After losing the opening game, the Bulls performed very well in the next half month, including a four-game winning streak.
The most classic game came from the match against the Nets. The two teams played overtime, and Xu Yong scored 8 points in overtime to complete the harvest.
The Nets fans were very depressed watching this game, because the season had just begun and they could already feel the team's decline.
To quote the fans' popular comments, Xu Yong buried the Celtics last season, then the two Boston veterans came back to life in New Jersey, and Xu Yong buried them again, and this time added another handful of dirt on top.
The easiest game came against the Cavaliers.
The core of the Cavaliers now is Irving and Davis, plus Luol Deng who was traded from the Rockets this season.
However, this game was over before the third quarter was finished. The Cavaliers' current lineup gives people two biggest feelings: first, Davis was suppressed on both offense and defense against West, and his physique still needs more practice; second, Irving's play was indeed good, but his ability to lead a team... is a good way to get the No. 1 pick.
After the first ten games, the Bulls had a record of 7 wins and 3 losses, ranking third in the Eastern Conference, only behind the Pacers and the Heat.
That's pretty good for a team that just came off a dynastic failure.
Xu Yong averaged 28 points per game, West 18 points, Butler 15 points, and Rose 14 points.
Except for Rose who still needs to find his form, the performances of other Bulls players were remarkable.
"They completed a magnificent turnaround in one summer."
As Barkley said on the show, the Bulls' summer operations were as good as ever. West and Foye both proved to be successful signings, and Butler's progress was also rapid.
"As long as Xu is here, the Bulls will still be the Bulls."
Then he concluded with a very everyday sentence.
The Bulls' next opponent is the Pacers.
If the season opener between the Heat and the Bulls was not enough, then this game will be the highlight of November.
The Pacers have a record of 9 wins and 1 loss since the start of the season, and the running-in has been very successful.
James' performance in particular was surprising.
He actually gave up some of the ball this season, but his score increased to 27.5 points, his highest score since leaving the Cavaliers.
Facts have proved that although Paul may fail at critical moments, he is still the point guard god when it is not critical.
Of course, the most important thing is that Bynum did not act up when he was with these two brothers and stayed very healthy.
But think about it, in history, troublemakers like JR Smith tend to behave themselves when they are around James. James has very good business skills in this area.
All in all, the team strength shown by the Pacers this season should be the strongest since James entered the league.
The Age of Kings Has Finally Come
An article written by Windhorst for ESPN resonated widely among James fans.
He quoted Nike President Phil Knight in the article.
"We know that he has always been a leader in basketball. What he has done in the past proves that he is the chosen one and his time will come."
James also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine again after two seasons.
Although the season has only started for half a month, the scene of the team being the perennial runner-up in the Eastern Conference in the past few seasons has made the media impatient to start the party.
After all, James and Nike currently have a five-year, $100 million endorsement contract, the league's highest, and Nike doesn't want the money to go down the drain.
The game was played at the Bulls' home court.
The enthusiasm of the fans at the United Center is at an all-time high.
In fact, not to mention Barkley and others, even the Bulls' own fans did not expect the team to play so well in the new season, so their expectations were naturally raised.
But after all, there are many benefits in the Eastern Conference, and the record is not good. Although they played well in the previous opening game, they did not win. This time against the Pacers is an opportunity.
Their confidence is not without reason. After all, James has hardly won against the Bulls in recent years.
"Senior, do you think LeBron will defend you?" When the pre-game warm-up was about to end, Butler walked up to Xu Yong and asked.
"He can't let Korver defend me, right?" Xu Yong said with a smile.
The offensive capability of the Pacers' lineup this year is definitely much stronger than last season, but the defense has become weaker.
Especially after using a sign-and-trade to get Paul, they have limited means of reinforcement after failing to exceed the luxury tax.
"I think they might let CP3 defend you." Butler has a sense of humor.
Xu Yong smiled and thought that it was not impossible. He remembered that Paul did have experience in defending Durant.
After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony.
The Pacers took the court first as the visiting team.
Paul, Korver, Dave Jones, Bynum, James.
Xu Yong and Butler were stunned when they saw the starting lineup.
They all guessed wrong, and Vogel chose a path they never envisioned.
But...Xu Yong turned his head and looked to the side.
Can James, playing at the power forward position, stop West?
The Bulls came on stage as the home team, and the classic "Sirius" played in the background.
As the host stretched out his voice, West, Butler, Brown and Rose appeared one after another.
It is worth mentioning that many NBA employees have been working for the team for a long time. For example, it is common for some home commentators to work for 20 to 30 years.
The Bulls' home DJ is the legendary DJ Tommy Edwards, who has been with the team since the Jordan era.
So even though the team’s title has changed, it still has that familiar feel.
In particular, when this song composed casually by Alan Parsons came to the guitar solo, it was the time for Xu Yong to appear.
"Now! Four-time NBA All-Star vote winner, two-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, two-time championship winner, 6-foot-9 from Arizona State University, No. 6, Xu-Yong!!"
When Xu Yong waved and entered the court as Edwards introduced him, he was responded with explosive cheers from the fans.
Although the Bulls failed to win the championship last season, Xu Yong's explosive performance confirmed his status as the best player in the league.
James' expression at this time was filled with shock and envy, and his envy was mixed with an unconcealable resentment.
This was what he longed for and was supposed to belong to him, but now it had all been taken away by Xu Yong.
After the opening ceremony, the starting players of both sides came on stage one after another.
Brown jumped for the ball for the Bulls and the game officially began.
The Bulls targeted West at the beginning of the game, after all, this was a natural mismatch.
However, West's low-post back-to-the-basket shot really didn't impress James.
In terms of body shape, James is nearly 2.06 meters tall with shoes on and weighs 113 kilograms, which is not much different from West.
If it was West in his prime, he would have found it difficult to defend, but West's explosive power is already very weak at this age.
Of course, the most important thing is that James works hard on defense.
Xu Yong was quite surprised when he saw this, but after thinking about it carefully, he could understand it.
This season, James can be said to have been pushed into a desperate situation. If he fails to make changes, Nike will abandon him.
For a player who is essentially a businessman, it is normal to make some changes as money makes the king go round.
West finally chose to turn around and make a jump shot, but the ball hit the edge of the basket and went wide.
James turned around and grabbed the defensive rebound and then turned for a fast break.
After seeing this, Xu Yong went up to block, and James directly threw the ball to Paul in front.
Paul's advancement speed is very fast, and as a top point guard, he has a very good vision. After fast breaking into the three-second zone, he looked at Butler who was chasing him, slowed down and dodged, and then passed the ball to James who was following up.
That's right, James.
How can you become the all-time scoring champion if you are not active in fast breaks!
James easily scored two points with a layup.
There was a commotion at the scene.
This ball explains why the Pacers can achieve such a good record this season.
When Paul was on the Lakers, the Lakers' offense was more positional, but with the Pacers, their offense was more defensive counterattack-oriented.
James has always been good at this kind of fast break, especially with Paul, the point guard god, around, it becomes easier for him to play.
Seeing this, Xu Yong started to attack with the ball. If you are good at defensive counterattacks, you must have defensive counterattacks to play.
The Heat used the same tactic back then, but didn't gain much advantage against the Bulls.
Jones is 1.98 meters tall and weighs 103 kilograms. He is a full-sized swingman, but he is still a size smaller than Xu Yong.
The first time Xu Yong held the ball, he chose to play a back-to-the-basket single in the high position on the right side.
But the Pacers were very decisive. Paul directly let Rose come over to double-team him.
Xu Yong knew that Paul was quick to act, so he passed the ball to Rose in advance.
Rose got a chance from the outside, but unfortunately his shot missed.
The rebound was protected by Bynum, who passed it to Paul, who then made a long pass to the frontcourt.
At this time, James had already passed the center line!
In other words, he was already running away when Rose took the shot.
This is incredible, considering that he is currently playing at the power forward position, and in theory he is supposed to be in position to protect the defensive rebounds.
But this is the habit he developed in the past two years playing easy ball. Positioning and rebounding are no match for fast breaks, which can score points.
Or to put it another way, James' other technical improvements have been relatively limited over the years, but his fast break ability has "reached the pinnacle."
James received the ball in the midfield and ran all the way to the frontcourt to perform his signature slam dunk.
After smashing the ball into the basket, he beat his chest and roared, venting his emotions.
Moreover, while retreating, he took the initiative to find Paul and high-fived him, with a domineering look on his face.
From today on, he will take back everything that Xu Yong has taken away!
The scene was in great turmoil.
The Pacers launched a series of defensive counterattacks at the beginning of the game, taking the initiative and suppressing the momentum of the home team.
This time, Xu Yong chose to hold the ball outside the three-point line on the right.
The Pacers' defensive strategy was very clear as they were tight-teaming from the start. They would not give him any comfortable chances to shoot tonight.
He now has two choices, either continue to play with his back to the ball or attack towards the baseline after receiving the ball.
However, he gave up doing so for the time being, because he flashed back to the previous round and saw James standing on the outside, ready to be double-teamed at any time.
Or he can choose the second option, which is what he has to do now.
After observing the distance between Jones and himself, he started with a drop step, pulled the ball with his right hand and paused, then quickly changed direction to the left, while his feet followed.
After Jones' center of gravity moved to the left, he quickly changed direction to the right and accelerated past Jones.
There it is, the vertical shuffle step!
Moreover, although they all use the same drag step, the biggest difference between Xu Yong and Deron, and even Durant, is that he has stronger explosive power, which allows him to pass his opponents more easily when connecting with vertical breakthroughs.
James quickly came up to assist in defense.
Xu Yong didn't pass the ball because he saw out of the corner of his eye that Paul was already moving in, and with Paul's speed, he might steal the ball.
He made a judgment in an instant, changed direction towards James without slowing down, then took a big step and jumped up, pulling the ball high with his left hand.
“Bang!”
A left-handed one-handed dunk slammed the ball into the basket.
The scene was instantly filled with the cheers of fans.
"I said, his scoring is art!" Barkley exclaimed in the commentary booth.
From dribbling past the opponent to dribbling past the opponent without slowing down, and finally to dunking with his non-dominant hand, Xu Yong used three techniques in one offense.
The most important thing is that these three technologies are connected so perfectly that it feels smooth and silky, like a work of art.
"Perhaps, Xu can have a new nickname besides Satan, basketball artist." O'Neal on the side agreed with a smile.
On the court, Xu Yong's dunk not only reversed the home team's suppressed momentum, but also forced the Pacers into a positional battle.
When it comes to positional warfare, it is Paul's stage.
He played pick-and-roll with Bynum, then shot Brown from mid-range.
Xu Yong predicted this and pounced on Paul the moment he made his move.
However, Paul showed his master-level vision that was not supposed to belong to a 183cm player. He caught the ball in the air and passed it directly to James who was cutting in.
James made a layup and scored two more points.
Xu Yong was slightly surprised.
The Banana Boat Brothers combination has only happened once in history, with Wade and James.
But now it seems that the chemistry between Paul and James is obviously better.
This Pacers team is really different from James' previous team.
In the frontcourt, Xu Yong continued to hold the ball outside the three-point line.
Although the Pacers' positional battle just now was somewhat unexpected, defensive counterattacks are still the focus they need to guard against.
He observed the defense and used the shuffle step again.
However, this time, Jones increased the lateral shift of his center of gravity, allowing himself to keep up with Xu Yong's rhythm, so as to avoid being overtaken by a simple and rough step like before.
As a role player who makes a living from 3D, his ability and choices are qualified.
The only problem is that a large swing in the defensive center of gravity means it is difficult to get back to normal.
Xu Yong simply dragged his steps sideways, changed direction drastically to the left, then stopped suddenly and shot.
Jones was unable to interfere with Xu Yong on this ball.
However, just after Xu Yong completed the shot, he caught a glimpse of Jones approaching in a strange posture with his body leaning back and his feet forward.
This posture clearly shows that one is trying to tiptoe.
Moreover, his attitude is more professional than James'.
Because of James's posture, he would elbow you in the face, but you couldn't reach him even if you wanted to.
Seeing this, he adjusted his landing foot and landed hard with the forefoot.
Everything happened in a flash. When Xu Yong landed, he found that he didn't step on anything.
When I looked up, I saw that it was Jones who retracted his foot at the last moment.
This guy reacts very quickly.
But this is normal. Looking at the way he tiptoes, you can tell that this guy is extremely professional in this regard.
In the Pacers' positional battle, West paid attention to James' movement this time. James is easier to follow because of his lack of flexibility when he is off the ball.
After being assisted by Xu Yong, Paul passed the ball to Korver who was running off the ball on the outside.
The Pacers showed their offensive layering in this round, but Korver was interfered by Butler when he shot and the ball did not go in.
Obviously, this Bulls team is not as good as the Pacers in offense, but in defense, with two defensive players of the same level and three above on the court, it is not easy to get the ball into the team in a positional battle.
However, the Pacers retreated quickly and the Bulls switched to positional offense.
Xu Yong continued to hold the ball, but his face was cold this time.
Although Jones's tripping attempt just now failed, his villainous image was exposed. More importantly, at that moment, the image of Kobe under the golden sunset emerged in his mind.
The Kobe who said he would wait for me to come back even though his ankle was torn.
If it weren't for Jones' kick, Kobe wouldn't have fallen so quickly.
This man with such a bad record as Bowen really deserves to die.
He used the shuffling step again.
Jones was still swinging his center of gravity, trying to keep up with Xu Yong's rhythm.
Although this means that he might be shaken off by Xu Yong like in the last round, at worst he can just try to trip him again.
But he soon discovered something was wrong.
Because this time Xu Yong did not change direction after the drag step, but instead continued to drag steps left and right.
This caused his center of gravity to swing continuously.
Moreover, the dragging step is to keep the ball suspending, so his whole body also moves up and down.
There was already some booing going on at the scene.
Everyone can see that Xu Yong is clearly making fun of Jones!
Paul couldn't bear to watch it anymore and prepared to go over to help defend, but at this moment, Xu Yong suddenly made a huge change of direction.
Jones's continuous swaying from side to side had already made his steps messy. Now he was almost like a puppet being pulled by strings. His body could keep up but his feet could not. He tripped over his left foot and was knocked down!
Xu Yong also stopped the ball and shot at this time.
“Swish!”
The basketball went into the net.
6-6, the Bulls tied the score.
The United Center was boiling.
"Basketball artist!" Barkley shouted directly this time.
O'Neal's eyes widened, this was clearly the nickname he came up with!
Amid the cheers of the fans, the Bulls once again defended against the Pacers' positional battle.
Although the Pacers had strong offensive power, the Bulls maintained good defensive intensity after gaining momentum.
The Bulls continued to advance forward.
Xu Yong also continued to hold the ball, and when West wanted to come up for a screen, he was waved back by him.
He held the ball with one hand and stared at Jones.
Just falling down once was obviously not enough for him to vent his emotions.
Butler reacted quickly and waved to others to move further to the weak side.
Xu Yong used the dragging step again, and it was still a continuous horizontal dragging step.
Jones' steps became increasingly disordered as he began to move left and right.
Anyone who gets knocked down once will have his mentality fluctuate.
Especially as a role player, he does not have the power to choose to switch defense like James.
Moreover, as a 3D player, defense is his bread and butter. If he is humiliated continuously, Vogel will definitely replace him.
"Why do I feel like he is dancing?" Barkley couldn't help but say after seeing this scene.
"Cutting. Shape." O'Neal agreed, "Although I think he was forced."
His words caused Barkley and Kenny Smith to laugh.
If he was not sure about the previous ball, but in this round, with such a large offensive space, Xu Yong could have chosen other ways, but he still used this offensive method, and his intention to play was obvious.
At this moment, Xu Yong suddenly broke through vertically from the other side.
Jones stepped back hastily, but his steps were unclear and his whole body was shaking.
Then Xu Yong took a big step back.
Jones tried to brake, but the result was just like pressing the front brake on a bike, and he threw himself out.
There were whistles everywhere.
The fall was already exciting enough, and Xu Yong fell continuously!
No, this wasn't a fall, this was a direct flight!!
And this time, Xu Yong did not rush to shoot, but waited for Jones to struggle to get up from the ground, and then raised his hand to shoot.
“Swish!”
The basketball went into the net again.
The Bulls took the lead!
"Satan! Satan!"
The fans at the scene could no longer hold back their emotions and began to shout in unison.
Just then, a short whistle suddenly sounded from the sidelines.
The Pacers made a substitution, Jamison replaced Jones.
However, this does not seem to be an active substitution.
Because Jones limped to the bench when he left the game.
He looked like he twisted his ankle when he was thrown flying.
Seeing this, Xu Yong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't know whether Jones was pretending or not. After all, he was knocked down twice in a row by his opponent. This was the only way for him to get off the court, because it was obvious that he would do it a third time.
Like, what Butler did to Grant Williams.
Of course, it is also possible that he was really injured, after all, he fell quite far.
No matter which one it was, it made him feel much better.
And after this forced substitution, James was put on the familiar mask of pain.
Because Xu Yong is now playing as a small forward, after he passively switched from the fourth position to the third position, he directly faced off against Xu Yong.
Although he doesn't hold the ball much in positional battles now, the key is that his off-ball situation is completely blocked by Xu Yong.
Butler also took the initiative to switch defense with Rose at this time, bypassing the screen and pressing Paul.
The Pacers' offense was clearly stagnant.
With little time left in the final attack, Paul could only force his way past Butler. His final, forced shot was obviously short and hit the front of the basket and bounced out.
There was constant whistling at the scene.
The Pacers have indeed become stronger, but when the Bulls meet James' team, it's like a cat meeting a mouse. Even if it's a kitten meeting a big mouse, it will be suppressed by bloodline.
Vogel could no longer sit still at this point, and went to the sidelines, shouting and directing the defense.
As a coach, he certainly understands better than the fans. The reason why the Pacers were suppressed was because they were forced into a positional battle by the Bulls, and the reason they were forced into a positional battle was because the Bulls had a high success rate in positional battles.
Therefore, if you want to break the situation, the most direct way is naturally to defend against the Bulls' positional attack.
In other words, guard against Xu Yong.
Xu Yong held the ball and saw the entire defensive position of the Pacers, which was like a big pocket facing him.
Vogel's leadership over the team's overall defense is still very high.
However, he did not give up the attack because the person defending him at this time was James.
James' reaction at this time is very interesting.
Because he originally wanted to ask someone to switch defense, but now on the court, it is unrealistic to ask Bynum to switch, and Jamison is a sieve, so there are only Korver and Paul.
But just as Xu Yong and Butler talked about before the game, those two guys would just give him points if they switched defense in front of him.
He wanted to change it but couldn't, so he had to do it anyway.
So he kept looking around, waiting for his teammates to come up and help defend at any time.
Looking at this scene, Xu Yong suddenly felt that the world was wonderful.
When he first entered the league, James was still the league's top player, and he looked superior when facing him.
But now, it seems like the roles have been reversed.
Thinking of this, he said coldly: "Do you want to dance too?"
James paused.
Of course he had never heard this sentence, but he could understand the meaning.
Because Xu Yong just shook Jones like he was dancing.
And the way he moved his head from side to side looked a bit like that.
However, he actually had no authority to answer Xu Yong's questions.
That's just trash talk.
The falling step started, the hovering change of direction, and Xu Yong's dragging step attack began.
At this moment, Xu Yong suddenly felt that all his efforts over the past summer were rewarded at this moment, because the drag step is not only a means of offense, it is also a way to humiliate the opponent.
James chose to stay where he was.
Then, Xu Yong swept past him like a wooden stake with his vertical dragging step.
Well, Xu Yong used the drag step to achieve the effect of Iverson's hesitation step.
There was a burst of exclamations at the scene.
At this time, the Pacers' follow-up defense quickly came to assist.
Xu Yong was neither hurried nor slow. After getting close enough distance between himself and the opponent, he swung the ball to West on the other side of the basket.
West received the ball, took a big step, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand.
He just doesn't have explosive power, not that he doesn't have it.
The United Center was once again filled with cheers from the crowd.
Although James did not dance like Jones, the visual effect was even more explosive because he was killed instantly!
"Defend! Defend!"
The emotions of the fans at the United Center have been completely aroused.
This time Paul went straight to the basket and successfully caused damage by being knocked over and went to the free throw line.
It must be said that although Paul failed to perform well at critical moments, in terms of game spirit, Paul is definitely better than James.
He adjusted his breathing and made both free throws, which stabilized the situation on the court for the Pacers.
And after the switch from offense to defense, Xu Yong couldn't help laughing.
Because the person defending him was replaced by Paul!
What Butler said was really right.
Although in theory Paul's attack is fast, his dragging step is easy to be intercepted.
But he is not Durant.
The reason why Paul's defense against Durant is effective is actually similar to the reason why Tony Allen can defend Durant.
Because Durant is essentially a facing-the-basket offensive player, he is tall and has a high center of gravity when dribbling. Facing flexible small defensive players, he is easily cut off when he drags his feet.
Durant has average strength, so his ability to play one-on-one with his back to the basket is also average.
But he is different. The shuffle step is just the icing on the cake for him. His best way of scoring is still post-up.
His back-to-the-basket attack on a small guy like Paul could be considered bullying.
After holding the ball with one hand and leaning against Paul, Xu Yong directly put his weight on Paul.
And he was very careful not to use too much force, because this bad boy Paul might cause him to commit an offensive foul.
Facts proved that his judgment was correct, and Paul lay down directly.
But the referee did not blow the whistle because Paul's acting was a bit exaggerated.
Xu Yong ignored him, turned around and rushed directly to the basket. Before the Pacers' defense arrived, he easily slammed the ball into the basket with a gliding dunk.
After scoring the goal, Xu Yong ignored Paul who got up from the ground and argued with the referee. Instead, he turned to Vogel standing on the sidelines and asked with a smile, "Did you really send someone to defend me?"
In one sentence, Vogel's defense was broken.
Jones, James, Paul, the Pacers put three players on the field, but one was knocked down and sprained his ankle, one was nailed like a wooden stake and gave up after one round of defense, and the last one even caused Xu Yong to ask soul-searching questions.
This was a huge blow to Vogel, who has always had high demands on defense.
But he turned around and looked at the bench. Apart from veteran Rasual Butler at the end, he really couldn't send anyone else to face Xu Yong.
But this Butler is not a player of the same level as Butler of the Bulls.
When he was young, he couldn't start because of his thin body. Now that he is older, he has a hard time even playing in the rotation. It is better to rely on Korver than on him.
Of course, Vogel didn't let Korver do this job, so Paul was out of position and was humiliated for most of the quarter.
About 8 minutes into the first quarter, the score was 24 to 28, with the Bulls leading.
Both sides began to rotate, and Xu Yong also went off the court to rest at this time.
Thibodeau's use of Xu Yong has changed this season.
This change is due to Yao Ming's retirement. He wants to reduce Xu Yong's consumption in the regular season and keep more of him in the playoffs.
Of course, his "love" for young players did not disappear, it just shifted to Butler.
It's not just the opening night, it's every night.
The lineups of both teams at this time.
Pacers: CJ Watson, Gerald Green, James, Jeff Ayers, Ian Mahinmi;
Bulls: Rose, Foye, Butler, Morris Jr., Anderson.
James started off by playing pick-and-roll with Ayres, then broke through Morris Jr.
Although this was only two points, it was another solid step towards becoming the historical scoring champion.
But in retrospect, Rose broke through Watson and returned the favor.
At this moment, Xu Yong felt his eyes brighten.
Thibodeau still truly loves Rose. Except for Anderson, the remaining three can all create space.
This is exactly the same as the previous game.
But the difference is that Rose didn't move much before, but he moved suddenly tonight.
In other words, Rose recovered?
Out of curiosity, Xu Yong shifted his attention from James to Rose.
Then he quickly confirmed it.
Because in the next offensive round, Rose used his signature change of direction without slowing down and made a layup when he was out of position against Mahinmi.
Rose has not yet returned to his pre-injury state, but he does seem to have recovered a lot.
This made him very excited.
The entire team has been supporting Rose since the training camp, including West's previous remarks, and Rose himself has been working very hard.
Now everyone’s hard work has finally paid off.
But Xu Yong was happy, while Vogel was very upset.
Rose has been in poor form this season, and the transition period from the bench became the key moment for the Pacers to widen the score.
This is also the main reason why he kept James on the court.
But now, it's James and Rose's turn to have fun.
No, it's not a swipe, because after Butler found that he could not withstand the impact of James, he started to tangle and consume James.
This is something he wanted to do as early as his rookie season, and he finally did it in his third year as a rookie.
The key is that he was really exhausted, and he kept physically entangled with James. In the end, he forced James to knock him over, and then the referee called an offensive foul.
When Butler stood up and applauded James, Xu Yong laughed on the sidelines.
Butler has made significant progress this season. Because he is on the Bulls, many fans compare him to Pippen.
But in his opinion, Butler is much better than Pippen.
Pippen never learned this kind of mental attribute and way of playing in his entire life.
This determines the completely different upper limits of the two people.
Butler is the boss, while Pippen has been the second-in-command all his life.
There is no need to make assumptions. The 33-year-old Pippen left the Bulls to become the third player of the Rockets, and the 33-year-old Butler led the team to the finals.
In fact, it was only because of Xu Yong, otherwise no one could suppress him.
Butler's consumption was not noticeable at first, but when the game reached the final quarter, James began to slack off on defense.
It was impossible to see him gasping for breath. He would rather sacrifice some of his defense than look embarrassed.
It was during this period that the Bulls seized the opportunity to go on a run and eventually defeated the Pacers 106-98.
According to post-match statistics, James had 33 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, Paul had 22 points, 4 rebounds and 11 assists, and Bynum had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The Big Three all had good stats, but they just didn't win.
On the Bulls side, Xu Yong played for 38 minutes, sweating slightly, and scored 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Rose had 21 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, Butler had 16 points and 4 rebounds, and West had 14 points and 7 rebounds.
This victory greatly boosted the confidence of Bulls fans, after all, they defeated the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference.
And more important than confidence is that Rose got his first 20+ point of the season and his form finally returned.
This means that the Bulls may not have to wait until later, and can start another charge towards the championship this season.