The Way of the Center

The new NBA season is about to start, and "Sports Illustrated" magazine naturally made a special issue of the new season preview. And the cover of this issue of Sports Illustrated is An Jie wearing the second generation of center forward and the Blazers home white jersey.

On the cover, Anjie is holding a basketball in one hand and the hard-won O'Brien Cup in the other.

"Anjie! The road to defending the title begins!" This sentence is the headline of this issue of Sports Illustrated.

Open the first page, it is the Portland Trail Blazers 2013-2014 season player makeup photos.

The jersey is still the familiar jersey, and the team lineup has not changed much. But I don't know why, this year's Trail Blazers always give people a brand new feeling.

Indeed, at this time last year, the Trail Blazers, who claimed to have formed a championship lineup, were being questioned more and more.

But this year, they have been champions from the start. This difference in identity is indeed easy to make people feel a little uncomfortable.

The Portland Trail Blazers, a team that could not have been miserable in the 21st century, won the second championship trophy in team history under the leadership of An Jie, a Chinese.

Incredible is the word that best sums it all up.

This issue of "Sports Illustrated" magazine has written a brief review for everyone on the Trail Blazers. This was something that would never happen before. It can only be said that when you win the championship, you will naturally become the focus of the world. Even before the start of the new season, the Blazers have become the most popular team.

Flipping through this issue of "Sports Illustrated", An Jie chewed on the breakfast Catherine prepared for himself.

"Top Ten Active Centers in the NBA"! A headline after the Trail Blazers column aroused An Jie's interest even more.

"This is an era in which center players have completely withered. The BA directly canceled the competition for the center position in the All-Star voting, which is enough to show how embarrassing it is for big men in the NBA. But this does not mean that there are no outstanding centers in the entire league. The existence of. Today we come to take stock for everyone, in this twilight period of the center, the ten most dominant old big men!"

"Hey, what are you looking at? The milk is getting cold." Catherine tapped Anjie's head, and Anjie picked up the milk, but his eyes were still on the magazine.

Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah, Brook Lopez, Al Horford, Cousins, Howard... In the end, even Andrew Bynum, who never played Selected.

An Jie couldn't help shaking his head. Now it's really not easy to make a list of the top ten centers.

But just as An Jie thought, the last one to be highlighted was naturally himself.

"The ranking of this list is not in order, but if you want to choose the most active center, I will say it without hesitation - it is Anjie. Let us look at his data last season, averaging 28 points per game 12.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 3.2 blocks. Among them, the score ranks second in the league, and the rebounds and blocks are the league's first. No one in this list can compare with the data obtained by Ann. And you have to know The hard-working Anjie is improving every year. God knows what kind of statistics he will play this season. What's more, the Blazers were led by him as a center, defeated the Heat's Big Three and won the O'Brien Cup. Now , There are almost no centers who can achieve this kind of achievement! It is no exaggeration to say that An Jie is the highest example of giants in this era. The position of center, it is precisely because of An's existence that he can retain a little bit of face. Olajuwon did not shy away from saying that An Jie would surpass him in the end, and O'Neal also praised An Jie very much when explaining the game. Some people even said that if An Jie was placed in the 1990s, there would be five major centers in NBA history. "

"Ann!" Catherine approached An Jie with her angry face, An Jie then put down the magazine and obediently ate breakfast. Although he hasn't finished reading it yet, An Jie knows that he has received the reputation and evaluation he deserves.

"Really, like an old man."

"Hey, don't read it, don't read it." As soon as An Jie finished speaking, Catherine picked up the magazine and started reading it by herself.

It turned out that this naughty girl didn't want to urge An Jie to eat breakfast, but wanted to see An Jie's performance in the magazine. All the magazines with Anjie's photos are full of attraction for Catherine.

An Jie shook his head, thinking that he was going to spend his whole life with the girl in front of him, he felt very...happy.

In the afternoon, An Jie accepted an exclusive interview with Wu Hua at home. Of course, Wu Hua asked the same old questions, and An Jie answered them with ease.

In the evening, Wu Hua was invited to have dinner with An Jie's family as a friend.

"This is the last time I have such a delicious dinner." Looking at the dazzling array of delicacies on the table, An Jie began to gobble it up.

"After the start of the new season, I have to eat those bland things according to the dietitian's requirements." Wu Hua smiled. Compared with when he was in college, Wu Hua has gained a lot of weight. But looking at An Jie again, this guy has gained a lot of weight, but all he has gained is muscle.

"That's right, the day after tomorrow is the opening match. Starting tomorrow, I have to fully enter the combat state."

"How many NBA seasons is this already? It's your sixth. Time flies by so fast." Wu Hua put down his knife and fork, looked up at the ceiling, and tried his best to recall the past six years. .

Six years is enough time for an unreasonable child to graduate from elementary school. Six years is enough time for a junior high school student to enter university. Six years is enough time for a skinny young Chinese to become the number one center in the NBA!

"Yes, before I know it, it's been the sixth year. The scene of being selected by the Kings in the draft seems to have happened yesterday." An Jie looked at Catherine next to him. During this time, he And this girl also changed from acquaintance to husband and wife.

"How old are you going to be in the NBA?" Wu Hua suddenly asked a random question. Because in the NBA arena, no Chinese can survive for more than 9 years.

"How old is it? How to put it, I don't think it will be shorter than Mutombo!" Anjie answered this question in a joking way.

"I'm only 24 years old. It seems too early to think about how long I will play now. While I'm young, I still want to win a few more championships."

"Then I wish you all the best. From tomorrow to this time next year, I hope that when I come to do an exclusive interview, I will ask you: Ann, will you be able to complete the three consecutive championships next season and create a dynasty!? "Wu Hua raised his wine glass.

"I can answer you now, I am confident!" An Jie held up the juice and touched Wu Hua.

"Kang!" With a crisp sound, An Jie drank the juice in the glass in one gulp.

This clinking of glasses heralded the end of the long summer and the official end of An Jie's vacation. The next day, this yellow-skinned giant will start his new journey.

A more powerful opponent, of course, he also has more capable assistants. The dream of winning three consecutive championships is about to enter the second stage!

In June 2008, young international student An Jie was selected by the Kings, but was traded immediately.

In October 2008, Anjie made his debut in the NBA arena.

In April 2008, Anjie missed the game-winning shot, and the Thunder missed the playoffs. This was also An Jie's first taste of the bitterness of defeat.

In 2009, An Jie was selected for the All-Star Game, and the Thunder's three young men shocked the entire league. In the same year, Anjie made it to the playoffs for the first time and forced the championship Los Angeles Lakers into the tiebreaker.

In 2010, Anjie tore his meniscus and was reimbursed for the season. This is the darkest moment of Anjie's career, and it is also a turning point in his career.

In 2011, Oklahoma's Chinese butcher moved to Portland, and the era of the Thunder's three young men officially came to an end.

In 2012, the Blazers, who were all black to the end, reached the Western Conference Finals. Helpless, he was defeated by his former club Thunder at the top of the Western Conference.

In 2013, 27 consecutive wins, 69 wins in the regular season, 8 consecutive wins in the series, double MVP, NBA championship... After going through hardships, Anjie finally ushered in the pinnacle of his career. The Trail Blazers, also under the leadership of An Jie, finally fulfilled the dream they had been waiting for for more than 30 years.

The 2013-2014 season will officially start tomorrow. In the new year, An Jie's career will also emit a new light.