The Way of the Center

People say that Rudy Gay is like McGrady, because this guy has immeasurable talent and all-around skills. "

Perfect small forward body, trapeze-level jumping, big steps, long wingspan, and smooth technical movements. That's why Gay was able to seize the opportunity to secure the team's leadership after Pau Gasol left.

But saying that he is like McGrady is not only because of the above reasons. If it's just because of these, then there are a lot of people like McGrady in this league.

The reason why Rudy Gay is said to be like McGrady is also because this guy is also lazy, and he sometimes seems unmotivated and not focused enough on the court. This is also an important reason why Gay fell to eighth in the draft.

After halftime of the game, Gay only scored seven points. This statistic is not even comparable to the Thunder's Sefoloza, let alone Westbrook and Anjie.

The Thunder lacked Durant, and Anjie, who replaced him, has completed the tasks that a core and a leader should complete. And Rudy Gay, as the team's well-deserved first offensive point, failed to shoulder his responsibilities in the first half.

"Rudy! You have to show more aggressiveness! Do you want me to buy you a pair of sports glasses now!?" There is no doubt that no matter which team's offensive strength is so strong, it is impossible To satisfy the head coach, Hollins also expressed his dissatisfaction with Gay because of his short-sightedness and unwillingness to wear glasses.

Guy didn't say anything, but his fists were clenched even tighter than before!

After O.J. Mayo airborne in Memphis this year, the Grizzlies seem to focus on the young guard. Rudy Gay's own shots have been repeatedly compressed, which is why Gay's state is up and down.

No matter what Gay's usual attitude is, now even the head coach is starting to question him. If he doesn't show some results in the second half, he deserves to be taken away by Mayo.

Now it's not for anyone else, but for himself, he has to play harder.

The second half of the game started quickly. Rudy Gay's running was much more active than in the first half. Sabo Sefolosha was already struggling to keep from being thrown away.

But when Guy started to work hard, what greeted him?

"O.J. Mayo signaled his teammates to pull away. He wants to single out Westbrook!" Seeing a rookie player directing his teammates to pull away, Mike Breen found it unbelievable.

No matter how bad the Grizzlies lineup is, there is still Rudy Gay.

Fortunately, Mayo didn't even pay attention to Gay.

"Damn it! Idiot!" Guy simply stood there in a panic. After running for so long, he didn't even have a chance to touch the ball. How could he play like this? He just watched O.J. Mayo silently, silently watching him rush towards failure again.

"Mayo has been stopped by Westbrook, he should pass the ball! No, this young man couldn't find the pass, he forced the shot."

Mayo's frequent singles have made his teammates tired of running. If the rest of the Grizzlies are more active, Mayo still has a chance to pass the ball. But unfortunately, Mayo's unreasonable singles have wiped out the passion of his teammates.

"Damn it!" Rudy Gay cursed in a low voice as he watched An Jie grab another backboard. Both he and Mayo are players who need to hold the ball in their hands and then perform singles. Such two people at the same time really cannot get very good results.

On the offensive end, Anjie started to play again. When Milicic took a rest and only Gasol Jr. and Anjie were one-on-one inside, Anjie's offense was still very effective.

Using a fake move to turn around after hooking, Anjie dexterously wiped Gasol, picked the basket easily and added two points.

Little Gasol reluctantly picked up the basketball on the ground. When he turned around on the baseline to prepare for the baseline ball, the scene in front of him made Gasol at a loss for a while.

"What's the situation? The Grizzlies have three people waiting to catch the baseline ball!"

Generally speaking, only the point guard will respond in the backcourt when the baseline ball is played, and some cautious teams will call the shooting guard to stay in the backcourt at most, just in case.

However, the Grizzlies now have three players asking for the ball from Gasol. In addition to Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay also stood in front of Gasol without giving in.

"I'll take the ball!" Rudy Gay said to Mayo and Conley, two rookie guards. Conley quickly ran to the frontcourt, but Mayo seemed a little unconvinced, but neither did he as a rookie. Too much right to speak, had to compromise.

Gasol hit the ball from the bottom line, and Rudy Gay got his wish and got the ball in his hands. This also means that it is almost impossible for others to attack the Grizzlies this time to touch the basketball.

This is the reason why the Grizzlies still have a poor lineup even though the lineup is not bad!

The Thunder team also has three amazingly talented rookies, but first of all, all three of them have good personalities. Among them, Westbrook, who has the strongest offensive ability, will not ignore Durant and Anjie himself like O.J. Mayo singles.

Secondly, Jeff Van Gundy's distribution of ball rights to the Thunder's three players is relatively balanced, so the three of them have no ball rights disputes.

The gap between the two teams is not only reflected in the performance of the stadium.

I have to admit that once Rudy Gay gets serious, he won't be able to be stopped by a mere Sefoloza.

"Guy was very aggressive in the second half. This is the third time he scored on Sefoloza in this quarter!" Facing the huge height gap, Sefoloza tried his best, but unfortunately he still couldn't compete with Lu Dee Guy contends.

Although Rudy Gay's official height is 2.03 meters, it can be seen with the naked eye that he is not just two centimeters taller than Sefoloza.

While Rudy Gay started attacking with the ball, O.J. Mayo was not idle. Whenever he had a chance, he shot, as if he was trying to get angry with Gay. The result is clear, Mayo's shooting percentage is extremely low, and he even failed to grasp the opportunity of free throws once, and missed both free throws.

Rudy Gay's sudden force not only failed to help the team, but also disrupted the entire rhythm of the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies managers now have to face a serious problem, that is, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo, who should choose who stays and who should leave. Because the problem that these two people cannot coexist has been fully expressed.

The Grizzlies are in chaos, but the Thunder are still consolidating their advantage. Under the defense of An Jie, Gasol Jr. missed a goal and got a rare free throw opportunity. As a result, he also missed two free throws along with Mayo. o points 3 rebounds, this is all the data of Gasol in the third quarter, which also proves why Anjie is on the first-year team, while Gasol can only be a substitute.

77 to 69, after the third quarter, the point difference did not look big, but the situation on the court was already difficult for the Grizzlies to reverse.

Hollins gave Mayo and Gay equal opportunities this season, just to see who can serve as the core of the two better. Why this arrangement? It was because he already had a premonition that these two guys would not be compatible with each other! Mayo was used to the role of the boss before entering the nBa, and it is impossible for him to accept the position of the second. And Rudy Gay has been ruling the Grizzlies for several years, and he cannot easily hand over the position of the boss.

"It's only an eight-point gap! Work harder! Let Gay and Mayodo attack with the ball!" What can Hollins do with such two guys? Bench Mayo or Gay? Then he must not be the head coach for long.

In contrast, Jeff Van Gundy has an easier task now. The Grizzlies have begun to disintegrate from within, and as long as Anjie and Westbrook don't go wrong, then victory is simply within reach.

"Ann! Solid defense! On the offensive end Russell holds the ball more, but I need you to make smart decisions!" Westbrook's offense is also very strong, the difference is that he is still under the control of Jeff Van Gundy Down.

"One, two, three, Thunder! Let's go, let's play!" The intermission ended, and there was a neat sound of cheering from the Thunder team. The atmosphere of the Grizzlies fighting openly and secretly was completely different from that of the Thunder team. .

In the fourth quarter, Rudy Gay exploded, no matter how he shot, facing the strong performance of Gay, O.J. Mayo also had to give up the basketball.

No one on the Thunder team scored wildly, because all the players on the court got a chance to shoot.

"Krstic is really a very practical tactical choice when Anjie is double-teamed! Anjie makes another pass! Is Kostic's mid-range shot short? The basketball bounces into the net."

"Sefoloza made a three-pointer and missed the goal. Ann! He grabbed another offensive rebound. If I want to say the best rookie in the Western Conference in February, it must be Anjie! Anjie is strong at the basket Up! Beautiful, another chance to hit a three-pointer!"

"Westbrook broke through easily through Anjie's pick-and-roll. He distributed the ball to Kyle Weaver. Weaver shot, and Mike Conley interfered with his shot. Oh! The ball still went in!"

The Thunder blossomed more, and Van Gundy's emphasis on Westbrook's "I need you to make smart choices" obviously played a role. His sharp and powerful breakthroughs can always create opportunities for his teammates.

While the Grizzlies have Gay almost occupying all the possession of the ball, the changes on the offensive end are slightly monotonous.

Gay really played well in this quarter, making 6 of 7 shots and scoring 13 points in a single quarter. But besides him, Mike Conley's 4-pointer was the Grizzlies' second-highest score in the fourth quarter.

Rudy Gay is not yet Kobe and James. If he wants to take over the game alone, Gay has not yet reached that level.

o.J. Mayo made a hasty shot before the clock ran out, and Anjie jumped high and grabbed 11 rebounds in the game, marking the end of the Thunder's back-to-back road trip.

"99 to 89, the Grizzlies had planned to take advantage of Durant's injury to win the Thunder, but they lost their seven-game losing streak under the strong obstruction of Anjie!"

The camera was specially shown on Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo. Even Angie and Gasol shook hands cordially after the matchup, but the two teammates, Gay and Mayo, ignored each other. Who, the attitude of both of them is very indifferent.

"Today's best player, without a doubt, Anjie! Anjie scored 27 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks today. Audience friends, An has proved that he is a guy who can serve as the core! The league hastened to give him the Rookie of the Month and Player of the Week awards!" After Mike Breen finished speaking, ESPN immediately released the highlights of the game.

"Thunder's New Core", countless media have already printed Anjie's new title on their newspapers. Durant was injured, and An Jie, who was ordered in the face of danger, had to shoulder the heavy burden. Facts have proved that this Eastern Tower has done a good job.

Defeating the Grizzlies means that the Thunder's February schedule is all over. There is only one and a half months before the last game of the regular season, and Anjie's performance undoubtedly laid a good foundation for the Thunder in the next one and a half months.

An Jie hugged happily with his teammates one by one, enjoying the bursts of boos from the United Arena. There are so many stars in Memphis tonight, but the brightest one undoubtedly comes from the east! (To be continued.) 8