New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum makes an emotional return to Portland
Published: March 30, 2022 US time
Publisher: ESPN
Article by Andrew López
Article translated by de Gaulle
On March 30, local time, the Pelicans went to Portland to challenge the Blazers on the road. In the second quarter, Pelicans guard C.J. McCollum was whistled by the referee for an offensive foul. After the referee made an offensive foul gesture, the entire Moda center instantly burst into boos. Apparently, the home fans did not approve of the referee's blow-off, and they felt that McCollum had not fouled.
The atmosphere is the same as it has been in the last 9 years. The only difference is that McCollum's jersey is no longer the Blazers' white, but the Pelicans' red. Since being sent to the Pelicans by the Blazers at the midseason trade deadline, this is the first time McCollum has faced his old club as an opponent.
"That's pure love, that's the love everybody gave me," McCollum said after the game, talking about the scene where Portland fans booed the referee for being blown offensive fouls. ”
After a slight pause, McCollum added: "I don't think that ball is an offensive foul either. When he finished, he showed his trademark smile again.
This scene in the second verse mentioned above is not the only warm moment of the night. In the game when McCollum returned to Portland, there were many similar scenes. Even before the game began, the Home fans at the Moda Center had begun to use their own ways to let McCollum know that the time he spent here had left a very deep mark.
First of all, in the pre-match warm-up stage, when McCollum appeared from the players' tunnel, the fans who arrived early stood up and gave him applause and cheers. When introducing the away team's starting lineup before the game, the Pelicans' other four starters received mostly boos, and the home announcer deliberately left McCollum in the last introduction, in order to let him receive the "return gift" he deserved. Larry Nance Jr., who played for the Blazers and now joins the Pelicans, also kept raising his arms on the sidelines, signaling for fans to give McCollum a little more.
"It was really continuous," McCollum said after the game, "and it felt like the national anthem was playing later, the fans were still cheering me, and I could hear the letters coming out from time to time." It's really cool, and I really appreciate everyone, with a feeling of gratitude. All of them showed a lot of love. ”
Although "people walking in the tea" is the norm in the world, McCollum's experience of playing and playing here since he was selected by the Blazers in 2013 has made him and Portland fans very strongly linked. In addition, before and after McCollum left Portland this time, there was no pressure on the palace or other discordant voices like other stars, and more or the "peaceful breakup" between the two sides under the condition of reason, so there was a concentrated outbreak of strong emotions when he returned to Portland. This sentiment is both nostalgia for McCollum and nostalgia for the Blazers' good old days over the past 9 years.
In a business field with frequent personnel changes in the NBA, such scenes and emotions seem so rare and valuable. Pelicans head coach Willie Green described it as a "beautiful" scene when he mentioned such a scene after the game. "This kind of scene in itself speaks to C.J. as a person, and what he means to this team, to the fans and the people here, and it will also remind everyone of what C.J. means to this team, and his contribution to the community here, the way he treats everyone," Green said. ”
Although there are many good memories in portland in the past, this time seeing the old owner also received a warm welcome. But after all, McCollum is no longer a member of the Blazers, and the best way to show respect is to give their best on the court. So McCollum was furious from the start of the game, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and ending up with a game-high 25 points, leading the team to beat the Blazers with a score of 117 to 107.
However, the pelicans' process of winning this game was full of twists and turns. Although McCollum played well in the first quarter, the Blazers' recent signing of the Ubanks also has a very good competitive state. Throughout the first half, the Blazers were able to maintain a slight lead, until the second half of the third quarter, the pelicans, who were relatively stronger overall, slowly regained the initiative.
"It was tough, I did play well in the opening, but then I got a little tired," McCollum said, "and I was almost going to have a no-go at the time of the free throws." I feel like I'm being squeezed out, both physically and mentally, so there's a lot of stuff you need to overcome in the race. Then I tried to pick myself up and keep my race pace before I slowly got the game back. ”
Two minutes and 59 seconds before the finale, McCollum hit a three-pointer to help the Pelicans widen the gap to the largest 13 points in the game, and basically announced that the game was decided. After he threw that goal, there was a sigh at home, followed by applause and cheers. Such emotional ups and downs exist in the hearts of every Blazers fan, and naturally also exist in the minds of McCollum. "For C.J., he obviously felt all sorts of emotional shocks in this game," Blazers' Ubanks said, "and he still shot a lot of goals because he's such a great player." ”
Regardless of the mood, McCollum and the Pelicans took a victory from Portland. Every win counts at a crucial moment in the race for play-off tickets. The day before the Pelicans' game against the Trail Blazers, the Lakers lost to the Lone Rangers on the road and slipped to 11th place in the West. On the day of the Pelicans' game against the Trail Blazers, the Spurs missed a deadlock and returned the 10th place in the West to the Lakers. But the two teams lost consecutively, allowing the Pelicans, who beat the Blazers, to further extend their lead. After this game, the Pelicans led the Lakers by 1.5 wins and two wins ahead of the Spurs, and the playoffs were getting closer and closer to them.
The game against the Trail Blazers was the first of four consecutive road trips for the Pelicans. In the next three games, they will challenge the Lakers, Clippers and Kings. McCollum has also packed up his mood and is ready to start the next game. "I think we're already eyeing the next city," McCollum said, "and we're going to try to win more before the dust settles." ”