Chapter 588: Portland Representative
"aj,sucks!aj,sucks!" The insults of Heat fans rang in Anger's ears. After he slaughtered the Heat with a 33-point difference, Anger was destined to become one of the most unpopular players at the American Airlines Center.
Faced with the neat and unified verbal abuse of more than 20,000 people in the audience, An Jie clenched his fists. He wanted to beat the guys who looked down on him to the ground now, but the game was over, and he failed to prove himself within 48 minutes.
"An, do you think the Trail Blazers still have a chance to win the championship!"
"What changes will you make after the game returns to Portland?"
"Faced with the three Heat Big Three, who are fully fire-powered, are the Trail Blazers unable to resist it?"
The reporters quickly surrounded him, and An Jie undoubtedly became one of the topical figures of the NBA. So even if he lost the ball, there were still a lot of reporters who wanted to get some information from him.
But this time, Anjie did not show his kind smile. The tired No. 00 man, accompanied by Ricard and the security staff, quietly walked into the player passage without answering any questions from the reporters.
"Young man, this blow is still too big for him." A reporter who looked a little older last year shook his head. The NBA alliance is not so easy to be conquered.
From Jordan to Olajuwon, from Kobe to James. Which of these legendary names has not reached the top after going through a lot of hardships?
An Jie is less than 25 years old now, and his experience in the finals is already very rare for players of this age. Winning the championship? It’s early, or early...
Even though both players have left the court, the fans of the Heat are still unwilling to leave.
These guys waved the Heat's championship t-shirt, and they have begun to celebrate the Heat's championship in advance. After all, after going to Portland, Heat fans cannot party with their teams on the spot.
"The series is not over yet! How happy are you?" Morris looked at everyone beside him with malicious intentions, but at the moment when the Heat got the match point, how many fans would care about the expression on Morris' face?
At the match point, this means that the Trail Blazers no longer have any room to make mistakes. As long as they fall behind the Heat in the next game, even if they are one point behind the Heat, Anjie's efforts throughout the season will be in vain.
That terrifying record of 69 wins and the record of 27 consecutive wins that set a historical record will be reduced to a laughing stock.
So, when all the players returned to the locker room, the atmosphere became extremely heavy. Ricard and Divac couldn't help but worry that if these guys even lost confidence, then whatever he and Divac did would be in vain.
Indeed, being given a match point by the opponent is really too harmful to morale. What's more, the Trail Blazers lost two games in a row with the efforts of the Big Three at the same time.
For a moment, the two coaches didn't know what to say. Ricard accidentally turned his gaze to Angel, but he found that this guy seemed to be in a different state than others.
Although An Jie also lowered his head, he did not do this because he was deflated, but because he was thinking.
"I think we put too much energy into James, so that he can easily be restrained in defense." In the immersed locker room, Anjie's loud voice broke the static everything.
Everyone raised their heads in surprise and looked in An Jie's direction. They thought An Jie must be very depressed now and didn't want to talk to anyone. But they didn't expect that this guy was not discouraged at all. After he lost, he immediately considered the next game!
"You... don't you think?" Seeing that no one responded, An Jie spread his hands to everyone.
The Trail Blazers players thought the situation was hopeless, but when they were complaining, An Jie was thinking about the next game. The huge difference made others feel a little ashamed.
An Jie didn't say he gave up, how could we just give up like this!? The series is not over yet, only the team that won all 4 victories can be called winners!!
So, the rest of the Trail Blazers began to really think about it. There was not a reason for losing two games in a row. Indeed, although the Heat won the match point, the series was not over yet! It is not time to be sad yet, discovering problems and solving problems, and winning the last two games is the top priority for the Trail Blazers now!
After An Jie asked this, the locker room immediately started to make a fuss. The players began to communicate their problems in the game. If they wanted to defeat the three giants with full firepower, they had to rely on the strength of everyone!
"Huh..." Ricard breathed a big sigh. He was just worried about how to rekindle the cold hearts of the Trail Blazers players. Now it seems that Anjie has helped him complete this matter.
An Jie's enthusiasm and fighting spirit can always infect everyone around him. As long as An Jie does not admit defeat, others will not admit defeat.
As long as everyone refuses to give in, they will have the capital to fight the Heat to the death.
"An is right, we are still defending the Big Three according to the old routine. But it is obvious that this is no longer applicable. Next, I will make some corresponding adjustments to our game strategy. Don't give up. We agreed to win the championship trophy at our doorstep!" Seeing that the gloom in the hearts of the players had been swept away by Anjie, Ricard took advantage of the situation and mobilized his enthusiasm.
Seeing that the players' discussions were so lively, Ricard also knew that tonight would be another sleepless night for him. He watched the video over and over again and again, and drew tactics again and again. No matter how much the price it cost, Ricard did not want the Trail Blazers to fall on the last ladder!
When the Miamis were still celebrating the Heat's "early" championship, when all the media were still exposing the Trail Blazers with the excuse of "too young". When James and Wade returned home happily, when Bill Walton left tears of unwillingness.
While these things happened, Ricard hung up the phone with his little daughter, and watched the whole process of the explosion of the Big Three.
While these things happened, Angel and Aldridge were still sleeping in the training hall to practice shooting as a punishment for their own losses.
An Jie had long known that the sprint stage of the championship marathon would be very sad, so he was already ready to meet all the difficulties.
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"Things are getting more and more interesting. When I left Miami, countless Portland fans said that the Trail Blazers would come back here with O'Brien Cup. Now, the Trail Blazers are indeed back, but they are empty-handed."
"No one expected that this series would return to Portland again. Whether it was the Trail Blazers or the Heat, the fighting spirit of these two teams surprised me! In the last two games, I believe we can see something different."
"When the Heat's Big Three works together, nothing can stop them. Angel? Angel is very strong, and he even has the hope of surpassing Dameng and O'Neal. However, the era of this young man has not yet arrived."
The early morning in Portland always comes slowly with noise, and various car-mounted broadcast sounds circulating in the streets and alleys of the City of Rose.
The taxi driver who was waiting for passengers next to the street couldn't help but increase the volume of the radio. He was fascinated by the program and did not even find a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses ready to take a ride.
"Dongdongdongdongdongdong!" It was not until the sound of the glass being knocked that the driver discovered that there was someone outside the car.
"Where are you going, sir!" the driver asked loudly.
"Rose Garden." There was an answer without hesitation.
"Sir, you are here to watch the football in Portland." The taxi driver asked a lot of the passenger sitting in the back row from the rearview mirror. Although he was wearing sunglasses, the driver still decided that the guy was familiar with him.
"Watch the football? I think you are a die-hard fan of the Trail Blazers." The passenger pointed to the radio of the car rental driver. From the time he got on the bus to now, all the radios were interviews that analyzed the finals.
"Since I was a child! Look at Mr. Na, I believe this guy will definitely bring the Trail Blazers to the top." As he said that, the driver pointed to the huge poster of Anjie on the billboard in the building.
"But, the Heat have already got the match point now." The passenger asked deliberately.
"The match point means that the Heat have not won yet. In the next two games in Rose Garden, An and others will make the Heat look good." The driver smiled like a child. This innocent smile is very rare for adults.
"You just believe in that Chinese."
"Chinese? No, no, he is the owner of the Rose Garden! We regard him as one of us, on the basketball court, regardless of nationality or skin color. What a pity that my son and I can't cheer for the team on the scene. But tomorrow night, I will go outside the court to wait for the news of victory." The pride was on the face of this ordinary driver.
The passenger shook his head, God knows how many pioneers like him are still loyal in Portland. It is really a blessing to be able to fight for such a group of cute guys.
"Sir, the Rose Garden is here. If you watch the ball tomorrow, I suggest you go out earlier. It will be blocked and unmovable two hours before the game starts." The driver turned his head and smiled friendly.
"Thank you very much for your advice. By the way, I don't have cash on me now. I have two tickets for the sixth game of the Finals tomorrow night. The position is not very good. In the tenth row behind the rebound, you can take your son to watch the ball. If you don't dislike it, I want to use this to offset the fare." The passenger took out two tickets from his wallet, and the taxi driver looked at it with his eyes glowing.
"Are you serious? Sir? The price of these two tickets is several times your fare!?"
"Such tickets should be obtained by fans like you. So, did you agree?"
The taxi driver held the tickets in both hands, and was so excited that he even shivered all over. "You are so generous!"
The passenger got out of the car with a smile, took two steps, and turned his head again.
"Remember, you must cheer for the Trail Blazers with your roar tomorrow. Let those guys in Miami see and tear the power of the city!"
The driver still looked at the two tickets he got incredibly and liked the Trail Blazers for most of his life, but for a family that was not rich, watching the game on site is the first time! And fortunately, he actually got the opportunity to watch the game on site during the finals.
The honest driver watched the passenger leave with gratitude, but looking at the familiar back, the driver's expression suddenly frozen.
Just now...the person sitting in my car...is George Ricard!?
"Bang!" Ricard pushed open the locker room door with great energy. The players were tidying up their equipment and training would begin soon.
"Guys, don't relax! Today's training will be crucial!" His signature yell undoubtedly brought more vitality to the young people in this dressing room.
"Don't worry, boss, just let the horse come over." Angel put on the Trail Blazers' training jersey and joked with Ricard. Angel's statement also received the echo of most players.
"It's good to have this kind of fighting spirit. Now the whole of Portland is watching us! Come on, we are fighting for the fans and for this city!" Ricard suddenly felt that this championship is no longer just the business of the Trail Blazers themselves. This championship is related to the millions of Trail Blazers fans! It is related to the honor of the entire city of Portland!
He can't let those who have always supported themselves down, and these fans don't need any feedback from the team. Just win the championship trophy to make them happy all summer.
"We are carrying everyone's hope..." Looking at the players who were ready to go, Ricard immediately felt a greater sense of responsibility.
"Let's go, boss, let's go to the training ground." Anjie smiled and pushed Ricard out of the locker room. This guy's mentality seemed as relaxed as before. It felt like the person who got the match point was a pioneer.
What's worth nervous about? When you take the ball and attack with the shouts of all the fans, you can experience how wonderful it is to control the whole game.
And Anjie couldn't wait to defeat the Heat in this wonderful way! In Portland, the Trail Blazers are no longer fighting alone.
aj,sucks? Such yelling and scolding will make it never exist...
Chapter completed!