It is more than 2,000 kilometers from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City, and the flight time is more than five hours, so after the game, the Bulls players did not return to the hotel but flew directly.

After getting on the plane, the team members did not play cards or other games, and they did not even communicate much, because they were so tired and basically just lay down to rest.

The bumpy journey, coupled with back-to-back games, perhaps this trip will allow people to feel the shortened season more realistically.

When getting off the plane, Xu Yong noticed that Yao Ming frowned while walking, which gave him a bad feeling.

This hunch was soon confirmed.

After resting in the hotel for a while, when the team was preparing to leave for the training hall, Xu Yong discovered that Yao Ming did not get on the car. He called to ask and found out that the team doctor had accompanied him to the hospital for a check-up.

When we arrived at the training hall, Thibodeau also announced that Yao Ming would not play in the game against the Thunder tonight.

We will have to wait until the hospital's examination results come out to know Yao Ming's specific condition, but even if it is nothing serious, he will not appear in tonight's game.

As a coach who had early experience working with Yao Ming, Thibodeau knew Yao Ming's situation better than anyone else and treated him with the utmost caution.

The reason for this situation is that Yao Ming played too well in the previous game.

Here is a hot fact: for older players with potential injuries, his recovery ability has declined more obviously than his dominance.

Or to put it in a more understandable way, the burst of this kind of player has a CD.

As a result, of the three core players of the Bulls at the beginning of the season, only Xu Yong can still play.

It has to be said that these consecutive injuries seem to make up for all the luck the Bulls had last season.

At this time, even Thibodeau couldn't help but feel a little worried.

After announcing the news and before the training began, he found Xu Yong and asked about his physical condition.

Obviously, now that two of the three core players are unable to play, there is little hope of winning against the Thunder, and Thibodeau plans to give up strategically.

After all, if Xu Yong is involved again, the Bulls' journey this season will end early.

"Coach, I won't get hurt." Xu Yong said frankly.

After hearing this, Thibodeau was stunned for a moment, then nodded, smiled and patted Xu Yong on the shoulder.

Xu Yong is always so confident and competitive, which makes him confident about the game in the evening.

Although this time, he might have really misunderstood Xu Yong.

When he returned to the hotel after training, Xu Yong knew that Yao Ming had returned.

"How is it?" Xu Yong went to Yao Ming's room first and saw Yao Ming drinking water there.

"It's nothing serious. Let him rest for a few days and you can play the game tonight." Yao Ming put down the water cup in his hand and told the good news.

"No, don't lose the big picture for the small." Xu Yong waved his hands quickly.

"You don't want the incident of the 2008 Olympics to happen again, do you?" Xu Yong continued before Yao Ming could speak.

This question stumped Yao Ming, and he nodded.

"Tonight's game depends on you." He then reached out and patted Xu Yong on the shoulder.

The Bulls want to maintain their first place, and with only Xu Yong left, the challenge is enormous.

"Don't worry, we still have 12 people." Xu Yong said with a smile.

This made Yao Ming laugh as well, and he subconsciously looked at the water cup on the table.

Yes, the glass is still half full.

…

That night, the Ford Center, home of Oklahoma City, was packed.

The last time the team lost to the Bulls, the fans have been waiting for revenge.

Since different divisions only play each other twice a season, this may well be their only chance.

Moreover, Rose and Yao Ming were both sitting on the sidelines in suits before the game, which was also a godsend.

During the pre-match warm-up, Asik looked somewhat nervous.

Yao Ming has actually rested before, but at that time O'Neal Jr. took over as the starter. But now both O'Neal Jr. and Yao Ming can't play, so it's his turn in the true sense.

From having few opportunities to play in the beginning of the season to becoming a starter, the gap is so big. And because there are no other healthy centers in the team, the playing time will probably be very long. It is normal to feel pressure and nervous.

In fact, it's not just Asik, Yi Jianlian has some as well.

It has only been over a month since he switched to shooting, but given the current situation of the Bulls, there is a high probability that he will have to play.

Others may not quite understand what this means, but he knows this may be his only chance with the Bulls.

If you don't seize the opportunity this time, there may not be a next time.

It is even possible that the Bulls cut him and temporarily sign someone in the free market to make the transition.

Because what the Bulls need now is someone who can handle this situation. Once Yao Ming and O'Neal return, there won't be much room for the inside players to play.

TNT's Big Three still appeared on the scene to provide commentary, taking advantage of the warm-up period to warm up the audience.

"Shaq, do you still think the Bulls have a better chance of winning tonight?" Because it was a back-to-back game, Kenny Smith asked more directly this time.

O'Neal smiled and didn't answer, but he had already given his answer.

Now that the Bulls are missing two of their three core players, it would be a bit too fake to say that the Bulls have a better chance of winning.

"Do you know? Xu and I won our fifth championship ring together." After laughing, O'Neal turned and looked at Barkley and said.

Barkley was speechless when he heard this. He didn't know how many times O'Neal had mentioned this, and he stared at him every time.

It’s as if he doesn’t have a championship!

Although he really didn't do that, he shouldn't bully others like that.

Just when he was about to correct O'Neal that it was Xu Yong who led him to the championship, O'Neal had already taken the lead and continued: "I see a trait in Xu, that is, the more difficult the game, the better his performance is and the more likely he is to win the game."

Kenny Smith on the side laughed out loud when he heard this.

If we talk about what O'Neal did most after joining TNT, it was to praise Xu Yong.

The best Xu Chui in China is Yang Yi, and the best Xu Chui in the United States is O'Neal.

"Come on, that's because he led you to your fifth championship," Barkley retorted.

"You're just jealous." O'Neill corrected him immediately, "Have you forgotten the God-killing War so quickly?"

This sentence instantly left Barkley speechless.

Game 3 of last season's finals was truly a classic.

"I think the Thunder will win the game easily tonight. They have a huge advantage in the interior." Barkley did not choose to confront O'Neal head-on again, but instead gave his own opinion.

At this moment, the warm-up on the field was over and the opening ceremony began.

The Bulls were the first to take the court as the visiting team, with players including Hinrich, Xu Yong, Artest, Gibson and Asik.

Who would have thought that the defending champions, who had won 15 consecutive games at the beginning of the season, would now have such a shabby starting lineup.

Thunder: Harden, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka, Gasol.

Fisher of the Thunder will not be able to play tonight due to injury, but based on the experience of the last match, even if Fisher can play, Brooks will probably field such a starting lineup, and he is determined to win tonight's game.

The game started quickly and Gasol won the Thunder a chance to attack first.

The Thunder started the game with Gasol's low-post attack.

Brooks is also a leader among the younger generation of coaches. He is very good at training young players, has excellent chicken soup skills, and has considerable tactical attainments.

This opening arrangement was clearly aimed at the Bulls' current weak points in the interior.

This soon worked. Although Asik had a good physique, his ability to fight in the low post was a little weak. More importantly, he lacked experience and was beaten one-on-one by Gasol in the low post.

And looking back, as soon as Xu Yong received the ball, he was double-teamed by Gasol from the inside.

This clearly shows that they are taking advantage of Asik's butter hands.

Xu Yong chose to play like Kobe, turning over and shooting a powerful shot at the baseline despite being double-teamed.

He tried this style of play last season, and it actually worked in the previous game against the Lakers.

After all, Asik's offensive rebounds are guaranteed.

“Swish!”

However, he made his first shot and did not give Asik a chance to perform.

Looking back, Gasol continued to play one-on-one in the low post and attracted the Bulls' double-team. He quickly passed the ball, and after a burst of transmission from the Thunder's outside line, Harden hit a three-pointer from the outside.

The Thunder has been able to keep the Lakers at the top of the Western Conference mainly because of their offense.

Although Westbrook's impact on the basket is missing, their playing space and overall quality have been greatly improved.

Especially tonight, Gasol still has a huge advantage in the interior, and the offense flows like mercury flowing out of the ground.

“Swish!”

But looking back, it was Xu Yong again, this time he turned around and faded towards the three-point line and made another shot.

O'Neal made Xu Yong's signature hand-spreading gesture towards Barkley, and Barkley was also scratching his head, puzzled by the situation on the court.

Although the Bulls beat the Lakers last night, they consumed a lot of energy. But how come Xu Yong still looks full of energy?

During the transition between offense and defense, Thibodeau stood on the sidelines and shouted, and he was obviously not satisfied with the team's defense at the beginning of the game.

His roar was still effective. The Bulls' defensive intensity, relying on excellent assist defense rotation, restricted the Thunder's tactics.

Harden finally fed the ball to Durant. Durant showed off his ball handling in the face of Artest's defense, and then made a layup with a change of direction with a drag step.

The overall offense, coupled with Durant's hard work, made the Thunder's offensive level much stronger than before.

Without Yao Ming, it became very difficult for the Bulls to limit the Thunder on the defensive end.

Moreover, Xu Yong's third shot also missed the basket.

Just as Asik was about to grab the frontcourt rebound, a figure rose into the air from beside him and snatched the ball away.

It's Ibaka.

After Ibaka became a full-time starter this season, his scoring has not changed much, but his rebounding and blocks have increased a lot, especially the blocks, which have reached an astonishing 3.7 times, leading the block list for a long time.

His defensive sense and jumping ability are just like his younger brother, which is amazing.

The Thunder made a fast break, and Harden used the Euro step to shake off Hinrich and score a layup.

4 to 9.

Facing the Bulls, who only had a depleted lineup, the Thunder had a clear advantage on both offense and defense.

And at the suggestion of Brooks, the Thunder continued to make optimizations on the defensive end, letting Gasol defend Gibson and Ibaka defend Asik.

The reason for doing this is that it was found that Asik had basically no offensive threat under the basket, and doing so can fully utilize Ibaka's defensive ability.

This adjustment was very effective. After being trapped in the double-team, Xu Yong had no good opportunities and could only change his offensive strategy.

But Asik is a pure meat shield. Not only does he have no offensive ability, but he also has no mid-range ability. Basically, Ibaka just squats under the basket and doesn't need to come out.

The Bulls' attack still failed to score, and Gasol shot a mid-range shot against Asik from the free throw line.

4 to 11.

The score difference suddenly reached 7 points.

Thibodeau had to reach out and call a timeout.

At the end of the bench, Yao Ming subconsciously clenched his fist.

Xu Yong was actually in very good shape tonight, but the Bulls were at a huge disadvantage inside and there wasn't enough space on the court, so it would be difficult for Jordan to play in this situation.

And he can't play yet, so we can only watch and worry.

Just then, Thibodeau walked to the end of the bench and pointed at Yao Ming... and Yi Jianlian next to him.

Yi Jianlian was a little caught off guard. Although he knew that he would most likely appear in the rotation tonight, he did not expect it to come so early.

After all, even though the Bulls only have four players left in the interior, Martin is ahead of him in the rotation order.

It was not until Yao Ming patted him on the shoulder that he came to his senses and stood up.

After the timeout, players from both teams returned to the court.

Thibodeau looked at Yi Jianlian's back at this time, feeling somewhat helpless.

From the beginning to now, Gasol has been in very good shape. With the four inside players he can use tonight, it is actually difficult to defend anyone who comes on.

He doesn't have any extravagant expectations on the defensive end, he just hopes that there can be more space on the offensive end so that Xu Yong can have better room to break through.

In the Bulls' offense, Xu Yong tried a wave of off-ball movement. The pick-and-roll given by Yi Jianlian was very solid. He took advantage of the screen to receive the ball and shot quickly.

“Swish!”

The basketball went into the net again.

Just as Yao Ming thought, although it was a back-to-back game, Xu Yong was still in good shape tonight due to his excellent physical fitness.

6 to 11.

Thibodeau continued to direct the defense on the sidelines, and Artest used all his strength to restrict Durant from catching the ball.

Seeing this, Harden signaled to move away and passed the ball to Gasol in the low post.

At this time, Harden is not playing as a core player with the ball, but an organizing version of a shooting guard who has his own way of organizing the offense.

His understanding is basically the same as Thibodeau's. No matter who the Bulls use to defend Gasol tonight, they cannot defend him unless they double-team him in the low post.

As long as they double-team Gasol, the Thunder's offense will be revitalized.

Thibodeau did not signal for a double-team at this time. Instead of letting the Thunder shoot three-pointers from the outside, it would be better to let Gasol get two points in the interior.

But what happened next was unexpected to both sides.

Gasol lowered his center of gravity and attacked Yi Jianlian from behind, but Yi Jianlian's cheeks puffed up and he used all his strength to push against Gasol, and in the end he even disrupted Gasol's shot.gif!

Yao Ming on the sidelines was waving his hands and clenching his fists.

What stands out about this ball is its toughness!

Gibson protected the defensive rebound and the Bulls advanced to the frontcourt to continue playing positional play.

Xu Yong didn't get any chance this time when he didn't have the ball, so he signaled to create more space.

Yi Jianlian bounced directly to the top of the arc three-point line.

Ibaka from the Thunder was a little confused now.

It's not that he has no knowledge of Yi Jianlian. Because Yao Ming couldn't play, the Thunder coaching staff had introduced all four inside players of the Bulls.

Otherwise, the Thunder wouldn't have let Gasol play inside at the beginning of the game.

But the problem is that according to the coaching staff's analysis, Yi Jianlian is an inside player with very unstable shooting and rough inside skills. Why did he stand at the three-point line right away?

There was not much time to think. When Xu Yong dribbled the ball and changed direction to pass Sefolosha and headed for the inside, he decisively chose to double-team the inside.

After breaking into the penalty area, Xu Yong passed the ball to Yi Jianlian at the top of the arc.

After receiving the ball, Yi Jianlian aimed at the basket and completed the shot before the Thunder's help defense arrived.

If the trainer wanted to increase Yi Jianlian's shooting speed, the first thing he had to correct was looking down at the three-point line.

This habit was corrected quickly because Yi Jianlian changed his playing style to 3D inside, so when he shot from outside, he had to make sure it landed outside the three-point line.

There is absolutely no need to look at that at this time, after all, he is not James.

And the trainer didn't make any changes to his shooting shape because the timing wasn't right.

Changing shooting moves during the season is very risky, not to mention that if it is just a three-pointer, the big man's shooting speed does not actually need to be that fast.

After all, your shooting point is high, so even if there is help defense, it will not be able to effectively interfere with you in time.

The trainer is more concerned about asking Yi Jianlian to speed up his shooting rhythm.

These changes combined make Yi Jianlian's shooting look much more comfortable.

Combined with Yi Jianlian's performance on the defensive end in the last round, we have to say that Grover is the ancestor of trainers after all, and the trainer he found is quite reliable.

"when!"

But unfortunately, Yi Jianlian failed to hit the three-pointer.

Durant got the long rebound and the Thunder made another fast break. Harden's European step and layup caused Hinrich to commit a foul and he got two free throws.

Yi Jianlian pursed his lips and shook his head.

Because he missed the open three-pointer, Harden was able to cause damage on the fast break, which was a five-pointer.

But at this moment, someone patted him on the shoulder.

He turned around and saw it was Xu Yong.

"Don't feel pressured. What's important is not the result, but the process. Even if you can't stay, you still have me and Brother Yao here."

When Yi Jianlian heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and after he digested it, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

The reason why he wants to stay in the NBA, besides not wanting to leave any regrets for himself, is also very important, just like Yao Ming did back then, he does not want to disappoint the expectations of domestic fans.

Catching up with Yao Ming was what the Chinese people expected of him at that time, and was also the direction of his efforts.

But this expectation is obviously unrealistic now, and as Xu Yong said, even if Yao Ming fades out, even if he really can't stay, there is still Xu Yong.

Well, there's really no need for him to put so much pressure on himself.

After seeing his reaction, Xu Yong patted his arm again, motioning him to go to the frontcourt where Harden was going to take a free throw.

Thibodeau was standing on the sidelines at this time. His original plan was to let Yi Jianlian open up space. If he couldn't do that, he would replace him with Martin.

After all, Martin is the most reliable among the players on the defensive end.

But he didn't do that now because Yi Jianlian showed enough toughness in the previous round.

Harden made both free throws.

6 to 13, the Thunder continued to maintain their lead.

The Thunder fans at the scene were already very relaxed at this time.

The Bulls couldn't get going on offense and couldn't hold on on defense, so the Thunder were sure to win the game tonight.

Not only Thunder fans, but also Thunder players are full of confidence at this time.

Sufficient confidence means active defense. Xu Yong still had no direct chance after receiving the ball despite his off-ball running, and the double-team also came at the first time.

He could only go back to the three-point line to hold the ball, and then use a breakthrough to eat Sefolosha.

Because there were no other strong offensive points to contain him tonight, his pick-and-roll play would only lead to double-teams coming faster.

This was definitely the toughest game the Bulls have faced since the start of the season.

Xu Yong broke into the three-second zone and was immediately trapped by Ibaka.

He could choose to attack the basket quickly at this time, which was what the Thunder predicted he would do, so not only did Gasol shrink to the basket, but the Thunder players on both wings also moved in.

Xu Yong made the second choice and passed the ball to Yi Jianlian again.

Yi Jianlian received the ball at the top of the arc again.

This time, no one from the Thunder even rotated over, only Ibaka symbolically raised his hand to return to defense.

This is basically what putting means.

This is the same as ignoring Asik's offensive threat under the basket before. It is obvious that they don't believe that Yi Jianlian can make a three-pointer.

Some even thought that Yi Jianlian might not dare to continue shooting.

After all, there is only one result for a marginal player who misses three-pointers in a row: being replaced.

This judgment is not wrong. If Yi Jianlian fails to score consecutively, Thibodeau will still replace him with Martin.

If he is substituted, it will be difficult for a marginal player like him to get another chance.

So this was a three-point opportunity, and it could be said to be the shot that determined Yi Jianlian's career.

Whether to return to CBA directly, or to continue to stay on the court and continue to fight for the possibility of staying in the NBA, it all depends on this one shot.

Yi Jianlian made another three-pointer.

Compared with the last time he made a move, he looked much calmer and more composed.

After getting rid of his psychological burden, he suddenly became indifferent.

At worst, I can just go back to CBA!

The basketball spun in the air and drew a parabola.

When the ball started to fall from the highest point, the expressions of Thunder fans began to no longer be so relaxed.

Brooks also frowned.

Because it looks like this ball will go in.

“Swish!”

With a crisp sound, the basketball went straight through the net.

Yi Jianlian hit this three-pointer!

At this time, the contrast between the coaches on both sides of the field was particularly obvious.

Brooks stood up with a frown, while Thibodeau clenched his fists in front of him.

It wasn't just a three-pointer thing, but the Bulls' offensive space opened up.

With the offensive space, Xu Yong can do a lot more.

Xu Yong was also happy for Yi Jianlian at this time and high-fived Yi Jianlian while retreating.

9 to 13.

Yi Jianlian's three-pointer also narrowed the score difference to less than 5 points.

The Bulls' entire morale on the court was different.

Harden directly played pick-and-roll with Gasol, and used the European step to break through Yi Jianlian for a layup.

The current version of Yi Jianlian has gained weight. Although he can take on Gasol, his ability to defend guards is average.

Harden successfully broke through the defense and made a low-hand shot.

"Bang!"

But the ball did not fall into the basket, but was hit directly by Xu Yong who came to assist in defense under the basket!

Xu Yong was too familiar with Yi Jianlian and Harden. He basically predicted the result of this mismatch, then retreated in advance to complete the block and also grabbed the defensive rebound.

The Bulls successfully defended this round, but because it was Xu Yong's block and Rose was not on the court, the defensive counterattack could not be launched.

The two sides continued to fight positional warfare.

This time Xu Yong held the ball directly outside the three-point line.

Sefolosha was passed by twice in a row, but he had to keep pressing forward, because Xu Yong had already shown his shooting touch tonight at the beginning of the game, and giving him space was equivalent to giving away points.

The result was that Sefolosha was passed for the third time.

Sefolosha is from Switzerland. He is tall and has long arms, and has both good size and speed. He is known for his excellent off-ball defense and tough one-on-one defense, so he is also called the "Swiss Army Knife" by fans.

He had already demonstrated off-ball defense before, allowing Xu Yong to score only two points through off-ball movement, but this one-on-one defense made him want to swear.

If you had replaced him with someone else, he wouldn't have been in such a mess.

The opponent is bigger and faster than you, and he has never felt this kind of despair before (McGrady was already in trouble before he became a starter).

Ibaka is still shrinking inwards.

But at the same time, the Thunder were also rotating in defense, no longer giving Yi Jianlian open three-point opportunities like he just did.

At this time, it depends on Xu Yong's passing ability, or the organizing ability of an organizing forward.

Because he needs to read the defense and make a judgment in a short time whether to attack or pass the ball.

If he passes the ball, he needs to pass it to the person he thinks has a chance to shoot directly.

Then it turns out that everything has two sides.

Rose's frequent injuries caused the Bulls' record to fluctuate greatly, but this also indirectly accelerated Xu Yong's improvement in organizational skills.

At this time, the passing he practiced during the offseason made things move in a positive direction.

Or you can also understand that part of the reason why Xu Yong trained his physical fitness and passing skills during the offseason was to deal with this situation.

As a reborn person, he knows the intensity of the shortened season and that Rose started to get injured this season in history.

Back on the court, Xu Yong's choice was to pass the ball directly to Artest who was at a 45-degree angle on the left.

Durant, who was defending Artest, just rotated to defend Yi Jianlian. After receiving the ball, he decisively completed the shot.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the backboard and bounced into the net.

Although Artest's defensive performance has declined slightly this season, his three-point shooting is currently a career high.

Brooks reached out and called a timeout.

12 to 13.

After the Bulls made two consecutive three-pointers, the score difference was only 1 point!

"Charles, I told you a long time ago that Xu becomes stronger when facing stronger opponents." O'Neal said proudly in the commentary booth.

For the Bulls' two three-pointers, in addition to the shooters making the shots, Xu Yong's disruption of the Thunder's defensive formation was more crucial.

Now the Thunder really can't shrink at will anymore, which means the Bulls have won themselves the opportunity to fight the Thunder.

Barkley was speechless at this time. In fact, from his remarks in previous shows, it can be seen that he has also joined Xu Chui's team.

But unfortunately, O'Neal was more suitable for this role than him, so he could only play the supporting role for the effect of the show.

Now looking at O'Neal's smug look... Hey! Let me blow it too!

After the timeout, Harden and Durant started a pick-and-roll.

Harden made a counterattack after breaking through Xu Yong, and Durant received the ball and shot directly into the face of Hinrich.

So what if you can do this pull-up shot? It's unstoppable when Durant is in full energy.

But looking back, Xu Yong immediately broke through to the basket and made a layup to return the favor.

As predicted before, after the Bulls opened up the offensive space on the court, Xu Yong had more room to break through.

Turning around, Durant reached out for the ball and played against Artest directly outside the three-point line.

With a shuffling step and a change of direction, he passed Artest and then made another quick stop and pull-up shot.

This performance made the Thunder fans at the scene excited.

The last time the Thunder lost was because of Durant's lack of hard-solving ability. Just now, Durant took the initiative to ask for the ball and attacked with the ball, which clearly showed that he wanted to prove himself.

Then Xu Yong, after getting past Sofolosha's defense for who knows how many times, made an emergency stop and pull up shot in the latter's almost desperate expression.

Xu Yong and Durant once again staged a big battle after the World Championships two years ago, but it was a plus version.

Because both Xu Yong and Durant have significantly improved their strength compared to that time.

The happiest person at this time is Stern.

The pair of topics for the next decade that he wanted to create are becoming possible step by step.

After the first quarter, the score was tied at 30.

The two teams scored a combined 60 points in a single quarter, playing a signature offensive battle.

Among them, Xu Yong scored 15 points in a single quarter, competing with Durant's 16 points in a single quarter. Both of them played the entire first quarter, and the offensive battle made the fans feel very excited.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Durant sat on the bench and gasped for breath.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that they didn’t score more than 20 points in a single quarter, and it seems that they didn’t score a lot. The fact is that this was an era when the second offense had not yet been changed to 14 seconds, and the number of offensive rounds was not many.

And more importantly, just like in the World Championships, the two players were directly facing each other on offense and defense in the second half.

A piece of knowledge that is easy to be impressed by: Durant's defense is very poor.

In fact, Durant's defense has never been bad, it's just average after the injury and excellent before the injury.

His defense benefits from his physical condition and team role requirements. He is very similar to McGrady. When he is focused, his defense is elite, but most of the time he cannot allocate his physical strength to defense because he is not physically able to do so.

"Do you need rest?" Thibodeau looked at Xu Yong and asked on the Bulls bench.

Of course, he hoped that Xu Yonghe would play the entire first half like he did against the Lakers, and it would be best if he did not rest in the second half.

After all, whether it's scoring or organizing the game tonight, the Bulls rely on Xu Yong alone.

But the reality is that Xu Yong consumed a lot of energy on the offensive end in the first quarter, which was completely different from the situation when he was strolling around the court for most of the quarter against the Lakers.

When Xu Yong heard this, Barkley's famous saying immediately emerged in his mind: Don't replace me, I will have plenty of time to rest after I die.

But if you really say such childish words to Thibodeau, he would probably get goosebumps.

"After tonight's game, I must have a good sleep." Xu Yong said with a smile.

Thibodeau looked at Xu Yong and nodded, already knowing the answer.

After taking a few breaths, Durant recovered.

At this time, the intermission was over. Durant looked up and was suddenly stunned when he saw the court.

Because he saw Xu Yong appear again!

Be a human being!

Durant was really shocked.

This is not a question of traveling during off-peak hours or during off-peak hours. Xu Yong's consumption in the first quarter was no less than his!

As Durant was looking on in shock, Xu Yong broke through to the inside and after a fierce confrontation with Turiaf, he caused the latter to commit a defensive foul and got two free throw opportunities.

From body language to confrontation, Xu Yong did not show any signs of fatigue.

Speaking of which, in terms of comprehensive strength on both offense and defense, Xu Yong and Durant are evenly matched. Durant is stronger in offense, while Xu Yong is slightly better in defense.

But Xu Yong’s biggest advantage is his physical fitness.

This is not just the result of his training during the offseason, but the cumulative result over the years.

Endurance and physical fitness are Xu Yong's greatest advantages.

Not to mention others, just talk about Butler, it can be said that he has demonstrated the highest point that can be achieved by possessing these two talents.

And Xu Yong's talent is much stronger than Butler's.

After making both free throws, Xu Yong turned around and successfully blocked a shot for Reggie Jackson on the defensive end.

Then when he returned to the offensive end, Xu Yong ran without the ball and scored a 2+1 on Reggie Jackson.

He was so excited about the game that he even gave his opponent a classic NBA trash talk: Welcome to the NBA.

Before Jackson could hold back, Durant couldn't hold back anymore. He stood up and asked Brooks to play.

…

In the end, the Bulls narrowly defeated the Thunder 113-109, winning an incredible victory.

You have to know that the Bulls, without their two core players, are a level weaker than the Thunder.

In particular, Durant played bravely tonight, scoring 40 points, while Gasol and Harden also scored nearly 20 points.

But Xu Yong's performance tonight was like a god descending from heaven. He played the whole game, made 18 of 35 shots, a career high and the first 50+, with 53 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Especially in the last quarter, when Durant's scoring efficiency dropped due to physical exhaustion, Xu Yong was still able to hit the key shot despite being double-teamed, which stunned all the Thunder fans at the scene.

"Shaq, you are right, he is the modern Michael Jordan!" Even on the commentary side, Barkley joined Xu Chui's team regardless of everything.

In the modern era of Jordan, this classic term has changed hands again.

But it seems that this time, this word has been agreed by many people.

Because in the past two days, Xu Yong has done something incredible.

He scored a total of 97 points in the two games, becoming the fourth player in history to do so after Kobe.

But unlike Kobe, he was playing against championship-level teams like the Lakers and Thunder, so the points he scored were very valuable.

Not to mention this is a shortened season.

In fact, at the end of the game, social media was almost dominated by the fans' shock.

"This was the best performance of the season. When his teammates fell one after another, Xu carried the team forward on his own. He was a lone hero."

"This is the greatest scoring performance I have ever seen since Kobe's 2005-2006 season. Xu is on his way to dominating the league, and he is only in his third year!"

"Last season's FMVP was definitely not a flash in the pan. I think it's time to include Xu in the MVP discussion."

"The competition for MVP this season will be unprecedentedly fierce. Who will be elected among Xu, Durant, James, and Kobe? I think it will depend on the final results of the four teams."

"I originally thought Xu would fall off this list. After all, when the two core players of your team are injured, it is really difficult to guarantee the team's record. But I have to say that Xu shocked me. Even if the Bulls' record is not first, I will vote for him!"

"One interesting thing is that if Xu really does this, the Bulls will have two players who won MVP in their third year."

"Foreman: It's just so smooth, who would have thought!"

…

While the outside world was discussing the issue heatedly, Xu Yong was sleeping soundly in the hotel.

He is also a human being, and after being fucked so hard back to back, his physical strength has reached its limit.

Not to mention that they only slept for a short while on the plane last night in order to catch a away game.

Although he was tired, he slept with a smile on his face. After all, he did what he promised Thibodeau.

…

The day after the game with the Thunder, ESPN updated the latest MVP list.

In this list, Xu Yong also topped the list for the first time this season.

Before this, although the Bulls' record has always been lower than that of the Heat and higher than that of the Thunder in the West, James has always occupied the top spot.

But it is obvious that Xu Yong's performance in back-to-back games in the past forced ESPN to make such a change.

If last night it was just a discussion among fans on social media, now Xu Yong has really become a popular candidate for this season's MVP.

The Bulls also returned to Chicago to rest after ending their road trip.

Even including the flight time, they only had two days to rest.

It was at this time that the Bulls made layoffs.

They cut Peja Stojakovic.

This is mainly because out of consideration for the team's future, the coaching staff decided to let Yao Ming recuperate for a period of time.

During this period, they need to supplement their inside line.

Because it is difficult to get through this period relying solely on four inside players, and it may even continue to cause injuries, bringing greater troubles later.

Especially when Asik was ineffective in the last game, the team had very few options.

At this time, there are not many inside players for them to choose from in the free market. After all, all the capable and suitable players have already been signed.

The Bulls picked the tallest one among the short guys and finally signed Chris Andersen, who was previously amnestied by the Nuggets, with a ten-day contract.