Time in training camp passed quickly.
After a few days of observation and basically knowing the players' conditions, Thibodeau began to group them according to their conditions.
Those who he considers qualified will start tactical training under the leadership of Ma Long, while those who he considers unqualified will undergo high-intensity basic training on their own to quickly recover.
His principles are simple and can basically be summarized into two points.
First, competitive sports is not a dinner party. Whether it is a game on the field or training off the field, he requires the players to give 100% of their effort.
"If you just don't want to be pushed to the limit, you will be eliminated from this league very quickly," Thibodeau said.
Second, everyone on the team has his or her own position and value, and no one is dispensable.
“If you don’t know what you can do, come to me and I’ll tell you.”
If the previous one was harsh, then this one made Xu Yong see the tenderness he had seen a few nights ago.
Xu Yong found that in just a few days, he broke the rigid image of Thibodeau in his mind before his rebirth, which was as rigid as Jeff Van Gundy. Thibodeau was a very capable and charismatic coach.
But think about it, it makes sense that a rookie head coach could lead the Bulls, who only had Boozer, to dominate the Eastern Conference for two seasons by suppressing the Big Three of the Heat. This cannot be done without real talent.
All in all, the Bulls, who underwent a major overhaul during the offseason, have improved their team cohesion, regardless of how they perform after Thibodeau's changes.
Even O'Neal, who was initially classified as not in good condition, worked hard on the bicycle to recover under Thibodeau's individual guidance.
The Bulls' head coach search was definitely worth it.
The training camp time passed quickly, and the preseason began in the blink of an eye.
This year, the Bulls' preseason games were all scheduled in the United States.
There were no surprises in this process. With 7 wins and 0 losses, the Bulls demonstrated their lineup depth.
That’s right, it’s not the team’s strength, but the depth of the lineup, because Thibodeau gave the substitutes a lot of opportunities to show their skills.
This is not to say that he has become completely unrecognizable to Xu Yong, but the Bulls' substitutes have too many capable players, and Thibodeau can only do this to figure out the rotation lineup.
And it is still worth giving so much time. Hinrich and Korver on the outside and O'Neal in the inside have become his favorite 8-man rotation, followed by O'Neal and others.
The preseason is over, and ESPN, like in previous years, has begun making predictions about the strength of each team in the new season.
The team James is in once again ranked first on this list.
Although this year may be the year that seems to be the most deserving.
1. Miami Heat
The unprecedented super team, the Heat's Big Three ranked 1/5/12 respectively in the MVP list last season, this is a team that can win even when O'Neal's grandmother leads the team.
In addition to the Big Three, they also signed Mike Miller with a mid-level contract, retained Haslem at a price below the market price, and "Big Z" Ilgauskas also followed James to the Heat on a minimum salary, just to fulfill a championship dream.
They also signed a group of minimum-salary players who came here because of their reputation and are still capable of fighting.
The only question is, can they break the 72-win record set by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the new season?
2. Lakers
The Lakers are still the same Lakers. Their reinforcements in the free market are very limited. They only brought in Matt Barnes with a minimum salary, but their bigger changes will come from within. Bynum's growth will provide the greatest boost to the team.
This season, Kobe has the opportunity to become another player after Jordan who has completed three consecutive championships once or twice.
Of course, it is very difficult because the Heat are likely to make Kobe and the Lakers fail.
But at least, fans finally have the opportunity to see the 23VS24 scene on the stage of the finals.
3. Magic
4. Celtics
5. Mavericks
6. Spurs
7. Thunder
8. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls' performance last season was impressive, but instead of strengthening the roster, management once again made a big trade, sending away two starters for the second consecutive season and replacing the team's head coach.
Although they have made a lot of signings in the free market, the team's chemistry is worrying due to such a huge team change, and Yao Ming's injury is also their biggest hidden danger.
If they can overcome these two problems, they may become a tough opponent for the Heat in the Eastern Conference.
…
"Eighth? The ESPN guy must have been kicked in the head by a donkey!" Artest looked unhappy when he saw this strength list. They should be at least a top five team, but now they are ranked behind the Thunder.
"Not bad, we were both twentieth last year." Ross forced a smile.
"These guys really don't take us seriously." Artest was still indignant.
"Very good." Xu Yong stood up at this time, and his action also attracted the attention of other people in the locker room.
"We can win the game again." He continued lightly.
When he said this, the team members were stunned at first, and then they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Even Artest laughed after realizing it belatedly.
Xu Yong's words are very profound.
But it really makes people happy all of a sudden.
They are ranked eighth now. If they can beat the Heat in the playoffs, it will indeed be another "black eighth".
We don’t even have to wait until the playoffs.
"Our opening game is against the Heat, right?" Rose said at this time.
"Yeah, the league takes good care of us." Yao Ming, who had been silent, said with anticipation.
"Then get ready, brothers, and let them see the strength of our black eight team." Xu Yong then looked around at everyone and said.
This double entendre instantly made the Bulls players eager to try.
The opening game must be a great success!
By the way, there are two opening games this year. In addition to the Heat and the Bulls, there is also a game between the Lakers and the Thunder.
However, the treatment of the teams participating in the opening game is also different.
The Heat and the Bulls have the first and second most back-to-back games in the league this season, respectively, and the teams they played against at the beginning of the season are all strong.
Obviously, this is a special treatment given to them by Stern, who was almost frustrated last season.
…
The season is about to begin and each team has completed its final cuts.
The result on the Bulls side was the same as Xu Yong had expected, and the veterans were the ones left in the end.
Because the Bulls' current lineup is relatively stable, even if there are any unexpected situations, they can still make trades during the season, so stability is the first principle.
As for veterans, as players deep on the bench, they are less likely to get upset and can provide game experience for the team's young players.
It was at this time that Xu Yong received a call from Sun Yue.
He didn't get a chance with the Suns before, but finally managed to stay on the Warriors' 15-man roster.
"Congratulations, remember to treat me to a meal next time you come to Jinzhou." Xu Yong joked.
He was really happy. No matter why the Warriors kept Sun Yue, at least Sun Yue could get good training.
For the men's basketball team that lacks guards, this is the most important thing.
As the season draws closer, the media begins to hype up the opening game.
The opening game between the Heat and the Bulls quickly attracted a lot of attention.
The debut of the Big Three, plus the grudges between the Bulls and James, and between James and two former Rockets players Yao Ming and Artest, all the elements of this game are fully utilized.
The game will be held at the United Center, home of the Bulls.
On this day, a large number of fans gathered inside and outside the stadium early.
Although the World Championships allowed Chicago fans to experience the power of the Yao-Xu combination in advance, what they are really looking forward to is the Bulls in the new season.
You know, this is the first time since Jordan retired that the Bulls have become a true championship team.
The enthusiasm of the gang bosses is like a fire in winter, warming Chicago.
Of course, in addition to the fans, there were many stars who came to join in the fun, such as pop singer Taylor Swift in the front row of the audience, and Scarlett Johansson, who became famous for her role as "Black Widow" in "Iron Man 2".
You know, this opening game was also the debut of the Heat's Big Three.
This past offseason, the outside world was eagerly awaiting the debut of this super team.
However, when the players from both teams started to walk out of the player tunnel, all the fans' attention was drawn to the players.
At the beginning, the camera kept giving players from both sides, which also kept igniting the emotions of the fans at the scene.
James, Wade, Xu Yong, and Yao Ming were all All-Star starters last season, and Bosh and Rose were also substitutes.
This ordinary regular season game brought together six All-Stars, and the star power alone was dazzling enough.
The photographer also thoughtfully gave split shots of Xu Yong and James.
Xu Yong wore No. 23 in college, and James wore No. 23 before joining the Heat. Now both of them are wearing No. 6. This sense of destiny is simply the favorite of fans.
When the warm-up began on the field, the commentator on the sidelines couldn't help but start warming up.
The guest commentators tonight are also heavyweights, including TNT's ace commentators Barkley and Kenny Smith.
"Charles, who do you think will win tonight?" Smith asked.
"Who can win? Man, your way of asking is wrong. You should ask by how many points the Heat can win!" Barkley raised his voice with a look of dissatisfaction.
"I can't imagine the Heat losing, so the Bulls can only wish them the best!" Barkley added.
Kenny Smith was delighted to hear this.
In fact, it is different from what many people think. Except for ESPN, other media are sarcastic about the Heat's grouping. However, Barkley himself has been a big shot, so he can only say this in a veiled way.
As they were talking, the warm-up on the field ended and the opening ceremony began.
The Heat took the field first as the visiting team.
When they came on the stage, the fans at the scene gave them the most enthusiastic... cheers.
Chicago fans don't care that the Big Three were once very close to the Bulls. They just express the most primitive and true disdain in their hearts.
Among the Big Three, Wade had a wry smile on his face when he appeared on the court. From the United States to China and then back to the United States, he has been ridiculed more in recent months than in the first seven years of his career.
James nodded along with the boos, as if he really enjoyed the feeling of being the public enemy.
As for Bosh, he had a blank expression on his face when he appeared on the court, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Carlos Arroyo, Wade, James, Bosh, Ilgauskas.
In the Heat's three-and-two lineup, the two "twos" are not bad either.
When the home team Bulls came out, the familiar background music of "Sirius" played, and the Chicago fans burst into cheers.
The red flame will once again sweep across the alliance!
The Bulls' starting lineup is also very eye-catching, because the only players fans can confirm as the starters are Rose, Xu Yong and Yao Ming, and the rest are very uncertain.
The final starting lineup came out: Rose, Tony Allen, Xu Yong, Artest, and Yao Ming.
Thibodeau finally chose the lineup he used most in the preseason.
When seeing this lineup, James on the Heat bench couldn't help but laugh out loud.
This lineup doesn't even have a proper power forward. Do they think Bosh can't beat Artest, or do they think Yao Ming can defend Bosh?
The Bulls' biggest failure was choosing a rookie like Thibodeau as their head coach.
The final tactical arrangements were completed and the starting lineups of both sides came on the field one after another.
James still chose to be the last one to appear, and then he found the right position for the camera and threw out his domineering magnesium powder.
He must throw the magnesium powder because it represents his team.
Yao Ming and Ilgauskas were jumping the ball in the center circle, with two 2.20+ meter giants competing for the ball, and it basically depended on who had the quicker hands.
In the end, Yao Ming, who had just finished the World Championships, was faster and won the Bulls the opportunity to attack first.
The head coach of the Heat is Spoelstra. At this time, Spoelstra's resume is very similar to that of Mike Malone of the Bulls. The main difference is that he has been the head coach of the Heat for two years, but he is essentially still a rookie coach.
He was sitting on the bench at this time, looking straight at the court.
In the opening game of the new season, he was more observing.
Because he is coaching the Big Three, he must make sure that everything he says is well-founded, otherwise the Big Three will become antagonistic to him and he won't be able to stay as head coach for long.
Rose held the ball and organized the play, then quickly made a tactical gesture.
Yao Ming quickly moved to the high post to set an off-ball screen for Xu Yong, and after that he quickly cut into the basket.
However, the Heat's defense was well controlled by Spoelstra. James successfully squeezed through the screen, and Big Z also reached out to interfere with the pass to Yao Ming. This tactic did not get any good offensive opportunities.
Seeing this, Rose made another tactical gesture, and Yao Ming then went directly to the free throw line to set up a screen for Rose.
This time, Rose successfully used Yao Ming's pick-and-roll to shoot a mid-range jump shot near the free throw line.
“Swish!”
The basketball went into the net.
Rose's summer training was fruitful.
The Bulls came out on top.
Moreover, from the Bulls' two consecutive offensive attempts at the beginning of the game, we can see the Bulls' positional warfare tactics, pick-and-roll.
This is also the reason why Thibodeau was in such a hurry to cut the pick-and-roll materials before, because practicing new tactics is not something that can be done overnight, but requires a lot of time.
However, the effort paid off, and judging from the performance at the start, this tactic is very suitable for the Bulls' current lineup.
Of course, the Heat fans and players didn't care much. It was just a 2-point shot by Rose, who was not good at it. It was a gift to you.
You know, the Big Three’s strength lies in offense!
Arroyo dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and passed it to James who was asking for the ball at the top of the arc.
As Xu Yong knew, James' weight increased to 120 kilograms this summer.
The feeling of strength that comes from having muscles all over his body and even in his brain makes his self-confidence swell infinitely. He is now eager to prove that he is different from last season.