Chapter 147: Take the Core Again
o.J. Mayo thought he was dazzled when he saw the expressions of the Thunder players. When he warmed up, he was all listless Thunder players, but now he was bright and full of murderous aura.
"Hmph, is the momentum that is forced to pretend to be useful?" o.J. Mayo was not scared by the momentum of the Thunder. No matter how powerful he has, the fact that the lineup is incomplete can not be changed. The Grizzlies' lineup is quite complete, and the number of players who can play games is as many as yiyi. He does not think that the Thunder, who lacks soldiers, can still win on his head.
At FedEx Arena, the Grizzlies' season here is not a good time.
The selection of Tanhua O.J. Mayo, Mike Conley, who was selected the fourth pick last year, began to make his mark. This year's NCAA champion Darrell Arthur joined strongly, and "European Mobile Castle" Gasol Jr. emerged, coupled with the all-round forward Rudy Guy who has proved himself.
Looking at these names, Grizzlies fans were full of hope for this season. Unexpectedly, the cruel reality shattered the fans' dreams. Yi won 5 and lost 42, ranking second to the last in the West. This is the result that the above guys brought to the Grizzlies.
Because of the poor results, every time there is a chance to win, these guys from the Grizzlies will fight for it wildly.
Having lost to the Thunder several times in a row, O.J. Mayo was not convinced. He didn't think that his former No. 1 pick would be worse than Westbrook and Angel. Now, it's better, because he lacks the core Durant, O.J. Mayo is ready to show off his strength in this game and take revenge on the Thunder!
Before the game, Anjie and Gasol greeted each other friendly, but as soon as they stood in the middle circle, Anjie's eyes immediately became distorted when he looked at Gasol.
This is a professional player. Everyone can be friends off the court. But even if you are a brother, you must treat the other party as an enemy!
The referee threw the ball high up, An Jie's eyes focused, and his legs were conditioned and had a leading position in all directions. This made An Jie rarely lose in the competition for the ball.
"The game begins! Although Durant is missing, I am still looking forward to the performance of the Thunder! Can Westbrook and Angel take on the big task? Let's wait and see!" Mike Brynn would never be sent by ESPN to comment on the game of the two teams outside the playoffs, but now, the charm of the Thunder makes Mike Brynn unable to help but apply to serve as the commentator. He just wanted to know what extent the potential Thunder can do.
Due to Durant's injury, Van Gundy's lineup was changed again.
The point guard is still Westbrook, while the shooting guard continues to use Kyle Wiffle, who performed well. This back line composed of two rookies has made Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins very afraid.
In the small forward position, Van Gundy sent the Swiss who won the final victory against the Mavericks, Sabo Seifrosa. Although Seifrosa's first position is the second position, his tough style of play and 2-meter-high allow him to play easily in the third position.
For power forward, Van Gundy mentioned Costic's position. When Anger encountered double-teams, Costic's shooting could undoubtedly help the team get out of the predicament, and Anger's defense can also make up for Costic's lack of ability to protect the inside.
The lineup Van Gundy has produced is incomparable to the Grizzlies on paper, but basketball is not a simple tabletop game. The players are all living people, not rigid data from the group.
At the beginning of the game, Westbrook was quite active. He frequently played singles with the ball and was completely freed.
Before Durant was there, he had to settle for the second best and became the team's second offensive point. But when Durant was injured, he had more opportunities to attack with the ball.
It’s not that he was unwilling to share the ball with Anjie, but mainly that although Anjie scored a lot of points in each game, he didn’t take many shots. Therefore, at the beginning of the game, Westbrook decided to attack the team first.
The fourth time, Westbrook took the ball and came to Mike Conley. However, this time Conley did not stick it up. He suddenly changed positions with O.J. Mayo, making these two competing guys face each other!
Mayo can become a Tanhua Show, and it is impossible to do this without some strength. His active defense made Westbrook lose the offensive rhythm. Seeing Angel starting to lean on Mark Gasol’s position, Westbrook knew that it was time for him to hand over the ball.
Westbrook retreated under his crotch. Mayo thought he was going to make room for sprinting to break through. However, Westbrook took off directly, passed the ball over O.J. Mayo's head and sent it to Anjie.
"Anjie held the ball at a low post for the first time today! Durant is not here, should he continue to organize or attack by himself!?"
When Durant is here, it is Anjie's responsibility to pass the ball. When Durant is away, Anjie's responsibility will change from passing the ball to scoring!
If An Jie still passes the ball in a vain at this time, it is not selfless, but evading responsibility.
Angeli! Yi planned to fight Mark Gasol head-on at the low post!
With a weight of yi2o kilograms and a height of 2 meters, Marc Gasol is definitely the representative of European heavy centers. Since he is a heavy center, it is naturally impossible to be easily shaken by Anjie.
"Anjie's choice to play with Mark's back was definitely a wrong decision. Whether it was weight or strength, Anjie did not have the advantage." Some commentators immediately questioned Anjie's approach. Only Mike Bryn did not comment on Anjie, and he knew that this Chinese must have other methods.
This is not the first time that Anjie has fought with Gasol Jr. Although Anjie does not have an advantage in weight and strength, Anjie is better than Gasol Jr. in terms of flexibility and mobility.
"An turned around directly! Marc Gasol's feet were moving too slowly! Anjie easily rushed past him!"
An Jie quickly transferred Gasol to Gasol, and he was caught off guard. He hurriedly blocked An Jie's breakthrough route with his body, but he was slow to move under his feet and could not keep up with An Jie's rhythm.
After Anjie turned around and broke through, he was about to dunk with both hands. Marc Gasol naturally would not give up easily. At 2 meters yi6, he stretched out his arms and planned to stop Anjie from completing the dunk from behind.
But Anjie's arm span was longer than his brother Paul Gasol. When training with his brother, Mark might be able to complete the block in this situation, but facing the taller Anjie, his block did not slap the basketball away, but hit Anjie's back.
"Bang!" Although the ball was fouled, An Jie continued to force his arm. Under the interference of Gasol, he dunked the ball into it with great force!
"Ah!" An Jie twisted his body on the basket, and yelled with a roar after landing on the ground. In the FedEx Arena, An Jie was more like an angry Grizzlies! He was now like the Grizzlies' team logo, grinning and full of murderous aura!
An Jie's yell was not aimed at anyone, it was purely his vent of his emotions.
"Anger's words left Durant and Westbrook are useless." Although there was no response, the fans saw all kinds of doubts from Anger.
"Anjie! So strong!" Mike Bryn couldn't believe that the person who made such a move would be an Asian player.
Although Yao Ming can score wonderful goals frequently, his reaction after scoring is usually very "meek". But An Jie is not like that. This guy has many small moves on the court, and his trash talk is not inferior to his opponent. When it is time to roar, An Jie will never restrain himself.
What Mike Bryn saw in Anjie was the fierce temperament of a strong insider!
Tiffany Giardina also waved her fist with Angel's roar. Angel's tough performance just now made Gardina's heart turbulent. This big man who roared at the audience had completely attracted Gardina's attention.
Why? Why is this sport so attractive? Why do I pay special attention to this Chinese who is not handsome but looks very fierce?
Yi's 6-year-old girl's thoughts will not change even if she has become a star.
The extra free throws made a steady hit. After An Jie scored 2yi this time, the Thunder's lead has become 7 points.
Anjie showed strong aggressiveness in his first offense. In the following time, Westbrook also gave up his face and frequently gave up the ball, giving Anjie a chance to play singles with Gasol Jr. in the low post.
"Another foul! Marc Gasol has to pay attention to his fouls! Even if it is impossible to stop Anjie from fouls, it is not wise to send Anjie to the free throw line. Anjie's free throw shooting percentage of 86.4 is only ranked behind his compatriot Yao Ming, and ranked 4th in the nBa league!"
Sure enough, after tricking Gasol into making another foul, Anjie's free throw was as stable as ever.
"Spread your legs a little more! Don't lift your hands very high! Everyone's shooting habits are not the same. You must imitate me if you don't! Very good! Come again!" Divac gave Anjie a long class just by shooting in the Tornado team. Their efforts were not in vain. Now, it's the time to reap the results.
Both free throws were hit, and the score difference was further expanded!
The Thunder's lineup is incomplete, making the Grizzlies think that Angel and Westbrook are all threats to the Thunder.
Unfortunately, although An Jie increased his shots, this does not mean that he can only score in a vague way. Under An Jie's exquisite ball rights allocation, the incomplete Thunder actually performed with multiple blooming performances!
"Kyle Wiffle received an Angel's pass! A three-pointer hit! Another direct connection between the two yi rookies of the Thunder. Wiffle has scored five points with two shots! Coach Hollins must adjust their defensive strategy. He has invested too much energy in Angel and Westbrook!"
Unity is not only reflected when morale is boosted before the game. On the court, this point will still benefit the Thunder.
Although Angel and Westbrook played well, they were still willing to share the ball with their teammates.
After the Grizzlies turned their defense all towards Angel and Westbrook, Wiffle and Seifrosa undoubtedly became the biggest beneficiaries.
"Sefersa scored two points from a long distance! Another shot! After the final victory in the last game, Sefersa has become a pure Thunder player. The running-in between him and the new system is very perfect!"
At this point, everyone has forgotten that the Thunder is a team that has just lost its core.
Anjie's leadership made everyone ignore this fact. In other words, Anjie fulfilled his core responsibilities on the court, which belonged to Durant! Therefore, fans could not see anything unusual about the Thunder.
29-7, at the Grizzlies' home court, the Thunder took the lead and played very well at the United Express Stadium.
Rudy Guy scored 1 points in the first quarter, O.J. Mayo scored 2 points and Mark Gasol scored 2 points. Looking at the data of these three people, you can probably guess how embarrassed the Grizzlies played in the second quarter.
"9 points and 5 rebounds! As a center, Anjie held the situation on the court firmly in his own hands! Coach Jeff Van Gundy chose the second core after losing Durant, center first!"
Chapter completed!