no team is willing to take such a risk, so Steve Patterson asked Nate McMillan can't drag the series to Game 6. It would be a big joke if he lost the series.
He's still going to earn tickets for the next round.
Nate McMillan would like to say that he can be sure of the outcome of the game and the direction of the game. Although the Trail Blazers now have an obvious advantage and lead by a big score of 3:1, no one can guarantee that the Trail Blazers will play in the next game. It will definitely win. After all, if the Rockets eat dumplings and feel explosive, it is not impossible.
But Nate McMillan could only agree, because Steve Patterson didn't want to hear an explanation, he just wanted the result.
"That puts too much pressure on the coaching staff and the players."
Monty Williams couldn't help complaining and said.
Although he has long been used to Steve Patterson's unreasonable and domineering power, such a request is indeed a bit unacceptable.
"The first-level official crushes people, forget it, let him go, but don't tell the players about it."
"I don't want to put too much pressure on them, they are still young, and I don't want to cause the morale of the team to be unstable because of this incident."
"We have to go all out in the next game. The Rockets are not a weak team. If they give them hope of a comeback, it will be very detrimental to us."
.........
April 28.
portland.
The excitement of the fans cannot be overstated.
They're more sane exciters now than they were when they took to the streets to make it to Game 1 of the playoffs.
"As I said, Zhang Jun will lead the Trail Blazers to create miracles."
"We're going to beat the Rockets and get to the next round."
"The Portland Trail Blazers will begin the next chapter of our legend."
Moda Center Arena.
Luo Yin shook his arm, and Aldridge exhaled.
"Guys, we should end the series at home."
"All the fans in Portland are watching, we can't afford to lose."
Jarrett Jack squinted his eyes and nodded seriously: "I still hope that after the end of this round of the series, I will take a good rest and prepare for the next round of playoffs. It is not allowed to prolong the time."
Zhang Jun turned his head and said, "Then, from this moment on, the firepower will be fully fired."
Rockets dugout.
Looking at the mental state of the Blazers and the crazy shouts of the fans, Yao Ming couldn't help but let out a long breath.
McGrady jumped on the court vigorously to cheer for himself.
Following Kenny Smith's sentence, the Rockets have not won the pre-game commentary of the Trail Blazers at home, and the referee whistled the game to start.
Joel Pulzbila jumped up and got the ball in the fight with Yao Ming.
Zhang Jun grabbed the basketball, and the Blazers immediately launched the first wave of offense.
Luo Yin quickly rushed to the basket from the side, and Jarrett Jack quickly came down from the other side and ran directly to the corner.
"Get back on defense!"
Yao Ming, who had just completed the jump ball, already had a premonition that something was wrong and shouted vigorously, but the speed of the Blazers players on the field was so fast that no one had time to react.
call!
Zhang Jun directly sent the basketball to the sky, and Luo Yin jumped high. The angle, height and timing of the basketball can only be described as perfect.
boom!
"Empty catch dunk!"
"The Trail Blazers kicked off the game with an alley-oop dunk in the first round."
McGrady encouraged his teammates and shouted: "It's okay, we will pay close attention to their fast break from the next round. These guys are faster than us."
The Rockets attack.
Yao Ming and McGrady played a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc. This tactic is also their trump card against the Trail Blazers in this round of the series.
McGrady can always get a very comfortable scoring attack whenever Yao Ming performs a pick-and-roll. The most important thing is that such a pick-and-roll can help him get rid of Zhang Jun's defense.
Faced with this player who is at the same level as his physical talent, not weaker than him in speed, jumping and physical strength, and also the league's scoring leader, McGrady really seems to see the magic team. Lacey McGrady.
Zhang Jun is also the one with the best defensive efficiency among all the players in the Trail Blazers.
Tracy McGrady, who was still a rookie, got advice from the head coach of the team. The opponent believed that Tracy McGrady's physical talent could become a defensive leader on the court. He also hoped that the opponent could start with defensive training and help Carter complete the defense against the weak side. Task.
At that time, the young and energetic McGrady turned a deaf ear to Butch Carter's suggestion.
He couldn't understand why he was obviously an offensive genius, why he had to help others to complete the defense task. He couldn't understand why he entered the NBA a year earlier than Carter, but why Carter became the core of the team as soon as he entered the Raptors. In the first season, he made almost all starts and only one game was a substitute, but he only played 17 starts in the first season.
More importantly, Butch Carter also hopes that McGrady will continue to play as a substitute in the second season and become an important role on the team's defensive end, allowing Carter to concentrate on offense on the court.
It was the first time McGrady, who had been considered the future of the NBA in high school and would surely become a legend, was hit by such a blow, and the Carter who made him envious was even more his own cousin.
In the 1997 NBA Draft, McGrady was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 9th overall pick in the first round as a high school player.
In the 1998 NBA draft, Carter was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the fifth place in the first round, and was later traded to the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto fans believe that Carter is the future King of the North, and McGrady is the backup of the King of the North. They think that McGrady cannot be compared with Carter who played in the college league in many ways.
In this way, McGrady, who believed that he had been unfairly treated, had no interest in defense at all. He was very resistant and often grabbed the ball from his cousin Carter on the court, causing the team's offense to often be chaotic.
Although McGrady also showed his strength and gradually became the Raptors' second scorer, the chaotic team offense did not help the Raptors reach the playoffs.
McGrady was traded.
"He's really like another version of me who likes to defend, but his status in the Trail Blazers is higher than that of Carter at the time."
"If I could get the team's attention from the beginning, I should be like him, like Kobe."
Swish!
McGrady's sleeping eyes drooped a bit more, he bit his gum and used the pick-and-roll to force himself directly on the court.
The ball went in!
McGrady raised his hand and stretched out a finger to signal, this is his attitude in tonight's game.
He wants to prove to his younger self that he is better now.
But looking back, Luo Yin did not find a chance to break through with the ball. The Rockets stepped up their defense against him tonight. They had already figured out that the Blazers' offense in the first quarter was almost entirely on Luo Yin alone.
Luo Yin, who had no chance, threw the ball out decisively.
"Zhang Jun!"
"I am here!"
Zhang Jun received the pass and made a step in the middle to pass McGrady.
boom!
Yao Ming was buckled by Zhang Junqi for the third time.
Such a scene could no longer arouse the excitement of the Portland fans, because they had long been used to the scene of Zhang Jun dunking on the court, and they also knew that Zhang Jun had the ability to dunk Yao Ming.
The players on the Rockets couldn't help but glanced at McGrady, a little unaccustomed to the scene where the opponent was being passed by Zhang Jun in one step.
McGrady is not a defensive colander, but he really can't guard Zhang Jun in this round of the series, but Zhang Jun can have an impact on him on the defensive end.
"Is this really a rookie?"
On the commentary stand, Yu Jia couldn't help sighing.
Now that the game has been played, even he has clearly realized that the Rockets are almost over, and unless there is a miracle, it will be difficult to make a comeback.
Su Qun said earnestly: "The NBA has never lacked rookies and peak players. The nearest ones are LeBron James of the Cavaliers, and Iverson and others are further ahead."
"They all showed terrifying strength in their first year in the NBA, but it's relatively rare for someone like Zhang Jun to win the league's scoring title in his first year."
"The Trail Blazers have picked up a treasure. In time, Zhang Jun will definitely be a top three player in the NBA, and even become the new face of the NBA in the future."
on the pitch.
Kenny Smith and Barkley had already started shouting.
"Zhang Jun made a breakthrough, there it is!"
"McGrady also has mid-distance dry pulls, and he pays back."
"Luo Yin scored suddenly, Zhang Jun entered from the weak side, connected, and the battle ax smashed."
"McGrady and Yao Ming pick and roll, and there are still three-pointers!"
"Zhang Jun picked McGrady on the list, and the mid-range fadeaway jumper is really accurate!"
"The two are fighting!"
"McGrady hits Zhang Jun in a single, three-pointer... and makes it back!"
"My God, what kind of fairy fight is this?"
"Zhang Jun broke through McGrady and scored 2+1."
In the first quarter of the game, Zhang Jun rarely started to participate in the offense, not just obsessed with defense. It can be seen that the Trail Blazers are determined to win tonight's game.
The confrontation battle between McGrady and Zhang Jun also appeared again.
McGrady, who couldn't guard Zhang Jun, began to participate more in the offense, while Yao Ming, who had a big advantage in the paint, didn't get many shots~www.mtlnovel.com~ At the end of the minute, Zhang Jun took a rest and played for almost a whole quarter Yao Ming also had a rest.
Unlike the previous game, Yao Ming came on the field directly in the second quarter. As a center forward, he only rested for two minutes.
The second quarter of the game.
The Blazers' three-pointers rained again. Channing Fry and James Jones were terrifying in this series, and the Rockets were also scared by these two.
McGrady was picked up after only a two-minute break. Tonight's game, he and Yao Ming's playing time will definitely exceed 40 minutes.
But the Trail Blazers also have the determination to win tonight's game.
Luo Yin made an early appearance 4 minutes into the second quarter, and Zhang Luo's connection appeared again.
Then in the 5th minute, Aldridge was also replaced.
The Trail Blazers immediately played a wave of terrifying 10:0 offensive small high slot.
"The score has been stretched to 10 points, the Rockets, tonight's game is really hanging."
The third quarter of the game.
Zhang Jun suddenly went berserk on the court. He made two fouls on Yao Ming with a breakthrough and went inside. Yao smashed the basketball angrily and was very angry on the court.
These two fouls were also like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Yao Ming, who had committed 4 fouls, did not dare to make more defensive moves on the court, causing the Rockets' overall defense to be riddled with holes.
The Trail Blazers had another 11:2 offensive trough, and the score was completely opened.
In the fourth quarter, with a 20-point lead, the Trail Blazers played harder and harder, and the Rockets players were completely stunned.
McGrady was still using offense to help the team bite the score, but then immediately encountered Zhang Jun's retaliation.
Finally the game is over.
The Trail Blazers won the game 120:104.