Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

On November 11, the Lakers faced the challenge of the Trail Blazers at home.

The Lakers have played 12 games and have a record of 10 wins and 2 losses, ranking third in the Western Conference, behind the Rockets and Warriors, while the Trail Blazers are fourth, just behind the Lakers.

You know, last season the Trail Blazers didn't even make it to the playoffs, and their regular season record was only ranked ninth in the Western Conference.

This season, their lineup has not changed much, but their record has improved a lot compared to last season. Now they are ranked fourth in the Western Conference, and the gap between them and the Lakers is not big, only one win behind.

If they can beat the Lakers, the Trail Blazers will have a chance to go one step further and become third in the Western Conference.

So for the Lakers, the opponent in this game is definitely not friendly.

......

evening.

Fans began to arrive one after another. The stands were crowded and it was very lively. There were many home fans and the noise echoed in the stadium.

"The Trail Blazers have played very well this season."

"It should be said that they played very well. Last season, they didn't even make the playoffs, but now their record is almost tying with our Lakers."

"I heard that the Trail Blazers are determined to win today's game. As long as they win, they can become the third in the Western Conference. This is too tempting for them."

"Humph, this is the Staples Center, the home court of our Lakers team. It's not easy to win a game in our Lakers home court."

"Just based on those people on the Trail Blazers, they are dreaming..."

"The current Trail Blazers are not weak. Although the lineup is not much different from last season, they are playing much better than last season. Especially their backcourt duo Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, they feel much more mature than before."

Amid people's discussions, players from both teams came out one after another.

After some warm-up, the game is about to begin.

The Trail Blazers players returned to the sidelines and gathered around coach Terry Stotts. Each of them had a serious expression, sharp eyes, and an intimidating aura.

One thing people were not wrong about, they were really determined to win this game, and it was a good opportunity for them to challenge for third place in the Western Conference.

The Warriors' record this season is still very good, there is nothing to say about it. Their lineup is there, and they are a championship team and no joke.

Apart from the Warriors, the Rockets' performance exceeded many people's expectations.

In fact, at the beginning of the season people predicted that the Rockets would play better this season than last season because of the addition of Chris Paul.

When the regular season started, the Rockets' outstanding performance still surprised many people. They didn't just play well, they played too well.

So far, the Rockets have only lost one game, just like the Warriors.

Of course, now that the regular season has only passed a dozen games, the records of the top four teams are not very different, and the Trail Blazers have only lost three games.

The record of 11 wins and 3 losses can be said to be very outstanding, which made the Trail Blazers team full of confidence and their ambitions began to expand.

Beating the Lakers and becoming third in the Western Conference is just the first step.

They also want to surpass the Warriors and Rockets and become number one in the Western Conference.

As a young team, they are full of energy and drive. They are fearless and nothing can make them afraid or in awe.

Coach Stotts' eyes swept over the Trail Blazers players one by one. Every player was burning with fighting spirit and his eyes were filled with fighting spirit. He was very satisfied with these young men and spread out the tactical board, saying, "First of all, defense. The opponent is very strong and their offense is very sharp. Especially Zhuang Yu, the scoring champion last season. His scoring ability is unquestionable. We must first find a way to limit his scoring..."

Although his words were powerful, Coach Stotts actually had no good idea on how to restrict Zhuang Yu.

I can only remind the players to pay attention to defending Zhuang Yu's three-pointers, to go up and assist in defense in time, and the inside players should pay attention to the backup defense.

This is nothing new. All teams defend in this way when facing Zhuang Yu.

Of course, the Trail Blazers are not a team known for their defense.

In the past dozen games, the Trail Blazers averaged 107.2 points per game, but also lost an average of 104.8 points per game. It can be seen that defense is not their strong point, and they can win by relying on sharp offense.

"We need to use more pick-and-rolls and screens on offense. The opponent's back line is very strong, so we should not play it too simply."

"Remember, we need to pass the ball, we need to play more and everyone needs to contribute on the offensive end."

"Of course, if there is an opportunity from the outside, you must shoot resolutely. Damian (Lillard), and CJ (McCollum), you are the offensive core of the team. I believe in your strength. Show me your skills and play with the aggressiveness you should have..."

After some arrangements, Coach Stotts put away the tactical board and clenched his right fist: "If we win this game, we will be third in the Western Conference. Come on!"

"come on."

"Win the game!"

A group of Trail Blazers players roared in unison, and several starting players looked at each other and walked onto the court.

At the same time, several starting players of the Lakers, including Zhuang Yu, Holiday, Korver, Anderson, and Lopez, also came to the court.

With a "snap" sound, the basketball was hit by Nurkic to the backcourt.

Lopez failed to jump the ball again, allowing the Trail Blazers to get the ball and launch the offense first.

The starting lineup for the Trail Blazers today is Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Maurice Harkless, Noah Vonleh, and Jusuf Nurkic.

After coming to the frontcourt, Lillard faced Holiday's defense. He glanced at Holiday, then gestured to his teammates. Nurkic mentioned the pick-and-roll, and Lillard moved to the left, staring at the basket, and suddenly raised his center of gravity.

Seeing his action, Lopez, who had stepped forward to delay, was startled and hurriedly took another step forward and raised his hand, because Lillard's three-pointer was very threatening.

Lillard is a guard with excellent scoring ability, and his beautiful three-pointer is even more impressive.

Last season, Lillard averaged 7.7 three-pointers per game, almost the same as the Warriors' Klay Thompson (8.3 per game).

Of course, his three-point shooting percentage is not as high as Thompson's, but it is also 37%.

This season, he has taken more three-pointers. In the past dozen games, he averaged 8.8 three-pointers per game, with a hit rate of 37.2%. It seems that the hit rate is not very high, at least it is much lower than Curry, Thompson, and Zhuang Yulai.

But what makes Lillard's three-point shooting so impressive is not how accurate he is, but because he shoots so well.

When he is not accurate, he may take a lot of three-pointers in a game, but his hit rate is only 30% or even less.

But when he is accurate, he can hit more than 10% of the 40 three-pointers in a game, and he can make the shot even if he throws it directly from one or two meters outside the three-point line, or he can make several shots in a row...

In short, once the feel comes, it is unstoppable and very scary.

So when he saw Lillard using a pick-and-roll and looking like he was going to take a three-pointer, Lopez subconsciously pounced on him.

"Not good." someone exclaimed.

"Damn, I got fooled." Lopez was annoyed. When it pounced forward, Lillard suddenly accelerated and rushed past him.

If a center delays a defender and jumps too far forward, he will be passed by the opponent in one step and he won't even have time to turn around.

Lopez could only yell to his teammates: "Kyle (Anderson), help defend."

However, Anderson had no time to make up for the defense. He saw Lillard rush into the inside and jumped up. Just as he was about to make a layup, an arm suddenly stretched out from behind him.

what?

Lillard was shocked. He was sure that Lopez couldn't catch up with him, so who could it be?

There was no time to think at this moment. He forcibly took the basketball back in the air, then twisted his body. He had no time to find the position of his teammates. He could only pass the ball to the left side of the 30-degree three-point line based on his feeling. Only after passing the ball did he have time to turn his head and look.

The first person he saw was Zhuang Yu, and then he saw McCollum standing outside the 30-degree three-point line on the left, receiving the basketball he passed to him.

"call......"

Lillard breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt a little scared.

He passed Lopez, and with his speed, Anderson had no time to make up for it, but he didn't expect Zhuang Yu to rush over so quickly. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, and McCollum also appeared in the position he expected, otherwise the ball would either be blocked or a pass error.

McCollum was very decisive and took a three-pointer as soon as he received the ball.

Swish!

There was a soft sound and the ball was scored.

The score was 3:0, and the Trail Blazers took the lead.

Lillard turned around and retreated, high-fiving McCollum: "Man, good job."

McCollum laughed and said, "I almost thought you couldn't pass the ball. I have to say, Zhuang Yu is really fast."

Lillard curled his lips and thought to himself, didn't I pass the ball? Even if he is the best defensive player, so what? I'm not afraid of him.

......

On the sidelines.

Assistant coach Madsen raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but say, "The two guards of the Trail Blazers are indeed outstanding."

Coach Scott hummed calmly.

Lakers offense.

Holiday got the ball in the backcourt and quickly advanced. When he came to the frontcourt, he looked at Zhuang Yu, exchanged glances with Zhuang Yu, and then gestured to Lopez. Lopez mentioned the pick-and-roll, Holiday moved to the right, then passed the ball back to Lopez, and then cut to the basket.

On the other side, Zhuang Yu first reached the three-point line in the left corner, then suddenly ran back and crossed with Anderson, who covered him.

Zhuang Yu broke free from the defense and came to the 45-degree three-point line on the right. Lopez passed the ball to Zhuang Yu, who took a three-point shot as soon as he received the ball.