The Way of the Center

Is it Durant or O'Neal? Or Anjie or Westbrook? Everyone is guessing who will score first in the second quarter, but no one expected that Matt Barnes killed from these people. 【】

Barnes' offensive desire is extremely strong. Now that Nash is not there, only Stedmire and O'Neal are among the starters. Matt Barnes, as a small forward, obviously dominates the ball much more times.

Terry Porter undoubtedly used Stoudemire and O'Neal as the core of the offense on the field, but Matt Barnes took the lead and took the Suns' offensive power.

Due to Grant Hill's comeback, Barnes, who had been performing well before, lost his starting position. He didn't feel that he was inferior to Hill in any way. Maybe that guy used to be very brilliant, but now, this old guy should give up his starting position!

Barnes seized every opportunity to prove himself. The current Grant Hill has almost no breakthrough ability and can only be used as a peripheral fortress. He doesn't believe that he will be inferior to such an old guy.

Although O'Neill and Stoudemire were very upset by Barnes's going his own way, the surprise is that Barnes can really score today.

Although he didn't play according to the tactics, Barnes still scored a lot of points with his personal ability. Facing this guy who suddenly exploded, Durant actually felt a little strenuous.

"No one came to pick and roll for him, but Barnes doesn't seem to expect others to support him! He is used to solving problems alone!" From entering the NBA to now, Barnes has moved to six teams! In most teams, this guy who plays dirty and has a bad temper is not very well received by his teammates and coaches. He has long been used to the cold eyes of O'Neal and Stoudemire.

Relying on speed and body to forcibly break through Durant, Durant kept moving without daring to foul.

After breaking through to the free throw line and one step in, Barnes suddenly jumped high and made an emergency stop jump shot!

Similar to Westbrook, Barnes's shooting height is much higher than normal people, so he also has the same disadvantage as Westbrook, that is, his shooting is not stable enough.

But today, this guy has hit three goals in a row, and no one will question his touch today.

Has been so deep, Durant did not think that Barnes would choose a stop jumper. Although he tried his best to interfere with the jump, he was still a little slower.

Barnes threw the ball over Durant's long arm. It felt good, and Barnes knew there was a good chance it would be another goal.

Just as the basketball was flying towards the hoop,

Behind Durant, a guy in a white jersey suddenly rushed up, it was An Jie!

An Jie took off across Durant. He had been staring at Barnes for a long time, so when he saw Barnes about to shoot, An Jie immediately chose to jump over.

After passing Durant, Barnes did not expect his shot to be blocked by the Eastern Tower.

An Jie gathered up all his strength, and with a hard shot, the basketball fan flew directly beyond the three-point line!

"Oh my god! Beautiful block! Anjie completed the block through Durant!"

Anjie's block completely stopped Barnes' offensive momentum, and at the same time sounded the Thunder's offensive horn!

Westbrook took off and grabbed the flying basketball. Facing the empty Suns half court, Westbrook knew that his best offensive opportunity had come!

"Westbrook is advancing fast! Although the Suns are a team with a very fast offensive rhythm, but now, their speed is completely incomparable with Westbrook!" Mike Breen was stunned by the wonderful game No chance at all.

Westbrook sprinted at full speed. As soon as one foot took a big step inside the free throw line, he slammed on the ground. Holding the ball with one hand, he stretched his body in the air, and then exerted force with his arms and waist at the same time, pushing The basketball slammed into the hoop hard.

"Oh my God! Top 10 shots! Perfect distance and power! 10! 10 for this dunk!"

Westbrook yelled at the cheering fans for a while before turning back to defend. He glanced at An Jie, and pointed to An Jie with both hands to express his gratitude.

Seeing that the young Thunder's three young men were gaining momentum, Terry Porter hurriedly called a timeout. He was about to bring the main lineup to the field.

The starting five Tigers of the Suns made their debut again, which stabilized the situation with tacit offensive cooperation and tough defense. In two rounds, the Suns tied the 4-point difference.

In the third attack, O'Neal beckoned for the ball. Anjie knew that O'Neal's force would be very sudden, so he immediately stabilized the chassis and supported O'Neal's fat waist with both hands.

Sure enough, Nash hit the ground pass after a breakthrough, allowing the Sharks to launch an offensive again.

Before O'Neal received the ball, Anjie had already started to exert strength, and he tried hard to push the meat mountain out. The result, of course, is that O'Neal still received the basketball without moving, but he lost his offensive rhythm due to Anjie's interference.

There was no way to make that sudden and quick turn around again, it didn't matter, O'Neal patted the basketball unhurriedly, he was about to start hitting his back!

Most center forwards of Anjie's size can't stand O'Neal hitting a few times, but Anjie was so tough that O'Neal was a little surprised!

"Boom!" O'Neill was still going backwards with all his strength, and An Jie felt his entire body go numb!

After entering the three-second zone, O'Neal turned around again, this time with a hook!

Although An Jie retreated again and again, he was not knocked out of his defensive position. The old shark's speed was relatively slow, but An Jie, who was nervous, reacted quickly.

As soon as O'Neill made a hook, the focused Anjie jumped up like a conditioned reflex.

The defensive height is really no worse than that of Yao Ming. This is O'Neill's evaluation of Anjie's defense this time.

"Crack!" Anjie knocked the basketball away before O'Neal made a shot. Six years ago, with the same offense and the same defense, Yao Ming used the same method to get his first block on O'Neal. O'Neill couldn't be more familiar with this feeling, it's like history repeating itself!

O'Neill did not speak this time, did not have a hippie smile, did not provoke. He bit his lips tightly and quickly chased after him. He started to look An Jie squarely!

Westbrook is still the Thunder's fast break arrow figure, but this time Stoudemire did not let him do so. The bully's interception directly knocked Westbrook out of the bottom line, and also applied for a "rest opportunity" for a foul.

"Anjie once again ended the Suns' offense with a block, and Westbrook once again seized the opportunity to complete the counterattack. The Thunder is undoubtedly the biggest winner in this year's draft!" Incredible two rookies, they are together The power that bursts out when playing is stronger than before. Anjie and Westbrook are definitely a living example where 1+1 is greater than 2.

Those who watched last year's NCAA Top 16 may have expected the current situation. Two tit-for-tat strongest players are playing on one team, even in the NBA they can play well. It is precisely because they have experienced each other's strength as opponents that they will trust each other even more after becoming teammates.

Both on and off the court, Westbrook and Angie have been able to rest their backs on each other. Anjie knew that as long as he could complete the block, then Westbrook would definitely make the Thunder counterattack! And Westbrook doesn't need to shrink the penalty area. He knows that as long as he stands in a good position outside, the Chinese will definitely give him a chance.

After Stoudemire fouled again, his foul count has accumulated to three times. Jeff Van Gundy wouldn't let the message go. When Westbrook made a free throw, Van Gundy beckoned Durant to the sidelines, and the two whispered something.

"The boss said, find Stoudemire to kill, Ann, if possible, the boss hopes you can take the initiative to add a few fouls to him." Durant conveyed Van Gundy's meaning on the court, Anjie Durant and Van Gundy already knew their diving skills well. When An Jie used flops for the first time before, Durant thought that An Jie was really knocked down, so he nervously went to help An Jie. But now that An Jie fell to the ground again, Durant's support was just acting together.

After several failures and one success, Anjie has gradually adapted to O'Neal's offense. But the legendary center is always a legend. No matter how hard Anjie tries, O'Neal can always find a way to score.

Even the shark hacking tactic has lost its effect today.

In the second quarter, O'Neal made 4 of 6 free throws. This shooting percentage is already a disadvantage for the Thunder.

Even facing Howard, An Jie didn't feel how strenuous he was. Only when facing Yao Ming and O'Neal, Anjie will always be at a disadvantage. Maybe this is the power of an excellent traditional center.

However, O'Neal's defense against Anjie's offense did not show an overwhelming advantage. In the second half, he got his wish and confronted Anjie several times head-on. O'Neal, who was not as flexible as before, now has no quick steps and reactions, and has become a purely large-tonnage tank-type center. An Jie happened to use softness to overcome rigidity, and used his footsteps to sneak around O'Neill's armpit with his arms raised high, and got many opportunities.

O'Neill and Anjie, both sides can be said to be unable to guard against each other. The only breakthrough that can be found now is Stoudemire's point. As long as Stoudemar can be pressed on the bench, the Suns will be greatly affected both offensively and defensively.

The serious O'Neal was still efficient in the second quarter, and the direct confrontation between Anjie and O'Neal also made the audience feel refreshed.

55 to 60, the Thunder suffered a loss from Barnes who came out halfway in this quarter. Jeff Van Gundy did not formulate any defensive strategy against Barnes. This is also an unexpected blow. The difference should be smaller.

As soon as the second half came up, Anjie didn't organize anymore, but went inside to fight with O'Neal.

"Why are you so active!?" O'Neal knew that Anjie was not the Thunder's first choice offensively. His active inside positions rarely appeared, and Durant and Westbrook occupied more of them most of the time. shot power and offensive initiative.

The drunkard's intention was not to drink, and Anjie came to the inside and spared no effort to fight the big shark. The purpose was not to score, but to create opportunities for Westbrook and Durant to kill Stoudemire. As long as O'Neal can be contained successfully, the person who defends the basket must be the impulsive bully.

"Fourth foul! Stoudemire was looking for the referee to reason. There is nothing to reason about this ball. He directly knocked Westbrook to the ground, and all the cameras captured this scene."

Seeing this, O'Neill understood Anjie's intentions, but it was too late. In order to protect Stoudemire, Terry Porter had to take him down temporarily, disrupting the regular rotation. Louis Admondson, who was beaten helplessly by Anjie in the first half, stepped in. For some reason, Terry Porter didn't seem to like Robin Lopez very much. It must have been caused by Robin's underperformance for a while. But in An Jie's eyes, Robin is much better than this Edmondson.

Now inside, no one will bother Anjie and O'Neill. The performance of the two of them directly determines the situation of the two teams inside. Whether it is Anjie or O'Neal, they are a big obstacle on the offensive line of the two teams. Whoever can open the inside line earlier will have the opportunity to win.

After Stoudemire left the field, Anjie lightly hammered his chest to give himself strength. After so much foreshadowing, the most difficult battle for insiders between him and O'Neill is about to begin! (To be continued.)