The Way of the Center

The championship, this is the highest honor that many nba players dream of. In the basketball world, the nba championship is the representative of the highest level on this earth.

Although the NBA produces a championship team every year, there are still many outstanding players who have missed this highest honor.

Karl Malone, John Stockton, Stephen Nash, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson...too many great names, none of them can match the championship Number. Are these people not strong enough? Of course not, it’s just that in this league, there are still many stronger guys, making their championship dream impossible to realize.

Chris Paul is undoubtedly one of those names. Let alone the championship, this guy has never been involved in the Western Conference Finals.

As a top point guard in the league, Paul shouldn't be treated like this. But fate played jokes on him again and again.

Last summer, Paul, who finally left the Clippers who let him down again and again, joined the Rockets. His goal is no longer the Western Conference Finals, but the O'Brien Cup!

At the beginning of the season, the Rockets played smoothly. During that time, they were definitely one of the strongest teams in the league.

However, in the second half of the regular season, the Rockets experienced massive injuries. Although they finally restored the integrity of the lineup before the playoffs, the Rockets' ranking fell to the eighth place in the Western Conference.

Eighth in the West is nothing, Paul has no record in the regular season at all. As long as you play well in the playoffs, no one cares how many games you win in the regular season. The most terrible thing about the eighth place in the West is that the Rockets have to face the Trail Blazers who broke the best start record in the North American Sports League and once again won 72 wins!

At first, Paul thought it was nothing. The playoffs are meant to go through hardships. The current Rockets may not necessarily be the opponents of the Blazers.

However, until now, Chris Paul's heart has completely changed. Because the hope of victory seems to have become smaller and smaller...

"Boom! A monster dunk! An Jie didn't give his compatriot Zhou Qi any face. His dunk is to bully you. Zhou Qi's core strength is insufficient! Eight points, the Trail Blazers have widened the point difference to eight points !" Watching An Jie complete another dunk through Zhou Qi, Jeff Van Gundy waved his fist excitedly.

Don't get discouraged China boy, you've played well enough. Just in front of An Jie, this is the tuition fee that all rookies need to pay!

Zhou Qi reluctantly picked up the basketball on the ground,

In the past, he had always been teammates with An Jie, and this was the first time he experienced the horror brought about by being an opponent with An Jie.

That guy, no matter how hard you defend, you can't stop him. Zhou Qi had tried his best, but An Jie still completed the dunk with ease.

"There is an eight-point gap, and the time left for the Rockets is running out. Harden and Paul must be quick, or the Rockets' season will be over!"

The commentators are anxious for the Rockets, and Paul and Harden are even more anxious.

After An Jie scored, Paul immediately asked Zhou Qi for the ball. This guy gets the ball off the baseline and pushes it quickly without sloppiness.

With only three and a half minutes left in the game, the Clippers were still eight points behind. Chris Paul was not reconciled, he was not reconciled to being in the first round again, and he was not reconciled to being in the Moda Center again.

A few years ago, the scene of the Clippers being swept by the Trail Blazers is still vivid. Paul really didn't want to live in the shadow of An Jie for the rest of his life.

Paul's rapid advancement undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on Courtney Lee. Ricard originally planned to use Courtney Lee's height advantage to defend Paul. But the huge difference in speed between the two made Ricard's hopes come to nothing.

With a quick change of direction, Paul passed the retreating Courtney Lee completely. Facing Anjie's supplementary defense, Paul was not afraid. He successfully scored points with a soft throw, which not only saved time, but also closed the gap!

"Paul is determined to win here! CP3 doesn't want to be unable to break through himself after joining the Rockets!"

Paul's offense was wonderful, but soon, Anjie assisted George to complete the mid-range shot, turning the point difference back to its original state.

If the two sides continue to go back and forth like this, the Rockets will see no hope. They need an offensive now, a wave of offensive to balance the situation.

So this time, Paul intends to look for opportunities outside the three-point line. After all, three-pointers are the fastest way to chase points! And the Rockets are the team with the most three-pointers this season!

James Harden was closely guarded by George, no matter where he ran, George would not leave.

But Harden is not worried, and now his partner is Chris Paul. That guy can definitely pass the ball where it should be passed!

Seeing that Harden hadn't gotten a chance for a long time, Paul decided to change his plan. This guy reached out and called for a pick-and-roll, and everyone thought that Chris Paul was going to break through again!

However, just when Paul broke through, he seemed to be about to score himself, but he suddenly passed the ball!

Trevor Ariza, who had already ambushed near the bottom corner, caught and shot the ball. Iguodala stayed away from Ariza in order to supplement Paul's defense. Although he tried to interfere, but Ariza's shot is still hit!

"Three-pointer! Chris Paul's fake pass is very beautiful! His appearance has made a big difference for the Rockets, and now they are only five points away!"

Paul and Ariza clapped cordially. They successfully scored a three-pointer, which undoubtedly boosted morale. But Paul seems to have forgotten that in order to become an offensive player, in addition to offense, defense is also a very important part. Only when the opponent cannot score and you can score, can it be called an offensive **.

After being scored a three-pointer by the opponent, the Trail Blazers were not impatient. Courtney Lee controlled the ball unhurriedly, as if everything was under control.

As soon as Lee's toes were on the three-point line, he passed the ball to George, who was lying in wait on the wing.

After George took the ball, Ali posted it immediately. Although the most terrifying person in the Trail Blazers is Anjie, the Rockets players will not forget that George is also a good scorer.

George made a three-threat move with the ball, and suddenly broke through! On defense, Ariza is not as proficient as P.J. Tucker. George easily broke into the restricted area and attracted the defense of both Napier and Ariza.

After he broke through, he took off suddenly, but his goal was not to attack the frame, but to pass the ball!

George passed the ball around Ariza's waist and passed it to Anjie who was already waiting at the basket.

An Jie, with his back to the basket, did not turn around, but took off directly, and clasped his hands behind his back on the spot!

The Rockets' defense was easily torn apart by Anjie and George. The point difference has become seven points, which is not much different from just now. The game time is only two minutes.

Chris Paul is still struggling, but his efforts are often wiped out by An Jie.

Until the last 50 seconds, the Rockets failed to close the score, and the seven-point difference remained the same.

Chris Paul looked at the time on the timer, and then at the score on the big screen. He was not reconciled to failing like this, what might happen in the last 50 seconds!

The guy wearing the No. 3 jersey crazily broke through to the Trail Blazers' hinterland. Courtry Lee was dizzy by Paul, and finally was easily wiped by the "Queen Bee".

Paul repeated his old trick and suddenly threw a shot from the mid-range position!

However, using the same trick twice in a row, he couldn't pass An Jie's level.

An Jie suddenly rushed out, leaping high. His long arm was like a whip, and he slammed the basketball into the air.

"Boom!" The muffled sound An Jie made when he hit the basketball made everyone in the Moda Center enjoy listening to it!

Paul George started immediately, and Trevor Ariza, who was almost 33 years old, couldn't catch up with the No. 13 in front of him. George easily caught the basketball and dunked directly!

Anjie's block of George's dunk is undoubtedly a death sentence for the Rockets!

Chris Paul's legs suddenly went limp and he almost fell to the ground. This guy knows that his trip to the playoffs has been terminated again...

Maybe sometimes, God just likes to create a few heroes without champions. Unfortunately, Chris Paul is this tragic figure.

In the last few tens of seconds of the game, the Rockets obviously had no intention of fighting.

When the red light on the backboard came on, all the Blazers players cheered. But Chris Paul's eyes were rosy.

I came to Houston from Los Angeles, and changed from the leader of the airport city to the brain of the aerospace city. He has changed a lot, but the only thing that doesn't change is his ending...

Anjie and Blazers, these two names, have become a curse that haunts Paul...

"It's over, buddy, it's over." Harden walked up to comfort Paul, who was very disappointed.

"I thought we would be very different this year." Paul took the towel and wiped away his tears. Paul, who is already in his thirties, how much time can he waste?

He is not like Anjie, who aspires to be the best in history and to create a dynasty. Paul only wants his own championship, that's all...

It's not that Paul is not powerful, but it's a pity that this powerful top point guard is in the era of An Jie.

With a total score of 4 to 1, An Jie is about to be eliminated by the highly anticipated "Boom" combination in the first round of the playoffs!

In the first round of the test in the West, Anjie and the Trail Blazers survived. But their road to the championship has only just begun!