The Way of the Center

Ainger would always glance at the Pacers halfcourt during warmups. Paul George, the guy in jersey No. 24, hit another shot from beyond the arc.

After observing George for so long, An Jie found that George didn't miss a single shot when he was warming up today. Thinking about how excited he was when he played against O'Neal and Yao Ming, Anjie instantly understood George's mood.

"Andre, your defensive pressure may be quite high today." An Jie looked away, talking to Iguodala while shooting.

"Don't worry, Ann, that kid is here for you."

"Then let him try."

The warm-up time ended quickly, and the players from both sides gathered around the coaches, who also began to make final arrangements for the game.

A young, short-haired, clean-spirited, high-nosed white man was writing and drawing on a tactical board among the Pacers players in dark blue away jerseys.

Frank Vogel, head coach of the Indiana Trail Blazers. Does it sound like Ricard for a little-known college coach making his way in the NBA?

No, this guy has a rougher resume than Ricard. This guy spent a full decade as an assistant coach in the NBA to get where he is now. This guy who didn't have a deep fortune on the basketball court, but he shined on the sidelines of the basketball court.

The Pacers players are indeed very good, but Vogel is also an integral part of this Eastern Conference team.

"George, you gotta be more aggressive today! The Trail Blazers defense is as tough as ours, but if there's one point where their defense is in trouble, that spot can hold Ainger! Hold it An Jie, we can find a lot of opportunities! George, you are the point that needs to contain An Jie!" Vogel's voice sounded unquestionable.

"I'm very happy to do this, boss." George smiled at his coach and confronted Anjie directly, which was exactly the result he hoped for.

"Roy, be smart on the defensive end. No matter what An Jie tells you, no matter how he provokes you, don't respond, and don't take it to heart. That guy is a master of psychological warfare. Once you start fighting with If he gets angry, you will fall into his trap step by step!" Vogel also reminded Hibbert that he does not want his "black Yao Ming" to be bound by fouls.

Hibbert didn't respond, just nodded silently. Hibbert was more nervous about confronting Anjie than George expected.

"Beep!" The voice suddenly appeared,

Let Paul George startled. He looked at the other side of the court, and An Jie had already started to cheer up his teammates.

George was not to be outdone, he motioned for everyone to come over, and the Pacers players hooked their shoulders one by one, all huddled together.

"Our goal this year is the championship! So today, we are going to beat the previous championship winner! Come on, we can do it! One, two, three!"

"Pacers!"

The shouts of the Pacers players resounded throughout the stadium, and the commentators in the commentary area were very surprised. Few teams maintain such high morale when they play away games at the Moda Center.

An Jie looked at George who was walking towards him with a smile, and the two hugged each other cordially.

"You kid, you are getting stronger and stronger. 16 wins and 1 loss, congratulations." An Jie patted George on the back.

"I am following in your footsteps. Today, I will try to surpass you!"

"Come here George, I won't show mercy just because we're friends."

After all, An Jie and George fist bumped. George turns and walks back to his own half. Roy Hibbert came up, and An Jie felt that his sight was blocked.

In this league, An Jie rarely meets people who are as tall as him. But this Hibbert is one of the few.

Although in terms of official height, Hibbert is one centimeter shorter than Anjie. But when the two stand next to each other, you can't tell the difference at all.

Hibbert didn't talk to An Jie, he just stared calmly at the yellow-skinned guy in front of him. What about Anjie? He looked relaxed. After playing in the NBA for so many years, An Jie was no longer afraid of any opponent.

"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle, and the basketball flew into the air. Hibbert and Anjie took off almost at the same time, and Anjie really admired Hibbert in terms of the timing of the scrimmage.

Gradually, however, Hibbert found that the gap between him and An Jie had widened. With almost the same height, Anjie's body seems to have risen faster and taller than Hibbert.

In terms of athletic ability, the gap between Hibbert and Anjie is more than a star and a half. With faster bounce speed and jump height, Anjie was able to take the lead in turning the ball into his own half.

He is superior in athletic ability, especially jumping, which is also very rare for An Jie.

Lillard caught the ball firmly, but the moment he started to push, the entire Moda Center cheered.

For the next 48 minutes, the fans will continue to go crazy like this.

Paul George couldn't help but take a deep breath, this is the home field of the championship!

The exaggerated wingspan and tough defense of the Pacers starting No. 1 George Hill made Lillard feel uncomfortable after halftime. Lillard's speed is indeed fast, but he is in such a high-intensity confrontation. Under a large-scale defense, it is impossible to break through at a high speed.

The No. 0 defender simply pulled back from his crotch, and got rid of the entanglement with Hill. Lillard began to observe the situation on the court, he wanted to pass the ball!

Hill didn't give Lillard a chance to play the ball calmly, he immediately stuck up, waving his slender arms constantly.

Lillard is the kind of guard who is far more aggressive than organized. When Hill interfered, Lillard's sight was greatly hindered.

The Pacers deserve to be the team with the highest defensive efficiency this season. Just from the fact that Hill restricted Lillard, we can see how good this team's defense is.

Iguodala saw that Lillard was unable to play the ball for a long time, so he stepped forward to respond.

Lillard quickly handed the ball to Iguodala, but Paul George, isn't he a defensive champion?

But Iguodala is obviously much more sophisticated than Lillard, and he didn't get entangled with George much. Iguodala supported George with one hand and dribbled through with the other.

When he entered the three-point line with one foot, Iguodala suddenly passed the ball and threw the ball directly into the penalty area.

An Jie stuck his back, stood still, and caught the ball steadily. Hibbert hurriedly stuck to An Jie's back, and the cheers in the Moda Center seemed to double in an instant.

"Here we come! I didn't expect this duel between top centers to start so soon!" Bill Wharton clenched his fists excitedly. Two traditional big centers were one-on-one in the interior. This kind of scene is not every day. Every team can present it to everyone.

It's not that An Jie has never fought Hibbert before, but Hibbert's growth rate also made An Jie dumbfounded.

So every time he confronted Hibbert, it was a new attempt for An Jie.

He first tested Hibbert's defensive strength with his back. Toughness is tough, but An Jie felt that Hibbert's strength still needs to be practiced.

Suddenly, An Jie leaned back abruptly! Sure enough, Hibbert was knocked back by Anjie's violent impact.

For a top inside scorer like An Jie, one step of space is enough for him to take a life. So Hibbert didn't dare to slack off, he quickly adjusted his focus and rushed forward, hoping to fill the vacancy as soon as possible.

Just as Hibbert was stepping forward, An Jie suddenly turned around and broke through! Everything is in An Jie's plan! An Jie's push back was actually just to lure Hibbert to pounce forward.

Hibbert couldn't keep up with the rhythm and change his center of gravity, and his footsteps were far less flexible than Anjie. This guy could only watch An Jie pass by him, and then...

"Bang!" An Jie dunked vigorously with both hands, scoring the first point of the game for the Trail Blazers!

"It's easy, Anjie almost never suffers in the paint!" Wharton suddenly relaxed. It seems that Hibbert shouldn't cause too much trouble for Anjie.

"It's okay Roy, it's just a ball. Come on, let's attack back!" George stepped forward and patted Hibbert's ass. He had to stabilize the morale of his teammates before he could confront the Blazers. .

Hibbert sent the baseline ball, and George Hill pushed forward quickly. An Jie stood on the edge of the three-second zone with long arms. He was observing Hibbert, George Hill who was holding the ball, and at the same time, he was also observing the most dangerous No. 24.

A strong sense of the overall situation is one of the essentials for Anjie to always rule the restricted area.

Hill didn't hesitate, he played the ball quickly and gave the deep David West a chance.

Today, however, Aldridge's defense is extremely tough. After West topped twice, he was about to turn over and shoot a jumper, but found that his shooting space was blocked at all.

If you insist on shooting, waiting for West will definitely be a block. So West temporarily changed his shot into a pass in the air and threw the ball again.

Fortunately, George Hill's arm is long enough. If another guard is replaced, the ball will definitely be missed.

Barely following the ball, Hill began to reorganize the offense. At this time, the slow Hibbert had already decided on a position, and the Pacers' offensive options became richer.

Hill looked at George, and George looked at Hibbert. A tacit understanding was reached in an instant, and Hill handed over the ball!

As soon as Paul George received the ball, Iguodala posted it without reservation.

If it were changed to before, George, who was pressed and defended, might make a mistake. But this season, George has been very different from before.

He deftly protected the basketball, waiting for Hibbert's pick-and-roll to be in place.

An Jie didn't follow Hibbert out, but kept a distance from him. If George breaks through the pick-and-roll, he can make up for it quickly.

The pick-and-roll was in place, and George suddenly started dribbling. Iguodala reacted quickly and moved laterally immediately. But in the next second, he was firmly blocked by "Black Yao Ming".

As Anjie expected, George rushed out through the pick-and-roll. But it doesn't matter, An Jie is confident that he can stop George's attack!

Seeing An Jie lying in front of him, George didn't intend to continue to break through. He suddenly retreated and wanted to shoot a jumper!

An Jie hastily stepped over in two big strides, no surprises, he blocked the ball!

However, after Anjie jumped high, George took back the basketball and continued to break through with the ball under Anjie's astonished eyes.

"Beautiful feint to pray to Buddha, my God, George actually deceived An Jie, it's simply unbelievable!" Countless commentators shouted in amazement, when was the last time An Jie was deceived by a fake move? No one remembers! But George, let this best defensive player be fooled.

After George broke through, Aldridge naturally had to defend the basket.

But how can a mere Aldridge stop George's impact?

George forced a layup against Aldridge's defense. The basketball hit the board and Aldridge was lucky enough not to be called for a foul.

An Jie shook his head helplessly, and glanced at George who scored a goal. Sure enough, I shouldn't be so careless. This guy, George, has become a real superstar.

"My fault, my fault, I promise, there will be no next time." An Jie raised his hand and shouted at his teammates.

In a round of offense and defense, Anjie and George each scored a goal. It seems that this battle of focus is destined to be quite exciting.

George and Angie, fight Cairo!