The Way of the Center

After Anjie and George each scored a goal, the game continued to heat up.

Both Hibbert and West started to attack, but with Ainger at the basket, the shooting percentage of these two guys was not very good.

Needless to say, Hibbert, who is directly confronting Anjie, can still score goals. After all, it is not difficult to score goals close to the basket. But he usually has to pay a lot of shots to score a goal on An Jie's head.

As for David West, this power forward with solid offensive skills will always meet Anjie's timely blocking and defense. The offensive intensity of the two elders was greatly reduced, and the Pacers had to focus on the outside.

Lance Stephenson, the guard who shined in last year's playoffs is now an out-and-out star player. At least in the hearts of Indiana fans, he is a very reliable second position candidate.

So it is not an exaggeration to say that the playoffs are a stage for people to become famous. If it weren't for his outstanding performance in the playoffs, maybe this guy with a weak brain will always be just a fool. second-round pick.

But after the battle with the Heat last season, this slightly "funny" second-round pick has become one of the best scoring guards.

Although his shooting is not stable enough, he can always make shots at critical moments. Coupled with this guy's desperate attitude, he has gained the respect of the fans.

Now that his team is unable to open up the situation inside, Stephenson decided to stand up and share part of the scoring pressure for George.

On the first ball, this guy fired decisively from beyond the three-point line. But he couldn't ignore Matthews' interference because his shooting was a bit stiff. Don't underestimate Matthews. This guy's judgment on the timing of blocking shots when defending shots is still quite good.

Because of this, the basketball that Stephenson shot with confidence did not score for the Pacers, but only allowed Andero to get a rebound.

In the second round, George fell into the encirclement of Anjie and Iguodala, and had no choice but to pass the ball.

I have to say that George's ability to handle the ball is still quite good. Few people can accurately send the basketball when entangled with Angie, but George did.

The basketball was unbiased and just flew into Stephenson's hands.

Finsen made three threats with the ball, sweat the size of soybeans dripped from Matthews' forehead. Stephenson's active running and strong body made Matthews a little overwhelmed!

The Pacers No. 1 guard wasted no chance,

Just run away.

Matthews subconsciously used his strong body to move laterally to block it, but Stephenson's excellent strength allowed him to bear the obstacle and forcefully break through!

Matthews has completely fallen, and the method used by Stephenson may not be subtle, but at least this tough breakthrough worked.

Even if everyone knew that the paint area guarded by An Jie was the most dangerous, Stephenson would not be afraid at all.

He is this kind of player, this kind of player with a tough style, who is not afraid of confrontation and is especially brave.

Of course, you don't know if he's really not afraid or just out of his wits. But his way of playing is precisely the key to his ability to gain a foothold in the Pacers!

Stephenson looked left and right, but found that a direct layup seemed to be the best choice at this time. After making a decision, Stephenson no longer hesitated, and stepped into the penalty area with two big strides holding the ball.

Finsen straightened his arms and jumped up violently. He planned to end the attack with a one-handed dunk.

However, Finsen had just stretched his body in the air, and before he had time to execute it, he found a shadow flashing into his vision.

An Jie, this guy's speed of returning to defense made Stephenson completely unexpected. After all, in today's league, centers who are fast enough and tall enough seem to have really become extinct.

Anjie failed to block Finsen's dunk, but Stephenson, who was oppressed by the huge impact, also failed to complete the dunk calmly.

The two were waiting for the referee's decision in the air. To An Jie's delight, the referee didn't blow his whistle!

The two of them were indeed in a reasonable collision zone, but I have to admit that after Anjie won the championship, the league's whistleblowing standards for him were also relaxed a lot compared to before.

Especially now, this is still Moda Center, Anjie's home stadium. Few outside players can successfully score against Anjie. Even James and Bledsoe, who are as strong as "armored cars" outside, can hardly score in such a situation.

Stephenson's layup also went out of the frame without any suspense. So far, the offense of the Pacers' starting second position has also been officially frozen.

As for George Hill, this guy performed very well on the defensive end today. He has forced the nimble Lillard to stop the ball several times.

But on the offensive end, today's strong defender's hand style is not going well. Not to mention scoring goals in the confrontation, it is open shots. George Hill missed a few shots today.

After turning around, the only point where the Pacers can score is Paul George. But now, the first quarter is drawing to a close. Franka Vogel is a coach who strictly implements the rotation system, and he resolutely replaced George. At a more critical moment later, he still needs this young swingman to charge for him.

After that, the substitute players from both sides gradually came on the field. The disadvantage of the Pacers has not been reversed.

Although the performance of Luis Scola, a member of Argentina's golden generation, is remarkable, but he alone is far from being able to get the Pacers back on track.

20 to 26, after the first quarter, the Trail Blazers took the lead and entered the intermission.

There is no doubt that Anjie's strength is fully reflected. After all, there are really few teams that can force the Pacers into such a mess this season.

"We all know that the Pacers are one of the best teams this season, but the Trail Blazers are the real best team!"

"Look at Anjie's terrifying dominance! In this era of severe shortage of excellent centers, no one in the entire league can shake Anjie's status! Hibbert? Hibbert is completely useless in front of Anjie. Against the Heat The strength of time!"

"The Pacers' offense was severely limited, and both teams planned to use their excellent defense to win the game. But now, the Pacers just need to solve the offensive problem to have a chance!"

During the intermission, almost all commentators were overwhelmingly on the side of the Trail Blazers. After all, judging from the performance in the first quarter alone, the Blazers indeed overwhelmed the Eastern upstarts.

George, who was sitting on the bench, didn't look too tired. He actively surrounded his head coach Franca. The loss of just one game is not enough to make a guy like George give up.

"Fight to the end with Anjie." What Paul George said, he will definitely do his best to realize it.

"It seems that our offense has encountered a lot of trouble? No way, An Jie is almost the best player in the league now, and his defense is indeed too deterrent. But it doesn't matter, An Jie is a center. Center, just It means that his defensive range cannot cover the entire half." Franke paused after finishing speaking. He looked at George who was surrounded by him. This guy's eyes were still piercing. Seeing this, Franka felt relieved.

As long as George still wants to win, the Pacers still have a chance!

"In the second quarter, George, I will give you unlimited firing rights." As soon as Franca said this, everyone's mouths grew louder.

George is undoubtedly the star of the Pacers, but such things as unlimited shooting rights are not something that can be given casually.

Generally, the term "unlimited firepower" is only associated with characters like Kobe or Jordan. Even for Anjie, Rickard often needs him to display his excellent coping ability. In other words, even An Jie couldn't do anything unscrupulously.

However, now, in order to solve the Pacers' offensive problem, Franke actually gave "Pickled Pepper" an order such as unlimited firing rights.

"Everyone, everyone's first priority on the field is to support George. If you can, let George shoot as much as possible. And you George, I need you to find a lot of space. It is best to find Anjie without scruples. Improve the offensive efficiency, only in this way can we turn the score!" After finishing speaking, the small tactical board was also messed up by Fraca.

Although it was only the first quarter, Franke knew that the current Pacers had already been pushed to the edge of the cliff by Anjie. The offenses of players such as Hibbert, West, and Stephenson are all based on shots close to the basket.

So now, Franka doesn't intend to let others squander their chances. Only by relying on George can the Pacers have the possibility of penetrating the Trail Blazers' defense.

George swallowed, he didn't expect that the confrontation between himself and An Jie would suddenly become so intense.

"I won't let you down, boss." George's expression gradually returned to calm from surprise, and the young No. 24 player clenched his fists.

Come on Ann, let me beat you down with my own hands!

Everyone thought that the Blazers had a certain chance of winning, and everyone thought that Paul George was just another "trophy" of Angie.

But now, no one has noticed that the emotional Pacers have re-entered the court and are full of confidence!

"Andre, be careful later!" After playing, Anjie patted Iguodala on the back, bent down and whispered in Iguodala's ear.

Because An Jie saw a dangerous signal in George's eyes.

That murderous and eager look should never appear on a team player who is behind!