The Way of the Center - Chapter 817

Westbrook feels that he is full of power. After receiving the basketball, he can’t help but want to run, want to hit the Trail Blazers basket. The thin-body Shabaz Napier simply couldn’t bear Westbrook’s impact. He could only be squeezed behind by the strong No. 0 guard time and time again.

This time, Westbrook’s straightforward breakthrough broke Napier’s defense once again.

Ricard held his forehead, and Napier was completely crushed when facing Westbrook. He knew that the defender who replaced Lillard in the starting lineup worked very hard and wanted to prove himself. However, the physical gap between the two sides cannot be made up for a short while.

After breaking through Napier, Westbrook did not continue to go deep, but suddenly stopped.

The current Westbrook is no longer the stunner who would only take the ball inside to kill. His skills are improving in all aspects. After the breakthrough, he made a jump shot in the mid-range and was even more thoroughly practiced by Westbrook.

Angel immediately got rid of the entanglement with Adams and rushed towards Westbrook. But Westbrook didn’t give An Jie any chance, he calmly shot before An Jie’s interference came.

Seeing this, Anthony, who was ambushing beyond the three-point line, just smiled. Westbrook has repeated this action thousands of times on the training ground, and he will not make a mistake!

“Swipe!” The basketball entered the net in response, and An Jie looked back, only to see that the net was still floating slightly.

“Nice stop jumper, Westbrook’s shot is really very quick. Ann wants to come from the basket to defend, it is too late! The eighth point is already after the game started, and Westbrook has gotten consecutively. The eighth point of the game! Napier of Koling, he is undoubtedly one of the worst opponents he has ever met!”

Westbrook did not celebrate after scoring, he just quickly turned back to defense, for fear of being attacked by the Trail Blazers.

The zero guard is very clear about the strength of the Trail Blazers, as well as the strength of Anjie and Morris. He knew that it was nothing to score eight points in a row. In front of the Trail Blazers, even if they are 10 points ahead, they must always be vigilant!

“Don’t worry about Napier, just like in the last round against Chris Paul, you need to stay calm, you need to be calm!” After Anjie made the baseline ball, it was obvious that Napier’s movements were very stiff. There is no doubt that this is caused by being too nervous.

Napier nodded, swallowed, and once again held the ball towards the Thunder’s hinterland.

If Paul’s defense is a thief, then Westbrook’s defense is really tough.

In the face of Paul, Napier needs to worry about whether his ball will be stolen, but when facing Westbrook, Napier needs to worry about whether his ribs will be broken!

The pressure Westbrook brought to Napier was just like the pressure An Jie brought to other inside players, so Napier couldn’t breathe at all.

As soon as he was close to the three-point line, the strong Westbrook pressed towards Napier. Napier had to pass the ball hastily and almost made a mistake.

Paul George was not easy after receiving the basketball, because his opponent is another superstar of the Thunder, the former “King of New York”, Carmelo Anthony!

Although Anthony’s defense is not top-notch, it is definitely considered excellent. In New York, the biggest thing that restricted Anthony’s defense was his own mentality.

This guy tends to be more obsessed with offense and absent from defense. But when he really starts to defend with his heart, it is by no means that easy to break through.

Now, Anthony knows that the Thunder are not a bad team like New York. He and Westbrook went for the O’Brien Cup. Now if you don’t take the defense seriously, when will you have to wait?

So the next scene became a scene that Mike Brin talked about. Seeing George holding the ball to the left and breaking through, Anthony made an accurate judgment in the right direction and continued to block George beyond the three-point line with a strong body.

George didn’t give up, he dribbled to the right of Anthony after changing hands. This time, Anthony was surpassed by half his position, but when George was about to shoot, he even caught up and blocked all the space!

George, who had stopped dribbling, had no choice but to protect the basketball with both hands on the spot to resist Anthony’s steal.

He never expected that Anthony, who had been so bad in New York that he could no longer suck, would be able to show such a performance. George’s underestimation put him in trouble. Fortunately, Iguodala responded in time, which allowed George to avoid mistakes.

As soon as Iguodala received the basketball, the Thunder’s shooting guard, 2013 second pick Victor Oladipo, immediately pressed for defense.

Oladipo was put on the shelves last summer and became one of Presti’s bargaining chips for George. But unexpectedly, George announced that he most hoped to join the Trail Blazers, and the Trail Blazers also came up with a bargaining chip to make the Pacers more like.

In this way, Paul George came to Portland, while Oladipo continued to stay with Westbrook.

Although last season, Oladipo’s performance in the Thunder was not satisfactory, far inferior to himself during the Magic period. But this year, Oladipo seems to have fully integrated into the team and fully adapted to the rhythm of the backcourt with Westbrook.

His aggressiveness on both the defensive and offensive ends can often help the team get out of trouble. No, Iguodala has been seen dead by Oladipo before he took a step with the ball.

If it were five years ago, Iguodala would definitely change his direction directly, with his body against Oladipo, force a breakthrough, and finally end the offense with a shocking dunk.

But now Iguodala, has been unable to accomplish such a thing. He was so embarrassed by Oladipo that he almost lost the ball. At this very moment, An Jie came out and gave Iguodala a pass goal.

Iguodala did not hesitate and immediately hit the basketball into Anjie’s hands. But Anjie’s opponent, Steve Adams, is equally difficult to deal with.

This guy’s defensive enthusiasm usually makes Anjie very uncomfortable. When Morris was still in the Thunder, he taught Adams a lot. This guy has grown from a white-faced niche to his present sturdy look and full-arm tattoos, more or less because of Morris’ influence.

He is not afraid of anyone, even if this person is An Jie. Adams lowered the center of gravity and kept interfering with his hands in order to prevent An Jie from directly dribbling through.

Seeing that there was no way to take advantage, An Jie had to turn his back to the frame, planning to push forward in a tougher way.

Adams gritted his teeth, making An Jie’s advance look very laborious every time. In the end, An Jie turned his back and shot a jumper before the end of the 24 second offense, and finally ended the offense.

Although Anjie scored this goal, it also allowed the Trail Blazers to reduce the point difference to only two points. But the Thunder’s tough defense undoubtedly left a deep impression on the fans of Moda Center!

“It’s incredible! Do you still remember the last time the Blazers were able to make a hasty shot? When it comes to the Thunder, people often think of sharp offense first. But in fact, they The defense has always been very good! In the past, there was Ann, Ibaka, and Morris. When these three people left one after another, they became a team with five starting players who are all very defensive! It’s not because Ann’s personal abilities are really too strong. The Thunder’s defense in this round was successful!” Jeff Van Gundy proudly praised the Thunder for their excellent defensive system, but it is based on the solid foundation he built. Built on.

After Anjie scored a goal, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He couldn’t believe that he was already sweating profusely before playing a few rounds in the game.

The Thunder put a lot of pressure on the Trail Blazers, both on the offensive end and on the defensive end. This side has just scored a difficult goal, and over there, Westbrook rushes like a gust of wind.

An Jie hasn’t gotten a good position yet, but Westbrook has already reached the penalty zone with the ball. An Jie rushed to fill the defense, and the entire Trail Blazers defense contracted because of Westbrook’s straight-forward breakthrough.

Just when everyone thought this would be a direct duel between Westbrook and Angel, Westbrook, who had already jumped high, changed his posture in the air and threw the ball beyond the three-point line.

Carmelo Anthony, who just ran beyond the three-point line, steadily caught the ball. At this moment, due to the contraction of the Blazers defense, there is no defensive player beside this superstar!

Anthony will not let go of this easy opportunity to score. He jumped high and threw the basketball in his hands like a warm-up.

Iguodala hurriedly rushed over, but only ceremonially stretched out his hand. Because when he was in place, the basketball shot by Anthony had already flown into the air~www.mtlnovel.com~Angel got stuck in desperate position, but as he expected, Anthony did not make a mistake! This open shot opportunity was converted by Anthony into a real three-pointer!

“Nice cooperation, Westbrook’s breakthrough score and Anthony’s final blow are very exciting! This is the Oklahoma City Thunder, this is Westbrook’s capital enough to challenge Anjie’s authority! The Blazers have to be careful. Now, their opponents are not the general ones!”

Under Van Gundy’s praise, Anthony and Westbrook gave high fives. An Jie looked at the two guys standing in front of him, their teamwork was indeed terrifying!

Anjie picked up the basketball from the ground and passed it to Napier, who was nervous and silent.

This game has just begun, don’t be too proud!

Anjie patted Napier on the shoulder and ran forward on his own. A match that is under intense confrontation throughout, An Jie, but likes this kind of tough battle the most!

Come on Russell, let our battle continue…