137 The Most Valuable Award Besides MVP

Steve Patterson frowned and said, "Wouldn't this mean that we would lose some games that we should have won?"

Nate McMillan said seriously: "There is no way to avoid this. After all, we still have to prepare for the upcoming playoffs."

"While winning fewer games may have some impact on the team's ranking and deprive us of some home court advantage, the health of our players is the key to how far we can go in the playoffs."

Steve Patterson said dissatisfied: "Less of a home field advantage? Nate, do you know how much benefit a home game can bring to the team?"

"The average ticket price in the first round of the playoffs last year was US$186. The Moda Center has 20,630 seats. The ticket revenue for one game alone was US$3.83 million. The average ticket price in the second round of the playoffs reached US$256. The ticket price for one game is 5.28 million.”

"Not to mention the average ticket price of 500 for the Western Conference Finals and 600 for the Finals."

"Last season alone, the average price of the fourth game between the Spurs and the Cavaliers reached $626! This game alone brought more than 10 million in revenue to the Cleveland Cavaliers!"

"This is almost as much as the annual salary of an All-Star player!"

"So you think about how terrible it is to lose a home game for a team."

Nate McMillan knew that Steve Patterson was right, but as the head coach of the team, he must be responsible for the game and the players, so he still persuaded him.

"If players are injured, they may not be able to help the team go further, and the economic losses to the team may be even greater, so I hope..."

"Nate!" Steve Patterson suddenly interrupted loudly.

"Winning the team is what you should consider, not me. Otherwise, why would the team have hired you with so much annual salary?"

"I want to be ranked in the regular season, and I want to go further in the playoffs!"

Nate McMillan let out a long sigh. He knew that it would be difficult for him to change Steve Patterson's opinion at this point, so he could do nothing but do what the other party asked him to do.

However, he can reduce the playing time of core players to achieve the purpose of rest and relaxation. This is the right of a head coach, and Steve Patterson has no right to interfere.

"But after all, they still played. There are 82 games in the regular season, which is too heavy a physical load on the team. If the team is stuck in a situation like November where there is insufficient rotation inside, leading to an outbreak of injuries, then That’s the biggest loss to the team.”

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

March.

Nate McMillan lowered Zhang Jun's playing time from 38 minutes per game to 34 minutes, Luo Yin's average playing time from 35 minutes per game to 32 minutes, and Aldridge's playing time was also lowered to 33 minutes.

The average playing time per game for all the Trail Blazers' starting players has been significantly reduced, and at the same time, Fred Jones, Vaughn Weaver, Martell Webster and others who have rarely played all season are all on the court. I spent a lot of time playing.

In March, the Trail Blazers won 9 wins and 5 losses, which is already a very good record.

Their position in the Western Conference rankings has also risen directly to third place, with the only Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans ahead of them.

The Los Angeles Lakers were too strong in acquiring Gasol.

So far, when Gasol and Kobe play at the same time, the Lakers have a record of 21 wins and 4 losses.

What kind of concept is this? It's equivalent to that as long as Kobe and Gasol are on the court, the Lakers' winning rate will be as high as 80%!

Among all the duos in the league this season, no other two can do this. The second-ranked duo is Zhang Jun and Luo Yin of the Trail Blazers. When the two appear on the court at the same time, the winning rate is as high as 70%.

This is also the reason why the Lakers were able to jump to the top record in the Western Division. Except for the Celtics in the Eastern Division next door, no team in the league has a higher record than the Lakers.

locker room.

Luo Yin's knees were wrapped with bandages and his feet were placed in a large basin filled with ice.

"Hey, Brayden, why do you do this after every game? What's wrong with your knee?"

Zhang Jun has always been curious about why Luo Yin always puts ice cubes on his knees after games and then wraps them tightly with gauze.

He didn't know from the team doctor that Luo Yin had any hidden injury risks. Luo Yin had never been on the Trail Blazers' daily observation list, so he applied ice so carefully to take care of himself at all times like James did?

Luo Yin smiled and said: "Brother, not everyone has your iron body, which can make desperate breakthroughs on the court without any physical problems."

"I had a small portion of the meniscus in both knees removed when I was in college. Due to long-term stress and wear, my knees often swelled, painfully, and became inflamed. Removing the worn and inflamed meniscus is the fastest way to recover. method, but it is also easy to leave the root of the disease.”

"This is the root of my illness."

"So, I need to apply ice after every game to relieve the pain between my knees and protect them at all times."

Zhang Jun nodded. No wonder he almost didn't dunk when Luo Yin was playing on the court, not because he couldn't dunk, but to reduce the stress on his knees.

Aldridge reminded from the side: "I suggest you find a chance to take a rest. The playoffs are coming soon. It is best to restore your body to its best condition so that you can prepare for the next playoffs."

Although Aldridge has not played in the playoffs yet, he has heard a lot from the team veteran Francis.

In the playoffs, the intensity is high and the pace is fast. Your opponents will keep an eye on your weaknesses and shortcomings at any time, and then they will infinitely amplify and target them.

In the playoffs, don't imagine that your opponent will be kind to you. It would be nice if they don't beat you until you have a shadow for the rest of your life. Who will be kind to you?

If they know that Zhang Jun has no outside shooting, they will leave Zhang Jun open at any time and at any stage. If they know that Aldridge is afraid of confrontation, they will engage in intense physical confrontation with him in every round and even pay fouls for it. No matter what.

If they knew that Luo Yin was at risk of knee injury, then confrontations such as kicking and tripping would ensue.

In the playoffs, everyone will do whatever they can to win a game.

Luo Yin smiled incredulously and said: "If you want to rest, there is plenty of time in the off-season. Now the team still needs me, I just want to play."

But at this point, Luo Yin suddenly paused, looked at Zhang Jun and said: "Breaking through and changing direction without slowing down is your ultimate move. No one in the NBA can guard against such a terrifying breakthrough like yours in one-on-one."

"No one can break through without slowing down, except you, but you should know very well what the price of not slowing down is."

"The knees and ankles will bear greater force. Occasional use is okay, but long-term use will definitely cause great damage to the body."

"So you can't play like this all the time, or you can't play like this every night."

"This is a reminder to you from someone who has been there."

Zhang Jun said very confidently: "My body has not been injured yet, and I know him very well, and the team now needs me to use such breakthroughs to tear apart the opponent's defense."

"And a certain guy can't even take a break even though he's wearing a bandage. Now he's advising a guy who's not at risk of injury to be careful at all times."

"Honestly, I suggest you stop suggesting it."

Luo Yin laughed out loud and couldn't help but give Zhang Jun a high-five. Both of them are players with the same personality and temper.

...........

April.

Channing Fletcher missed three games due to injury and James Jones missed four games due to injury.

The injuries of the two men also became a trigger for the entire Trail Blazers. Because the two most important turrets were missing from the outside, the Trail Blazers had a bumpy game and every game was very difficult.

During this period, Zhang Jun and Luo Yin stepped up one after another many times, and the team struggled to win one victory after another.

But the injury situation between the two also made Nate McMillan make a complete decision, even if it means violating the requirements of team general manager Steve Patterson, he will not hesitate.

"The team has officially entered the rotation of core players!"

Monty Williams was very worried and said: "That guy Steve has a stubborn temper. If he finds out what you are doing, there will inevitably be some quarrels."

"Although we are not afraid of him, for the sake of the stability of the team, especially since our performance this year has been so good, we can tolerate it as long as we can."

"It's all about the team."

Nate McMillan thought for a moment and said: "I still plan to rest players, as long as I don't lose too many games during this period."

Monty Williams was confused.

"How can we rest players without losing too many games?"

"If you want to rest players, you must rest the main players and core players, but the Trail Blazers are not a team with very strong starters and substitutes. Our offense almost always relies on strong individual offense to open up the situation."

"How can we win the game without them?"

"No shooters outside create shooting opportunities for them, and the players inside don't have excellent individual isolation abilities, our offensive system will completely collapse."

Nate McMillan suddenly smiled evilly and said, "As long as Zhang Jun doesn't rest, this will be solved perfectly!"

Forehead.

.

.

Monty Williams froze on the spot, not to mention that this was really the case.

Luo Yin can rest, Aldridge can rest, and Jarrett Jack can rest. As long as Zhang Jun doesn't rest, the Trail Blazers' offensive system can continue to operate.

This team can be missing anyone, but Zhang Jun cannot be missing.

His breakthrough and personal offense are the keys to the team's win.

.........

The Trail Blazers then began a large-scale rest period.

Luo Yin was first activated to the injured list and rested for 4 games. Then Aldridge also got 3 games of rest, and Jarrett Jack also got 2 games of rest.

Four of the Trail Blazers' starting five were rested, but Zhang Jun remained on the court.

This scene made Zhang Jun a little confused. Although this was his rookie season and he had been very excited and wanted to play the whole season, after all, this was a full 82 games, and even an iron man wanted to take a vacation.

Monty Williams came in time to guide Zhang Jun.

"You haven't been injured anyway, so you can play on the court while you are still young, and you have a high probability of winning the league's scoring title this season."

"If you think about it carefully, a player can win the NBA scoring title in his rookie season. What an incredible honor it is."

"While everyone is resting during this period, you attack the court with all your strength, and the whole game is yours to play."

Zhang Jun really wanted to say that I believe you, you are such a bad old man.

Even if he takes a few rests in the next few games, he still has every chance to win the league's scoring title. After all, he has been steadily beating James since the All-Star Game and has never fallen off the list.

So, this is how the coaching staff exploited him.

...........

April 16th.

The last game of the season.

Because there was only one game difference between the Spurs and the Spurs, Zhang Jun still led the team to play against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"After this game, the NBA regular season has officially ended, and the playoffs that everyone is looking forward to are about to come."

"For the Trail Blazers, they are about to have their best season in the past decade and enter the playoffs with the third-best record in the Western Conference."

"Zhang Jun has almost locked up the league's scoring title before this game. Unless LeBron James of the Cavaliers can score 68 points tonight, he will not be able to overtake Zhang Jun in scoring."

Kenny Smith said expectantly.

The league's scoring champion was won by a rookie this year. This is definitely an unprecedented thing.

Throughout the entire history of the NBA, only four players have done this in their rookie seasons. They are Joe Fulks in 1947, George Mikan in 1949, Wilt Chamberlain in 1955 and Earl in 1969. Vin Hayes.

The above are all ancient gods from many years ago. In the past few decades in the NBA, no player has ever been able to do this.

Barkley, who had been paying attention to the messages on his mobile phone, suddenly said: "It's already confirmed. The Cavaliers next door just finished the game, and James only scored 32 points. This means that no matter how many points Zhang Jun scores tonight, he can already lock in early." The scoring champion.”

"We can congratulate him."

"At the same time, I also received news that Zhang Jun, who is less than 21 years old, will be the youngest scoring champion in NBA history!"

On the court.

The Trail Blazers teammates also told Zhang Jun the good news, and Nate McMillan gave the latter a big hug.

"Congratulations, kid, for winning the first scoring trophy of your career."

"This is the most valuable trophy in the regular season besides the MVP trophy."

Zhang Jun accepted the congratulations from his teammates. Of course, the scoring trophy will be awarded a few days later.

At the same time, even some players from tonight's opponent, the Clippers, came over to congratulate Zhang Jun.

The Clippers have long been determined to miss the playoffs, but all of their core players are still on the field to participate in tonight's game. After all, after this game, their entire 2007-08 season is over.