The Way of the Center

The two things that Jeff Van Gundy is best at are undoubtedly defending and using the center.

And defense and center, there will always be a very important connection between the two. Now that the Thunder lack Durant, it has indeed brought a lot of impact to the entire team.

But on the other hand, Van Gundy has the opportunity to use Anjie as the core to arrange offensive and defensive tactics, which is exactly what Jeff Van Gundy is best at.

Although Westbrook is one year older than Angie, his style of play is still too impetuous. This guy may be able to become a core in the future, but definitely not now!

Maybe after Durant returns, Van Gundy will continue to play back to the previous tactics with Durant as the core. After all, Durant's strength is in front of everyone. However, during the absence of Durant, the core position of Anjie's team cannot be shaken.

"This game reminds me of last year's Cyclone team! With Anjie as the core, everyone is revolving around Anjie. We haven't seen this scene for a long time! Unexpectedly, this kind of tactic was adopted by the Thunder team. Now the ncaa regular season is over, Ames City Four has also broadcast the nba game rarely, and the guy who is the commentator of this game is the Paul who watched Anjie grow up step by step. philips.

"Westbrook is obviously a guy who needs the ball in his hands to play at his level, but Van Gundy handles the distribution of the ball just right. When Ainger can't open the situation, the ball will always come to West. In the hands of Brook, he will charge for the Thunder!"

Both Angie and Westbrook were able to play to their own strengths, and they also maintained their high efficiency in the second quarter. However, the Memphis Grizzlies, who are determined to win at home, are unlikely to be defeated in the first quarter. He disarmed and surrendered.

"Darrell Arthur! Nice layup!" When Anjie came off the court to rest, the quality of the Thunder's defense plummeted. This is the second time that Arthur has scored points on Collison's head. Now the Thunder's inside line can't stand the impact of the Grizzlies again and again.

Fortunately, with the help of his height, Collison can frequently respond to Arthur on the offensive end. The second team of the two teams focused all their offense on the inside, and no one could guard the other.

However, Hollins was still one step ahead of Van Gundy and took the team's main force ahead of time.

"Boss!" Anjie saw O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay on the field, and immediately called out to Van Gundy.

Van Gundy just shook his head and continued to observe the situation on the field. He would rather suffer a loss of one or two minutes than let An Jie and the others take the risk of getting injured and make an early appearance. Everything is going on in accordance with a strict rotation system!

"O.J. Mayo finally found his form in the second quarter. Without the protection of Anjie behind Kyle Weaver, O.J. Mayo has nothing to fear anymore! Break through easily! Another successful layup !"

"Rudy Gay is still sleepwalking in this game so far, oops, this ball is gone as soon as it is shot. Wait! O.J. Mayo's putback! God, he is in the height of 2 meters 08 Collison The dunk was completed! How long will Coach Van Gundy wait? The Thunder need Anjie and Westbrook now!" The commentators and fans don't care about the rotation, the game is exciting and intense, this is the only thing they need thing.

Four minutes into the second quarter, the Grizzlies were within 3 points under the offensive firepower of O.J Mayo and Darrell Arthur. At this time, Van Gundy finally made personnel adjustments, not because he was frightened by the performance of the Grizzlies, but because according to the rotation time, it was time for Anjie and Westbrook to appear at this time.

"It's coming! The Thunder fans have been waiting impatiently for this moment. After Anjie and Westbrook play, the Thunder's offensive and defensive performance will be greatly improved!" Mike Breen is actually one of those who can't wait Patient one of those fans.

Anjie's first defense after playing,

It interfered with Rudy Gay's attempt to hit the basket again and failed. Anjie's fierce and tough defense made the Grizzlies players fearful after breaking into the penalty area, and there was no way to make moves calmly.

On his own, An Jie locked all the offense of the Grizzlies out.

There is still no problem on defense, but on the offensive end, the Thunder are not satisfied.

"In the first quarter, Westbrook relied more on breakthrough scoring. As soon as the second quarter came up to defend Westbrook, the person who defended Westbrook became O.J. Mayo. He has made Westbrook useless for the third time in a row. back."

Seeing Westbrook and O.J. Mayo compete, Van Gundy decided to call a timeout the next time he got the ball to remind people on the court who is the core of the tactics!

"Darrell Arthur's mid-range shot, here it is! This ncaa champion member can take all inside and outside today!" An Jie was pinned down by the former Yugoslav genius Darko Milicic, so he could only watch helplessly Watching Arthur do whatever he wants on Collison's head.

Westbrook had just brought the ball across half court when Van Gundy called for a timeout.

"Russell, your shooting percentage has started to decline again!" Van Gundy reminded Westbrook, who was caught in a solo fight, as soon as he was off the court.

"Give the ball to Anjie! Ann, when you can't open the situation, then give the ball to Russell!" Jeff Van Gundy's arrangement was exactly the same as in the first quarter.

After that, he also talked about some tactical details, but before he finished all of them, the timeout was over.

"Remember! Let Anjie hold the ball! You can safely give him the ball to Russell, Anjie will not let the basketball go forever!"

In fact, without Van Gundy's emphasis, Westbrook is also willing to share the ball with Anjie, not to mention that this is a tactical need, and the good relationship between the two in private also makes Westbrook full of trust in Anjie.

"The Thunder's offense has obviously returned to the rhythm of the first quarter, slow, very slow. Westbrook didn't choose singles again, he was waiting for Anjie to drop!"

Leaning on Milicic, Anjie immediately felt a huge force coming from his back.

Although Milicic has been obliterated by the gloomy career trajectory, his physical foundation has not weakened at all.

Speaking of which, if Anjie had been playing under Carlesimo all the time, he might become the next Darko Milicic. But fortunately, An Jie's luck is not that bad, fate tricks people.

Westbrook saw Anjie firmly planted on the ground, and then dropped the ball in. Although the ball was handed over, Westbrook's active running position did not stop.

Even Krstic moved to the mid-range position to make enough room for Anjie to attack.

An Jie tentatively slapped his back a few times, then suddenly turned around and squeezed towards the basket. I have to admit that this former Yugoslav genius still has two talents. Although his current role is far from the position he had when he entered the league, the foundation left by him is still there.

Anjie's breakthrough was not very successful. Although he walked to the basket, Milicic, who was also not slow, still clinged to Anjie, making him very uncomfortable.

An Jie stopped abruptly and dribbled the ball under his crotch, but the ball escaped An Jie's control.

"This idiot!"

"Hahahaha, he thought he was a defender! I laughed so hard."

The fans of the Grizzlies burst into laughter immediately, Anjie's mistake was simply too low-level. However, Anjie's "mistake" ball was accurately received by Westbrook who cut into the penalty area.

Westbrook directly took off for a layup, and Milicic, who was ill-prepared, blocked it quickly, but was called a thug foul by a discerning referee, and Westbrook got two free throws.

Anjie and Westbrook clapped hands, after which Anjie calmly ran to the designated position and stood still, waiting for the free throw.

Until now, the fans and players of the Grizzlies knew that Anjie's ball was not a mistake, but a wonderful pass!

"Well, I admit that I was tricked by An Jie's pass. Pass the ball behind the crotch, no, no, no, I checked the data, and An Jie is indeed playing the fifth position!" Mike Breen couldn't help admiring An Jie's passing skills, this kind of action that only small guards can do, the 2.19 An Jie also did.

The frequency of Anjie's fancy pass was not fast, on the contrary it seemed a little clumsy and slow, so it was mistaken for a mistake. But it was precisely because of this that everyone was successfully confused. Except for Westbrook who knew Anjie's intentions, everyone including the narrator was deceived.

Anjie's passing skills are excellent, and Divac has contributed a lot. But Anjie's tireless practice of basic skills is the basis for being able to pass the ball accurately. It's not just a waste of time for An Jie to practice alone in the training ground every night.

After Hollins sent Gasol Jr. on the field, he and Milicic formed a defensive and powerful inside twin towers. It is difficult for Anjie to get opportunities in the low post, so his shots are less than in the first quarter.

With Ainger in trouble, Krstic did his job, hitting two of four open field goal attempts.

Although Westbrook's shooting percentage was not good under the strict defense of O.J. Mayo in the second quarter, his sharp breakthrough still caused Milicic and Gasol to suffer a lot of fouls.

Anjie only scored 4 points in the second quarter, but his scheduling made the Thunder's offense orderly. Even the old guard Atkins secretly praised Anjie's exquisite grasp of the rhythm of the game.

Ricard's focus on the cultivation of team tactics has benefited Anjie in the NBA. His understanding of tactics and ability to execute are indeed at the top level among centers.

Fortunately, O.J. Mayo rebounded completely in the second quarter, and even overshadowed Rudy Gay in the limelight, playing a level that a third-ranked show should have.

He made 4 of 6 shots and scored 8 points in a single quarter. His performance ensured that the Grizzlies still have hope of a comeback.

56 to 45, although the performance of the Grizzlies in the second quarter has improved, they are still 11 points behind in the case of Westbrook frequently causing damage.

Everything looks very smooth, Van Gundy proved that even if the Thunder lack Durant, it will not sink.

There are many people who performed well in the first half, Anjie, Westbrook, O.J. Mayo, Darrell Arthur...even Sefoloza, who scored 10 points in the half, can also be counted. column here.

But one absolutely crucial figure was completely ignored in the first half.

Rudy Gay sat in the locker room and clenched his fists. He had had enough of these rookies bouncing around proudly in front of him. Whether it's O.J. Mayo or Westbrook, or the showy Angie, Gay swears that in the second half, he will definitely make this group of arrogant newcomers look good! (To be continued.)