The Way of the Center

One day after the All-Star Game, An Jie sent his friends away one by one. Divac, Kobe, Wade, and of course, the little girl Giardina who almost made Angie fall.

Why send it away? Because after participating in the All-Star Game in Dallas, the four of the Thunder don't have to leave Dallas to rendezvous with the Thunder, but the Thunder will come to Dallas to rendezvous with the four of them.

One day off after the All-Star break, the Thunder will play the Mavericks in Dallas on February 16.

This also allows the group of four who have worked so hard to participate in the All-Star Weekend to get some rest time, at least they don't have to travel back and forth by plane, which is already a great reward for Anjie and the others.

After experiencing the baptism of the All-Star Weekend, the popularity of the four young Thunder players has undoubtedly increased greatly. More and more people are paying attention to the Thunder now, even in Dallas.

"With the preheating of the All-Star Game, the number of people watching this game is particularly large! The American Airlines Center Stadium is full of people. After watching the All-Star Game in Dallas, many fans want to watch another real game Let’s leave after the real regular season.” Kenny Smith and his two partners did not leave Dallas either. Today, the t.nt trio sat at the scene to explain the game to the audience.

"This game can definitely be regarded as one of the strong dialogues in the West. I think as long as the top eight teams in the West play the game, it can be counted as a strong dialogue. Because in terms of record, the top eight teams in the West The difference in wins is not big. It can be said that the strength of these eight teams is not much different."

"Charles is right, this game will definitely be quite intense." Reggie Miller is full of expectations. The Mavericks and Thunder have improved a lot this season. When the two teams meet on narrow roads, sparks will definitely be sparked.

But from the very beginning, this game seemed to have nothing to do with anxiety.

In the first quarter, except for Anjie, the Thunder misfired across the board. I don't know if it's because the frenzy of the All-Star Weekend hasn't dissipated. In short, everyone on the Thunder played very carelessly on the court, and their shot selection was also very casual.

At this time, Durant was required to stand up, but his crazy shots did not bring the team points. He took 11 shots in a single quarter, but only made 4 hits. If it weren't for Anjie scoring six points alone, the Mavericks might have established a difference of almost 20 points in the first quarter!

16 to 26, the luxurious American Airlines Center Arena seems to be about to become the Thunder's graveyard.

However, the situation on the basketball court is really changing in an instant. Just as the Mavericks were about to take advantage of the victory to beat the young Thunder in one fell swoop, the Thunder changed their appearance in the second quarter.

Nowitzki's performance is still outstanding,

Whether it is Morris, Ibaka, or even An Jie, there is nothing they can do about this German guy.

Not only Nowitzki, the performance of the Mavericks throughout the second quarter was not bad, almost the same as the first quarter. However, the Thunder's sudden effort made the Mavericks at home very embarrassed.

"Russell Westbrook took the fourth shot in this quarter and hit it again! 4 of 4 shots, Westbrook has already scored 10 points, is this really the Thunder's No. 0 guard? I never I’ve seen Westbrook have such a high efficiency, even in the first quarter, his shooting percentage is only 25%!” Kenny Smith’s eyes widened, why is this guy not efficient but Van Gundy is still willing to let him attack. This is the reason, once this guy plays well on the offensive end, few people in the entire league can stand up and stop him.

Of course, Westbrook's one-man explosion alone wasn't enough for the Thunder to flip the game. Durant's consecutive three-point hits and Anjie's stable performance as always, plus the 6 points contributed by "Big Bull" Morris. In the second quarter, the Thunder scored 40 points in one fell swoop! Originally trailing by ten points, they ended the first half with a six-point lead.

56 to 50, the Mavericks were completely beaten. With Nowitzki and Dampier alone, the Mavericks' inside defense is still not enough.

In the third quarter, under the cheers of the fans, the Mavericks did not wake up, but continued to play the game in a daze. Maybe the Thunder's crazy performance in the second quarter made them unable to react.

This time, even Nowitzki lost his sense of offense. 1 of 5 shots, even the most powerful German tank of the Mavericks scored like this, and the scoring situation of others is naturally known.

When the third quarter ended, the Thunder led the Mavericks by 13 points 78 to 65, and this difference was maintained until the end.

"Mavericks fans won't be happy. The Mavericks scrambled in the first quarter and let the Thunder's youngsters seize the opportunity to fight back."

"Self-disruption? I don't think so. You must know that the performance of the Mavericks in the second quarter is actually not bad. You can only blame the Thunder's ability to chase points that is so terrifying." Reggie Miller marveled at this roller coaster. The ups and downs of the game, once a game-type team like the Thunder plays the game smoothly, they will play more and more momentum, and the more they play, the more vigorous they will be.

In the end, the Thunder won the first regular season game after the All-Star Game without any risk. 99 to 86, the third team of the Thunder defeated another western powerhouse, and they were the biggest dark horses this season.

With 25 points and 14 rebounds, Anjie was finally able to surpass Durant, the league's scoring leader, and became the highest scorer in the game today. It was precisely because of Anjie's steady performance throughout the game that the Thunder had the capital and foundation to counterattack.

Oklahoma City's Blue and White Lightning maintained their momentum, winning seven straight, and this record may continue to expand.

Sure enough, two days after the win over the Mavericks. The Thunder once again bloodbathed Madison Square Garden, 121 to 112. Although the point difference was not in double digits, only the Knicks players knew how difficult the game was.

In addition to Durant, Westbrook also continued his good form in this game, scoring 31 points and 10 assists. Anjie only scored 16 points under the influence of Durant and Westbrook's high scoring, but his 7-of-9 shooting efficiency can be regarded as the highest in the game. And Anjie picked up 11 rebounds again, winning the longest double-double in 10 consecutive games of his career! The Thunder's winning streak has also become 8 games.

"It's amazing, it's unbelievable! The Thunder's state after the All-Star Weekend is amazing, and Anjie's 10 consecutive double-doubles are really not easy!"

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Now people are guessing who can end the Thunder's incredible winning streak. There are all kinds of answers. Some people say that the Suns are most likely to complete the blocking of the Thunder, and some people think that the Spurs are the team that can beat the Thunder. Whatever the answer, the Thunder's next opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves, has never been considered.

At the bottom of the Western Conference, the performance of the Minnesota Timberwolves really cannot be compared with the fiery Thunder. It's not without reason that people look down on them. It seems that the Timberwolves have become losers before the game starts.

Tomorrow, the Thunder will be fighting back-to-back Minnesota battles in a world of ice and snow. Clover flipped through the newspapers and found that there are only a few news reports on the upcoming battle between the two sides. More others have already skipped this game and started to make a preview of the Thunder against the Suns and even the Spurs.

Obviously, these media are conveying a message: they look down on the Minnesota Timberwolves, the bottom of the West, and they disdain to report on this team.

Le Fu looked at the newspaper, his heart was full of anger. It is true that the team's performance is poor this season, but it is caused by various reasons. For example, he himself did not play for a month due to injuries, and the team's record in that month was also terrible. It's not as good as Corey Brewer's performance, which has high expectations, has ups and downs, with too many ups and downs...

In short, as the Thunder's opponent, he was directly ignored by the outside world, and no one would be happy if he was put there. Besides, Love is still a potential rookie, a rookie who is more competitive than others.

When he was in college, he was killing the Quartet, and even won multiple individual awards in one fell swoop. In the NBA, Love, who is used to winning and winning, had to face the loss after game.

Seeing that his former little follower Westbrook has entered the ranks of the playoffs, Love feels even more uncomfortable.

"I'm not a short-lived meteor!" Love crumpled up the newspaper and threw it into the trash can with a shooting gesture. The paper ball was hollowed out into the barrel, and Le Fu also put down the unfinished dinner and continued his extra training.

"Why haven't you left yet, Kevin." The security guard at the Target Center was very surprised. The players and coaches of the Timberwolves rarely worked overtime. When it was time to get off work, this group of guys dispersed faster than anyone else. But today, at ten o'clock in the evening, Kevin Love was still sweating in the training ground.

"Tomorrow's game, I don't want to lose." Love replied simply, which is the biggest reason for him to stay.

He didn't want to lose. He was better than Anjie and Westbrook in college. He wanted to prove that even now, this hasn't changed.

Oklahoma City Thunder, don't forget that your next opponent is not the Suns or the Spurs, but the wolves in the north, the Kevin Love who is watching and ready to tear your opponent apart. (To be continued.)