After the MVP award results were officially announced, ESPN did a statistics.
There has never been a player in NBA history who can win MVP three times in the first six years of his career. Xu Yong is the first to do so.
The only one who came close was not Jordan, but Moses Malone, who did it in the first seven years of his career.
As for James, he won his first MVP in the seventh year of his career.
ESPN is professional when it comes to customizing data.
However, even if it is customized data, this record is very important. After all, compared with customized data with limited data, few people are qualified to be limited to such a great honor as MVP.
Even if we put aside this series of limitations, there are only seven players in NBA history who have won three or more MVPs.
Xu Yong was not too excited when he saw the list. He was not interested in such customized things, but he was looking forward to the next season in advance.
The media's sense of smell is as sensitive as a dog's nose. ESPN has even started to give him customized honors. It is likely that they have received some inside information and know that the relationship between Nike and James will change next season.
Either Nike will give up on James or lower the renewal price.
After all, when Love is injured, the Cavaliers lose a strong player and their chances of winning the championship plummet.
It will be interesting to see where James goes next.
But no matter what James chooses, one thing is certain, that is, James will no longer be Nike's top star.
And the domino effect that would trigger would surely be quite exciting.
Before Game 2 against the Hawks, Xu Yong received the third MVP trophy of his career.
After receiving the MVP trophy from Silver, Xu Yong gave his personal acceptance speech.
It is said that it is difficult to change one's nature. After being relatively humble in the past two seasons, Xu Yong has regained the confidence he had when he first entered the league.
"I'm going to throw it in the back of my closet until the end of the season when we hold the championship trophy and then I'll take it out and hold it up high with it."
The idea of loaning the championship in advance made the United Center boil.
If other people say this, you might think they are just empty promises, but when Xu Yong says this, it means the matter is basically settled.
Then, the Bulls played excitedly that night and beat the Hawks by 58 points, 140 to 82.
Poor Eagle sauce, he became a background board before he even understood what was going on.
What's even more pitiful is Chris Cannon, who was preparing for the game against the Cavaliers and was shot innocently.
…
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another week has passed.
The game between the Bulls and the Hawks has come to an end without much suspense. With another 4-0 wave, the Bulls swept two rounds in a row and easily advanced to the divisional finals.
The last time the Bulls did this was when Yao Ming had just joined the team.
Compared to the fierce battle between the Cavaliers and the Pacers next door, their performance was indeed a bit too calm.
However, for the Bulls, their playoffs are only about to begin after the first two rounds of warm-up.
On this day, Xu Yong and Butler brought out melon seeds, peanuts, mineral water, French fries, champagne, and squid rings, and watched the game on TV.
They call it studying potential opponents, but in fact they just want to have fun.
Just as Xu Yong judged before, without Love, the Cavaliers were not dominant inside and were at a disadvantage outside, and were already trailing 2 to 3 in the overall score.
If the Cavaliers are really blocked from the Eastern Conference Finals by the Pacers, it would be even more exciting than not being able to break out of the Eastern Conference.
Before the game officially started, Xu Yong and Butler also followed Barkley and others and made a bet on who would win Game 6.
"Seniors are given priority." said the polite little Jimmy.
"I bet on the Cavaliers." Xu Yong bet on the Cavaliers again, and then surprised Butler again.
But since it was a bet, Butler didn't ask, but simply bet on the Pacers.
"So what's the bet?" After they finished betting, the two realized that they had no experience in betting, and it seemed that they hadn't decided what the bet was.
"It's a request, a reasonable request, which the winner makes to the loser." Xu Yong remembered the bet he made with Durant.
Butler had no objection, and the bet between the two was reached.
The game will start soon.
First of all, both teams have complete lineups, which is very rare considering the grievances and experiences of last season.
The starting lineups of both teams, Cavaliers: Irving, JR Smith, James, Davis, Tristan Thompson;
Pacers: Paul, Korver, Anthony, Amir Johnson, Bynum.
Xu Yong ate two melon seeds while Bynum had already jumped to grab the ball for the Pacers to take the lead in the attack.
Anthony came on and hit a three-pointer with the help of Johnson's pick-and-roll and Paul's pass.
This Johnson looks about the same height as him, but looks very strong. He used to play for the Raptors, but was squeezed to the bench by Antetokounmpo this season. Because his contract expires in the summer, Bird took the opportunity to use the first round to bring him to Indiana.
His pick-and-roll is solid, and his instinct to follow the ball is strong, although Anthony is unlikely to pass the ball.
Moreover, Xu Yong still remembers the game against the Raptors last season. It seems that this guy has three-point ability.
It is no wonder that he was able to quickly replace Ed Davis as the starting power forward after joining the Pacers.
Then James's breakthrough layup was blocked by Bynum and failed to go in.
Bynum's physique is really useful as long as he doesn't waste it.
However, as James spread his hands, the referee blew the whistle and Bynum was called for a defensive foul.
"It's so dark." Butler couldn't bear to watch it anymore. He didn't even see Bynum make any moves.
Xu Yong laughed when he heard that. Otherwise, why do you think he was optimistic about the Cavaliers? It was a 5 vs. 8 game.
Whether it is for the purpose of playing one more game or letting the Cavaliers play against the Bulls, the league will support the Cavaliers in this regard.
Because of the referee's intervention, the Pacers did not play well at the beginning of the game. By the time they entered the rotation stage, they were already 10 points behind the Cavaliers.
"I'm already thinking about what request to make." Xu Yong had already opened the champagne and poured it for both of them.
The situation changed subtly after both sides came on as substitutes.
Especially when Granger comes off the bench.
Bird was very fond of the team's former star, and he was able to recover from his injury at the beginning of the season. Granger did not disappoint expectations, and he recovered better than in history. After his comeback, he became the team's sixth man.
Although his condition has declined since entering the playoffs, his performance before the series against the Cavaliers was only average.
But now that the team is in adversity, he seems to have become a little passive.
After coming off the bench, he made two consecutive three-pointers, one of which was made against James' defense, directly helping the Pacers catch up with the score.
Butler, who had just finished drinking champagne, couldn't help but turn his head to look at his senior. He suddenly remembered something very interesting. It seemed that Xu Yong was optimistic about the Cavaliers before, and then Love was injured?
As the Pacers caught up with the score, the game on the court became more and more intense, the intensity of the confrontation continued to increase, Anthony and Tristan Thompson even had a conflict, and the atmosphere was full of gunpowder.
This scene was not surprising at all. The Cavaliers had nowhere to retreat, and the Pacers were in a similar situation. Although they were leading 3-2 in the overall score, because they were the third team against the second team, this was their last home game, and with the level of penalties tonight, they had little chance of winning a game seven in Cleveland, so this could be understood as their last game.
The two sides fought fiercely until the fourth quarter.
Then comes the **part.
James came on at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and after Granger made his fourth three-pointer of the night, he actually tried to trip Granger during a defensive move!
Xu Yong and Butler were both stunned.
You can't just grab the wool from one person!
This was truly Bowen's possession, and Carter was sweating profusely.
"Senior, why does LeBron always go on the court and do bad things?" Butler couldn't help but ask.
"He didn't have the right coach for him."
"Huh?" Butler didn't beat around the bush.
"He should go to the Spurs."
After hearing this, Butler finally realized that this was indeed a joke from hell.
However, the truth is that stepping on someone's feet has a huge impact on a player's reputation. It is not worth it to do it for teammates. But if you do it for the coach, the meaning is completely different because the coach is the one who decides your chances of playing.
Moreover, when James entered the league, he was also a dragon slayer. If you must say his turning point, it was most likely the experience of being swept by the Spurs in 2007.
So if James really goes to the Spurs, then he and Popovich will be a perfect match just as Xu Yong said.
Fortunately, Granger had experience with being tripped once before, so he jumped forward and dodged it.
However, this also caused a conflict between Anthony and James. Although Anthony has a bad reputation, he is still very protective of his son.
This also made the tension between the two sides on the field even stronger.
Finally, after two rounds, it really exploded.
When Bynum was defending James' breakthrough, he elbowed James in the air, and the elbow hit the groin. James fell directly to the ground and curled up for a long time without moving.
The players on both sides quickly confronted each other. Fortunately, the Cavaliers had many young players on the court and did not have much experience in dealing with this kind of situation, otherwise they would have been like the second Auburn Hills.
The game was interrupted and the referee separated the players from both sides.
It was at this time that James was helped to get up with difficulty by his teammates, but he was unable to continue the game and finally left the court in a wheelchair.
When Xu Yong saw this result, he didn't know how to comment on it for a moment.
Speaking of dirty, the only one on either side of the court who can compare with James is Bynum. In 2009, he elbowed Gerald Wallace, causing damage to the latter's lungs and forcing him to have 30% of his lungs removed. He is also considered the culprit who turned Wallace from an All-Star into a starting-level player. Then in the 2011 Western Conference Finals, he elbowed Barea and almost killed him.
The game tonight was so intense, it was normal for him to get carried away and do something like what he saw now.
However, although Bynum was dirty, James had it all his own fault.
There were already big conflicts between him and the Pacers. Bird's move to sign Granger was clearly a revenge, but you ended up fouling them at their home court.
And as the saying goes, if you walk by the river often, you will get your feet wet. If you do bad things to others too often, there will always be a time or two when you will be badly treated badly by others.
Not to mention that Indiana has always been full of martial virtues.
So to sum up what happened tonight: bad people are punished by evil people.
After James left the court, Bynum was also maliciously ejected at the second level, and the two sides completed a one-for-one trade.
But the momentum of the game has completely shifted to the Pacers.
This is different from the regular season when James was absent, because Love was there at that time and Love could serve as an offensive fulcrum, but now only Irving and Davis are left, and the two of them were capable of leading the team to tenth place in the Eastern Conference before.
In the end, the Pacers eliminated the Cavaliers with a score of 97 to 90, 4 to 2, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The four-star Cavaliers were eliminated in the last two games and stopped in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Butler, the bet won.
Seeing this result, Xu Yong couldn't help but stare at the champagne in front of him in a daze.
With the Cavaliers, he seems to have really set a goal.
"Tell me, what do you want me to do?" Xu Yong admitted defeat.
"I haven't thought about it yet. I'll bring it up later when I have the chance." The two of them were just making an impromptu bet, and Butler really didn't have any needs right now.
Although it was a bit delayed, Xu Yong didn't care too much. After all, he had said before that it was a reasonable request, and it would be the same sooner or later.
…
The Eastern Conference Finals is about to begin, but the smoke of the Pacers and Cavaliers series has not yet dissipated, but has shifted from the court to social media.
After eliminating the Cavaliers, many players on the Pacers made some interesting speeches.
Anthony mentioned the conflict on the court in the post-game press conference and said: "I don't think Andrew's approach is rational, but we will not back down when faced with provocation from our opponents. We will fight back against our opponents in their own way."
In contrast, Paul's words are more interesting: "Before tonight, we were leading 3-2. Even without the conflict, we were the team with more chances. And anyway, we won the game and we are the team that keeps moving forward."
Bird was more direct, posting a status on social media: "Someone tried to copy last year's method to win the game, but he picked the wrong target."
At the same time, the Cavaliers and the league also updated the latest news.
The Cavaliers officially announced that James had a groin injury after the game and is expected to need surgery in the summer;
The NBA officially announced additional penalties. Bynum will be fined $25,000 and suspended for one game for his flagrant foul.
"Paul is such a mean person. He competed with Kobe and LeBron for the FMVP before. He deserves to be crowned championless for the rest of his life!"
"One-game suspension? Was Silver licked by Bird?!"
"It's really too dirty, a dirty deal. Such a bad move only got him suspended for one game. If it was Stern, he would have been suspended for at least 10 games. Too bad!"
"Really? I've never seen LeBron James injured like this. Before, when he was tripped, he just kicked his legs and continued playing. Damn it, Bynum!"
"If Bynum is suspended for 10 games, wouldn't that send the Bulls to the finals? I support a 10-game suspension." Comment from "KBfnas".
"I think they should be banned in the regular season but not in the playoffs."
"Smart...smart ban?" Comment from "KBforever".
"It's such an unfair victory, how shameful, it's not convincing at all to win the game like this!"
"So who made it to the finals last year using this method? Let me make it clear that I am not a Heat fan." Comment from "KBfnas".
"How can it be the same? Last year it was an accident, this year it's a flagrant offense!"
“The officials are allowed to set fires, but the common people are not allowed to light lamps?” A comment from “KBforever”.
"Brothers, report them, this is obviously a smurf account opened by one person!"
"He's anxious. Look, he's anxious after being hit by the boomerang!" Comment from "Knight's Kingdom".
…
Xu Yong was amused by the comments on social media.
No matter who is slandering James, Durant must help.
And these two brothers surf very intensely.
But it was also expected, because the Thunder just took revenge on the Mavericks 4-2.
And it was Durant who made a name for himself in Dallas by hitting the buzzer-beater against Tony Allen.
If there are three steps to becoming a god, then Durant has now completed the first step, and it has been quite solid.
So it is understandable that they are in a good mood and surf the Internet intensively.
Xu Yong also took the opportunity to pay attention to the situation on the Warriors side.
Thanks to Curry's 8 three-pointers in a single game and the team's 15-of-32 performance from the outside, the Warriors eliminated the Grizzlies 4-2 and met the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
These two teams have played against each other many times in history, and the Warriors always won, but the Thunder's situation is now completely different from history, and it is very suspenseful who will win in the end.
Just as he was about to put away his phone, new news popped up, and the results of the last batch of awards this year, the best lineup, came out.
Best First Team: Curry, Westbrook, Xu Yong, Anthony, Durant
Second team: Paul, Harden, Leonard, James, Marc Gasol
Third team: Irving, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Blake Griffin, Cousins
All-Defensive First Team: Paul, Tony Allen, Leonard, Xu Yong, Draymond Green
Second Team Defense: John Wall, Jimmy Butler, Ibaka, Anthony Davis, Bynum
After seeing the result, Xu Yong couldn't help but rub his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.
James didn't make the All-NBA First Team?
And his name isn’t even on the defensive lineup?
This would have been unthinkable in the past. You have to know that no matter what, James has never lost a vote thanks to his statistics and reputation in the media.
I didn't expect that it would fall to this point.
So this is the first domino to fall?
He looked back at social media and saw that it had started again.
"Westbrook stole the first team that should have belonged to LeBron."
"Why? Why can Westbrook get a first-team spot just by getting a triple-double?!"
"It's so ironic. They just brushed their stats to get into the game. This is a shame for the NBA!"
"So who has been getting in by brushing stats in the past? Don't make an analogy, I'm not talking about James during his time with the Heat." Comment from "KBfnas".
…
Before the Eastern Conference Finals began, media reports on the best lineup came one after another.
"Xu Yong has a chance to achieve MVP/FMVP/Scoring Champion/All-NBA for the second time in his career, he will tie with Jordan"
ESPN's report still has a strong sense of limitation, but if Xu Yongzhen can do it, no one will question whether he is catching up with Jordan.
Or it can be understood that others rely on hard work, but Xu Yong is still the same as before, he doesn't need to do anything else, the media has already done it for him.
"It's difficult to compare players from different eras, but Xu's influence on the game in this era is the closest to what I had in my era." Jordan also gave this answer when he was asked about this news by reporters at an AJ event.
Even the Bulls players have started to get carried away, as they are now playing with "Jordan".
The next day, the Bulls played against the Pacers at home.
The result of this game was unexpected to everyone. Although Xu Yong scored 43 points, the Bulls still lost the game 103-106.
The Bulls were more relaxed than ever before, and there was even a scene in the game where Adams blocked for a rebound, but Paul grabbed the ball and made it a 2+1.
After the game, the Pacers were in a frenzy. Paul jumped up and pumped his fist excitedly, and Anthony shouted and gestured to the camera, "We can do it."
The Bulls were in a low mood.
Originally the team had the upper hand in terms of strength, and the Pacers were also missing Bynum. In the eyes of outsiders, it was a game they didn't know how they lost, and they lost.
Although the game is not only about strength but also about performance, this game dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Bulls.
After attending the post-match press conference, Xu Yong returned to the locker room. After entering the door, he saw that everyone else was still there. He turned around, closed the locker room door, and then secured it.
His action quickly attracted the attention of other people in the locker room, and they stopped communicating and what they were doing.
It is not uncommon to hold closed-door meetings in the NBA, but the Bulls have been playing so well this season that there are fewer meetings, and they are usually presided over by Hinrich, the locker room leader, so Xu Yong is rarely seen doing this.
After closing the door, Xu Yong's eyes swept around the locker room.
"Look, I'm not a babysitter, and I'm telling everybody before a game like this: Be careful, because our opponent just knocked out the Cavaliers, and they're going to be very motivated.
This is not the state of a championship team. I, Kirk, and Derek have experienced it and know what it should be like, but it is definitely not the current state. If anyone is ready to continue like this in the next game, you can get out of this locker room now! "
Xu Yong's opening remarks made many team members' pupils tremble. They had never seen Xu Yong so direct.
"From now on, until we win the championship, I hope everyone remembers one thing: attitude is more important than strength. Although we lost last season, I am proud of everyone because we stood, but I feel ashamed of tonight's game."
After saying this, Xu Yong glanced around the locker room and saw many players lowering their heads in shame.
"Everyone raise your heads!" Xu Yong raised his voice and made them raise their heads again.
"Remember the shame tonight and turn it into motivation to move forward. Our opponents will play harder in the next game. If we don't have that awareness, we will be eliminated here. Tell me, do you want to be eliminated? Again?"
"In no mood."
"Tell me louder!"
"In no mood!"
Xu Yong's talent for speaking was proven in the NCAA. The Bulls are now mostly young people, and emotions were quickly stirred up.
After nodding his head at last, Xu Yong raised his right hand. When the team members saw this, they stood up one after another and put their hands on top of him.
"Go! Bulls!"
After shouting the slogan, the Bulls' overall mental outlook improved significantly.
Xu Yong's words are a good reminder of the situation they are facing now. 72 wins is an honor, but it also represents corresponding pressure.
The team members calmed down and prepared to go back to rest.
At this time, Xu Yong called Adams and asked him to sit next to him.
The rookies usually sit next to the team boss, serving tea and water. That was also Anderson's seat. Anderson was going to drive for Xu Yong and hadn't left yet. Seeing this, he made room for him next to him.
Adams, who was as strong as an ox, looked nervous after sitting down. He has been in the team for two years and always had the impression that Xu Yong was a very gentle person, but tonight completely overturned his perception.
"Steven, your job is to grab every rebound, understand?"
Adams paused for a moment, then nodded.
"I know what you're thinking. You want to give the backcourt rebounds to your teammates, but now I tell you, no, I don't need it, Jimmy doesn't need it either. If you still don't understand, then your goal is to become Dennis Rodman, understand?"
Adams understood now and nodded firmly.
After patting Adams on the shoulder, Xu Yong stood up and prepared to go for more practice.
Everyone is responsible for the loss, including him. He should have dragged the game into overtime tonight.
Anderson also practiced more with Xu Yong. Compared with driving, training with Xu Yong was the most helpful to him.
After practicing three-pointers for a while, Xu Yong played a one-on-one match with Anderson.
What Anderson trained in his rookie season were also his strengths in the draft report: three-pointers and defense.
Anderson is a three-point shooter. Although his output was not high in the NCAA last season, averaging about 1.6 shots per game, he had a hit rate of 48.3%.
However, firstly, the distance of the NCAA three-pointer is different from that of the NBA, and secondly, his three-point shooting speed is too slow and does not meet the NBA requirements. He must improve his shooting speed through training.
As for defense, his 2.20-meter wingspan is the basis for him to become a high-quality defender, and his willingness to defend is also very high. However, his defensive skills and experience still need to be honed to meet NBA-level requirements, which is also the main purpose of his one-on-one confrontation with Xu Yong.
In general, because of different team needs, his development path in the Spurs will be different from that in history. He now needs to become a qualified 3D forward, and then consider playing to his characteristics of control and organization.
The Bulls' training sessions over the past two days were not open to the media, and the outside world did not know the specific situation of the Bulls.
However, James fans on social media are very happy.
After all, if the Bulls really lost to the Pacers in the end, it would mean that the Pacers' strength exceeded expectations, and it would then be concluded that the Cavaliers' loss was not a failure.
Even at this time they didn't criticize Silver anymore, because he was only suspended for one game and Bynum would make a comeback the next game.
Morale, lineup, psychology, the situation is now reversed, and the Pacers have the advantage.
Chicago, United Center, Eastern Conference Finals G2 is about to begin.
The stadium was still packed with people. Despite losing Game 1 and despite some doubts about the Bulls from the outside world, the popularity that the Bulls have accumulated over the years will not be lost just by losing one game.
Especially when the Bulls players came out of the player tunnel with full of fighting spirit on their faces, it made them look forward to it.
They didn’t know the state of their home team in the past two days, but now it seems that it is definitely developing in a good direction.
While warming up, Xu Yong observed the situation on the Pacers side.
They did not act relaxed or proud, especially Paul, who was extremely serious.
It is said that failure is the necessary path to success. After experiencing two consecutive defeats in the finals against the Lakers and Pacers, he looks a lot more mature.
After the warm-up, the scene entered the entrance ceremony and the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.
Pacers: Paul, Korver, Anthony, Amir Johnson, Bynum;
Bulls: Rose, Butler, Xu Yong, West, Adams.
The cheers from the fans at the scene were overwhelming, and the higher the decibel level, the greater their support for the Bulls tonight.
Amid cheers, Adams pushed the ball back to the Bulls' half, officially opening the game.
Butler organized the game at the beginning, and as Xu Yong's tactics just came out, Anthony and Johnson double-teamed him. Vogel's defensive strategy against Xu Yong was much more thorough than Spoelstra's.
However, Xu Yong did not wait there, but suddenly ran back and cut into the basket, pointing his hand directly to the sky.
Butler's pass was delivered accurately, and Xu Yong grabbed the ball in the air and smashed it directly into the basket.
Bynum was still under the basket at this time. Because he had just been suspended and Xu Yong was opposite him, he didn't dare to make any moves and just raised his hands high.
Xu Yong did not choose to dodge sideways in the air, but instead put his other hand on the ball and exerted force with both hands.
“Bang!”
He slammed the ball into the basket directly through Bynum!
The huge impact force knocked Bynum to the ground, and the visual impact of Xu Yong's body rising after the dunk was exciting.
After landing, Xu Yong let out a rare roar, then bumped chests with Butler who was coming over.
The United Center was instantly in an uproar.
Although it was just the opening, Xu Yong's body language had fully demonstrated the Bulls' determination tonight.
They are sure to win the game tonight, no matter who comes.
This feeling continued on the defensive end as well.
Everyone on the Bulls team took the initiative to engage in physical confrontation in order to prevent the Pacers from using their tactics.
The change was immediate, and although the Pacers were in high spirits, this Bulls team was too talented defensively.
Success is divided into ten parts: two parts depend on hard work, seven parts depend on talent, and the remaining one part depends on the support of others.
This sentence tells us a truth: talent is the decisive factor for success.
And there is another detail change that further reflects this point. In the previous game, Thibodeau arranged Butler to defend Anthony, but tonight, it was Xu Yong who was defending.
Anthony received the ball with great difficulty, and the Pacers' offensive time was already half over. The Pacers only had one option left for this ball.
This is not the first time Anthony and Xu Yong have met in the playoffs. The matchup three years ago also had many famous scenes, such as the Knicks being slaughtered by the Bulls by 58 points, and Stoudemire smashing a fire hydrant in anger after the game.
Compared to that time, Anthony is not only more mature now, but his skills are also improving.
However, what has not changed is that he still has difficulty playing against Xu Yong in singles.
Finally, he stepped back and shot a jump shot facing the basket, shaking off Xu Yong, but was still disturbed by Xu Yong's long arms, and the basketball hit the rim and bounced out.
Adams blocked Bynum under the basket, then jumped up and grabbed the defensive rebound.
And after grabbing the rebound, he held the ball with one hand to avoid Paul who wanted to rush in to cut the ball. This habit of his is very good.
However, compared to his habits, his next actions were even more amazing.
He took a look at his teammates' position and saw that Xu Yong had already rushed out of the three-point line, so he directly performed a long pass like a quarterback in the backcourt.
His strength was enough to support him to do this, but due to his lack of experience, the ball was passed with too much force.
Fortunately, Xu Yong reacted quickly, strode forward, controlled the ball, and shook off Paul who was chasing him. He took three big steps and scored twice, performing a fast break with a tomahawk and violently stabbed the basket.
The cheers from the previous round at the United Center had not yet died down when this one started again.
With the situation like this tonight, no Bulls fan will be able to leave the United Center with a good throat.
After returning to the backcourt, Xu Yong also found Adams and high-fived him: "That's it."
Adams and Rodman are certainly different. Adams is not as good as Rodman in judging where the basketball will land, and he can't do what Rodman does, fighting and provoking his opponents from the backcourt.
But Adams also has his own advantages. He is taller and stronger, which allows him to launch an attack directly from the backcourt after grabbing the defensive rebound like he did just now.
As a reborn person, Xu Yong knew this, which is why he let Adams get the defensive rebounds.
Of course, this is somewhat similar to what Jordan did to Rodman. Doing so can make Adams more visible.
Because backcourt rebounding is a very important thing. In addition to the sense of rebounding, it actually involves the issue of distribution.
This is also another meaning of what he said yesterday about "becoming Rodman".
At the critical moment, Paul used his signature step-back jump shot after the pick-and-roll to break the Pacers' scoring drought.
After scoring the goal, Paul retreated and shouted to his teammates to remind them of their defensive positions.
Although he only played two or three rounds, he has realized that the Bulls he faced tonight and the G1 were two completely different teams.
Butler broke through Bynum after the pick-and-roll and passed the ball to Adams.
Adams' close-range shot was blocked by Anthony and went wide of the basket, but he directly grabbed the offensive rebound, then knocked Anthony away, jumped out of the crowd, and completed the attack with a two-handed dunk on the second attack!
This action scared Anthony and Bynum next to him.
Who are you?
When Xu Yong saw this, he couldn't help but nodded. Adams's Sea King bloodline had awakened.
2 to 6.
The Bulls started the game with great momentum.
And after retreating to the defensive end, the Bulls players were encouraged by the cheers of the fans and played more intense defense.
Paul's pass was directly intercepted by Butler!
The Bulls made another fast break, and this time Rose made a layup and caused Korver to commit a foul.
Rose also made the free throw, and the score difference on the field was 2 to 9.
"Defend! Defend!"
The cheers from the fans at the scene continued, making it difficult for the Pacers players to breathe.
Paul held the ball on the outside and signaled to slow down the tempo. Although the situation was unfavorable, he still played very calmly.
Under his command, the Pacers played a Korver three-pointer tactic.
Korver took advantage of Johnson's pick-and-roll to receive the ball and shoot a three-pointer at a 45-degree angle on the right.
Johnson's pick-and-roll, Paul's pass, and Korver's catch were all perfect.
Except the shot didn't go in.
The basketball went in and bounced out again.
Adams once again protected the defensive rebound, and the Bulls' fast break continued like a tide.
This time the Pacers retreated quickly, but just as they got into position, Xu Yong received a pass from Rose on a fast break and made a three-pointer.
Vogel reached out and called a timeout.
2 to 12.
Facing the Pacers who welcomed the return of Bynum, the Bulls established a double-digit lead in less than five minutes.
When Xu Yong came off the field, he felt the enthusiasm of the fans and waved his hands to signal them to make louder noises.
He was responded with deafening cheers.
"I don't know what happened to the Bulls in the last two days, but now I feel like the Pacers have woken up a sleeping lion and now it wants to tear its prey apart."
Barkley shook his head and sighed in the commentary booth.