139 A Bloody Battle

Finally the game is over.

The Trail Blazers won the game 106:100.

Zhang Jun finally got the lowest playing time of the season, 24 minutes, and scored 22 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

After the game, Zhang Jun, who was wearing a towel, high-fived and hugged Corey Maggette, Elton Brand and Sam Cassel.

"Hopefully your first trip to the playoffs will be fun."

"Don't underestimate any of your opponents in the playoffs. This is the advice given to you by people who have experienced it."

"And we're starting our vacation early."

Zhang Jun nodded. For the first time, he felt that some of his opponents in the NBA were good.

The fans at Moda Center burst into loud applause at this time.

"We're in the playoffs!"

"After so many years!"

"Now we are also a strong team at the playoff level!"

"You guys in the Western Conference, are you ready for the Portland Trail Blazers to be torn apart!"

"RipCity! AllRight!"

"Zhang Jun! MVP!"

"MVP!"

The shouts of MVP almost overturned the entire arena.

Listening to the deafening shouts at the scene, Nate McMillan couldn't help but tremble slightly, took a long breath and said.

“The atmosphere for the playoffs is getting stronger and stronger.”

Monty Williams said with a look of expectation: "I really want to see how far we can go and what kind of trouble we can cause those opponents."

"The playoffs are the stage for stars, and the saying that regular season dragons and playoff teams are bugs has always been there."

"I don't know if the three young people on our team can withstand the pressure of the playoffs."

Nate McMillan said with a relaxed face at this time: "You worry too much. This is the first time the Trail Blazers have entered the playoffs after several years, and it is also the first time for those little guys to enter the playoffs. "

"So don't ask too much of them, but... also have to be confident."

After the game, Zhang Jun felt the message in his mind.

"After more than two months, we finally got news of the upgrade again."

"If we continue at this upgrade speed, we don't know that the next upgrade will have to wait until the end of the year. It's indeed a bit too slow."

Zhang Jun locked himself in the shower room and summoned the system after making sure there was no one around.

【Zhang Jun——8】

【Height 202】

[Speed ​​92 Power 56 layups 83]

[82 from close range, 78 from mid-range, 73 from long range]

[Dunk 76 Pass 73 Control 78]

[Defense 76 rebounds 67 blocks 76]

[Confrontation 78 bounce 78 sprint 77]

[Motion Explosion 80 Ability to Stay in the Air 79 Physical Function 91]

[Gold Coin: 0]

【equipment:

Mercury Boots: Speed ​​increased by 4 points, skill toughness (reduces shooting and layup penalties by 5% when breaking through, encountering confrontations and invasive fouls).

Enchanted Prototype Belt: Skill Flame Dash (The speed of the first step is explosively increased, and the first step can force a breakthrough step without slowing down, making the breakthrough action more confusing.)

Sunfire Cloak: Confrontation increased by 4 points, defense increased by 4 points, skill sacrifice (opponent will suffer 2 times the confrontation damage and confrontation penalty when defending closely or applying physical confrontation)]

【Skill:

Drifter (passive): While moving on the court, fighting spirit will be accumulated. The faster the speed, the more obvious the improvement in fighting spirit. When the speed reaches a certain level, physical confrontation will be increased by 8% and layup penalties will be reduced by 8%. (Can be upgraded, get additional promotion at full level)]

[Step forward (full level): The first step is to break through and accelerate to obtain a 5% movement burst, and after passing others, the speed is increased by an additional 5%. Full-level skill: Death is like the wind (the first step of breakthrough acceleration will break through the limits of body structure and function, increase speed by 5%, increase movement burst by 5%, and increase sprint ability by 5%]

[Zhan Gang: The ability to shoot close and mid-range shots is increased by 2 points, and the penalties for poor shooting movements are reduced by 20% when shooting at mid-range and close ranges. It can be used in conjunction with the skill Step Ahead. (Can be upgraded, get additional promotion at full level)]

Zhang Jun did not hesitate. After taking a deep breath to prepare himself mentally, he directly upgraded his Zhan Gang skill to level 3.

At this moment, a large amount of information rushed directly to his Tianling Gai. At the same time, Zhang Jun felt that his whole body was about to burst with pain. The feeling was almost killing him.

"ah!"

A large amount of information surged out like a volcanic eruption. At the same time, Zhang Jun's body rapidly expanded and his muscles bulged, as if he had been filled with a large amount of gas inexplicably.

Then the bulging muscles quickly recovered, but compared to the previous bulging degree, there was a slight increase. It was not just a simple growth, but the muscle lines became more smooth and beautiful.

Zhang Jun once again saw the figure who looked exactly like him.

In his mind, after experiencing actual combat again and again on the court, that figure finally improved his mid-range shooting ability to a great level. Countless defensive champions in the league were defeated by his mid-range shots again and again. In the end, no one could defend him from a fadeaway shot. The only one who could defend him was his own touch.

"call!

! "

At this moment, Zhang Jun's whole body was wet with sweat. He turned on the shower and washed the water quickly towards himself.

A new message also appeared in the transparent box in front of me.

[Zhan Gang: Increase the ability of close and mid-range shooting by 3 points, and reduce the penalty caused by poor shooting movements by 30% when shooting at mid-range and short range. It can be used in conjunction with the skill Step Ahead. (Can be upgraded, get additional promotion at full level)]

"This way my mid-range shooting ability will be even stronger."

"The playoffs are different from the regular season. It's not easy to easily break through to the basket for a layup in this level of competition. Even if you break into the opponent, they will definitely pull you down from the sky."

"And compared to a sure two-point layup, the uncertainty of free throws can obviously bring greater help to the opponent."

"Those experienced playoff veterans can figure this out clearly."

"But now that I have a more reliable mid-range shot, it's more difficult for them to guard me."

"The mid-range is also the most terrifying killer weapon in the playoffs."

.............

April 17th.

The league office released various NBA awards this season.

All-Rookie Team: Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Al Horford, Zhang Jun, Luis Scola.

All-Rookie second team: Al Thornton, Carl Landry, Jamario Moon, Yi Jianlian, Thaddeus Young.

Best Rookie (ROY): Zhang Jun of the Trail Blazers.

Sixth Man of the Year (SMOY): Manu Ginobili, Spurs.

Coach of the Year (COY): Trail Blazers Nate McMillan.

All-Defensive First Team: Bruce Bowen, Kobe Bryant, Marcus Camby, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett.

All-Defensive Second Team: Shane Battier, Raja Bell, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince.

Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY): Celtics Kevin Garnett.

League scoring leader: Zhang Jun of the Trail Blazers.

Regular season most valuable player (MVP): Lakers Kobe Bryant.

In addition to the above awards, the league office also counted other regular season awards. For example, Player of the Week (POW) Zhang Jun won a total of 4 times, and Player of the Month (POM) Zhang Jun won a total of 1 time.

Of course, the Cavaliers' LeBron James has won the most awards in these two categories this season, with 8 Best of the Week awards and 2 Best of the Month awards.

Subsequently, the league headquarters announced the final ranking of the Eastern and Western teams this season and the upcoming playoff teams.

East: Celtics, Pistons, Cavaliers, Magic, Rams, Wizards, 76ers, Hawks.

West: Lakers, Hornets, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Jazz, Rockets, Suns, Mavericks.

........

on the Buckley Show.

"Basketball fans around the world, the annual NBA playoffs are coming."

"This season's Wild West brawl and the Celtics' one-man show in the East are basically what everyone expected."

"So what are your expectations for the next playoffs?"

"Charles, have you looked at the latest playoff schedule released by the league?"

Kenny Smith said to the camera with an excited face.

Barkley lay on the chair and exposed his huge belly.

"Of course, there is a clear gap between the strength of the Eastern Conference teams. I'm afraid it will be difficult to see a situation where one of the following teams defeats the superior team."

"But the difference between the wins and losses among the eight teams in the Western Conference is very small. In my opinion, they are also very easy to defeat the top, or even have the miracle of black seven or black eight in the division playoffs."

Kenny Smith said in surprise: "Oh, which matchup do you think is most likely to be defeated?"

"The Trail Blazers and the Rockets," Barkley affirmed.

Kenny Smith was not surprised at all by this result. He had even expected it and waited for the next step.

"In the eyes of most people, the Trail Blazers are very easy to be hacked by the Rockets."

"So I agree with Charles's point of view. They really have a very high possibility of being eliminated by the Rockets."

"Charles, I believe there are many fans in front of the TV who have the same opinion as you and I, so can you tell everyone the basis for your opinion."

Barkley was well prepared and said: "First, they are a youth army. The Trail Blazers have not made the playoffs for several years. This is their first time. This can also explain their team from the side. Both the coaching staff and the players have very sporadic playoff experience, and we know the importance of experience in the playoffs.”

"The second point is that the Rockets have made the playoffs four times in the past five years. They have a lot of playoff experience and a very complete lineup. They have also solved the problem of not being able to go further in the playoffs every time. The most important shortcoming is that this is the only season in which the Yao-Mai combination has not been affected by injuries in the playoffs. Fans all over the world are full of expectations for this combination. "

"The third and most important point is that the Trail Blazers have no interior defense. They just met Yao Ming, the center with the strongest offensive ability in the league. Based on this alone, the Trail Blazers will be defeated in the playoffs. Dead.”

...........

Trail Blazers meeting room.

Nate McMillan turned off the video of this season's Trail Blazers-Rockets game. He stood up and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window of the conference room.

All Portland fans have taken to the streets, cheering, jumping for joy, looking forward to the playoffs, and chanting the name of the star Zhang Jun.

Nate McMillan smiled and frowned.

"It's a tough playoff round, isn't it?"

Monty Williams patted Nate McMillan on the shoulder and said encouragingly.

Nate McMillan took a deep breath and said: "But other people don't think so. They think we have the third record in the Western Conference, so we should beat the Rockets."

"Actually, we are only 4 games ahead of the Rockets, and we have not rested Zhang Jun in a single game, but the Rockets have rested Yao Ming for 25 games and Tracy McGrady for 22 games."

"The Rockets were still able to achieve such an outstanding record without Yao Mai in so many games, which is enough to prove that they are a very strong team, even better than us."

"Although that guy Barkley likes to show off on the show, he is indeed a qualified basketball commentator, and the views he said are all correct."

Monty Williams smiled and said: "The team's goal this season is to reach the playoffs. We have done it and completed it, and we have completed it very well."

"No one should say anything about us just for that, whether it's the coaching staff or the players, all of us did everything we could."

As soon as Monty Williams finished speaking, Steve Patterson rashly broke into the conference room.

"Guys, have you seen those excited fans outside!"

"The Trail Blazers have made it to the playoffs for the sixth time in six years, and Portland fans have gone crazy! They are frantically snapping up tickets for the team's first home game, and the prices are already very high."

"Those fans who have not bought tickets have begun to set their sights on the second game. Even if I have increased the price by 10%, they still cannot stop their enthusiasm for buying tickets."

"I really regret it. Why not just increase the ticket price by 15%? The fans are so enthusiastic anyway."

"So in the next round of competition, I will definitely increase the price by another 20%!"

After hearing the last sentence, Monty Williams quickly interrupted and said: "Well, Steve, we are still in the first round. The second round is completely unreliable. No one knows about us." Can you make it to the next round?”

"To be honest, the Rockets are really a very strong team and are by no means weaker than us..."

"No way!" Steve Patterson also interrupted the other party and said: "No way!"

"We have the third best record in the Western Conference. How can we still beat the Rockets, who have the sixth best record?"

"I still understand such a simple truth. If we are defeated by the Rockets then, we will be embarrassed."

"So you two remember, our goal in the playoffs is to advance to the second round, and the Trail Blazers must do this!"

"Look at the anticipating fans outside, can you bear to let them watch their favorite team enter the playoffs after six years and then lose in the first round?"

Nate McMillan had a bitter look on his face, knowing that Steve Patterson wouldn't make it easy for them.

But reaching the second round is not that easy.

"This series is destined to be a bloody battle."