168 Now Is the Time for Me to Do Something

Gasol continued to drill the Trail Blazers inside, and Kobe Bryant moved without the ball in the corner to receive the pass. This tactic is the essence of the Lakers' triangle tactic.

Kobe, who has a strong mid-range shooting ability, goes around the screen to catch the ball at the free throw line. The defender will always be one step behind Kobe under the screen. It is at this step that Kobe has completed the mid-range shot.

Facing the Lakers' fierce counterattack, Zhang Jun could only put the team on his shoulders again.

He carried explosives into the Lakers' interior again and again. This team, which is famous throughout the league for its interior protection and defense, was shattered by Zhang Jun's breakthroughs again and again.

Gasol looked at Zhang Jun unhappily with his hands on his hips. Bynum had been angered by Zhang Jun and lost his temper.

"This guy's breakthroughs rank at least among the top three in the entire league!"

Kenny Smith couldn't help but say.

Unlike the last game when the Trail Blazers almost overturned the Lakers, in that game the Trail Blazers still played according to their usual style of play, but tonight the Trail Blazers became Zhang Jun's team.

Kenny Smith could swear that Zhang Jun's ball usage rate tonight may have exceeded 35%.

Zhang Jun's performance of attacking the basket continued on the court. Barkley shouted: "20 points! Zhang Jun scored all the Trail Blazers' points in the first 8 minutes of the fourth quarter."

"He helped the Trail Blazers still lead the Lakers by 4 points."

In the end, the counterattacks of Kobe Bryant and Gasol were not successful. Zhang Jun rushed inside and stood on the free throw line in the last 34 seconds, using two solid free throws to win the first game of the Western Conference Finals for the Trail Blazers.

109:105, the Trail Blazers narrowly defeated the Lakers!

Barkley said: "After the whole game, Zhang Jun made 20 of 34 shots, 7 of 10 free throws, and scored 47 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists!"

"This is the greatest individual performance in this year's playoffs, bar none!"

"The Trail Blazers struggled to take a game away from this powerful Lakers team."

Kobe put his hands on his hips and looked at the Blazers players who were celebrating on the court, as well as Zhang Jun, who played a gorgeous game.

"47 points!"

Kobe looked at the statistics above his head. His performance tonight was 10 of 23 shots, 6 of 7 free throws, and scored 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

He was completely crushed by Zhang Jun in terms of data.

The Lakers also lost.

Kobe felt very unhappy.

Post-game interview.

Kobe was asked by a reporter: "The Lakers lost the game tonight, and Zhang Jun scored 47 points. Kobe, what do you want to say?"

Kobe had long been accustomed to these menacing reporters. He swallowed and pursed his lips and said, "So what?"

"The Lakers will not underestimate any opponent. No matter whether they are weaker than us, I will play better than Zhang Jun in the next game."

........

The intense battle between the Trail Blazers and Lakers continues.

The fourth game attracted the attention of countless fans and many players around the world. Yao Ming, who is actively preparing for the Olympics in China, was also invited to the scene by CCTV.

Yu Jia said: "Dayao, you have played against Zhang Jun. The Lakers and Kobe are also the Rockets' enemies in the playoffs, so you are very familiar with these two people. So what is your evaluation of Zhang Jun and Kobe?"

Yao Ming thought for a while and said: "Kobe is a very special player. He can score the ball in various difficult ways on the court. I believe you have also seen a lot of this round of the playoffs between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers. Without such scenes, the Trail Blazers also saw how Kobe scored those incredible goals in the playoffs."

"People off the court might just marvel that Kobe can score such a goal, or cheer that he can even score such a goal."

"The people on the field, especially Kobe's opponents, will really feel helpless and shocked when faced with such a goal. This is a professional game, not street basketball. You can score such goals and often score such goals. Planting balls really requires very strong skills and strength.”

"In those games against Kobe, I often saw Kobe shooting like this on the court, and then I would always pray that his shot would not go in or go in, but the result would always be no surprise."

"You can only pray to defend Kobe's shot. It's hard to cover him with his backward range. Zhang Jun, I believe Chinese fans are already familiar with him. His physical talent and wingspan are very important here." How many times have you covered Kobe in a series?”

Yu Jia nodded repeatedly on the sidelines. He had always wanted to hear the professional evaluations of these professional players on the players on the field. Yao Ming's evaluation was a bit surprising to him, but it was indeed very pertinent.

At this time, Yao Ming looked up and thought for a moment, then pursed his lips and said, "Zhang Jun is a completely different kind of player."

"I've never seen such a strong rookie."

"The first time I met the rookie LeBron James, I was amazed. Is this really a rookie? His physical talent is like that of an adult, and his technical ability and basketball IQ are not like a rookie at all. He is simply a Stadium veteran.”

"I thought LeBron James was probably the strongest rookie player I had ever seen, but Zhang Jun gave me an even stronger feeling."

"At first, Tracy told me that there was such a special player in the NCAA. I really didn't believe it, but after our first game on the court, I completely agreed with him."

“Some people are born to play basketball.”

"T-Mac plays basketball for money, O'Neal plays basketball for money, and most players in the NBA play basketball for money. It's just a job. James and Zhang Jun are the only two who give me the feeling that they don't play basketball for money. people.”

Hearing this, Yu Jia became curious and asked anxiously: "Then why are the two of them playing basketball?"

Yao Ming continued: "James has had a lofty goal since he entered the NBA, which is to become as outstanding a player as Michael Jordan. Can you believe that a high school student who has not yet entered the NBA can refuse a 1,000-dollar offer without hesitation?" A check for ten thousand dollars?”

"You only know that Reebok issued a check for 10 million to 18-year-old James on the day of the negotiation, but very few people know that the 10 million was just an advance payment. What James refused was a 10 million check from Reebok. 110 million per year for super endorsement, but chose Nike to sign with a smaller contract amount.”

"Zhang Jun makes me feel even more strange."

"He comes from the slums like James. I thought he would care about money before, but I found that there is almost no word financial management in his daily life, and he rarely appears in celebrity occasions. He rarely takes the initiative to participate in business activities. “I’m almost totally focused when I’m playing and I really care about my training.”

"The feeling that Zhang Jun gives me is that God has given him a body to compete in the NBA, and God has given him the prerequisites to polish any basketball skills. He is a more perfect player than James, a pure basketball player. I I bet that being the NBA scoring champion is just the beginning for him, and Zhang Jun will be the most dazzling player on the NBA court for a long time to come.”

"Of course, he's also a little horny."

Yao Ming's last words came so unexpectedly that Yu Jia didn't even react, and then quickly signaled to Yao Ming that this was a CCTV live broadcast and you were always talking about dirty words.

Yu Jia suddenly said out of curiosity: "Well, Dayao, why do you play basketball and do everything you can to get into the NBA?"

Yao Ming was startled when he heard this, and finally he laughed out of embarrassment and became an Internet celebrity. He did not say what was in his heart, and finally said, "For the Olympics."

Yu Jia said: "Who do you think will win this series between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers?"

Yao Ming said without questioning: "Lakers."

"Zhang Jun and the Trail Blazers are too young. They can win one game against the Lakers in a series, but they will never win the next series."

On the court.

The Lakers suddenly double-teamed Zhang Jun tonight. From the beginning of the first quarter to the end of the game, Kobe, Odom, Luke Walton and others have been executing double-team tactics on Zhang Jun, and even refused to let Zhang Jun. He's comfortable catching the ball.

This will greatly test the abilities of other Trail Blazers players.

Luo Yin and Aldridge are the first to bear the brunt. They must stand up and score points for the team at this time.

But neither Luo Yin nor Aldridge could perform well enough to defeat the Lakers. The Lakers had the upper hand from the beginning to the end of the game.

110:102, the Lakers scored another victory.

Kobe fulfilled his promise after the last game, making 12 of 26 shots, 6 of 6 free throws, and scored 32 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

The big score was tied at 3:1, and the Trail Blazers were already hanging on by a thread.

Luo Yin made 10 of 22 shots and scored 24 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Aldridge made 9 of 20 shots and scored 21 points and 8 rebounds.

Zhang Jun, who was double-teamed throughout the game, only took 18 shots tonight, almost all of which were fast breaks and counterattacks. He hit 11 of the shots and scored 25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.

The three combined to score 70 points but still lost the game.

"The next game will move to Los Angeles, and for the Trail Blazers, their hopes of winning the series are already slim."

........

Trail Blazers locker room.

His teammates had all left, and Luo Yin was sitting next to his closet, with thick ice packs still wrapped around his knees and ankles.

The team was in dire straits, and Monty Williams was pacing up and down the Moda Center in a bad mood.

Tomorrow all players will rush to Los Angeles for Game 5. If the Trail Blazers lose, they don't even have to return to Portland, and the Trail Blazers' 2007-08 season ends where they did.

As usual, the players will gather locally and then take photos to bid farewell to the season.

So, this will most likely be the last time at the Moda Center this season.

"Brandon?"

Monty Williams, who wanted to take a last look at the locker room before leaving, looked at Brandon Loyin who was still in the locker room in surprise. He couldn't believe that the other party was still here.

Luo Yin, who was collecting ice cubes on his body, looked at Monty Williams in surprise as well. He said awkwardly: "I originally planned to leave after applying ice, but I didn't expect that I fell asleep because I was so tired."

Monty Williams immediately felt alert. He didn't believe that Luo Yin really fell asleep in the locker room. His teammates who were leaving would not ask him to leave with him, but if Luo Yin was just trying to ice himself Knees and ankles, staying here for too long.

Somewhat unreasonable.

"Brandon, is there something wrong with your knees and ankles?"

Monty Williams guessed.

Luo Yin tried to cover up and said, "It's not what you think. There's really no big problem with my knee and ankle."

Monty Williams didn't believe this. The more he tried to cover up, the more he had something wrong. He immediately took out his mobile phone and said, "I'll ask the team doctor to come and take a look. Just stay here and don't move."

Luo Yin stood up and wanted to stop him, but he didn't expect the pain in his knee to make him grin.

Monty Williams, who saw this scene, didn't dare to stay and immediately made a call. Soon the Trail Blazers' team doctor arrived here and conducted a comprehensive examination of Luo Yin, who was still trying to defend himself, and came to a conclusion that surprised everyone.

"His meniscus is very worn out."

Monty Williams was so shocked that he couldn't speak when he heard this.

"The meniscus is very worn out?"

Monty Williams couldn't believe how a person with very bad meniscus wear could still insist on playing on the court, and it was still the stage of the playoffs.

On the other hand, Luo Yin was not surprised by this conclusion. In fact, he had suffered from meniscus wear as early as college, and he had his meniscus cut to help him recover quickly and return to the court.

"I have a lot of experience with this injury, coach. Meniscus wear will only make me feel pain when I exert force, and it will not affect my force and movement, nor will it affect my ability to help the team score on the court."

Monty Williams knew that Luo Yin was worried that he would not let him continue to play, so he deliberately said this.

Monty Williams was also a player. Although his personal resume was not outstanding during his playing career, he was lucky enough to play in the NBA for 10 seasons.

So he knew very well how intense the pain of Luo Yin's injury was, and it was definitely not something that ordinary people could endure.

"Don't fight it, Brandon."

"You haven't been in good shape since the series with the Lakers. This is the impact of your knee injury on you. I will tell Coach Nate about this, and he will definitely have the same idea as me."

"Meniscus wear is not an injury that can affect your career, but if you leave it alone, I guarantee that there will be big problems in the future."

After hearing this, Luo Yin quickly pulled Monty Williams and begged him to say, "Please don't do this."

"Coach, we finally made it to the playoffs, we finally made it to the Western Conference Finals, and the next game may even be the last game for the Trail Blazers."

"It's been 5 years. The fans here have been waiting for their playoffs for 5 years, and this team has been waiting for reconstruction for 5 years."

"Coach, I was selected by the Timberwolves, but they didn't want me, just because they knew in advance that the Trail Blazers wanted to select me, so they intercepted me in advance and made a trade to get more benefits."

"I am extremely grateful to the Trail Blazers. From that moment on, I told myself to do something for the fans of this team."

"Coach, now is the time for me to do something for this team and the fans here."