The way of the center

Chapter 412 The Exciting Level of the Western Conference Finals

The Chesapeake Energy Arena is so powerful that fans here never imagined that they could watch the NBA Western Conference Finals at their doorstep a few years ago.

However, the relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics and the rapid rise of the Thunder made the dreams of Oklahoma City fans come true.At this moment, the Thunder team not only stood on the stage of the Western Conference Finals, but also used a wave of strong offenses to beat the Trail Blazers to an 8-0 spurt at the beginning of the game.

The young Oklahoma Lords seemed to have something to say to Ainger after Durant hit a chasing [-]-pointer.An Jie also responded with a smile, and then sent a bottom line ball.

"Did KD have a quarrel with Ann?" In the noisy arena, the fans and commentators couldn't hear the conversations of the players on the field.Most of the time, they listen to the mouth shape to judge the information exchanged between two players.But today, no matter how you look at it, Durant and Anjie's mouth shapes don't look like they are swearing.So all kinds of explanations also appeared overwhelmingly.

"It seems that Ann's old problems have not changed. Even when facing his former teammate KD, his mouth is not idle."

"Durant may have been brooding over Ann's departure. Just now, could it be his demonstration against Ann?"

"KD just said hello to his old friends, that's all. We care about this, we might as well care about the game itself." In the end, it was ESPN's veteran commentator Mike Breen who interpreted the correct answer, but fans Mike Brin can't guarantee which script he likes to believe.

While the commentators on various TV stations were still discussing the conversation between Anjie and Durant just now, the Trail Blazers had already attacked in a leisurely manner.

This team wearing black jerseys is like being possessed by the Spurs. They don't speed up, they don't get the ball fast.Positional warfare, this group of guys came here with the determination to fight positional warfare from the very beginning.

Saying the Blazers are like the Spurs might be a bit of a stretch.Because only a few days ago, they had just defeated the "true" Spurs.

Felton yelled a few times, made a few gestures, and passed the basketball, and the Blazers' offensive tactics spread out in an instant.

Inside, that's the toughest part of the Thunder's defense.But for the Trail Blazers, the inside is also their safest scoring option.Let the sharpest spear confront the strongest shield, and the result will definitely be a lose-lose.In order to maximize efficiency, Ricard's method is to use the outside to attract Morris or Ibaka's defense, and then pass the ball to give Anjie and Aldridge more opportunities.

So Gerald Wallace made such a tough breakthrough. As the vanguard of this attack, although Gerald Wallace did not have to undertake the task of scoring, his responsibility was also not small.

Whether this tactic is successfully executed depends entirely on the "Elvis Presley"'s strong attack this time!

Although Durant's defense is not as good as the other four players on the Trail Blazers, it is certainly not bad.He has been stuck in Gerald Wallace's breakthrough route, making Gerald Wallace continue to be in a very uncomfortable state.

Yet again, just when the Thunder once again thought their defense was about to succeed, a pick-and-roll tipped the balance.

"KD! Be careful!" Sefoloza's roar reached Durant's ears at a sound speed of 340 meters per second. Durant reacted quickly and turned his head away immediately.However, just as his colleague turned his head, Durant had already bumped into An Jie solidly!

"Another pick-and-roll suddenly pulled out! This time, the timing of the pick-and-roll is still perfect. It not only preserves the suddenness, but also does not constitute a foul. This guy's ability to read the game is almost as good as a point guard!" Only one A person who can win a lot of applause in pick-and-rolls may only be able to do it in this league.

Durant was firmly blocked by An Jie who suddenly stepped out, which naturally allowed Gerald Wallace to break into the inside line with ease.

Morris had to drop Anjie and stand under the basket with his arms outstretched.Just looking at the big bull's formation is already enough to deter.

"Successfully attracted the defense, that's it!" Gerald Wallace held up the basketball, as if preparing for a master layup.Even when Durant's attention was attracted, Wallace suddenly turned his head, made a pass, and passed the ball back to An Jie, who was still in the middle distance for him just now.

"I expected it!" Durant kept his eyes open. He didn't believe that Anjie would stand there stupidly after the pick-and-roll.Every movement of this guy has a purpose!Even if An Jie just stood there so foolishly, it had a purpose!

Durant's guess was correct. Anjie stood in the mid-range position and did not move for the purpose of catching Gerald Wallace's pass.Durant followed the trajectory of the basketball and turned around. Without thinking about it, he jumped up and blocked the shot.

"Ann's shot is very high! Like his compatriot Yao, he is a very good shooter for big men. They know how to use their advantages. However, Durant's height and wingspan are also not bad. This ball Durant Rant was almost able to block the shot!" Although he didn't block the shot, Durant's pinnacle defense must have interfered with Anjie's shooting rhythm.

Is it possible to enter?Can the Trail Blazers score their first goal of the game?

Just when all Oklahoma fans were looking forward to it, Anjie still gave them a reassurance.

After the basketball spun three times inside the basket, it fell into the net!This guy never relents at the Chesapeake Energy Arena!

After Anjie scored the goal, the reaction on the scene was very interesting.If Angie scored at the ATT Center or Staples, Angie would be booed.However, in Oklahoma, in Anjie's former home court.Half of the fans were still booing An Jie, but the other half applauded An Jie.

An Jie pointed to the auditorium to express his gratitude during the retreat process. It is very rare to receive applause in the away game of the playoffs.An Jie knew this, and he also thanked those people from the bottom of his heart.

With a mid-range shot, the Trail Blazers finally broke the scoring drought, and temporarily brought the Thunder's offensive climax to an end.

After that, the Trail Blazers have obviously adapted to the rhythm of fighting the Thunder.Westbrook's sudden acceleration could no longer allow him to complete the assault.Felton was already prepared, and the others behind Felton were also wary of Westbrook's unreasonable breakthrough.Finally, this time, the Trail Blazers also pulled the Thunder into the battle.

But positional warfare is also Jeff Van Gundy's forte.The Thunder is now such a balanced and all-round team, which can be fast or slow, inside or outside.

Westbrook gave the ball directly to Durant, which is exactly the same as when Anjie was still in the Thunder.After all, Westbrook is not a real organizer. Usually, the Thunder rely on integrity to tear apart the opponent's defense in positional battles.Westbrook's organization simply couldn't allow him to complete the "kill with one pass" attack.

The basketball passed through the hands of several people, but the Thunder still didn't get a chance.Compared with quick offensive and defensive transitions, positional defense is what the Trail Blazers are best at.

Ricard kept yelling on the sidelines, reminding the players who were out of position.Even in the noisy Chesapeake Energy Arena, his roar can be heard clearly by the fans.

Time passed by every minute and every second, but the Thunder still didn't find a chance.Helpless, the ball can only be returned to Westbrook in the end, and storming is the only way for the Thunder now.

Westbrook broke into the three-point line with Ibaka's pick-and-roll, and when he reached the free throw line, he suddenly jumped up and shot.

This ball Westbrook's take-off height is very high, Felton wanted to interfere, but it was so short of distance.Seeing this situation, An Jie suddenly turned his back to the basket and tried to get stuck first. He believed that the ball had a high chance of not being hit!
Westbrook's shooting is still the same as before. After the jump, his whole body is tense and looks very powerful, but his movements will be relatively stiff.

A stiff shot certainly cannot be exchanged for an excellent hit rate.What's more, Westbrook is not a fixed-point shot, but a more difficult emergency stop jumper.

"Dang!" There was a crisp sound of the basket, like a gunshot at the starting line.After An Jie heard the voice, he jumped up immediately.Among the crowd, An Jie raised his arms high and became the focus of the entire three-second zone.Morris made up for some disadvantages in position and timing by virtue of his jumping speed and jumping height, but this basketball was still caught by An Jie first!
An Jie's big hands can control the basketball in his hands while he is in the air.Morris attempted to remove the basketball, but failed.

After landing, Gerald Wallace rushed straight towards the Thunder half court without even thinking about it. An Jie raised the ball and frightened the Thunder players to return to defense.

However, An Jie's pass was just a fake pass, and he didn't plan to use a long pass to play a fast break at all.Gerald Wallace is not Westbrook, he may not be able to safely receive Anjie's pass.

The reason why An Jie did this was just to hope that the Thunder would retreat faster.In this way, he can safely hand the ball to Felton, and Felton can easily control the ball and advance.

This attack happened to rely on Gerald Wallace to score.This guy's active running position finally gave him a chance. Perhaps in the previous series, Wallace was Ricard's last offensive choice, so KD's defense against this guy was not too desperate.

So when Gerald Wallace found himself getting a chance so easily, he was also very surprised.However, this guy has always been the core of the team before, and the unexpected emotion only lasted for a few tenths of a second before disappearing without a trace. He was just a little short of the ball when he was about to block Anjie.

The basketball hit the net once again, and the Trail Blazers had used their shots to hit the Thunder's basket twice in a row.

In the following games, the situation was gradually brought back by the Trail Blazers.But the Thunder's momentum is not bad either.

Fans in the Chesapeake Energy Arena were able to watch a wonderful duel.This is the true level of the Western Conference Finals.

The turning point of the game came in the middle of the first period, when Van Gundy fielded a strong second team consisting of Fisher, Bledsoe, Batum, Daequan Cook and Nick Collison. is stretched thin.

Fisher's sophistication allows him to handle everything in an orderly manner, and Bledsoe and Batum's scoring ability makes Crawford and Courtney Lee sigh.The score was finally slowly opened, and the Thunder team also gained a certain lead after a difficult confrontation.Collison and Cook, on the other hand, can always do the dirty work beautifully.

An Jie gritted his teeth watching from below, but he held back.This group of guys who are still arrogant now, sooner or later, An Jie will make them often powerful!
22 to 29, relying on the strong strength of the Thunder's second team, the Thunder took a 7-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Only a quarter of the fierce match was played, and it was already unparalleled.

The assistant coach carried the small bench and put it away, Ricard sat down on the small bench, surrounded by players around him.

With the continuous efforts of these guys, this game will only get better and better!

(End of this chapter)