CJ McCollum glanced up at the timer, waved his teammates to pull away, took the ball from the top of the arc, and began to attack.
Only to see him dribbling the ball in his crotch continuously, suddenly a pendulum swing, pinning the opposing defense of his Kelden Johnson in place, accelerating into the box, facing the defender Ofel, air confrontation, pull bar, high rubbing board to wipe the ball into the basket.
Pelicans fans were ignited by this wonderful goal and stood up to applaud and cheer for the new city hero in front of them, as if they had won the game.
In fact, the scene only happened in the second quarter of today's Pelicans-Spurs playoff, when McCollum's goal gave the team a double-digit lead of 61-50 with 11.5 seconds to the end of the half. In this quarter, he has scored 19 points, hit all seven shots, and missed all three free throws.
Throughout the first half, McCollum scored 27 points, while all five of the Spurs' starters scored only 25 points in total, setting the tone for the "win or go home" life and death battle.
McCollum is no stranger to the playoffs, scoring 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting in Orlando two years ago to help the Blazers beat the Grizzlies 126-122 to get their final playoff spot. Therefore, compared with the opponents around him, including those standing opposite, he is obviously more calm and self-assured.
In fact, mcCollum has never missed a playoff in the previous 8 years of his career. From the official start of the 2015-16 season to the end of the Pelicans on February 9 this year, his golden double gun with Damien Lillard has always been Portland's golden sign.
So it's not hard to understand why Lillard admitted in a recent interview: "I feel a little jealous to see him play so happily with other players. ”
The collaboration between McCollum and Lillard allowed the Blazers to firmly hold a fixed place in the "Wild West" for many years in a row, and although they never reached the Finals, it could not be called a failure in any case. McCollum's trailblazer career is far more proud than lost.
But basketball and life, different stages, there will be different goals and pursuits, you always have to face some crossroads, decide whether to go in another direction, and the partners around you, may also part ways.
Lillard is reluctant to McCollum because he is a "true friend", but he also has to admit that the deal gives the team the flexibility and space to get a real boost.
McCollum, on the other hand, has also been given the opportunity to prove himself further — he's averaged more than 20 points per game over the past seven seasons, and his team has made the playoffs every year, but he's been living in Lillard's shadow, never been selected as an All-Star, and many have even blamed the Blazers for failing to be true contenders.
It was a perfect opportunity.
The deal preceded the pelicans' seemingly doomed season, with frequent offseason moves, bringing in Valanciunas and Graham, and poaching Willie Green from the coaching staff of the Western Conference champions Suns to build a playoff team around two young stars, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
However, Zion's comeback due to a foot injury has been delayed again and again, and he has not played in any game throughout the season, and the Pelicans started with a 1-12 loss and were deeply mired in the quagmire. When on January 6, ESPN's famous Wooj broke the news that Zion's recovery process was not going well and had left the team for rehabilitation alone, even the most die-hard fans no longer had any hope for this season.
Against this backdrop, McCollum arrived in New Orleans as a savior, and after a brief run-in, led the Pelicans to a tight chain and began to sprint towards the playoffs.
Statistics: Before the trade was made to McCollum, the Pelicans only achieved a 22-32 performance, with a winning percentage of 40.7%. And after the transaction, they won 14 and lost 14, with a 50% win rate. If you take The All-Star Weekend as the dividing point, the Pelicans' record in the second half of the season is 13-10.
Of particular note is that this is also the result achieved after Missing 13 games due to injury after indieve the Ingram All-Star. In fact, in the 10 games in which Ingram and McCollum played at the same time after the All-Star, the Pelicans' record was an impressive 8-2.
After the introduction of McClem, the Pelicans' all-new starting combination (with Ingram, Valanciunas, Jones and Hayes) played a total of 142 minutes together, during which they could shoot 122.6 points per 100 possessions and 8.2 points per 100 possessions. Since Feb. 15, they've had five games with a margin of over 30 points, more than the total number of games in any season in the team's history!
Of course, basketball is never a simple statistic, and all of this data is the result of the combination of many factors behind it. McCollum's leadership is one of them.
The successful collaboration with Ingram is a good example. McCollum and Ingram are both offensive players with the ball, so after the deal, the first thing coach Green has to think about is figuring out how to get the two people to adapt to each other and succeed at the same time.
On the final night before the end of the All-Star break, McCollum, Ingram and Green had a small dinner together, when McCollum had played five games for the new team, but the Pelicans only had a 1-4 win and they clearly had some problems to solve.
During dinner, McCollum told Ingram that he wanted the two men to be able to keep up to face each other at all times and looked forward to using whatever possible opportunity to discuss how to play well together.
Later, all three admitted on different occasions that the meeting had become a key turning point. Ingram was more blunt: "Everything he (McCollum) says has had a big impact on me, everything he's been through in this league, his views on the game, he says I can communicate with him in any way I want, all of that, it's really helpful to me. ”
The data confirms that instead of clashing between McCollum and Ingram, they make each other better:
Since joining the Pelicans, McCollum has averaged 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 49.3 percent from the field, all career-highs. On his side, Ingram also played quite comfortably, averaging 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in 15 games when the two men played at the same time, shooting 49.4% from the field.
Playing the Spurs today, McCollum carried the team on his shoulders when Ingram suffered foul trouble in the first half. In the second half, McCollum's hand slipped, and Ingram stepped forward again, shooting 6-of-9 and scoring 14 points at halftime. In the final five minutes of the game, when the tenacious Spurs narrowed the point gap to just 6 points, it was Ingram who hit two consecutive hits to re-stabilize the situation.
After beating the Spurs, the Pelicans will have one more win to make the playoffs, and their next opponent, the Clippers led by Paul George, is destined to be an uphill battle.
But regardless of the outcome of the game against the Clippers, McCollum has turned the Pelicans around. A few months ago, they were a disappointing team, their young core repeatedly injured, and the tension with the team, at any time could brew a palace farce.
And now, they have a calm leader, two young stars with unlimited potential, and a group of energetic newcomers. By the start of the 2022-23 season, their goal should already be not only to make the playoffs, but also to go far in the playoffs.