The way of the center

Chapter 313 Second Strengthening
After defeating the Thunder, the Blazers won a big victory against the Zijin Army.The Trail Blazers have been creating surprises since Anjie's comeback this season.But Portland fans still didn't expect that they could beat two Western Conference teams at the same time.

"Mr. An, congratulations on winning the Western Conference player of the week award. Do you think you have a chance to compete for the best player of the month?" In the press conference after the game, the focus of reporters' interviews also changed from Kobe to An Jay.

"Best of the month? My goal is MVP." An Jie smiled at the reporters below. No one knew whether what this guy said was just a joke or he meant it.

"MVP? Well, you have averaged 29.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game this season. This is indeed an MVP-level data. I hope Mr. An can maintain your state and strive to achieve your goals." No matter Is An Jie joking, but now few reporters dare to question An Jie's statement.

At the beginning of the season, countless people predicted that the fate of the Blazers and Angie would be very tragic.But now, they have made a perfect start with 5 wins and 1 loss.No reporter wants to become the character who gets slapped in the face. Don't question what An Jie says, maybe he can really do it?
"That's it. I have to go to New York now." Before the reporters finished asking questions, Anjie and Ricard got up and prepared to leave.

"New York? Mr. An, isn't the Trail Blazers going to play back-to-back against the Suns in the next game? You should be flying to Phoenix now." A reporter smirked. As the leader of the team, he still remembered the opponent wrongly. It is enough to prove that there is a problem with An Jie's attitude.

"Oh, Coach Ricard hasn't told you yet, has he?" An Jie looked at Ricard, and Ricard immediately picked up the microphone.

"Tomorrow Ann will go to New York for a second intensive meniscus repair surgery, so he will also miss tomorrow's game against the Suns. Of course, don't worry, if the operation is successful, Ann will be able to play in two days. , will not be absent for a long time." After finishing speaking, Ricard smiled at the surprised reporters, and walked out of the media reception room with An Jie.

An Jie still needs to undergo an operation. For such a big matter, Ricard and An Jie only mentioned it lightly.The reporters knew before that An Jie still had two intensive repair operations to be done, but they didn't expect this date to come so soon.

In fact, this operation was not as exaggerated as the reporters thought. An Jie just had to undergo a minimally invasive intensive repair. After the operation, his meniscus would be healthier and stronger than it is now.Of course, the minimally invasive wound will not affect Anjie's game the next day.Missing a game is the only price to be paid for this repair operation.

When An Jie first entered the league, he wished he could win all the games.But now he knows that the super long schedule of the NBA makes it impossible for you to beat your opponent every day.How to choose, this is the key.

Therefore, Anjie voluntarily gave up the back-to-back games with the Phoenix Suns.First of all, back-to-back games after two high-intensity competitions are very dangerous to his meniscus that has not been strengthened and repaired. Secondly, the Suns led by Steve Nash, who has lost his helper, are definitely not too strong.Without An Jie, the others could still handle it.

Therefore, An Jie parted ways with the team at ease, and went to New York alone for surgery.

"Don't worry LaMarcus, I'll be here for the next game." Looking at the worried Aldridge, Anjie also said a few words of comfort.The Trail Blazers, who are so enjoying winning, are already inseparable from Anjie.

All plans were carried out very smoothly, Anjie's plane arrived in New York on time, and the operation was also very successful.The doctor said that An Jie's current legs can at least exert 90% of their strength.Whether it's moving or bouncing, Anjie is stronger than before.

But there was only one link that did not go according to plan, and that was that the Blazers, who had won four consecutive victories, failed to win away games.Without Anjie, the Trail Blazers suddenly lacked a backbone, and the team played in a mess and without rules.

Ricard racked his brains underneath, but without Anjie, he also lacked too many tactical changes.

Anjie can support in the high position, Anjie can attract double teams in the low position, and Anjie can also efficiently perform one-on-one singles in any position.These three points alone are enough for Rickard to have a lot of tactical choices.

But all of a sudden, that was gone.The Trail Blazers lacked variables and lacked a tough inside defense.A slow-paced Marcus Camby simply couldn't stop the running and bombing style led by Nash.

What Anjie brought to the Blazers was not just one more player who could play, but a change in the entire core.Originally, Portland fans thought that with Aldridge and Gerald Wallace, there should be no pressure for them to win the sun that has faded away.

But today, they finally realized that Anjie is too important to the team.It is so important that without him, the Blazers even have a lot less ways to win.

It's no wonder that Aldridge was worried when Anjie left. He was the partner of Anjie who knew the importance of Anjie best.With Anjie, he can easily get open shots.With An Jie, he didn't have to worry about being breached at all. Anyway, there was a terrifying guy guarding him all the time.

But today, Aldridge had to force shots many times and had to spend more energy on the defensive end.The final result is that Aldridge did not do a good job in offense and defense.

97 to 102, the Blazers finally stopped their winning streak in Phoenix after a crazy five-game winning streak.

Aldridge alone made 14 shots and only hit 6 goals, scoring a season-low 14 points.Ricard did not misinterpret it. Aldridge is an excellent second-in-command, but it is definitely not a good choice for him to play the leading role alone.

Although the team lost, the Blazers fans were not too dissatisfied.Because even so, the Trail Blazers' performance is good enough.What's more, they will have An Jie again in the next game.

"Angie's first intensive repair surgery was successful. George Ricard: He will return for the Trail Blazers vs. Spurs on January 1." The headline in the Portland Evening News the next day, It made everyone forget the unhappiness after the team lost.An Jie, who only missed one game, is back in lightning!Moreover, the comeback battle still faces such a powerful opponent.

Ricard is also a little worried that Anjie will delay his comeback due to surgery.Unexpectedly, he was so punctual.

When Anjie was training, Ricard and the Trail Blazers team doctor thoroughly checked Anjie's knee.If it weren't for An Jie's words, they wouldn't even be able to find the scar left by the operation on their knees.

"Don't worry boss, not only is there no problem with my knee, I also feel more flexible than before." An Jie moved his leg, but obviously this still couldn't impress Ricard and the team doctor.

"You know how important you are to the team, An. If we don't protect you well, our season will almost be over." Ricard did not forget how difficult the Blazers played in the absence of Anjie .You know, the current Suns are not that strong.So he would rather make a fuss than take any risks.

But then, in group confrontation training.An Jie shook Camby away with a few smooth and smooth steps to complete the attack, showing his excellent state unreservedly.It wasn't until this time that Rickard believed that there was really nothing wrong with An Jie.His stride is more flexible than before because his meniscus is healthier than before.

Seeing An Jie's state on the training ground, Ricard also became more confident.Now, he really has the capital to wrestle with the Spurs and that cunning guy Popovich.

After the Thunder and the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs have become the next development target of the Trail Blazers.

"Catherine, you are thinner than before." With the rapid development of the Internet and mobile devices in recent years, Anjie can now make video calls with Catherine through mobile phones anytime and anywhere.This should be set when he first came to the United States, which is a scene that only appears in science fiction movies.

"The daily diet is strictly controlled. How does your leg feel after the second operation?" Catherine asked about Anjie's recovery with concern.

"It's great, I feel more flexible than before, and it's easier to exert my strength. The next game against the Spurs, I should be able to show a good performance. You have to work hard, Catherine, last year because I couldn't participate in Paris Fashion Week , You must seize the opportunity this year." An Jie was still a little ashamed, Catherine gave up the best opportunity in her career just to accompany her injured self.

"I will be the same as you, Ann, and I will prove myself in Paris. Well, you go to practice more, and I am going to rehearsal. I love you, Ann."

"I love you too, Catherine." Anjie turned off the video with a smile, and picked up the basketball sitting under his butt.Although there is a game to be played tomorrow, An Jie still did not relax his training.The core of the team, this position allows him to constantly urge himself to improve.Because he knows that now his responsibility is greater.

Just when An Jie was about to enter the strength training room, he heard the sound of the training ground door being opened.It has been almost half a month since he came to the Trail Blazers, but Anjie has never seen anyone other than himself at night.

So when the gate of the training ground was opened, An Jie stared at the visitor with infinite curiosity.Sure enough, it was none other than Anjie's best helper, LaMarcus Aldridge, who came out of the darkness.

"An!?" Aldridge stared in surprise at An Jie, whose training vest was soaked. He didn't know that someone in the Trail Blazers had been training extra.

"My God, I always thought that the reports about your extra training were just rumors. Unexpectedly, they are actually true." Aldridge always thought that there was no one in the world who would spend so much time on training like Anjie, Until he saw it with his own eyes today.

"Do you think that guy Canby is easy to deal with? If I don't practice more, I will be the one who is abused on the training ground. Hey, why did you suddenly think of running to practice at night today?" Anjie hugged Aldridge friendly After a while, he found that this guy was very similar to Durant.On the surface, it looks very introverted and doesn't like to talk.But once he opens up to you, then you will find that this is definitely a trustworthy guy.

"Tomorrow is against the Spurs. You know, Tim has always been my idol." Aldridge tried to make a shot as he spoke. An Jie glanced at the trajectory of the basketball and then looked away.He knew that there would be no mistakes in the result.

"Swipe." The sound of the Nets tumbling in the training ground is like jazz in a bar. It is very suitable for the occasion and is even more beautiful.

"Do you want to show a good performance on the field to fight against Tim? Now I can't sleep anyway, and I can't do other things with peace of mind. Because once you close your eyes, you will worry that your opponent is still training, and You feel uneasy because you are resting yourself?" Like a doctor, An Jie described Aldridge's "symptoms" exactly.

"How do you know what it feels like?" It's an amazing thing to be read, and it means you and that guy have a lot in common.

"Before I played against the Lakers, I was the same as you. When I thought that Kobe might still be in the training field, I couldn't convince myself to stop." Anjie will never forget his feelings before the game against Kobe, Exactly the same as Aldridge now.

"Hahaha, it turns out that the vicious butcher is also nervous." Aldridge always thought that Anjie was a fearless tough guy who played games with a high fever and took the lead after suffering serious injuries. In the NBA, a place full of muscular clubs Fight to the death with that group of guys with perverted physical fitness.These have become Anjie's hallmarks.

But today, for the first time, Aldridge felt that Anjie was so real, he was also a guy with flesh and blood.

"Hey, do you know that I once used a block to end Tim's lore? Let me tell you, I have a lot of heart when dealing with Tim." Anjie sneered at Aldridge, and Aldridge Instantly his eyes lit up.

Afterwards, the two competed on the training ground.Of course, this confrontation is more about mutual guidance and help.Usually when fighting, one of the parties will suddenly stop and correct the other party's mistakes.

Aldridge never found out that extra practice was such a fun thing, and when both were exhausted, it was already 11:30 in the evening.

"Not coming, Ann, not coming." Aldridge put his hands on his knees, panting heavily.Now he not only admired Anjie, but also admired Marcus Camby who did not confront Anjie.

"It's almost there. Let's save some energy for tomorrow's game. Hey, don't worry about fighting Tim. I'll keep an eye on your back." An Jie's simple words made Aldridge feel very at ease.In the last game, it was precisely because of the lack of Anjie's protection that the Trail Blazers played timidly.

If Duncan and Popovich knew that the two most dangerous guys on the Trail Blazers were together for a night to discuss strategies, they would probably be driven crazy.The Spurs' trip to Portland doesn't look as easy and enjoyable as it used to be.

(End of this chapter)