The Way of the Center

"Good job!" Durant, who failed to make a shot, followed An Jie and beat his chest, and then gave An Jie a high-five while retreating.

Why sometimes the appearance of a ball can make a team start to play more and more smoothly, because that ball may greatly improve the morale of the players.

The generals of the Thunder team have just experienced a suffocating four-game losing streak, and now they need a fuse to ignite the hearts of these young people.

And Anjie's wonderful dunk at the beginning undoubtedly ignited the passion of his teammates.

Although the Argentine Luis Scola has a high basketball IQ and good inside skills, but he is only 2.06 meters tall and the shorter Chuck Hayes is paired with the inside. The height is almost the same as that of a small lineup.

After Scola was attracted by Durant, only Hayes was left to protect the restricted area. It's no wonder that Anjie, who has a huge advantage in height and wingspan, was able to get the rebound before Hayes and dunk the ball.

Can the Rockets' short inside combination stop Anjie this time? It seemed as soon as the game started, they felt the pressure.

When defending, according to Van Gundy's arrangement, Anjie will defend Scola, who plays the fourth position, and Hayes will be left to Kostic to watch over.

Scala found that whether it was supporting or attacking by himself, he now felt very struggling.

The entanglement between An Jie and him has never stopped. As soon as Scola stepped into the three-point line, it was very difficult for him to connect the ball without thinking of any good fruit.

After being dunked by An Jie, the Rockets also wanted to quickly reciprocate and pull the momentum on the field to their side.

Brooks took advantage of Hayes' pick-and-roll and quickly shot a three-pointer. He had a very good touch in the first few games, scoring more than 20 points frequently, so this time he shot very decisively and confidently.

However, Westbrook, who had been mobilized by Anjie, got rid of the pick-and-roll at a surprising speed. Before Brooks could throw the ball, Westbrook suddenly jumped out and directly blocked Brooks' face.

Brooks couldn't see anything, and a pass would have been a turnover. So he gritted his teeth and forcibly shot!

I have to admit that "Little Black Bean"'s touch and shooting instinct are really good. Although the ball was seriously interfered by Westbrook, the direction and arc of the basketball are very positive!

However, on the basketball court,

Luck has always been a part of determining the outcome of a game. The basketball did fall into the rim, but after bouncing a few times on the rim, it crawled out!

Scola was firmly stuck behind Anjie. Although Hayes rushed into the penalty area and took off at the same time as Anjie, the rebound was still picked up by Anjie, who had a higher advantage.

Anjie raised the ball over his head after landing, avoiding the hands of Scola and Hayes reaching up to steal. After the two retreated unwillingly, he handed the ball firmly to Westbrook.

The Rockets' counterattack failed, but the Thunder made a comeback with a murderous spirit!

"You know Charles, the Thunder team is too strong in this game. They are like a team that has just experienced ten consecutive victories, and they are high-spirited!" The attack and defense at the beginning happened to slap Barkley loudly. . Kenny Smith will not let go of any opportunity to complain about Barkley, which has become his professional habit.

"Look at Kenny. A basketball game lasts at least 48 minutes. It's normal for young people to be strong at the beginning." Barkley still held his original point of view. He stared at the screen in the live broadcast room, impatient to think Let's see how the Rockets' defense responds this time around.

An Jie was still playing according to tactics, without thinking about his own statistics.

The Thunder's tactics were exactly the same as in the previous round, although Battier was also a defender on the perimeter. However, without strong physical fitness as a foundation, it is difficult for him to deal with Angie's extremely wide range of pick-and-rolls.

Battier seemed to be struggling to squeeze through the wall of Anjie. If he wants to go around, then Durant will definitely take this opportunity to shoot directly!

After a run and a pick-and-roll, Durant caught the ball in the same spot for the second time. This time Scola did not choose to make up the defense. He hurriedly turned around and got stuck, hoping to protect the backboard.

But let go of Durant, this is an even more stupid decision!

"Oh! Battier has to give up! He let KD easily hit a three-pointer from the outside, and Ariza was sent to the weak side by Sefolo Sala. If Scala doesn't defend, then All Durant got was the open man!"

"Replenish defense, Louis! Give the inside to Chuck!" Adelman shouted at Scola on the sidelines, let go of Durant, it is more terrible than letting go of Anjie!

The Rockets still choose to shoot from the outside for the second offense, and they also know that they really do not have an advantage inside in this game. With An Jie's barrier in place, the risk of entering the three-second zone is greater than shooting a three-pointer!

Although it is still a three-point shot, Trevor Ariza's shot selection this time is much better than Brooks.

He first slipped to the bottom line, which greatly slowed down Sefoloza's follow-up. After running to the bottom corner, Ariza opened his hand to ask for the ball, and Brooks quickly sent the ball!

Point your feet toward the hoop, hold the ball in your hands, and lift your arms up. Seeing this action, Sefolosa jumped up and rushed towards Ariza without thinking about it.

The corners of Ariza's mouth curled up slightly, he was tricked!

Seeing Sefolosa take off, Ariza immediately retreated to the side, easily dodging Sefoloza's block.

Facing the open opportunity, Trevor Ariza scored a three-pointer and returned the favor!

Van Gundy has nothing to say about this ball, they didn't miss anyone, and the defensive system didn't collapse. But things like defensive players being shaken up are beyond the control of tactics.

After Ariza hit a three-pointer with a beautiful fake action, the Rockets' confidence was really built. After that, the two sides went back and forth to attack, but most of the endpoints were on the outside.

The excited An Jie didn't ask for the ball too much, he knew that as long as he played according to the tactics, he would be right.

Ariza played very well in the first quarter, making 2 of 3 three-pointers and scoring 10 points in a single quarter. After leaving the Lakers, he even has the momentum to become the head of the Rockets.

Just when the game was about to end with five minutes left in the first quarter, Adelman replaced Tracy McGrady, who had returned from injury and was once the real head of the Rockets.

After Tracy McGrady took the field, the fans at the Toyota Center were tepid. After four games, they can only score 4 points at most. They have given up hope for this sleepy-eyed guy.

Also shortly after returning from injury, Anjie's performance was completely different from McGrady's.

McGrady hasn't given up on proving himself, he knows he needs some time after he just returned from injury.

Facing the defense of Thunder's second-team guard Sean Livingston, McGrady felt that his chance had come!

Tracy McGrady held the ball beyond the three-point line and motioned for his teammates in the second unit to pull him away.

"What are you doing!?" Adelman saw the changes on the field and stood up nervously. Giving McDilla a single, this is not his tactic!

McGrady started dribbling and seemed to find some offensive rhythm. He suddenly started to push forward, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he was too slow now.

An emergency stop, and a sudden pull when not completely getting rid of the defense, McGrady is good at it.

Anjie's understanding of McGrady is still in last season, when they played against each other, McGrady could easily score more than 30 points.

An Jie is already busy enough, he has no time to care about other people's status. However, McGrady's recent unsatisfactory performance, he has heard a little.

With such a difficult shot, McGrady should not be able to score now.

An Jie quickly locked his position without even thinking about it. Although it was very exhausting to compete for each ball, he was full of energy after resting for a month!

Seeing the basketball appear in the field of vision, An Jie bent his knees, ready to jump.

Unexpectedly, the ball went directly into the net, making Anjie, Van Gundy, and everyone in the Toyota Center grow their mouths.

"McGrady's iconic pull-up shot! Hit! Don't forget, the Rockets have an X factor sitting on the bench!"

For the second time, McGrady was no longer satisfied with outside shots. This time, he walked directly into the paint against Livingston and forced a layup.

If it was placed a year ago, McGrady would not only be able to make layups, but also dunks without any problems.

But after a major injury, the guy's jumping height and speed can't be compared with the past. Although McGrady avoided Livingston's hand after taking off, he still found that he could not fly as fast as before.

"Crack!" The basketball in McGrady's hand was shot flying, and he had already guessed that he would have such an ending the moment he took off.

An Jie mercilessly slapped away the basketball in McGrady's hands, and also slapped away the only illusion a man had about himself.

This time the blocking looked ruthless, but Anjie would not feel sorry for it. They worked so hard to rush to Houston overnight, not to set off McGrady!

After the block this time, McGrady once again lost the flash of inspiration. He was still not reconciled and continued to ask his teammates for the ball, but after that, McGrady never made the ball again. Three seconds? With the No. 16 big man there, the three-second zone is no longer where he should be.

For some reason, Maddie began to miss the number 11, who had the same skin color as Anjie. Back then, there was such a barrier in their restricted area...

He made 1 of 5 shots, but McGrady has no intention of stopping. Adelman had to replace McGrady. When McGrady walked past him, he didn't say a word to McGrady.

When McGrady was taken off by Adelman, Van Gundy also used Morris to replace Anjie who was in good condition. He originally kept Anjie on the court because he was a little afraid of McGrady. After all, that guy had played under him before, and he knew how terrifying McGrady's scoring ability was.

But when Anjie slapped McGrady for a layup for the first time, Van Gundy knew he was worrying too much.

"Take a rest, let's work harder in the second quarter." Van Gundy patted Anjie on the shoulder. Houston is no longer his home field!

After Morris plays, he will face the 2.11-meter-tall Rockets backup center David Anderson.

In the 2002 draft, people had much higher expectations for David Anderson than Luis Scola.

But Anderson has always been reluctant to play in the NBA. When he finally wanted to go to the highest basketball hall in the world, he was seriously injured in the European arena, breaking his leg bone, spraining his ankle and tearing his ligament.

Although Anderson still got the chance to play in the NBA afterwards, he is now the choice after Adelman has no one available.

Faced with Morris' powerful impact and brutal style of play, the thin Anderson was completely unstoppable.

And Ibaka played against Battier, who mentioned the 4th position, with ease.

Fortunately, Battier hit two three-pointers from the outside, and the Rockets barely bit the score.

At the end of the first quarter, the score became 23 to 22, and the Rockets temporarily fell behind at home.

Although the difference is only one point, everyone knows that this does not reflect the real situation of the two sides on the court.

The Rockets must rely on 8 people to deal with the game in rotation, and there is also a McGrady who has almost lost his fighting spirit on the bench.

As for the Thunder team, An Jie and his good brothers haven't started to flex their muscles yet!

Barkley is still using the score gap to hold on, forcing his point of view before the game to come back. He played this kind of role to make everyone happy during the commentary, but Barkley knew in his heart that although the Rockets were only one point behind, they were undoubtedly at a disadvantage!

In the second game after returning from injury, An Jie's solo performance has not yet started. (To be continued.)