Mike Brown frowned at this time. He had already targeted Xu Yong enough tonight, but why did Xu Yong's performance seem unaffected?

But don't underestimate this type of shot. Being able to keep hitting it continuously in a high-intensity game, even if it's a mid-range shot, is enough to determine the outcome of the game.

In a word, Jordan's back-to-the-basket shot, turning around and fading away is also a mid-range shot!

There was no choice but for Brown to get up and call Varejao to replace O'Neal.

With this substitution adjustment, the Cavaliers received bad news and good news.

The bad news is that O'Neal is off the court, the good news is that O'Neal is off the court.

O'Neal now had space to break through on the court, and James immediately sprinted near the logo, forcing the Bulls to shrink, and then assisted Jamison to score two points with a layup at the baseline.

And looking back, after Xu Yong played pick-and-roll with Noah, the Cavaliers directly double-teamed him.

When O'Neal was there, he couldn't get out of the inside, but Varejao is much more flexible.

After being double-teamed, Xu Yong passed the ball to Noah, but the Cavaliers' rotation was in place and James had already come over to assist in defense.

Noah held the ball near the free throw line, and the Cavaliers' other positions rotated into place, so the Bulls' offense was effectively defeated.

but!

Just when everyone thought so, Noah directly chose to hold the ball and make a layup!

James was shocked, but he reacted quickly, shrinking to maintain his defensive position and confronting Noah before he made a layup.

However, the result of this confrontation was far beyond his expectations. Not only did Noah not move, but he was also pressed so hard that he couldn't jump up. He could only watch Noah put the ball into the basket over his head!

The fans at the scene were stunned. Are you sure this is Noah? Not Deng or Noah?

Compared to the last time we fought, this is a complete transformation!

Noah also turned around excitedly and high-fived Xu Yong.

Although gaining weight and muscle has temporarily made him lose the ability to shoot from mid-range, the confrontational effect and self-confidence improvement it brings are really not to be underestimated!

This time Brown couldn't sit still anymore, so he stood up and walked to the sidelines.

He is very sensitive to defense. Originally, the Cavaliers only needed to focus on defending Rose and Xu Yong, so Deng's possession of the ball could be ignored.

But tonight the Bulls even dared to attack Noah like this, and they scored the key goal. This is a very dangerous signal.

And after the switch between offense and defense, the Bulls switched defense. Xu Yong switched to defend James, just like in the regular season opener!

There was a commotion at the scene. Xu Yong treated Evans and James in the same way. It was truly a retro style of the 90s.

James did not hesitate either. He waved his hand and called for a pick-and-roll with Varejao.

After the ball was opened, he saw that Noah did not rush out immediately, so he chose a mid-range shot.

"when!"

Although both were mid-range shots, his shot was completely different from Xu Yong's in terms of both beauty and result.

Considering the three-pointer he missed earlier, it seems that his touch tonight was average.

Noah turned around, grabbed the defensive rebound, and directly counterattacked with the ball.

The Bulls made fast breaks very quickly, and the confrontation for more than half a quarter did not seem to make these young people tired at all.

In comparison, the old players on the Cavaliers' side seem to be overwhelmed.

Except for James and Parker, no one else had time to retreat.

In the frontcourt situation of three against two, Noah passed the ball to Xu Yong, who broke through the basket and saw the opportunity to pass the ball to Hinrich who was following up on the opposite side.

Hinrich received the ball right at the three-point line. He chose to stop, saw that it was an open space, and then adjusted and shot a three-pointer.

At this time, James and Parker were squeezed inside the free throw line and couldn't get out, so they could only turn around and prepare to fight for the rebound.

“Swish!”

But accompanied by a crisp sound of the ball going into the net, Hinrich's three-pointer also went in!

15 to 10!

The Bulls launched a tidal wave of attack!

And just as Brown worried, the Bulls' strength is not just in one or two areas, but in all aspects.

"This is the power of a young team!" Even Reggie Miller on the commentary stand couldn't help but sigh.

The lower limit of a young team may be very low, but the upper limit is immeasurable.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe that the Bulls could suppress the serious Cavaliers team like this.

What's even worse is that the Cavaliers also have a big problem tonight, that is James' touch.

In fact, even if O'Neal is ineffective, the remaining lineup of the Cavaliers can still surpass the Bulls, with three-dimensional suppression in strength and experience.

But the biggest problem is James.

One thing you have to admit is that James at this time is a real ball-holding core, because most of the time he can crush the opposing players and force the opponents to double-team him. He can then use his passing ability to drive the team's offense and form an offensive system around him.

This is the legendary [built-in system].

However, there are two biggest problems with this style of play. First, what if you can’t crush the opposing player?

Pick and roll, mismatch.

So you see James occasionally playing against smaller players in the game. It's not that he only knows how to play that way, but when he encounters the first situation, he can only play that way to give full play to his offensive system.

But even so, he will encounter the second problem: what should the opponent do if they shrink their defense when encountering a pick-and-roll?

At this time, James' biggest problem was exposed. Even though he had trained his shooting, his shooting was still not "killing" due to his limited body coordination.

To put it in a very cruel but realistic way: Do you dare to let Jordan, Kobe, Durant, or even DeRozan shoot all over the court? You don't dare, because they can really kill you with their shots.

But the same question is, do you dare to let James shoot?

Especially when facing a bad shooting situation like now, James' team only has two options: either you have other offensive points that are strong enough to prevent opponents from double-teaming James and let him solve the problem with a breakthrough; or James takes a break and lets his teammates continue the game, and then continues playing after his shooting touch recovers.

But it is obvious that this Cavaliers team has neither Wade, nor Irving, or even Anthony Davis.

Then some people may ask, if you can't play with the ball, wouldn't it be better to play without the ball?

I'm sorry, but when you can't make a shot, it's much easier for your opponent to defend you without the ball. They just need to prevent you from cutting to the basket.

Not to mention, James' ability is very average because he has been playing with the ball for a long time and rarely plays without the ball.

Moreover, although this Cavaliers team has a strong lineup, it is basically composed of functional teammates built around James. Even if you may not be one when you first come, you will become one as the game goes on, like Jamison standing in the corner now.

The regular season is functional, do you expect him to suddenly return to the old way of holding the ball in the playoffs? That's a bit too much!

So the Cavaliers' offensive performance tonight took a big dive as O'Neal became ineffective and James lost his touch.

The Bulls really got going on offense, with every player leading by example and demonstrating with their actions what it means to "if the whole army devotes its life, they can seize the general."

After three quarters, the Bulls had extended their lead to 14 points, 77 to 63.

During the intermission, the Cavaliers fans at the scene could no longer sit still.

The opponent that I picked myself was pinned to the ground and rubbed. What a bullshit happy game. It was simply asking for abuse!

If it wasn't for the fact that it's a small city and everyone sees each other everywhere, they would have run away long ago.

Mike Brown also felt that he was almost suffocating at this time.

He simply went all out and substituted Williams, Parker and James, three main players, into the game at the start of the fourth quarter.

This is the last wave.

De Nagro was not vague and immediately replaced Rose, Xu Yong and Noah.

We can't lose this victory that is within our grasp.

The Cavaliers attacked first, and Williams took the lead with a mid-range jump shot after a pick-and-roll.

James was not in good shape tonight. As an All-Star who was recognized as relying on James to get into the All-Star game, he had to step up.

And when returning to the defensive end, the Cavaliers' overall defensive intensity was the strongest in the entire game because of the inside players Varejao and Hickson.

It is obvious that Brown's final fight was not about the main force, but defense.

When people are in desperate situations, the first thing they think of is definitely their own unique skills.

The Bulls' positional offense was still a little awkward, and with little time left for the offense, the ball had to be handed to Xu Yong.

Xu Yong reacted quickly after getting the ball. He used his accurate shooting threat tonight to dribble past Parker and then rushed directly into the inside. He forced a shot through Hickson, causing the latter to commit a defensive foul and earning a free throw opportunity.

His choice was very smart. Now they are leading by a large margin and O'Neal is not here. As long as they attack the inside and create damage to maintain the score difference, the Cavaliers will soon face a situation: they don't have much time left!

Despite the noise from the Cavaliers fans at the scene, Xu Yong made both free throws.

The score difference was still 14 points, Williams' goal was almost equivalent to not going in, and half a minute had passed.

Williams continued to pick and roll for mid-range shots in the frontcourt, but this time his shot was interfered by Noah, and the basketball hit the front line and the rebound was taken by Miller.

This former center of the Kings, who was now playing on the Bulls bench and was Noah's technical mentor in the interior, immediately threw a long pass across the entire court.

Rose finally found an opportunity. After receiving the ball, he ran across the court and scored a layup.

Well, this time the score gap not only did not narrow, but widened instead.

Brown slapped his hand on his forehead.

The Bulls were like a herd charging tonight, and they were unstoppable.

In desperation, James, who had been on target the entire game, finally broke into the Bulls' inside and scored two points. This was his third field goal of the night.

But before the fans could get excited, Xu Yong rushed into the inside with a bomb in his hand, scored the ball, and knocked over Valanciunas, causing him to commit a blocking foul.

After scoring the goal, Xu Yong raised his hand and clenched his fist to celebrate.

This is in front of James, and the game is being won in James' way!

And the referee was really fair tonight.

Brown now closed his eyes and looked up at the sky, truly accepting his fate.

In the end, the Bulls withstood the Cavaliers' final counterattack in the final quarter and defeated the Cavaliers 98-85, getting off to a good start in the series on the road.

According to the post-match statistics, for the Cavaliers, Mo Williams made 7 of 20 shots and scored a team-high 21 points, James made 3 of 14 shots and only scored 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, Parker scored 14 points, and O'Neal and Jamison each scored 9 points.

For the Bulls, Xu Yong scored a game-high 26 points on 11 of 18 shots, plus 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Rose had 17 points and 7 assists, Noah had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists, Deng had 13 points and 5 rebounds, Hinrich had 10 points and 3 assists, and Gibson had 8 points and 8 rebounds.

At the end of the game, the Cavaliers fans at the scene were still a little bit unbelievable.

Their strongest feeling now is, why does their team look so weak? !

James didn't have a good touch tonight, but he was trying hard to organize the team. But why didn't any of his teammates come out to offer support?

What kind of rotten fish and shrimp did the Cavaliers management find? What old and weak soldiers!

And complaining is just a way for them to vent their emotions. What really makes them upset is that they picked the Bulls, but they lost the first game!

Comparing it with the Warriors' upset of the previous year, one can immediately think of a saying: history always repeats itself in an amazing way.

So an inevitable thought popped up in their minds: No way? They won't really be eliminated by the black eight?!

Compared to the fans, Brown is the one who is really depressed.

After the game, he sat silent on the bench for a long time.

It would have been great if I had listened to his suggestion to pick the Bobcats earlier. We would have been eating hotpot, singing songs, and happily heading to the next round, but he had to make things difficult for himself. Now, we've really run into bandits.

The Bulls look tough, and they are really tough when a fight breaks out.

And the most uncomfortable thing is that he can't even say anything. During this sensitive period, even if James played poorly, it was his coaching staff's problem.

He could foresee the overwhelming coverage after the game, and a huge pot had already been reserved in advance.

"Coach." Just then, a team member came over to remind him that it was time for the post-match handshake.

He calmed himself down and stood up, only to notice that James had returned to the locker room early again.

With a wry smile, he could only go over and shake hands with Denagro.

Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick shook hands at the technical table. This round of series is going to be played.

…

The Cavaliers underestimated their opponents and lost. They need to take their opponents seriously.

Brown's offensive system is shut down, he is the worst link of the Cavaliers

"The Cavaliers lost their survival defense and could not stop the five-star Bulls from blooming"

…

"These media are really interesting." Robinson said with emotion while browsing social media after finishing training on the off-season day.

Ever since Robinson was disgusted by the league for not participating in the dunk contest, he has almost instinctively paid attention to James.

Robinson was right next to Xu Yong. When he spoke, Xu Yong turned his head curiously.

"No one mentioned that guy's performance. Isn't it worth writing about the team leader scoring three goals in a game?" Robinson complained while looking at Xu Yong.

Xu Yong smiled and said nothing.

Don’t you even look at which mainstream media is now?

Nike Alliance is no joke.

If he hadn't signed with AJ, but with Anta or something like that, he might not even have won the Rookie of the Year award.

"There's also the matter of the black eight. When the Warriors beat the Mavericks that year, the score in the first game was exactly the same as ours," Robinson continued to complain.

Xu Yong was a little surprised to hear this. He didn't expect such a coincidence.

"We can definitely beat them." Robinson said with a hint of resentment and emphasized his tone.

"Yes, we can do it." Xu Yong replied in an affirmative tone.

However, he knew that they were still a long way from that goal.

Winning the first game is just the beginning. The Cavaliers' adjustments, including James' touch, are all uncertain.

However, the coincidence that Robinson mentioned would make them psychologically full of confidence.

…

Two days later, the game between the Cavaliers and the Bulls continued. In this game, the Cavaliers were in better shape, especially James.

Although his three-point shooting is still not good, he has found his mid-range touch.

And with his changes, the Cavaliers' regular season offensive system was able to operate.

Facts have also proved that once James can play, the lineup tailored for him by the Cavaliers is perfect.

Jamison and Parker opened up space perfectly, Varejao made a pick-and-roll, and Williams received the ball on the weak side. After the Cavaliers' machine started running, their strength as the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference was fully revealed.

The Bulls showed the instability of a young team. Although they were able to hold on at the beginning, the game became chaotic as the score gradually widened.

After all, it is a young team, and there is no system on both the offensive and defensive ends.

In the end, the Bulls lost to the Cavaliers 83-104 on the road, and the series score came to 1-1.

The next game of the series will move to Chicago.

Every big tie in the series is crucial, and the next third game is the first key node.

On the plane back to Chicago, Ross took the initiative to sit next to Xu Yong.

"You take over the baton." Ross took the initiative to speak to Xu Yong.

Because his shooting point was too obviously targeted, his overall performance in the past two games was not good.

In fact, he was targeted in the playoffs last season. Although he scored 36 points and 11 assists in his debut, his average points per game dropped to 19 points thereafter.

This has been going on for two consecutive years, and he is strongly aware of the importance of developing his shooting, but this is obviously not something that can be done all at once.

This does not mean that he is going to give up his position as the team leader, but if he wants to turn the situation around right now, he can only let Xu Yong lead the offense.

Although Xu Yong is a rookie, he has no obvious weaknesses in offense and will not be targeted.

Xu Yong nodded, but then said: "Without your performance, we still can't win."

Xu Yong's words were very straightforward. Facing Brown's defensive system, his control effect would indeed be better, but that was not enough to change the strength gap between the two sides.

The outcomes of the past two games were more affected by James' condition.

To win when the Cavaliers are on form, each of them will have to do more than before.

This of course includes Ross.

Ross nodded. Of course, he didn't come here to pass on the blame, but to discuss with Xu Yong how to play the next home game.

De Nagro is like a pendant during the game, and they can only take the initiative to win.

Of course, as a poor student, Ross spent more time listening to Xu Yong's analysis.

As a reborn person, Xu Yong not only has rich experience in playing and commentating, but also was influenced by Sandek in the NCAA.

Soon, a new set of feasible tactical plans came to light.