It is now April, and the regular season of the 2013-2014 season is coming to an end.
It was at this time that the league issued a new memorandum (meaning a rule supplement), which stipulated that under the new rules, when big players make vertical jumps to defend in the interior, defenders will no longer be allowed to turn to both sides in the air to block offensive players.
Yes, although it was a little later than Xu Yong knew it, the [vertical jump rules] still appeared.
The emergence of this rule immediately caused huge controversy.
There are many supporters among them, and the majority of them are naturally James fans, because the emergence of this rule is the most friendly to breakthrough players.
Imagine that the center cannot turn around after jumping. When facing the offensive player's sideways layup, they can only be fixed in place because jumping will most likely be a foul.
Among the breakthrough players, the most representative is naturally James. His unpredictable breakthroughs are doubly lethal with the addition of this rule.
But there are more voices of doubt.
As media professionals, O'Neal and Barkley had the strongest reactions.
"This league has changed a lot of rules because of George Mikan, Chamberlain, and even because of me, but all of these rules are designed to restrict our performance. But now, they have introduced a rule to make a player play better. Even before that, they have done it once. This is too black humor."
O'Neal's remarks were very direct.
It is understandable that he is so angry. You have to know that if it weren't for the double-team defense and the defensive three seconds, the Lakers would have a high probability of winning four consecutive championships, or even five consecutive championships.
It is even possible that he and Kobe don't need to have such a big conflict. After all, in the NBA, victory can cover up most problems.
The last time he mentioned was in 2009 when the league modified the traveling rule for James, allowing players to take two steps with the ball before stopping, passing or shooting.
Yes, this is hot knowledge that many fans don’t know.
"In fact, this is the result of LeBron and other players putting pressure on the league after the last game against the Bulls." Barkley revealed some deeper inside information.
Their remarks put James in the spotlight, and you can feel that it's no longer a question of respect or disrespect on their part, but that they simply don't take James seriously at all.
After all, James is now just a player with poor skills who has not won a championship in ten years since entering the league. If it weren't for the five-year, 100 million endorsement contract and Nike's unremitting efforts to tout him, he shouldn't even have such high attention.
Xu Yong saw the news after the training.
His reaction to the news was expected, because he could already feel the league's renewed care for James in previous games.
Or to be more precise, Nike is putting extreme pressure on the league to compromise.
In response, Xu Yong expressed his opposition when he was interviewed by reporters after the training.
"These rules will ruin the game. When breakthroughs become easy, players will no longer improve their skills. When big players can no longer guard the penalty area, the game will lose its viewing value. This is a slow poison."
Xu Yong now has a very high status in the league, so his voice is still very necessary.
His remarks were also supported by many people, and even O'Neal supported him on the TNT program.
But in the end, the league chose to implement this memorandum.
The reason is simple: profit.
After all, Nike is the league's largest sponsor, and their relationship with the NBA is a bit like that between YSL and Emilia, the relationship between father and son.
Of course, as Xu Yong analyzed before, Nike's continued pressure is actually a final sprint for James, like a final madness.
If James fails to win the championship before 2015, Durant will be ready to take over.
…
Time flies and it is already mid-April.
The regular season of the 2013-2014 season has come to an end, and the Eastern and Western Conference rankings have been finalized.
In the West, the Thunder won 62 games, ranking not only first in the West but also first in the league.
Durant had the most explosive season of his career so far, averaging 32 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 50.3% and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.1%.
His points and assists both set career highs.
When he just separated from Xu Yong last summer, he felt that Xu Yong was trying to trick him, but after the season he found that Xu Yong's approach was indeed effective.
Because in a sense, that is the key to Xu Yong's success.
Basketball is ultimately about training basic skills. If you have a solid foundation in basic skills, you will learn techniques quickly, achieve better results, and have a lower limit.
As for the upper limit, it is determined by talent.
Durant's talent is there. If he improves his passing accuracy and plays more Kobe-like offense, his scoring and assists will naturally go up.
With his performance, he is also considered the hottest candidate for this year's MVP.
As for Harden, his average points per game has not changed much this season, but his assists have increased to 8.8 per game, and his chemistry with Durant is getting better and better.
The Mavericks came in second with 59 wins.
Nowitzki has been getting better and better this season, averaging 22 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, with a 50.6% shooting percentage, a 40.2% three-point shooting percentage, and a 91% free throw shooting percentage, successfully entering the [180 Club].
Of course, the Mavericks' excellent record this season is mainly due to Leonard, who has raised the Mavericks' ceiling.
Leonard's statistics in his third year were finally fixed at 18.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game, 49.4% shooting percentage and 37.4% three-point shooting percentage.
After the All-Star Game, he got more shooting opportunities and his statistics continued to improve.
The Trail Blazers ranked third with 54 wins.
The young players of the Trail Blazers come in waves. Although Roy has retired, Lillard and Aldridge have taken over the banner.
Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Aldridge, Robin Lopez, this lineup is also quite competitive in the West.
Of course, their ability to jump up to third place is directly related to the decline of the Lakers and Spurs.
The Spurs are fourth with 52 wins.
The Spurs' continued dominance is, in a sense, a complete "accident."
Because it is essentially based on GDP's continuous salary cuts. Now GDP is getting old and the new "surprise" Leonard was not selected. Which superstar would be interested in a small city like San Antonio?
So now their strength will only continue to decline.
The Warriors, Clippers, Pelicans, and Grizzlies ranked 5th to 8th.
After resting for 6 weeks, Kobe was eventually forced to undergo surgery again and was ruled out for the season. The Lakers ultimately missed the playoffs, marking the first time they had missed the playoffs since the 2004-2005 season.
The first round matchups in the Western Conference are Thunder vs. Grizzlies, Mavericks vs. Pelicans, Trail Blazers vs. Clippers, and Spurs vs. Warriors.
Among these four matchups, the Spurs and Warriors are undoubtedly the most watched.
They are a duel between the remnants of the old times and the supernovas.
However, the Warriors have a fatal injury this season. Their starting center, "Yellow Miracle" Andrew Bogut, suffered a fractured rib in the game against the Trail Blazers and was ruled out for the season.
Bogut played 67 games for the Warriors this season, all as a starter, averaging 7.3 points, 10 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, serving as a barrier in the Bay Area's interior.
His season-ending injury will make it difficult for the Warriors to limit Duncan's performance in the interior, even for Duncan, who will soon turn 38.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers are ranked first with 60 wins.
James averaged 27.8 points, 8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. His shooting percentage was 56.7%, a career high, and his three-point shooting percentage was 37.9%.
Paul averaged 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of 46.7% and a three-point shooting percentage of 37.8%.
Bynum averaged 16.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.9 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 55%.
The Heat ranked second with 59 wins.
With Wade returning to health after the All-Stars Game, the Heat showed their inherent competitiveness. The only regret was that they failed to overtake the Pacers and top the Eastern Conference at the last minute.
Wade only played in 54 games due to injury, but he still averaged 24.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. His shooting percentage reached 54.5% and his three-point shooting percentage was 30.4%. His scoring rate dropped slightly, but his efficiency increased instead of decreased compared to last season.
Granger played well when Wade was absent, and his personal data also improved to 18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals, with a shooting percentage of 46.2% and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.4%;
The Bulls are third in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins.
The Bulls successfully overtook the Raptors after the All-Star Game, but this record is the worst in recent years.
Rose and Brown were injured one after another, Butler was appointed to dilute the ball rights, Hawes was in the process of getting used to the team, etc. As Xu Yong had expected, the Bulls experienced the most difficult season.
In terms of statistics, Xu Yong averaged 28.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 51.6% and a three-point shooting percentage of 39%.
The changes in his statistics this season compared to last season are still very obvious: he scored less points, but still ranked second in the league after Durant; his assists decreased because Butler diluted the ball possession; his hit rate increased because the off-ball ratio increased and the difficulty of scoring decreased; his defensive data rebounded significantly because with Butler holding the ball, he can redistribute his physical strength back to the defense.
Butler averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game, shooting 45.4% from the field and 35.2% from three-point range.
This is a season of transformation for Butler. Although his scoring and steals data are not as good as Leonard's, making him seem suppressed by Leonard on both offense and defense, his assists number has doubled compared to last season. He and Leonard have embarked on completely different development trajectories.
David West averaged 14.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 48.8%.
Adams played all 62 games, starting 42 of them, averaging 5.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, including 2.8 offensive rebounds, and shooting 50.4%.
Foye averaged 11.6 points per game as the team's sixth man, shooting 40.2% from three-point range and averaging 5.1 three-pointers per game.
Hawes played 27 games for the Bulls, averaging 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 blocks and a 41.8% three-point shooting percentage.
The Raptors are fourth in the Eastern Conference with 49 wins.
DeRozan averaged 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.1 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of 42.9%.
The Raptors sent Gay away at the beginning of the season and promoted DeRozan to the core position, and his statistics also rose.
What he needs to do next is to become an efficient scorer.
Antetokounmpo played 77 games in his rookie season, including 15 starts, averaging 24.2 minutes per game, 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 steals. His three-point shooting percentage unexpectedly reached 34.7% (1.5 shots per game).
The Wizards, Nets, Hornets, and Hawks ranked 5th to 8th.
The Cavaliers eventually finished tenth in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs.
The Celtics ranked 13th. Zhou Qi played 62 games in his rookie season, including 40 starts, averaging 24 minutes per game, contributing 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 45% and a three-point shooting percentage of 34%.
The first-round matchups in the Eastern Conference are Pacers vs. Hawks, Heat vs. Hornets, Raptors vs. Wizards, and Bulls vs. Nets.
Among them, the matchup between the Bulls and the Nets is undoubtedly the most watched.
At the beginning of the season, the Nets made the stinkiest deal in the NBA under the wave of Billy King's hand.
But it's just a stinky thing. The fans of the Nets adjusted their mentality and thought about enjoying him for one or two seasons. After all, this is a real five-star lineup.
As a result, no one expected that the Nets would start to decline at the beginning of the season and then continued to decline until the end of the season, finally winning only 44 games, which was 10 wins less than the previous season.
Pierce's average stats dropped to 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists, a career low.
Garnett averaged 6.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. When he was also about to turn 38, Duncan was still shining in the Holy City, but he completely declined into a role player.
Then looking back at the draft picks the Nets paid, Billy King's face couldn't be more swollen.
To make matters worse, Deron has been plagued by injuries this season and his statistics have dropped to 14.3 points and 6.1 assists.
Even Lopez suffered a fracture during the season and did not return until the end of the season, so his condition was also a problem.
As an opponent, and an opponent that they have faced in the playoffs for two consecutive seasons (last year the Bulls and Nets met in the Eastern Conference semifinals), Xu Yong also began to study the Nets after the matchup was confirmed.
The Nets' team formation model has obvious problems. Although in theory the more stars a team has, the better, the distribution of shooting rights is the biggest problem.
Shooting rights not only affect the player's data, but also affect the player's condition.
Take Pierce and Garnett for example, did they decline so much in just one season?
The answer is no. Pierce's shots dropped from 14.2 last season to 9.5, and Garnett's shots dropped from 12.5 to 6.6.
If they were given the same shooting opportunities as last season, their statistics would most likely remain the same.
So by extension, even if the Cavaliers form a Big Four, and the Big Four that is most suitable for James, they will probably have a hard time with the ball possession problem by then.
Let’s talk about the Nets. Although they have problems here and there, the Nets are the strongest team in the lower half.
Because the playoffs are the stage for both stars and veterans, the four All-Stars of the Nets should not be underestimated.
Especially since the Bulls now have a younger lineup, the Nets' chances of winning are not necessarily lower than those of the Bulls.
Thibodeau obviously knew this, so after the matchup was confirmed, he increased the team's training intensity to keep the players tense.
And after the training, the players were given vaccinations.
After the training, Butler happily found Xu Yong.
"Senior, I got it."
Xu Yong looked puzzled.
"Most Improved Award, they called me."
After Butler spoke, Xu Yong realized that he was talking about the trophy.
When he threw the Most Improved Player trophy to Butler, he also said that Butler should take one for himself.
Then, Butler did it this season.
"Now, all that's left is the championship trophy," Butler continued with anticipation.
"Good, keep it up." Xu Yong patted Butler on the shoulder. With Butler's personality, he didn't need anyone to remind him not to be proud and complacent.
The Bulls did not play on the first day of the playoffs.
However, on this day, they and the Nets conducted open training for the media.
The Bulls are in the practice hall in the morning and at the home stadium in the afternoon, while the Nets are just the opposite.
After the Nets finished their training at the home stadium, reporters flocked to interview them.
Deron went back to the locker room early because he needed to apply ice after the game, while Pierce and Lopez stayed to be interviewed by reporters.
Among the Lopez brothers, Lopez Jr. has a more outgoing personality like Noah, but Lopez Sr. is more low-key and steady.
So when facing questions from Chicago reporters, he basically just dealt with them, even if they were offensive. For example, before asking a question, he would add a premise like "The Nets are experiencing a failed season," or whether they had thought about what losing would mean to the team.
This is normal. The home team's reporters will naturally have the same attitude towards the visiting team.
Lopez could bear it, but Pierce next to him couldn't bear it.
"I don't want to make excuses for our performance this season. Injuries and running-in are not our excuses. What's important is that we are all here now and we are ready to win that championship. No matter who the opponent is, we will win the game." After making a confident counterattack, he did not forget to add, "Just like what Dream did back then."
Pierce made a classic analogy, and it’s a very appropriate one.
In the 1994-1995 season, the Rockets fought back from the bottom half to win the championship, which is where the saying "Don't underestimate a champion's heart" came from.
That season, the Rockets dropped to sixth place because of Drexler's injury, and the Nets were similar.
Pierce's remarks were also heard by the Bulls players in the afternoon.
"No matter who the opponent is", this seems to mean that the Bulls are not taken seriously, and it also makes the Bulls players eager to try.
Putting aside other things, both sides were full of fighting spirit before the game.
The next day, the United Center was packed and the fans were enthusiastic.
Although the Bulls' record and strength have declined this season, the young lineup, coupled with a composition that is somewhat similar to the Bulls team they are most familiar with, has given fans endless expectations.
This is also the most watched matchup in the first round of the Eastern Conference. After all, in terms of the number of All-Stars (selected), both sides have 8 in total, with 2 for the Bulls (Xu Yong and West) and 6 for the Nets (the starting five plus Kirilenko on the bench).
Before the opening ceremony, Butler was awarded the Most Improved Player trophy.
Butler looked calm at this time, as if he didn't care about the trophy at all.
Recalling Butler's happy expression yesterday, Xu Yong couldn't help but smile and shook his head.
The opening ceremony was held shortly after the award ceremony, and the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.
Brooklyn Nets: Deron, Joe Johnshe, Pierce, Garnett, Lopez;
Bulls: Hinrich, Butler, Xu Yong, West, Adams.
If we ignore age and condition, the Nets' starting lineup can scare the opponent half way.
Lopez jumped to win the ball for the Nets, officially opening the game.
Pierce reached out for the ball at the start of the game, and it was obvious that he had a strong desire to attack.
He made a three-threat breakthrough with the ball, and started the breakthrough on the right after shaking.
He moved with great rhythm, but was unable to get past Butler.
Butler's current defensive ability is more than enough to deal with his current pair of cold legs.
However, Pierce then showed his rich offensive skills. He dribbled the ball from behind with his right hand to his left hand, then took the ball with his left hand and stepped back to the left to shoot.
If Butler's breakthrough is the [top-notch common people breakthrough], then Pierce is the [common people offensive kaleidoscope].
Pierce is not only a floor player, but his wingspan is only 2.08 meters, which is only 7 centimeters more than his height.
However, Butler has made great progress this season. Normally, Pierce could step back and shake off the defense on this kind of ball, but Butler still managed to pounce on it.
What he didn't expect was that Pierce was just faking a move, causing Butler to commit a cylinder foul with his fake move, and then jumped up to shoot.
"beep!"
“Swish!”
The referee blew the whistle and the basketball went into the net.
"You can't defend me, let Xu Lai take over!" After making the shot, he shouted directly at Butler.
Pierce is the king of trash talk, but he started trash talking right at the start of the game. It was obvious that the words from the reporter yesterday really irritated him a lot.
But he soon regretted it, because Butler's trash talk skills had improved since following Xu Yong, and "Xu.is.your.dady" was just the beginning.
Facing Pierce's provocation, he immediately showed a disdainful expression: "Heh, let me, the senior, take over. You're going to get your shit beaten out again."
Pierce was stunned for a moment, and his face turned red instantly. Being beaten to a pulp by Xu Yong was the greatest pain in his life.
Xu Yong was on his way over at this time, and when he heard this he couldn't help laughing out loud.
"snort!"
When Pierce saw Xu Yong coming towards him with a smile, he snorted coldly, turned around, and went to shoot the free throw with a red face.
Xu Yong then pulled Butler to his side and told him, "He has comprehensive skills, but he is old and slow. Don't be fooled by the ball, and don't try to stop him from shooting. Just make him shoot in a way that makes him uncomfortable."
Pierce made the free throw and scored 3 points at the start.
But looking back, Butler used his youthful speed to take the first step, and then used his breakthrough method to cause Pierce to foul.
It is said that Harden is good at drawing fouls, but Butler's move is also extremely powerful.
"You can't defend me either?" Butler turned around and asked Pierce. He could trash-talk Pierce all night long.
Pierce was very angry, but he did not say something like "This is the last time you disrespect me" like others did. Instead, he turned around and continued to respond to Butler one-on-one.
However, he was not able to continue scoring with this ball, because Butler, as Xu Yong said, only put defensive pressure on Pierce but did not take advantage of the dribbling. Pierce's final shot against the defense went wide of the basket.
Xu Yong grabbed the defensive rebound and made a fast break, assisting Butler to follow up and score a layup on the wing.
Butler's fast break scoring ability has always been underestimated. Although it is not as good as Rose, it is also at the elite level.
Xu Yong high-fived Butler while retreating to defense.
Butler has a very high basketball IQ and can learn things quickly. He deserves the Most Improved Player award.
Moreover, his defensive skills have gradually matured this season. The only thing he lacks is experience. From this perspective, his improvement will be the fastest when playing against an old hooligan like Pierce.
In other words, Pierce is the top NPC on Butler's advancement path, and his experience is gained very quickly.
Pierce sneezed violently at this moment.
He continued to hold the ball and play one-on-one against Butler. This time he broke through to the basket, but Butler was really not easily fooled. In the end, he even reached the three-second zone, and was forced to pass the ball when West came to help defend him.
And after this round, Pierce no longer had the ball.
His toughness lasted only three rounds.
When people reach middle age, they have no choice but to go in and out seven times when faced with tight defense.
However, he did not give up the attack, but switched from holding the ball to playing without the ball.
Without the ball, he was no longer facing tight defense, but relatively loose defense. He finally took advantage of Lopez's pick-and-roll and made a fake breakthrough, successfully shaking off Butler and completing the shot.
The top NPCs were certainly not so easy to defeat, and Butler’s experience wouldn’t end so quickly.
The final score of the game was 100 to 95. Thanks to Xu Yong's 8 points in the final moments of the final quarter, the Bulls narrowly won the game.
Xu Yong finally scored the highest 30 points in the game. If he had scored two points less, the outcome of the game would be uncertain.
From many details, it can be seen that the strength of the two teams is indeed not as big as the ranking gap.
However, compared to the outcome of the game, the experience Butler gained in this game may be more important to the Bulls.
Throughout the first half, although Butler was not inferior in trash talk and was very effective on the defensive end, he was still suppressed by Pierce overall.
On the stage of the playoffs, Pierce is a veteran who has been in the game for more than ten years, while Butler is only a rookie who has been in the game for one or two years.
However, in the second half, the situation between the two changed a lot.
Because although Butler was at a disadvantage in the first half, he did not play passive defense, but continued to consume Pierce's energy just like he did against James.
After half-time, it was obvious that Pierce had physical problems.
While Butler was still full of energy and running on both offense and defense, Pierce could only follow behind him, panting heavily and eating dust.
This "outlasting the old guys" tactic can't be said to have any effect on the Nets' group of old guys, but it can only be said to be a very accurate description.
This was also the key to Xu Yong's success in the final quarter.
In terms of key ball ability, Pierce is at the historical level, but this historical level key scorer was tormented and couldn't stand up at the critical moment.
The Bulls won the first game, but in the very next game, the Nets came back with a score of 106 to 101.
The deciding factor in this game was not Pierce, because after the exhaustion in the first game, Pierce failed to recover in the second game and was basically in an invisible state.
The person who decided the final outcome of the game was Lopez, the least well-known All-Star among the Nets' Big Five, but in fact he is the offensive core of the Nets team.
This can be seen from his title of the team's top scorer this season.
The Nets shifted their offensive focus to him in the second game, and he beat Adams.
Adams' advantage is confrontation. He is very effective against players like Howard and James who rely on physical play, but he appears to be very passive against technical inside players like Lopez.
Especially since this is still his rookie season, Butler is considered to be more experienced compared to him.
After winning Game 2, the Nets snatched the home-court advantage from the Bulls, which gave Nets fans great confidence.
However, just when they thought the Nets were going to replicate the Rockets' path to the championship as Pierce said, they were hit hard after returning to their home court in Game 3.
Xu Yong used a 50-point game to tell Brooklynites what the strength of the current No. 1 player is.
The Nets tried to use Pierce, Johnson, Kirilenko, and even Garnett in the end, but they were all unstoppable.
If Kirilenko was four or five years younger, perhaps he could have limited the situation, but unfortunately there is no if.
In this game, the Bulls' mid-season trade paid off, with Thibodeau giving Hawes more time to compete against Lopez.
Lopez's advantage is his excellent skills, but his disadvantage is that he is slow. Hoyes can protect the rim, but his disadvantage is also that he is slow.
If you are tall, I am tall too; if you are slow, I am slow too. It's like a three-pin plug finding a multi-pin socket. Lopez said it was so sour and refreshing.
Even in Game 4, Thibodeau directly started Hawes, and Lopez was basically strangled.
Moreover, although the Nets team underwent a big trade in the summer, the problem of lack of a main attacking point has not been solved.
This is also the most criticized point of Billy King's deal. No matter what chips he used to go all in on Anthony, the effect would be better than it is now.
Maybe his idea was to rely on the lineup advantage to drag the game into the decisive moment, and then let Pierce use his key ball ability to take the game away. If this is the explanation, the first two games of the series were barely within his plan.
But the key point is that the existence of a super giant will break this stalemate, and Xu Yong's performance in G3 is a breaking point.
Then as the series progresses, the old men's physical fitness will naturally become a problem, and it will be difficult to maintain the balance at that time.
So even though Xu Yong's touch was not that good in this game, West and Butler both played well, and three Bulls players scored 20+ points to win another game, directly making the score 3 to 1.
Of course, there are variables in the game.
In Game 5, Joe Johnson was in great form, making 14 of 24 shots, including 3 of 6 three-pointers, and scored 32 points, helping the Nets to pull back a game.
Well, Johnson was defended by Xu Yong, and many of his shots tonight were in a state of ignoring the defense.
In Game 6, Xu Yong politely returned the favor with 43 points, defeating the Nets 4-2 and ending the Nets' dream of replicating the Rockets' path to the championship.
After the series ended, some of Pierce's words in the press conference attracted a lot of attention.
He seemed a little frustrated about the loss, and didn't say anything about winning back, because his contract expires this summer and it is unknown whether he will continue to stay with the Nets.
But he singled out Butler for praise, saying he was "one of the toughest players" he had ever seen.
For old-school players like them, only performance on the court can win their respect, otherwise Pierce would not have repeatedly made fun of James after retiring.
What, why didn't Pierce praise Xu Yong at the beginning?
How can you still be in the mood for that when people beat the shit out of you!
The Bulls finished the latest in the first round in the Eastern Conference.
The remaining three groups before them had all finished.
The Raptors and Wizards played fiercely, which ended the day before them, and the result of the game was a bit unexpected. The Wizards defeated the Raptors 4-2.
The performances of both DeRozan and Lowry were a bit terrible, with both of them hitting below 40%. They still have a long way to go.
The remaining two groups were relatively relaxed and all within expectations.
The Pacers defeated the Hawks 4-1, while the Heat swept the Hornets 4-0.
Yes, the Hornets failed to get a win against the defending champions.
After the first round of the Eastern Conference, the person who suffered the most was not Pierce, but that man.
From his communication with Xu Yong during the All-Star Game, it can be seen that Jordan has high hopes for this year's Hornets. After all, this is the team he built.
Although he knew that it would be difficult to play against the Heat, he thought that they should be able to win at least one or two games.
As a result, Jefferson couldn't get much advantage against Bosh, and Walker was completely suppressed by Wade, not to mention Michael Gilchrist and Cody Zeller.
The Hornets didn't just have a big score, they didn't have any chance at all on the field.
Some people may ask, isn't there a vertical jump rule? Hibbert's interior defense should be much weaker, right?
The crux of the problem is that the Heat's perimeter defensive pressure made it impossible for the Hornets to even get to the basket.
In the last game, Jordan was possessed by the King in the stands and was beaten and left the court early.
However, the dominance displayed by the Heat in this series made many people realize that their strength has not weakened compared to last year.
The matchups for the Eastern Conference semifinals are now revealed: Pacers vs. Wizards, Heat vs. Bulls.
Then a day later, with the Spurs narrowly defeating the Warriors in a seventh game, the first round of the Western Conference was over.
The Thunder eliminated the Grizzlies 4-2, the Mavericks swept the Pelicans 4-0, the Trail Blazers defeated the Clippers 4-2, and the Spurs narrowly beat the Warriors 4-3.
Compared with the Eastern Conference, there were no upsets in the Western Conference this year, and all the teams in the upper half won smoothly.
In the Western Conference semifinals, the Thunder faced the Spurs, and the Mavericks faced the Trail Blazers.
Just after the first round of games, as in the past few seasons, the league announced the winner of the most important award of the season, the MVP.
Before this, ESPN had done its best to canvass votes for James.
But when the final results came out, Durant was unsurprisingly elected MVP of the 2013-2014 season with nearly 40% of the votes.
His advantage is simply too obvious.
Let’s not talk about wins and the like. Two more wins is basically negligible in front of James.
The key is that Durant averages 32 points per game, which is the same as Xu Yong's last year, a huge lead.
Not to mention that Durant's assists have also increased this year, including his continued efficiency.
Just like the highlighted comment by "KBfnas" on social media: If Kevin Durant fails to be elected MVP this season, it will not be his regret, but the regret of the league.
Xu Yong saw the news during extra practice and sent a congratulatory text message to Durant.
Judging from the request Durant made after he beat him in a one-on-one match last summer, Durant is also a basketball fanatic like Kobe and Thibodeau.
He could guess that apart from playing games, Durant's remaining time was mostly spent on training.
Without sufficient training, it is impossible to develop a new weapon in one season.
Durant's transformation from an off-ball shooter when he entered the league to his current strength can't be explained by just the word "talent".
Compared to James, Durant is worthy of being his opponent.
Of course, the premise is that Durant went to the enemy as he knew.
But now that James has become the Wandering King, the probability of such a thing happening is not high.
After sending the text message, Xu Yong prepared to go back and rest. After all, there should be a lot of people congratulating Durant at this moment, and his text message would probably be drowned out soon.
But just as he stood up, his cell phone rang. Durant actually called him directly.
"Thank you, Xu." As soon as he picked up the phone, he heard Durant's sincere thanks.
One should never forget the person who dug the well. Durant knows that his ability to win the MVP this season has a lot to do with the help of Xu Yong.
And his voice sounded a little trembling with excitement.
This is normal, because in the past few years, it was not only James who was suppressed by Xu Yong at his peak, but also him.
"You earned this yourself." Xu Yong replied calmly.
Durant is willing to practice and has talent. If it were someone else, even if you showed him your back-to-the-basket skills, he would still only have that much ability.
"Xu, I have a question."
"I'm listening."
"If we meet in the finals and I beat you in the end, does that count as you beating yourself?"
Xu Yong was stunned for a moment, not because of Durant's magical way of asking questions, but because of the familiar words.
During that conversation at sunset, he also asked Kobe the same question.
"Are you still listening?"
"Kevin, wait until you win the championship."
Xu Yong's answer was very calm, without any emotion like Kobe did at the beginning.
Because Durant's move was like popping champagne on the bus.
He really wanted to tell Durant that there was something called a flag.
Moreover, the Mavericks are stronger this season than last season, and the Thunder may not be able to win again.