NBA Opening Draw To Twilight Shaquille O’Neal

On the 14th day of rest, the coaching staff did not arrange training. Yesterday's team activity day and today's rest day, the coaching staff is preparing for the 15th.

Although the Trail Blazers' first-round opponent is the Utah Jazz, whose record is 22 games behind them, the Jazz is currently a new army, completely centered on young people, and slightly inexperienced. Both are the weakest teams in the Western Conference playoffs this year.

But there is a saying that is good, the lion needs to go all out to fight the rabbit!

No matter what, the Jazz is a playoff-level team anyway, so the coaching staff has been working hard to prepare.

In the past three years, the Trail Blazers have been overlooking the league with a kingly posture. Sometimes victory is like a cup of poison.

The Trail Blazers are used to winners taking all, and they don't want to be an exception in this year's playoffs.

At the same time, each team in the league has its own things to keep busy.

On April 15th, the Trail Blazers' training began, and they were having their last training session before the start of the playoffs.

At the same time, after some consideration, Coach Terry also submitted the 13-man roster of the Trail Blazers playoffs to the league.

The list is as follows:

Center: Starting Wang Zelin, substitute Zubac

Power Forward: Starting Jokic, substitute Yi Jianlian and the newly returned Aldridge

Small Forward: Starting Batum, substitute Connett Lee, Harrell

Shooting guard: Starter Will Barton, benches Seth Curry, Vince Carter

Point guard: Start Lillard, backup Beverley

The number of places in the playoffs is 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 continue to let Jokic be the starting power forward position only if the early stage is tight.

At least in the first round.

This has something to do with Aldridge not playing for almost a season.

Aldridge rested for a whole regular season, and suffered a serious injury before. No one can tell, how much of his peak level will he be able to maintain after his return?

And at the airport where he just came back, he must play leisurely. After the team observes that he is indeed healthy, he will slowly choose 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 started this year and played really well. After the regular season, only the third year of the rose season, he was able to contribute 18+7+8 quasi-triple-double data per game, a perfect replacement Wang Zelin played the role of the inside lighthouse in the past.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Blazers' offensive system this year is inseparable from Jokic, and his importance in the team system is even higher than that of Lillard, second only to Wang Zelin.

Therefore, after learning that Aldridge was preparing to come back and did not make a voice to re-enter the starting lineup, everyone acquiesced that Jokic would continue to be the starting lineup.

This made the other party, Jokic, also relieved.

To be honest, he still respects Aldridge, the big brother. Since he joined the Blazers, he has learned a lot from Wang Zelin and Aldridge. The reason why he can grow so fast is not only his own qualifications In addition, I have to thank the team boss for his selfless professor.

However, people are selfish.

If Aldridge hadn't been injured last year, then Jokic would probably continue to be arranged by the coaching staff to serve as the inside core of the rotation, and naturally there would be no entanglement now.

But the problem is that there are no ifs in this world.

The fact is that Aldridge was injured, and he, Nikola Jokic, successfully took the position during this period and handed over a report card that satisfied everyone. Whenever he thinks back to the game, the fans cheered and applauded him, Jokic is more and more reluctant to leave the starting list.

Except for saints, the desires of ordinary people will always change with their different positions. This is an eternal truth.

Fortunately, Aldridge is one of the few good guys in the league. He is kind by nature and always puts the interests of the team first. Therefore, he did not have a dispute with Jokic after his comeback.

The team's worries during the All-Star period were unexpectedly resolved in this way.

This also disappointed many teams and the media who joined in the fun. They thought they would see a big show, but they didn't expect it to be nothing.

While regretting for a while, other teams once again lamented the strength of the Trail Blazers lineup.

When seeing the playoff roster submitted by the Trail Blazers to the league, the coaching staff of some strong teams were very moved, just because the Trail Blazers' lineup... is so luxurious!

You know, whether it is Connet Lee, Harrell, or Yi Jianlian, they are fully qualified to compete for the starting lineup if they switch to many teams. However, in the Trail Blazers...

I'm sorry, honestly take the substitute!

During the regular season, the Trail Blazers played invincible momentum, and now they ushered in the return of a core general Aldridge, but if Aldridge can maintain 80% of his peak strength, it is equivalent to the Trail Blazers. An All-Star player.

Everyone said how powerful the Big Four of the Warriors are?

But now I just think about it, it seems that the Blazers are now the Big Four team.

Needless to say, Wang Zelin and Lillard, Jokic is the new All-Star starter this year. Although this has something to do with the strong support of countless Chinese fans behind him, others can see that because of these performances this season, Definitely a real All-Star level.

Coupled with the return of Aldridge, from the perspective of paper strength, the Trail Blazers' lineup can be described as the best in the league!

Even if the Big Four of the Warriors come, they have to bow down.

How can I fight this?

Some teams that were originally aiming for the championship immediately became like eggplants beaten by Shuang.

Could it be that they are going to run with them again this year?

A desperate thought could not help but emerge in everyone's minds.

…

On the afternoon of the 15th, this afternoon's training ended, and all the players gathered together to cheer for each other, ending all preparations before the playoffs.

After finishing the preparation training, Wang Zelin went home and checked the time. It was almost 5 o'clock. He was going to have dinner, and then went to the weight room to practice two more sets.

On April 15th, the NBA playoffs will start, but since the Trail Blazers are No. 1 in the Western Conference, they will not have a game until April 16th.

Therefore, the day before the playoffs, Wang Zelin did not go to the team headquarters to watch the game together, but went home to enjoy the last warm moment before the playoffs with his family.

On the 15th, a total of 4 duels were arranged, with two groups in the east and west.

The two groups in the East are: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors vs Washington Wizards!

The two groups in the West are: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Mosaics vs. Oklahoma City Thunder!

Considering topics, traffic, grievances and other aspects, today's two teams in the west are obviously inferior to the two teams in the east.

As the two most successful teams in the past 20 years, the Spurs and the Lakers are both in the West. There have been too many entanglements 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. It is still the "Black Mamba" Kobe who makes all Spurs fans hate it. bryant.

When the Lakers players arrived at the AT&T Center Arena, the Spurs' home stadium, from the jump ball session, every time Kobe touched the ball, all the Spurs fans at the scene would invariably boo Kobe deafeningly.

For Kobe's side, he is very familiar with the Spurs and the Spurs fans. Facing the boos around him, not only did he not get angry, but every time he scored a goal, he would immediately smile and wave to the surrounding fans.

I don't know, I thought the Lakers were playing at home today.

This undoubtedly further angered the Spurs fans, but also annoyed the Spurs players.

What are you kidding? This is our home field, you old guy is so rare, I will make you look good right away.

The two sides played inextricably in the first half, but in the second half, the Spurs began to change.

In front of the old-fashioned Simavich, the young Luke Walton quickly paid his tuition for the first playoff game of his direct career.

At 107:93, the Spurs easily defeated the Lakers at home. With both players playing well, the duel between the coaches of the two teams has become the balance that affects the outcome of the game.

Obviously, in the duel of coaching level, Wharton was completely at a disadvantage and was unilaterally beaten by Sima Weiqi.

After watching the game, Wang Zelin felt that the Lakers were on the verge of this series.

You deliberately picked your opponent before, are you dumbfounded now?

Immediately afterwards, he checked the battle reports of the Mosaic team and the Thunder team.

This group of duels can be regarded as a brotherly game, a civil war between the three former thunderbolts.

Facing the former second brother Westbrook, Harden was relentless tonight. He scored 37 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals in a quasi-triple double, beating Westbrook's 22 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. They were also able to beat the Thunder 118 to 87 and made a good start to the playoffs.

This game is purely one-sided. Whether it is the leader or other members of the team, the Thunder team is not as good as the Mosaic team in all aspects.

If there is no accident, the probability of this duel will be the same as in the previous life, and the winner will be determined within 5 games.

…

Nothing to say all night.

Time flies, and on the 16th, the playoffs belonging to the Trail Blazers officially kicked off.

Just the first round, the fans can't wait.

And what can't wait is the final ownership of the regular season awards.

In the latest MVP rankings of well-known and authoritative media such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and TNT Bleacher Report, 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 started with some bald guy who had to make an insane decision.

According to the past tradition, NBA regular season awards are often carried out along with the playoffs. This will further increase the fans' sense of participation in the competition for the major honors of 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. Baldhead Hua's original intention is probably to attract a large wave of traffic after the end of the season with this wave of showmanship. He wants to make the regular season awards similar to the Oscars night, and further enhance the league's image and commercial value.

Imagine such a picture: a group of stars in suits and leather collars gathered together, listening to the host on the stage talking nonsense, and then announced the award-winning players one by one...

This is too weird!

In the past, although there was no way to hold a large-scale awards ceremony during the playoffs, the awarding process often seemed very crude. There was even a famous scene where a certain No. 21 show in the Holy City directly 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 this, I have to give a thumbs up to Mr. David Stern's arrangement.

The regular season ended and the playoffs began. As the playoffs gradually deepened, awards were announced one after another. The logic was clear and progressive.

After the finals in June, once the FMVP is announced, the biggest winner of this season will be clear at a glance.

At that time, everyone can start to pay attention to the annual draft conference, wait for the crazy transfer during the offseason, and focus on the next season.

But now after being tossed about by Bald Hua, it has become that after the end of the regular season, the awards that should be awarded have not been moved. After the finals are over, the draft is almost over, and everyone is starting to think about how to break through next season Things happened, and the award ceremony was 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 just after the regular season.

The biggest suspense of the two summers, the championship and the draft, has been revealed. Who else has the confidence to pay attention to such things as "Most Improved Player of Last Season", "Best Sixth Man of Last Season", and "Best Rookie of Last Season" Who is the winner of such honors?

At that time, I am afraid that only the MVP winner and the best team winner can cause some splashes.

It is completely illogical to do this with bald hair, and this is another brain-dead decision he has made since the reform of the All-Star voting.

The annual All-Star was originally a feast for the fans, but he deprived the fans of the right to choose their favorite players, which greatly reduced the fans' sense of participation and enthusiasm for the All-Star feast.

The same goes for regular season honors.

Award presentations are inherently effective, but in the end he created an awards ceremony that people couldn't even look forward to. No matter how you look at it, it's funny...

When Mr. Stern was still in office, many fans also scolded Stern, especially at the annual draft conference, the boos of fans resounded through Madison Square Garden in New York.

But now, people are full of nostalgia for the NBA during Stern's period, and they are full of respect for the old man.

The reason is very simple, peer foil chant!

Compared with the former president of the alliance, Bald Hua really seemed to have accepted a real joke.

Not to mention the complaints from the fans, even Wang Zelin found it hard to wait.

After the end of the regular season, whether it is the Trail Blazers' record of 72 wins and 10 losses, or Wang Zelin's unprecedented average of 40+20 per game, it is equivalent to telling the world one thing, that is:

This year's MVP has been reserved by my Wang!

Of course, if you have to say it, Westbrook's 30+ triple-double per game is also very amazing, but considering the disparity in the regular season record between the Thunder and the Trail Blazers for as many as 18 games, this is no longer a stretch. It's that simple, but opened two or three positions.

As far as the record comparison is concerned, even fans who don't watch the game can easily see that the Trail Blazers and the Thunder are by no means two teams at the same level.

The difference in record is so much~www.wuxiaspot.com~ In terms of statistics, Wang Zelin's average of 40+20 per game is also amazing!

From this point of view, Wang Zelin seems to be the only winner who chooses the MVP. There is no suspense at all, and he has already booked it.

It's just that according to the original process, the result can be known at most until the second round of the playoffs, but now it's a good thing, it has to wait until the end of the draft...

your sister!

Adam jokes that this guy is pure and mentally handicapped!

At that time, Wang Zelin probably won't even bother to attend any **** awards ceremony!

If you have that thought, why not go back to China with your parents and have a good time, so as to relieve the nerves that have been tense for the whole season.

Thinking of the game tonight, Wang Zelin temporarily put aside his complaints about Bald Hua's dinner operation, and thought about his opponent in the evening.

Anyway, it should be my own thing, and it will come sooner or later.