The Way of the Center

Chapter 142: Negative Motivation

"Stephen Jackson can't get rid of Durant's entanglement at all. He is seeking the support of his teammates, but Alice and Crawford have been unable to get rid of their matchups to find opportunities."

Not to mention attacking the basket, now Jackson can't even find a chance to pass the ball. Without leaving room for strict defense, the Thunder is not at all like a team that plays back-to-back games, and it is not at all like a team that is plagued by injuries.

In the middle of the first quarter, Van Gundy only allowed the three Thunder players to rest for two minutes before bringing them up again. As soon as An Jie and the others entered the court, they suppressed the Warriors' improved offense.

Crawford's tireless running finally paid off. Taking advantage of the opportunity of the Thunder rookie Sefoloza who came off the bench, Jackson saw the opportunity and quickly released the ball, allowing Crawford to get the shooting space .

"Jamal Crawford is ready to shoot! Sefoloza is working hard! He is full on Crawford, this time the defense is perfect!"

Crawford did not expect Sefoloza to be so active, and if he insisted on making a shot under serious interference, it would be a waste of opportunities. Crawford just changed his shot into a pass in the air, and fed the ball out again awkwardly.

This is why Van Gundy needs Sefoloza. Although the offensive method is slightly single, the defensive ability is very outstanding. The Swiss is different from the previous European players. He is more like a fierce perimeter from the United States.

"This is Van Gundy's defense." Wu Hua smiled in the media area. The time is only ten seconds, and the Thunder's defense has not shown any loopholes so far.

Alice struggled to take down the ball that was passed too high by Crawford without giving any space. As soon as Alice landed, she was completely stuck by the strong Westbrook.

Alice tried to break through several times but hit a wall. With only three seconds left in the 24-second attack time, Alice had to force a shot against Westbrook's defense.

The arc of the ball was ridiculously high, so naturally it failed to score. The Thunder's third young master defended for the first time after returning, and it was a complete success!

Turiaf didn't even have a chance to compete for a favorable position, and Anjie's position was very solid. No matter how crowded Turiaf was, he couldn't advance half a step into the three-second zone. Not being tall enough to occupy a favorable position, Turiaf could only watch as Anjie pocketed the rebound.

"This is the Thunder! This is Jeff Van Gundy's style! Another 24 seconds of defense, the Warriors' chaotic masters can't even create chaotic opportunities!"

After defending the ball, the Thunder also took the opportunity of the last attack in the first quarter into their own hands.

Westbrook gestured unhurriedly, signaling his teammates to take their positions quickly. At 23 seconds, Westbrook pressed the rhythm near the center line, not intending to leave even a second for the Warriors.

ten seconds! it's time! Anjie picks and rolls up, Westbrook speeds up and hits! This is the usual combination of their two 08-level rookies.

In order to make room for Westbrook to attack, Anjie did not roll down after the pick-and-roll. Seeing that Anjie didn't respond, everyone rushed towards the penalty area. Westbrook will undoubtedly be the one to carry out the final blow!

The Warriors' defense shrunk so much that there was absolutely no chance of it opening up again. Westbrook, who broke into the penalty area, was surrounded by Warriors players. He knew that if he forced an attack, it would be very difficult.

"Opportunity!" Westbrook saw Sefoloza running to the bottom corner in the crowd, and he hurriedly started to pass the ball, but Stephen Jackson saw through Westbrook's intention!

"You're still young, baby!" Stephen Jackson stretched out his hand to block, allowing Westbrook's strong pass to change direction.

"Jackson didn't catch the basketball! The basketball didn't pass out successfully, but was refracted in another direction! Anjie! Anjie is there!" McBrin saw Anjie catch the ball by accident outside the three-point line. When it comes to the ball, will he make a shot?

Since there was not much time, Anjie originally planned to stay outside the three-point line after the pick-and-roll to watch Westbrook complete the offense alone. How could he know that the basketball finally came to him.

In two seconds, there was no time for another pass, and the Warriors players saw that it was An Jie who got the ball from beyond the three-point line, so they didn't run to defend.

"Fight it!" An Jie raised the ball and shot, and a 2.19-meter tall man made a shot from outside the three-point line. This scene is extremely rare.

The action was a bit unnatural, because An Jie had never shot a three-pointer in an official game since junior high school. An Jie just raised the arc and added a little power on the basis of the mid-range shot.

"Beep~~~" As soon as An Jie made a shot, the red light on the backboard lit up. Stephen Jackson walked directly towards the bench, but suddenly there was the sound of the Nets tumbling behind him.

"brush!"

"What!?" Everyone in the Warriors turned their heads to look in astonishment. The basketball was bouncing on the floor at the moment. 24. Anjie scored a three-pointer!

"The goal is scored! An Jie's three-pointer at the buzzer! Hahaha, even God is on the side of the Thunder today!" McBrin has been expecting An Jie to make the ball, but he didn't expect it to be true. happened.

It's true that Anjie can't shoot three-pointers, but his good shooting touch also prevents Anjie from completely relying on it. Luck, also needs the support of a certain strength to play out.

"This is our basketball! Good job!" Westbrook hammered Anjie's chest hard, and Anjie raised his right hand high and showed three fingers.

The natural response to the two of them was the endless boos at Oracle Stadium, but on the road, the louder the boos, the better your performance.

Instead of being hit by the boos, Anjie made a listening gesture, signaling the fans in Oracle Arena to be louder.

38 to 24, Anjie's magical three-pointer at the buzzer at the last moment gave the Thunder a 14-point lead in the first quarter.

"You guys did a good job defending just now! Let's continue to play like this in the second quarter!" Although Van Gundy led by as many as 14 points, Van Gundy didn't mention offense at all.

As soon as the second quarter came up, the Thunder's three young men were all pushed on the bench by Van Gundy. There were also shortages of personnel.

Nick Collison and Nenad Kostic partner in the interior, Earl Watson and Kyle Weaver partner in the backcourt, and the small forward is served by the newly transferred veteran Malik Rose.

Although such a transition lineup is weak inside defense, the strength of outside defense has not been affected much. On the offensive end, Watson and Weaver can also pose some threats to the Warriors.

Under this transitional lineup, Roni Turiaf finally got a chance to feel proud. The Thunder are now defending well on the perimeter, so Nelson naturally placed the ball inside. Facing the defense of Collison and Krstic, Turiaf used his mobility advantage to score in sports battles many times.

The score was forced to close a little bit, which is also a very helpless thing. Van Gundy has only a few people who can use him now, so he can only hold his breath and strive to extend the rest time of the Thunder's third young masters as much as possible.

Four minutes into the second quarter, the score has been chased to only five points. Van Gundy looked at the bench and decided to take the lead in using one of the three young men to stabilize the situation.

"Ann! Let me see the penalty area defense in the first quarter!" Van Gundy walked up to An Jie and clapped his hands. An Jie suddenly stood up and quickly took off his training clothes.

Sending his own defensive pillars inside, coupled with the not-so-bad defense on the outside, should be able to curb the Warriors' counterattack momentum.

The most subtle substitution is undoubtedly the effect of a player as soon as he is replaced. Jeff Van Gundy brought Anjie ahead of time this time, and it immediately had an effect.

"This is Angie's third block today! Corey Maggette shouldn't have broken into the penalty area!"

Although the ball was fanned out of bounds, the ball is still in the hands of the Warriors. But Anjie blocked the shot as soon as he came on the court, which undoubtedly greatly improved the morale of the players in the Thunder's second team.

When the Warriors sent the foul ball, they found that their originally smooth offense was once again missing.

Anjie still actively rushed out of Monta Alice's hasty throw. Under An Jie's interference, Alice's throw lost the sight, and he returned without success again.

"Turiaf just played well for a few minutes, and now he is living in the shadow of Anjie again! There is no doubt that the Thunder's offense will definitely find Anjie!"

As soon as McBrin finished speaking, Earl Watson used a ground pass to give Angie a chance to play in the low post.

"Teaming! What are you waiting for!? Have you forgotten what I said!?" Old Nelson yelled loudly from the sidelines, and the Warriors' backup power forward Anthony Randolph quickly covered him, completely throwing Krstic to the ground. the back of the head.

Krstic, a center from the same country as Divac, may have mediocre abilities in all aspects, but when it comes to shooting, he is still very sure.

Anjie turned around and was about to hook. Turiaf jumped up quickly, and Anthony Randolph blocked it with all his strength. Unexpectedly, the basketball thrown by Anjie did not fly towards the basket, but came into the hands of Krstic who was unattended.

"A chance for the Serbian big man, who rarely gets the ball on offense, can Kostic make it!?"

Most European bigs are soft, and Krstic is no exception. It's easy to shoot a goal with a small step inside the free throw line when no one is guarding.

"You can't double-team Anjie! This is the truth that other teams have practiced! The Thunder with more blossoms and the Thunder with Anjie attacking alone, the old coach Nelson chooses one!"

Anjie's broad vision and selfless dedication to the concept of team first allow him to easily face double-team defenses. Some people just can't be contained, otherwise they wouldn't be called superstars.

Although Anjie is not yet a superstar, there is no doubt that Turiaf and Anthony Randolph are not the ones who can limit Anjie.

Seeing that Anjie stabilized the rhythm of the game, Van Gundy immediately recalled Westbrook and Durant, who had had enough rest, to the court. The purpose of replacing An Jie just now was to stabilize the situation, so the purpose of this step now is to widen the score!

"Westbrook's pull-up jumper hit again! Whether it's Monta Alice or Jamal Crawford, they can't resist Westbrook's impact!"

"Stephen Jackson is obviously not the guy who can be on the same level as Artest. His defense is useless in front of Durant! Oh! No! Durant completed the dunk performance directly on Jackson's head!"

"Is An Jie going to pass or shoot this time!? Then turn around, step back and shoot a jumper, and then go in! The iconic goal!"

The news of the Thunder's goals undoubtedly occupied the mouths of the commentators. They had nothing to say except the news of the Thunder's goals again and again. Because facing the Thunder's defense, the Warriors can't do anything except to hit the iron with no rules.

At halftime, the boos at Oracle Stadium were not as loud as they were in the first quarter. And this group of chaotic bandits from the Warriors also walked into the player channel dejectedly. Even Stephen Jackson, who likes to stir up trouble the most, chose to remain silent at this moment.

70 to 50, the Thunder scored 70 points in just half the game! While the offense is strong, the Thunder also maintain a high level of defense.

After being scored 140 points by the Suns, the Thunder's three young men faced accusations and abuse from countless people.

After being scored 140 points by the Suns, Jeff Van Gundy rarely lost his temper in the locker room.

The Suns scored 140 points, and the gap between the Thunder and the Suns and Jazz was once again widened.

All the negative incidents did not hit the three thunderbolts. On the contrary, they turned all the troubles into motivation and sprinkled them all on their old rivals, the Golden State Warriors.

The gap of 20 points at halftime is over! ? No, the Warriors players still suffered in the second half! (To be continued.)

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