The Way of the Center

Billups himself can feel that the ball is perfect both in terms of shooting feel and shooting rhythm. Westbrook's block was just doing useless work, and he successfully shot the ball. Billups felt that he could score this ball with a high probability!

However, after only being happy for a second, Billups found a black shadow suddenly rushed out, completely covering himself and the ball he threw.

This shadow is behind Westbrook, but it is much taller than Westbrook! As soon as Billups threw the ball, he was slapped back by this guy who suddenly jumped out! At the same time, the red light on the backboard came on, and the 48-minute game was officially over!

"Ann's block was just in time! Through Westbrook's block, he killed the last hope of the Nuggets! God, the game is here, and Ann can still burst out with such speed and bounce Height, it's simply amazing! Anjie, saved the Thunder from the cliff again!" Mike Brin grabbed the microphone and yelled, under the rendering of his passion, Anjie's block was as exciting as A lore comparable.

Naturally, the camera was quickly shown to An Jie, but at this moment, An Jie was pressing on Westbrook. The two were not celebrating by stacking arhats, but really had no strength to turn over.

Anjie's full block allowed him to knock down Westbrook in front of him. Fortunately, Westbrook was between Anjie and Billups, otherwise the referee who favored the Nuggets might have Let Billups make three free throws.

"Ann, get down for me, hahahaha." Westbrook lay on the ground, powerless to resist Anjie's "stalking" of him.

"I can't move anymore, let me lie down for a while, let me fucking lie down for a while." Angie was still spread out on Westbrook's back, motionless. The last cover, almost drained all his strength.

"We won! We won An Jie!" Morris rushed up excitedly, and threw himself on An Jie's back again.

"Damn it, go away, big bull. Ah! Who's coming up again!" Westbrook struggled underneath, but he still couldn't stop the wall from getting higher and higher. But Westbrook, who was dazzled by the victory, laughed wantonly at the bottom. This is a typical manifestation of pain and happiness.

Jeff Van Gundy stood next to the bench and let out a sigh of relief. Finally, they won a game at the Pepsi Center. Looking at the group of players all stacked together, Van Gundy was very relieved.

It was thanks to the unremitting efforts of those boys that they were able to win. Especially Anjie, playing a full quarter in the high-intensity playoffs is not something everyone can persist.

Assistant coach Alton was just about to remind the players to stand up,

But was grabbed by Van Gundy.

"Let them go to Alton, they need to vent their emotions. This victory is too easy for them."

Anthony and Billups walked into the player tunnel with dark faces and refused all media interviews. After slaughtering the Thunder in the first game, they thought they could easily pass the first round. Unexpectedly, only one day later, the Thunder team completed a counterattack and evened the total score. The huge gap between ideal and reality made the Nuggets players not in the mood to accept interviews at all.

Until the reporters picked up the camera and started shooting at An Jie, the ups and downs of his chest were still very obvious. So after asking a few simple questions, the reporters let Anjie go, allowing him to return to the locker room to rest earlier.

But the players were let go, and Van Gundy was not so lucky. Even though he will be heading to the media reception room for a post-match press conference soon, the reporters are still throwing him a bunch of questions.

"Did Coach Dantley's arrangement be exactly as you expected?"

"What did you say to the players the day between the two games to make such a difference!?"

"The game is back in Oklahoma City, what's your plan?"

Before Van Gundy could answer the previous reporter's question, the next reporter put the microphone to his mouth. On the other hand, Dantley of the Nuggets has fallen to the point where no one cares about him.

Under the aura of George Karl, Dantley has obvious shortcomings. In this game, he was repeatedly deceived by Van Gundy's tactics. Now the person who is under the most pressure after the team loses is not Anthony, but him, the acting head coach.

Denver fans would be more than happy to send him the Blades if he ruined an ambitious season for the Nuggets. Although the game was over, Dantley did not relax at all. Studying Van Gundy's tactics has become a top priority now.

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

The day after the Thunder beat the Nuggets, the pages of every sports newspaper were filled with news of the game. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the most intense game in the second round of all the first rounds.

"I'm not wrong, Kenny, the series between the Thunder and the Nuggets is the most worth watching!" Barkley is naturally the person who is most willing to see this result. After the Nuggets beat the Thunder in the first game, many people thought Waiting to see this big mouth joke. But after the second game, people had to face up to Barkley's comments.

"Anthony put too much energy on the defensive end, which led to his poor shooting percentage on the offensive end. The threat of Durant, the youngest scoring leader, obviously frightened Dantley. He and Anthony did not hesitate to sacrifice offense. Guard him."

"But Durant still scored a game-high 33 points. So Dantley and Anthony are doing useless work?" It is rare for Kenny Smith to discuss the game with Barkley in such a serious manner.

"Of course not. KD actually only played a good half. Although he could still score in the second half, his efficiency was very poor. He made 2 of 9 shots. This is the data Durant sent in the second half. And what really made the Thunder win , or the performance of Westbrook and Anjie afterwards." As soon as Barkley finished speaking, the director took everything from the screen and released the highlights of Westbrook in that game.

"The third quarter undoubtedly belongs to the No. 0 guard. His efficiency was very good yesterday, with a full 50% shooting rate. And like Anthony, this kid's desperate breakthrough allowed him to get many free throw opportunities. But it's a pity , the appearance of Afflalo prevented Westbrook from continuing his performance. So in the fourth quarter, the Thunder had a new hero, that is, the butcher we are familiar with, Anjie. 23 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks, Anjie dominated the entire fourth quarter and was an integral part of the Thunder's win. If it weren't for Ibaka's 7 career-high blocks that stole the limelight, Anjie's light would be even more dazzling." The screen changes again, Anjie The highlights naturally occupy the screen.

"In the first three quarters, Anjie's main performance came from defense, but in the last quarter, he played a whole quarter, and took on both defensive and offensive tasks at the same time. We can see that Anjie was basically exhausted in the last four minutes. state, but with his insistence, the Thunder still lasted to the end. That key block, I bet it must be the last move that Anjie can make. If the Nuggets drag the game into overtime, the winner It will definitely not be the Thunder!" Barkley proudly finished analyzing the game and glanced at Kenny Smith.

"The Thunder played so hard to win the Nuggets by 3 points, and you must know that Anthony didn't feel good in the last game. Even if I return to Oklahoma City, I am still optimistic about the Nuggets." Smith Knowing what Barkley's eyes meant, he quickly answered.

"I just analyzed so much, just want to say that there are too many people who can stand up for the Thunder team. As long as Van Gundy thinks, the Thunder team can return an offensive core every quarter. This point, maybe George Karl's words are very important to the Nuggets. It's nothing for the team, but Dantley, it's not going to handle it. Well, let me take a break and see you after the ad."

"Tap!" Dantley turned off the TV, and he even somewhat agreed with what Charles Barkley said. Wanting to limit Durant, the 21-year-old scoring champion, has already made the Nuggets unable to use their hands and feet. In the case of guarding Durant, at most, the Nuggets can only watch Westbrook at most. As for Anjie, whether it is Nene or Martin, they are insiders who are more offensive than defensive. Anderson and Petro, who were on the bench, also proved that they could not resist Anjie's offense for a long time. From this point of view, maybe focusing on defense is a wrong path!

The Nuggets are not a team known for their defense, and their special interior defense has never been the Nuggets' strong point. Offense is the specialty of this Nuggets. In the last game, Dantley let Anthony, who is third in the scoring list, defend with all his strength, which would naturally drag down his offensive firepower.

"It's better to let go and fight!" Dantley thought for a while, and seemed to have decided on the tactical idea he was about to use in the third game.

There's Anthony, there's Nene, there's Billups, there's Afflalo. With Ty Lawson on the bench and J.R. Smith on the bench, Dantley suddenly felt confident in Game 3. On offense, he has the capital to challenge the Thunder!

For Van Gundy, defense is the only criterion he believes. How to limit Anthony, how to limit the Nuggets' abnormally athletic insiders, how to limit Billups' sniping... These have all become the focus of Van Gundy's thinking. He and Dantley have completely embarked on the opposite path for two days.

"Boom, boom, boom." Just as Van Gundy was thinking about it, Alton knocked on the door of his hotel room.

"Let's go buddy, you used to ask me to urge the players, but now it's good, the players are asking me to urge you." Alton looked at the scattered documents and the unrecognizable tactical board on Van Gundy's desk. , This guy probably didn't sleep long yesterday.

"Huh, tell me, in Oklahoma City, what kind of offense can the Nuggets play?" Van Gundy looked out the window, the fiery sun, just like this series, the temperature remained high.

"I just know that if we work together, the Nuggets' offense will be like a piece of shit." Orton reached out and pulled Van Gundy from his chair.

"Come on man, let's go back to the office at Chesapeake Energy Arena and discuss it."

"This is Alton you said, don't even think about going home early tonight." Van Gundy smiled. Now, only work can lure him.

"I've been mentally prepared for a long time. We just didn't want to have a holiday, so we came to play in the playoffs!" Following Van Gundy, Alton gradually became accustomed to "working overtime".

"Let's go boss, let's go to the home court and continue to win!" Seeing Van Gundy walking down the stairs, An Jie in the hall was the first to yell.

A conflict of contradictions is inevitable. Is it the Nuggets' offense that is stronger, or the Thunder's defense that is tougher. It will all be revealed two days later at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Even though he was exhausted yesterday, An Jie is now extremely looking forward to the arrival of the third game. Winning is the biggest motivation for this group of guys.

The planes of the two teams headed for Oklahoma City at the same time, and the battlefield shifted. Whether the Nuggets can return in triumph, and whether the Thunder can defend their homeland. This battle will inevitably become more tragic. (To be continued.)