The Way of the Center

"Beep beep, the Thunder fouled on No. 16 shot!" The referee once again pointed at Anjie, and it was only the first quarter of the game. This is the second time Anjie has fouled Kobe.

"I promise I only touched the ball!" Angie complained to the referee with an innocent face, while Kobe stood on the free throw line like a normal person.

"Kobe played very smartly today. This is the second time he has done damage on the inside that the Thunder are proud of. Kobe is not an ordinary outside player. Even if he can't score directly, he has other ways. This point is still too immature." An Jie's defense is very active, and there are no loopholes. It's a pity that he faced the FmVp of last season.

Sure enough, after Kobe made his first free throw, Anjie was replaced by Jeff Van Gundy. Falling into foul trouble early, this is a dilemma that Anjie has never encountered before.

"It's okay, I'll support you." Morris and Anjie clapped hands, stuffed the jersey into his shorts, and ran up quickly.

After Morris came on the field, the Thunder's inside height advantage disappeared instantly. Although "Spanish Mobile Fortress" Pau Gasol is unable to play this campaign due to injury, but "Little Shark" Andrew Bynum will also bring a lot of trouble to the inside of the Thunder.

"Pay attention to controlling fouls. If you can't defend some balls, don't make unnecessary resistance. Take a good rest in the first quarter, and I will send you up in the second quarter." Fortunately, Morris and Ibaka, otherwise Van Gundy will definitely be worried to death now.

Without Anjie, the Thunder's inside offense completely stagnated. Durant and Westbrook get no support and no space. After all, Morris's mid-range shooting is really not a threat. It is difficult for him to pull Bynum out of the three-second zone like Anjie.

After that, Van Gundy had to switch Morris and Krstic, and Krstic would play center, using his threat of mid-range shots to trick Bynum out, so that Westbrook and Durant's breakthroughs would be more effective. efficiency.

It's a pity that the Serbs failed to play their role well today.

Westbrook passed the "old fish" Fisher by taking advantage of his speed and explosive power, and Krstic immediately pulled up the middle distance when he saw this.

According to the tactical assumption, Bynum will definitely follow out at this time, while Morris will just entangle Odom. As long as Westbrook's breakthrough is not interrupted, there is a high probability that this breakthrough will score.

But when Westbrook had stepped into the three-second zone, Bynum remained motionless, waiting for Westbrook to throw himself into the net at the basket.

"Are you still going out!?" Westbrook knew that he couldn't force a layup against Bynum,

Only one goal was allowed, allowing Krstic, who was in an open position, to get a chance.

The reason why Bynum did not choose to follow is because Krstic's first three shots all missed the target, which undoubtedly gave the "Little Shark" the confidence to stick to the basket.

This time, Kostic remained undisturbed. It's just a pity that he doesn't take all high positions and low positions like An Jie. Krstic took the fourth shot, and the basketball circled around the hoop, but still failed to fall into the net.

"Oh! The Serbian's hand feeling is really bad today! Maybe that's why Coach Van Gundy needs Serge Ibaka." Indeed, Krstic is not only too soft, but also very unstable . Van Gundy and Presti decided to recruit Ibaka in order to let him gradually replace Krstic's tactical position.

The interior offense failed again, and then Morris and Krstic's interior defense also failed.

Although Morris defended well on the inside, he was much worse than Anjie on the outside. Anjie has always been good at facing big men who like to attack from the outside. You must know that he defended Nowitzki in a single quarter without scoring a point last season.

Odom used his greater flexibility to start a fight with Morris on the outside. By cooperating with Bynum's pick-and-roll, Odom gained a little room for breakthrough.

Morris quickly got rid of the pick-and-roll and was about to make up for it inside. Unexpectedly, Odom suddenly stopped and shot a jumper, which caught Morris by surprise. Odom's shooting ability in this kind of sports is very outstanding. You must know that this guy is the most versatile forward in the league before LeBron James.

The basketball hits the net, and the defending champion adds two more points!

Morris couldn't guard Odom, and Kostic, who was soft in style, couldn't resist Bynum's devastation.

Bynum's physical fitness is top-notch, and his favorite offense is physical contact. The nickname "Little Shark" is not groundless.

Krstic lost all weight and strength, and although he was the same height as Bynum, it didn't help.

With Kobe playing smoothly, the Lakers' inside offense is still completely opened up, so you don't need to think about it to know that the point difference will be widened.

In the last few minutes of the first quarter, neither of the two sides could perform well. Fortunately, Ibaka, who was on the Thunder's bench, and Kevin Ollie, a small guard who joined in the summer, each scored a goal, narrowing the gap slightly.

32 to 25, if it weren't for the terrible offense of the Lakers' second team, the point difference couldn't be so small. Because the two insiders Odom and Bynum added up, they scored 14 points for the Lakers.

Morris performed very well in the previous games, but after the first quarter of this game, he really realized the difficulty of the NBA. It turns out that I am not that strong.

Both offensive and defensive ends of the Thunder's inside line were blown up, and Morris has nothing to do with this situation.

"Sefoloza! I want you to put your all into defense! Don't give Kobe too many chances to break into the paint and cause damage! Serge! In the second quarter, you continue to play power forward, and if necessary, help Anjie take a foul or two Come on, try your best to get out on the offensive end and give full play to your advantage of accurate shooting!" Jeff Van Gundy quickly adjusted his tactics and lineup, and unlike the previous three easy victories, the Lakers gave the Thunder a blow in the first quarter!

"In the second quarter, your breakthrough will not be so easy. You try to shoot as many shots as possible from the outside. If you have a good shooting percentage, you will continue to play. If your shooting percentage is not good, I will replace you and take a rest." Phil Jackson knew that Kobe Bryant was second The first quarter will definitely get special attention. If Kobe is not efficient in the second quarter, it is understandable to temporarily take him down.

The short period of rest between festivals passed quickly, and the coaches of both sides made the best adjustments they could make so far. The Chesapeake Energy Arena is huge, and the fans are not discouraged at all because the team is behind.

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A slender black man hurriedly walked into the yard of his home, to be precise, the yard of his mansion.

He stepped on the clean wooden floor of the house with his leather shoes on, and then took off his coat and threw it beside the sand. The black man eagerly turned on the TV.

"Oh my god, I just mopped the floor." At this moment, a young girl walked into the living room and complained as she looked at the dirt-covered wooden floor.

"Okay Aisha, I'll clean it up myself later." Olajuwon ignored the little daughter's complaints and stared at the TV screen, absorbed in it.

"It doesn't seem too late, hehe." Dameng smiled. The contest between the Thunder and the Lakers on TV, the contest between his two most valued disciples, had just begun the second quarter.

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"Defend! Defend!" Under the mobilization of the on-site DJ, the fans shouted for the Thunder at the top of their lungs. In the second quarter, the Lakers took the lead, but this time Anjie stood under the basket, which will undoubtedly greatly increase the difficulty of the Lakers' offense.

"Be careful not to foul!" Van Gundy reminded nervously on the sidelines. While speaking, Fisher passed the ball, and the Lakers' offensive officially started!

The person who received the ball was still Kobe, but as soon as he received the ball, Sefoloza posted it without reservation.

Kobe was naturally not to be outdone, he gritted his teeth, put his shoulder on Sefoloza's chest and forcibly killed towards the three-second zone.

At the same time, Bynum, who was originally brought up to do the pick-and-roll, also went down. Although Anjie reacted quickly, he still fell behind Bynum.

Seeing the timing, Kobe made a precise pass, and the basketball shifted again, and it came to the hands of Bynum who cut down.

Anjie seemed to have underestimated Bynum's athletic ability and physical condition a little too much. When he took off to block the shot, he found that Bynum's height after taking off was higher than himself. An Jie didn't dare to foul, so he could only stop in the air to avoid getting into trouble.

"Bang!" Bynum dunked vigorously against the unguarded basket. This time the ball really went in, and Anjie failed to stage the wonderful show of chasing and taking a big risk.

"Bynum was very strong from the beginning of the second quarter. Could it be that even Ann can't stop him!?" Although Bynum performed amazingly in the playoffs last season, due to his frequent injuries during the regular season, Anjie was still in trouble. Never played against him.

Unfamiliarity with the opponent also led to An Jie's misestimation of Bynum's ability, coupled with the fear of fouling on his back, An Jie let the "Little Shark" dunk on his head successfully.

"Damn it, there will be no next time!" An Jie raised his right hand high, indicating that it was his own negligence. He stared at the burly No. 17 center, there will be no next time, it's not just talking!

The Lakers scored in the paint for the first time in the second quarter, and it seemed that Anjie's playing did not change the collapse of the Thunder's defense in the paint. The Thunder fans were not reconciled, and Anjie himself was even more unconvinced.

The Thunder launched a counterattack. According to the tactical arrangement, Durant was the end point of the first few attacks. Although he performed well in the first quarter, Durant's offensive pressure was actually very high. During the All-Star game last season, he once said that the most difficult defender to deal with was Artest, and now the tough Artest is in front of Durant.

Transferring to the Lakers in the summer, Artest also received a lot of criticism. This season, the Lakers lineup has not changed much. The biggest change is the swap club between him and Ariza.

"If the Lakers can't win the championship again this season, it must be my reason, because the only change in the Lakers is that I replaced Ariza." This is what Artest answered reporters in an interview before the start of the season. When the Lakers won the championship, now you replace Ariza with Artest. If the Lakers fail, who else can you point the finger at? Therefore, Artest played very hard after coming to the Lakers. In the first quarter, Durant scored 12 consecutive shots and scored 12 points, which already annoyed him very much.

Durant tried to break through, but found that Artest didn't give him a chance at all. Coupled with that uncomfortable little move, Durant's offensive rhythm is completely lost. Artest's defensive strength has improved by more than one level than in the first quarter!

Ibaka went up to pick and roll Durant, which gave him some space.

"Kevin!" As soon as he got rid of Artest, Durant heard Anjie's shout. At this moment, An Jie has already leaned on Bynum to get to the position, and is waiting for the ball to be in his hands.

Almost in an instant, Artest got rid of Ibaka and stood in front of Durant again. Seeing that he had no chance, Durant stopped thinking about it, and with a lob, he shifted the battlefield to the inside.

"Ann received a pass from Durant! Can he make it back!?" Mike Breen clenched his fists excitedly, and Anjie barely showed any performance due to two premature fouls in the first quarter Opportunity, this is the first time he has played one-on-one with Bynum in the low post today!

Bynum tried his best to push Anjie out, and had to admit that Bynum's strength was indeed superior to that of Anjie. Seeing that Anjie was about to lose his position, Anjie turned around with the ball and prepared to attack face-to-face!

"Attention, Ann's face frame is no worse than the back frame!"

An Jie holds the ball and is habitually doing three-threat pace. Bynum lowered his center of gravity, not daring to be distracted.

An Jie started to shoot the ball and took a step back.

"Is this to make room for a breakthrough!? What is he going to do!?" Bynum himself does not have the ability to break through with the ball. To be exact, few centers in this league have this ability. It's a pity that An Jie has studied with Olajuwon for a month. If he doesn't even have this skill, Dameng won't like him.

Retreating to the middle distance, An Jie lowered his center of gravity, began to change his footsteps, dribbled the ball alternately with left and right hands, suddenly started, and killed Bynum in front of him!

Bynum quickly reached out, ready to take out Anjie's ball. However, An Jie suddenly turned around and leaned against Bynum with his back.

Bynum hurriedly stopped to avoid a foul, and quickly adjusted his pace, but Anjie only made half of his turn, and then stopped abruptly!

He suddenly turned back, a beautiful half-turn! At this point Bynum has been shaken and lost his defensive position. An Jie slapped the ball hard on the ground, followed the momentum, and dunked with one hand while holding the ball in his left hand!

Bynum, who was completely left behind by An Jie, could only reach out to interfere symbolically, everything happened only between light and flint, he was just deceived by An Jie's footsteps and couldn't find the way!

"Oh! God! Ann's beautiful shake and then dunk! The footwork and dribbling are perfect! Now 95% of the centers in the league don't have the skills of Ann!" Mike Breen's passion reappeared, and Anjie's performance made him feel like Back to the 1990s, the golden age of the center forward.

After scoring a goal with a wonderful move, Anjie did not yell at the audience again, but hooked his finger at Bynum who was throwing the baseline. The nature of the devil has been completely released!

Modesty, that's something An Jie only has off the field.

Kobe's expression was focused. He knew that it would be more and more difficult for him and the Lakers to play in the future. Because the No. 16 of the Thunder never gave up easily like him!

As soon as the second quarter started, the game was pushed into a climax, and no one knew what the future matchup between the two sides would be like. (To be continued.) 8