The Way of the Center

"3...2...1!"

"Beep~~~~~~"

There was a red light in Anthony Davis's eyes, and he knew that the red light on the backboard was already on at this moment.

He has imagined countless times that when the red light on the backboard lights up, he successfully defeated An Jie and became the new darling of the league and a challenger to the "king".

However, this fantasy has not been realized in the four-game series. Anjie's strength is so terrifying, the Pelicans can't even touch a game victory.

"The first round, pass it safely!" An Jie let out a big breath. Now Anthony Davis is much better than he was when he was 22 years old. After four games, Davis averaged 29.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. This makes him the fourth player after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain and McAdoo to have such amazing data in the first playoffs of his career. At the age of 22, An Jie couldn't make such a data.

Maybe a few years later, when he is old and Davis matures, he may really be unable to do this brat.

However, at least now, Davis is far from a threat in front of Anjie.

Thinking of this, Anjie pushed aside the crowd and walked straight to Anthony Davis, whose head was drooping.

Davis seemed to feel something. He slowly raised his head, only to find that An Jie was walking towards him with open arms.

"Good fight, kid. The O'Brien Cup, sooner or later is in your pocket." Anjie whispered in Davis' ear.

Now, Anjie may not know yet. His own encouragement made Davis a creed for future struggles.

"The O'Brien Cup is mine!" This sentence has always encouraged Davis to move forward bravely until many years later.

※※※

After 4-0, after they cleanly eliminated the new Pelicans in the playoffs, the Trail Blazers once again became the first team in the Western Conference to get a chance to rest.

Compared with the Eastern Conference, the strength gap between teams in the West is not particularly large. The score of 4 to 0 may often appear in the east, but it is not often seen in the west.

The Grizzlies, Spurs, Rockets, Warriors and other teams all have to work hard for the second round of tickets. Especially the third and sixth in the Western Conference Rockets and Spurs, the two teams are currently tied 2-2. If you want to distinguish the winner, I am afraid that you will have to compete for the winner through a tie-break.

On the night after winning the Pelicans, Ricard immediately arranged for the players to fly back to Portland. In the first game of the second round, the initiative is to be staged at the Moda Center. They now have enough time to prepare, and Ricard also has enough time to study the video of potential opponents.

The Clippers and Grizzlies, the winners of these two teams, will be an obstacle to the second round of the Trail Blazers. Needless to say, the Clippers have not met for the first time in the playoffs. The Grizzlies can't help but worry a little.

Now that the entire league is increasing the number of rounds and strengthening the offense, the Grizzlies are very different from the mainstream, and they have started to play with iron and blood defense.

The playing style of this team is the same as their main color, cold, no passion, people who don't like it will fall asleep.

However, Ricard is fascinated by the Grizzlies' playing style. He likes the Grizzlies' playing style very much. In Ricard's view, the Grizzlies are the team that really knows how to win.

Although for now, the series between the Grizzlies and the Clippers is still very anxious. But Ricard believes that the Clippers can't last long with just a few quick fixes during the regular season.

Ricard can be basically locked, the Memphis Grizzlies are their opponents in the second round of the playoffs!

So in the past few days, Ricard has focused on the Grizzlies. Even the players' training is aimed at the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies have many advantages, and their disadvantages are equally obvious. First of all, this team's finishing ability from beyond the three-point line is really bad. There are only a handful of people on the team who can shoot three-pointers, and Tony Allen has no ability to shoot three-pointers.

Secondly, the disparity between the Grizzlies' bench lineup and the main lineup is also the focus that Ricard must grasp.

Although the Grizzlies have Vince Carter, a respected legendary guard, on the bench, there is also Jeff Green, a former All-Star player who swapped with Angela. But today in 2015, the contribution that these two guys can bring to the team is not much.

In the middle of the season, the Grizzlies had planned to talk to the Blazers about the transfer of Courtney Lee. However, Nell Orsi directly rejected the Grizzlies' request. It can also be seen how much the Grizzlies need a guy who can shoot three-pointers to join.

Unfortunately, now that the playoffs have started, the Grizzlies have not found this number.

Time just passed day by day, and many teams have successfully advanced to the second round of the playoffs. It's a pity that the Los Angeles Clippers, who are ambitious every year, have once again failed their hopes.

Chris Paul now, let alone the championship, is the floor of the Western Conference Finals, he can't even touch it.

Just as Ricard expected, the Grizzlies eventually eliminated the Clippers with a total score of 4 to 2 and successfully advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

But in Memphis, the Grizzlies fans were not happy for long. Encountering the Portland Trail Blazers, this also means that the Grizzlies' chances of continuing to advance have been reduced to a minimum.

It's not too much to say that the Trail Blazers are the worst opponent in the playoffs.

With a sense of anxiety, the Grizzlies general finally set foot on the plane to Portland and set off for "Hell".

An Jie's huge poster is still next to the airport. Over the years, the billboard has never changed anything else. The result of this is that just after getting off the plane, Gasol felt tremendous pressure.

Centers in this league can be divided into several grades, but An Jie is the only one who belongs to the top grade. This point, even Gasol, who has performed well, cannot deny it. If the An excellent line were in the 1990s, then NBA history would have the "Five Major Centers".

This guy, even if he compares it with Olajuwon and others, he doesn't fall behind.

Grizzlies coach Dave Georgel is the most stressed person on the team except Gasol. He believes that Ricard must have studied the Grizzlies thoroughly these days. The Grizzlies, who just beat the Clippers, don't have much time to study the Trail Blazers.

On May 3, the Chinese fans on the last day of the Labor Day holiday finally waited for the start of the second round of the playoffs.

Before the game, almost all the media were unanimously optimistic that the Trail Blazers could win the game. The Grizzlies' defense is indeed very strong, but their offense is far behind the Trail Blazers.

In the first game between the two sides, Ricard demonstrated the benefits of his full preparation.

The mobility is not strong enough, this is perhaps the most fatal problem of the "black and white bears". A heavy center like Gasol can't run like Anjie, and Randolph, who is getting older, doesn't have much athleticism.

It is precisely by taking advantage of the weakness of the "black and white two bears" that Anjie did not directly fight the two bears in the three-second zone today, but frequently mentioned the middle distance to attack the weakness of the two bears.

Gasol pushed up, and Anjie could easily break through with his faster speed. If Gasol doesn't force it up, Anjie's desperately stable CIC will also kill the Grizzlies.

Moreover, with the ball in the mid-range position, Randolph is not good at completing the encirclement with Gasol. Little Gasol can only defend by his own strength, but the effect is not satisfactory.

A few years ago, Gasol could still play back and forth with Anjie. But now, the gap between him and An Jie is already huge.

Gasol couldn't help thinking when he was resting on the bench. Isn’t An Jie’s ability capped?

Taking advantage of the Grizzlies’ weak mobility, the Trail Blazers’ conversion offense is very impressive.

Lillard's shock left Mike Conley at a loss. The Grizzlies’ most powerful weapon, the Black and White Bears, was pinned by Angel and Aldridge. Lillard doesn't have to worry about falling into the second bear's defensive trap~www.NovelMTL.com~ As long as he breaks through Conley, he will be placed in front of him with a clear basket!

Throughout the game, the Grizzlies were led by the Trailblazers. The Grizzlies are good at playing positions, and Ricard won't fight with you today.

Fast attack and fast counterattack, today's Trailblazers have shown their unusual side. At this time, people knew that the original Blazers playing fast-paced basketball would not seem unfamiliar at all.

Rather than saying that Anjie is an all-around center, it is better to say that the Trail Blazers are an all-around team!

Whether it's positional warfare or fast-paced, whether it focuses on defense or offense, the Trail Blazers can play.

The slow-footed Gasol and the older Randolph were exhausted by the Blazers' fast-paced game, and Tony Allen was unable to contribute his strength on the offensive end even under tight defense.

Mike Conley played quite well, he and Lillard came and went, and no one would accept defeat. However, with Conley alone, the Grizzlies cannot beat the Trail Blazers.

Dave Georgel always shook his head on the bench. The strength gap between the Grizzlies and the Blazers could not be filled with a few tactics.

The Grizzlies still have a long way to go if they want to create the West...

In the end, with Anjie's excellent data of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks, the Trail Blazers defeated the impressive Memphis Grizzlies by 82 to 97, 15 points at home.

No one will be surprised by this result. Well-prepared Blazers will not fear any team in this league.

1-0, Anjie continued his winning streak in the playoffs. Georgel has only one wish now, not to advance to the small round, but to win the next game...