Xu Yong originally thought that Yi Jianlian would consider it for a while, just like Yao Ming's reaction after Xu Yong persuaded him.
However, what he didn't expect was that after thinking for a while, Yi Jianlian nodded directly.
Perhaps it was during the six months or so he spent with the Bulls that he witnessed Xu Yong's leadership and had full trust in him;
Or maybe he really has no other way out now, and he has to try any possible means to cure his illness. It is better to get medical treatment than to wait for death.
Xu Yong was straightforward. After seeing Yi Jianlian's reaction, he called Grover on the spot.
NBA trainers have different strengths. Although Grover is known as the "ancestor of trainers", he is only good at physical training. Shooting and defense are not his strengths.
However, the master's status in the world is there, and asking him to help contact a trainer who is professional in both aspects and has free time is just a piece of cake.
After helping as much as he could, Xu Yong reached out and patted Yi Jianlian on the shoulder, with an expectant and meaningful look on his face, saying, "Keep it up, Yi Jianlian."
After the shoot, he felt sleepy, so he lay down on the sofa and fell asleep soon.
This wine is indeed a bit too much.
Yi Jianlian was stunned for a moment, stood up and looked around, saw a blanket and picked it up to cover Xu Yong.
Then he walked out the door carefully and closed it.
The moment he walked out of Xu Yong's house, he let out a long sigh.
Give it a try.
…
The All-Star Game is the trade deadline, and there are many rumors about trades this year.
The Magic, Heat and Lakers are all very active in the trade market.
Needless to say, the Magic have been actively exploring the possibility of trading Howard since Howard requested a trade.
As for the Heat, although they have regained the league's whistle, they still need to strengthen their team if they want to increase their chances of winning against the Bulls.
The Lakers' situation is relatively complicated. At the beginning of the season, they tried to let Okafor and Bynum start together, but the effect was not good.
After all, when two people are on the field at the same time, it is essentially a double-tower strategy, which is okay occasionally, but if you play normally, you will be chased to death.
So not long after the game started, Okafor's starting position was taken away by McRoberts.
But even the Lakers don't have the luxury in this era to have players worth more than 10 million play as substitutes.
So not long after the season started, the Lakers management had been trying to trade Okafor.
But it is not easy to deal with a player who is obviously overpriced and, most importantly, has more than two years left on his contract.
At this time, you have to admire Stern's methods. The "roadblock" he set for the Lakers on the road to winning the championship is really difficult to clear.
The Bulls have been active the past two years, but have been relatively quiet this year.
On the one hand, there is already a tacit understanding between the existing players, and it is not worth the loss to destroy this tacit understanding through a trade;
On the other hand, as the defending champion and public enemy of the league, it is much more difficult for you to make a trade than for others.
Of course, there is another point, that is, although O'Neal Jr. and Rose were injured one after another, Asik and West who replaced them performed well.
It is against this backdrop that the 2012 NBA trade deadline has arrived.
Then the deal that was revealed at the first moment shocked many people in the league.
The Hornets, Heat and Pacers reached a three-way deal.
The Hornets traded Odom for Mike Miller, Louis Amundsson, and a second-round pick from the Pacers.
The Heat sent Mike Miller and Jeff Ayers to get Odom;
The Pacers sent Lou Amundsson and a second-round pick to acquire Jeff Ayers.
Yes, that's right. The deal that was rejected in the offseason was reached in the middle of the season, and the Heat gave up a first-round draft pick.
The saying "today is different from the past" probably refers to this situation.
The Hornets and Odom have both changed a lot.
First of all, the Hornets. After Westbrook continued to perform well, the Hornets soon found a buyer, the previously rumored Tom Benson.
With a new owner, the Hornets will naturally no longer be controlled by Stern's will.
The second is Odom. Odom's performance as a substitute in the Hornets was much worse than when he was in the Lakers.
Data speaks volumes.
Last season, Odom averaged 32.2 minutes per game for the Lakers, with a 53% shooting percentage and 38.2% three-point shooting percentage, both career highs. He averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and was named the best sixth man.
But this season with the Hornets, he averaged 22 minutes per game, with a career-low 35.2% shooting percentage and only 25.2% three-point shooting percentage. He averaged 6.8 points, 4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, and his stats were reduced by more than half.
This caused his trading value to plummet drastically.
He originally had a 2-year, 17 million dollar premium contract, but now it has become a negative asset.
Naturally, the Hornets would want to trade him, too.
Speaking of which, there was a small episode here, that is, the Lakers management actually tried to trade Odom back with Okafor.
The Hornets would naturally not agree. Not to mention the fact that a good horse never turns back, they know Okafor's situation better than anyone else.
Although this deal fell through, it actually shows that although Odom's trading value has dropped sharply, he was still the best sixth man last season. And his performance this season is likely because he simply didn't want to play for the Hornets, just like Carter did back then, so he still has a certain market.
Of course, no one except the Lakers is willing to gamble on a veteran who is about to turn 33.
Even in the eyes of most general managers, it would be difficult for Odom to play to his strengths without Phil Jackson's triangle system.
So, the Heat took action at this time.
Although Odom has not performed well, Riley seems to believe that he can restore his former glory in Miami.
As for the Hornets, they have a good record this season, ranking seventh in the Western Conference and have great hopes for the playoffs. Trading for Miller and Andersen is obviously better than keeping Odom.
The Heat gained a lot in the trading market, but the Lakers were not so lucky because the team's strength was there, the future first-round picks were not valuable, and it was too difficult to trade Okafor's contract.
The same situation also occurred with the Magic.
Although the offer given to them was actually quite high, they did not want to sell Howard at a low price, so they ended up with a price that was neither too high nor too low.
This would have been a huge risk for them, because if Howard opted out of his contract in the summer, they would get nothing.
However, I don’t know what magic the Magic management used, but Howard actually chose to exercise the contract option before the trade deadline!
This means that the Magic have another year to negotiate a trade for Howard.
This move naturally attracted a wave of ridicule from James fans.
"As expected of my great 'World of Warcraft', there is no brain at all. Originally, I could be free and go wherever I want next year, but now, I am being treated as a commodity for another year. How awesome!"
"What do you know? He is loyal. Do you think he really wants to leave? He is just imitating what Kobe did back then. Just wait and see. The Magic will soon bring their 'Paul Gasol' to the Magic."
"I don't know if Howard is really stupid or just pretending to be stupid. At this time, you are talking about friendship with the capitalists. In their eyes, you are just an obedient commodity."
"What's it to you if someone likes you? And does he have a choice? The mockery of LeBron two years ago is still fresh in his memory. How can he do the same thing?"
…
Amid the ridicule of James fans, this year's trade deadline finally came to an end.
Compared with the past two years, there are indeed not many transactions this year.
In addition, there are several notable deals: the Spurs traded Jefferson and a first-round pick to the Warriors for Stephen Jackson;
The Nets traded Okur and a 2012 first-round draft pick to acquire Gerald Wallace from the Trail Blazers, and the Trail Blazers also used this opportunity to promote Batum.
The Thunder sent Daequan Cook and a second-round pick to the Rockets, freeing up a spot for the subsequent buyout market.
The pace of the shortened season is tight, and this year's buyout deadline and trade deadline are very close.
A few days later, buyouts were reached one after another, and one person's name caught the attention of many teams.
Boris Diaw, the "French Magician".
Dio is also a very special player. With a height of 2.03 meters, he played as an organizing small forward when he entered the league, and he was very popular when he was the main player in the Suns.
But after that he moved from team to team, not only did he become fatter and fatter, but his position also became increasingly inside. He played power forward most of the time with the Bobcats, and played center for a small part of the time.
The Bobcats didn't want him last season, but there was a player option in his contract. Once it was exercised in the summer, he would get his $9 million contract.
But in the end it was exactly the same as Odom, with a shooting percentage of 41% and 7.4 points. It was his worst season since he became famous.
In the end, the forced melon is not sweet 2.0, and the Bobcats chose to buy him out and let him go to a championship team.
This has directly disturbed the buyout market.
Dio at 9 million is not attractive, but his basic salary is worth it.
After all, Dio is still averaging 4.3 assists per game this season. Even if his offense is not good, his hands are still there.
The Spurs, Thunder, Lakers, and even the Bulls, these championship-contending teams have expressed a strong interest in Dio.
In the end, Dio chose the Lakers.
The main reason is opportunity. After all, he is only 30 years old, and getting the next contract is his first goal.
To achieve this goal, first you need a big stage, and secondly you need opportunities to perform.
The Bulls are actually a good fit for him, but he would just be a "firefighter" there. When O'Neal Jr. returns from injury, he won't have many opportunities.
The same is true for the Thunder.
But the Lakers are different. Okafor and Bynum don't get along well, and McRoberts's performance as a starter is average. He will have a chance to compete for the starting position when he gets there.
Even if he can't start, he is more than capable of playing as a substitute at the power forward position.
After the Thunder failed to pursue Dio, they finally gave the spot to Ronny Turiaf, who was bought out by the Wizards.
After this wave of trades and buyouts ended, ESPN continued to update the season's team strength rankings.
In this new list, the Heat took the first place for the first time this season.
The Heat's trade for Odom was called an S-level operation of the season.
At this time, Odom had played three games on behalf of the Heat, averaging 11 points per game with a shooting percentage of 49%, a good performance.
Riley is familiar with Odom, a former Heat player.
Odom is a highly dependent person and is extremely emotional.
He is suitable to play next to a superstar and have a strong man who can restrain him. It was Kobe when he was with the Lakers and it was Riley when he was with the Heat.
Of course, based on this character, there is another key reason, which is Odom's wife Khloe Kardashian.
Kardashian only likes to live in big cities. She stayed in Los Angeles before and did not go to New Orleans, but this time she came to Miami.
Odom is one of the few players who can't play well without Kardashian.
In the 2008 Finals, he did not play well in Boston. He told the media that it was because he missed his wife. As a result, he returned to Los Angeles, and won the team's scoring title with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in a game. He also had 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocks in a game to help the Lakers pull back a game.
The Thunder climbed directly to second place.
They have been at the top of the Western Conference standings, and Durant's ball-handling skills have improved a lot, especially his one-step, change-of-direction breakthrough followed by a big layup has become his signature move.
It needs to be said here that Durant's ball handling, like James' three-pointer, did not appear suddenly, but failed to become a regular weapon.
With more ball-holding offense, and the fact that Durant is also a "training gym bug" who is willing to practice and has opportunities, he will naturally improve quickly.
The Lakers also climbed up one spot to third.
After playing two games, Dio was favored by Mike Brown and became a starter. His joining greatly improved the Lakers' inside bench strength. [Note 16]
The Mavericks also came to the fourth position.
The painful experience in the opening game did not defeat Leonard, but instead made him play better and better in subsequent games.
Leonard's performance once again proved that the truly strong ones will become more courageous as they face more setbacks from the very beginning, rather than remaining childish until death.
Carlisle, who originally just wanted to give it a try, had already used Leonard as a real starter by the middle of the season.
Leonard has become a qualified 3D player, greatly improving the Mavericks' offensive space on the court.
After Marion joined the bench, the Mavericks' bench strength was greatly enhanced. The Mavericks' record in the Western Conference is now only behind the Thunder and the Lakers.
The Bulls dropped directly from first to fifth.
This is directly related to the absence of O'Neal Jr. and Rose. In addition, there have been few gains in the trading market and the buyout market. The Bulls' current strength has declined significantly compared to the beginning of the season.
In fact, it is not just ESPN's ranking. In terms of current record, the Bulls have 36 wins and 8 losses, only 2 wins ahead of the Heat, who have 34 wins and 10 losses.
Unlike last year, the remaining month of this year's season will be a huge test for the Bulls.
Losing the first place in the Eastern Conference will likely cause a chain reaction.
The good news is that they are in the Eastern Conference and have benefits to enjoy. Although the Heat completed a five-game winning streak after the trade deadline, they also defeated the Cavaliers and Bucks in succession to consolidate their winning advantage.
However, they will face a big challenge next. They will face a difficult back-to-back game, first against the Lakers and then against the Thunder.
This is the second time these two teams have met this season, and the last time they met was at the beginning of the season.
The Bulls had a complete lineup and were in good shape at the time, and they eventually won the game.
But now one team is gaining while the other is losing, and the Bulls are playing away games, so you can imagine the pressure.
After arriving in Los Angeles, the Bulls players got off the plane and received news that the Heat had narrowly defeated the Celtics and had narrowed the gap to one and a half.
And the Heat's next game is against the rebuilding Bobcats, a game they are sure to win.
If they lose both games, their record will be tied with the Heat.
This undoubtedly puts more pressure on the Bulls players.
During the first training session in the training hall, the training atmosphere seemed somewhat dull.
After the training session, the players returned to the locker room one after another, but Xu Yong stayed.
He plans to practice some more later.
He also took this opportunity to have a phone call with Ayers.
The Ayers deal had been in the works for a while, and they had been in touch via text messages, but hadn't had a chance to talk on the phone.
Speaking of which, Ayres has the most turbulent career among the four musketeers.
The game has not been completed in these three years and three teams have been changed.
Moreover, he had ended his undercover career this time, so naturally he had a lot to talk about with Xu Yongneng.
For example, the embarrassing scene of Wade’s speech after the Heat lost to the Cavaliers.
"I feel like if they can't beat you this year, they'll have to disband immediately."
Ayers's words are the sentiments of a senior undercover agent and are highly credible.
Xu Yong also agreed.
The top team couldn't even make it to the finals for two consecutive years, so there is really no need to continue.
And the outside world won’t say too much about you if you break up the team. After all, you really can’t beat them.
And you know what, it's quite exciting.
After all, breaking up a team happened once by the Cavaliers and once by the Magic. If it happens again by the Heat, it would be more exciting than collecting star cards.
He had just hung up the phone with Ayers. Thibodeau had left something in the training hall at this time. He came in and saw Xu Yong was still there, so he walked over and sat down next to him.
"Tonight's game is not going to be easy." Thibodeau said, scratching his head after sitting down.
His hair, which was already very thin, became even thinner at this time.
The pressure of defending the title is already enormous, and now the record is up and down, which makes him, as the head coach, the most worried.
Everyone knows that the Bulls' ups and downs in performance are due to injuries, but just like ESPN's rankings, the outside world always only looks at the results and not the process.
If they can't even maintain their first place in the Eastern Conference, Thibodeau would be worse than O'Neal's grandmother.
"Don't worry, Tom, I will handle the game." Xu Yong's answer made Thibodeau put down his hands.
Although he knew Xu Yong well enough, he was still surprised by his confidence.
"We will end the season as first in the Eastern Conference, I promise." Seeing Thibodeau's reaction, Xu Yong added.
After saying this, he had almost rested, left Thibodeau who was still surprised, and got up to practice more.
In addition to his personality, Xu Yong's confidence more importantly comes from the training during last year's suspension.
The shortened season is actually a competition of pressure resistance and endurance.
The game was high-intensity, with consecutive back-to-back games. Those who couldn't bear it had already fallen down one after another. Even those who managed to hold on were mostly exhausted.
But he is different. Although the Bulls' record has some ups and downs due to injuries, his performance is very stable. He even got a triple-double after being double-teamed, just like when he played against the Heat. His organizational ability has improved.
So he has full confidence in his physical fitness and strength.
The Staples Center was packed that night.
Although Rose still cannot play tonight, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and the Bulls are still one of the strongest teams in the league, and the dialogue between the two strong teams has attracted attention.
In this game, Barkley, O'Neal and Kenny Smith were the commentators on the sidelines.
The original TNT ace combination became a trio with the addition of O'Neal.
"Shaq, who do you think has a better chance of winning tonight's game?" The players were warming up on the court, and Kenny Smith also started to warm up.
O'Neal has a special status tonight because he has played for both teams. He is a Lakers legend and just won his fifth championship with the Bulls.
Barkley also looked at O'Neal curiously.
"Bulls." O'Neal said lightly.
This answer made Barkley burst into laughter instantly. O'Neal understood the show effect. Everyone could see that the Lakers had a better chance of winning tonight.
"Who of you follows TMZ?" O'Neal suddenly asked the two of them.
Barkley and Kenny Smith both shook their heads. They worked in sports media, and there wasn't much overlap between them and those working in entertainment media. Especially since TMZ mainly targeted Hollywood stars in Los Angeles, they didn't pay much attention to that.
Of course, as a Lakers legend who has played in Los Angeles for many years, it is normal for O'Neal to pay attention to this.
"Well, let me tell you, TMZ recently reported that Xu and Taylor Swift broke up. Do you know when a player is at his strongest?" O'Neal asked.
Kenny Smith looked around for a while and found that Swift was indeed not at the scene.
In the past, when Xu Yong visited Los Angeles, Swift would usually come to support him with popcorn.
"After the breakup." Barkley perfectly demonstrated his ability to be a supporting actor.
Odom is an exception after all, [breaking up with Kardashian, Harden/Bookers and Jordan] is the norm.
To take the extreme case, there is AC Green, who remains chaste.
This guy has never touched a woman in his entire career, and he can run away even if his teammates put him and his bitch in a room together.
But he is also the record holder for full attendance in NBA history, having played in 1,192 consecutive games and missing only three games in 1,281 career games.
At this time, perhaps in response to what O'Neal said, Xu Yong performed an amazing reverse dunk during warm-up.
Soon, after the warm-up, the opening ceremony began.
The enthusiasm of the fans at the scene was very high. Although it was a pity that they failed to complete the three consecutive victories last season, the combination of Paul and Kobe this season is very exciting.
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.
Chicago Bulls: Hinrich, Tony Allen, Xu Yong, Artest, Yao Ming;
Lakers: Paul, Kobe, Ariza, Dio, Bynum.
Before the game started, the camera turned to Kobe, who pursed his lips and looked very serious.
The Bulls are under a lot of pressure this season, and the Lakers are not much less stressed.
Although they don't have a peak Big Three like the Heat, they have the league's top point guard and shooting guard together, but are now ranked second in the division by the Thunder.
Although the difference in record is not big, it is still difficult to accept for a player like Kobe who is extremely competitive.
"beep!"
With the referee's whistle, Yao Ming pushed the ball back to half court, officially kicking off the game.
The Bulls first attacked Yao Ming in the interior.
Yao Ming received the ball in the low post and attacked Bynum, but Dio's help defense came at the right time and Yao Ming's shot failed to hit the target due to the double team.
The reason why Dio was able to start for the Lakers so quickly, in addition to his organizational skills, is his defense, which is much better than McRoberts.
Or in other words, he can do what McRoberts can do, and he can also do what McRoberts can't do, which is impossible for Brown without him.
Bynum grabbed the defensive rebound, and when it came to the offensive end, Paul was holding the ball and organizing the offense.
As soon as Kobe came out of the off-ball screen, he received a comfortable pass from Paul and made a jump shot to take the lead.
In fact, when Paul and Kobe first formed a team, some people doubted their compatibility in the game.
Because before that, there were only a handful of successful cases of super backcourt combinations in the league, and it can even be said that there was only one pair, Joe Dumars and Isaiah Thomas.
Ball possession and positioning are the biggest problems with this combination.
Especially Paul and Kobe were guards with a very high ball possession ratio before.
However, it turns out that the combination of the two is quite effective, and the main reason for this is Kobe.
Last season, the Lakers were swept by the Mavericks, and the only one who left standing was Kobe.
In G1 and G3, when the Lakers had hopes of winning, Kobe played very well, but unfortunately they fell short in the end.
He really wanted to do the two three-game winning streaks that Jordan did, but in the end he failed to do it.
The past cannot be changed, just like what he said after being swept last season, "You can certainly find a million excuses, but from now on, I will come back and give you a better season." Kobe chose to stand up from where he fell.
He was willing to make sacrifices to do this.
So after Paul came, he drastically changed his playing style and significantly increased his off-ball offense.
To make an analogy, it is similar to Xu Yong's playing style in the finals last season. He played without the ball in the first three quarters and held the ball in the last quarter.
Or to put it another way, it's not that Kobe can't play without the ball, he prefers the right to shoot rather than the right to hold the ball.
Paul is limited by his height and cannot take on too much responsibility, so the combination of the two not only does not cause conflict, but instead has the effect of 1+1>2.
The Bulls continued to attack Yao Ming. This time, Yao Ming made adjustments after receiving the ball, turned around and hooked the ball to make a steady shot.
Although Bynum is bigger than Howard, his reaction speed is slow, and he can't do much to deal with Yao Ming's style of play where he catches the ball, turns around and shoots quickly.
In fact, many people have a misunderstanding, that is, "eating, sleeping, and playing Warcraft" will make people mistakenly believe that Yao Ming can only play against Howard.
But in fact, Yao Ming has an absolute advantage against top inside players such as Howard, Bynum and Chandler.
Especially beating Bynum, it was almost like beating his younger brother.
It is no exaggeration to say that if it were not for injuries, Yao Ming would have been the league's top center after reaching his peak.
Of course, even though he is now troubled by injuries and has lost a moderate amount of weight, he is still among the top two.
The Lakers continued to play positional play. Kobe's off-ball shot was blocked by Allen this time and he had no direct scoring opportunity. After Paul asked Bynum to pull out for a pick-and-roll, he made his signature mid-range jump shot.
Paul's career is somewhat similar to Duncan's. He had strong athletic ability in the early stage of his career, but then he was injured early and degenerated into a floor player. He still controls the game with his basketball IQ and game rhythm.
Although Thibodeau has made adjustments to the starting lineup and let Allen serve as the starting shooting guard, he still cannot stop the power of the Lakers' double guns.
But fortunately, Yao Ming received the ball at the baseline and caused Bynum to commit a foul.
Before this game, Yao Ming and Bynum had played against each other 15 times in total. Yao Ming averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.6 blocks per game, while Bynum averaged 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
Although Bynum is a defensive center and his playing time is much less than Yao Ming, even if we put aside the statistics, these two consecutive rounds basically explain the problem from the perspective of the scene.
When it comes to facing Yao Ming, Bynum can only be a younger brother in front of Howard.
Yao Ming made both free throws and scored 4 points in a row at the start of the game.
It is said that players are in good shape. Yao Ming looked pretty good tonight and even had a strong desire to play.
Brown knew that Xu Yong was in good shape recently, so he didn't dare to use a double team defense.
Moreover, he saw that Xu Yong had not yet exerted his strength and wanted to force him to do so, so he substituted Paul in the last two minutes of the quarter, while Kobe played the entire game.
On the Bulls side, Thibodeau saw that Yao Ming was doing well, so he let him play the entire quarter.
So in this first quarter, it was a game between Yao Ming and the Lakers' backcourt duo.
The result was that the two sides tied 24 to 27.
The Lakers are ahead, but not by much.
This process can be said to be somewhat unexpected, but also reasonable.
Some players only pick on the weak, but some players prefer to fight tough battles. Yao Ming, who can say "See you in Chicago", obviously belongs to the latter.
And in this way, Thibodeau can rest assured to let Xu Yong, who played the entire first quarter, continue to play at the beginning of the second quarter.
After all, although Xu Yong did not rest in the first quarter, his physical fitness should still be very good as he did not attack as the main attacker.
He learned from the previous experience of playing against the Heat and did not give his opponent any chance to take advantage.
Because to be honest, the Lakers now have Okafor on the bench, and their inside strength is stronger than the Bulls.
In fact, this was true. At the beginning of the second quarter, Okafor received the ball from Paul and completed an alley-oop slam dunk directly over Asik's head.
Back on the defensive end, he even flew out and blocked Gibson's shot.
He still has the ability to start in the NBA, and he is also a competitive player who is eager to prove himself.
There was not much time left for this offense. Xu Yong ran without the ball with the help of a screen, then received a pass from Battier outside the bounds, faked a pass to shake off Barnes, then rushed directly into the inside, jumped up towards Okafor, and glided into the basket before the whistle sounded.gif.
Thibodeau's judgment was correct. Xu Yong was on the court for most of the first quarter, and his physical fitness was completely fine at this moment.
The fans at the scene were stunned for a moment. How could you play like this after receiving the foul?
In the transition from offense to defense, McRoberts' layup was blocked by Asik. When the team advanced to the frontcourt, Xu Yong received the pass from West and attacked the basket.
At this time, the Lakers quickly double-teamed him, and he hit the pivot foot directly, turned around and shot backwards to make the shot.
This ball is quite difficult.
"when!"
The ball went a little off and hit the front of the basket and went out.
But Asik grabbed the offensive rebound!
Although Asik has butter hands, his defense and rebounding are indeed good, especially his offensive rebounds, which are the key to his ability to start in the NBA in history.
Not to mention the future, just talking about this season, after he filled the vacancy left by O'Neal Jr., he averaged 3 points and 5 rebounds in 14 minutes per game, and 2 of those 5 rebounds were frontcourt rebounds.
And the key point is that Asik is very self-aware. After grabbing the rebound and realizing that there is no chance for a direct dunk, he turned around and passed the ball back to Xu Yong.
After receiving the ball, Xu Yong rushed into the paint, passing Asik and Okafor behind him...
“Bang!”
Slammed the ball into the basket.
Asik: ...Good dunk, big brother!
The scene was in an uproar. This ball was even more outrageous than the previous one. Was Xu Yong taking drugs tonight?
In fact, what O'Neal said was right. After the breakup, Xu Yong was depressed for two days before he recovered. After that, he felt full of energy and needed to find a place to vent.
If we make an analogy for the team, the two opponents we played against before were too weak, just like ordinary flat girls, but the Lakers are strong, just like that 36D baby-faced beauty. The primitive desire that this person bursts out when he sees it is completely different.
But Yao Ming was in good form at the start tonight, so Xu Yong could only suppress that desire. Now it's finally his turn, so he has to vent it out, right?
Xu Yong's consecutive dunks boosted the morale of the Bulls.
Paul's signature mid-range shot also failed to hit, and Asik protected the rebound again, and the Bulls now had a chance to overtake the score.
At this time, Kobe had already stood up and walked to the sidelines to volunteer to Brown.
On the court, Xu Yong reached the high post and continued to position himself with his back to the basket. At this time, Barnes, who was defending him, directly chose to go around him.
Now it is no longer a question of whether he can defend Xu Yong alone, but that Xu Yong's offensive choices after receiving the ball are too quick.
Xu Yong simply turned half his body sideways and raised his auxiliary hand to ask for the ball.
West lobbed the ball straight in.
Xu Yong jumped up to catch the ball, but as soon as he got the ball, Okafor double-teamed him from the baseline.
Xu Yong showed his improvement in passing ability and quickly passed the ball to Asik under the basket.
Asik received the ball and shot under the basket, but the shot from close range didn't go in!
This is Wang Zhelin possessed, showing off his traditional skills.
However, he still got the offensive rebound, and after seeing Okafor returning to defense, he held the ball and stopped shooting.
His passing ability is not very strong either.
Fortunately, Xu Yong had a strong desire tonight and was moving towards the basket before Asik got the rebound. Asik passed the ball to Xu Yong at close range. After receiving the ball, Xu Yong used him as a barrier and moved sideways to send the ball steadily into the basket.
30 to 29.
After Xu Yong scored 6 points in a row, the Bulls took the lead.
At this time, Kobe and Blake had already walked to the technical table, ready to wait for the dead ball to go on the court.
Barnes also missed the three-pointer from the corner after receiving the pass from Paul.
Xu Yong's consecutive scores have taken over the momentum on the court.
Those who have played the full game should have a deep understanding that once your opponent gets into the game, the basket is like having a lid on it.
The ball that popped up was a long backboard, which Xu Yong caught directly after judging it. After getting the ball, he pushed forward for a fast break.
Paul reacted quickly at this time and stood in front of Xu Yong at the first moment, preventing him from advancing quickly to the frontcourt.
And he was really cunning. He took the initiative to stick to Xu Yong, hoping to make Xu Yong commit a foul.
But who isn't a thousand-year-old fox? Xu Yong didn't exert any effort, but just pushed forward against Paul's defense.
When he advanced to the free throw line in the front court, Paul finally couldn't help but want to cut the ball. Xu Yong then exerted force again, holding the ball and pushing away his outstretched hand and jumped up...
“Bang!”
A gliding dunk smashed the ball into the basket.
The fans at the scene were in an uproar. This was Xu Yong’s third dunk in the second quarter!
Given Xu Yong's condition tonight, the urine test after the game will definitely show only stimulants, not a drop of urine!
The Lakers couldn't wait for a dead ball, so Brown called a timeout directly.
"Charles, please read TMZ more often when you have nothing to do in the future." O'Neal said with his head held high.
Xu Yong didn't perform well in the first quarter, and Barkley complained about him a lot.
Facts have proved that Barkley’s understanding of Xu Yong is not as good as that of him as a former teammate.
When Xu Yong came off the court, he high-fived his teammates one by one with a smile on his face.
Just in the last period, he had already scored 8 points by combining breakthroughs and shots.
And unlike the previous games against the Heat or Thunder, these points were obviously much easier to score.
Obviously, this is the regular season, and it is during the substitute transition period.
So his thoughts also changed a little at this time.
I used to question James, why he always liked to travel during off-peak hours.
But now I realize that it is really easy to score points by traveling during off-peak hours during the regular season.
So he can understand James now. Points are also points. How can he become the historical scoring champion without them?
Of course, he didn't take the next step and want to become James.
Because the facts have proved that even if you can become the historical scoring champion, you will still lose when there are fewer opportunities to travel during the playoffs.
So in comparison, he still prefers Jordan's way, honing his skills, improving his strength, and making every minute he is on the court become a staggered trip.
…
101 to 91.
Finally, after four fierce quarters, the Bulls won this crucial battle.
There was nothing wrong with the Lakers' performance. Kobe scored 37 points and Paul also had a double-double with 21 points and 11 assists.
The two scored a combined 58 points but still failed to lead the team to victory.
The problem is that Yao Ming and Xu Yong from the Bulls were in very good shape tonight.
Xu Yong scored 44 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and Yao Ming also contributed 34 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks.
The two of them scored a combined 78 points, 20 points more than 58 points.
It was not unfair for the Lakers to lose this game.
"I said we would win back." Xu Yong also chatted and laughed with Kobe during the handshake ceremony after the game.
Butler was standing nearby at the moment, and when he heard this he was overjoyed.
When he was in the Drew League, he was young and fearless, and told Kobe that he would defend against Kobe's buzzer-beater next time.
He hasn't gotten that opportunity yet, but Xu Yong has already fulfilled his previous promise to win back the money.
So what Xu Yong said at the ring awarding ceremony, that he will get his next championship ring soon, can it be far away?