During the second and final visit to the Lakers this season, Xu Yong went to Los Angeles to visit Kobe.
He went there after finishing afternoon training, and when he arrived, Kobe was sitting in a wheelchair shooting.
Xu Yong was moved after seeing this, and he remembered an interview video he had seen in his previous life.
That was a reporter interviewing Tyronn Lue, who had become the head coach of the Cavaliers at the time. Lue recalled an incident that happened in Kobe's first year in the league.
The 17-year-old Kobe (at the time the league still allowed high school draft picks) broke his left wrist in a preseason game against the Wizards and had his left hand in a cast.
Normal people would take good care of themselves at this time. Lu also thought so when he went to the training hall, and he was a little excited.
Because Kobe would always go to the stadium about an hour and a half early and was always the first to arrive.
At that time, Lu was still young and also had a strong competitive spirit. You know, he was the first to arrive at the training hall in high school and college, so he thought it would be his turn this time.
"When I walked into the training hall, I heard the sound of dribbling. Fear came over me and I trembled: No way, no way, I can't do that! But that's the fact. Kobe was already in the training hall, sweating all over, with a plaster bandage on his left hand, dribbling and turning to shoot.gif."
He still remembers Lu's vivid words.
So Xu Yong was not surprised, just moved.
For many people, basketball is just a job or even a business, but for Kobe, or people like Kobe and Thibodeau, it is something they are obsessed with.
When Kobe finished his training, Xu Yong leaned over and shook hands and hugged Kobe.
"Wait for me to come back, I'll be back soon." Kobe patted Xu Yong's shoulder.
Xu Yong nodded, then pushed the wheelchair to the side and found a place to sit down.
"I remember when we first played against each other, on November 10, 2009, you told me that you had not yet learned how to hit the pivot kick, and then you used it in the game," Xu Yong said.
"You did the same thing." Kobe also laughed. The fact that Xu Yong could describe the days so clearly showed that he attached great importance to their relationship.
"I have to admit that as a mentor, you surpass Michael," Xu Yong continued.
After so many contacts, Xu Yong discovered that Jordan's personality was actually not complicated. He only spent his energy on people he respected, which caused his emotional intelligence to appear to be high or low at times.
But Kobe is willing to teach anyone who wants to learn as long as he has the opportunity.
Kobe smiled happily when he heard this. Although this was not the answer he wanted to hear most, it was worth being happy to be able to surpass Jordan in some aspects.
"I watched your game, are you also training your left hand?" Kobe asked.
"It's just that the progress is a bit slow." Xu Yong nodded.
"That's not an easy thing to do." Kobe sighed, and then shared some of his experiences in training his left hand with Xu Yong.
And not only that, they also discussed more knowledge related to basketball.
Unlike him, Xu Yong could feel that Kobe now regarded him as a player on the same level.
They chatted for more than an hour, and before they knew it, the sun was about to set.
Sunsets always come quicker in winter.
Xu Yong was about to get up and leave, but at this moment, he suddenly thought of something.
Paul's contract expires this summer.
If Kobe hadn't been injured, the CP24 combination would have continued.
But now, with Bynum and Kobe injured, Paul has more options.
After all, Kobe suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Before this, if an NBA player suffered this injury, it meant that his career began to decline sharply.
The most recent example is "Captain" Brand, who went directly from an All-Star to a starting-level player.
Even after Xu Yong knew it, Cousins, Klay Thompson, and Durant were all the same after this injury.
Kobe can be very confident, but how much reason does Paul have to use his peak performance to accompany him in his recovery?
You have to know that this contract renewal is for five years. Instead of making trouble later, it is better to leave now.
"Kobe, have you ever regretted teaching me the puppy gait? If not for that, you should have won your sixth championship last season." Xu Yong asked.
"No." Kobe shook his head.
"Really not at all?"
"No." Kobe shook his head with certainty. "I have learned one thing over the years: success that comes easily does not satisfy people. Only when you fail and then succeed again can you truly feel proud."
"But what if we fail to succeed later?" Xu Yong looked at Kobe.
Kobe was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Xu Yong to ask this question, and he probably hadn't thought about this question carefully.
After pondering for a while, Kobe gave his answer: "I think it's the same. All the achievements you have made cannot be taken away on the day you leave, but as long as you have done your best, there is nothing to regret."
Xu Yong thought for a moment and then nodded.
He finally stood up and said goodbye to Kobe.
At this time, the sun was setting, and Xu Yong saw the golden afterglow shining on Kobe's body, as if Kobe was glowing.
He couldn't help but smile.
It is a great fortune to be able to witness the peak and finale of a legend with your own eyes.
…
Time flies, and it is already late April.
After a season of fierce competition, the final rankings of the Eastern and Western regular season were released.
In the West, the Thunder's 63-win record is the best among all teams.
Durant averaged 28.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 51% and a three-point shooting percentage of 41.6%.
Durant was already dazzling enough last season, but this season he has gone one step further.
Harden's performance was also outstanding, averaging 24.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7 assists and 1.8 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of 47% and a three-point shooting percentage of 36.8%.
The Mavericks are close behind with 60 wins.
In his sophomore career, Leonard averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of 52.2% and a three-point shooting percentage of 37.9%.
The Spurs are third with 56 wins.
The Lakers' final record was 55 wins, fourth in the Western Conference.
Kobe's final statistics were 72 games, averaging 28.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 46.3% shooting percentage, and 32.4% three-point shooting percentage.
Because Bynum will not return until at least the second round, Paul will have to fight alone in the first round of the playoffs just like Xu Yong did last year.
Their opponent is the Grizzlies, ranked fifth in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies also have a record of 55 wins and are no weaker than the Lakers in strength. Paul is likely to be in danger this time.
The Clippers are in sixth place with 51 wins.
The Hornets are seventh with 50 wins.
The Warriors are in eighth place with 47 wins.
The Rockets' final 46 wins ranked ninth. The competition in the Western Conference was still fierce this season, and they still missed the playoffs.
After letting Yao Ming go, the playoffs seemed to be a luxury for them.
The first-round matchups in the Western Conference are: Thunder vs. Warriors, Mavericks vs. Hornets, Spurs vs. Clippers, Lakers vs. Grizzlies.
In addition to the Lakers and Grizzlies, the encounter between the Thunder and the Warriors will be exciting.
After Mark Jackson took over the Warriors, he spent two seasons to sweep away the team's past culture of only attacking and not defending, and injected defensive genes into the team. Now they are a team with both offensive and defensive capabilities, and are constantly growing.
And Draymond Green was still selected by the Warriors. Bob Myers, the new general manager of the Warriors who graduated from UCLA, has a special liking for Green.
In the Eastern Conference, the Heat led the pack with 67 wins, also setting a new record in team history.
Wade averaged 25.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 52.1% and a three-point shooting percentage of 28.4%;
Bosh averaged 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 53.5% from the field and 33.9% from three-point range;
Granger averaged 16.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 45.2% from the field and 40.4% from three-point range;
Hibbert averaged 10.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, Ray Allen averaged 9.2 points per game (41.9% three-point shooting percentage), Chalmers averaged 8.2 points, and Brewer averaged 6.6 points per game.
Wade has regained the feeling of being the ball-handling core of the Big Three. Bosh has more shooting rights and statistics and has also developed three-pointers. The Heat have achieved an unprecedented balance.
Moreover, their lineup of Wade + Ray Allen + Granger + Bosh + Hibbert was balanced in offense and defense at the decisive moment, making it difficult for opponents to find a breakthrough.
Riley's trade last summer gave him the opportunity to compete for the goat in the trade world.
Even since the season came to an end, Heat fans have been thanking James, because without James, they would not have been able to get two such compatible players in Granger and Hibbert at the same time.
The Bulls are second in the Eastern Conference with 58 wins.
Xu Yong ended his last year as a rookie, which was also his most glorious season.
He averaged 43.2 minutes per game, 0.6 minutes more than last season, averaging 32.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 49.5% and a three-point shooting percentage of 36.3%.
This is a crazy enough stat sheet. Xu Yong played stats similar to Jordan's in the 88-89 season, but the difference is that he brought the team to a higher level.
In comparison with himself, his number of shots, points and assists have all increased significantly compared to last season.
Yao Ming played in 38 games, averaging 15.5 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a shooting percentage of 50.5%;
Butler played in 82 games and started 55 games, averaging 12 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game, shooting 46.2% from the field and 38.1% from three-point range;
The Nets ranked third with 54 wins.
The lineup of five All-Stars is excellent, but the reason why the Nets have not been able to achieve a better record is that they have not found the most suitable head coach.
As a championship-contending team, they changed three head coaches in one season, which is very rare in history.
The Pacers finished fourth with 53 wins.
A very embarrassing thing is that because the Heat and the Bulls have locked up the first and second places in the Eastern Conference respectively, the Pacers will most likely play against these two teams in the second round no matter where they are.
Especially for James, he either has to play against his bitter rival the Bulls or his old team the Heat.
Of course, it can be seen from the record that both James and the Pacers want to play against the Bulls more. After all, compared with last season, the Bulls are missing Rose, and Yao Ming has declined, so they can be considered half-disabled at best.
Unfortunately, the Nets had the same idea. With a more balanced lineup, they ended up suppressing the Pacers.
In terms of statistics, James averaged 26.8 points, 8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 56.5% and a three-point shooting percentage of 40.5%, both of which were career highs.
James has proved one thing with his performance this season. Apart from the fact that his scoring burst has a limit, he has never lost in terms of statistics.
Howard averaged 21.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 51.2%.
Howard's statistics are very interesting. His scoring is the second highest in his career, but other than that, including his shooting percentage, they are all career lows.
From the data, we can see that the coordination between James and Howard is more like a model of mutual concessions in data and ball possession, which is good for everyone.
The Knicks, Hawks, Celtics and Bucks ranked 5th to 8th.
The first round matchups in the Eastern Conference: Heat vs. Bucks, Bulls vs. Celtics, Nets vs. Hawks, Pacers vs. Knicks.
The Bulls and Celtics are undoubtedly the most watched group in the Eastern Conference. The two teams staged a "classic" showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. The two Boston veterans who were caught up in a trade whirlpool on the trade deadline but ultimately stayed with the team will meet again in the first round of this year's playoffs. Who could have thought?
Of course, the main reason for this situation is that Rondo suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee at the end of January this year and was ruled out for the season.
Rondo showed signs of being the new king of Boston in the playoffs last season. His average of 13.7 points per game in the new season was also a career high. Unfortunately, injuries prevented him from moving forward.
But the good news is that Jeff Green, who was injured last season due to heart problems, returned this season and looks to be in good shape.
Moreover, the Celtics' lineup is still balanced and competitive.
In ESPN's survey, this matchup is also considered to be the one with the most suspense.
The Bulls did not take it lightly either.
Although they finally managed to maintain their second place in the Eastern Conference, they do not have the strength to crush their opponents this season and must take every series seriously.
After this training, Xu Yong talked about the Celtics with Thibodeau after the extra training.
"Rondo can't play, Bradley can't dilute the ball, and their approach in the second half of the regular season was to let Pierce control the ball." Thibodeau easily drew this conclusion from the video.
"So the focus is on defending Pierce. I'll defend him." Xu Yong volunteered.
Putting aside the defensive effect, just think about the experience in last season's playoffs. When Pierce saw his yellow face, the memory would probably automatically emerge in his mind.
Thibodeau shook his head: "I will let Jimmy start and let him face Pierce."
Yao Ming's role now focuses more on the defensive end, and his offensive end has declined significantly.
To give a simple example, in the past, when Yao Ming and Xu Yong played pick-and-roll, he could either bounce outside or follow through, and was very flexible. But now he is too slow when following through, and can only give Xu Yong more opportunities to block the defender and create mismatches.
Therefore, the Bulls still have to rely on Xu Yong on the offensive end.
Xu Yong felt a little regretful, but still nodded.
Looking at Leonard’s experience with the Mavericks, we know that players need training to grow.
Pierce is a good training target at this level and stage.
After talking with Thibodeau, Xu Yong went home to rest.
As soon as he got home, he received a text message from Scarlett saying that she would come to Chicago to cheer him on.
Xu Yong shuddered when he saw it and quickly said that he didn't need it yet.
How could he not know what Scarlett wanted to do? The playoffs were about to start and he couldn't afford to fight on two fronts.
After replying the message, he started reading the news.
The first awards for this season have been announced.
Spoelstra successfully won the head coach of the season.
This coach, who Xu Yong thought had always been owed a best head coach trophy by the league, finally got the trophy.
It seems that not only the Heat fans, but also Spoelstra have to sing a song "Listen to me thank you" for James: Listen to me say thank you, because of you, the four seasons are warm; thank you, thank you for having you, the world is more beautiful...
Of course, it’s definitely not just Spoelstra who sang this song, Paul George might also be there.
Paul George won this year's Most Improved Player Award in an almost overwhelming manner.
Last season, George averaged 12.1 points per game for the Pacers, but this season he averaged 23.1 points per game, basically doubling.
He also averaged 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, making him the second best player in the league.
Although in fact, his scoring explosiveness is far behind McGrady, his 42.4% hit rate and the Magic's last-place record in the Eastern Conference make his statistics somewhat exaggerated.
But it is obvious that he has taken a completely different route from what Xu Yong knew, and becoming a superstar has become possible.
Just for this, I should not only express my gratitude, but I should probably kowtow to James twice.
…
The Bulls sat out the first day of this year's playoffs.
The Heat and Pacers in the upper half of the Eastern Conference and the Thunder and Lakers in the Western Conference will be the first to play.
Xu Yong did not go to extra practice that day. Instead, he took out a bottle of squid cigar whiskey and watched the game with Butler, Brown and Anderson in his house in the city.
There are too many focuses on this first day. As the strongest team in the Eastern Conference, the Heat may also be a potential opponent and needs to be studied. The game between the Thunder and the Warriors is also very interesting. The game between the Lakers and the Grizzlies is very suspenseful. As for the Pacers and the Knicks, how can watching the game be without fun?
Xu Yong didn't have the gambling nature of Jordan, but he still acted as the banker and played Chuanchuanle with the two of them.
Four games, just count the wins and losses, and then give the odds.
This is relatively easy to win, but the odds offered by Xu Yong are very high, which is almost equivalent to giving some pocket money to his younger brothers.
Brown and Anderson's strings are the same, Heat win & Pacers win & Thunder win & Grizzlies win;
Butler is something special, Heat win & Knicks win & Thunder win & Lakers win.
There was no suspense in the game between the Heat and the Bucks. The Heat suppressed their opponents from the first quarter and won the game in the last three quarters.
The games of this Heat team are not as entertaining as the previous Heat with the Big Three, but their stability is at a higher level, and their play style is very team-oriented and tacit.
From Xu Yong's perspective, he is closer to the championship Spurs team in the 2013-2014 season.
There is also not much suspense about the Thunder and Warriors who will play later.
Curry and Thompson, who made it to the playoffs for the first time, were beaten badly by Harden and Durant, and David Lee was taught a lesson by Gasol.
The suspense arose in the third game between the Pacers and the Knicks.
Xu Yong did not expect that the Pacers would be suppressed by the Knicks right at the start of the game.
There are two main reasons for this. The first is that Anthony beat Jamison.
After being criticized by Xu Yong last season, Anthony followed his younger brother James' example and started gaining weight in the new season.
Then, his effect is also better than James.
The most significant change is that his offense has become very fierce. He can score 28.7 points per game, ranking second in the league after Xu Yong.
His speed has indeed decreased a bit, but he still has an advantage when facing power forwards. Coupled with his excellent skills, he can be said to have basically blown up all the power forwards who faced him on the offensive end.
The second is the presence of Okafor.
There is another rule in the amnesty clause, which is that after a player is amnestied, there is a 48-hour claiming mechanism, that is, when a player is amnestied, other teams can bid, and the team with the highest bid gets the player (can only use salary cap space).
Then, the Knicks bid for Okafor from the Lakers.
Okafor is still weaker than Chandler, but he is definitely much stronger than Camby last season.
Especially this year, Howard was troubled by a back injury, and he didn't have much advantage against the second pick in the same class who was once called his lifelong enemy.
As for James, he would not feel comfortable facing such a tough C.
According to some fans, any inside player with some reputation can stably limit James' performance.
Then, the Pacers actually lost, a big upset on the first day of the playoffs.
When Butler stood up and shouted excitedly, Xu Yong was stunned.
With this performance of the Pacers, they won’t even make it to the second round, right?
Is this James' Smart basketball?
As long as I don't make it to the second round, I won't play against the Heat or the Bulls?
After asking three questions in confusion, Xu Yong could only shake his head.
The last game, Lakers and Grizzlies.
Now that Brown and Anderson are out, only Butler is left.
If he guessed right, according to the odds, he could take 50,000 US dollars from Xu Yong.
A small episode should be mentioned here. The reason why the Magic were willing to take Odom was because they thought that his contract had expired and he had performed well in the Heat before, so he could be exchanged for some chips.
But the Magic management underestimated the salary pressure that the super luxury tax would bring to each team. Odom is like a house bought with a loan during the real estate downturn. No one would want him even if he were given away, let alone lowering the price.
Odom remained with the Magic until the trade deadline.
Odom, who was physically exiled to Orlando, also struggled.
First, his wife Khloe didn't want to go into exile with him and went straight back to Los Angeles. Second, the Magic were training young players and were unwilling to give him much playing time.
So in the end, he sacrificed part of his salary to buy out the contract and returned to Los Angeles at a minimum salary.
Returning to his familiar "home" Los Angeles and reuniting with Kardashian, Odom actually played well again.
Then in this game, he became the X factor of the Lakers. His spatial ability pulled Randolph out of the inside. Paul's consecutive attacks at the beginning of the game caused two defensive fouls by Gasol Jr. early on, which also established the advantage of the game.
Although the Grizzlies caught up with the score later, the departure of Mayo and Gay caused their outside strength to decline significantly.
In the end, with Paul's 28 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists, and Odom's 18 points and 8 rebounds, the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies 91-83.
From the perspective of the Western Conference standings, the fourth-placed Lakers defeating the fifth-placed Grizzlies is not an upset, but in fact it is indeed another upset.
Butler had already stood up with a proud look on his face, making a "who else" expression towards Brown and Anderson.
Xu Yong was also smoking a cigar. He opened the drawer and took out $50,000 in cash and threw it on the table.
Butler's performance at the gambling table is nothing like Jordan.
However, this indirectly proves Butler's basketball IQ and his ability to analyze the game.
After the game was over, several people got up and went back to rest.
Xu Yong called Butler and reminded him to be careful and focused when facing Pierce tomorrow.
Pierce's statistics are not explosive, but it is not easy to match up with him.
"Don't worry, senior. I will make the shit out of him." Butler looked relaxed and even made a joke.
…
The next day, the Bulls faced the Celtics at home.
The starting lineups of the two teams: Bulls: Hinrich, Butler, Xu Yong, Gibson, Yao Ming;
Celtics: Bradley, Pierce, Jeff Green, Garnett, O'Neal Jr.
Before the game, O'Neal Jr. came over to greet and reminisce with the Bulls players.
Although he left the Bulls, he is still very grateful to the Bulls. After all, he has two championships and a new contract.
The game started quickly, and O'Neal Jr. jumped to get the Celtics the opportunity to take the lead.
Then, as Thibodeau said, Bradley just played the role of a porter, dribbling the ball across the frontcourt and then passing it to Pierce.
Xu Yong looked very familiar. In the Lakers' campus championship season, he and James did a great job as a partner.
Pierce caused Butler to commit a defensive foul on his first offensive round.
As a player who does not rely on his physical strength, Pierce relies mainly on rhythm and technology on the offensive end.
In the playoffs last season, he met Xu Yong, whose physical talent completely suppressed him, and he could only be beaten to a pulp.
But when he meets a defender like Butler who relies on enthusiasm and has average physical fitness, it is much easier for him to play.
And the key is that after causing the foul, he began to exploit this point crazily, and Butler's defense became very passive.
In the end, Butler was unwilling to remain passive, and he received his second defensive foul and was replaced by Artest.
He looked a little frustrated sitting on the bench.
The Celtics called a timeout at that moment. Xu Yong walked over to him, leaned over and whispered some encouraging words in his ear, and finally patted him on the shoulder.
It will definitely not be smooth sailing for a rookie in his first playoff appearance.
The reason why he reminded Butler yesterday was because he had been through this before.
During his rookie season, he performed so well against James in the first round that most fans didn't notice that he also struggled in the second round against the Celtics.
An old basketball player like Pierce is very good at dealing with newcomers.
After the substitution, Xu Yong went to defend Pierce.
He immediately taught Butler a lesson.
Don't fall for fake moves, put pressure on the ball, force Pierce to step back in front of him, and then defend against a three-pointer.
Pierce, who was still in good shape when facing Butler before, now gives people the feeling that he is in his twilight years.
Butler looked sharp on the sidelines.
Regretful that he did not listen to Xu Yong's reminder last night, he now regained his confidence in defense.
Although it was difficult for him to prevent Pierce from making three shots due to his physical condition, he could still do what Xu Yong had done before.
However, Xu Yong showed him the beautiful art of trash talk again.
After defending Pierce's attack again, Xu Yong looked at Pierce with a smile and asked with concern: "Paul, you don't have stomach discomfort tonight, do you?"
This sentence directly caused Pierce, who had been in the league for more than ten years, to lose his mind.
Bogut had a horrible performance in the Olympics last summer, and then fans brought up his experience in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which was like rubbing salt into an open wound.
Now that the wound had finally scabbed over, Xu Yong tore off the scab without saying a word.
It hurts, it hurts so much!
After Pierce was blocked by Xu Yong and his mentality collapsed, the Celtics' offense, which was not very good to begin with, became constipated.
The ball can only be given to Garnett, allowing him to play more supporting role.
If Yao Ming can't play, this kind of support will be effective.
But with Yao Ming under the basket and the Bulls' rim protection ability, the Celtics were unable to attack the basket well, and the effect of this support was very average.
On the other hand, their defense couldn't do much about Xu Yong.
Garnett is one year older this year, and as he plays the power forward position, his assist defense can hardly threaten Xu Yong.
Yao Ming's pick-and-roll method also gave Xu Yong many opportunities to mismatch.
Although Xu Yong had a smile on his face when O'Neal Jr. came over to say hello before the game, he was ruthless on the court.
Rivers was beaten so badly that he was forced to shut down on the sidelines.
As the game progressed, the fans' feeling about this Celtics team was no longer one of decadence, but one of death.
92 to 78, the Bulls defeated the Celtics at home.
Xu Yong played well and scored 41 points.
To quote Barkley's words on the TNT show after the game: Xu Yong buried the Celtics with his own hands.
Yes, the series that ESPN predicted to be the most suspenseful before the game actually did not have much suspense.
It's true that the Bulls are a half-crippled team, but their record of second place in the Eastern Conference is real, and the Celtics are not much better without Rondo.
In the end, apart from defending a home court, the Celtics were swept out by the Bulls 1-4.
After Game 5, Pierce and Garnett sat on the sidelines for a long time.
The ship of the new era can indeed no longer carry the remnant souls of the old era.
Shortly after the Bulls and Celtics series ended, the league announced the winners of the best defensive player and MVP.
This year's DPOY went to Ibaka of the Thunder.
Ibaka averaged 12.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game this season.
It is worth mentioning that James was second only to Ibaka in the voting for this year's best defensive player, and also received nearly 15% of the votes.
When it comes to voting, you can always trust the king.
Of course, DPOY has become more and more popular over the years. Compared to this, what fans are more concerned about this year, or what they are most concerned about, is the MVP.
The people with the highest voices this year are Kobe, Wade, Xu Yong, Durant, James, and Westbrook.
Although Kobe was ruled out for the season, he played enough games, and his statistics and team performance this year were excellent;
Wade's situation is a bit like Rose's two years ago. Although he is the weakest in terms of statistics, the Heat's record of 67 wins is there.
Durant has a lot of support this year because the Thunder's record has also broken the team's history, and his performance in all aspects is worthy of it;
Westbrook is a very special player. Although the Hornets are only ranked seventh in the Western Conference, Westbrook's average triple-double of 22.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game is quite impressive.
If you are talking about James, you can't miss him when discussing the MVP topic. If you don't believe me, just look at the DPOY that just came out;
Xu Yong, of course, the most popular candidate this year is definitely Xu Yong.
Because of the situation the Bulls encountered this year and the fact that Xu Yong eventually brought the Bulls to the second place in the Eastern Conference, he is definitely the one who deserves the definition of MVP, the Most Valuable Player honor.
And his 32.6 points per game is incredible.
Based on Xu Yong’s experience in his previous life, unless Westbrook averages 30+ triple-doubles per game in the season ahead of time, basically no one can shake him.
When the final voting results came out, Xu Yong successfully retained the MVP title with an extremely high vote share of 42%.
Durant ranked second with 24% of the votes, Wade ranked third with 15% of the votes, and the others were Kobe, Westbrook, and James.
Xu Yong also became the 11th player in the league to win the MVP honor consecutively after James.
However, unlike James' time, this time the league's official account used a very cool phrase: Xu's era is coming.
This basically means officially announcing his status as the number one player in the league.
Regarding this result, Xu Yong's mentality has become much calmer than last year.
It is good to win the MVP award consecutively, but even if you are given three consecutive MVP awards, it is useless if you don’t win the championship.
Just like Jordan, the league deliberately disgusted him by breaking his three-game streak twice, but in the end, wasn't Jordan still the greatest player?
The championship is always the most direct evidence of a player's dominance.
Shortly after the MVP results were announced, the first round of the league's matchups also ended one after another.
In the West, the Thunder didn't give the Warriors too many opportunities, sweeping them 4-1; the Mavericks were even more direct, shaving the Hornets' heads 4-0; and the Spurs also defeated the Clippers 4-2.
As for the Lakers, although they won the first game, they were eventually defeated by the Grizzlies 2-4. This also means that after missing the championship last season, Paul no longer has a window to win the championship with the Lakers.
In the Western Conference semifinals, the Thunder and the Grizzlies will meet, while the Mavericks and the Spurs will stage the classic Texas Derby.
In the East, the Heat defeated the Bucks 4-0 without any suspense; the Nets defeated the Hawks 4-2 and advanced to the second round; the Pacers completed a comeback after losing the first game, eliminating the Knicks 4-2 and successfully advanced to the semifinals.
As a result, the Bulls faced the five-star Nets in the Eastern Conference semifinals, while the Heat successfully met the Pacers in the semifinals.
James ushered in his battle of revenge.