Chapter 200: Soaring
Unlike other major competitors, the main structure of the Trail Blazers has not been changed, and the core players are still the same as last season, which means that they do not need to spend time to run in, and as for the new players, they can get familiar with the tactics when they come off the bench, and there is no impact on the team's combat effectiveness. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info
So while other playoff teams from last season were still adjusting, the Trail Blazers had taken the lead with an 11-game winning streak and firmly occupied the top spot in the West, and even the mighty Lakers had to settle for second place. McMillan was relieved that his players had grown up and more importantly they were still young, with no one in the starting five, with the exception of Blake, who was over 25 years old, and it was a surprise to the pundits and fans alike that they were able to reach that level.
Ye Feng is no longer a pure scorer like last season, and with Roy's acquiescence, he gradually began to control the ball, albeit only a small part. This is Ye Feng will be a man, and if he is replaced by other young players, he has to hold most of the ball in his hands, but Ye Feng is still very wise to focus on Roy and supplement himself. If Roy is heavily defended, he will take the initiative to take over the responsibility of organizing the offense, and by the way, it can also reduce the pressure on Roy, in other words, in the face of such a twin-engine Trail Blazers, there are no two excellent wing defenders who can't handle it, but how many teams in the league have such a luxurious configuration?
Of course, they didn't think about breaking the Bulls' 72-10 miracle, but the game that deserved to be won had to be won. For any team, losing is inevitable, and how to adjust the mentality is the key. If you feel depressed because of the loss, it is likely to affect the state of the next game, so players must not only maintain physical health, but also maintain mental health, although not everyone has an extraordinary desire to win like Kobe, but the joy or frustration of the previous game in time is what players need most in the long regular season.
At the beginning of the season, the Trail Blazers continued to add from the free agent market, using a three-year, 21 million contract to get Andre Miller, who was voted the Eastern Conference Player of the Week last season. Miller, born in 1976, is 33 years old, but he averaged 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.33 steals per game last season while shooting 47.3 percent from the field. Among them, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and steals are all in the top 20 in the league. In the playoffs, his stats rose further, reaching 21.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.17 steals. The reason why the Trail Blazers signed him, in addition to allowing him to bring experience to the team, also hopes that he can act as a locker room leader and use his qualifications to appease possible problems among the players.
Ye Feng didn't mind Miller's arrival, and in fact, he didn't have the right to mind. Miller played 10 more seasons than him, was a veritable senior, and had a gentle personality that would have been a good problem as a locker room boss. The Trail Blazers management's hand is really beautiful, finding a substitute with a different style for Blake, and stabilizing the locker room, 21 million for 3 years is really not expensive, not to mention that only 14 million of them are guaranteed.
However, the only thing that makes Ye Feng feel a little gloomy is that the team has had two injuries so far, among which Batum is still an important rotation player and his number one substitute! Batum had to undergo surgery on his right shoulder at the start of the season, and doctors said he would be out for at least five months. Another injury plaguer is No. 55 Mills, who had surgery for a fractured right foot in July and needs to be out for four to six months, otherwise he would not have been able to settle for the 55th pick in the second round based on his Olympic performances alone. Fortunately, the Trailblazers also chose him with the mentality of picking up leaks, otherwise it is estimated that he will be criticized by the fans.
At this time, the deep advantage of the Trail Blazers' bench is reflected, with Miller at the No. 1 position and Outlaw at the No. 3 position, and the absence of Batum and Mills only makes the player list have two injury numbers, and the team is still on the road to continue to move forward. After 11 consecutive wins, the momentum of the Trail Blazers was blocked by the Hawks, the "Eagle King" Joe Johnson cut 35 points, 3 rebounds and 9 assists, and Josh Smith 20 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks of all-round data, with the excellent play of the two, the Hawks fought hard for an overtime to knock the Trail Blazers from afar to the ground.
But the loss of one game didn't sink the Trail Blazers, and they started their winning streak like a chicken. Not only the local media in Portland, but also national media outlets such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and CBS are chanting: "The Trail Blazers are going for a championship!" Of course, the most excited are the local Trail Blazers fans in Portland, since the team started the 11-game winning streak, every home Rose Garden arena has been almost full, and it has also driven merchandise sales, Roy's No. 7 jersey and Ye Feng's No. 3 jersey are the two most common numbers in the stands.
Ye Feng turned a deaf ear to the praise of the media, when he was in college, he knew what kind of style these media were, if you play well, they will brag desperately, and if you don't play well, they will instantly change their faces and step you to the soles of their feet. He knew that this was all a style formed by the media to attract attention, and he didn't plan to criticize anything, anyway, he just farts them. Sometimes Ye Feng is really glad that he chose professional basketball, it is cruel, but it is very true, other people's gossip will have nothing to hide in front of the victory of the game, as long as you win the game, you can naturally stand on the top of the mountain and laugh at the things and people at the foot of the mountain.
Although there are a lot of young players in the team, firstly, captain Roy is old, and secondly, McMillan also explicitly forbade the players to pay attention to media reports, so the overwhelming praise did not make the Trail Blazers players feel slack, and more and more people began to ignore what was going on outside the window like Ye Feng, and only wanted to play well. This is the demeanor of a mature and strong team, there is no exaggeration, and there is no inferiority, just step by step, and the record is always the best shield against external interference.
But what the Trail Blazers don't know is that the crisis in the near future is well hidden, and if the slightest mistake goes awry, their ambitions this season will be shattered.