Link knows that the 28th night will be a tough battle, but not because the Trail Blazers are fourth in the West, not because the Trail Blazers have an excellent 33-12 record, and not because they have the almost perfect starting five.

It's because of Damien. Lillard.

At last summer's training camp, Link got along well with all the stars who attended the camp. Of course, this also includes Lillard.

Nonsense, if you don't deal with Link, you won't come to the training camp hosted by Link.

After coming into contact with Lillard, Link's greatest amazement was not his ball skills, but that guy really wanted to show himself! Just as Kobe Bryant wants to win, Lillard has a terrible obsession with showing himself.

Lillard, like Link, is an older rookie. College played for four years, so the time to land in the league was later than many people.

And unlike Link, Lillard is still a lotto show with high hopes. Therefore, starting later than others, which is a very big disadvantage.

Most of the players who participated in the draft with Lillard were only 19 or 20 years old. Paul, who is the same age as Lillard. George, who was already an All-Star when Lillard first entered the league.

Lillard knew he didn't have too much time to waste. So, be willing to take any opportunity to present yourself and can't wait to tell someone, "I can!" ”

His desire to show himself goes deep into his bones.

In training camp last summer, Lillard loved to go head-to-head with Link every time he practiced a new move. He always can't wait to let Link know, "Hey, buddy, look, I'm going to do that too!" ”

And in the game, Lillard will not let go of any opportunity to show himself.

Last season, he beat Anthony Brown. Davis won Rookie of the Year. This season, Lillard is averaging 20.7 points and 5.6 assists per game while shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range, and he is already one of the best point guards in the league. He took every game and tried his best to show himself.

This year's All-Star, Lillard participated in the Rookie Game, the Skills Challenge and the Three-Point Contest. Anyone who could attend participated, because he knew All-Star Weekend was the perfect stage to show himself.

If Lillard ends up on the All-Star bench, he'll also appear in the All-Star break!

Competing in four of the five All-Star Game events at the same time, Lillard is the only one willing to do that.

So Link is well aware that Lillard will never be soft when facing the Grizzlies.

Playing the Grizzlies means it's a high-profile matchup. And winning in the focus duel is the best way to show yourself!

Lillard has few complaints and few controversial remarks. He will always use his performances on the pitch to show himself to the world and make a name for himself. He told the world, "Older rookies can mix well in the NBA." ”

Lillard doesn't want to make people feel like he's an older rookie and should be inferior. Before the draft, Lillard was even quite proud of the fact that he played four years in college.

"I've got my degree, I've been on campus for 4 years, away from home, and I've taken the opportunity to grow as a man. I'm not trying to disparage my opponents in the draft, but I'm definitely better than them in terms of experience. I think most of them are 19 or 20 years old, and some of them are only 18 years old. I'm 21 years old, and this maturity certainly helps me. ”

It was to prove this that he went on a killing slate on the pitch.

Without a wise and mature mindset, it is impossible to say such things. Lillard is young and frivolous at the same time, but still calm and mature.

If you just treat Lillard as a milky imp, then wait for the defeat. As reporters say, the Trail Blazers are by no means easy to deal with. After all, they have a supernova point guard in the roster who is difficult to deal with.

Link and the Trail Blazers didn't have any holidays, but they still had good personal relationships with Lillard and Aldridge. But in order to get back a 10-game winning streak from the Thunder with his own hands, he had to fight hard with the Trail Blazers.

The morning before the game, Link woke up early. He was so excited that he couldn't wait for tomorrow night's game to get started.

Link hasn't felt this way for a long time, and an exciting opponent is not something you can meet all the time.

But before the game even started, Lillard surprised Link first.

As usual, while making breakfast for himself, Link habitually turned on the TV and listened to sports news.

As a result, I heard the news that Lillard announced that he would participate in this year's slam dunk contest!

"The Trail Blazers are the leading point guard Damion. Lillard announced this morning that he will participate in the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest in half a month, and so far, the four-player roster of the Slam Dunk Contest has been confirmed. If Lillard makes the All-Star Game, he will become the first player in NBA history to play in all five All-Star events! ”

Listening to this report, Link was taken aback. Participating in all of the events? It's too hard, isn't it?

Because of the long time passed, Link can't remember whether Lillard played in all five main events of the All-Star Game in his original history. But with Lillard's character, if he ends up making the All-Star team, he will certainly not shirk any games.

Later, television showed Lillard being interviewed at the airport.

"I have the ability to play in all the games, so why not go and be the first to be the first to play in all the All-Star events? What's so hard about that? Isn't that what I pay for? The trick game only takes me 2 minutes on the court, and the slam dunk contest is more troublesome because of Link, but I guess I only need to play 3 minutes, and the three-point contest is also 2 minutes. These competitions don't take much time, and there is no such thing as being tired or not, it's just a matter of whether you want to participate or not. ”

Lillard's answer was not pretentious at all, unlike other stars who complained about the fear of injury and complained that they didn't have time to rest. His three views have always been very positive, which is another reason why Link likes him.

"So do you think you're going to have a dunk showdown with Link early tomorrow in Memphis?" The reporter then asked a second question.

"Tomorrow's business is much more complicated than a dunk. Hopefully you're ready, Link. Lillard smiled and walked into the boarding hallway.

Link sighed, and Lillard also announced that he was participating in the slam dunk contest. In this way, the lineup of this year's slam dunk contest is really fantastic.

Link, George, Wall and Lillard, all four of them are first-line stars. Sure enough, Link's star effect is very strong. In addition to attracting fans, it can also attract opponents.

In front of these three good players, Link's chances of overturning in the slam dunk contest have undoubtedly increased greatly.

Bill. Simmons probably breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news of Lillard's participation in the slam dunk contest, and it seems that there is still a slight turn for the better in his women's clothing. After all, it's not easy to stand out among the trio of Wall, George and Lillard.

However, this is exactly what Link wants to see. The more lively, the more fun.

Seeing Lillard step into the boarding tunnel, Link also turned off the TV and prepared to go out.

You ready? What a joke, I can't wait!

※※※

As everyone imagined, the Federal Express Arena on the evening of January 28 was extremely hot.

Although this game is not broadcast live in the United States, it has been treated as a national live broadcast. Countless reporters waited on and off the field, and ESPN also sent Mike. Brin commentary game.

The sideline reporter is led by the famous "American Yang Yi" Stephen Yi. A. Smith assumed. For ESPN, this is definitely a national live broadcast configuration.

Link was very excited today, and when he was warming up, he even threw himself in public. This ball made the fans' blood swell, and it was Link's warm-up for the slam dunk contest.

But Conley, the Grizzlies' other protagonist, was a little nervous, and when he shot the basketball, he was very nervous and lost several of them.

"What's wrong with you, Mike?" Link also noticed Conley's abnormality, and after yesterday's practice, he stayed with Conley to practice shooting until 7 o'clock in the evening, and his hand shouldn't be so bad.

"It's okay Link, I'm just...... Damn, let me get used to it. Conley waved his hand with a serious expression.

Lillard's 38-point blast on Curry's head still made Conley feel a little uneasy.

While Conley and Lillard could be named to the All-Star bench at the same time, it's not an either/or thing. But on the losing side, the situation will definitely become quite dangerous. Therefore, Conley also sees this ball as a key battle for whether he can become an All-Star!

After the Grizzlies warmed up a little later, the Trail Blazers also played.

Link turned his head to look and saw that Lillard was at the front of the line!

After seeing Link, Lillard didn't rush up to say hello. Or rather, the way he greets him is a little different.

I saw Lillard run a few baskets to find a feeling, and then motioned to his teammates to get out of the way, and then suddenly held the basketball and changed hands under his crotch in the air!

The reporters and fans at the scene were crazy, first Link's self-throwing and self-dunking, and then Lillard's crotch change, do these two guys want to make the dunk contest stage in advance!?

Before the game even started, Link and Lillard went toe-to-toe!

After the dunk landed, Lillard smiled at Link, and that was how he greeted Link just now!

Stephen. A. Smith also grinned and walked onto the court, ready to start the sideline interview.

He is sure that it will be a game with no shortage of topics.