However, there is still a month left until July, and there is also the draft in between, so it can't be that fast.

When the few people finished chatting and left, Harden found Xu Yong alone again.

"After our first round matchup, Kobe gave me some advice that I thought might help you, too," Harden said.

Xu Yong looked at Harden in confusion.

"He suggested that I practice the Euro step and the floater, and he sent me a video of his personal training and a detailed letter of game advice," Harden continued.

Xu Yong was very surprised after hearing this.

It’s not because Kobe shared these things with Harden, but because Kobe would share these things with Harden.

Basketball skills are the players' livelihood. How could ordinary people share their livelihood with others?

Kobe is indeed a little different.

Xu Yong nodded, then took out his phone and watched the video that Harden mentioned.

It was a video of Kobe practicing his jump shot.

Unlike other techniques, Kobe had the skill of lob shooting before he entered the league. Even when he was No. 8, lob shooting was one of his main offensive means.

So he is very experienced and skilled in this regard.

From one-on-one jump shots to hop jump shots, as well as floaters under confrontation, the combination of details and footwork.

Although it is not as systematic as what the trainer said, it is full of useful information.

Of course, more practical than this is the game advice, which is more detailed because it talks about how to find scoring opportunities in the game, the defensive tendencies of different types of defenders, and so on.

"I think Kobe is very optimistic about you." Xu Yong said with emotion after reading it.

These are not even something that money can buy.

However, when we think about the history, Kobe also brought Harden to invest together, and he praised Harden after retiring. It can be seen that he is really optimistic about Harden as a fan, or values ​​him.

In other words, the difference between Jordan and Kobe in terms of "knowing people" is like the difference between Thabeet and Xu Yong on the court.

Of course, Harden, who was still playing as a substitute for the Thunder at the time, was obviously surprised by this kind of optimism.

"When he approached me, I couldn't believe it," Harden said.

"That proves that he was right about the guy." Xu Yong patted Harden on the shoulder and said.

He now feels more and more that Harden's future will be different from history.

And at this moment, he had bigger ideas in his mind.

In the games against the Cavaliers and Celtics, his biggest feeling was that his ability to deal with tough situations was not enough.

Now, the most effective technique to improve his ability is probably turning around and leaning back.

If it were Jordan, he would definitely not go looking for him.

But if Kobe is who he is, he can still give it a try.

Although, they haven't had much contact since the last time they fought.

…

During the following period, Xu Yong practiced his jump shot technique with Harden during training.

The lob shot is one of the small techniques, and it is a way to score when facing tight defense in the interior.

Parker of the Spurs is one of the best players.

Xu Yong's signature offensive style now is the dunk over the opponent, but there are many times in the game where you can't dunk whenever you want.

This is not a matter of being afraid of getting hurt. Sometimes you just can't make the move if you don't have enough power.

Of course, in addition to training, they would also sit together and watch the Eastern and Western Conference finals.

When a few people get together, it is inevitable that they will predict who will advance.

In the Eastern Conference, Harden and his teammates are all optimistic about the Magic. You have to know that the Magic defeated the Celtics to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and their lineup is even stronger this year, while the Celtics are one year older.

As for the Western Conference, the Lakers are a no-brainer. Although the Rockets have played surprisingly well this year, Kobe Bryant of the Lakers is in too good shape.

As for Xu Yong, as a reborn person, he naturally knew that the Celtics would beat the Magic in the East, but what made him look forward to it was the West.

The Rockets have a very strong lineup this year, and the Lakers don't have Artest. If Yao Ming can really get past the Lakers, he will have a good chance of competing for a championship.

Time flies, and the divisional finals are over in a blink of an eye.

Nothing happened that surprised Xu Yong. The Celtics eliminated the Magic 4-2, and the Lakers defeated the Rockets 4-2.

Like the Suns, even with Battier and Artest, the Rockets couldn't stop Kobe that year.

Only one year later, the yellow-green battle took place again.

It seems that Kobe will most likely complete this two consecutive championships as Xu Yong knew.

However, before the finals started, Xu Yong received a call from Foreman.

The Bulls still need to change their coach.

Although De Nagro led the team to a black eight finish, his coaching level was not enough to satisfy the management.

Or in other words, DeNagro is a good nanny coach, very suitable for reconstruction, but it is difficult to bring results.

This time's surprise elimination made the management realize the potential and ceiling of this team, so naturally they had to change the coach early.

As for the new head coach, yes, Thibodeau has been booked, even though he is still with the Celtics in the playoffs.

The Bulls would like to hire a good coach, but just like free agents, there aren't many options for you to choose from.

The famous ones include Popovich, Carlisle, George Karl, Phil Jackson, Sloan, D'Antoni, and Rivers, all of whom still have contracts with their parent teams.

The only options now are Nelson Sr., Jeff Van Gundy, Lawrence Frank, Mike Dunleavy, and Byron Scott.

What's more, we have to consider the compatibility with the team.

This Bulls team is clearly not suited to bombardment, nor does it have the super center that Jeff Van Gundy wants.

The defensive counterattack that the Bulls played against the Cavaliers coincided with Thibodeau's coaching philosophy.

Besides, Thibodeau is now the most popular assistant coach in the league. He has been an assistant coach for ten years, and his assistant coaching career with the Rockets and Celtics was highly evaluated.

With this personnel change, the original assistant coaching team will leave the team one after another, and "Silver Fox" Harris will officially retire.

Xu Yong had only received the news. He certainly had no say in matters such as the change of head coach.

Foreman would call him, which was a great respect for him.

After talking to Foreman, Xu Yong called De Nagro.

Although De Nagro is not very good at coaching, he also has advantages such as knowing how to use people, being able to accept good advice, and being flexible in scheduling. In particular, he is willing to use rookies, which is a lucky thing for Xu Yong.

If you really meet someone like Larry Brown or Rivers, even if you are the real Jordan, you will have to sit on the bench for two months.

So it is not an exaggeration to call him a mentor.

…

Time flies and it is now mid-June. After the most intense and perhaps the most spectacular finals since the beginning of the century, the Lakers narrowly defeated the Celtics in a decisive seventh game and successfully defended their title.

Kobe won his fifth championship trophy in his career and also won the Finals MVP for the second time in his career.

This moment can be said to be the peak of Kobe fans. After leaving O'Neal, Kobe completed consecutive championships and completely proved himself.

Of course, even if you are not a Kobe fan, you will pay tribute to Kobe at this time.

From Gasol's absence at the beginning of the season to leading the team to the finals on his own in the playoffs, Kobe's season was definitely worth it.

With the end of the finals, the curtain of the 2009-2010 season has officially fallen.

After staying in Tempe for another week, Xu Yong heard that Kobe had returned to Los Angeles, so he bought a ticket and flew there.

After getting off the plane, he called Kobe: "Hey, Kobe, I beat LeBron, I think I can beat you now, where are you?"

…

A private gym in Los Angeles.

Xu Yong and Kobe both slumped on the sidelines, gasping for breath.

In just over an hour, they played 15 24-point one-on-ones until they were both exhausted, and the result was Kobe 10 to Xu Yong 5.

"Is this what you mean by being able to defeat me?" Kobe took a breath, then turned to Xu Yong and gave him a Nick Young question mark face.

"Okay! I admit that the gap between LeBron and you is a little bigger than I thought." Xu Yong said with a smile.

Players like Kobe will be very busy in the summer. It was pure luck that he met him during the offseason last year. If he really wants to learn something from him this year, he must learn to create opportunities.

So challenging Kobe to a duel was just an excuse. Of course, he also wanted to see the gap in strength between himself and Kobe.

Well, the facts prove that Kobe's ability in one-on-one battles is really strong, especially when he gets serious, his dominance is even stronger than in official games.

After hearing this, Kobe smiled and shook his head. He didn't say it, but if James really played him one-on-one, he would not lose a single game.

"Your problem is that your defense is not good enough." Kobe continued after laughing.

Xu Yong immediately sat up when he heard this, and then looked at Kobe seriously: "What should I do?"

Kobe was stunned. He didn't expect that he was caught by Xu Yong just by showing a corner of his body.

However, seeing Xu Yong so serious, he also sat up and analyzed with him very seriously: "Your defense now relies more on awareness and prediction, but judgment of this kind of thing may not work every time, especially when facing opponents with more offensive means."

Xu Yong nodded after hearing this.

Looking back at his playoffs last season, he performed well against the Cavaliers, or in other words, he performed well against James, and that was because of this.

Because of the physical confrontation, James doesn't have many offensive means, and the effect of his play is a bit similar to Leonard's Death Coil.

But in the second round against the Celtics, he couldn't perform that well against Ray Allen and Pierce.

"I'm listening." Seeing Kobe stopped, Xu Yong continued.

In fact, the reason he came to Kobe this time was to ask for advice on defensive skills.

What made him change his mind was the phone call from Foreman.

The fadeaway jump shot is a good thing. If Phil Jackson, or even DeNagro, were the current head coach of the Bulls, he would definitely prioritize learning this.

Because this technology is a great supplement to his positional warfare.

But if Thibodeau comes, he will have to put this priority behind.

Because what Thibodeau values ​​most is the players' defensive ability.

And the idea of ​​"I want it all" is a bit unrealistic for him this summer.

Because they will play in the World Championships later, you ask him to learn lob shots, defense, and fadeaways. His training intensity is high, but he doesn't know how to split himself.

However, Kobe did not continue speaking at this time, but touched his chin and looked at Xu Yong.

He is willing to give so much for Harden, which shows that he has high hopes for Harden.

Xu Yong...this guy was plotting against him last season.

"Well, if you can beat me again, I will tell you the tricks," Kobe said with a smile.

After listening to this, Xu Yong nodded, then stood up and went to get the ball.

Although he is not as strong as Kobe now, he still has a chance of winning if he only plays one game.

"What are you doing?" Kobe asked in confusion.

"Another game?" Xu Yong was holding the ball with a puzzled look on his face.

"No, no, that's not it. Come with me." Kobe said and stood up.

Xu Yong was even more confused now, but he still put the ball down and left the court with Kobe.

After following Kobe to the place, he finally understood what Kobe meant by "a game".

An ice bath is generally a recovery method after strenuous exercise. It can cause damaged capillaries to contract quickly, thereby reducing pain, relieving inflammation, and promoting muscle recovery.

In the era before Xu Yong was reborn, this ice water bath had been replaced by a liquid nitrogen freezer and was also widely used.

But in this era, this is all there is.

So this is what Kobe was talking about.

And after knowing this, he couldn't help laughing.

He doesn't have an absolute chance of winning in a one-on-one fight, but compared to this, he is sure to win.

"Don't be too happy too soon." Kobe started to take off his training clothes after seeing Xu Yong's expression, "I can't lose."

Xu Yong nodded, then took off his training suit, and the two of them quickly jumped into the ice water.

The moment you enter, the cold instantly invades your whole body, as if countless tiny needles were inserted into your pores. It is so painful that an ordinary person would jump up after sitting for a while.

However, NBA players who are used to using this method still have a certain resistance.

So as soon as they sat down, Kobe was joking with Xu Yong.

However, as time went on, neither of them spoke, because as their body temperature dropped, it slowly changed from resistance to willpower.

For most players, if they can last 10 minutes in this kind of ice water bath, they will pass the test, and the longest time will not exceed 15 minutes.

If it lasts more than 15 minutes, even if you have the willpower to handle it, your 18-centimeter brother won't be able to bear it.

Soon, the time came to ten minutes.

Kobe turned his head to look at Xu Yong at this time, and after seeing that Xu Yong was motionless, he turned back.

Soon, the time came to 12 minutes, and every second at this time began to become torture.

Kobe began to adjust his breathing.

Xu Yong was not feeling well at this time. Although he was immune to injuries, the pain would not go away.

Finally, when it came to 13 minutes, Kobe took a deep breath and said, "If you can't hold on, don't force it."

Xu Yong also gritted his teeth: "You can come out first."

Kobe didn't answer, but held the edge of the bucket with both hands and continued to adjust his breathing.

Time quickly came to the 14th minute, and Kobe's teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

Xu Yong was in a similar situation, but because he knew he wouldn't get hurt, he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

Finally, when the time came to the 15th minute, Kobe couldn't stand it anymore. He jumped out of the ice water bucket and screamed, and quickly went to wrap himself in a bath towel.

After wrapping himself in the bath towel, he looked back at Xu Yong who was still in the ice water, and he was really convinced.

This guy really doesn't care about his life!

Xu Yong stood up from the ice water the next second. He held the edge of the bucket and shivered uncontrollably. He said, "Let's have a bullfight next time."

"Yeah, I think so too." Kobe wrapped the bath towel tightly and nodded immediately.