The Way of the Center

Team and individual, this is the biggest difference between the Trail Blazers and Pacers in this game.

Paul George is constantly using his personal ability to solve problems, while Anjie has been integrated with the team from beginning to end.

This is not because Anjie's personal ability is not as good as George's. Last season's double MVP and championship, anyone who can win this kind of honor in NBA history will not be bad in personal ability.

Larry Bird, Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, "Magic" Johnson...Look at these names who have won double MVPs, sharing the same honor with such people, Anjie's personal ability is definitely league Top class.

However, An Jie always believes that only by combining the strength of the whole team can the chances of victory be maximized.

The defense of the last ball, the tacit switch of the Blazers players and Anjie's bold blocking are the embodiment of the strength of the team!

It is impossible for Anjie to keep up with George's footsteps alone, and Iguodala can't cope with the "Pickled Pepper" who is in a state of explosion. Wesley Matthews? In fact, when he was shaken by George, his defense had already failed.

But the three together pulled down the unstoppable Paul George.

The moment Anjie completed the block, Lillard immediately picked up the ball and threw it into the air.

George stared dumbfounded. Anjie had just landed. The tall guy raised his arms. He became the hero of the Moda Center again. Countless fans gave him a standing ovation, and the wine glasses in countless bars in Portland collided. The players of the Trail Blazers hugged An Jie, worshiping their leader to lead them again win.

Obviously the moment when he made the shot felt so good, obviously he had used superb feints to shake away the last defender, obviously he had already scored 43 points more than Anjie, and he also made 7 shots a three-pointer.

But in the end, what George got was another failure.

George, who had been excited for the whole game, felt suddenly weak, and he put his arms on his knees. I looked up at the score, 104 to 106, lost. Even if it was only two points away, George lost completely.

Turning his head again, looking at An Jie who was being supported by his teammates, George felt indescribable envy. He admires Anjie because he also wants to be a winner like this.

Originally thought that he could enjoy the honor of killing An Jie with his own hands, but in the end, he was killed by An Jie himself.

"What can I say about Ann's defense!? George and Ann played a whole game of cat and mouse.

But at the most critical moment, Ann's defense still prevailed. As long as Ann is on the court, no one is safe, even if you are outside the three-point line! "Although there was no lore, Anjie's key blocks were as wonderful as the lore.

The directors of almost all channels replayed the picture of Anjie blocking the lore over and over again. He boldly let go of Hibbert and kept ambush behind Matthews. Finally seized the opportunity, jumped up and completed the block. Even after watching it several times, Blazers fans get goosebumps every time they watch it.

This No. 00 from China once again left a classic picture in the history of the Trail Blazers.

"Let's go George..." Frank Vogel didn't know how to comfort the young "Pickled Pepper". He gave George unlimited firepower today, and George's performance is worthy of this right. It can be said that George has tried his best, and he can only blame Anjie for being too difficult to defeat.

George still had his hips akimbo, his head bowed. "One of the best teams in the league", "a super team that is only one game behind the Trail Blazers", "a strong dark horse that can challenge the Heat's Big Three status in the East".

All the hats the media put on the Pacers made George really fantasize about stealing the victory from Anjie at the Moda Center. However, reality slapped the young guy a big slap in the face.

An Jie, who was celebrating the victory with his teammates, caught a glimpse of George who refused to leave. He broke away from the crowd, trotted all the way, and came to the dejected George.

"Cheer up, buddy!" Anjie's resonant voice made George raise his head sharply.

"They all said that you are very similar to me, and it seems that it is indeed the case. I am very unwilling, and I am so close to victory."

George managed a grin. "Damn it, Ann. You bloody bastard, can't you just let me win once?"

"You have already defeated me, George, how many points did you score today?" An Jie said, looking at the big screen. On the big screen in the Moda Center, the data of the starting five tigers are also marked.

"43 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 57 percent shooting. What else can I say? You won, George. But don't forget, this isn't you and me, it's the Pacers and Trail Blazers It's not me who won you, but us who won you." An Jie didn't know why he said this to George, but he knew that an opponent like George deserved his respect.

"28 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks. I said Ann, your statistics are not bad." George shook his head, Anjie was still as comprehensive as ever.

"Okay buddy, don't be discouraged. Believe me, you will do better next time. Hey, if possible, let's train together next summer." After An Jie finished speaking, he stretched out his fist.

George smiled bitterly and bumped fists with Anjie. You can't make a guy who has just experienced failure laugh immediately, especially a guy like George who is eager to win. But "Pickled Pepper" is still in a much better mood now than before.

Perhaps, this is the role of a powerful enemy. Every time Anjie and George confront each other, they can grow together. Without these guys who are both enemies and friends, the NBA will lack too much excitement.

In any case, Anjie and his Trail Blazers still defeated the Indiana Pacers with the second best record in the league on a snowy night in December.

Eighteen consecutive victories, the Blazers' miraculous performance continues. The defending champions have not lost since the start of the tournament.

This achievement has already broken the best start record in NBA history. The previous record was held by the Rockets led by Olajuwon in the 1993-94 season.

At that time, the Rockets started with a 15-game winning streak. Twenty years later, the Trail Blazers have surpassed that record by three games and are likely to continue to rise.

After seeing off the Pacers, Anjie's back-to-back journey finally came to an end. Now, he can finally take some time to think about how he should be a father.

In the outside world, one of the most heated topics by reporters is: "Who can stop the Blazers' crazy winning streak."

For this question, the answer that gets the most is, the Oklahoma City Thunder!

※※※

With ice on his knees, Westbrook picked up the remote and pressed the off button. The TV screen immediately became pitch black, and the huge cheers in the Moda Center suddenly disappeared.

The sinewy defender braced himself and removed the ice. He moved his knee and it felt good.

The torn meniscus, this damned "demon", has ruined the future of many stars.

Leaving aside, let’s just say that Brandon Roy, the owner of the Rose Garden before Anjie came, had to retire because of a meniscus problem.

In the playoffs last season, if it weren't for the damn meniscus, Westbrook would not have been injured, and the Thunder might not have been eliminated early.

If it wasn't for this damned meniscus, An Jie might not have left the Thunder. Then the brilliance that the Thunder's three young men can create would be beyond everyone's imagination...

Westbrook shook his head, thinking too far. There are not so many what-ifs in this world, An Jie was injured, and the three thunderbolts disintegrated. The Trail Blazers won the championship, and they fell bleakly. These are facts that have already happened and cannot be changed.

But at least one thing, Westbrook can still grasp. An Jie ushered in the peak after experiencing the disaster of the meniscus. He Westbrook can do the same!

"Are you still resting? Russell, you have a match tomorrow." Westbrook's girlfriend Nina came over and kissed Westbrook on the forehead.

"Come right on, baby." Westbrook got up and looked out the window at Oklahoma City.

Although the duel with An Jie will be the day after tomorrow, the Thunder will also have to fight the King first. But Westbrook's mind has already flown to Portland.

"You've got a ring, Ann. Now, I don't want to fall behind!" Looking at the city where An Jie used to be, he thought about An Jie's shot-blocker just now. Westbrook clenched his fists involuntarily...