Chapter 1101 Lillard Wearing a Watch, the Brave Trail Blazers (2/5!)

Chapter 1101 Lillard wearing a watch, the brave Trail Blazers (25!)

The news of Fagan's death spread quickly the next day, ushering in a shock to the league.

As a well-known NBA agent, he has or has managed many players.

In addition to Tang Tian, ​​Howard, Parsons, Cousins, and Nurkic are all players he currently has.

Arenas, Yi Jianlian, and Rubio have also approached him for representation.

After his death, many players, including teams and even NBA officials, tweeted their condolences.

Tang Tian: We worked together for 7 years. I can’t believe you passed away like this, but please rest assured that I will do my best to help your family. Rest in peace Dan R.i.p.

Parsons: This is all so unfair, but I know you must have gone to a better place, and one day we will have a drink together.

Nurkic: You are a great person and a good mentor to me. I know I fell in love with you from the first time we met. When I saw you wearing a bathrobe and slippers, I thought of you. Love this guy, thanks for everything you do for me.

Yi Jianlian: Everything happened so suddenly. You have always been my best mentor, friend, and family in the United States. When I opened my eyes this morning, I saw the news that you passed away due to a car accident. The sadness in my heart is really indescribable. Good luck, my friend. .

Billy King: What a sad news. I was very good friends with Dan Fagan. I still remember what he said to me when he told me he was going to be a father. He was a really good father.

NBA official: The NBA family has lost an outstanding agent. We pray that Fagan’s family can get through this difficulty smoothly.

…

Tang Tian’s tweet was posted late at night. He returned to New Orleans the next morning, and Gale Benson called to comfort him.

For the Pelicans, this is their brilliant and peak season, but for Tang Tian, ​​his recent experience is a bit bad.

First, the team owner passed away, and then the agent who had worked with him for 7 years.

Benson was concerned, but also worried that these would affect Tang Tian's game state.

Such worries are not only shared by Benson, but also by the media and fans.

That night, the first game of the series between the Pelicans and Trail Blazers kicked off at the New Orleans Arena.

The venue was packed and the TV ratings remained high.

Long Aotian-style cool writing, it’s great to bring in the protagonist.

You know, the Pelicans are now the team with the most fans.

In the locker room before the game, the head coaches of both teams were making final preparations for the game.

"Kemba, AD, after the start, you should play more pick-and-roll coordination. We will play tactics 2/3 first."

When Stevens said this, he glanced at Tang Tian specifically.

He wanted Tang Tian to adjust his mood.

Tang Tian just nodded and said nothing.

Fagan's death did not make him feel very high, but it did not affect his state.

Stevens has no problem considering him, and he can take the opportunity to test the state of the Trail Blazers first.

Half an hour before the start of the game, players from both sides entered the court one after another to warm up.

During the warm-up, Tang Tian was constantly being photographed.

Tang Tian's mood was much worse than usual, but he still seemed calm.

The fans felt a little more at ease seeing this.

Later in the warm-up, some fans noticed that Lillard came to the Pelicans half court to chat with Tang Tian.

Judging from the behavior of the two people, Lillard should have come to comfort Tang Tian.

Although he is an opponent, Lillard deserves respect.

The scene entered the opening ceremony, and the starting lineups of the two teams were also announced one after another.

The Pelicans are still playing with all members, working hard with the four brothers plus Dedmon.

For the Trail Blazers, Lillard and CJ McCrum are on the outside, Aminu and Anthony are on the forward line, and Nurkic is the center.

Davis jumped out of Nurkic, giving the Pelicans a chance to attack first, and also kicked off the conference semifinals between the two sides.

After Walker took the ball to the frontcourt, he observed the Trail Blazers' defense.

After the Trail Blazers went through trade deadline transactions, their lineup changed a lot.

But long after the deal was completed, their roster was still in flux.

After a long period of adjustment, Stotts found the lineup that best suited them.

Originally, they had let Turner and Anthony play up front for a period of time, so that Turner's organizational ability could be maximized.

But the result was very unsatisfactory. The main problem with this unsatisfactory performance was the defensive end.

Turner is a swingman with a thin body and cannot hold up to the average third position.

Anthony's movement speed dropped significantly after his knee injury, and he couldn't guard the third position, or even the flexible or strong fourth position.

The Trail Blazers struggled during that period and even suffered a five-game losing streak after a disastrous defeat to the Pelicans.

It wasn't until Stotts put Aminu into the starting lineup and asked Nurkic to organize the offense like his old rival Jokic that the situation changed qualitatively.

Aminu's talent is relatively mediocre, he is a player who is strong in defense and weak in attack, but he has one characteristic, he is dark and rough.

He can defend the 3rd position and the 4th position.

And his open three-pointers are good. When he came off the bench, his three-point shooting percentage was only over 30%, but after starting, he shot up to 39%.

With three musketeers in check, his chances were more and better.

Moreover, Nurkic's organizational ability has also been liberated. Before and after the team adjusted the starting lineup, his average assists per game increased from 1.9 to 3.9.

The current defensive method of the Trail Blazers is that Anthony stands on the inside to guard Butler, focusing on guarding Butler's air cuts, while Aminu supports Davis in the low post.

After Walker took a look, he called Butler to mention the high pick-and-roll.

His ability to read the game is very strong. No matter how Stotts arranges his troops, Anthony is the breakthrough point for the Pelicans' offense.

However, Stotts' tactical level is indeed good. Butler blocked, but the Trail Blazers did not change.

One pick-and-roll failed and Butler blocked the second, but the Trail Blazers still didn't change.

Walker seized the gap and chose to step back for a three-pointer.

His three-point accuracy was not very high, and the ball finally hit the front edge and hit the frame.

Nurkic protected the defensive rebound.

Lillard advanced to the frontcourt and gave the ball to Nurkic, who organized and supported the free throw line.

Lillard, McCrum and Anthony ran pick-and-rolls with each other. Anthony went straight to the basket after getting out of the pick-and-roll, driving the Pelicans' defense.

At this moment, Lillard took advantage of Aminu's movement and got a chance.

Nurkic's pass arrived quickly, but the Pelicans also changed defense quickly, and Davis had already saved it.

Lillard feinted a three-pointer and passed Davis's pull-up jumper that broke through to the free throw line.

"Uh-huh!"

The basketball went hollow into the net, and he was as hot as he was in the first round.

In the first round series with the Rockets, he averaged 29.6 points per game!

Walker attacked again, this time looking for Davis to play a pick-and-roll, and then returned the ball to Davis.

Davis turned his back and ran over Lillard, but Aminu's help came in time and interfered with his shot.

"Bang!"

Davis' shot hit the frame, and the Pelicans' two consecutive attacks at the beginning were in vain.

Aminu protected the defensive rebound.

The Trail Blazers counterattacked, and Lillard attacked the frontcourt against Walker's defense. Without waiting for anyone else, after a cross step, he stopped directly to pursue a three-pointer.

This choice was sudden and unreasonable.

"boom!"

The ball hit the backboard and then bounced into the net bag!

5 to 0!

Lillard launched a wave of personal attacks at the beginning.

After he scored, he reached out and pointed his right index finger at his left wrist.

This is his signature move, reminding everyone that he is wearing a watch tonight!

Lillard time!

There was a commotion in the place.

Putting aside his strength, Lillard is actually on the same level as Kobe and Tang Tian in this game.

Butler received a pass from Walker and scored a layup, finally opening the scoring for the Pelicans.

But looking back, Lillard attacked with the ball to attract the defense, and passed the ball to Anthony, who also made a mid-range pull-up.

Not only did Lillard show his outstanding form, he also boosted the Trail Blazers' form.

After the first quarter, the score on the field was 36 to 31. The Trail Blazers led the Pelicans by 5 points to end the first quarter!

Lillard scored 15 points and 2 assists in a single quarter!

No one expected this score.

Fans also expressed emotion on social media.

"Lillard time! It's not luck for the Trail Blazers to eliminate the Rockets!"

"I just like this kind of super star. He's upfront and doesn't show off, and he's not clever. If you can, you can fuck me to death. If you can't, I'll kill you!"

"Lillard is really tough, and he is really attracting fans this year! This is the rhythm of going dark to the end!"

"If this breaks the Pelicans' undefeated streak in the playoffs, Lillard will definitely become a god. This is 80 wins for the Pelicans!"

"By the way, why Tang basically didn't play in the first quarter tonight? Is it because of Fagan's death?"

…