The Way of the Center

o.j. Mayo thought he was dazzled after seeing the expressions of the Thunder players. During the warm-up, all the Thunder players who were listless during the warm-up were all bright and murderous at the moment.

"Hmph, is the imposing aura useful?" O.J. Mayo was not in the least intimidated by the Thunder's aura. No matter how imposing they are, the incomplete lineup cannot change the fact. The Grizzlies lineup is quite complete, and the number of players who can play is as many as 11. He didn't think Lei Ting, who was short of major generals, could win against him.

FedEx Arena, where the Grizzlies have had a rough season.

Tanhua O.J Mayo was selected, Mike Conley, who was selected with the fourth overall pick last year, began to emerge, this year's ncaa champion Darrell Arthur joined strongly, "European Moving Castle" Gasol Jr. was born, plus Rudy Gay, an all-around small forward who has proven himself.

Looking at these names, Grizzlies fans were full of hope for this season. Unexpectedly, the cruel reality shattered the dreams of the fans, with 15 wins and 42 losses, ranking second to last in the Western Conference. This is what the above-mentioned guys brought to the Grizzlies.

Because of the poor results, every time there is a chance to win, these guys from the Grizzlies will frantically fight for it.

After losing to the Thunder several times in a row before, O.J. Mayo was not convinced at all. He didn't think that he, a former No. 1 candidate, would be worse than Westbrook and Anjie. Fortunately, without the core Durant, O.J. Mayo is ready to flex his muscles in this game and revenge the Thunder!

Before the game, An Jie and Gasol also greeted each other friendly, but as soon as they stood on the middle circle, An Jie looked at Gasol in a different way.

This is a professional player, everyone can be friends off the court. But once on the field, even brothers must treat each other as enemies!

The referee threw the ball up high, An Jie's eyes were focused, and his legs exerted force like a conditioned reflex. Height, wingspan, and jump lead in all directions, which makes Anjie rarely lose in the scrimmage.

"The game begins! Although Durant is missing, I still look forward to the Thunder's performance! Can Westbrook and Anjie take on the big responsibilities? Let's wait and see!" Mike Brin never would He was sent by ESPN to explain the games of two teams outside the playoffs, but now, the charm of the Thunder made Mike Brin unable to bear the initiative to apply for the role of commentator. He just wanted to know how much the potential Thunder could do.

Due to Durant's injury, Van Gundy's starting lineup changed again.

The point guard is still Westbrook, and the shooting guard continues to use Kyle Weaver, who has performed well. This guard line composed of two rookies made Grizzlies coach Lionel.. Hollins very afraid.

At the small forward position, Van Gundy sent the Swiss who sent the lore in the game against the Mavericks, Thabo Sefoloza. Although Sefoloza's first position is the second position, his tough style of play and height of 2.01 meters allow him to play in the third position with ease.

As for the power forward, Van Gundy mentioned Krstic to the starting position. When Anjie was double-teamed, Krstic’s shooting will undoubtedly help the team out of the predicament, and Anjie’s defense can also make up for Krstic’s protection. Insufficient inside ability.

The lineup that Van Gundy came up with is not comparable to the Grizzlies on paper.

But basketball is not a simple board game. Players are real people, not a set of rigid data.

From the start of the game, Westbrook was quite active. He frequently played singles with the ball and was completely liberated.

Before Durant was there, he had to take second place and become the team's second offensive point. But when Durant was injured, he had more opportunities to attack with the ball.

It's not that he doesn't want to share the ball with An Jie. The main reason is that although An Jie scores a lot in every game, he doesn't take many shots. So as soon as the game started, Westbrook decided to attack first.

For the fourth time, Westbrook got the ball in front of Mike Conley. But this time Conley didn't post it. He suddenly switched places with O.J. Mayo, making these two competing guys match up!

Mayo can become a No. 3 show, and it is impossible to do this without some strength. His active defense made Westbrook lose his offensive rhythm. Watching Anjie start leaning on Marc Gasol for a position, Westbrook knew it was time to hand over the ball.

Westbrook retreated under his crotch, and Mayo thought he was going to make room for a sprint to break through. Unexpectedly, Westbrook took off directly, passed the ball over O.J. Mayo's head, and sent it to Anjie.

"Anjie held the ball in the low post for the first time today! Durant is not here, will he continue to organize or attack by himself!?"

When Durant was around, it was Anjie's responsibility to pass the ball. When Durant is gone, Anjie's responsibility has changed from passing to scoring!

If An Jie still passes the ball blindly at this time, it is not selflessness, but evasion of responsibility.

Anjie works hard! From the very beginning, he planned to confront Marc Gasol head-on in the low post!

With a weight of 120 kg and a height of 2.16 meters, Marc Gasol is definitely a representative of European heavy centers. Since he is a heavy center, it is naturally impossible to be easily shaken by An Jie.

"It was definitely a wrong decision for An Jie to fight back with Mark. An Jie has no advantage in terms of weight or strength." Some commentators immediately questioned An Jie's approach. Only Mike Brin did not comment on An Jie, he knew that the Chinese must have other methods.

It is not the first time that Anjie has played against Gasol Jr. Although Anjie does not have an advantage in terms of weight and strength, Anjie is better than Jr. Gasol in terms of flexibility and mobility.

"Ann turned around directly! Marc Gasol's feet moved too slowly! An Jie rushed past him with ease!"

Anjie's swift transfer to Gasol was caught off guard, and he quickly used his body to block Anjie's breakthrough route, but he couldn't keep up with Anjie's rhythm because his feet moved slowly.

After Anjie turned around and broke through, he was ready to dunk with both hands. Marc Gasol would naturally not give up easily. At 2.16 meters, he straightened his arms, intending to prevent Anjie from behind to complete the dunk.

But Anjie's wingspan is longer than that of his brother Pau Gasol. When training with his brother, Mark may be able to block shots in this situation, but facing the taller Anjie, his blocking But he failed to take the basketball away, but hit An Jie on the back of his hand.

"Bang!" Although the ball was fouled, An Jie continued to strengthen his arm. Under the interference of Gasol, he dunked the ball vigorously!

"Ah!" An Jie twisted his body on the basket, and yelled when he landed. In the FedEx Arena, Anjie was more like an angry grizzly bear! At this moment, he is just like the team logo of the Grizzlies, grinning and full of murderous aura!

An Jie's yelling was not aimed at anyone, it was purely a way of venting his emotions.

"Anjie will be useless if he leaves Durant and Westbrook." Although he did not respond, the fans' doubts on the Internet are all in the eyes of Anjie.

"An Jie! It's too strong!" Mike Breen couldn't believe that the person who made such a move would be an Asian player.

Although Yao Ming can also frequently hit wonderful goals, his reaction after scoring is usually very "docile". But An Jie is different. This guy has a lot of tricks on the court, and he doesn't lose to his opponents in trash talk. When it's time to roar, An Jie will never restrain himself.

What Mike Breen saw in An Jie was a powerful insider with a fierce temperament!

Tiffany Giardina also waved her small fist following Anjie's roar. Anjie's tough performance just now caused a little turmoil in Giardina's heart. The big man roaring towards the auditorium has completely attracted Giardina's attention.

Why? Why is this sport so attractive, and why do I pay special attention to this Chinese who is not handsome, but looks very fierce on the contrary?

The mind of a 16-year-old girl, even if she has become a star, will not change.

The extra penalty was hit steadily. After Anjie scored 2+1 this time, the Thunder's lead has become 7 points.

Anjie showed super aggressiveness in the first offense. In the following time, Westbrook also gave Anjie enough face, giving up the ball frequently, and giving Anjie singles in the low post and Gasol. Opportunity.

"Another foul! Marc Gasol has to pay attention to the number of fouls he has! Even if he can't stop Anjie without fouling, it is not wise to send Anjie to the free throw line. Anjie's 86.4% His free throw percentage ranks 14th in the NBA only behind his compatriot Yao Ming!"

Sure enough, after tricking Gasol into another foul, Anjie's free throws were as stable as ever.

"Spread your legs a little more! You don't have to raise your hands very high! Everyone's shooting habits are different, and you don't have to follow mine! Very good! Come again!" When he was in the Cyclones, Divac's shooting action gave him An Jie has been in the class for a long time, and their efforts are not in vain. Now is the time to reap the benefits.

Two free throws were made, and the point difference was further expanded!

The Thunder's incomplete lineup made the Grizzlies think that Anjie and Westbrook were all threats to the Thunder.

It's a pity that although An Jie has increased his number of shots, it doesn't mean that he can only score blindly. Under Anjie's exquisite distribution of ball rights, the incomplete Thunder actually played a lot of blooming performances!

"Kyle Weaver received a pass from Angie! A three-pointer! Another direct connection between two first-year rookies of the Thunder. Weaver has scored five points with two shots! Hollins The coach has to adjust their defensive strategy, he put too much energy on Angie and Westbrook!"

Unity, and it doesn't just show up during the pre-match pep talk. On the court, this will still benefit the Thunder.

Although Angie and Westbrook played well, they are still willing to share the ball with their teammates.

After the Grizzlies shifted their defensive focus to Anjie and Westbrook, Weaver and Sefolosha undoubtedly became the biggest beneficiaries.

"Sefoloza scored two points from a long distance! Hit again! After the lore in the last game, Sefoloza is already a pure Thunder player, and the running-in between him and the new system is perfect!"

At this point in the game, everyone has forgotten that the Thunder is a team that has just lost its core.

Anjie's leadership made everyone ignore this fact. In other words, Anjie has fulfilled Durant's core duties on the court very well! Therefore, the fans will not see anything unusual about the Thunder.

29 to 17, at the home court of the Grizzlies, the Thunder turned away and played brilliantly at United Express Stadium.

Rudy Gay scored one point in the first quarter, O.J. Mayo scored two points, and Marc Gasol scored two points. Looking at the data of these three people, you can probably guess that the Grizzlies played well in the first quarter. How embarrassing.

"9 points and 5 rebounds! As a center, An Jie firmly holds the situation on the field in his own hands! Coach Jeff Van Gundy's choice of the second core after losing Durant is right. Center first!"

Dominance, when Anjie's role became the core of the team again, his dominance was unreservedly displayed. (To be continued.)