Knicks fans are the most desperate group at this time.

In fact, there was not much hope for the eighth place to play against the first place. If they lost, they lost. If they could steal one or two games, it would be considered a success.

But people are most afraid of raising their expectations and then being disappointed, or tons of disappointment at that. That makes them feel desperate.

While TNT was talking freely, ESPN's number one Knicks fan, A. Smith, broke down.

As someone who experienced the feud between the Knicks and the Bulls in the last century, he really couldn't accept that the Knicks had fallen to the point where they were beaten by 58 points.

He directly stated on the show that he was fed up with Anthony and Stoudemire, and the Knicks should get rid of the two of them next summer for reconstruction.

Of course, such empty talk will not bring any substantial effect, and selling on dips is impossible to happen.

This is just to allow desperate Knicks fans to find someone to vent their anger during these two days of offseason.

However, in this desperate situation, they received good news the next day.

Yao Ming will not play in Game 2. The Bulls have not announced the specific reason, but it is likely that his injury has recurred.

This is actually not a surprise. For the Bulls this season, it has become the norm for Yao Ming and Rose to be in and out of the lineup.

This finally gave them a glimmer of hope.

Although, it now looks like someone slapped it in the face and then given a candy as a reward.

G2 was still held in Chicago, and the pre-match camera showed players from both sides warming up.

Because the bus was blocked by Chicago gangsters for more than an hour after the last game, the Knicks players looked much more honest tonight.

Of course, the live camera focused more on Xu Yong from the Bulls team.

It was another night leading the team alone, although Xu Yong didn't seem to have too many emotional fluctuations.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.

Bulls: Hinrich, Artest, Xu Yong, Gibson, Yi Jianlian;

Knicks: Jeremy Lin, Fields, Anthony, Stoudemire, Camby.

The game started quickly, and after it started, the Knicks players played a completely different performance from the previous game.

Stoudemire scored a goal by attacking Gibson in the low post, and then Anthony hit his signature pull-up jump shot facing Artest.

These two rounds also reflected the impact of Yao Ming's absence on the Bulls.

The first one is naturally the deterrence in the interior. Although Stoudemire was half disabled, he was suppressed by his old rival Yao Ming in G1.

But since Yao Ming is not here, he has room to play when facing Gibson and Yi Jianlian in the interior.

A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Not to mention strength, even psychologically, Stadler's confidence has changed.

Then the second and more important thing is that Xu Yong can no longer guard Anthony.

Basketball is a sport for five people after all. Kobe averaged 35+ points per game and barely led the Lakers into the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the first round in the end.

Although the other players on the Bulls are stronger than those on the Lakers, Xu Yong's strength is obviously not at the level of Kobe at that time.

So unless he replicates his performance against the Thunder in the regular season, he will still have to choose between offense and defense.

But the reason why classic games are classic is that they are difficult to replicate, so he can only choose to attack.

Of course, it is also Thibodeau's choice.

Anthony was left to Artest, Battier and Tony Allen.

So in Anthony's previous teams, it was often An Fengxian who faced off against the opponent alone, but in this game, it was Xu Yong who faced off against the All-Star combination of Anthony and Stoudemire alone.

The whole competition process was very intense.

In the desperate situation, Anthony and Stoudemire both performed well. The former made 12 of 26 shots and scored 28 points and 9 rebounds, a strong rebound; the latter scored 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks, showing dominance on both offense and defense, which is rare this season.

However, the final score was 94 to 104, and the Knicks lost the game by 10 points.

Although the Knicks' performance tonight can be considered an epic improvement compared to the 58-point difference in the previous game, they still didn't win in the end.

Because on the Bulls side, Xu Yong scored 45 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists alone!

The number of points he scored alone was equal to the total of Anthony and Stoudemire.

Moreover, among Xu Yong's 45 points, including free throws, 30 points came from the Knicks' penalty area.

Yes, Xu Yong directly broke the Knicks' restricted area.

This is the damage an MVP-level forward-guard swingman can do when paired with a spacing lineup.

Of course, this is also related to the Knicks' poor interior lineup of Camby and Jeffries.

In fact, in addition to these two aspects, there is another factor that has always existed, the "S" key that Anthony removed.

Stoudemire was full of confidence tonight and had great destructive power in the interior. He made 6 of 8 shots in three quarters and scored 18 points, giving people a glimpse of the figure of the "Little Bully" back then.

That's right, he had already scored 18 points in three quarters, and in the end he only scored 18 points. In the last quarter, he only got a pitiful one shot opportunity.

Yes, Anthony was in good shape tonight, but one can draw a conclusion with one's toes: compared to Anthony's one-on-one challenge against the Bulls' front line, Stoudemire's success rate in scoring in the paint is significantly higher.

Especially in the playoffs, success rate means the chance of winning.

But although Anthony is not a person obsessed with data like James, he prefers to solve problems by himself. Not only does he like to solve problems by himself, but he also doesn't have an "S" key.

So after the game, Stoudemire was very angry.

Although his performance this season has a lot to do with injuries, think about it, before Anthony came to New York, he was also one of the top five or even top three power forwards in the league. As a result, now he doesn’t even have the ball to play.

Without the ball, and with the situation of 0-2 after losing Game 2, and with Rose's return making the Knicks even less hopeful, Stoudemire was really upset.

So after the game was over and the post-match handshake ceremony was over, he saw a fire hydrant in the player tunnel, and after seeing the glaring red color, he punched it directly.

“Bang!”

With this punch, the glass of the fire hydrant window was smashed directly.

The power of "Little Overlord" is so terrifying.

However, no matter how strong they are, their hands are still made of flesh and bones.

Blood was all over the ground. Stadler covered his hands and walked quickly towards the infirmary in pain under the surprised gaze of his teammates behind him.

…

"Stoudemire smashed a fire hydrant after the game and missed Game 3 due to injury"

This became a news headline in the media the next day.

It can't be said to be a bit outrageous, but the degree of outrage is comparable to Kevin Johnson's celebration of the buzzer-beater that dislocated his teammate's shoulder, Chuck Hayes drinking water that electrocuted himself into the ICU, and John Wall slipped in the shower and ruptured his Achilles tendon.

And the key point is that the Knicks were already trailing 0-2, and now they are suddenly missing Stoudemire. For New York fans, there is really no such thing as the most desperate, only more desperate.

Then in G3, Yao Ming returned.

It was at this time that the Bulls announced the reason why Yao Ming would miss Game 2.

It's not because of injury, but because of rest.

Yao Ming's injury during the regular season made Thibodeau realize that Yao Ming had reached a point where he needed CD to perform, so if he had a choice, he would do his best to ensure Yao Ming's health.

After all, not to mention the distant future, if we meet the Celtics in the next round, it will be a fierce battle, so we should rest if we can in the first round.

This is Thibodeau's consideration, but Knicks fans heard: Listen, is this human language? !

It can be said that the announcement of this news really angered the Knicks and Knicks fans.

"If you're still a man, you should beat them on the court!" This was A. Smith's call to the Knicks on the show.

In Game 3 of both teams, Madison Square Garden was packed with New York fans excitedly waving eye-catching signs such as "Defeat Chicago" and "Let them pay the price for underestimating their opponents".

The fans were crazy and the Knicks players were also full of fighting spirit. When the camera was turned to Anthony before the game, he looked very stylish with his pouting lips.

However, not long after the game started, the Knicks were defeated by the Bulls.

Yao Ming returned and Xu Yong played against Anthony again.

The melon that had just been sweet last time became bitter again tonight.

To be honest, with Anthony's skills, he shouldn't be so embarrassed facing Xu Yong.

At least, it shouldn't be as embarrassing as James.

But he is obviously not in good shape this season, and it is obvious that his bad mouth has also thrown his mentality out of balance.

In addition, Yao Ming had a rest and was fully energized, so he wreaked havoc in the interior and completely broke the "King of New York" and "Banana Boat Boss".

In the second quarter, his movements became more aggressive and he received two technical fouls in a row and was sent off.

At this time, the Bulls were leading by nearly 20 points and the game had completely lost its suspense.

By the second half, less than 30% of the fans were left in the originally packed stadium, as most of the fans left early to avoid traffic jams in New York.

However, what was unexpected was that after Stoudemire and Anthony were unable to play consecutively, Jeremy Lin led the Knicks and the Bulls to a stalemate in the second half by relying on pick-and-rolls and breakthroughs.

Although Yao Ming and Xu Yong did not play much in the second half, the exchanges on the field gave the fans who stayed behind a good viewing experience.

In the end, the Bulls defeated the Knicks 103-91, extending their lead in most of the series to 3-0.

Jeremy Lin scored 25 points, 6 assists and 3 steals, which was the only consolation for New York fans tonight.

At this time, Anthony's remarks before the game about the black eight seemed very funny.

Even A. Smith looked like an impotent and angry man at this moment.

Competitive sports are like this, strength determines everything, and those who pretend to be strong without having any strength will end up becoming a laughing stock.

In the last game, Stoudemire made a comeback for the Knicks, while Rose returned for the Bulls, and Yao Ming rested again.

The Knicks played completely honest in this game, but in the end they still couldn't avoid being swept.

It is worth mentioning that this is the second time Anthony has been swept in his career. The last time was in the 07-08 season, when the golden duo of Anthony and Iverson met the Lakers led by Kobe in the first round.

But this time, because of the experience of 58, such a sweep will obviously be more impressive.

At this time, the King, who was far away in Miami, gave Anthony a thumbs-up in his heart.

He had hoped that Anthony could give the Bulls some strength in the first round, but the result really disappointed him.

It seems that he will have to take the position of the boss of the banana boat in the future.

After this round of series, many people once again felt the pressure from the Bulls.

Yes, the Bulls were indeed plagued by injuries and had ups and downs in the middle of the season, but when the Bulls were healthy, they were still the championship team.

Moreover, they got another chance to rest.

The series between their potential opponents, the Celtics and the Hawks, is still going on, with the Celtics currently leading 3-1.

By this point in the game, the situations in the Eastern and Western Conference series have mostly become clear.

In the remaining two rounds in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers and the Heat are already leading 3-1.

This is the overall strength of the Eastern Conference today, and several teams in the upper half have obvious advantages.

In the West, the Lakers swept the Clippers. Although Griffin performed very well, the gap in strength between the two teams was there.

What’s even more fatal is that although it is called a derby in the same city, in fact, all of them are the Lakers’ home games. This is the literal meaning of “home games become away games”.

The game between Thunder and Hornets was more tense than expected. Although Westbrook's shooting was unstable, he was very motivated in the game. Moreover, the Thunder did not have a rim protector like Perkins, so it was difficult to defend against a guard like Westbrook who had a fast breakthrough speed. However, with a score of 3 to 1, the Thunder would have no problem advancing.

The Mavericks performed pretty much as expected, not giving the Nuggets many chances and leading 3-1. Leonard performed well, raising his personal average to 10 points per game, which gave Dallas fans great expectations.

The only unexpected matchup this year came between the Spurs and the Grizzlies. The Spurs led the Grizzlies 3-1, and the Grizzlies couldn't even play evenly.

The one who changed the situation was a young man from the Spurs, of course not Leonard, because Leonard is now in the Mavericks.

It was a Brazilian guy named Thiago Split.

This inside player, who has historically been deeply persecuted by the [vertical jump rule], has excellent standing defense ability.

Let me put it this way, he is tall, has long arms, has good bounce, and is one of the few people who can fight against outstanding white inside players.

This is simply a secret weapon carefully prepared for the gray and white bears.

And Duncan was not troubled by injuries this year, so even without Leonard, the Spurs are still the better team this year.

It was at this time that the league announced the results of the second batch of awards. Irving became the best rookie, and the best defensive player went to Chandler of the Mavericks.

Chandler has not been valued since his debut with the Bulls. He later became famous in New Orleans, moved to Charlotte and almost faded out of the league. It was only when he came to Dallas that he was reborn.

Facts have proved that functional players still need to find a suitable system to unleash their true strength.

A few days later, the matchups for the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals were announced.

In the West, the Lakers and Spurs meet again since the 2008 Western Conference Finals, while the Thunder and Mavericks will play a grudge match.

In the East, the Heat and the Pacers will battle it out, while the Bulls will face the challenge of the Celtics.

After the matchup was confirmed, some fans brought up what Xu Yong said two years ago.

The Bulls, who had defeated the Cavaliers in the first round, were eliminated in the semifinals by the Celtics 2-4 in the second round.

After losing the game, Xu Yong once said: "If we meet again next time, we will win back all the games we lost in this game."

There is never a shortage of revenge scenes in the NBA. The Spurs just took revenge on the Grizzlies, and this time, after two seasons, Xu Yong and the Bulls finally got their chance for revenge.

Before the semifinals officially started, the league announced the third batch of awards, namely the MVPs.

This is undoubtedly the most watched award this year.

It can be said that before the regular season even ended, fans were already arguing about this topic on social media.

Comey fans and James fans are the two largest groups in the league, and as representatives of the new generation of stars, Durant and Xu Yong also have growing fan bases.

In fact, this year it is indeed difficult for the major media because there are sufficient reasons to choose anyone.

Even the largest sports media ESPN has reached a terrifying level in promoting James in the past two months.

It gives people the feeling that if James is not elected MVP this season, it will be a pity for the NBA.

All the results are finally revealed at this time.

The final result is out, and the winner of the 2011-2012 regular season MVP is...Xu Yong!

In this fiercely contested election, he won more easily than many people thought.

He received nearly 30% of the votes, nearly 5% more than second-place Kobe.

Durant came in third, receiving nearly 20% of the votes.

James, who had previously been the most popular candidate in the media, only received 19% of the votes and ranked fourth.

This result, including the voting ratio, can be said to be somewhat unexpected.

But upon closer analysis, it actually makes sense.

Because Xu Yong not only won the scoring title this season, but more importantly, he had a strong presence.

Despite the frequent injuries of Rose and Yao Ming, Xu Yong has led the team to maintain the best record in the league, which can define MVP performance better than data.

Not to mention that he also has classic season masterpieces like the 50+ against the Thunder.

It is true that ESPN has been hyping up the event, but the majority of people are silent, and their opinions are all subjective.

This also seems to explain why James is ranked last among the four. His performance as a leader after Wade's absence, especially against the Bulls, was too bad.

After winning the MVP, Xu Yong became the second player after Rose to win the MVP during his rookie contract.

And just as fans had previously assumed on social media, he achieved this honor in his third year as a rookie, just like Rose.

Now, James fans have a new reason.

You Bulls have two MVPs and the league's best center, so you are a true Big Three team, a super team.

On the other hand, I, James, have never been in a super team.

In any case, this result, as well as the final vote ranking, can be said to have deepened James fans' hatred for Xu Yong.

It can be predicted that if the two teams meet again in the Eastern Conference Finals, there will be another round of bloody storm on social media.

Before the divisional semifinals began, Thibodeau gathered the entire team in the video room for a final analysis and summary.

This is what the team has been doing over the past few days.

Completely different from the first round against the Knicks, Thibodeau attached great importance to his old team, the Celtics, to the point that some people on the team even felt that he took it too seriously.

But over the past few days, the players have basically reached a consensus that playing against the Celtics this season is second only to playing against the Mavericks in last season's finals.

Thibodeau's analysis and summary gave them a clearer understanding of the Celtics, some of which were even different from their previous understanding:

1. The Celtics are a fast-paced team

Because of their low scoring, many people compare the Celtics to the 2004 championship Pistons, but in fact, their pace is very fast, which is the opposite of the Pistons' slow-paced play.

The most important point is that they will not let the point guard advance slowly from the backcourt. If there is a chance, they will serve the ball from the backcourt and then seek a fast break. If there is a fast break opportunity, they will initiate it as soon as possible.

This year is even more obvious because Garnett appears more at the five position, and Garnett's fast break speed is very fast.

This is somewhat restraining for the Bulls, because even if Yao Ming loses weight, it is difficult for him to retreat quickly to the backcourt.

In Game 2 against the Heat last season, Spoelster used double-teaming to achieve a similar effect, and the Bulls were in a more passive position at the time.

2. The Celtics' positional offense has improved

Ray Allen's off-ball running and catching the ball and shooting is the standard offensive tactic of this Celtics team's positional warfare, and it is also the tactic with the highest certainty.

In addition, there are the off-ball or on-ball screens given by the inside players to Ray Allen or Pierce, as well as the one-on-one tactics of Pierce and Garnett.

It looks more layered, but the tactics are relatively simple and easier to target.

This is the main reason why the Celtics didn't score much.

However, the Celtics' positional warfare capabilities have improved this season, and the main reason is that Garnett's offensive space at the five position has increased.

Before, when the team's center was Perkins or Kwame Brown, Rondo's outside shooting was unstable, the offensive space was crowded, it was common for Pierce to be double-teamed, and Ray Allen's off-ball shots were often helped defended. But now, except for Rondo, the other four points can shoot.

Moreover, Garnett performed very well at the power forward position in this year's playoffs, averaging nearly 20 points per game in the first round, and has regained his third spring.

Even Rondo, although his three-point shooting is still unstable, has shot a career-high 41% from mid-range.

With this kind of shooting rate, if you defend him alone and let him shoot, there is a certain probability that he will explode.

3. Celtics' defense remains strong

The Celtics don't score a lot, but they can still win games, including the key to winning the championship, is defense.

Although Perkins has left, Rondo and Garnett are both at the defensive level, Ray Allen and Pierce are also above the league level, and even Buss's defense has improved greatly this season under such an environment.

Coupled with Garnett's previous promotion to the five position to radiate the defensive ability in the half court, this has allowed their defense to remain at a very high level.

4. Celtics’ resilience

Xu Yong and the Bulls team had fully experienced this two years ago. This team's resilience is at the same level as the Mavericks in last season's finals.

This year is a very special year for the Celtics because it may be the last year of the Big Three.

Ray Allen's contract renewal with the Celtics two years ago was very unpleasant, and this season, after Bradley took over the starting position after his comeback, his happiness turned into dissatisfaction.

The considerations of the management and coaching staff are understandable. After all, they have to prepare for Ray Allen's possible departure in the summer.

But it is precisely because of this background that the Big Three played particularly hard this year.

Because just like how one championship was not enough for Yao Ming to join the Bulls, the Big Three together would naturally not be satisfied with just one championship.

This is their last fight before the inevitable disbandment.

Xu Yong agrees with Thibodeau's summary and analysis, because in his memory this was the swan song of the Celtics' Big Three.

That summer, Ray Allen joined the Heat, and the Celtics' Big Three disbanded.

Specifically speaking of this season, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and at one point led the Heat 3-2.

If it weren't for James's legendary performance of the Death Eye that turned the situation around, they would have made it to the finals to face the young Thunder and would have probably won another championship.

Of course, Thibodeau also analyzed the weaknesses of this Celtics team later.

Know yourself and know your enemy. You must know his strengths and, of course, his weaknesses.

First, age and physical fitness

Although the Celtics are very resilient, they are almost reaching their age limit. Pierce, the youngest of the Big Three, is already 34 years old, and Garnett will celebrate his 36th birthday in another week.

Willpower may keep them on the field, but their physical fitness will inevitably decline if the game becomes stagnant for a long time.

Second, conflicts within the team

As mentioned before, Ray Allen's departure is almost in the form of a countdown, and this is not just a conflict between him and the management.

Ray Allen can still maintain a good relationship with Garnett and Pierce, but he and Rondo are a bit hostile.

Although Bradley has grown up, he is still obviously inferior to Ray Allen in terms of tactical ability and performance in high-intensity games.

Third, home field advantage

The last time the Bulls and Celtics played against each other, the game started in Boston. Xu Yong had personally experienced the little tricks used on the road.

But this time it starts in Chicago, and the difference will be obvious against the Celtics.

In a word, Thibodeau's core idea is to let the players keep their nerves tense and never underestimate the Celtics, but at the same time, there is no need to have excessive pressure, because the Bulls are still the stronger team.

Xu Yong agrees with Thibodeau's idea of ​​creating an atmosphere that is tense but not overly tense.

After all, the Knicks really didn't offer much resistance to the Bulls.

This is similar to the feeling the Heat gave the Bulls last year.

The two Banana Boat brothers seem to be somewhat incapable of being dungeon bosses.

…

The next day, the United Center was packed again.

After Xu Yong’s remarks were exposed, Chicago fans were extremely excited.

Maybe some fans just want to see Xu Yong get slapped in the face once, but if Xu Yong finally does it, it would be a show-off after two years.

From then on, Chicago also had their own king of force.

In order to make all this come true rather than just a flag, Chicago fans will naturally spare no effort to support it.

After all, Xu Yong is the man who brought Chicago back to the top of the league.

During the pre-game warm-up, the entire Celtics team had serious expressions.

Even Kwame Brown was stopped by Rondo when he wanted to talk to Xu Yong about the past.

Obviously, the Celtics had made sufficient preparations before the game and were ready to fight to the end.

When the warm-up was almost done, the award ceremony was held on site.

This is the second time the Bulls have held this ceremony at their home stadium since this year's playoffs, and the winner was Xu Yong.

Last time it was the Most Improved Award, this time it was the MVP.

Xu Yong has completed a customized honor invisibly.

However, he has the opportunity to accomplish a recognized feat this season: winning the scoring title, MVP and Finals MVP in the same season.

Before this, only three people had done it: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and O'Neal did it once, while Jordan did it four times.

Of course, the premise is that if the Bulls can finally successfully defend their title.

Xu Yong also took a deep breath before taking the trophy.

Because of his personality, he will not pass the pressure to his teammates, but this season is also not easy for him.

The absence of Rose and Yao Ming, as well as the tight schedule, meant that if he had not done special physical training last summer, even if he would not have been injured, he might not have been able to withstand the double fatigue of body and mind.

But the moment I received the trophy, everything became worth it.

It was at this moment that he felt that he might be able to try to catch up with his idol, the boiled egg that was once out of his reach.

"MVP! MVP!"

When Xu Yong raised the trophy above his head, the Chicago fans cheered.

The emergence of a third-year MVP is already very exaggerated, and now there are two, and for two consecutive years. This is something that we dare not even dream of, but it is actually happening now.

Tianxing Chicago!

When walking to the bench, Xu Yong high-fived his teammates one by one, and finally handed the trophy to Butler for safekeeping.

And after he put down the trophy, his gaze changed from excitement to concentration.

This was his MVP night and the beginning of the revenge promise he made two years ago.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced.

Celtics: Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, Brandon Bass, Garnett;

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

When the Bulls' starting lineup was announced, the Chicago fans at the scene were inexplicably excited.

It may be hard to believe, but this is the first time that the Bulls have all three core players together in the playoffs this year.

This season has been really difficult.

But looking at the bright side, being able to have all the players play against the Celtics is already a good thing for the Bulls this season.

At the beginning of the game, Garnett beat Yao Ming in a jump shot and the game officially started.

Xu Yong kept a close eye on Ray Allen on the defensive end to prevent him from moving without the ball, but the Celtics' opening choice was a bit unexpected.

Garnett did not screen for Ray Allen, but ran to the other side to screen for Pierce. Artest cleverly bypassed the pick-and-roll, Rondo directly passed the ball to Garnett, and then Garnett made a slashing jump shot from the high post.

“Swish!”

Garnett made his first shot at the start of the game, showing his excellent form since entering the playoffs.

Looking back, Rose and Yao Ming played pick-and-roll in the frontcourt. He was mismatched and faced Garnett's change of direction without slowing down, and he did not get a direct chance to shoot. Although Garnett was passed by, the coverage of his long arms was enough to interfere with Rose from behind at any time.

Just as Rose turned around to look for his teammates, Pierce's help defense had arrived. He and Garnett blocked Rose's passing angle, forcing Rose to attack the basket reluctantly. Rose was forced to take a shot but failed to score.

However, just as Garnett was about to grab the rebound, Yao Ming followed up to the basket, grabbed the frontcourt rebound, and completed the tip-in after competing with Garnett who turned around.

This round can be said to be basically in line with Thibodeau's pre-match analysis.

The Celtics not only have strong defensive capabilities, but also have a high degree of tacit understanding and quick defensive choices. At this time, the ball handler's ball handling speed is required to be very high.

But what Thibodeau didn't mention is that with such a lineup, Yao Ming will have much more room to play in the interior.

In the transition from offense to defense, Garnett received the ball directly at the same position on the right and made another iron-blooded jump shot.

The Celtics' offensive strategy tonight seems very clear, which is to not defend Yao Ming from the inside.

Because even though Yao Ming lost weight, his lateral movement was still very slow, and he basically couldn't get back after being pulled out. At that time, Garnett could coordinate the offense in the high post and attack the Bulls' basket.

Obviously, when Thibodeau was studying his former team, the Celtics also studied the defensive system of Thibodeau's old team.

In the Bulls' turn, Xu Yong held the ball and signaled Yao Ming to go down to the low post.

We must take advantage of Yao Ming's advantage in the interior, otherwise Yao Ming will be at a disadvantage on the defensive end.

However, Garnett's defense at this time was very smart. He held Yao Ming in the high position and prevented him from going to the basket. After Yao Ming turned around, he changed to go around the front and swung his long arms to interfere with Yao Ming's receiving route.

When Yao Ming was still in the Rockets, Slam Dunk magazine interviewed him and asked him who was the toughest defender in the NBA. Yao Ming's answer was Garnett.

In Yao Ming's description, Garnett, an inside Spider-Man with full agility, is the most difficult to deal with.

This certainly does not refer to low-post confrontations. If it were in a low-post situation, Yao Ming would have a big weight advantage and could get in with just a turn or a confrontation.

It is more like what was shown in the previous round, restricting Yao Ming from receiving the ball and disrupting Yao Ming's offensive rhythm.

Seeing this, Xu Yong did not pass the ball to the defense anymore. Instead, he took the ball and quickly broke through Ray Allen, then made a dry jump shot from 16 feet away.

But at the moment he shot, Garnett actually rushed over to interfere, and his timing was just right.

I have to say that Garnett's ability to assist in defense is just like what the outside world says about him: he has his own system and radiates across half the court.

And the key is that his arm span is really long, which caused great interference to Xu Yong.

Xu Yong made the move despite the high difficulty of strong interference.

“Swish!”

The basketball hit the rim and went into the net.

Xu Yong is a very tough player.

The scene was instantly filled with the cheers of Chicago fans. This is the strength of their new MVP!

However, Xu Yong's expression after landing did not show excitement.

This kind of high-difficulty goal is not stable enough, and it will be the same no matter who shoots it.

In fact, up to now, his understanding of the playoffs is different from before.

To put it simply, the playoffs are a competition of success rate and who makes fewer mistakes.

This is the fundamental reason why those weak teams averaging 20 points per game can’t perform well in the playoffs. Most of those people have to pile up the ball, and they are all inefficient and have high turnovers.

This is also the fundamental reason why the Knicks, although they have good strength on paper, are helpless against the Bulls, because Anthony is too inefficient against Xu Yong.

Xu Yong had a conversation with Rose while retreating.

By the time the Celtics reached the frontcourt, there was a very obvious change on the Bulls' defense.

When the ball came into Garnett's hands, a person appeared in front of him, not Yao Ming, but Xu Yong.

At the same time, Rose switched to Ray Allen.

Rondo, who was originally defended by Rose, was left open from the outside.

This is what Xu Yong and Ross were discussing just now.

From the start of the game until now, Xu Yong discovered a very detailed detail, that is, Ray Allen did not move much at the beginning of the game, which was different from the regular season match.

Excluding Ray Allen playing with an injury, it is more likely to be a change in the team's status.

After Ray Allen's comeback, he is no longer the first choice in positional warfare in Rivers' tactics. Pierce has become the first choice.

So Xu Yong could rest assured to let Rose switch defense, while he would go to help Yao Ming with the defense.

Facts proved that Xu Yong's judgment was correct. Garnett passed the ball back to Rondo. Rondo did not signal Ray Allen's off-ball tactics, but dribbled the ball to the free throw line himself, and then chose a jump shot near the three-second zone.

This is one of his signature offensive methods, but with Yao Ming in the three-second zone, his shot was deflected by Yao Ming and the rebound was also protected by Yao Ming.

Then, it was the Bulls' defensive counterattack.

Rose received the ball, quickly broke through to the frontcourt despite Ray Allen's defense, changed direction without slowing down, and then made a layup.

This attack and defense fully demonstrated Ross's personal ability.

Of course, it further reflects Xu Yong's ability to read and react to the game.

However, just as Rose scored the goal, Ray Allen made a quick pass from the backcourt. The Celtics attacked the frontcourt, and Pierce broke through to the 14-foot position and made a bank shot facing Yao Ming.

Although Thibodeau had taken precautions before the game, the Bulls were still unable to defend against the Celtics' fast play.

6 flat.

The score on the field was not high, but both sides were engaged in tactical games in every round after the opening, which was completely different from the previous game against the Knicks.

Such an opponent is indeed worthy of the attention Thibodeau gave before the game.

Moreover, as the game progressed, there was another change on the field. After the coaches of both teams noticed that the defense was relatively loose tonight, they all strengthened their defense, hoping to establish a leading advantage through defensive counterattacks.

In this kind of game, whoever can seize the initiative will have a greater chance of winning.

Therefore, the intensity of the game quickly increased from tactical games to a lot of physical confrontations.

But it is not easy for two equally mature teams to launch a wave of attacks.

On the contrary, as the defense became stronger, the intensity of the off-ball confrontation on the court also continued to increase, and the intensity of the entire game quickly rose to the level of the finals.

And along with this change, the rotations of both sides began to be infinitely compressed.

It's not that we don't dare to expand the rotation, but the rotation players with weaknesses have the chance to be targeted.

The playing time of the main players of both sides was extended for a very long time.

In this quarter, the Celtics replaced two players, Bradley replaced Ray Allen and Pietrus replaced Pierce.

The same thing happened on the Bulls side, with Hinrich replacing Artest and Battier replacing Rose.

Even at the start of the second quarter, both sides only expanded the rotation to 8 players.

Kwame Brown was replaced by Garnett, and Yi Jianlian was replaced by Yao Ming.

As for the remaining players on the field, they were expected to play the entire first half.

This is really terrifying. In a competition of this intensity, it is not only a showdown of strength, but also a showdown of physical strength and endurance.

Of course Xu Yong was very happy facing this situation. After all, the man opposite him was in his thirties and middle-aged. Naturally, he could not last as long as a guy in his early twenties like him.