The Bulls' opening opponent is the Mavericks.

Stern will still make arrangements. In such a tight, shortened season, he will still be able to arrange all the necessary games for you.

This opening game & Christmas battle allow fans to directly connect with the last game.

In addition, Nowitzki's flu was also an important reason for the Mavericks' loss last season.

Now both sides are healthy, if there are any grudges, we can settle them with one shot.

Here I have to talk about another small turning point in history.

In history, after winning the championship, Nowitzki basically entered the stage of "wishes fulfilled, playing basketball in a Buddhist way". After winning the championship, he returned to his country to participate in the European Championships, but ended up injuring himself.

But now, having failed to win the championship, what he is doing during this long suspension period is to recover his body and keep training.

Therefore, Nowitzki's condition at this time is much better than the same period in history.

Chicago, the United Center is full.

Jordan also appeared at the United Center tonight.

Because in addition to the game tonight, there will also be an award ceremony for the championship rings and a flag-raising ceremony for the championship flag.

This is quite a memorable moment.

Jordan was sitting in the front row of the audience. When Xu Yong saw him, he took the initiative to go over and shake hands and hug Jordan.

"The glory also belongs to you." Xu Yong said while hugging Jordan.

This sentence is a double entendre, meaning that Jordan is a Bulls legend, and also that Jordan contributed to last season's championship.

Jordan laughed out loud when he heard this and said, "You are really good at talking, kid."

Just after saying hello, Jordan suddenly noticed that there was someone not far behind Xu Yong looking at him.

He looked over and was stunned for a moment.

Why does this kid look so familiar?

If he had a buzz cut, he would look about 70% like he did when he was young.

After discovering this, Jordan thought about it carefully.

For black Americans, sowing seeds is a habit.

But Jordan became famous early and did a good job in this regard. Even when he went out for fun, he always held the umbrella properly.

But umbrellas are not 100% safe, not to mention those with good intentions.

Jordan tried to recall where he had been and who he had looked for during that time based on Butler's age.

But this happened more than 20 years ago, and he was so busy every day that he had forgotten it completely.

So he finally withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at Butler.

There are so many people in this world who look alike, this is just a coincidence.

Even if it wasn't a coincidence, he had no reason to acknowledge an illegitimate child as the heir to his property.

Butler also looked away.

In fact, he is not blind and he knows that he looks a bit like Jordan.

But he won't be recognized as a relative by a wealthy family like in those Hong Kong and Taiwan dramas, because he has no feelings for his biological father. He can't say he hates him, but he doesn't love him either.

A man who has not fulfilled any obligation to support his child is not worthy of being his father.

So what if he is really Jordan?

Just at this moment, the lights on the scene hit the center of the stage, where many sparkling white championship rings were already placed.

Championship rings are all different, but as the NBA has become richer in recent years, the main part of them is made of diamonds, highlighting the word "rich".

This year's championship ring is no exception. According to media reports, Lauensdorf was willing to spend money this time, and the cost of one ring was as high as 200,000.

After Stern said some congratulatory words, the championship award ceremony began.

The first people to receive the ring were the management. When Foreman received the ring, he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Every NBA championship will change the fate of many people, and Foreman is one of them.

Moreover, the general manager is rarely mentioned in normal times, but at this moment, many people remembered that Foreman was just a rookie in the position of general manager.

He selected Xu Yong, whose draft prospects were not in the top three, and had the guts to trade Noah and Deng for Yao Ming, not to mention signing free agents. Later, he even had the guts to trade James Johnson and Korver for Battier. Let's not talk about other things about this general manager, but at least he is bold enough.

After the management received their rings, the coaching staff was next.

When Thibodeau's bald head appeared on the LED screen, there were whistles and cheers from the audience.

When you are unable to lead a team to success, your appearance will become one of the targets of attack by others.

But when you lead the team to success, this shiny forehead looks quite cute.

Malone, who came on the court next, also enjoyed a lot of cheers. Thibodeau is not very good at offensive tactics, and Malone made an indispensable contribution in this regard.

As the saying goes, the one who plans strategies in the tent and decides victories on the court is Zhuge Ma Long.

Once the coaching staff is done, the players will be next.

Xu Yong was the first to appear on the court. As the FMVP of the finals, this treatment was understandable.

Xu Yong walked to the center of the court and shook hands with Lauensdorf.

Lauensdorf also took the initiative to hug him, which caused cheers from the fans at the scene and made Jordan in the front row sigh.

Although he won two three-peat championships with the Bulls, his relationship with the management was very bad, especially during the second three-peat. It was almost like they were at loggerheads.

Some people would say that it was only between him and the general manager, Klaus, but in fact, the general manager is the executor of the boss's will, and they are essentially a community of interests, so they were called "the two Jerrys" at the time.

But now, Xu Yong seems to be much better than he was before.

Xu Yong took the championship ring and walked back to the team amid the cheers of the audience.

It was during this process that he carefully observed the ring and couldn't help but laugh.

Generally speaking, the year of the championship is written on one side of the ring, and the other side is blank.

After all, these "words" are all inlaid with gems, and adding one more will cost a lot more.

But on the other side of the ring, there is a big "7".

It cannot be said to be unintentional, it can only be said to be intentional.

The number 7 is too sensitive and too topical because of James' high-profile remarks and his speech at the awards ceremony last season.

There is indeed a meaning in the dark.

Butler tried to move his head to see what the championship ring looked like.

For a newcomer like him, this thing is very attractive.

When Xu Yong found out, he threw the ring to him.

If you want to watch it, watch it carefully.

"Don't be envious, you will have it next season too." He added.

These words had a strong fishy smell, but Butler nodded seriously.

A championship ring is only meaningful if you get it with your own hands.

After the championship ring award ceremony is over, the flag-raising ceremony will follow.

In the 2010-2011 championship, the championship flag was raised again at the United Center after 13 years. The fans at the scene stood up collectively, and many old Chicago fans couldn't help crying.

Jordan also had some emotional fluctuations.

This stadium is where he experienced ups and downs as well as where he gained glory, and it occupies too much space in his life.

Seeing the glory being achieved again here, how could he not be touched even though there had been those unpleasant things?

When the seventh championship banner was raised to the top of the arena, the United Center was filled with the cheers of fans.

Xu Yong also raised his hand and clenched his fist.

From this moment on, they are the defending champions.

Becoming the defending champion means becoming the public enemy of the entire league in the true sense, and the challenges encountered will be doubled.

This journey is destined to be completely different from last season. Only after experiencing it once will you know why defending the title is so difficult.

After the award ceremony, there was a warm-up session, followed by the opening ceremony.

The Mavericks played first as the visiting team.

But their starting lineup was surprising.

Kidd, Carter, Leonard, Nowitzki, Chandler.

Carlisle actually put Marion on the bench and let Leonard start directly!

Xu Yong was also surprised. Carlisle, or the Mavericks, valued Leonard so much?

Of course, Butler on the bench suddenly became full of fighting spirit.

His lifelong enemy started from a much higher point than him, but he will definitely catch up.

After the Mavericks came on the court, the Bulls sang the classic "Sirius" and the whole stadium cheered again.

As the defending champion, the momentum is really different.

Rose, Xu Yong, Artest, Gibson, Yao Ming.

Although the Bulls kept O'Neal Jr., in order to protect Yao Ming, they will let O'Neal Jr. play more as Yao Ming's substitute, and then play in the decisive moments.

So overall, O'Neal's playing time has not decreased.

After the opening ceremony, the starting players of both sides came on stage one after another.

The Mavericks players can't wait, and the Bulls are also eager to try.

One side wants to prove themselves again, while the other side obviously wants to have a perfect championship night.

"beep!"

As the referee blew the whistle, Yao Ming pushed the ball back to half court, and the opening game, the Christmas game, officially began.

That is, the moment the matchup on the court was formed, everyone knew why Carlisle arranged Leonard to start.

Because he went directly against Xu Yong on the defensive end.

All this seems reasonable because Carter is also a forward-guard swingman. Unlike Stevenson last season, he can compete with Artest.

Although Leonard suffers from a height disadvantage, his wingspan is terrifying, coupled with his big hands, he is a top-notch defensive talent.

After seeing this, Rose played pick-and-roll with Yao Ming. After seeing Kidd circling the defense, he directly shot a three-pointer from the outside.

“Swish!”

The knife fell with a sudden movement.

This was the opening performance where he showed off the results of his training during the past suspended season.

Although he certainly can't develop the three-point shot like Curry, not to mention his talent, his two-stage shooting can't reach the speed of the one-stage shooting.

But if you let him shoot in open space like this, you will be punished now.

This goal immediately made the United Center boil.

Rose has a stable three-point shot?

Even if it is a fixed-point open three-pointer, the improvement it brings to the Bulls is huge!

At this time, Xu Yong temporarily gave up the idea of ​​asking for the ball. If Rose was in good shape, he would let him play more.

You know, the shortened season has just begun, and tough games are foreseeable in the future, so it would be great to be able to lie down for a while.

However, the Mavericks did not fulfill his wish. Instead, Nowitzki held the ball and attracted double-teaming to pass the ball to Leonard on the outside. Leonard received the ball and shot a three-pointer, scoring the first goal of his NBA career.

This scene stunned Xu Yong.

His impression was that Leonard didn't have much scoring ability when he first entered the NBA?

Could it be that his impression was distorted?

In fact, his perception is somewhat biased, because Leonard was already a qualified 3D player when he was a rookie.

Of course, that was under the training of the Spurs system.

But now, Leonard still relies more on himself.

Leonard is already a qualified defensive player in the NCAA, but he has not been able to develop his shooting.

But he is far from being as dull as he looks, and he knows exactly what he needs to do.

So when he learned that Nowitzki was in Dallas during the offseason, he went there on purpose.

This is actually not a unique thing in this offseason, just like Butler and Xu Yong, Derrick Williams and Kobe.

The lockout deprived these rookies of the opportunity to play in the NBA, but it did not limit their contact with active players.

Although Leonard didn't meet Nowitzki the first time because he didn't have the contact information and missed it the second time, he finally met the Dallas legend when he went for the third time.

Nowitzki was a little surprised by Leonard's arrival, but when he heard that the other party came to improve his shooting skills, he immediately smiled.

After all, at a time like this, who would reject a rookie who wants to improve?

However, he didn't know how to train shooting, so he asked his mentor Holger, and after obtaining the other party's consent, he took Leonard back to his secret training base in Germany.

So Leonard is another shooting machine created by Holger after Nowitzki.

Yes, although this guy was trained differently, the expressionless look on his face after shooting the ball really makes him look like a machine.

And back on the defensive end, Leonard relied on his super long wingspan to assist in defense and complete the steal.

There is nothing wrong with Rose's passing, but Leonard's wingspan is too terrifying. He is 1.98 meters barefoot and has a wingspan of 2.21 meters, which is even more amazing than Jordan.

Of course, what’s more important is his big hands. You know, a big part of the reason why Rondo has so many steals is because of his big hands.

After Leonard completed the steal, he made a fast break. Although his speed was not fast, he still relied on his physical fitness to squeeze Rose out and score the ball.

The fans at the scene were stunned.

Where did this newcomer come from?

Because the lockout lasted so long, they even forgot that the Mavericks selected such a player.

On the Bulls bench, Butler couldn't help shaking his legs.

If possible, he really wants to go on the court and face off against Leonard now.

At the same time, in the second row of the Mavericks bench, Cuban, who traveled with the team, waved his fist excitedly.

As expected, Foreman had a good vision and they really made a great choice by selecting Leonard.

Xu Yong happened to notice Cuban's gaze at this time.

Without much hesitation, he reached the high position in the frontcourt and leaned against Leonard to reach out for the ball.

After seeing this, Rose quickly passed the ball and then signaled to clear the strong side.

The experience of last season's finals, including Xu Yong's actions, has led to a natural transition of power within the Bulls.

You are strong and you always think about your teammates. If James can do these things, there won't be so many twists and turns in becoming the boss of the Heat.

The scene was immediately filled with boos from the fans.

Jordan couldn't help but smile and nod. This behavior of not being used to by newcomers was very much his style.

There was still no emotion on Leonard's face, but from his tense body, it could be seen that he was nervous at the moment.

Starting for a championship-contending team in his first game in the league is stressful in itself, not to mention facing off against a player of Xu Yong's level.

For the first ball, Xu Yong chose to play a singles game facing the basket.

The start of the falling step and the breakthrough with double change of direction.

Leonard wanted to steal the ball, but he missed and lost his defensive position, and was completely shaken. He could only watch Xu Yong rush into the inside and completed a two-handed dunk in the Mavericks' interior.

The scene was instantly filled with cheers from the fans.

It has to be Xu Yong!

After Xu Yong landed, he turned around and glanced at Leonard. Didn’t he know that Leonard was good at steals?

But often when a person is too confident in what he is good at, it will backfire.

This move of his can be regarded as a lesson for the rookie Leonard.

This wave of play was very morale-boosting, and Gibson actually fought hard to defend Nowitzki's attack alone.

After advancing to the frontcourt, Xu Yong continued to lean against Leonard and reach out for the ball.

When it comes to things like taking classes, how can one class be enough? How can one type of class be enough?

After learning English, you have to learn Japanese, Korean, and Russian.

Only by mastering different postures can you learn different knowledge.

This time, after receiving the ball, Xu Yong chose to attack with his back to the basket.

Leonard looked even more nervous at this moment. He was still recalling the previous round and reflecting on his experience. He didn't expect Xu Yong to change his posture.

And he didn't even have time to react, Xu Yong stuck out his butt and hit him directly.

He finally understood why Marion said so much to him before the game. Xu Yong was too tough in confrontation.

Originally he played as a power forward in the NCAA, and confrontation was his advantage, but when facing Xu Yong, it turned into a disadvantage.

Moreover, Xu Yong's back-to-the-basket play is different from Kobe's. His style is closer to Jordan's. It is simple but powerful, with a fake turn and a back turn to the free throw line.

However, Leonard's defense is indeed something. Although his center of gravity was shifted in the first confrontation, he still rushed forward immediately and used his long arms to interfere with Xu Yong's shot.

Xu Yong was also a little surprised, but not too shocked.

Leonard is called "the strongest perimeter defender in history" by some people. Although this is a bit exaggerated, his talent and defensive awareness are indeed strong.

And these things are innate, otherwise how could people defend James and make him swear in the third grade.

The basketball flew over Leonard's fingertips and into the basket.

“Swish!”

Another empty pocket.

The lesson Xu Yong taught Leonard this time is called "Psychological Quality".

Even if there is defensive interference, the shot is still stable and the ball can still be made.

Leonard's face finally showed some expression at this moment, and he frowned, obviously a little frustrated.

You have to know that his expressions at the beginning of the game, in addition to the summer training, were also inseparable from the encouragement from his coaching staff and teammates.

This Mavericks team is a team that plays as a team, and the internal atmosphere is no worse than that of the Spurs next door.

But his performance in the past two rounds clearly disappointed them all.

"Don't worry too much, keep your confidence." Just then, Nowitzki came over and patted him on the shoulder.

After a summer of getting along, they became both teachers and friends.

Leonard nodded. After all, Xu Yong was the FMVP, and he was playing against the Mavericks. He would never be defended so easily.

The Mavericks also responded on the offensive end, with Carter turning around and making a layup to score two points.

Although the "UFO" can't fly very well now, it has made a lot of technological progress.

7 flat.

The way these two teams played was really like they were playing Game 6 of the finals which no longer exists.

Xu Yong continued to ask for the ball in the frontcourt for one-on-one play because he found that the Mavericks had not double-teamed him.

This should be Carlisle's strategy for this game, or Carlisle has unlimited trust in Leonard tonight.

Xu Yong didn't know whether Leonard would let Carlisle down, but he knew he had to seize this one-on-one opportunity.

Xu Yong continued to back down Leonard, but this time Leonard stuck very closely to him, leaving him no space to turn around and lean back.

This guy has a quick learning ability.

This time, Xu Yong chose to turn around and break through.

After suffering a loss, Leonard did not easily steal the ball, but tried hard to keep up with Xu Yong's pace.

After breaking into the three-second zone, Xu Yong made a turning shot with a heavy hit on his center foot.

Leonard obviously couldn't keep up with the rhythm this time. His strength is static. When he played against Xu Yong, he seemed to be unable to keep up with the pace.

Although he tried hard to rush forward to interfere, he ended up hitting Xu Yong's arm with his hand and was called for a hand error by the referee.

"Bang!"

What's worse is that after being hit, Xu Yong used his core strength in the air and still completed the shot steadily, and the ball hit the backboard and shot into the net.

This ball is still a 2+1!

I don't know if it's because he didn't play basketball for too long this past summer, or if it's because tonight is the championship night of the award ceremony, but Xu Yong started off as hot as Tokyo.

Xu Yong made another free throw, and he has scored 7 points in a row with his combination of breakthroughs and shots.

Leonard obviously couldn't guard him.

The live camera was given to Carlisle on the sidelines. The photographer seemed to be telling the Mavericks head coach in this way that you are no good.

Carlisle glanced at the large LED screen, then looked away without making any adjustments.

As an experienced coach, he knows one thing very well: True gold is tested by fire.

Not to mention defense, if Leonard has the potential to limit Xu Yong, then the Mavericks will have a chance to win when they meet the Bulls again.

Otherwise, even if the Mavericks keep their current lineup and meet the Bulls again in the finals, it will only be another failure.

In a regular season, even if it is the opening game, the cost of trial and error is worth it.

Carlisle didn't react much, but Butler's eyes were shining on the Bulls bench.

His senior is really awesome.

In fact, he did watch the finals when he was in Tempe, but the feeling of sitting on the sidelines and watching the game was completely different from sitting in front of the TV.

The details of the game and the various confrontations in the off-ball rounds cannot be seen in the live broadcast.

If the offense had not been in the opponent's half, he would have wanted to stare at Xu Yong to see clearly how he beat Leonard.

“Bang!”

Then he didn't see the offense, but he saw the defense.

Xu Yong seized the opportunity and directly intercepted Nowitzki's pass to the outside.

This round was full of details, because Xu Yong used puppy steps to quickly bypass the screen, and then used the screen's vision to rush out and complete the steal.

It's full of useful information.

After Xu Yong completed the steal, he quickly started a fast break.

On the Mavericks side, only Leonard, who was preparing to receive the ball outside the three-point line, caught up.

This time it was a one-on-one contest in a fast break.

Although Leonard didn't dare to steal the ball, the ball he gave was very pressured.

Xu Yong did not change direction or slow down while advancing and passed him.

However, Leonard was unable to stop Xu Yong's advancement.

The two people quickly moved from the backcourt three-point line to the frontcourt three-point line.

At this time, Xu Yong had an obvious process of deceleration and then acceleration. Although this did not allow him to get rid of Leonard, it allowed him to gain the jumping speed.

After rushing into the free throw line, he pushed the ground hard with his right foot when he landed and flew directly into the air.

Leonard didn't expect Xu Yong to have such terrifying explosive power. You know, he has been putting pressure on Xu Yong.

But at this moment he had no other choice but to jump as hard as he could and block Xu Yong.

However, this choice shows his lack of experience. If he had seen Xu Yong dunk over James, or knew about Chandler being dunked over in the finals, he would have either taken a gamble and cut the ball or gotten out of the way.

There can only be one consequence of this choice.

“Bang!”

Amid the exclamations of the fans at the scene, Xu Yong directly rushed over Leonard in the air, then slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!

In terms of static talent, Leonard is good enough, but his dynamics are far worse than Xu Yong.

In this kind of high-climbing competition, it is impossible for Leonard to stop Xu Yong.

Leonard fell under the basket and collided with the photographer.

What's even more cruel is that the referee's whistle also sounded.

Xu Yong, scored 2+1 on Leonard consecutively!

The free courses are of average quality, and the truly high-quality courses are all charged!

On the bench, Butler was shocked.

He had previously been lamenting Leonard's high starting point, but now he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for his lifelong enemy.

Xu Yong is not just fierce, he is a bit too cruel!

Put yourself in his shoes. Even if you were the one sitting under the basket, your confidence would probably be shaken.

After all, in his first NBA game, the opposing player scored 9 points in a row. Not only did he make his trouser pockets rip, but he was also violently dunked on.

Really, just two words "brutal" are enough to be remembered for a lifetime.

Carlisle then replaced Leonard with Marion.

Not only did Leonard already have two fouls, but he also realized that his actions might have been a bit too hasty.

When Leonard left the court, he reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

Leonard nodded, sat down, placed the towel on his knees, and then fell into a daze.

It was obvious that at this moment his mind was frantically recalling the past rounds of confrontation with Xu Yong.

After a while he couldn't help but shook his head.

Because he realized that he couldn't stop Xu Yong now.

…

104 to 89.

The Bulls eventually defeated the Mavericks at home.

It can be felt during the game that the Mavericks' strength has not declined much, but the Bulls' strength has obviously improved.

This is definitely a winning start that will give Chicago fans confidence in defending their title, and it is also the best Christmas gift they have received tonight.

In terms of post-match statistics, Xu Yong scored a team-high 31 points, plus 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Rose made 2 of 4 three-pointers, scoring 23 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists. Yao Ming also had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Butler did not get a chance to play.

For the Mavericks, Nowitzki scored 27 points and Terry scored 17 points.

Leonard played for 20 minutes in his career debut, making 2 of 9 shots and scoring 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 fouls.

His start can be said to be very successful, but his mentality was affected after being knocked off the court by Xu Yong, and he struggled on the offensive end.

However, his flaws do not outweigh his strengths, and his ability on the defensive end still has great potential.

When shaking hands at the end of the game, Xu Yong noticed that Leonard's mood had returned to normal.

"Keep it up." After shaking hands with Leonard, Xu Yong also encouraged him.

He is not Jordan, or in this respect he is more like Kobe, who likes to encourage his juniors.

After all, only strong opponents can lead to exciting games, and only exciting games can attract more fans.

The behavior of blindly pursuing personal interests, even at the cost of ruining the dish, is absolutely unacceptable.

…

If the opening game made Chicago fans full of confidence in defending the title, then the next games will not only be a matter of confidence.

After a day of rest, the Bulls won two more games in back-to-back games against the Magic and Wizards, winning the two games by a total of 58 points.

There is nothing much to say about the game against the Wizards, the Bulls won by 23 points in the end, but against the Magic, they won by a full 35 points!

The Magic did not sit idle during the offseason this year. They strengthened their inside line, traded Bass to the Celtics for "Big Baby" Davis, and signed a backup center like Daniel Orton.

This score difference is simply too great to fight back.

It's really like falling behind in the first quarter, collapsing in the second quarter, wasting time in the third quarter, and garbage time in the fourth quarter.

The Magic were simply unable to stop the Bulls' backcourt duo. Nelson and the aging Jason Richardson were like ATMs in front of them.

In addition, Howard was already suppressed by Yao Ming in the interior, and he also had a back injury this season, so the Magic lost even more miserably than in last season's playoffs.

Even Butler got a chance to play in this game, and he made 3 of 3 shots and 6 free throws to score 12 points, which was a good performance.

Not being able to win is one thing, but the bigger aspect is that the morale of this Magic team is completely different from when they made it to the finals before.

It’s just like the mentality when playing entertainment games. It’s okay to pick on the weak ones, but if you really encounter someone you can’t beat, then just click.

Howard sat on the bench in the fourth quarter, and his iconic innocent big boy smile was gone from his face.

It was clear that even he had realised his team had no hope of winning the title.

In fact, it was after the game that Howard submitted a trade request to the Magic management.

This directly made this special shortened season full of explosive news at the very beginning.

"The Bulls broke up another team, just one week into the season..." Comment from "KBforever".

"Why do I remember that last summer, Howard said that he was loyal to the team and would play for the Magic for life?" commented by "Bronny the Future King".

"Where is Howard's loyalty? I don't think he can even be traded for Bynum now! He applied for a trade during the contract period. How can such a player be loyal?" Comment from "Heat's Seven Consecutive Championships".

"Howard is just a clown. He is the worst center in the league and is powerless in front of Yao." Comment from "My.King.LeBron".

…

Moreover, on social media at this time, Howard actually became the target of collective attacks by James fans.

There's nothing we can do about it, it's your fault that Peak Warcraft eliminated Young James!

Now that Howard has been caught, he will definitely slander you.

Although Howard's approach is actually acceptable.

After all, he didn't slack off like Carter did in the past, but fought despite injuries.

Moreover, he has a contract option for next season, which is equivalent to a one-year contract. This is much better than other people who symbolically send a few draft picks, which seems to be bringing assets back to the parent team but is actually to retain bird rights.

Where Howard will go will also be a topic of discussion before he is traded.

Even Xu Yong was a little curious.

Because in history Howard went to the Lakers, but given the current situation of the Lakers, trading Bynum for Howard may not be a good choice.

After all, with the twin towers in the interior, Bynum at least has a mid-range shot.

That is to say, with this somewhat comedic element, the season continues to move forward.

After defeating the Raptors and Cavaliers in succession, the Bulls started their first Western Conference road trip of the season with a five-game winning streak.

Their first away opponent is the Hornets.

The Hornets started the season with 3 wins and 2 losses, which is a pretty good performance.

The team's star player Westbrook averaged 26.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2 steals per game.

Of course, what is more exciting than the statistics is his playing style. Perhaps in order to prove that the Thunder chose the wrong person, his game is full of aggressiveness and he repeatedly performs his signature crescent-shaped dunks.

There are even rumors that the owner of the New Orleans Saints, a local NFL team, is interested in acquiring the Hornets.

The impact of the butterfly effect is constantly increasing, but what cannot be changed is the outcome of the game.

Although Westbrook still delivered all-around data of 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, but facing a strong team like the Bulls, his performance of 7 of 25 shots was not efficient.

The Bulls also successfully defeated the Hornets, extending their winning streak to six games.

Then they faced their biggest challenge in the seventh game of the season.

Their opponent is the Thunder, who are currently ranked first in the Western Conference.

Just as Xu Yong expected, the more reasonable lineup made the Thunder's performance lower limit very high, while Durant's performance could help the team touch a very high upper limit.

One thing to note here is that Durant's ball-handling offense and organizational abilities are still relatively weak at this time, and he relies more on off-ball offense.

If we have to give a ratio, it would be about 30% with the ball and 70% without the ball.

Therefore, Harden and Gasol appeared in the starting lineup at the same time, which greatly improved Durant's offensive efficiency.

The Thunder's offense is absolutely at full strength.

Even the Bulls couldn't contain them well enough.

However, compared to their offense, their defense also has significant problems.

Although Harden was not hit by Artest's elbow and did not have to use eye defense, his slow lateral movement made it difficult for him to defend against both Rose and Xu Yong.

Although Fisher put up a fight, he could only lift his trouser legs when Rose and Xu Yong suddenly appeared.

So in the first half, both sides focused more on offense, and in the end the game ended in a 50-50 tie.

Then in the second half, Thunder head coach Brooks came on the court and made a very subtle but effective adjustment.

He took Fisher off, let Harden play the No. 1 position, and moved Sefolosha to the No. 2 position.

Although Harden is still unstoppable, the Thunder have Ibaka, a monster in assisting defense, so the Thunder's defensive quality improved a lot in the second half.

Coincidentally, Thibodeau also played with one big and four small players in the second half, removing Gibson and putting Allen into the starting lineup, and the team's defensive strength was greatly improved.

So after the fans enjoyed the offensive battle between the two teams in the first half, they watched a finals-level offensive and defensive battle in the second half.

I have to say, the fans at the scene were really happy with this.

The two teams fought until the final decisive moment.

However, it was this decisive moment that allowed everyone to see the real gap between the two teams.

In terms of hard-hitting capabilities at critical moments, the Bulls are much stronger than the Thunder.

Harden was basically locked down by Xu Yong at the critical moment. The two were too familiar with each other, allowing Xu Yong to accurately exploit Harden's weaknesses.

But on the other hand, Harden obviously can't do this, and no one on the Thunder can do this.

Originally, Durant was the most core candidate as the team leader, but his current ability to attack with the ball is really not that good.

So in the end, the Thunder could only rely on Gasol to hold the ball and play one-on-one in the low post.

But Yao Ming, who has lost weight, won't let him succeed so easily.

So the game was intense, but in the final moments the Bulls scored 11 to 2 and took the game away dramatically.

Xu Yong was the best player of the Bulls tonight. He made 13 of 26 shots and 14 of 15 free throws, getting his first 40+ of the season, 44 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

And more importantly, out of the last 11 points that decided the outcome of the game, the last 7 points were scored by Xu Yong alone.

Butler stared wide-eyed on the bench and once again witnessed another kind of brutality from his senior.

"Satan wants to take away the game, even if Death comes, it will be useless."

The home commentator couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

From the beginning of the season to now, thanks to the summer training, Xu Yong's overall competitive state looks even better than during the finals.

Just like the previous victory over the Magic, this game also brought about a big chain reaction after the game.

In the post-match press conference, Durant said that he needed to hold the ball more often in the next game and he needed to make himself more comprehensive.

Making such a bold statement in the middle of the season, and in a shortened season, it can be seen that Durant was quite stimulated by this game.

Or when history changes, rather than learning how to form a team like LeBron, he would rather become as strong as Xu Yong.

After the Bulls defeated the Thunder and won their seventh win of the season, it was like they had climbed over a mountain and suddenly the road ahead was smooth.

When it came to the end of January and the first month of games ended, the Bulls started with 15 consecutive wins and became the only team in the league to maintain an undefeated record.

This number also tied the Rockets' best winning streak in history in the 1993-1994 season, when they won the NBA championship.