The way of the center

Chapter 185
Jeff Green was leaning tiredly in front of his own locker in the locker room. It was only the first game of the new season, and he should have had a lot of energy, but he felt this kind of fatigue that shouldn't have happened.

In the first season, he and Durant were called the twin stars of the Thunder. The two potential forwards shined in their rookie seasons and made the Thunder full of hope.

In the second season, damn fate played a big joke on him.When he was still looking forward to what he could achieve with Durant, Presti informed him that he had been included in the trade list.

In the third season, he didn't expect that he would run into his old club in the first game of the new season.However, a frightening fact is that he found that the gap between himself, Durant, and Anjie seemed to be getting wider and wider.

"Jeff, are you listening carefully?" Paul Westphal has been observing Jeff Green for a long time.

"Ah? I'm listening, boss, you continue." Jeff Green had to use a lie to cover up his disappointment. He was not disappointed with the transfer to the Kings, but disappointed with himself.

Poor Jeff Green, in fact, he is already very good among his peers.It's just that he likes to regard himself and Durant as the same level, which makes him feel unnecessary regret for himself.

What Van Gundy continued to emphasize in the locker room is still defense. The 17-point gap cannot be stabilized by offense. Only by defense can the advantage be brought to the end.

"In the third quarter, I want you to completely crush your opponents! Don't think that there is still a fourth quarter to play, it is stupid to drag the game into the fourth quarter! Go on the field, do your best, and we will solve the battle in three quarters!" Jeff. Van Gundy is full of confidence. Last season, he absolutely couldn't say such a thing.But this season's Thunder is different from the past.

Angie and Durant, who scored 15 points in the halftime, were naturally the center of topics on various TV stations during the halftime break. The progress of these two guys is obvious, and the cooperation is also more tacit.

"The Thunder's team building idea has not gone astray, as long as it revolves around the Thunder's three players to win other puzzles, they don't need a fourth guy with super scoring ability. Morris may be the scoring method among the top seven picks this year. The poorest guy, but he's also the best piece of the puzzle for the Thunder."

"As long as An Jie stays healthy and doesn't follow in the footsteps of Yao Ming, then the Thunder will definitely surprise people this season."

All kinds of discussions about the Thunder are endless, and the high-profile team is playing the state that fans expect, which is indeed worthy of everyone's praise.

The Chesapeake Energy Arena was finally quiet for 15 minutes, but now it has become noisy again with the start of the third quarter.

When An Jie appeared on the stage again, he obviously found that the spirits of the Kings players were different from when they first started.The huge disparity in strength in the first half has already chilled the hearts of the Kings players for the most part.

At this time, the power forward who played with the first team was no longer Krstic, but Andrew Morris, who performed well on the defensive end in the first half and scored a buzzer-beater with an alley-oop.

"Serge, get ready, I will let you play in the second half." In order not to let the morale of the players down, Van Gundy also decided to try Ibaka in the second half.The sooner the first team wins the game, the more chances Ibaka can get to play.

This time the Kings didn't dare to let Hawes alone support the inside. Paul Westphal sent Dante Green and Hawes to the field at the same time, in order to make the final resistance inside.It's a pity that the defensive ability of these two guys is not enough to make the Kings' penalty area safe.

"When Morris and Anjie are on the court at the same time, Anjie's chances to get one-on-one in the paint increase significantly!" Morris was able to entangle others for Anjie when he was in college, and gave Anjie license to play one-on-one.After arriving in the NBA, this point has not changed.

The tacit cooperation between the two left Dante Green and Hawes only to be beaten, and Anjie still didn't show his footsteps in the game.The most "fancy" time, Anjie just used a double-shoulder fadeaway jumper, which made Hawes unresponsive.

After frequently succeeding in the low-post attack, Anjie mentioned the high post to hold the ball in an unpredictable way.

There is no getting rid of, there is no place to be.Anjie just held up the basketball behind the free throw line, and the entire Thunder team revolved around the tower of Anjie.

"It's my fucking idea, it's me." Looking at the familiar offensive running position on TV, Ricard couldn't help but secretly laughed.He wanted to laugh out loud, but he didn't want to wake Peggy who was resting.

Anjie's strong scoring performance in the first half made many people forget that last season, he was the real offensive organizer of the Thunder.

When An Jie held the ball in the high position, everyone was wondering what else the No. 16 could do.The result was that Westbrook successfully cut inside with the help of Morris' off-ball pick-and-roll, and Anjie made a precise pass to the ground, allowing Westbrook to easily layup.

"An is simply the most versatile center in the league! When he just held the ball in the high post, I couldn't guess what he wanted to do. Because within the scope of An's ability, he can do anything." Ken Ni Smith's commentary is a true portrayal of Hawes's heart now.

He couldn't guess what An Jie wanted to do, because there were too many choices An Jie could make in that position.So when Anjie passed the ball over the top of Hawes' head, Hawes, who didn't react in time, still didn't respond.

No response, this is almost the epitome of Hawes' defensive end in the third quarter.He didn't dare to act rashly, because An Jie's whole body was full of drama.But when An Jie made a real move, he had no time to react.

"Ann, this guy, if he stays healthy, the future will be scary."

Kenny Smith turned his head in disbelief and looked at Charles Barkley. Barkley stared at the field with a serious face, staring at the No. 16 big man.

"I heard that right, Charles, are you praising Ann?" Barkley rarely praised others in the commentary, let alone used the word "horror".

"The premise is that he can perform so well in every game. Isn't it scary for a center who is proficient in both low and high positions?" Barkley silently prayed for Anjie in his heart, praying that this guy would not be tortured by major injuries .Yao Ming is reimbursed for the season, and O'Neal's state is no longer what it used to be. During the twilight period of this center, Barkley hopes to have a representative who can hold on to the honor of this ancient position.

In addition to Anjie's eye-catching performance, Westbrook could no longer hold back in the second half.He handed over the task of organizing the offense to Anjie, and he began to attack the basket frantically.

He and Durant are on the left and right, making the Kings' defense full of loopholes.It's a pity that when Westbrook is stubborn to attack, his shooting percentage is often not high.

Angie gave him a few good passes, but Westbrook only took one of them.

"Damn it, I owe you a dinner." Westbrook made a bet with Anjie before the game, saying that he would definitely not miss three consecutive shots in this game.But when he knocked out the frame for the fourth time in the third quarter, An Jie could stop worrying about tomorrow's dinner.

It can also be seen from this small detail that the entire Thunder team has played very easily.Because they even discussed tomorrow's dinner.

Relaxation and relaxation are not a matter of time. The Thunder players played easily, but they did not relax a bit against the Kings.

Although Anjie and Morris didn't block many shots, they made the Kings rarely have a chance to score in the three-second zone.

In the third quarter, no one from the Kings stood up. They had already been defeated by the fully upgraded Thunder.

"My God, can you believe Reggie? The current Thunder team is a truly strong team!" 68 to 89, the players did as Van Gundy wished, and the game ended in only three quarters!

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Van Gundy let Serge Ibaka play and put all three Thunder players on the bench.

"Tomorrow I'm going to eat Seafood Russell." Anjie poked Westbrook with his elbow with a smile.

"Hey, the bet only says that I invite you to dinner, and I will order where to eat."

"As a middleman, do I also have a role?" Just as Westbrook was dealing with Anjie's "killing", Durant actually stepped in.

The Thunder's three young masters were chatting and laughing on the bench, the game?The game was over in the third quarter, right?

Ibaka may be due to nervousness, so he missed three consecutive shots on the offensive end.However, he and Morris's impressive inside defense allowed Jeff Van Gundy to find a new possibility for an inside combination.

"So Presti is from the future. Otherwise, how can he pick good rookies every time? Look at the inside defense of Morris and Ibaka. I don't think many NBA teams can reach it. To the level of the Thunder's second unit interior defense."

The Kings tried their best and hoped to stage a comeback in the fourth quarter.Van Gundy was also not in a hurry, and insisted on letting Thunder's third young master sit on the bench for an entire quarter.

And San Shao sat on a bench and came to the conclusion that Westbrook, who has been playing iron continuously, will invite Anjie, Morris, Durant and Ibaka to eat tomorrow.

"Since we don't eat expensive food, let's bring more people. My brother Morris is inseparable from me. He has to be with us."

"Ibaka just came to the United States, you have to be friendly." Durant also smiled.

Westbrook held his forehead, and it seemed that he couldn't escape without spending a few thousand dollars.

Those three guys, like Van Gundy, really didn't take the fourth quarter seriously at all.
Because they know that with a solid defense, even if the offensive end is not as good as before, it is absolutely impossible for such a large point difference to be reversed.

When the whistle sounded for the end of the game, the Thunder's three young men stood up and gave high-fives to the teammates who were leaving the field one by one.Those who don't know think that these three young people are marginal figures on the team.

89 to 102, even though the Kings approached some points in the fourth quarter, they still couldn't complete the comeback dream.

All members of the Thunder stood in a row holding hands and bowed to the audience.The first game of the new season ended perfectly!
"You know Charles, this game reminded me that the Thunder may not be content with just making the playoffs! Maybe they have bigger goals!" Kenny Smith said to the Thunder. Progress was surprised. Now they are actually a team that can solve the battle in three quarters.

Don't jump to conclusions so quickly, the Thunder's performance has only just begun.

(End of this chapter)