The Way of the Center

Chapter 534: Same venue, different ending

The first game of the playoffs is basically over, and there is no turmoil in the entire Western Conference. The teams that should win have won, and there have been no upsets.

The Grizzlies used their strong defense to force the Clippers into a mess. Facts have proved that the Clippers were swept out last season not because the Blazers were too strong, but because the Clippers were really an out-and-out "regular season" team.

Once entering the playoffs, once the level of confrontation increases, there will always be some discomfort in sailing. And when they start to adapt, they are not far from being out.

The battle between the Spurs and the Nuggets ended in victory for the Spurs. Although the Nuggets played very hard, they still lacked an Anthony-like core. It is indeed difficult for such a team to move forward in the playoffs.

As for the battle between Thunder and the biggest dark horse warrior, An Jie's old club did not let the dark horse take advantage. Although the performance of the Warriors is indeed very good, but under the excellent performance of Durant, Westbrook and Morris, the Thunder narrowly beat the Warriors 95 to 97. The Thunder, which made it to the Finals last season but were defeated by the Heat, are also aiming for the championship this season. Like Anjie's pioneers, they were unwilling to give up and fought to the end!

But to say that the most surprising game in the West is the 21-point victory of the Trail Blazers against the Lakers. This is the game with the largest point difference in the first game of the playoffs. It is also the least exciting of the whole scene.

The huge gap in strength between the two teams made fans even forget that this is a playoff-level matchup. The only game that can be compared to it is the game between the Eastern Heat and the Bucks.

Similar to the Blazers, the Heat beat the Bucks without breaking a sweat. Although Monta Ellis and Jennings scored quite a lot, they didn't have the ability to lead the team. On the contrary, even in the playoffs, these two guards are still fighting frantically for the right to shoot. In the playoffs, such personal strength cannot lead the team to victory.

In short, calm is the best word to describe the first game of the playoffs. But fans know that such a stable state will not last long. Game 1 is just a small part of a series. If you want to advance, winning a game is not enough.

after the game,

It will definitely be more exciting. Everyone will rise up and fight, and work hard for their dream of being a champion. Of course, this does not include the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are a team already on the verge of disintegration, and now their dream is not a championship, but the upcoming vacation. Because the arrival of the holiday means the opening of the transfer market and the free agent market. The players of the Lakers are all having their own ghosts now, and they are all thinking about their own future. No one wants to waste time on a team like this, the Lakers and Kobe's championship? Who cares?

Among the teams that have reached the playoffs, few are in the state of the Lakers. When everyone is struggling, they are absent-minded.

The only remaining sense of honor in Howard's heart has also disappeared after the "torture" of the first game. He is now playing entirely for his own future, not for the future of the Lakers.

The second match between the two sides kicked off on April 24, two days later. With the victory of the first game as the basis, the players of the Trail Blazers are very confident.

Damian Lillard was a little intimidated in the first game, after all, it was the first playoff game for this older rookie. But now in the second duel, he is completely open.

The Lakers' weak back line is simply vulnerable to Lillard. This young man who almost booked the Rookie of the Year has made himself a place in this league.

With 28 points and 6 assists, Lillard even overshadowed Anjie and Aldridge in this game.

On the bench, Courtney Lee's explosive 6-of-7 three-pointers also sounded the alarm for other teams. In this pioneer team, there is also a cold-blooded killer who can take your life at any time!

Anjie scored only 24 points in this game, because he gave up most of the shots to Lillard and Courtney Lee. This is not because An Jie doesn't work hard, but because An Jie doesn't need to work hard at this level of competition.

When the team needs Anjie to stand up, he will definitely be obliged. But now, Anjie is more willing to watch his teammates actively cope with the game.

91 to 102, although the loss was not as bad as the first game, but the point difference once again exceeded 10 points. Howard scored only 16 points in this game. Under Anjie's defense, he couldn't even find the slightest advantage.

2 to 0, the Trail Blazers won all of their two home games. Next, the battleground will be moved to the Staples in Los Angeles. But even so, the prospect of the Lakers is still not optimistic.

After arriving in Los Angeles, Kobe made a special trip to talk to Anjie on the phone. Kobe Bryant expressed his dissatisfaction with the current Lakers team on the phone, and also expressed his expectations for Anjie.

"Come on, Ann, we are out of luck this season. But you are different. I hope you will not slack off and work hard. The championship is not a problem for you." It was the first time that Kobe liked a Lakers opponent from the bottom of his heart. , because Kobe can always vaguely see his own shadow in Anjie.

The resolute expression every time you encounter difficulties, the persistence and hard work that never slackens in training even if you are injured. All these factors made Kobe have a good impression of Anjie.

Kobe had already made up his mind, if the Trail Blazers could not win the championship this season, then he would go to Portland himself to recruit Anjie! In order to get Angie, Bryant will make the Lakers' management give everything.

As long as Anjie is by his side, Kobe believes that the Lakers can immediately become a championship-level team. He is different from Howard, Anjie is a truly responsible star, a true and dominant center!

Therefore, from a selfish point of view, Kobe did not want Anjie to win the championship. But at the same time, the Black Mamba doesn't want to see the hard-working guy accept defeat again. When he defeated Thunder back then, An Jie's downcast eyes were really impressive.

"I will get the championship Bryant, but I'm sorry. The Los Angeles Lakers must be our first victim." Although the series is not over yet, although the Lakers returned to Staples. But An Jie was still full of confidence.

Thanks to Kobe's encouragement, Anjie's performance in the third game of the series was simply dominant.

Many proud Los Angeles fans even held up signs saying "Ann, come to Los Angeles to create brilliance." An Jie's performance has already convinced the proud Los Angeles people.

He used both tough and flexible skills on the offensive end, and his seamless movement on the defensive end, pushing the Lakers into the abyss step by step.

The Lakers playing at home are very excited. Three of them scored 20 points in this game. But this is not actually how well these three players played, but that the others really don't have the ability to score. These three must contract all the shots of the rest.

Howard, Goodlock and Darius Morris scored 25, 23 and 20 points respectively. But apart from the three of them, the highest scorer is Gasol's 9 points.

The Lakers were completely broken up by An Jie, and the whole game almost lost suspense from halftime. Anjie scored a super double-double with 35 points and 16 rebounds. His performance made Howard's 25 points and 8 rebounds look like a small fight.

Howard is still brushing up the data on his own, and Nash is still struggling silently and powerlessly. Gasol has completely lost his confidence and morale is low. And the Los Angeles Lakers, also in this smoky atmosphere, lost their first home game and their third game.

In NBA history, no team has been able to complete a reversal from a 0-3 deficit. Because if they have the ability to complete the reversal, they will not be scored 3-0.

In 2003, when the Trail Blazers trailed the Mavericks 3-0 in the playoffs, they scored 30% in a row and tied the score 3-3. But in the end, the Blazers still fell to the tiebreaker.

Although the Trail Blazers almost made history, they never completed the reversal. And the reason why the Trail Blazers were able to score 30% in a row was because Randolph's sudden rise on the bench gave the entire team a whole new look.

But now the Los Angeles Lakers, there is no one like Randolph in the formation. Can you expect Goodlock and Darius Morris to both score 20 points a game? Obviously, this is very unrealistic.

So the fourth game at Staples has logically become the Lakers' swan song this season.

Anjie did not chase the Lakers in this game, because the current Lakers have no intention of fighting at all. Look at Gasol's dull eyes when he was resting on the bench, and you can probably guess what the current state of the Lakers is.

Even Howard, a guy who collects data, stopped. He only took two shots in this game and only scored 5 points. An Jie also played casually, but also scored 23 points. The gap between the two really got infinitely magnified in the playoffs.

103 to 92, the Lakers once again lost the game by double digits. After four games in the entire series, the Lakers couldn't even control the gap to single digits, let alone win.

Staples fans didn't seem to have much reaction to the Lakers' loss. Because of this ending, it has already been played out thousands of times in their hearts. Lakers fans were heartbroken when Kobe went down. Now this setback is nothing to them.

"Enjoy your vacation, Paul." After the game, Fisher took the initiative to hug Gasol. Gasol is really envious of Lao Yu, at least this guy will always stay in a real team.

And Fisher, also sincerely wishes that a summer can make Gasol forget these unhappiness.

This time, Kobe did not become the king again, and the iron hooves of the Zijin Army did not continue to trample forward.

This time, Anjie withstood the impact of the Lakers, and still eliminated the Lakers with a complete victory.

For two consecutive years, he eliminated two Los Angeles teams with a total score of 4-0. An Jie, who once lost Los Angeles, has undoubtedly grown into the biggest nemesis of Los Angeles.

"The warm-up is over, Ann, you did a good job." Ricard was very calm, and he was not overjoyed because the Blazers swept the Lakers to advance. Easily pass the first round, this is Ricard's most basic requirement for the Blazers.

An Jie looked back at Staples, and it was no different here from back then. The only difference is that this time, he walked out of here as a victor.

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