The Way of the Center

Mental pressure, physical burden. This is undoubtedly the biggest problem facing the Trail Blazers team now.

The Zijin Army and the Celtics. These two biggest giants in the NBA will be the opponents of the Trail Blazers in the next back-to-back schedule. Moreover, this is a back-to-back away game spanning the East and West.

"Coach Ricard, do you think the schedule of the NBA regular season is really scientific and reasonable?" A day after the victory over the Suns, during a daily post-training interview, a beautiful reporter from ESPN asked Ricard this question. Everyone knows that the Trail Blazers are about to face the devil's schedule, and this time back-to-back is also a major threat to the Blazers' winning streak.

"Scientific? Rational? When has the NBA's schedule paid attention to these two things?" Ricard's blank expression made the reporters couldn't help laughing. This guy mocked the league's skill, or So deep.

"First the All-Stars, then the Suns. Just give us a day to breathe, and we need to play two consecutive games across the east and west coasts. Do you think this schedule is reasonable?" Rickard asked rhetorically, The reporters couldn't stop laughing. Indeed, Los Angeles and Boston, it literally spans from the westernmost point of the United States to the easternmost point of the United States.

It is indeed too much to play consecutive back-to-back under such circumstances.

After Ricard complained to the reporters, he also won the sympathy of everyone in the outside world. But what's the use? Can the Trail Blazers still count on David Stern to modify the schedule for them?

All Blazers and An Jie could do was to bite the bullet.

Now the Trail Blazers' entry into the playoffs is a certainty, and the No. 1 position in the Western Conference is also quite stable. And the only thing pressing them down is the record of 26 consecutive victories. With less than ten more wins, the Blazers have a chance to tie the record for the longest winning streak in history.

Such a situation will definitely put great pressure on the players. Especially now that they are facing a group of extremely inhuman consecutive back-to-backs, the Trail Blazers players don't mention how tired they are.

"Lakers f4 guys,

Here they are again. Don't forget, the Lakers are now ranked eighth in the West, which means that they are likely to be our opponents in the first round of the playoffs! I don't want us to be defeated in the first round with countless honors. In the next game, we will strive to win. Destroy the opponent's confidence before the playoffs start! "Rickard tried his best to encourage his players and let them put down the burden as much as possible.

And what about Anjie? As a team leader, he always cares about his teammates in the locker room and on the training ground.

"Don't worry about Matthews, you go to confront Kobe freely. I'm watching behind you, don't be too nervous." An Jie comforted Matthews who was overly nervous because he was about to face Kobe.

"Damien! Don't practice like this, your physical fitness can't bear your tossing like this."

"J.J., you must keep an eye on Clark. Although he is not as good as Gasol, he is also very good at shooting."

If Ricard is a high-level leader, then An Jie is more like a grassroots cadre. He talks to his teammates one by one on the basketball court to make sure they are mentally at their best.

However, the rush of time did not give Anjie and Ricard too many opportunities to adjust the team. When Anjie hadn't recovered from the rhythm of the All-Star Game, he had already parachuted to Los Angeles International Airport.

Although the Lakers f4 may be the most disappointing combination this season, although Gasol and others are injured, only eight of D'Antoni's men can participate in the rotation. But considering the exhaustion and pressure of the Trail Blazers players, it is not impossible for the Los Angeles Lakers to win.

In the last game against the penultimate Suns in the Western Conference, the Blazers won because others had no stars. But for the Los Angeles Lakers, there is an omnipotent Kobe waiting for Anjie.

The same is to participate in the All-Star Game, but Kobe is playing the regular season for the first time after the All-Star Game today. And Anjie is already playing the second consecutive away game.

Before the start of the game, Kobe hugged Anjie friendly as always. But An Jie knew that at critical moments, this cold-blooded black mamba would not be soft on his old friend.

As soon as the game started, An Jie's guess became a reality. Now is the time to hit the playoffs, and the Lakers' eighth position in the Western Conference is shaky. For this situation, the most worried person is Kobe.

The last time Kobe failed to make the playoffs was the 2004-05 season. At that time, only Kobe carried the entire Lakers team. He lacked helpers, and there were many strong enemies in the West.

Nowadays, Kobe, who came here for the championship with a luxurious f4 lineup, cannot accept that he can't even pass the hurdle of the playoffs. So from the very beginning, he launched a fierce attack. Once this guy starts scoring mode, it will be very difficult to stop.

Although Anjie had coached Matthews before the game, when Kobe scored several unreasonable goals on Matthews' head in a row, the 2009 draft pick was still in disarray.

Doesn't Matthews work hard? If he doesn't work hard, it is impossible for him to become the main second position of the Trail Blazers from a hopeless draft pick. But now, the huge gap in talent between the two still makes Matthews extremely painful. After all, Kobe in front of him is also a hardworking person.

An Jie promised to watch behind Matthews, and he did. It's just that the smart Kobe didn't go head-to-head with Anjie at all.

He always scored in the middle distance after getting rid of Matthews' defense, or simply scored against Matthews' defense.

Anjie worked hard, and the rest of the Trail Blazers were as good as they could be. But the score has been bitten by the explosive Kobe.

In the final quarter of the game, the scores of the two sides remained even. But at this time, the Lakers' disadvantage of having only eight players able to rotate was infinitely magnified.

Although Kobe is powerful, he is 33 years old after all. And this guy is also full of scars.

In the fourth quarter, Bryant desperately needed a little time to rest. However, the Lakers' bench lineup prevented Kobe from even getting a break.

This tenacious man gritted his teeth and prepared to play the entire fourth quarter. Kobe's spirit of not giving up also affected his opponent, An Jie.

Seeing Kobe working so hard, An Jie was not to be outdone. He signaled Ricard not to replace him, because An Jie was going to fight to the death with his idol and friend!

The final showdown of this game made all fans have to respect the two men. Whether it is Kobe or Anjie, they are real men.

The two guys did not give up, Bryant's score has almost broken through 40, and Angie's blocks also reached 5.

It's a pity that Kobe still lost in age in the end. An Jie, in his early twenties, had the last laugh in this war of attrition.

In the last minute and a half of the game, Kobe repeatedly missed shots in the outside line, broke through, and took a big risk from Anjie.

As for Anjie, he still played efficiently on the injured Howard. Neither Jamison nor Earl Clark for the Lakers can effectively double-team Anjie.

Kobe is still working hard, but he can no longer make every shot and score every breakthrough like before. On the contrary, An Jie can do it.

Under the cheers of the entire Staples fans, Kobe still lost, with 40 points and 7 rebounds, and fell into the hands of Anjie.

Anjie scored 36 points, 14 rebounds and a terrifying 6 blocks in this campaign. He exhausted to the end, and the Trail Blazers also narrowly won again with 111 to 107!

For the victory of this game, the main players of the Trail Blazers did not spare any effort. Especially Anjie, if he doesn't fight Kobe, the victory will belong to the Lakers. But after he and Kobe slammed, Anjie's physical condition will only become more tense. Although they defeated Kobe, they won their 27th consecutive game. But Ricard now has no idea what to do in tomorrow's game against the Boston Celtics.

Looking at the players panting heavily in the locker room, Ricard really couldn't bear to say those words. But now, he had to urge his subordinates to leave immediately after a bitter victory.

"Let's go guys, let's... we need to go to the airport..." A lackluster victory, that's what it feels like...

Four and a half hours of long-distance flight, across the east and west coasts of the United States. Only in the early morning can I fall asleep steadily, and when I wake up, I have to go to the game...

All these unfavorable factors are now overwhelming the Trail Blazers.

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

February 22, 2013, Lantern Festival. Boston, td North Shore Garden Arena, 10:30 p.m. An Jie has no chance to be with his family, not even a video chat. Ever since he came to the United States and became a professional player in the NBA, Chinese traditional festivals have never had much to do with An Jie. Not to mention the Lantern Festival, even the Spring Festival more than ten days ago, An Jie spent it in competitions and training.

But now he doesn't have the heart to think about these sad things at all. He must solve the big crisis in front of him, because the time left for the Trail Blazers is running out.

"The game is about to end with three minutes left, and the Trail Blazers are still eight points behind at this moment! Paul Pierce borrowed Brandon Bass' pick-and-roll and then broke through! Pull-up jumper hit two points, audience friends, now The point difference has become ten points!"

Pierce raised his arms excitedly after scoring a goal, and the fans' shouts made this guy full of strength.

When the offense came, Anjie attracted double-teams again and successfully distributed the ball to the outside. Wesley Matthews catches and shoots, but the ball knocks out of the basket. This is not accidental. Counting the missed goal, Matthews' three-point shooting percentage today has become 1 of 7 shots.

Seeing this situation, Garnett stepped on his feet immediately, this small action made it difficult for Anjie to move. Therefore, this rebound was also firmly controlled by the Celtics.

Originally, An Jie's physical strength was almost overdrawn, and now he has to deal with Garnett who has small movements all over his body, which aggravated An Jie's physical energy consumption.

After getting the rebound, Bradley immediately launched a counterattack and wanted to play a fast break. And An Jie, who was physically exhausted, was no longer able to stage the good show of chasing counterfeiters again. He could only watch helplessly as the No. 0 guard of the Celtics made a successful layup and watched the point difference become 12.

"Too exhausted. If I were Coach Ricard, I would immediately replace Ann and give up this game! After all, their results are good enough. If Anjie gets injured due to fatigue, the Trail Blazers will not be worth the loss!" Mike Breen doesn't want to see a rising superstar fall to the feet of illness.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ricard called a timeout.

"Ann! You rest!"

"Oh... ah!?" An Jie hadn't reacted yet.

"You take a rest, stop playing, let's stop playing." The time is only two minutes, and the point difference is still 12 points. With the Trail Blazers in poor condition, Ricard intends to give up the game.

"What are you kidding! We can't give up! We still have time!" An Jie yelled angrily. His fierce reaction shocked everyone on the bench, including Ricard himself.

This deafening roar naturally did not escape the ears of the reporters. They seem to have heard big news!

"Impossible! We will definitely win!" An Jie threw the paper cup angrily. After working hard for so long and winning streak for so long, how could he just give up.

"Stinky boy!" Rickard is also very violent, An Jie never dared to yell at himself, did this guy eat the guts of a leopard today? Rickard pushed back forcefully, and the others didn't even dare to make a sound.

"All right, all right, Ann, obey the arrangement. This is also for the sake of the overall situation." Divac is the only one who can play the role of peacemaker. He pushed An Jie and Ricard away. An Jie didn't say anything, and he accepted it. The fact that the game ended early.

Ricard didn't say a word to Anjie after that, he directed the whole game. Of course, the Trail Blazers finally fell to the North Shore Garden with a difference of nine points.

"The Boston Celtics! They stopped the Trail Blazers' winning streak! My God, the Rockets' 22-game winning streak ended with the Celtics! These guys are a veritable end to the winning streak." By!"

The Trail Blazers' legendary winning streak stopped at the number of 27 consecutive victories.

After the game, the reporters went out collectively. Ange and Rickard's quarrel, the end of the Trail Blazers' winning streak, another beautiful block from the Celtics...

There are too many news about this game...

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