The Way of the Center

Westbrook felt that he was full of strength, and he couldn't help but want to run after receiving the basketball, and wanted to hit the Blazers' basket. The thin Shabazz Napier couldn't withstand the impact of Westbrook at all, and he could only be squeezed behind by the strong No. 0 guard again and again.

This time, Westbrook's straightforward breakthrough once again overwhelmed Napier's defense.

Ricard held his forehead, and Napier was completely crushed when facing Westbrook. He knew that the guard who replaced Lillard in the starting lineup worked very hard and wanted to prove himself very much. However, the physical gap between the two sides cannot be made up by short-term efforts.

After breaking through Napier, Westbrook did not continue to go deep, but suddenly stopped.

Now Westbrook is no longer the stunned young man who could only take the ball to the inside to kill. His skills in all aspects are improving. After the breakthrough, the emergency stop jump shot in the middle distance was perfected by Westbrook.

Angie immediately got rid of the entanglement with Adams and rushed towards Westbrook. But Westbrook didn't give Anjie any chance, and he took the shot calmly before Anjie's interference came.

Seeing this situation, Anthony, who was ambushing outside the three-point line, just smiled slightly. This action, Westbrook has repeated thousands of times on the training ground, he will not make mistakes!

"Swipe!" The basketball hit the net at the sound, and An Jie looked back, only to see that the net was still fluttering slightly.

"Beautiful pull-up jumper, Westbrook's shot is really fast. Ann wanted to come from the basket to defend, it was too late! The eighth point, this is already after the start of the game, Westbrook scored consecutively Eighth! Poor Napier, he has the worst opponent ever!"

After Westbrook scored, he didn't do any celebration. He just turned around and returned to the defense quickly, for fear of being attacked by the Trail Blazers.

The No. 0 guard is very aware of the strength of the Trail Blazers, as well as the strength of Anjie and Morris. He knew that scoring eight points in a row was nothing at all. In front of the Trail Blazers, even if they lead by 10 points, they must remain vigilant at all times!

"Don't be nervous Napier, just like the last round against Chris Paul, you need to maintain a calm mind, you need to be calm!" After An Jie sent the baseline ball, it was obvious that Napier's movements were very stiff. There is no doubt that this is caused by too much tension.

Napier nodded, swallowed, and took another possession to the Thunder's heartland.

If Paul's defense is a thief,

Then Westbrook's defense is really fierce.

Facing Paul, what Napier needs to worry about is whether his ball will be stolen, but when facing Westbrook, what Napier needs to worry about is whether his ribs will be broken!

The oppression that Westbrook brought to Napier, just like the oppression that Anjie brought to other inside players, made Napier unable to breathe at all.

As soon as he got close to the three-point line, the strong Westbrook pressed on Napier. Napier had no choice but to pass the ball hastily and almost made a mistake.

It was not easy for Paul George after receiving the basketball, because his opponent was another superstar of the Thunder, the former "King of New York", Carmelo Anthony!

Although Anthony's defense is not top-notch, it is definitely excellent. In New York, the thing that restricted Anthony's defense the most was his own mentality.

This guy tends to be more obsessed with offense than defense. But when he really starts to defend with his heart, it is by no means so easy to be broken through.

Now, Anthony knows that the Thunder is not a bad team like New York. He and Westbrook went for the O'Brien Cup. If you don't take defense seriously now, when will you have to wait?

So the next scene became a picture that Mike Brin liked to talk about. I saw George break through to the left with the ball, Anthony accurately judged the direction, and used his strong body to keep George out of the three-point line.

George didn't give up, he dribbled the ball under the crotch and then went to the right of Anthony after changing hands. This time, Anthony was surpassed by half a body, but when George was about to shoot, he caught up and blocked all the space!

George, who had stopped dribbling, had no choice but to protect the basketball with both hands on the spot, resisting Anthony's steal.

He never expected that Anthony, who was already rotten in New York, could show such a performance. George's underestimation of the enemy put him in trouble. Fortunately, Iguodala responded in time, allowing George to avoid a mistake.

As soon as Iguodala receives the ball, Thunder shooting guard Victor Oladipo, the No. 2 overall pick in 2013, presses down on the defense.

Oladipo was put on the shelf last summer and became one of Presti's bargaining chips for George. But unexpectedly, George announced that he most wanted to join the Trail Blazers, and the Trail Blazers also took out chips that the Pacers liked more.

In this way, Paul George came to Portland, while Oladipo continued to stay with Westbrook.

Although last season, Oladipo's performance in the Thunder was not satisfactory, far inferior to himself during the Magic period. But this year, Oladipo seems to have fully integrated into the team and fully adapted to the rhythm of the game with Westbrook in the backcourt.

His aggressiveness on both ends of the defense and offense can often help the team out of trouble. No, Iguodala hadn't taken a step with the ball before he was seen dead by Oladipo.

If it was five years ago, Iguodala would definitely change direction directly, use his body to withstand Oladipo, force a breakthrough, and finally end the offense with a shocking dunk.

But now Iguodala can no longer accomplish such a thing. He was so embarrassed by Oladipo that he almost lost the ball. Just at this critical moment, Anjie came out and gave Iguodala a pass target.

Iguodala didn't hesitate, and immediately hit the basketball into Anjie's hands. But Anjie's opponent, Steve Adams, was also difficult to deal with.

This guy's aggressiveness on the defensive end usually makes Anjie very uncomfortable. When Morris was still in the Thunder, he taught Adams a lot. This guy has changed from a white-faced boy to a sturdy figure with tattoos all over his arms, which is more or less due to the influence of Morris.

He is not afraid of anyone, even if this person is An Jie. Adams lowered his center of gravity and kept interfering with his hands in order to prevent Anjie from directly dribbling through.

Seeing that there was no way to take advantage of it, An Jie had to face the frame with his back, planning to use a more forceful way to push forward.

Adams gritted his teeth, making every push of Anjie look very strenuous. In the end, Anjie turned over and shot a jumper before the end of the 24-second attack time, which finally put an end to the attack.

Although Anjie scored this goal, it also allowed the Trail Blazers to narrow the point difference to only two points. But the Thunder's tough defense undoubtedly left a deep impression on the fans of the Moda Center!

"It's unbelievable! Do you remember which team was able to force the Blazers into a hasty shot last time? When it comes to the Thunder, people often think of sharp offense first. But in fact, they The defense has always been very good! In the past, there was Ann, Ibaka, and Morris. When these three people left one after another, they became a team with five starters who are all good at defense! It's not because Ann's personal ability is too strong, the Thunder team's defense this round was successful!" Jeff Van Gundy proudly praised the Thunder team, their excellent defensive system, but based on the solid foundation he built built on.

After An Jie scored the goal, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He couldn't believe that he was already drenched in sweat before the game had played a few rounds.

The Thunder put a lot of pressure on the Blazers on both the offensive and defensive ends. This side has just scored a goal with difficulty, and over there, Westbrook is galloping like a gust of wind.

Anjie hasn't settled down yet, but Westbrook has already entered the penalty area with the ball. Anjie rushed to make up the defense, and the entire Blazers' defense shrank because of Westbrook's straight-in breakthrough.

Just when everyone thought it would be a direct confrontation between Westbrook and Anjie, Westbrook, who had jumped high, changed his posture in the air and threw the ball beyond the three-point line.

Carmelo Anthony, who just ran beyond the three-point line, caught the ball steadily. At this moment, due to the shrinking of the Blazers' defense, there is no defensive player around the superstar!

Anthony would not let go of this easy scoring opportunity. He leaped high and threw the basketball in his hand like a warm-up.

Iguodala rushed over, but only ceremonially stretched out his hand. Because when he was in position, the basketball thrown by Anthony had already flown into the air.

Anjie got stuck in his position in despair, but as he expected, Anthony made no mistakes! This open shot opportunity was converted by Anthony into a real three-pointer!

"Beautiful cooperation, Westbrook's breakthrough point and Anthony's last hit are very exciting! This is the Oklahoma City Thunder, this is the capital that Westbrook can challenge Anjie's authority! The Trail Blazers must be careful Now, their opponents are not ordinary people!"

Under Van Gundy's praise, Anthony and Westbrook clapped hard. An Jie looked at the two guys standing in front of him. Their cooperation was indeed terrifying!

Anjie picked up the basketball from the ground and passed it to Napier who was nervous and silent.

This game has just begun, don't get too complacent!

An Jie patted Napier's shoulder, and ran forward on his own. An Jie, I like this kind of tough battle the most!

Come on Russell, let's keep fighting...