Spoelstra ultimately did not make any adjustments to the lineup, because no matter how good Yao Ming is at playing, his physical strength is limited, especially since O'Neal could not play tonight. When the lineup was rotated, the Bulls' advantage in the interior would be gone.

As for the part where Yao Ming blew up the Heat's inside line, he admitted it.

And the reason he dared to do so was that Wade and Bosh were in good shape, especially Wade, whose scoring conversion rate after touching the ball was very high tonight.

So when both sides started rotating around nine minutes into the first quarter, the score was 24 to 18.

Yao Ming easily scored 14 points in the paint, but the Heat were only 6 points behind the Bulls.

And the lineup on the field at this time is also very interesting. On the Heat side: Chalmers, Jones, Miller, James, and Ilgauskas.

Unlike the opening game, Spoelstra did not let Wade and Bosh lead the transition period as substitutes, but instead put together a lineup that would be most comfortable for James to travel during off-peak hours.

On the Bulls side, there are Rose, Allen, Artest, Gibson, and O'Neal Jr.

The Bulls' lineup depth looks good, but their lineup substitution is not as good as the Heat's.

In other words, this is also the reason why Spoelstra insisted on not making any lineup adjustments tonight. He wanted to make up for the disadvantage in one go during this substitute transition period.

On the bench, Xu Yong came off the court to rest and chatted with O'Neal about the thefts that might occur in downtown Chicago.

He would not bother the Rose brothers because of Yao Ming, so he certainly would not do it for O'Neal.

"No, no, they will never come to my house." Unexpectedly, O'Neal looked confident.

This made Xu Yong very curious.

However, before O'Neal had time to explain, the situation on the court suddenly changed.

It must be said that Spoelstra is really good at adjusting the lineup.

The Heat have three shooters out of five players. Ilgauskas also has mid-range shooting range. The 120-kilogram James can dribble the ball and break through. Artest can't be stopped without his partner Yao Ming.

On the other hand, the Heat continued to double-team the ball handler on defense, while shrinking their defense and maintaining high-intensity defensive pressure on the court.

The result was that after the first quarter, the score was tied at 28, and the Heat had eliminated the gap in one go.

The pressure suddenly came to the Bulls.

The Bulls must stabilize the situation on the court before Yao Ming returns.

Thibodeau's choice was to expand the rotation.

At the start of the second quarter, the Heat still had the same lineup as at the end of the first quarter, while the Bulls had: Hinrich, Korver, Xu Yong, Gibson, and Asik.

This is a rare use of ten players in rotation.

The Bulls have the ball.

Seeing that the Heat's defense was still as tight as before, and that the person defending him was Miller, Xu Yong went straight to the high post and asked for the ball with his back to the basket.

In this situation on the field, you have to punish in the high post, otherwise the Heat's defense will continue to be so restrained.

Hinrich fed the ball to Xu Yong. Jones on the strong side didn't dare to move because Korver was crouching in the bottom corner, and James on the weak side double-teamed him.

But Xu Yong reacted quickly and passed the ball to Gibson at the free throw line before the double team formed.

Gibson took a decisive mid-range shot after receiving the ball.

“Swish!”

The basketball went into the net. He is a mid-range player who really thrives. The word "stable" is what he emphasizes.

If the battle becomes a positional battle, the Bulls can also return to the defensive end to fight with the Heat.

At this time, Xu Yong and Gibson took the initiative to switch defense and defended James.

The Bulls were also clear about this, first Artest and then Xu Yong, also giving the Kings VIP-level treatment.

James saw that Artest still had some ideas, and saw that Xu Yong called for a pick-and-roll without hesitation, preparing to continue to break through and score.

However, Xu Yong's puppy steps allowed him to move flexibly, leaving no chance for James to misplace his position.

James tried two pick-and-rolls but failed, so he had no choice but to force his way through Xu Yong.

“Bang!”

What was supposed to come eventually came. After communicating with Jordan, Xu Yong's awareness of protecting the ball was enhanced and his grasp of the timing of cutting the ball became more and more skillful.

Basically, the moment James started to break through with the ball, he cut the ball off.

What was cut this time was not the ball, but James' self-esteem.

James got so angry that he tried to pull Xu Yong away, but ended up just getting a puff of exhaust gas.

After Xu Yong stole the ball, he had already rushed out of the three-point line. After leaving a group of Heat players behind him, he slammed the ball into the basket with a two-handed dunk.

Thibodeau's lineup adjustments in the second quarter deserve at least nine points if full marks are given.

Seeing this, Spoelstra turned around and called Bosh and Wade.

James and Jones were substituted out for rest.

Spoelstra is really good at protecting his players, but James doesn't seem to appreciate it.

Just as Spoelstra was about to high-five James, James simply ignored him and bumped his shoulder hard as the two passed by each other.gif.

This scene happened to be projected onto the large LED screen, instantly causing a stir at the scene.

The tension in this Christmas game began to emerge, but unlike what many people expected, it did not come between the two teams, but between the Heat players and coaches.

This is bound to become a hot topic among fans after the game.

Spoelstra remained calm and returned to the bench as if nothing had happened.

As it turned out, his substitutions had an immediate effect.

Wade continued his excellent form in the first quarter as soon as he came on the court. After a pick-and-roll with Bosh, he broke into the inside and caused Asik to commit a hand foul, earning two free throws.

After adjusting his breathing and making two free throws, he stabilized the situation on the court for the Heat.

32 to 30, the Bulls were only leading by 2 points.

Xu Yong continued to receive the ball in the high position, and this time the Heat did not dare to double-team him easily.

Xu Yong got a chance to play one-on-one against Miller. He lowered his center of gravity and hit him from behind.

Miller guarded against Xu Yong walking to the left side.

Xu Yong is a right-handed general, and this is a very correct strategy to defend against back-to-the-basket attacks.

But just after he did this, Xu Yong felt his defensive center of gravity with his legs, and after a fake move of turning left to break through, he quickly turned right, while lifting the ball and pulling it back, widening the distance between him and him in an instant.

Although Xu Yong had only been training for half a month, his basic skills were so good that this one move had completely created space for him to shoot.

He jumped backward with his left leg facing the basket. His entire posture was at least 70% similar to Jordan's.

Miller didn't react at first, and by the time he did, Xu Yongren was already in the air.

The fans at the scene were also stunned.

Xu Yong had only been training before and had never used this move in a formal competition, so this time he used it it was simply amazing.

If it weren't for the number 6 printed on his back, everyone would have thought that Jordan was wearing the Bulls jersey again.

“Swish!”

Of course, posture is secondary. What’s important is that Xu Yong’s shot hit the basket steadily.

In fact, when Jordan was teaching Xu Yong to turn around and fade away, there was a default premise, that is, Xu Yong could make a shot from any position in the half court.

This may seem common, but it cannot be achieved without high-intensity training.

At this time, Spoelstra touched his chin hard with his hand.

He could not care less about James' behavior, but Xu Yong's high-level punishment made him feel a lot of pressure.

Because Xu Yong has a strong ability to attack facing the basket. If his back-to-the-basket attack can also be improved, Miller will really have no way to defend him.

Fortunately, when Yao Ming was not on the court, the Heat's offense was guaranteed with this lineup. Bosh found an opportunity in the low post to hit Asik, helping the Heat keep the score close.

O'Neal's inability to play has a great impact on the Bulls' inside strength.

In the Bulls' offense, Xu Yong continued to hold the ball with his back to the basket in the high post.

Bosh wanted to double-team from the weak side, but Xu Yong was facing the weak side when he had his back to the basket, and a fake pass forced Bosh back.

After Xu Yong felt that Miller's defensive focus was leaning to the left, he chose to turn left directly.

It was too late for Miller to realize that Xu Yong's move was not a fake. Xu Yong's explosive power was so strong that he could completely leave him behind with just one turn.

Seeing this, Ilgauskas wanted to come up to help defend, but Xu Yong had already completed a jump shot.

“Swish!”

The basketball fell into the net with the precision of a cruise missile.

After more than half a year of training, Xu Yong finally became confident in his lob shot.

The camera turned to Spoelstra on the sidelines, and the Heat head coach could only shake his head helplessly.

Xu Yong's progress is so fast that compared with the opening game, the pressure he put on the Heat has almost doubled.

Moreover, after Xu Yong scored consecutively, the morale of the Bulls team was obviously improved.

When Bosh was playing under the basket again, Gibson put pressure on him. His final shot went wide of the basket and the rebound was recovered by Xu Yong.

After a stalemate, the Bulls now have a chance to widen the score again.

However, after the switch from offense to defense, Xu Yong discovered that Wade had switched defense to him, and his expression and body language were extremely focused.

No matter what other people's mentality is, Wade really came here for revenge tonight.

Under Wade's tight defense, Xu Yong failed to receive the ball in the first attempt, and was forced to move to the three-point line before he received the ball in the second attempt.

Although Wade is one size smaller than him, the defensive pressure he provided was the greatest tonight.

Xu Yong did not choose to face the basket. Facing a guard like Wade who averaged 2 steals per game all year round, the risk of being intercepted when facing the basket was extremely high.

After waiting for his teammates to create space for one-on-one play, he started to post up from the three-point line with his back to Wade.

His advantages are size and confrontation, and his back-to-the-basket effect is obviously the best.

Wade couldn't stand up to Xu Yong. He kept trying to put pressure on the ball, but Xu Yong protected the ball very well.

Moreover, Xu Yong was not only protecting the ball, but also keeping an eye on the Heat's double-team. His head moving back and forth made the Heat dare not to double-team him.

Xu Yong quickly advanced to the high position. After feeling that Wade was guarding his right side, he did not make a fake move this time. He turned left directly to create distance between himself and Wade, then jumped up, turned around and leaned back.

His movements were still smooth and beautiful, and even the Heat's substitutes on the sidelines were fascinated by them.

Although they are opponents, just like Mac's pull-up jump shot, people always have an instinctive appreciation for beautiful things.

However, Wade showed his amazing reaction speed in this shot. He jumped up almost instantly and blocked Xu Yong's shot.

A contest of bouncing and hovering in the air between the two.

In the end, Xu Yong was the winner.

Although Wade is superior in physical fitness, his height means that it is almost impossible for him to block a forward-guard swingman of Xu Yong's size when they jump at the same time.

After Wade began to fall, Xu Yong completed a two-step shot and made his fadeaway shot.

The basketball spun in the air, drawing a beautiful parabola...

“Swish!”

Once again, the profit was empty.

There was a burst of cheers at the scene.

Xu Yong just painted a picture at the American Airlines Arena.

Elegant and timeless.

Even Wade smiled helplessly after seeing the ball go in.

Just talking about the ball just now, even Kobe Bryant may not be able to make it now.

Only McGrady before his injury had given him this feeling of powerlessness.

As expected, for the same skills, talent still determines the upper limit.

Not only Wade, but Swift in the front row of the audience couldn't help but have a happy look in her eyes.

Although she doesn't understand these basketball techniques, the way he waited for the ball to fall before shooting was really cool to her.

If she hadn't brought popcorn tonight, she would have danced for Xu Yong.

38 to 32.

After Xu Yong scored 8 points in a row in the second quarter, the Bulls once again widened the gap.

The photographer on the scene then shot the shot of James on the sidelines.

This shot is very meaningful.

In fact, even Miami fans hope that James can perform well in tonight's game, at least when facing Xu Yong.

After all, James has won two consecutive MVPs and his status in the league is higher than Wade.

But so far, tonight's game can basically be said to be Wade and Bosh dragging James along.

Especially in the previous section, Xu Yong, as a sophomore player, has demonstrated all kinds of techniques, including facing the basket, back to the basket, turning and fade away, and small lobs.

On the other hand, James, who is already in his eighth year in the league, is still using his violent breakthrough skills.

The key is that it is still in a misfire state.

What people fear most is comparison.

Especially James changed to No. 6 this season.

As a result, the contrast between No. 6 and No. 6 becomes even more striking.

After noticing the live camera, Spoelstra stood up and called both James and Arroyo.

I have to say, he is really a very good coach.

But at the same time, Thibodeau also responded by replacing Yao Ming and Artest.

The result was that James' face turned green in an instant under the camera.

He looked at Spoelstra resentfully. At this moment, he just felt that this Filipino was making things difficult for him tonight.