Chapter 309: Welcome back, Anjie
Amid the huge doubts, AnJie and the Trail Blazers have unknowingly won three in a row. Among them www.biquge.info the Nuggets and Clippers can be called the powerhouses of the West. But in front of this new team of trailblazers, even the strongest teams can't stop them from moving forward.
When the news of Anjie's transfer to the Trailblazers was just broken, half of the people were not optimistic about the union of the two sides. But now, there are certainly far fewer people who still think that way.
Trail Blazers general manager Nell Orsi has finally been relieved from the pressure, first hiring a coach who has no professional coaching experience, and now paying a large price for a season to reimburse the Chinese who have just returned from injury. Orsi's series of decisions have pushed him to the forefront. But now, the team has won three in a row, and even those who still have a problem with him from the management have to shut up for a while. Because it turns out that the arrival of Rickard and Anjie has made the Trail Blazers complete a gorgeous turnaround.
Now Portland fans are undoubtedly happy, they don't have to worry about Roy's injury, they don't have to suspect about Oden's form.
Now, they have a new core that can cut down beautiful stats in less than 30 minutes on the court. They have a starting five that can all score in double figures at any time, and they have a sixth man who can pump the wind and judge as a superstar.
The last time the City of Tears was so confident was during Roy's heyday. Maybe they didn't expect the Trail Blazers' refresh to come so soon, but at least the good news is that their team is moving in a good direction.
After a few games, the relationship between Anjie and the Trail Blazers players is getting better and better. Unlike many teams, the Trail Blazers' locker room is always too quiet. Aldridge, Felton, and even Gerard Wallace are among the quieter and more reserved kinds. But that's fine, at least An Jie doesn't have to worry about the locker room relationship. As long as you get along normally and are willing to pay, then Anjie will definitely be able to become a part of the locker room. But to become the leader of the team, there is still a long way to go.
After the Trail Blazers won three in a row, the media frantically hyped up the Trail Blazers' away game against the Thunder on January 3. Countless articles and analyses have become an adjunct to this big battle, and these two teams, which were originally unrelated, are now clouded by the outside world with another layer of relationship.
"Ann's Revenge!" has almost become the title of the game, but Angel doesn't agree with that statement at all.
He and the Thunder parted peacefully, and although it was a little unkind, Anjie could also understand Presti's approach. This time he was really excited to fight Thunder An Jie, but there was absolutely no hint of revenge mixed in.
He and the Thunder team have no grievances, so naturally it is not a revenge battle.
In addition to the article, the pre-match interviews with the players are also essential. Anjie used to get along well with his teammates on the Thunder team, so this pregame interview has become the focus of most reporters.
"The last opponent I want to face in this league is Ann. We've got a defensive strategy in place for him, we know him well, we know him very well, but that doesn't mean we're going to be able to contain him. This is a passage that Morris said in an interview with reporters. Coming to reunite with Anjie, Morris is both excited and a little uneasy.
'He's a great player and we've got to spend a lot of energy on him for sure. But we will also give it our all, because that is the greatest respect for Ann. Durant also expressed his opinion on An Jie's return, he didn't expect that he would be an enemy of An Jie so soon.
When he was in the World Championships last year, Durant played against Anjie once. At that time, Durant was still thinking in his mind, fortunately, in the NBA, Anjie was on his side. Fortunately, now that a year later, when Anjie stepped into the Chesapeake Energy Arena again, his identity had become an opponent.
Anjie also takes this match very seriously, and everything he has done before him is to prepare for this match. Ricard said that if Anjie didn't have any problems with his legs, Anjie would have had a lot of chances today instead of playing half of every quarter.
Therefore, this game is not only the first battle for Anjie against his old club, but also a key battle to test Anjie's recovery from injury.
In this game, Calder will not deliberately protect him, whether Anjie can play down, and to what extent he can play, will become a reference for how Calder will use Anjie in the future schedule.
Under the watchful eye, the Trail Blazers boarded the plane to Oklahoma. The most important game for the Trail Blazers at the beginning of the season is coming.
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Everyone else had already fallen asleep on the plane, but An Jie was still staring out the window energetically. Ten minutes before the plane landed, the familiar land finally emerged from the night and met An Jie's eyes.
Oklahoma City, where Anjie landed again. But this time, Anjie is not here to defend the home field, but to challenge the authority!
Stepping off the plane, he took a deep breath of cold air. It's different, and my mentality is completely different. A week's time, not enough for An Jie to forget everything about the Thunder team, he is now in a complicated mood, this land once gave birth to him, let him from an unknown boy to the starting center of the Western Star team, but today, An Jie had to beat the team that cultivated himself with his own hands.
Just as An Jie was thinking, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder from behind. An Jie turned his head to see that it was Aldridge.
"Ann, we used to come here and we didn't lose a lot. Among them, you can't get rid of it. Aldridge and Angel looked at the night sky in Oklahoma and joked.
"This time the result will not change the Lamarcus either. An Jie's answer made Aldridge's smile suddenly freeze.
"I'm still going to be a winner here. Anjie smiled and patted Aldridge's chest, and Aldridge instantly burst out laughing. The Trail Blazers are hopeful again, just as they did when they had Roy.
The team bus drove through the streets of Oklahoma, which, as usual, were sparsely populated at night. Many of the ad boards were still empty, and there was no time to replace them with new ones. In the past, on these billboards, there were all posters of Anjie. A worker took advantage of the night to replace an advertisement on a huge billboard, which was an advertisement that An Jie was too familiar to be familiar with.
"Defend your home court!" is a row of photos of the Thunder's starting five standing together, with Westbrook, Sephorosa, Durant, Morris and, of course, Anjie......
With the worker lifting it hard, the poster was taken down in its entirety. Anjie's imprint is gradually disappearing from the city.
Arriving at the hotel, An Jie looked at the brightly lit mountains not far away. His little cottage is there, and from there, there is a view of all of Oklahoma. An Jie stared into the distance for a while, and then followed the footsteps of his teammates into the hotel. Now, it's not his home turf anymore.
The next day, Rickard took the Trail Blazers to the Chesapeake Energy Arena early. Unexpectedly, the two met in advance at the gate of the gymnasium.
You know, Jeff Van Gundy also has a habit of bringing the team over early. But there was no embarrassment after the two sides met, and An Jie and the players opposite laughed and waved hello.
But other than that, neither side said a word. If you have too many words, leave them to the basketball court to express them with actions. An Jie looked up at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, today, he is bound to conquer here! Only defeating the Thunder is the best tribute to his old club!
Just looking at Anjie's expression, Rickard shook his head and laughed. He knew this guy too well, and he knew that this kid's current state had been fully mobilized.
Both sides had a long warm-up, and Rickard racked his brains to win the game. If the Nuggets and Clippers can only be called powerhouses, then the Thunder are well-deserved powerhouses. The defense of Serge Ibaka and Morris will make it much more difficult for Anjie to play, and the offense of Westbrook and Durant will make the Trail Blazers' defense very tight.
While the Trail Blazers have Jamal Crawford on the bench, the Thunder also have Bledsoe and Nicholas Batum on the bench.
This time, the Trail Blazers are really up against a tough opponent. The two teams, which are also examples of the Young Guard, collided again.
Thunder fans also lined up outside the court early to enter the stadium, and you can see that in a dense group of fans, there are still people wearing An Jie's No. 16 jersey, and there are still people holding An Jie's posters. Slogans like "Welcome Home" were held up in the air by many people.
Although the billboard was taken off the shelves, his number 16 jersey is forever history. But in the hearts of Thunder fans, An Jie cannot be forgotten. Just like in Ames, people will always remember that young No. 2 center.
"The atmosphere of this game is so hot! This is definitely the most attended game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena this season! Anjie and the new Thunder Sanshao! Not to mention the fans, even I am looking forward to it!" Charles Barkley did not sneer at either side before the game. He was completely infected by the excitement and he was fully engaged in the game.
During the player introduction ceremony, the visitors are usually not greeted with any cheers. When the first four players of the Trail Blazers played, there were no surprises.
But when Anjie appeared as the last Trail Blazers player, he was warmly welcomed by the Thunder players.
Although An Jie has not received any substantial honors in the past few years with the Thunder team, from a fish belly team to a strong contender for the championship, this transformation cannot be completed without An Jie.
An Jie waved to the stands, and the cheers instantly became several times louder. Playing at their former home, Anjie must not let them down!
The lights on the scene came on again, and the Thunder team wearing blue and white jerseys stood in front of An Jie. But now, Anjie is not one of them, he is wearing the black and red jersey of the Trail Blazers, and he is now here as a challenger.
"Ann, let's have a good fight!" Morris came over and hugged An Jie tightly.
"yes, don't make me think this contest is too boring. Westbrook saw the formation and came over.
"But don't forget Ann, it's still us who wins in the end, and the outcome will be exactly the same as when you were there. Durant also bumped punches with Anjie.
Several members of the Thunder got together again, although one of them wore a different jersey.
"How's the leg?" Jeff Van Gundy then asked about Anjie's injury.
"No problem at all, boss, you'll have to watch out for me today. An Jie winked at Van Gundy easily, which reassured Van Gundy.
You know, the first person to rush to the hospital after Anjie was injured was Jeff Van Gundy.
"Haha, go get ready, you don't have to worry about my arrangement!" Van Gundy slapped Anjie's buttocks, as if he was sending his own players to the court.
Anjie stepped into the center circle, and the familiar logo of the Thunder was now at his feet. He looked up again, and Maurice was smiling at him.
Come on, let's have a good fight!
Anjie tensed his nerves, and at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, he never relented!