The Way of the Center

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20 wins and 62 losses, this is the Thunder, to be exact, the results of the Seattle SuperSonics last season. Bottom of the West, this is Durant's first season in the regular season.

47 wins and 35 losses, with a winning percentage of 57.3%. In just one summer, the Thunder ushered in a qualitative leap after moving to Oklahoma City. This is why the Thunder did not make the playoffs, but still received great attention.

What has changed for the Thunder this season? In addition to the change of the team name and home venue, the biggest change to the team is the introduction of Westbrook, Anjie and Jeff Van Gundy.

Durant, who was fighting alone, suddenly had two more right-hand men, and the scattered Thunder played a tough defensive position under Van Gundy's command. Presti made few changes for the team, but every bit is crucial.

46 wins and 36 losses, this is the record of the tenth Suns in the West. From the sixth Mavericks to the tenth Suns, the difference in wins is only four games. No one is an absolute winner, which is also the status quo that is difficult to survive in the West.

The Detroit Pistons, who finished eighth in the East, only achieved 39 wins, with a winning percentage of only 47%, which is a full ten percentage points less than the Thunder. But just because they are in the East, they can get a chance to shine in the playoffs.

Many fans of Eastern teams are unwilling to admit the statement that "the west is strong and the east is weak", but the winning data will not lie.

It is more regrettable that the Suns lost the playoffs. Sharks and Zonda, who knows how many more seasons they can play? Their careers are already in the countdown stage.

The Thunder, which also failed to make the playoffs, brought more endless hope and potential. Durant was 21 years old, Anjie was 20 years old, and Westbrook was 21 years old. Their careers have only just begun.

In the first year of cooperation between the three young men, the team achieved a record of 47 wins. Since then, they have become stronger and more mature, and they can do anything!

"If the Thunder enter the playoffs, will they perform a miracle in front of the Lakers!?"

"If the Thunder were placed in the East, they might make it to the Eastern Conference Finals!"

"The Thunder's three players will not move, and the team will continue to strengthen. Within five years, the Thunder will definitely win the championship!"

All kinds of comments spread on the Internet, and of course the Third Young Master Lei Ting also saw these comments. But only they know how difficult this process will be to meet the expectations of the fans.

It was only one day after Anjie rested,

Meslav once again parachuted into Oklahoma City. As long as he comes, it means that An Jie is busy.

"Shooting commercials with Durant?" Seeing the contract, An Jie felt that commercial activities would become interesting for the first time.

"It's a pity that Westbrook and Jordan signed a contract, otherwise Nike would definitely shoot an advertisement for the three of you at the same time." Facing the hot Thunder three, Nike will naturally not give up this opportunity to strike while the iron is hot. Although Westbrook is missing, Nike, which owns Durant and Anjie at the same time, has the upper hand.

"By the way, Mr. Meslav, in your bag..." An Jie looked at Meslav's overstuffed briefcase, and couldn't help feeling chills down his back.

"Oh, those. Most of them are your business activities this summer." Moslav smiled at An Jie, but this friendly smile seemed very permeating to An Jie.

"Of course, it's up to you to decide. It's just these business activities, it won't hurt you to participate more."

"Okay, I see. It seems that we will be inseparable again this summer." Recalling that last summer, Moslav accompanied him all over the United States for trial training, and he even went back and forth between New York and Seattle to negotiate a contract for himself all night, An Jie A sense of gratitude welled up in my heart again.

By the way, speaking of the draft...

"No, I may not have many opportunities to meet you this summer. You know, your good buddy Maurice, he participates in the draft this year." It's another draft, and it's enough for Muslav to be busy for a while.

"That's right, I almost forgot. That kid, he's finally coming to the NBA..." With this in mind, An Jie had already begun to look forward to the new season.

"Don't worry, you know, just call me if you need it, and I'll be there at any time."

"I know Mr. Meslav, you should pay more attention to your health." Meslav is dedicated to his responsibilities, and An Jie feels that it doesn't matter if he accepts one or two more business contracts just to give Meslav more commission.

"By the way, how is Morris' draft situation?"

"It's not clear yet. It can be said that it is possible from the lottery to the end of the first round. He performed very well last season, averaging 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, and led the team like you Reached the top 16 of Crazy March. However, the disadvantage is that his technical bottleneck is greater than yours. More often, Morris relies on his own body to play, and he is already a sophomore, which will affect the His pick. The most important point is that he has suffered serious injuries, and many teams are unwilling to take the risk of selecting a player who has suffered serious injuries.” Moslav briefly introduced Anjie, although it was only April , but Meslav has already started preparing for the draft.

"Then...then is it possible for him to play for the Thunder?" An Jie looked at Moslav expectantly. It would be great if he could partner with Morris on the inside again.

"Of course it's possible. Presti can't see how isolated you are in the paint. But Morris is not the only big man in this year's draft, Jordan Hill, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler. Players such as Gibson may also be favored by Presti. There is also the Congolese Serge Ibaka who was selected with you last year. He performed well in the Spanish league this year. This summer Presti is also very likely to recruit him to the Thunder to share your pressure on the inside. In short, it is still too early, so it is still the same sentence, nothing can be determined.” Hearing what Moslav said, Anjie I also feel that the chances of being able to partner with Morris are very slim.

"Okay, that's all for today. By the way, Ann, besides business activities, what are your plans for this summer?" Moslav suddenly remembered something.

"Training!" An Jie was the first to blurt out the word.

"Uh...except for training?" Moslav held his forehead, and he even felt that he was asking this question in vain.

"Except for training..." An Jie began to think, and sure enough, he didn't think about anything else at all.

"Bringing my parents and Morris to watch the playoffs, unfortunately Catherine and Beard couldn't come. Then, Kevin and Russell both said they would travel to China, and I would go back to China with them. Let's go to Ames City." An Jie looked at the ceiling and arranged his schedule casually.

"Take time to rest, Ann. In August this year, your country's basketball team will participate in the Asian Championships. I think this time, you must be ready to be called by the country at any time. I think most of your schedules will not be realized. Lah." Although no official notice has been received yet, Moslav knows that it is almost a certainty that An Jie will be called by the Chinese men's basketball team.

"That's right, the Asian Championships." In the high-density NBA games, An Jie didn't have the energy to think about other things at all. The 25th Asian Men's Basketball Championship held in Wuhan this year was naturally forgotten by him.

During the 2008 Olympic Games, although An Jie was well-known in China, he was still a college player and had never played any professional basketball games, so the Basketball Association did not allow An Jie to be selected in the final list.

However, after experiencing the baptism of the NBA for a season, it is impossible for those people in the Basketball Association to ignore An Jie.

After being involved in professional basketball for a year, An Jie knows nothing about the professional basketball situation in his own country. How will they train? How will they play? All these left big question marks in An Jie's heart.

I thought that the few months after the end of the regular season would be relaxing, but now it seems that this summer, An Jie will still be busy on the basketball court. (To be continued.)