The Way of the Center

"Westbrook tore his meniscus and is out for the season!"

"The Thunder lost 100 to 112 to the Spurs. Wei Shao's injury may change the trend of the playoffs."

"Westbrook's shattered steel frame."

An Jie, who was greatly shocked, almost woke up in panic the next day. The first thing he did after waking up was to turn on the news, frantically looking for all the news related to Westbrook.

Under the beautiful sunshine outside the window, Anjie wished he could see that Westbrook was only troubled by minor injuries, and he could return after a day or two of rest.

But to Anjie's despair, as long as it is about Westbrook's news, there must be such appalling words as season reimbursement, genius fall, and meniscus tear. There is no good news about Westbrook, and this guy has been pushed into a dark abyss.

After reading the news, An Jie tried to call Westbrook again. But the sound coming from the earpiece was the system prompt that the other party had shut down.

An Jie had no choice but to call Morris. However, Morris's voice sounded equally listless.

"That guy is back in Oklahoma now, he can't play Ann, and he can't play for the rest of the playoffs..." The last time Anjie heard Morris speak in this tone , or when Morris suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in college.

Although Morris himself was not the one who was injured this time, Morris also knew that if Westbrook was unable to play, the chances of the Thunder beating the Spurs were not great. Even if they win the Spurs, how do they deal with the Blazers and Heat? Morris' dream of a championship is half broken.

"Don't give up so quickly, Andrew! Even without Russell, you should continue to move forward!" An Jie originally just wanted to inquire about Westbrook's news, but now, he has to pay for Morris's status is worried.

"That's right...but Ann, the situation is very different this time. Do your best. I don't want all the Thunder guys to be wiped out."

The two men held the phone, but were silent for a long time. It is impossible for Anjie to heal the blow the Thunder suffered with just a few words.

"Ann." Finally, Morris broke the silence.

"Um?"

"Must go to the Finals, definitely! If the Thunder can still reach the Western Conference Finals, that's another story. If we...if we can't. Please, brother, help me get rid of the Spurs!"

An Jie could not help but clenched his fists as he listened. The sun has now shined on An Jie's face through the glass, but the scorching expression on An Jie's face seems hotter than the sun outside the window...

Now, the entire basketball circle is shrouded in the haze of Westbrook's injury. Not only for the Thunder, but for the fans, the absence of stars is also a great regret in the playoffs.

Everyone put their attention on the fate of Westbrook and the Thunder, and everyone once again lamented the cruelty of the injury.

But right now, out of sight. An Jie has come to the home team's training ground in the Rose Garden ahead of schedule and started preparations for tonight's game.

Shooting trainer David Mason had just changed his clothes and stepped onto the court when he saw Anjie start practicing shooting.

Under normal circumstances, the trainers have to arrive long before the players, because they need to prepare all the equipment needed for the training later.

But when Mason saw that Anjie had started training, he wasn't surprised. An Jie came earlier than this, and he appeared on the training ground earlier, which has become a norm in the Rose Garden.

"Hi, Mason, come on, practice free throws with me." An Jie saw that Mason seemed to be almost busy, so he beckoned the fat white trainer over.

"Why, what goals have you set for yourself today?" Mason knew,

Anjie's free throws are already very accurate. As trainers, they couldn't ask An Jie to do better. Unless, An Jie made a request for himself.

"I don't want to miss free throws in the game today. I want to seize all scoring opportunities as much as possible. So, I want to find the feeling of shooting now." Under the huge overhead lights in the training ground, An Jie stared at the ball seriously. basket. As a superstar, a well-deserved No. 1 center in the league. An Jie is still serious about the simple training of free throws.

Because An Jie knows very well that even the most basic movements must be practiced countless times before they can be mastered. And without a foundation, it is naturally impossible to crawl in a higher-level direction.

Mason appreciates Anjie's attitude very much, otherwise he would not follow Anjie all the way from the Thunder to the Trail Blazers. He hopes to help An Jie as much as possible, because An Jie is definitely the kind of person who is qualified to succeed.

When Angie and Mason were already sweating profusely at the free throw line, other players of the Trail Blazers appeared one after another.

With An Jie's behavioral supervision, others are embarrassed to procrastinate. They all quickly changed their clothes and stepped into the training ground. After a while, the venue where only An Jie and Mason were there just now became lively.

After the players warmed up their bodies, Ricard and Divac appeared on the sidelines.

The young coach who had just won the best coach a few days ago blew the whistle hanging on his chest, and the players of the Trail Blazers all moved towards Ricard as if they heard the rallying call.

"It seems that your spirits are very good!" Ricard looked at the energetic players and couldn't help smiling.

"I hope you guys can keep this up tonight. The Grizzlies are coming back and they're going to be tougher than they were in Game 1! Hold on and let's go to Memphis with a 2-0 score !"

While Ricard was speaking, Divac noticed that Anjie's voice was not as loud as usual. This guy seems to have something on his mind?

Ricard quickly completed the assignment. Generally, the team's pre-match training is very targeted. For example, Wesley Matthews, his task today is to attract the attention of Tony Allen as a three-point shooter. So when everyone else was practicing layups one by one, Matthews was practicing three-pointers. For example, Lillard, accompanied by a trainer, practiced the skill of dribbling in interference.

When everyone's individual training is about the same, Ricard will gather everyone to run tactics. Then, just wait for the evening game to officially start.

Today, the task of Anjie and Aldridge is still a low-post offensive and defensive battle. Ricard knows that the most difficult point for the Grizzlies to attack and defend is the inside. Therefore, Anjie and Aldridge can only use the method of "harming each other" to warm up the war with the "black and white bears".

In yesterday's training, Aldridge used his fiery touch to overwhelm Anjie. Today, Aldridge still continued his fiery state.

When Anjie was defending, the wonderful sound of the basketball falling into the net never stopped. It's a good thing that Aldridge feels hot, but if Anjie uses this level of defense to deal with the black and white bears, I'm afraid it won't work.

Divac walked to the sidelines and looked up with his arms crossed. Angie picked up the basketball again and threw it to Aldridge.

"Come again!" An Jie, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

Aldridge didn't think much, and leaned against An Jie again. This time he didn't even need to push back, and just turned around and shot!

"Oh." Aldridge yelled strangely, and then, with a crisp sound, the basketball in his hand was slapped away by An Jie. This voice resounded throughout the audience.

Angie took a ball from the basket and threw it to Aldridge. "Come again."

"Crack!" There was another crisp sound, and Aldridge's shot was once again blocked by Anjie.

"It seems that I have to be more serious, Ann." Seeing An Jie's serious expression, Aldridge stopped laughing and joking.

This time, Aldridge holds the ball facing the frame. This guy's nimble footwork made his three-threat pace very dangerous, so An Jie had to adjust his focus accordingly.

"Here we come!" Aldridge rushed forward, heading towards An Jie's left and Aldridge's own right. An Jie retreated quickly, for fear of being broken by Aldridge.

Seeing that An Jie retreated very quickly, Aldridge suddenly stopped! Just pull it up and cast!

Aldridge's shot point was very high, and the emergency stop must have delayed Anjie's opportunity to block the shot. Divac shook his head, Anjie's defense failed again.

However, in the next second, Divac saw Anjie abruptly change his center of gravity and jump forward. Seeing that Aldridge was about to make a shot, Anjie stretched his arm vigorously, and finally let his fingers touch Aldridge's shot.

The basketball was rubbed by An Jie and changed its flight trajectory. This was originally a hollow ball, but it was turned into a "hollow outside the basket" by An Jie.

Divac opened his mouth wide. Even he thought Anjie's defense had failed just now. However, Anjie's ability to adjust his center of gravity and his desire to block shots have greatly exceeded Divac's expectations.

"Damn it, what kind of medicine are you taking?" Aldridge shook his head helplessly. Before that, he made consecutive shots. Well now, it's An Jie's turn to cook hot pots one after another.

"You really drove me to LaMarcus, but don't worry, Zac is not me, he can't cover you." An Jie patted Aldridge's chest, and Divac smiled with satisfaction laugh. Ricard's arrangement seems to have forced Aldridge out of Anjie's best form. And Aldridge, who is used to Anjie's defense, will suddenly feel a lot easier when facing Randolph.

"Okay, let's all come over and work on the running tactics together!" Ricard saw that the battle between Anjie and Aldridge seemed to have ended, so he called everyone together to enter the final stage of pre-match training.

In the tactical drill, An Jie was very serious, and his performance was also outstanding.

Anjie was touched by Westbrook's injury and made him more eager to win. Now, Aldridge's fierce firepower also allows Anjie to adjust his defensive state to a new level.

If one of these two conditions is missing, An Jie will not be motivated. Aldridge was equally good yesterday, but isn't Anjie's defense the same as usual?

Maybe the Grizzlies are also fully prepared, but it's a pity. This ambitious grizzly bear might be in trouble.

"Do you know what you've done?" Divac whispered next to Ricard as the players sprinted across the field.

"Me? Didn't I just bring two monsters for the Grizzlies?" Ricard smirked. From the beginning, this guy never planned to give the Grizzlies a chance to breathe!

In a few hours, Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals will begin. I hope the Grizzlies' appetite is big enough, otherwise they won't be able to eat the full banquet prepared by Ricard. Find this site and search for "Apex Novels 208xs", or please remember the URL of this site: