The Way of the Center

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Back hit, back turn, step back, jump shot. The basketball crossed a perfect arc and fell straight into the net.

Back hit, back turn, step back, jump shot. An Jie picked up the basketball on the ground and repeated the action again, tirelessly.

"I can't do it, take a break." Thunder trainer David Mason put down the big cushion in his hand, and had one-on-one back training with An Jie, which was the most torturous.

Angie tossed a bottle of Gatorade to his trainer, then picked up the basketball by himself and started working on mid-range shots.

After arriving in the United States and seeing so many high-level players, An Jie did not dare to relax himself in training every day. He was afraid that if he was in a daze, he would be surpassed by others.

An Jie is indeed talented, but as talented as him is everywhere in the United States. But his diligence is very rare.

The last game will determine whether the Thunder will take an early vacation or go to the playoffs. An Jie practiced non-stop to maintain his touch, hoping that he would not perform abnormally in this crucial battle.

...................

Giardina had a hard time figuring out what the word "playoffs" meant. At first, she thought that the NBA, like those European football leagues, relied on the points system to determine the champion. did not expect. This long 82-long regular season is just a warm-up for the playoffs.

"So, this 82nd game is very important to Ann?" Giardina looked at Wikipedia's explanation, and then checked the record of the Thunder. She couldn't help but want to watch the game live up.

Giardina picked up the phone at hand and called Abrahi.

"Hey, Mr. Abrahim, let's discuss something with you..."

...................................

Catherine got up early, and Anjie had a key game today, but she seemed even more nervous than Anjie.

In the past, she couldn't figure out why her father was so fanatical about basketball, but now, she can be regarded as one of them.

Out-and-out fans too.

Today is not the weekend, and Catherine has to go to school. But thinking of the crucial battle at night,

Catherine had no intention of listening to the class at all.

She hopes to see An Jie win, because she knows that her big boy is good enough.

...................

"That boy Stoudemire better stop touching you, or he will suffer next season!" Morris waved his thick arm at the phone. Compared with a year ago, the already strong Morris Now stronger again.

"Oh, don't grab the boss, wait until I finish." On the other side, Ricard couldn't wait to have a conversation with his favorite student. The tense NAA season is over again, and he finally has the opportunity to relax and pay attention to An Jie's game.

"Okay, Morris, let's talk about it when you come to the NBA. By the way, have you finalized your manager's affairs?" Like Jay, after the March Madness tournament ended, Morris also received a lot of self-recommended text messages from managers.

"The boss introduced one to me. I heard that it is his college classmate. We will start negotiations the day after tomorrow." Unlike An Jie, Morris does not have a huge Chinese market behind him. Therefore, big-name managers generally will not find players with little reputation like Morris.

"I can also tell Mr. Moslav, if I trust him, then you can trust him too." Anxin thought that Moslav's connections and business methods were better than Ricard's college classmates. Although Rickard is also kind, but for someone as young as him, how deep is his classmate qualifications?

"It would be great if I could." One more choice is not a bad thing for Morris.

"Okay, Ann, let me tell you, I have been researching for a long time, and the Suns will definitely slow down the pace tonight to improve the success rate. They know that you are the one who is impatient, so you have to pay special attention to this game For the defense of the penalty area, O'Neal and Stoudemire are the choices with the highest success rate at the basket!" Ricard grabbed the phone and habitually explained the tactics to Anjie.

An Jie laughed loudly while listening to the phone, and for a moment, he seemed to be back in college.

"You fucking run for me! Don't stand still and watch! Only when you run up can Ann's ball pass!" In An Jie's mind, he recalled Ricard's three words that could not be separated. A foul yell.

"Okay, let's not talk about it, I have to go to the training ground. I hope that by this time tomorrow, we are preparing for the playoffs!"

...................................

Jeff Van Gundy was watching the tape of the last game of the Suns. He was wearing a blanket and had drunk dozens of cups of coffee. His two eye circles were as black as the coffee in the cup, showing exhaustion.

The office on the basement floor was completely enclosed and had no windows, so Jeff Van Gundy couldn't see the sky at all and didn't know the time. It wasn't until he heard the sound of hitting the ball from the training ground that his thoughts finally escaped from the game video.

"It's already morning!?" Van Gundy looked at the watch on his wrist, it was 7 o'clock.

Walking out of the office under a blanket, Van Gundy couldn't keep his eyes open due to the white lights in the training ground.

"Ann?" Van Gundy, who was blinded by the shaking, didn't know who was on the court.

"It's my boss, you stayed in the office all night again!? Didn't I tell you to go to bed earlier when I left yesterday?" An Jie put down the basketball and walked towards Jeff Van Gundy.

I don't have much hair, and I stay up late day after day. An Jie shook his head. Compared with this guy, he was a workaholic.

"We have a game tonight, Boss, how are you directing us tonight?" An Jie helped Van Gundy to sit back in the office.

"Just take some time to sleep at noon later." Van Gundy waved his hand, disapproving. At the beginning, he almost became a commentator because it was too hard to be the head coach of an NBA team.

But once sitting in this position again, Van Gundy will not give himself an easy chance at all.

"Go to sleep, Boss, just take Alton with us during the day's adaptive training." An Jie looked at the TV screen on Van Gundy's desk, and it turned out to be the Suns game video.

Seeing that Van Gundy did not respond, An Jie turned his head and looked, Jeff Van Gundy had already fallen asleep leaning on the chair.

Angie tidied Van Gundy's blanket to make sure his head coach wouldn't catch a cold, then walked out of the office and continued playing.

A mere regular season, many teams don't take it seriously. They have either secured a playoff berth or already started preparing for a vacation. But in Oklahoma City, this group of young and old, until the 82nd game, is still fighting.

If Carlesimo hadn't dug a ten-game losing streak for the Thunder at the beginning of the season, maybe they wouldn't have to work so hard now. Who can say anything about basketball.

Both the training ground and the official competition ground are in one building. So the Thunder players can be said to have started preparing for this game early in the morning.

If they lose, they will have to play 82 more games next year, and they may not necessarily be able to enter the playoffs. If they win, they will shock the entire league and become the biggest dark horse of the season. There is no doubt that everyone is willing to choose the second path, so everyone is very serious today, and there is less joking than usual.

It was five o'clock in the afternoon when Van Gundy was woken up again. I have to admit that he was so exhausted last night that he couldn't wake up at all.

"Boss, it's time for us to go up." An Jie pointed to the official competition venue on the upper floor of the training hall.

"God, damn it." The first thing Van Gundy did after waking up was to check his watch.

"It's so late!" He hurriedly washed his face and brushed his teeth, put on a suit and tie, and smoothed out his thinning hair by the way. No matter how the night before was spent, he was never half-sloppy about his image in public.

As soon as Van Gundy opened the office door, the entire Thunder team was waiting for him at the door.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, waiting for their leader to give orders.

"Papa!" Van Gundy clapped his palms, and he himself became more energetic because of this move.

"Let's go! Let's get the tickets!" Van Gundy yelled, and the huge training ground was full of his echoes. The players bumped each other's fists one by one, fighting for each other.

Giardina sat in the audience early, and Presti personally came down to thank her for coming.

Catherine rejected all friends' invitations to go shopping together. She and Big Beard closed their doors and suspended their business. The father and daughter didn't want to be disturbed by anyone this evening.

Ricard and Morris were also sitting on the sofa, while Peggy was busy in the kitchen as usual. Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley also began to analyze the situation on TV.

Mike Taylor temporarily put aside the contract issue. Tonight, he just wants to enjoy the happiness brought by basketball alone.

An Jie's parents made a simple breakfast, turned on the TV, and dialed the channel to TV5.

"Hello, audience friends. I am Yu Jia. Welcome to the final round of the NBA regular season brought to you by CCTV. Today, the Oklahoma City Thunder will play against the Phoenix Suns at home. Chinese player An Jie Whether we can shine in the playoffs depends entirely on the result of this game!"

Everything is ready, just waiting for the game to start. Whether you win or lose, you will do your best.

An Jie hammered his chest, and the thin inside tough guy stepped onto the court.

"...from Iowa State University, Ann~~~Jay!"

"Buzz!"

A burst of cheers opened the curtain of the game. (To be continued.)