The Way of the Center

Chapter 92: Drive Low and Go High

At this time, An Jie finally felt a sense of joy of victory, a feeling he had never felt since he entered the NBA. But now, he finally tasted the taste of victory. After playing professional basketball for almost a month, An Jie finally ushered in his first victory in a real sense!

Unlike the game against the Timberwolves, Anjie was one of the key factors for the Thunder to win this game. This is not an exaggeration at all. After the game, ESPN even rated Anjie as the best player of the game.

With 18 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds, Anjie used his actions to interpret the great role of a traditional center on the court. And after this game, the title of the Thunder's third young master resounded throughout the league.

Durant scored 29 points. Although Westbrook didn't feel good in the last quarter, he also scored 15 points, plus Anjie's near triple-double. How could such a trio be overlooked by people.

In addition to the three young men, Jeff Van Gundy ended the Thunder's ten-game losing streak when he led the team for the first time, which also made him the new darling of the media and fans.

Facing the Suns, which averaged 110 points per game last season, Jeff Van Gundy's defensive arrangement prevented the Suns from even scoring 100 points in this game.

In addition, Van Gundy's benefits to players are not limited to the three young people.

Damien Wilkins, who rarely played before, scored 10 points in the first game, and also made a good contribution on the defensive end. The key steal at the last moment allowed the Thunder to secure the victory.

Chris Wilcox, who was transferred to the bench, became the offensive core of the second team. He scored 15 points in the whole game, and his efficiency was obviously much better than when he was a starter.

And Earl Watson, who was also transferred to the bench, really owned the ball. He sent 13 assists in the game, which was only lower than Nash's 15.

The changes that Jeff Van Gundy has brought to the team are obvious. In terms of personnel adjustment alone, he has done much better than Carlesimo when he was in the team. Who should be the starter, who should be the substitute, who should be paired with what teammates to maximize their power, these are the rewards Van Gundy racked his brains in exchange for.

The press conference after the game was naturally very lively. The first victory of the Thunder was against the Timberwolves, who were also struggling recently, so that victory did not attract much attention. However, today, after a ten-game losing streak and a change of coach, they defeated the Suns, the most scoring team in the league!

There were obviously not enough seats under the media reception room. Many reporters stood on both sides of the room without getting a seat. As a result, the room, which was originally not small, became very crowded due to the influx of reporters.

"Coach Van Gundy! May I ask what you did to the Thunder in the past three days!? How did you get a team that had just experienced a ten-game losing streak to stand up again!" A beautiful reporter couldn't wait to ask.

"I can't do much, but the players work hard enough." Today, for the first time, Van Gundy brought three players to the post-match press conference with him, which also made the photo full of topics. The tables are a bit small. The three people who came with him are naturally the three rookies who shined in this game.

"Do you already think you are doing better than Coach Carlesimo?"

"Carlesimo is an excellent coach. I can only say that he is unlucky." Van Gundy is not a person who likes to intrigue with the media, nor is he a person who is used to showing his humor in press conferences. His answers are always flat, making interviewing this guy a boring thing for reporters.

But just bad luck can make Carlesimo lose ten games in a row? And you Jeff Van Gundy won the ball as soon as you got your hands on the team,

It's a matter of luck, the reporters are very clear in their hearts. They are unwilling to let Van Gundy go like this, the new and old coaches are changing, if the media can pick out some conflicts between Van Gundy and Carlesimo, then this will be a topic worthy of hype.

"However, as far as I know, coach Carlesimo's loss is not just a matter of bad luck. Many players who were reused when he was in office are now taken to the bench by you, and there is no Anjie who is favored by him. And Wilkins and others were mentioned by you as the starting position. Are you using your actions to prove how stupid Coach Carlesimo's employment is?" This guy with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses looked at the gentle The reporter asked the most pointed question so far at the press conference.

"Coach Carlesimo's employment is great, but my focus is different from his. I advocate defense, and he likes offense. It is because of this that there are some differences in the employment of the two of us. It's as simple as that." Van Gundy answered the sharp questions one by one without any haste, and the answers were all perfectly fine!

"An Jie, congratulations on your start today and your impressive performance. Do you think you have found your place in the current Thunder team?" Wu Hua was the one who asked the question, and the person he cared about the most was still It's Anjie.

"I matched well with Coach Van Gundy and my teammates. I think I have gotten rid of the discomfort. The role that Coach Van Gundy assigned to me is very suitable for me." An Jie answered in English. After speaking, An Jie glanced at Van Gundy , Van Gundy also responded with a smile.

Although winning was very thrilling, Van Gundy really inspired the Thunder's potential. After a ten-game losing streak, the young Thunder team is finally on the right track under the correct guidance.

It was also the first time that the three young men of the Thunder team really became popular. A victory is enough to change everyone's state.

Just one day after the game against the Suns, the Thunder once again faced the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, under the coaching of Jeff Van Gundy, the Timberwolves did not succeed in revenge.

Al Jefferson was still not to be outdone in the face of Anjie's defense, scoring 19 points and 9 rebounds. But Anjie faced a strong enemy, and the statistics were not ugly. With 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Anjie fulfilled his duties very well.

In this game of the Thunder, three players scored 20 points. Durant and Westbrook both scored 22 points. Wilcox, the offensive core of the second team, scored 21 points. , The performance of the players is enough for the Thunder to complete the double play against the Timberwolves.

107 to 103, the Thunder ushered in their first winning streak since the beginning of the season!

Jeff Van Gundy's photos frequently appeared on the front pages of major sports newspapers. Two consecutive victories are nothing, but Van Gundy transformed the Thunder in less than a week after taking over the new team. The focus of attention in the basketball world.

Under this much-anticipated attention, the Thunder won again.

On November 29, the last game of the Thunder in November, Anjie went to Memphis with the team to challenge the Grizzlies, who were also struggling with 4 wins and 12 losses.

Although the results of the two teams are not good, but the Thunder has clearly begun to rise, while the Grizzlies are still in a state of confusion.

Facing O.J. Mayo, who was one pick higher than himself, Westbrook scored 22 points again, but Mayo also played his own worth, scoring 30 points to beat Westbrook.

But O.J. Mayo's 22 shots were obviously too many, and the rest of the Grizzlies failed to perform well under Mayo's suppression.

Durant's 30 points and Anjie's 9 assists gave the Thunder an advantage. In this game, Anjie also met Marc Gasol, a traditional rookie center who also had high hopes.

As the younger brother of Pau Gasol, although Mark was only selected in the second round, he has shown a talent that is not inferior to his older brother.

Facing An Jie who was much lighter than himself in this game, Marc Gasol finally showed the advantages of the European castle, and it also made An Jie reflect his biggest shortcoming.

With 14 points and 6 rebounds, this second-round pick delivered a good report card. Compared with Anjie's quasi-triple-double data of 17 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, Mark's performance is not so eye-catching.

Under the leadership of the Thunder's three young men, the team defeated the Grizzlies, which had home court advantage, 111 to 103, and the winning streak increased to three games.

After experiencing a painful ten-game losing streak, the Thunder finally rebounded strongly at the end of November, which can be regarded as the end of this unsatisfactory November.

Derrick Rose overwhelmed the crowd and became the best rookie of the month, but the three Thunder players are not in a hurry. They know that the time for the three of them has just begun!

UU Read Books welcomes all book lovers to come and read, the latest, fastest and hottest serial works are all in UU Read Books! Mobile users please read here.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like