The way of the center

Chapter 118 The Rookie's War ([-])
"Be careful Russell, that guy is much better than OJ Mayo!" Anjie has never been stumped by any rookie, even Beasley, who is known as the first overall talent, has never made Anjie so hard.But just now, from Derrick Rose's layup, An Jie can see that this champion is really not the same as the others!
Why didn't Russell realize how powerful Rose is?Just now Rose's quick breakthrough and change of direction without slowing down made him think that the No. [-] in front of him was just a phantom. The frightening thing is that the person who just made those actions was Rose, not some illusion.

Speed, body, these two things that Westbrook depends on, Derrick Rose also has.

Facing Rose's defense, Westbrook was very uncomfortable. After a season, Westbrook could not meet a few point guards who could confront him head-on, but when he did meet him, he Somewhat overwhelmed.

Ainge created a fleeting opportunity for Westbrook through the pick-and-roll, but when Westbrook broke through the screen, Rose made it back with unbelievable speed.In terms of pick-and-roll defense, Rose is indeed much better than Westbrook.

There was no way, Westbrook could only carry Rose's body into the penalty area. Unexpectedly, under the fierce physical confrontation throughout the whole process, Westbrook didn't even jump up. Although this layup escaped Tyrus .Thomas blocked the shot, but lost his aim under the interference of Rose.

"Ross just broke through the defenses of Westbrook and Ann in a row, but now Westbrook can't score points against the No. 12 pick. In the first round, Derek Rose completely suppressed Westbrook!" People Unexpectedly, Westbrook, who shined in December last year, completely lost his rhythm under the strict guard of Rose.

But many people have forgotten that the first point of attack for the Thunder is neither Anjie nor Westbrook, but Kevin Durant, a big boy who doesn't talk much!
Facing Ben Gordon, who barely replaced him at the third position, Durant is more than capable on the offensive end.

Vinnie DeNagro letting the Englishman Ben Gordon replace Luol Deng at small forward can indeed ensure the Bulls' offensive firepower, but Gordon, who is struggling to defend shooting guards, naturally uses the tall and skilled Durant There is no way.

Seeing Durant frequently ran out of opportunities, Anjie also gave up his plan to attack, after all, Durant is more confident than him now.

After receiving the ball, Durant pulled up and shot. Ben Gordon not only slowed down, but Durant couldn't interfere after the jump. With an easy three-pointer, Durant He told everyone with his actions that he is the protagonist today!

Derrick Rose is working hard for the best rookie award, but Durant is the one who has already won this honor!In front of Anjie, Westbrook and Rose, he is the guy who represents the highest level.

"This game may be the first collision of the best group of people in the next three to five years." The ESPN commentator raised the height of this game to another level.

"Derrick Rose's pull-up layup! Beautiful! Neither Anjie nor Joe Smith could stop him!"

"Anjie is going to singles! No, this is a pass! Durant got another chance! Hit! Ben Gordon can't pose a threat to Durant at all!"

"Tyrus Thomas relies too much on his athletic ability. However, when his weight and height are not dominant, his athletic ability is useless! Anjie's small hook makes it easy to hit!"

Everyone has played their own rhythm, but Westbrook, who has received much attention before the game, has been unable to respond to Rose's strong attack with a decent performance.

However, the person who scored the most points in the first quarter was not Rose. He stopped after he made two highly ornamental layups. He knew De Nagro's intention to form a three-guard lineup. The offensive firepower of Gordon and Larry Hughes is also very strong. He must activate those two people so that they can help him win the game.

Indeed, the reason why De Nagro took the risk of using the poor defensive Ben Gordon as a small forward was because of his offensive firepower.

The lineup of double shooting guards did not disappoint the head coach De Nagro. Ben Gordon scored 12 points in a single quarter on four of seven shots!Larry Hughes made four of six shots and scored 11 points in a single quarter.The strong performance of these two guys made De Nagro ecstatic, and their offensive effects completely exceeded his expectations.

Because the Thunder were afraid of Rose's breakthrough, the lineup was a little too shrinking, which gave Gordon and Hughes, who are good at shooting, a lot of opportunities.

But the Thunder were not frightened by the explosion of these two men. Durant scored 9 points on 100 of 6 shots, and An Jie shot [-]% from the field and scored [-] points on [-] of [-] against Thomas. Sturbrook was unable to open for a long time, only made one of six shots, and even missed one free throw.

After the first quarter, the Bulls scored 31 points, while the Thunder trailed by two points.Whether rookie or old, no one wants to give up this stage.

"Defend against Derrick Rose's breakthrough! We continue to shrink the lineup!" Even though Ben Gordon and Larry Hughes played beautiful data in the first quarter, Jeff Van Gundy decided to focus the Thunder's defense on Rose.

It is impossible for Gordon and Hughes to shoot straight, but Rose's breakthrough will be very dangerous if the defense is not strict.

After the second quarter, Larry Hughes' performance immediately made Van Gundy full of confidence in his arrangement. Facing Damien Wilkins' strict defense, Larry Hughes scored 11 points in the first quarter He missed two shots as soon as he came up.And as long as he misses the shot, it means the Bulls' offense is over, because Anjie will not lose defensive rebounds!
On the third attack, Derrick Rose saw that the Thunder's defensive formation was still focused on shrinking and protecting the basket. If he forced a breakthrough, he would only be surrounded.

The Bulls' backup center Joakim Noah went up to the pick-and-roll, and Rose immediately broke out and ran towards the basket.

Sure enough, as soon as Rose broke through, the entire Thunder team's defense shrank back to the basket. Now there are all opportunities outside the three-point line!

Rose took off against Anjie and Wilcox who came off the bench, but his goal was not the basket, but Larry Hughes who was missed.

"Ross' breakthrough has attracted the attention of all Thunder players, Larry Hughes' opportunity! This shooting guard is feeling hot today!"

It feels hot, but that's only relative to the first quarter.After missing two consecutive shots in the second quarter, Hughes also discarded his hot touch.

Damien Wilkins' blocking seemed to be just comforting himself, he didn't interfere with Hughes' shooting at all.

"Damn it!" Wilkins cursed angrily, but the next second he heard the metal sound of the collision between the basketball and the rim.

"Oh! Larry Hughes couldn't even grasp the open shot. He has already missed three consecutive shots!"

Although Noah's physical condition is better than that of Tyrus Thomas, this frizzy guy can't shake Anjie's position at all.Three-point rebounds are more uncertain, so Anjie has become more focused.

"Here we come!" The basketball slammed into the frame, and a huge force came from Anjie's back immediately. Noah was trying hard to squeeze into the penalty area.

An Jie spread his long arms, hit his butt, grabbed the position, and got the rebound again.

"It seems that Larry Hughes used up his fiery touch in the first quarter. It's a pity for Derek Rose's wonderful pass."

The two sides fought a few more rounds, taking advantage of the timeout of the official timeout, Van Gundy took down the three Thunder players who had played for a whole quarter. They would not get too much time in the second quarter, and being replaced now means That means they won't be able to play again until the end of the second quarter.

"Russell, play smarter, don't compete with Derrick Rose." Van Gundy reminded Westbrook, who has a poor shooting percentage, and the best rookie in the Western Conference in December has only scored two points so far. .

Not only did Van Gundy let the main players rest, but Denagro also replaced his three most aggressive guards on the Bulls side. The entire second quarter was almost a direct confrontation between the second teams of the two teams. Except for forward Drew Gooden, everyone else got the chance to play in the last 3 minutes of the second quarter.

During the bench battle between the two sides, Drew Gooden's defense against Wilcox firmly controlled the game.With eight points in a single quarter, the Bulls have different offensive strengths in each quarter.

After the two sides started to play one after another, Gooden's momentum gradually subsided.

The remaining 3 minutes are not enough for the Bulls' three guards and the Thunder's three young masters to fight.

An Jie made a back turn in the face of Terus Thomas' active defense, and sure enough, the spring man jumped up without hesitation.

His take-off height is still amazing, but no matter how high he jumps, what's the use of it? An Jie's back turn was just a fake move, he didn't intend to shoot at all!

Seeing that he easily shook his opponent, An Jie took the basket without hesitation. The time of the half game just reached "zero". The second quarter was not long, and the first half of the game was over. .

"The second quarter of the match between the two sides obviously failed to satisfy the audience. Compared with the exciting first quarter, the second quarter was too boring." With all substitutes and no stars, few people like to watch this kind of game.

Van Gundy looked at the score on the big screen with satisfaction, 54 to 53, relying on Anjie's last attack, the Thunder temporarily won the halftime victory.

In the Bulls' locker room, the atmosphere was very calm. They didn't feel that they were behind, because the team's strongest offensive point was just emerging in the first half.

"Derek, your task in the second half is to attack! I hope you spread the formation as much as possible to create space for Derek to break through." De Nagro drew the position on the tactical board, and he has the sharpest hand The dagger, it's time to show your edge in the second half!

The offensive firepower of Larry Hughes and Ben Gordon?No, the most intensive firepower of the Bulls comes from Rose!
(End of this chapter)