Chapter 128: Bloodbathed Sleep Train
Although Jeff Van Gundy made Ann's masterpiece the main point of attack in the fourth quarter, Anjie did not take all the shots because of this. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. biquge。 Info just had the ball more than he did in the first three quarters, and Durant and Westbrook got a lot of open shots as a result.
An Jie was instilled by his father at a very young age with the idea that basketball is a team sport, which made An Jie's passing coordination awareness very high. He will never turn a blind eye to his teammates in the open seats, and even against Hawes, who has no problem with him, Anjie will not play alone.
Jeff Green can only be anxious to watch Anjie attack and pass, as a swingman, his height is very difficult to defend the No. 4 position, let alone defend Anjie himself.
After Westbrook received a pass from Anjie and hit another open two-pointer, Jeff Green finally couldn't hold back.
Impatient, he had not yet completely shaken off Joe Smith's defence and raised his hand to Kevin Martin for the ball.
"Kevin! Ball!" Seeing that Martin didn't react, Jeff Green yelled directly on the court.
Kevin Martin borrowed Hawes's pick-and-roll breakaway, but Westbrook's close defense prevented him from getting a layup. Martin saw that there was no way to finish the attack on his own this time, so he finally passed the ball to Jeff Green, who had been waiting impatiently.
Green still easily broke through Joe Smith and took a jumper from outside the free throw line.
"No, you're too reliant on shooting, boy. Divac shook his head, Jeff Green hadn't stepped into the three-second zone for a full quarter. Shooting is undoubtedly a fundamental skill that every player must master, but that doesn't mean that shooting alone will solve the problem.
Jeff Green felt the pace of the shot was fantastic and looked like he was going to be able to pull back two more points for his team. But it turned out to be ......
"Jeff Green didn't score! The basketball spun around the frame four times in a row, and it still came out! Anjie's backcourt rebound, he made a long pass to Westbrook, the Thunder's transition offense!"
In the face of Kevin Martin, who quickly retreated, Westbrook did not advance at full speed at first, but when he was two steps outside the three-point line of the Kings in the half, he suddenly accelerated and changed direction, leaving Kevin Martin behind!
Salmons, as the second line of defense behind Kevin Martin, also lunged at Westbrook, but Westbrook still scored on a layup with physical contact.
A missed shot in a game is nothing, but Jeff Van Gundy doesn't think so, and for him it's a sign that the Kings are starting to get tired. He made a push-forward gesture to the players on the sidelines, which was a code for pressing the defense in the half!
The characteristic of pressing defense is that it makes it difficult for the attacker to get shots, and it also forces the attacker to make mistakes. The disadvantage is that it is easy for the opponent to find an easy break gap, but now Van Gundy is very confident in his team's ability to protect the basket! As long as the Kings' shooting is locked, the Thunder can achieve an overwhelming advantage on both offensive and defensive ends!
"With 10 minutes left in the game, the Thunder are just starting to press the defense! Are they ready to start the showdown early!?"
Jeff Van Gundy is often criticised for his offensive and tactical flexibility, but when it comes to defensively, he rarely makes mistakes.
Sure enough, after the Thunder used half-court pressing, Salmons, an impure point guard, couldn't even complete a decent pass.
He was distracted by Damien Wilkins.
Kevin Martin struggled for a long time to get a glimpse of catching the ball, but when he was just getting his pace right, Westbrook didn't spare any effort to stick to it.
Although Kevin Martin was one of the best individual performers in the '04 draft, he never missed the "victory".
Thin and athletic, he struggled to take on a big role, and now when the Kings needed him to step up, he couldn't break through Westbrook's relentless defense.
With no space, Kevin Martin's offense has come to a complete standstill, and all he can do now is try to defend the ball and then look for opportunities to get it out.
Jeff Green is now the easiest man on the entire Kings team, because getting Joe Smith to follow Jeff Green for half a full court is indeed a bit of a strong man.
Now that the entire Kings are being strangled by Jeff Van Gundy's half-court pressing, Green has undoubtedly been a key figure in breaking the deadlock.
He received a pass from Kevin Martin and then suddenly started with a tentative step, and Joe Smith was too weak to keep up with Jeff Green's tempo.
Breaking through leaves Jeff Green with plenty of room to attack, which is the disadvantage of pressing defense, but can the Thunder's box really be attacked so easily?
Anjie moved towards the three-second zone after seeing Green receive the ball, and sure enough, Jeff Green broke through beautifully, and now the only person who can stop him is Anjie!
"No, he didn't have time!" Jeff Green naturally saw Anjie coming towards him, but he still didn't pass the ball, first, because the route of the pass to Hawes was completely covered by Anjie, and second, Jeff Green felt that he would definitely be able to complete the attack before Anjie arrived.
"Jeff Green is about to dunk! Ann is striding big! He's jumping!"
"Bang!" Jeff Green's right hand slammed into the basket with the ball, and the entire basketball hoop trembled, as if frightened by the head-to-head duel between the two big men.
The fans at the entire Sleep Train arena exclaimed, Jeff Green was a big hit, but what about basketball? Basketball flew to the Kings bench!
"Anjie!tough penalty area defense!He did it!God!Deadly block!" Mike Brin directly grabbed the microphone on the commentary stage and yelled, Anjie's defensive height and strength stunned everyone!
Suddenly, there was another boo from the Sleep Train Arena, and looking at the referee's gesture, it seemed that he had given a technical foul!
"The referee gave Anjie a technical foul! There was no verbal altercation between Anjie and Jeff Green!?"
Just when everyone was unclear, a replay was immediately given on the TV screen.
It turned out that after An Jie completed the block and landed, he shook his finger at Jeff Green viciously, this exclusive action that can only be done by "African mountains", the NBA league is expressly forbidden to other players!
"That's it!"
"Look, the King's softies are scared!"
"That's like a word, hahahahaha. In addition to the Thunder fans in front of the TV, Divac also laughed at home.
Because of a technical foul, the Kings were given a free throw, and after the free throw was over, they continued to throw the throw-in and attack again. Although he lost a point because of this, An Jie's actions really made the Kings players a little scared.
Who said that Chinese players are as gentle as Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, this An Jie from the hands of the old demon Divac is an out-and-out little devil!
It's okay when he's calm, but once he has emotions, Anjie will be one of the most annoying guys on the court. After all, Anjie knew that only by being tough would others not dare to trespass on his territory! It was Divac, and it was Morris who taught him this.
Kevin Martin himself walked to the free-throw line to earn a point for the Kings. But when the throw-in was taken, the Kings' entire offense was once again in a quagmire.
Jeff Green, while his ability is really good, is also just a sophomore rookie, not a paranoid like Kobe. was humiliated again and again on the inside, and he had long been afraid of that place in the three-second zone.
Anyway, I shoot well, I don't fight with you stupid big guy. That's what Jeff Green thought to comfort himself.
However, it was provoked by An Jie. It's impossible for Jeff Green's emotions to fluctuate a little. His shooting percentage plummeted and he lost his first three quarters.
On the other hand, the Thunder team, Anjie's defense just now undoubtedly greatly boosted the morale of the Thunder team, and Durant and Westbrook were even more red-eyed.
Westbrook even stepped past Hawes for a dunk at one point, but the huge height difference allowed him to dunk the ball to the front of the rim. Although the ball did not score, Westbrook's move shocked Hawes into a cold sweat.
"They're not going to die!" Kevin Martin was already sweating profusely, and the Thunder players were getting rougher and rougher, and physical contact was getting more frequent. The basketball court is the battlefield, and when the adrenaline of these big men is soaring because of something, their behavior will be terrifying.
And the Thunder, as a young team, are the most susceptible to emotional influences. The defense is airtight, the offense is unstoppable, and although Kevin Martin has completed the shot against the defense with a few unbelievable moves, he has no way back.
"Beep!" The sound of the end of the game finally sounded, and the Thunder three were seated on the bench early, because the game had entered garbage time three minutes ago.
The Kings players let out a sigh of relief, and they finally escaped from a group of demons.
After the game, An Jie took the initiative to run over and pat Jeff Green on the shoulder, and the two shook hands regardless of their previous suspicions. After all, Jeff Green and Anjie have no grievances, and what Anjie and Jeff Green really hate is the team's management who abandoned themselves!
"112-98, the Thunder dominated the game in the final quarter, and let the game go into garbage time early. An Jie used his own actions to punch the management of the Kings hard!"There is no doubt that An Jie was once again named the best player of the game by ESPN! Mike Brin also found that he liked this Chinese boy more and more.
After the fans had all but left the stadium, cleaners were cleaning a pile of broken glass and a spilled cocktail on the floor in the luxurious box of the Sleep Train Arena. Maybe it was the Kings general manager who accidentally knocked it off the table, or maybe he fell to the ground in a fit of rage. Who knows, for what reason? )