Seven Hundred and One: Dunk Rehearsal

Link knew the night on the 28th would be a tough fight, but not because the Blazers were fourth in the Western Conference, not because the Blazers had a 33-12 record, and not because they had the most perfect starting five.

It's because of Damien Lillard.

During last summer's training camp, Link got along well with all the stars who attended training camp. Among them, Lillard is naturally included.

Nonsense, if you don't deal with Link, you won't come to the training camp hosted by Link.

After coming into contact with Lillard, what Link was most impressed with was not his skills, but how much the guy wanted to show himself! Just as Kobe wanted to win, Lillard had a terrible obsession with showing himself.

Like Link, Lillard is an older rookie. Played four years in college, so landed in the league later than a lot of people.

And unlike Link, Lillard is still a lottery pick with high hopes. Therefore, the starting point is later than others, which is a very big disadvantage.

Most of the players who entered the draft with Lillard are only 19 or 20 years old. Paul George, Lillard's age, was already an All-Star when Lillard first entered the league.

Lillard knows he doesn't have a lot of time to waste. So, be willing to take any opportunity to show yourself, can't wait to tell people, "I can!"

His desire to show himself runs deep.

In training camp last summer, Lillard would go head-to-head with Link every time he developed a new move. He can't wait to let Link know, "Hey man, look, I'll do it too!"

And in the game, Lillard will not miss any opportunity to show himself.

Last season, he beat Anthony Davis to win the Rookie of the Year. This season, Lillard is averaging 20.7 points and 5.6 assists per game, and his three-point percentage is close to 40%. He is already one of the best point guards in the league. He takes every game and tries to show himself.

This year's All-Star, Lillard participated in the rookie game, skill challenge and three-point contest. Anyone who could attend, because he knew All-Star Weekend was the perfect stage to show off.

If Lillard is finally selected to the All-Star bench, he will also appear in the All-Star Game!

Participate in four of the five All-Star Games at the same time,

Only Lillard is willing to do so.

So Link is very clear that Lillard will never be soft-hearted when facing the Grizzlies.

Playing the Grizzlies means it's a high-profile matchup. And winning in the focus duel is the best way to show yourself!

Lillard has few complaints and few controversial remarks. He will always use his performance on the court to show himself to the world and justify his name. He told the world, "Older rookies can do well in the NBA."

Lillard doesn't want people to think that he should be inferior because he is an older rookie. Before the draft, Lillard was even proud of his four years in college.

"I've got my degree, I've been on campus for 4 years, away from home, and I've taken the opportunity to grow as a man. I don't mean to belittle my opponents in the draft, but I definitely outshine them in terms of experience. I watch them Most of them are 19 or 20 years old, and some are even 18 years old. And I am 21 years old, and this maturity has certainly helped me.”

It's to prove it that he smashes the field.

It is impossible to say such words without a wise and mature mentality. Lillard is young and frivolous, but still calm and mature.

If you just treat Lillard as a nasty little brat, just wait and lose. As the reporters say, the Blazers are not easy to deal with. After all, they have a supernova point guard on the roster that's not easy to deal with.

Link and the Blazers have nothing to do with each other, but they have a very good personal relationship with Lillard and Aldridge. But in order to get back the 10-game winning streak from the Thunder, the only way is to fight with the Blazers.

The morning before the game, Link woke up early. He was so excited that he couldn't wait for the game to start tomorrow night.

Link hadn't felt this way for a long time. An opponent worthy of excitement was not something he could meet at any time.

But before the game started, Lillard gave Link a surprise.

As usual, Link habitually turned on the TV and listened to sports news while making breakfast for himself.

As a result, I heard the news that Lillard announced his participation in this year's dunk contest!

"The Blazers' leading point guard Damian Lillard announced this morning that he will participate in the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest in half a month. At this point, the 4-man slam dunk contest list has been confirmed. If Lillard is finally selected for the All-Star Game , then he will be the first player in NBA history to play in all five All-Star events!"

Hearing this report, Link was taken aback. Participate in all individual events? This is too hard!

Because of the time, Link can't remember whether Lillard played in all five main events of the All-Star Game in the original history. But with Lillard's character, he certainly won't shirk any games if he ends up making the All-Star team.

Afterwards, footage of Lillard being interviewed at the airport was shown on TV.

"I have the ability to play all the games, why not be the first to play in all the All-Star events? What's so hard about that? Isn't that what I get paid for? Skill games only require me to spend 2 minutes on the court. The slam dunk contest is more troublesome because of Link, but I estimate that I only need to play 3 minutes, and the three-point contest is only 2 minutes. These games will not take too much time, and there is no tiredness at all. People, it's just a matter of whether you want to participate or not."

Lillard's answer was not hypocritical at all, unlike other stars who complained about being injured and complaining about not having time to rest. His three views have always been very positive, which is another reason why Link likes him.

"So do you think that tomorrow in Memphis, you will stage a dunk showdown with Link in advance?" The reporter then asked a second question.

"Tomorrow is more complicated than a dunk. I hope you're ready, Link." Lillard smiled and walked into the boarding aisle.

Link sighed, and Lillard also announced his participation in the slam dunk contest. In this way, the lineup of this year's Slam Dunk Contest is really fantastic.

Link, George, Wall and Lillard are all first-tier stars. Sure enough, Link's star power is very powerful. In addition to attracting fans, it also attracts opponents.

In front of these three good players, Link's chances of overturning in the slam dunk contest undoubtedly increased greatly.

Bill Simmons probably breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news of Lillard's participation in the slam dunk contest, and the matter of him wearing women's clothing seems to have turned a corner. After all, it is not easy to stand out among Wall, George and Lillard.

However, this is exactly what Link wants to see. The busier it is, the more fun it is.

Seeing Lillard step into the boarding passage, Link also turned off the TV and prepared to go out.

Are you ready? What a joke, I can't fucking wait!

※※※

As everyone imagined, the FedEx Arena on the night of January 28 was extremely hot.

Although this game was not broadcast live in the United States, it was treated as a live broadcast in the United States. Countless reporters were waiting on and off the court, and ESPN also sent Mike Brin to explain the game.

The side reporter is the famous "American Yang Yi" Stephen A. Smith. For ESPN, this is definitely a live broadcast configuration in the United States.

Link was very excited today. When he was warming up, he even made a dunk on his back in public. This shot made the blood of the fans swell, and it was Link's warm-up for the slam dunk contest.

But Conley, the Grizzlies' other protagonist, was a little nervous, and his movements were tight when shooting, and he lost several.

"What's the matter with you Mike?" Link also noticed Conley's strangeness. After training yesterday, he stayed with Conley to practice shooting until seven o'clock in the evening. He shouldn't feel so bad.

"It's okay Link, I'm just...damn, let me get used to it." Conley waved his hand, his expression serious.

The fact that Lillard scored 38 points on Curry still gave Conley some lingering fears.

While it's possible that Conley and Lillard could make the All-Star bench at the same time, it's not a one-two punch. But for the losing side, the situation will definitely become quite dangerous. Therefore, Conley also regards this ball as the key battle of whether he can become an All-Star!

Not long after the Grizzlies warmed up, the Blazers came out.

Link turned his head and saw that Lillard was walking at the front of the team!

After seeing Link, Lillard didn't rush up to say hello. In other words, his way of greeting is a little different.

I saw Lillard ran a few baskets to find his feeling, signaled his teammates to get out of the way, and then suddenly hugged the basketball and made a dunk on his crotch in the air!

The reporters and fans at the scene went crazy. First, Link's self-dunk and Lillard's crotch changed hands. Do these two guys want the dunk contest to be staged ahead of schedule? ?

Before the game started, Link and Lillard went head-to-head!

After the dunk landed, Lillard smiled at Link, that was how he greeted Link just now!

Stephen A. Smith also walked onto the court with a smile, ready to start a sideline interview.

He is sure that this will be a game with no shortage of topics.