The way of the center

Chapter 168 Veterans Don't Die
Angie and Stoudemire, these two guys don't know why, have defined each other as the biggest opponent in this game.

"Shark" O'Neal performed well in the first half, but he did not deliberately make some actions that hurt Anjie.On the other hand, Stoudemire has only played against Anjie a few times, but every time the two meet, there will always be some sparks.

At the beginning of the second half, the offensive fire of the two teams began to spread from the inside.

The overexcited Stoudemire kept asking for the ball. Even if Van Gundy sent Robert Swift, he couldn't restrain the highly mobile "Baby King".

This time, Stoudemire's sudden start caught Swift by surprise again. Swift may be able to limit those annoying insiders with slow feet, but for a player of Stoudemire's type, he takes There is no way.

Stoudemire made an air cut, O'Neal immediately blocked Anjie across his body, and Nash made an exquisite pass after breaking through. This is a typical offensive tactic of the Suns.

All Stoudemire had to do was catch the basketball, jump and dunk.

Simple, but very effective.With a point guard of Nash's level, Stoudemire can receive the ball comfortably.

Swift was naturally unwilling to let Stoudemire dunk on his head like this. After Stoudemire took off, Swift pulled his hand secretly, but this action failed to escape the eyes of the referee today. .

Although he got a free throw opportunity, Stoudemire was still very upset.Under the entanglement of An Jie and this Swift, he didn't play a few smooth attacks today.

Either O'Neal takes up space in the paint, or he is violated again and again by these two unclean guys.Now for the Thunder team, Stoudemire simply hates it.

On the side of the Thunder, the offense also starts from the inside.However, the Thunder's inside offense can also be regarded as Anjie's inside offense alone.

After all, in the interior guarded by O'Neal and Stoudemire, only Anjie has the ability to score in the three-second zone.

O'Neill can no longer keep up with An Jie, no wonder this Chinese man is often mentioned by the "Dream" guy.Fighting against Anjie, O'Neill actually remembered the situation when he fought against Dameng back then.

An Jie turned around in O'Neill's arms like a "loach", completely out of O'Neill's control.

Suddenly he turned around and made a big hook outside the three-second zone. Although O'Neill reacted in time, he couldn't cover An Jie's high hook.

The technique of the big hook is no longer common in the NBA.But An Jie can rely on his soft touch, quick movements and advantages of height and arm length to complete this technical movement calmly.

The inside competition became more and more intense, O'Neill and Stoudemire frequently scored points in the three-second zone.It is still difficult for Anjie alone to stop such two good inside scorers.

The inside guarded by O'Neal and Stoudemire also made it more difficult for the Thunder to attack outside players.

Fortunately, Durant's peripheral shooting was hot in this quarter. He and Anjie scored 9 points each, becoming the main source of scoring for the Thunder in the third quarter.

O'Neal scored 5 points on 5 of 12 shots in this section, and Stoudemire, who had a high desire to attack, made 4 of 3 shots. However, affected by emotions, Stoudemire did not perform well in this section. Only one free throw was made, and O'Neal was not the worst free thrower in this quarter.

The score in a single quarter was 29 to 27, and the total score was 70 to 81. The Thunder still maintained the point difference at double digits.

"Keep this defensive strength! The victory will be ours!" Although the scene was very intense, the Thunder firmly controlled the score from the second quarter on.Jeff Van Gundy has no reason to let the players relax, and the players have no reason to let the win slip by.

The current game between the Jazz and the Cavaliers is also in the third quarter, and the Cavaliers temporarily lead by 5 points.

Deron and Boozer felt really bad today, one was 7 for 3 shots and the other was 9 for 3 shots.James has not played in the third quarter, and he didn't play much in the first two quarters.But even so, the Jazz still failed to take the lead.

Opportunities are in front of the Thunder. What is the result of the season? There is only one quarter left!
O'Neal sat on the bench and had already changed two towels to wipe off his sweat.

"Gatorade!" Big Shark yelled at the staff, and a glass of Gatorade was immediately handed to him.

After suddenly pouring a full glass of energy drink into his stomach, he let out a big breath, and the beating of his heart calmed down a bit.

"He's old and useless."

"This season is just a flashback. O'Neal has lost his dominance."

Kobe Bryant, the Big Three of the Celtics, Yao Ming. All the names have been weighed on his head. He once said that he would bring Miami a championship. People said that this big shark was bragging again. As a result, he done.

Now he doesn't have the courage of the past.But is it so easy for O'Neill, who is so strong, to admit that he is no longer good?

"Shit!" O'Neill suddenly spewed out the word during the intermission, which attracted everyone's attention.

"Shaq?" Gentry thought that O'Neal was dissatisfied with the tactics he had arranged.

"Ah!? Oh, I'm fine, please continue." O'Neill clenched his fists, and the number 16 of the Thunder team cannot be sentenced to death for this!
Stoudemire, Barbosa and others even held a grudge against the Thunder for ruining their playoff dreams.These two guys will definitely burst out with great strength in the final quarter.

Van Gundy thought that the Suns, who had lost hope of the playoffs and trailed by double digits, would give up resistance in the final quarter, but unexpectedly, the Suns played very well in the last quarter.

Barbosa took possession of the ball from Nash and drove straight into the penalty area. This season, he was the biggest beneficiary of the Suns' bombardment tactics.Anjie finally got rid of O'Neal and blocked Barbosa's breakthrough route, but Barbosa suddenly threw a throw, and the basketball passed Anjie's finger and flew towards the penalty area.

"No, it's impossible. It's impossible for Barbosa to score the ball in the face of Anjie's take-off interference." Kenny Smith shook his head at the anxious Brazilian defender as he watched the basketball's trajectory deviate from the basket.

Unexpectedly, O'Neal suddenly soared into the air, caught Barbosa's "throw", and pressed the ball into the frame vigorously with both hands.

"Alley-oop! The connection between Barbosa and O'Neal! God, how long have we not seen O'Neal score such a goal!"

"You have to work harder, boy!" O'Neal poked An Jie with his elbow. Not everyone can easily defeat him!
An Jie's interior defense is good, but he still seems a little powerless in the face of the impact of several people at the same time.

"Damn it, why didn't you make up the defense quickly?" Morris spread his hands while watching the TV. Kostic's slow footsteps and weak consciousness made Morris furious.

"On TV, you can see the whole game clearly, but it's different on the court. You should be aware of this." Ricard understood all this, after all, he can gain a foothold in the NBA. None of the players are as unbearable as imagined.

Seeing their three teammates working so hard, how could Nash and Grant Hill give up resistance.

Won the MVP three years ago.

He led the team to 61 wins two years ago.

The Sharks joined a year ago, and the entire Suns looked menacing.

Now, dragging a 46-win record and being ridden by a group of guys who have only been in the league for a year or two, Steve Nash's heart seems to be burning.

"Nash broke through again! He told Westbrook with his actions that his body is not the whole defense!"

Anjie still wants to block Phoenix's "Zonda" with blocks, but Nash's extremely low shot point and extremely high parabolic layup are still beyond Anjie's reach.

Due to inertia, An Jie couldn't control himself, and knocked the thin Nash to the ground again.Just as he was about to pull Nash up, Stoudemire pushed Anjie away from behind.

This time Stoudemire didn't make excuses, but because Angie's rude collision would probably make Nash spend his whole life in a wheelchair.

Yes, Nash likes to lie flat on the bench every time he is off the court, not because he is lazy, but because he suffers from congenital spondylolisthesis.

Stoudemire, not allowing anyone to hurt their core point guard!
The Suns are dead! ?No, the sun now must fight for their last dignity!

"Is the Thunder team going to collapse in the final quarter!?" Kenny Smith didn't believe that the Suns, who had been sluggish all season, would come back to life in the final quarter.

"The Jazz are leading! Give me more strength! Kostic, you should make up the defense faster!" Van Gundy was no more relaxed than the players on the court.

"Barbosa broke through and scored, Nash made a three-pointer! Westbrook's interference was very timely! No! The ball was scored! The Suns tied the score!"

"Grant Hill broke through Durant! Foul, Durant shouldn't have sent Hill to the free throw line!"

"Shaq! Beautiful! Anjie's performance in the first three quarters today will fall short!"

In the last quarter, everyone thought the Thunder had entered the playoffs with one foot.Unexpectedly, the old and young of the Suns team are still fighting like heroes!

"I don't know what coach Gentry said to his players at the end of the third quarter! But we can all see that this Suns team is completely different now! They have definitely missed the playoffs this season That's it, so they regard this contest with the Thunder as their own playoffs!"

Anjie, Durant and Westbrook, these three young people worked very hard.But the pressure is all on them, and they have a lot of pressure on their shoulders to make the playoffs.

In the face of high pressure, the three young men became more cautious as they fought.Sometimes it's good to be cautious, and sometimes it's not.

Don't dare to shoot and make unnecessary passes.Don't dare to foul when it should be fouled, and commit unnecessary fouls when it should not be fouled.The young Thunder's three young men completely lost their rhythm. In front of the Suns, a once brilliant western team, they showed their immaturity.

In the last 1 minute and 46 seconds, 91 to 95, the Thunder still had a four-point advantage.

Steve Nash scored another goal through Grant Hill's second pass and hit two points.

Durant cuts inside, jumps to the frame after receiving the ball from Angie.Stoudemire soared into the air, slapped the ball out of the paint, and ended the Thunder's offense.

Steve Nash just dribbled the ball beyond the three-point line and immediately shot it. Thunder fans raised their arms and thought it was impossible to hit the ball.Unexpectedly, the basketball went into the net hollow, and the Suns led by one point!
"The great point guard of the 96 golden generation, Westbrook must go through a long period of precipitation if he wants to reach the height of Nash!"

In the last 15 seconds, Nash broke through and assisted Grant Hill to hit a three-pointer.At this moment, the score on the field became 99 to 98, and the Suns took a key lead!

On another field, the Jazz trailed by three points in the final minute.If the Jazz and the Thunder both lose, then according to the records of the two sides, the Jazz wins more games, so the Jazz will still advance.

If the Thunder want to enter the playoffs, they must win!

Westbrook pushed the ball forward, and as soon as he reached the three-point line, he passed the ball to Durant who ran out of position. All of this was arranged by Jeff Van Gundy.Durant is his last choice!

Durant slipped his hand when he caught the ball, and it took some adjustments to firmly control the basketball.When he was about to raise his hand to shoot, Stoudemire had already rushed towards him aggressively.

Durant still made a decisive shot. The ball was decisive, but it was a pity that the accuracy was a little bit off.

O'Neal and Anjie were inextricably entangled, and Stoudemire had just been pulled to the outside by Durant.Nash rushed towards the penalty area, ready to accept the key defensive rebound.

When Nash took off, Westbrook also jumped from behind Nash.The huge gap in athletic ability between the two was vividly reflected. Westbrook surpassed Nash by a large margin and grabbed the rebound abruptly from behind Nash.

Five seconds later, Westbrook stepped back and made a jumper immediately after landing. Nash tried his best to interfere, preventing his efforts in the fourth quarter from being in vain.

"Bang!" The basketball thrown by Westbrook still didn't go in!The Thunder fans put their heads in their hands in disappointment, Giardina's heart was pounding, and he was too nervous to speak.

"Anjie! He got the offensive rebound on O'Neal's head!" Kenny Smith grabbed the mark and exclaimed. Tournament tickets!
O'Neill leaned towards An Jie with all his strength, and now he didn't care that An Jie would wipe him with his footsteps.He just wanted to push An Jie out of the penalty area with all his strength, and put all his eggs in one basket.

In three seconds, An Jie saw that O'Neill's center of gravity moved forward greatly, and he easily passed him by turning around.

Turn around, jump shot, An Jie repeated this action thousands of times on the training ground.

"Are you going to use this trick again!?" Wu Hua stood up excitedly, and everyone in the Chesapeake Energy Arena stood up.

Although O'Neill was shaken away, his arm was relentlessly blocking An Jie's eyes.

Stoudemire quickly defended and returned to the penalty area, and also took off to block Anjie's shot.

An Jie looked at the other teammates, and none of the three outside lines ran out of space. Although Krstic was empty, An Jie did not have a passing route under such a tight blockade.

You can't pass the ball, you can only shoot!
Press the wrist, finger, the basketball flew to the basket, over Stoudemire's fingers.

"The Jazz lost!" In the stands, a fan shouted excitedly.This means that as long as An Jie scores a goal, the Thunder can enter the quarterfinals!

Hope is all on the Eastern Tower!
"Boom!" The basketball bounced back and forth in the circle, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the orange ball.

In the end, the ball did not fall into the net, but crawled out after bouncing a few times in the circle.

"Beep!" The red light on the backboard is on, the regular season of the 08-09 season is officially over!

(End of this chapter)