The Way of the Center

? After O'Neal joined the Cavaliers, the effect is still obvious. At least in terms of interior defense, the Cavaliers are more than one level better than last season. Now the Cavaliers rank first in the East with 33 wins and 11 losses, which also highlights the progress of the Cavaliers from another aspect.

But O'Neal himself played very aggrieved. Sometimes he seemed to disappear, unable to get the ball for half a day, and unable to complete an offense. O'Neal is no longer young, he doesn't expect to share the ball with James equally, but he doesn't want to be completely reduced to a blue-collar.

"Shaq, why are you so excited today?" James sat next to the "big shark" during a break in training.

"Is there? Old Shaq, do I work so hard every day?" O'Neal joked with James as always.

"Is it because of Ann?" James didn't smile, he knew that the current Thunder is no longer an ordinary person. Now that Anjie has become the backbone of the Thunder, O'Neal's performance will determine the outcome of the game.

"That guy? There's nothing to worry about. I've never lost to him." O'Neal waved his hand disapprovingly, but James really guessed O'Neal's heart.

"Don't worry about Shaq, I'll pass the ball for you in the next game." James patted O'Neal's sturdy shoulder. He knew that only by suppressing Anjie on the offensive end would the Cavaliers have a greater chance of winning.

And now the Cavaliers, only O'Neill is likely to do this.

"Why, I won't make room for you to attack?"

"As long as your few pieces of meat can take up as much space, hit Shaq as you want." After speaking, James stood up and continued to devote himself to training. O'Neal has Anjie to deal with, but he also has to face Durant, who has surpassed him to become the league's scoring leader.

Although the most expensive in the Eastern Conference, the pressure brought by the Thunder to the Cavaliers is enormous.

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

"How is it? Has the contract been signed?" Before boarding the plane, An Jie asked Catherine about the contract with IMG.

"Well, the contract has been signed. Ms. Martha is very efficient, and your manager is really helpful." Catherine was so excited that she became a contracted model under IMG, which meant that her efforts were not in vain. Now, she just wanted to go back to Ames City to reunite with her father whom she hadn't seen for a long time.

"Are you going to Cleveland?"

"right,

Gotta get on the plane. "Seeing assistant coach Alton's constant urging, Anjie was reluctant to hang up the phone.

"Come on, Ann, I believe you can win."

In fact, Catherine is more concerned about An Jie's ability to stay healthy and not tormented by injuries.

"Catherine?" Just as Catherine finished praying for An Jie and hung up the phone, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked up to Catherine.

"Mr. Eddie? Is there something wrong?" Catherine had a very good impression of this enthusiastic photographer.

"Don't you know? The company asked us to work together, and we will have to work together in the future." Eddie Brown didn't tell Catherine, but he actually applied to the company to cooperate with Catherine.

"Really? That's really great. You have such a wealth of experience, I must be able to learn a lot from you!" The simple Catherine has not yet seen that this middle-aged man has ulterior motives for her. The word "the expensive circle is really chaotic" is used to describe the fashion industry, and it couldn't be more appropriate.

When Eddie Brown was still imagining how to attack Catherine, Anjie and the others had already boarded the plane and headed for Cleveland.

Now no one will regard the five-game winning streak as the curse of the Thunder team. It is not impossible for them to win the Cavaliers in good condition.

"There are simply too many things to watch in this game. First of all, the head-to-head confrontation between the first and second scorers in the league is enough for fans to look forward to it for a while. Then the duel between O'Neal and Anjie, It is also destined to become the focus. Secondly, whether Westbrook can get rid of the dilemma of not scoring more than 10 points in two consecutive games is also a matter of concern."

All the TV stations are warming up for the next day's battle of focus. In addition to the fans, the Thunder's three young men are also very much looking forward to the arrival of the game. Durant wants to score high in front of James, Anjie wants to express his respect for O'Neal with practical actions, and Westbrook hopes to make doubts disappear through performance. Before Van Gundy was mobilized, this group of young people was already full of fighting spirit.

On the second night, the auditorium in the Quicken Loans Arena was full. The Cavaliers have just defeated the invincible Zijin Army, and today they ushered in another western powerhouse. Everyone hopes to see the Cavaliers complete a double play against the western powerhouses.

Yes, the current Thunder has been defined by the fans as a strong team in the Western Conference. Even the Cleveland Cavaliers dare not let them down.

When warming up before the game, O'Neal was unexpectedly serious. He didn't play tricks on reporters, nor did he play tricks on his teammates as usual. He and James warmed up on the floor from start to finish and turned down all pregame interview requests.

And what about the Thunder Third Young Master? They also had serious expressions, silently performing the actions on their hands. No one dared to let go of each other, and the next game will definitely be a collision like sparks hitting the earth.

"It seems that if you want to play against each other in the playoffs, you have to wait until the finals." Before the start of the game, O'Neal greeted Anjie with a smile.

"So, let's play this game as a playoff game. I won't show mercy to Shaq just because you are old. You know what I will do." Although Anjie and O'Neal are opponents, and O'Neal used to He is also a player of the Thunder's rival Suns. Unknowingly, O'Neill and Anjie have established a friendship.

"You underestimate Uncle Shaq too much. Come on the field and watch how I kick your ass." Both O'Neill and Anjie spoke freely to each other, but this was not because of their big festivals, on the contrary, it was Because they both appreciate each other.

In the past, O'Neal's biggest opponent was Yao Ming, but Yao Ming's personality made it difficult for him to get along with O'Neal. Well now, O'Neill has finally found a "confidant".

Before the game, the on-site DJ in the Quicken Loans Arena made a player introduction ceremony for the Cavaliers. But what is surprising is that the last player of the Cavaliers today is not the "little emperor" but the "big shark".

More than 20,000 people at the scene shouted for this old center who was almost forty years old. They all believed that the former No. 1 center in the league could still play his remaining heat.

O'Neal jumped up from the bench following the DJ's shouts. This giant seemed to have regained his former vitality.

Angie, look at it. If you want to become the number one center in the league, you have to pass me first!

Another "An Shark" battle, the fans cherish it very much. After all, O'Neal's age has reached here, and this kind of matchup that is destined to become a classic is really one less game to watch.

At the beginning, O'Neill seemed very positive. Not only did he win against An Jie in the scrimmage, but he also relied on An Jie to succeed at the basket.

An Jie hadn't been "crushed" like this for a long time. When O'Neill's "mountain of meat" leaned against him, An Jie rarely felt powerless.

The Thunder are attacking, and the Thunder's three young players all hope to prove themselves by scoring. But none of them had a hot head, but according to Van Gundy's arrangement, let the ball go to Durant.

Durant still remembers that in a game against the Cavaliers last season, he was almost impossible to score by James. Now, he has surpassed James to become the league's scoring leader, and he can't let that happen again.

Durant beckoned, motioning for Anjie to come up for the pick-and-roll. James lowered his center of gravity, stretched his arms, and stood ready.

Durant suddenly broke to the left, which is where Anjie's pick-and-roll is located. Durant's long arm allows him to control the basketball in a wide range. Just when James was already relying on Anjie to get rid of the pick-and-roll, Durant suddenly scooped the ball with his long arm and scooped the ball that was originally to the left. return.

"A drastic change of direction! James was cheated!"

Seeing James hesitate, Durant kicked the ground hard, rushed forward, and passed the "Little Emperor"!

Seeing this, O'Neal quickly dropped Anjie and went to the basket, but Durant braked and made a mid-range jumper!

"This guy, the improvement is really not small!" James knew that the tall Durant was not good at handling the ball before, and he was prone to mistakes when dribbling, let alone making such a quick change of direction.

But now, he is also being dizzy by Durant's change of direction.

Durant scored in front of James as he wished, but James was not in a hurry to regain face. As he said before the game, James was trying to find a way to feed O'Neal.

O'Neal kept squeezing Anjie away with his big butt, and opened his big hands ready to catch the ball at any time. Anjie found it very difficult to even stick close to O'Neal. The old O'Neal was still better than most centers in the league.

O'Neill received the ball and sat back. An Jie tried to stand still, but was pushed back again and again by the huge force.

Van Gundy once told Anger not to gain weight wantonly. Just look at how hard Yao Ming played, and you will know the result of An Jie's weight gain.

Although it was Van Gundy who made Yao Ming gain weight in the first place, he has to admit that this was a mixed decision.

But without gaining weight, there are also disadvantages of not gaining weight. Just like now, An Jiekong has all the strength, but he can't resist the huge difference in weight. What's more, O'Neill's strength is no worse than Anjie's.

O'Neal aggressively pushed inside, turned around and made a small hook to score two more points. The Quicken Loans Arena exploded, and everyone was cheering for the Sharks. Even in Cleveland, O'Neal's popularity is no less than James.

Never underestimate this guy, even though he's turning 40.

"Damn it!" Every time he met O'Neill and Yao Ming, An Jie wished that his weight could rise to 300 catties as soon as possible.

An Jie had to think of a way to do something, or else the Thunder's proud interior defense would be bitten to pieces by the "big shark".

Strong counterpoint, An Jie really hasn't encountered such a character for a long time. Although they are all O'Neals, the one from the Cavaliers is much more difficult to deal with than the one from the Heat... (To be continued.)