Versatile Point Forward

Chapter 340 Is This A Curse?
It was a bit of a surprise that the Blazers won Game [-] of the Western Conference semifinals, but it was just a surprise.

At least judging from the regular season record rankings of the two sides, one is second and the other is third, the gap is not as big as imagined, so although the Blazers' win is unexpected, it is also reasonable.Of course, the Lakers players will definitely make some remarks after the game to vent their depression about losing a home game.

Kobe, Gasol, and even Artest, who has always been grumpy, are okay to say. After all, they are all veterans with a long history, and they know what can be said and what can't be said. The NBA is already enough to attract reporters. Once you say something you shouldn’t say, you don’t have to wait until the next morning. As soon as you post it, you will be bombarded indiscriminately, so there are very few players. The face is full of nonsense.

However, there are still exceptions among NBA players, such as Bynum, who is so young and looks a little brain-dead.

When interviewed by reporters after the game, Shark, who only scored 10 points and 6 rebounds in the game, seemed very unconvinced. He said to the reporters without any concealment: "I don't think it's a big deal for the Blazers to win the first game. They are just lucky, and the shooting percentage is a bit abnormal. In terms of strength, we must have the advantage. They can't beat us at all. I don't think they will have such a good touch in the next game."

The Blazers players saw Bynum's remarks in the media the next morning, but few people took him to heart.You played badly yourself, so you still have the nerve to run on us?There is indeed an element of luck in basketball games, but it is only a small part. If you regard accurate shooting as luck, why do you have to practice shooting constantly to maintain the feel?Besides, the Blazers' shooting percentage in that game was only average.

Soon came the second game of the series. What surprised people was that Phil still didn't choose to change his lineup, but still started the previous game, that is to say, Bynum will continue to serve as the team's starting center.Not to mention the Lakers fans, even the on-site commentary questioned his choice.

In their view, Bynum is indeed a good embryo for a center, and with more training, he is likely to support the Lakers' inside line in the future.But now he is still too tender, especially in such a critical Western Conference semifinals, continuing to play him will undoubtedly give the opponent a breakthrough.Cultivating newcomers is indeed something every head coach must do, but the playoffs highlight a stable word, at least training on the premise of ensuring promotion.

McMillan also felt very strange, but it was the Blazers who won the last game. As the winning side, it is better to remain unchanged and respond to all changes, so he also did not change the starting players.I have to say that the Blazers' logistics is still very good. Although the first game was inextricably played, and the intensity of the game made the players feel a little overwhelmed after the game, but in just one day, they basically returned to normal.That is to say, the two veterans, Miller and Camby, are a little uncomfortable, but it doesn't matter. If you can't bear it, just replace it with a substitute. Anyway, the Blazers have not too few soldiers available now.

However, the game entered a very weird rhythm at the beginning, so that the Blazers fans in front of the TV wanted to rush to the Staples Center to give Bynum the middle finger.In an interview after the first game, he said that the Blazers would no longer have such a high shooting rate. At that time, no one took this sentence to heart. Quickly occupy the entire NBA.

But Bynum's words came true. The Blazers hit all 6 consecutive shots in the opening game and failed to score for nearly 3 minutes. On the contrary, the Lakers were in full bloom and directly played a wave of 12-0 climax.What's even more exaggerated is that, as the team's leading scorer and tactical core, Ye Feng contributed half of the 6 missed shots. It's okay to miss two three-pointers, and the overhead basket that passed Bynum once was also strangely missed. The basket came out, but the rebound was grabbed by Gasol, and it was thrown to Kobe as a conversion attack.

Finally, Aldridge scored 2 points with a mid-range shot, and the result was a series of strikes, which made the fans worry about whether the basket at the Staples Center would be smashed.With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the Blazers finally returned to normal. At least they were able to score every round. However, the Lakers were already far ahead at this time, and the scores of the Blazers players could only be regarded as a drop in the bucket. .

After the first quarter, Ye Feng couldn't help but frowned. The team fell behind 20-35, let alone the low 33.7% shooting rate made him feel powerless, and he only made 7 of 1 three-pointers.Usually he doesn't believe in so-called prophecies and supernatural powers, but at this moment, the first thing that pops up in his heart is the interview with Bynum back then. Is this really a curse that belongs to the Lakers?Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?

The Lakers' bench was filled with jubilation. Originally they thought it would take a lot of effort to win the game, but they didn't expect to establish a 15-point lead just after the first quarter.Although at the end of the first quarter, the Blazers seemed to have suddenly returned to their souls, but it is not certain what they can do in the next game. At least now the team has established a double-digit lead. In the case of almost the same situation, this gap cannot be easily smoothed out.

McMillan is also very worried. He cannot guarantee that the team will return to normal in the second quarter, and returning to normal will not allow them to win the game. They must perform supernormally to have hope.However, he did not give any instructions to the outside players. Instead, he gave Camby and Aldridge the two starting insiders, hoping that they can grab offensive rebounds when the team feels bad, and use the second offense to stop the team from bleeding. .

However, before sending out the starting lineup again, they still have to come off the bench and go for a charge. I don't worry much about the substitute player McMillan. Now the Blazers' rotation lineup has several chaotic masters. The more complicated the situation, the more they play. The crazier, if it wasn't for the gap in strength, he really wanted this group of rotation players to compete with the Lakers' starters.Although this is impossible, it is not a bad idea to attack the opponent's substitutes at this time.

Therefore, every NBA team needs all kinds of players. They may be able to resist pressure, may be good at disrupting battles, may have good tactical execution, and may be able to boost the morale of teammates. Every player has their own. The value depends on how the head coach wants to use it.

(End of this chapter)