The Way of the Center

In November, the weather turns cooler, and the beautiful summer has officially said goodbye to everyone. Those stars who live comfortably in the summer also have to forget everything that happened during the holidays and devote themselves wholeheartedly to the competition in the new season.

Of course, the memories of the summer for the players are not only about the holidays. If your team is strong enough, the memory of summer will definitely have the unforgettable trip to the playoffs.

The players of the Portland Trail Blazers have not forgotten how they failed in Oklahoma last season.

Aldridge has been fighting since the plane flew over Oklahoma City. The guy's eyes became murderous, and his fists would always be clenched unconsciously.

Anjie is very happy that Aldridge is in such a state. The Thunder's interior defense is not for cover. If no one can help him share the pressure, then the game will be really difficult.

But today, the outcome of the game is not only in the hands of Anjie and Aldridge. The rookie defender sitting a few rows in front of Anjie is also one of the keys!

He scored 20+10 in his NBA debut, which is definitely a rare thing for a No. 6 rookie. But Anjie was not surprised by this at all. He knew that Lillard was the one who could do this kind of thing.

Although his performance was very strong, Anjie was still worried about Lillard in the face of Westbrook, who was bound to go crazy today. Let alone a rookie, looking at the entire NBA, there are not many guards who can compete with Westbrook on the court.

But this does not mean that Lillard will give up resistance. On the contrary, Anjie hopes that this kid can surprise Westbrook today. I hope that what Anjie said to Lillard before takeoff can play a certain role.

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

In the playoffs last season, the Thunder eliminated the Blazers with a score of 4 to 2. This score faithfully reflects the strengths and weaknesses of the two sides on the court. Jeff Van Gundy can be said to have eaten the Blazers to death.

But this year, the Trail Blazers lineup is as strong as the Thunder. No, it can even be said to be slightly better.

Batum and Fisher, who played a pivotal role in the Thunder team last year, have now switched to the Trail Blazers. On the other hand, Lei Ting, who lost these two people, did not get any good supplements.

After losing to the Spurs, Jeff Van Gundy has been burning the midnight oil, looking for ways to beat the Blazers from the hand-drawn tactical papers. In the end, he decided that it might be a good choice to use Westbrook's impact to cause trouble for the Trail Blazers.

The No. 0 guard of the Trail Blazers is no worse than Westbrook in his rookie season. His finishing ability at the basket may not be as good as Westbrook, but this guy's passing and shooting stability are better. However, with his thin body, it should be difficult for him to resist the impact of Westbrook. Jeff Van Gundy decided to take advantage of this and look for a breakthrough.

Anjie and Aldridge's defense is naturally very strong, but Jeff Van Gundy knows that Westbrook, who was deflated at the ATT Center the day before yesterday, is bound to show a decent performance today. Once the Trail Blazers' inside defense cracks due to Westbrook's impact, the entire defensive chain of the Trail Blazers will be messed up!

The next thing to do is very simple. Van Gundy only needs to follow this idea to formulate corresponding tactics for Westbrook. After that, it depends on him and the players' on-the-spot performance.

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

Last season, when the Blazers and the Thunder fought, reporters always focused on the delicate relationship between Anjie and the Thunder. Each time, it becomes an issue of extreme concern to the outside world.

But this season, the media have a lot more topics for speculation. For example, the grievances between the two teams in the playoffs, such as Aldridge and Ibaka, which is better, or, for example, the blockbuster Lillard and the equally crazy West in his NBA debut performance Collision between Brooke!

"Number zero against zero!"

"The cooperation between Zero Zero and Zero Zero!"

"Zero: The number that left or right the result."

Before the game, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, numerous on-site reporters brought the topic to "zero". Coincidentally, Lillard and Westbrook both have jersey numbers of zero, while Anjie's jersey number is 00. And these three players, all wearing the No. 0 jersey, happened to be the focus of this game. Countless fans are talking about this coincidence. Anjie and Lillard, who have only cooperated in one game, have even been called a "zero degree combination" by fans.

In any case, various sports media have successfully fired up the game. As for how hot it is, it all depends on how well the group of people who are preparing in the locker room at the moment perform.

While wearing protective gear in the locker room, Anjie never took his eyes off Lillard. The young guy didn't talk to anyone, just getting ready on his own.

Although Westbrook, like Anjie, has only worked hard in the league for less than five years. But for Lillard, Westbrook is definitely a benchmark. This is a crucial game, this is a strong opponent. Compared with Nash in the previous game, this is an opportunity for Lillard to prove himself.

It may not be surprising to score 20+10 on Nash's head, but to replicate this performance in Westbrook, the concept is completely different! Even the boss of the team asked him to let go of his hands and feet, and even the coaching staff regarded his connection with An Jie as a key point in training. Everyone wants him to stand up, so it's time for him to stand up too!

"Damian Lillard, you can't back down!" The No. 0 guard yelled to himself in his heart, and then he raised his head. It happened that An Jie had already changed his equipment and was about to walk out of the locker room, passing in front of him.

"Hey, don't miss my pass later."

After An Jie heard Lillard's words, he turned his head in surprise. But found that Lillard, the guy who had been silent all day, stretched out his fist at himself.

"Go ahead, Damien." Anjie laughed reassuringly, and fist bumped Lillard hard. I'm sorry for the old club, this time, Anjie brought a new weapon that is more lethal!

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

The players of the Thunder team hugged into a ball in the player tunnel. They were close together one by one, encouraging each other and cheering for each other.

"It's nothing to be afraid of. Although we lost the last game, today we will get back everything we lost!" Westbrook was the first to speak. He knew that he was to blame for the loss in the last game, so today He also came prepared.

"Russell is right! Didn't we kill them once in the playoffs last season? Today, the result will not be any different!" Morris is now a real Thunder player. He is indeed very good with Ricard and An Jie, but this guy will not allow these two best friends to win at his home court!

"One! Two! Three! Thunder!" The morale-boosting Thunder team ran out of the player tunnel, just in time to meet the Trail Blazers who filed out from the opposite player tunnel. But to Westbrook's surprise, Angie wasn't the one who took the lead and ran to the front today. The No. 0 guard who newly joined the Trail Blazers actually occupied the leading position.

Lillard glanced at Westbrook, and Westbrook naturally saw him too. The eyes of the two did not give way to each other, and they were both very fierce.

Before the game started, these two guards with similar personalities had already started to compete secretly.

"Ann, your new friend doesn't seem to like me." Before the jump ball, An Jie ran to the Thunder half to greet his former teammates as usual. When Anjie and Westbrook hugged, Westbrook whispered in Anjie's ear.

Angie looked in the direction Westbrook was staring at, and found Lillard who was pressing his legs.

"No, Russell. He has no grievances with you, and you have no feud. But I have to say, Damien is indeed a bastard, a bastard just like you." After An Jie finished speaking, he patted Wes Tebrook's back, showing his trademark smirk.

"Are you expecting to use him against me? You know me, Ann, and I'm not going to lose to a rookie!" Westbrook tapped Anjie's chest, just like they did when they were still playing together. .

Anjie finally hugged his good brother Morris, and retreated to the Trail Blazers half, waiting for the referee to kick off. And when Anjie retreated behind the center line, Westbrook had already forgotten all the old friendship between him and Anjie.

Is Anjie's new friend? The hospitable Westbrook will surely take care of it!

Morris seldom beat Anjie in the jump ball, so today he just jumped casually absent-mindedly. Anyway, for basketball, the jump ball is not the key. The number of first strikes of the two teams after the opening of each quarter is the same. It didn't hurt to let the Blazers go first in the first quarter.

"Damian Lillard received the ball, we saw that Westbrook has already set up a defensive posture, and we are really looking forward to the confrontation between the two!"

"Another No. 0 guard next to Ann, I hope he can show the state of his "predecessor"."

Lillard's advancement speed is not fast. Although he decided to let go of his hands and feet, Lillard still won't mess around with the ball. He was watching Westbrook's defensive positioning, but what Lillard found interesting was that Westbrook's defense looked flawless! This guy actually decided to do his best to deal with a rookie!

"This is a decent opponent." Lillard patted the basketball and suddenly laughed to himself. He beckoned, motioning for An Jie to come out and pick and roll for himself.

"Hey, what did we see? As a rookie, Lillard actually commanded Ann, the boss of the team, to pick and roll for him. Let me not see, what will happen next!" Mike Breen found out, The Trail Blazers this season will always make themselves look forward to their next second.

Anjie's pick-and-roll was raised very high this time, Lillard was three steps away from the three-point line, and Anjie's pick-and-roll also came directly outside the three-point line. Many basketball commentators shook their heads. This sprint distance is too long. Even if Anjie's pick-and-roll succeeds, the rest of the Thunder will have plenty of time to defend. These two guys are really too young.

"Will it be too far?" Even Divac, who was on the Trail Blazers' bench, was a little worried.

Ricard didn't answer Divac's question, he just stared at the field intently, quickly calculating the possibilities that might arise later in his mind.

What Westbrook is least afraid of is Anjie's pick-and-roll, and he has come up with experience around Anjie's pick-and-roll. So when Anjie came to Westbrook, he was not moved at all. If Lillard really wants to break out, Westbrook can catch up in time!

An Jie blocked Westbrook's left, and Lillard took a small step back, intending to sprint!

"Go around!" Seeing this situation, Westbrook immediately began to fight against Anjie's pick-and-roll. Leaning on Anjie and turning around, Westbrook switched to the other side. At this time, Lillard has already started!

"Children, it's not that simple!" Westbrook grinned and waited for Lillard to throw himself into the trap, but in the next second, Lillard changed direction again.

Since Westbrook relied on Anjie to turn around and bypass the pick-and-roll from behind, Anjie only needed to stand still and turn around to complete the second consecutive pick-and-roll against his former teammate.

This sudden surprise caused Westbrook to subconsciously shift his footsteps sideways. At the same time, An Jie also moved a little secretly, completely blocking Westbrook.

Westbrook was firmly hung up on this second consecutive attack. He could only hug Anjie, the "pillar" blocking the way, but he couldn't rush to Lillard.

Seeing this situation, both Ibaka and Morris shrank inside, ready to deal with Lillard's breakthrough at any time.

Lillard dribbled the ball beyond the three-point line after passing the pick-and-roll, but what the Thunder players did not expect was that after he reached the three-point line, he did not continue to advance. Instead, he straightened his waist, pulled up and shot!

"Use the pick-and-roll to make an emergency stop jumper outside the three-point line! Maybe that's why this pick-and-roll coordination is mentioned at such a high position!" The higher the position, the more space is left for Lillard. In this way, he will not receive any interference from beyond the three-point line!

Lillard's shot is somewhat similar to Westbrook's, but much softer. Westbrook stared nervously at the ball, hoping Lillard's hasty shot would miss his shot.

However......

"Damion Lillard, hit a three-pointer! The first offense in the opening game, Ann and Lillard presented us with wonderful cooperation and goals! These two guys will bring more to the Thunder. trouble!"

Westbrook looked at the two people who were making fun of themselves. Anjie and Lillard just clapped their hands lightly, without any superfluous expressions.

Westbrook doesn't dare to act recklessly now, these two guys are planning to come for real!

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