Soul of the Golden State

Chapter 172
Monday, the 18th.

The Warriors ushered in a challenge from the Blazers at home.

In this game, Nelson did not let Mullin return to the starting lineup, but put him on the bench. Although Nelson repeatedly emphasized that it was for Mullin's physical considerations, Mullin's face was full of displeasure.

The Trail Blazers are not a weak team. Their strength is in the West, which is a frequent visitor to the playoffs.

But today, Mullin saw the lack of his own team and played brilliantly against the Trail Blazers, which made him feel an indescribable sense of loss.

In fact, it's not that he didn't pay attention to the Warriors' games during his days in the rehabilitation center, but unfortunately, he was really powerless.

At this time, the NBA doesn't broadcast every game, let alone all of them. Therefore, from the TV broadcast, he only saw five Warriors games.

There are wins and losses, good performances and bad performances. In short, it seems very general and there is no way to intuitively feel it.

And when he really sat on the sidelines and integrated into the team, he could clearly feel the growth of these young people. He has only been away for a month!
The sense of urgency from yesterday's house shooting competition struck again, making Mullin feel more and more that the month he delayed was too long.

Mullin came on the court with 3 minutes and 15 seconds left in the first quarter.

As a substitute for the first time this season, Mullin was warmly welcomed by the audience, which was unexpected by Mullin. He was shocked and grateful.

Although the Warriors officials have repeatedly announced that Mullin was forced to rest due to injuries, the journalists with great powers have already used various channels, and even lurked into the rehabilitation center to bribe the doctors and nurses in the center. Know the actual situation of Mullin.

Therefore, the whole world knows that Mullin entered the rehabilitation center for alcoholism, but the Warriors were stubborn and refused to admit it.

It's like knowing that Wang Shi refuses to admit that he lost the election.

Therefore, Mullin was very moved by the audience's tolerance and love for him. Amid the audience's applause, he trotted all the way and stepped into the stadium.

Mullin, who had been away from the game for a long time, was a little uncomfortable after all. During the rest of the first quarter, he didn't have too many opportunities to perform. He made 2 of 0 shots and shaved his head.

But in the second quarter, Mullin began to show his original strength. When the ball is in his hands, he can break through and organize. , Find the weak point of the opponent's defense, give the catch and shoot, and give the opponent a fatal blow.

Due to Mullin's sudden outburst, not only did he become the most eye-catching star in the second quarter, but also Li Weisi and Ma Long, who appeared on the stage in the second half of the second quarter, became supporting roles for a while, creating opportunities for Mullin.

Of course, the Blazers will not admit defeat. The team's top scorer Kiki Vandeweghe stepped forward and continued to use his precise mid-range shots to help the Blazers bite the score.

Even so, at halftime, the Blazers were still 60:64, four points behind.

In the third quarter, Li Weisi, who had been silent for the first half, finally began to show his fangs. In just 2 minutes, he hit three consecutive three-pointers, instantly opening the gap to more than 10 points.

It's this, that's the taste!

The fans at the scene cheered, and they finally felt the atmosphere that could ignite their passion again.

Since Mullin was unable to play, Li Weisi was under heavy supervision, making Li Weisi treated as the only ball-holding point on the court, and the defense was once extended beyond the three-point line.

Now, with Mu Lin's restraint, Li Weisi has gained a lot of space, especially for such multiple opportunities in a short period of time. Once Li Weisi grasps all of them, it will be a harbinger of waves.

The Blazers' new head coach this season, Mike Schuler, saw that the situation was wrong, and quickly called a timeout, which stopped the Warriors' superb performance.

After the game, Drexler was the one who stood out for the Blazers this time. However, he did not score by scoring, but by assisting.

Facing Hornacek's defense, Drexler continued to create opportunities for his teammates through sudden points, and whether it was Vandeweghe, Terry Porter or Kenny Kyle, they all seized the opportunities.

So the two sides held on with a point difference of about 8 points.

When it came to the transition again, without Li Weisi on the court, Mullin and Price perfectly became the engines on the Warriors' bench. The two teamed up and sent out 4 assists in just 6 minutes, further widening the gap again. .

And when the Trail Blazers started and returned to the court again, the point difference had reached 15 points, and they were almost crying.

After some struggles, the Blazers gave up the game and replaced all the starters with 3 minutes left in the game.

The final score was fixed at 103:116. The Warriors beat the Blazers by 13 points at home.

Mullin became the MVP of the game, played 25 minutes, scored 28 points and 8 assists, and his efficiency was extremely high.

Li Weisi played 30 minutes and scored 20 points and 6 assists. His performance was mediocre.

Malone played 34 minutes and scored 22 points and 12 rebounds, which is quite satisfactory.

On the other side, Vandeweghe scored a game-high 29 points, but unfortunately he successfully joined the empty cut group.

Drexler scored 16 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds. Kenny Kyle scored 12 points and 10 rebounds.

After the game, Mullin was chased and intercepted by reporters, and the microphone wanted to be stuffed into Mullin's mouth.

After all, Mullin is too topical. After experiencing setbacks, it is said that he was shot, and then returned to the game, staged the return of the king, a proper Hollywood script, the embodiment of the American dream, so frankly politically correct.

"Chris, can you tell us about your time in rehab?"

"Yeah, Chris, I heard that you were in the rehabilitation center and got involved in the conflict of the blood gang. You almost died. Can you tell us about it?"

"Mullin, I heard that you were also involved in the shooting and shot back. Is it true?"

Originally, Mullin came here enthusiastically, ready to be interviewed. After all, in the past, at such a bright moment, in which round would he get him, the third most popular fringe figure on the team.

However, this time it was finally his turn, but no reporter asked him about his performance on the court. Instead, they were all interested in his recovery experience, and even became more and more outrageous, and began to drag him into the shootout.

"I think everyone should focus on tonight's game. After all, I am a basketball player." Mullin couldn't help emphasizing.

It's a pity that no one paid attention to him at all, and continued to talk about those rumors, which made Mullin furious. Now there is great hope, 9 someone shouted at the scene, "Close the door and let West go", and he will clean up These reporters.

(End of this chapter)