The way of the center

Chapter 396 The Hope of the Torn City

"I'm getting off the plane." Catherine typed a few simple words on the phone screen, and then she skillfully clicked the send button.

This text message was naturally sent to An Jie.At this moment, Catherine has arrived as promised and is standing on the land of Portland.

Raising her head casually, Catherine saw a huge poster of An Jie.For most people just landing, the first thing they see in Portland is this poster.

For the away players, this poster is definitely quite eye-catching.But for Catherine, Anjie is already one of the symbols of Portland.It was only fitting that his giant poster appeared on a building outside the airport.

"Ding dong." An Jie, who was running on the basketball court, heard the ringing of his mobile phone, but he did not check his mobile phone immediately, but continued his actions on the training ground.

Although there are still several hours before the start of the game, all members of the Trail Blazers have entered the state of preparation.They can't stop now, they can only continue to run on the training ground.The last stand, now that word, fell to the Blazers.

If the Blazers lose again in this game, the total score of the series will become 3-0.Although it has not been eliminated, there has never been a team in NBA history that can complete a reversal from a 3-0 deficit.An Jie is willing to challenge history, but the playoffs are not a place for him to gamble.Therefore, the outcome of this game will directly affect the direction of the entire playoffs.If they win, the suspense remains. If they lose, then Anjie's 11-12 season can basically be said to be over.

Not only Anjie and Ricard, everyone knows the importance of this game.So today, it is no longer An Jie alone, but the whole team who came to the training ground to warm up in advance!

"That's it, that's it! Ann, make up defense, make up defense! It's beautiful!" Ricard looked at the players who were practicing tactics off the court, and kept clapping his hands to emphasize the tactics.

From the current point of view, Anjie has done a very good job of defending the area around the three-second zone.Ricard hopes the changes he makes will enable his best defensive player to perform well.Of course, the most important thing is to allow the Trail Blazers to break the curse of losing streak.

"Okay, let's rest first." Ricard blew his whistle, and everyone stopped what they were doing, and turned their heads to look at the young rookie coach in unison.

"Everyone is stopping all training now. If you are in a panic, you are welcome to come to the office to study the Spurs game video. I know you are all holding your breath now and can't stop. Don't worry, I will be on the court later, and I have plenty of time Play for you!" Ricard now has to restrict the training of his players, and if this continues, when the official game starts, the physical strength of these guys will have been exhausted.

The players of the Trail Blazers were eager to win back at home, and the fans here also came to the Rose Garden early to build momentum for the upcoming battle.

There are still a few hours before the start of the game, so fans cannot check in.But even so, many people still gathered in the square outside the Rose Garden, holding signs, taking pictures with each other, and accepting interviews.The liveliness here is no worse than that in the arena later.

"What is the belief that supports your belief that the team will definitely win?" Wu Hua felt very curious. Now the Trail Blazers can be said to be at a disadvantage, and the strength of the Spurs is beyond doubt.So what is it that makes this group of fans always have a winning heart?

Therefore, Wu Hua began to look for fans to do street interviews in the square outside the Rose Garden.

"Faith? I grew up in Portland. Since my father's generation, our family has been a die-hard fan of the Portland Trail Blazers! Even if the team hits a low point, our enthusiasm will not be extinguished! After all, This is my hometown team! Besides, we also have Ann!" A young man with red hair replied excitedly to Rickard.

"In the first game, Ahn's performance was really a bit out of order. This is normal, even Jordan, there are times when he does not play well. Ahn's performance this season is perfect, he even won the Defensive Player of the Year award. But occasionally One or two bad games, we can all understand. As for the second game, those goddamn referees are disgusting. I believe that Gerald Wallace has 5 fouls in [-] minutes. Absolutely It's not within the normal range! But now, we have Ann, who is recovering, and we may be favored by some referees at home. With these conditions, I don't think the Spurs can beat the Blazers!" A grader The slightly older black fans gave a completely different answer from the previous one.

"The answer is very simple, we have the best defensive player!" The last fan Wu Hua interviewed was a college player.Anjie's story is one of the biggest motivations for him to give up tennis and choose basketball in college.Although he is better at tennis, this guy prefers basketball.He believes that as long as he is willing to work hard, he will surely break through the shackles of congenital inadequacy and gain something like An Jie.

Wu Hua discovered that each of the guys who came to the Rose Garden to revel and wait to enter had different reasons.But the only thing they have in common is their belief that the Trail Blazers can win.Some people may have good reasons, while others just believe in An Jie!

"Do you know Ann, so many people are counting on you." Wu Hua looked up at the sky in Portland, the sun had gradually set, and night was approaching quietly.The gate of the Rose Garden finally opened, and a crowd of people lined up and couldn't wait to enter.

"I hope you won't let them and me down." Wu Hua took a deep breath and walked towards the entrance channel dedicated to media personnel.He knew that what happened inside would definitely be enough to suffocate everyone.Take a few more breaths while the air is still so easy.After a while, the atmosphere inside is not something everyone can bear.

"Remember! On the defensive end, we have to spare no effort! In the first two games, I thought that tight man-to-man defense was the best way to contain the Spurs! I was wrong, their exquisite movement and The accurate pick-and-roll makes it easy to break through one-on-one defense. So today, we will use all the things we practice! Zone defense is the main focus, supplemented by man-to-man! The offense should be as simple and effective as possible, and the defense This is our main battlefield!" Ricard clenched his fists and smashed the tactical whiteboard.When the entire alliance is increasing the number of rounds and increasing attack power.Only he, Ricard, intends to use defense to win.He didn't know if he was crazy, but he knew that this was the only way for the Trail Blazers!

When players from both sides poured out from the player tunnel, the atmosphere in the Rose Garden was just as Wu Hua thought, suffocating!

"The scene is really crazy! I am very glad that I can sit here and explain the game for everyone!" Kenny Smith's voice appeared on the TV. This time, T.NT sent their signature trio to the live commentary!

Some of the fans at the scene were waving scarves, while others were hitting with balloon sticks.In short, their passion has not been extinguished by the dilemma of being 2-0 behind.

The excited Anjie was also bouncing around all the time, and there was a huge contrast between him and Duncan who was facing him.

"This group of guys, it's as if they are the ones leading 2-0." Boris Dior looked around in puzzlement, just wait, you guys won't be able to get excited after a while!

The referee threw the basketball into the air, and the over-excited Anjie leaped high, surpassing Duncan by more than a palm, and won the first attack for the Trail Blazers!
At that moment, countless signs with "RIP.CITY" were held up by the fans.Under the sound of fierce cheers, Raymond Felton also overcame Parker's entanglement, and successfully controlled the ball to the top of the three-point arc.

Directly hit the ball into the penalty area, no psychedelic drugs, no smoke bombs, Felton implemented Ricard's arrangement, and kept everything simple in offense!

After Anjie took the ball, even Duncan, who had experienced countless big scenes, swallowed.He was still the same as before, ready to block all the routes on An Jie's right, forcing An Jie to attack with his left hand.

But this time, An Jie didn't intend to solve the problem in an easy way. He tensed up all the muscles in his body, started to dribble, and rushed backwards!
Cut back!An Jie plans to compete with Duncan in the most brutal way!
The current Duncan naturally has no advantage physically.For a person his age, Duncan has done a good enough job.He kept gritting his teeth and persisted, hoping to successfully lock An Jie out of the penalty area within five seconds of back hitting.

The effect of An Jie's advancement was not obvious, but he still advanced some distance.Seeing that he was not far from the penalty area, and the time for turning his back for five seconds was about to expire.An Jie suddenly held the ball and turned around, hoping to face the basket to complete the attack.

An Jie's turn this time did not rely on skill, but on speed and body.

He turned around very quickly, and at the same time squeezed Duncan out with his body.In an instant, Duncan was left behind by An Jie!

Seeing this situation, the experienced Boris Dior ran to the basket without even thinking about it. Anjie's eyes were fixed on the basket. He was going to dunk for sure!
Little did they know that when Dior was about to take off to block the shot, Anjie unknowingly passed the ball from Dior's head!

Because the pass was so fast, Dior didn't have time to reach out and steal it.He only felt a gust of wind hang over his ears, after that, he just looked back like a conditioned reflex.

Aldridge has already shot the basketball at this moment, and the basketball passed through Dior's head again.Only this time, it went to the basket!
"Beautiful fit, Anne draws double-teams, sets up Aldridge for a shot. Man, it's a really simple play, but it's very effective. Think about it, if Diaw didn't help the defense, then Anne would definitely be able to complete the dunk. If Anne If his passing skills are not that good, then this assist will not be formed. So, although this is just a simple cooperation, it actually requires a lot of players.” Although it is just an ordinary shot , but Kenny Smith saw a lot of truths from it.

Although the Trail Blazers scored a goal in the opening game, the Spurs players didn't take it seriously.The Blazers' offense has always been strong, it's just their defense.
Tony Parker has the ball, and the pick-and-roll for him is a young Kawhi Leonard.Parker skillfully accelerated, bypassed Felton's defense, and came to a position at a 45° angle.

The "French Little Sports Car" was just about to shoot, but found Gerald Wallace, grinning in front of him!

"Switch defenses so fast!?" Parker didn't expect Ricard to use the zone defense at all. He thought it was Gerald Wallace's defenses that switched very quickly!

No way, the current defense of the Trail Blazers really makes it hard for you to tell whether they are man-to-man or zone defense.Because in a defense, the Blazers used both methods to defend at the same time.

Parker saw that he had no room to accelerate, so he handed the ball to Dior.Diaw was posting up the ball in the mid-range, while Duncan was out of the paint.The purpose of his doing this is to hope to be able to pull Angel out, and then
Leonard's sudden escape made Felton's reaction a bit slower, and Dior can be regarded as an insider with excellent coping ability.Seeing Leonard start, Dior hit the ground and passed the ball to the young small forward.

Leonard received the ball, did not dribble, but directly took three steps to attack the frame!At this moment, An Jie suddenly rushed back to the restricted area and stood in front of Leonard!If Leonard insists on playing, luck seems to be able to make a foul. If he is not lucky, he will definitely suffer a bloody shot!
After thinking about it, Leonard suddenly passed the ball during the breakthrough.Since An Jie came to defend, Duncan must be open!
Duncan also made a good gesture to catch the ball and defend the penalty area, but still couldn't prevent the Spurs from scoring!

Just when Duncan was about to make a shot, Leonard's pass was intercepted by a big hand!
"Gerald Wallace, he has been spying on Tim Duncan for a long time!" Wallace is indeed taking care of Tony Parker who is out of position, but at the same time, Duncan in his defensive area, Wallace is also Keep an eye out!

After the ball was successfully drawn, the Spurs, as always, followed the requirements and guarded against the Blazers' long pass from the backcourt, hoping to force them to make mistakes.

However, the Blazers players are not rushing forward.They ran forward unhurriedly, without any intention of playing a fast break at all!
"Are you going to grind with us slowly? Huh, interesting." Popovich clasped his hands together to support his chin, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.It seems that the Trail Blazers don't plan to spend much effort on the offensive end, and they plan to use the physical energy required for running on the defensive end!
slow pace?positional warfare?Come on, this is exactly what the Spurs are good at!
Just a steal is not enough to make the mighty Spurs collapse.If you want to go head-to-head, just try it!

(End of this chapter)