Xu Yong didn't pay much attention to Murray before, except that he saw Murray coming to training early during the offseason.
But after Deron said these words, he subconsciously paid more attention to Murray.
Then he discovered that this little guy was really special.
For example, regarding training, the reason why he didn't pay attention to Murray after the start of the season was because he didn't see him during the extra training at night, which made him think that Murray was just pretending during the offseason.
Until one time when he was training late, he found Murray coming to the training hall sweating profusely. After communicating with him for a while, he found out that Murray had been staying in the gym at night, doing various strength training, and then came to the training hall to do some shooting training.
"Why don't you come earlier?" Xu Yong was a little confused, because it was already past 11 o'clock in the evening.
When he asked this question, Murray did not answer at first. Only when he saw Xu Yong frowned did he explain. It turned out that he knew Xu Yong had to practice extra in the evening and did not want to disturb him.
Xu Yong felt very curious when he heard this, because generally speaking, newcomers would be eager to have a chance to interact with the team boss alone, and social etiquette can be found everywhere.
But Murray didn't seem to want to "trouble" him.
Of course, Murray didn't know Xu Yong's character. Thinking this way made him appear more mature than his peers because he would consider others.
For example, NBA teams will hold community events to enhance the connection between the team and fans.
This time Xu Yong went with Murray and Anderson.
Murray is usually a serious person in the team, but when he meets the children in the community during community activities, Xu Yong finds that he loves to laugh more than anyone else, and he is very proactive in instilling in the children the idea of keeping on the right path.
After these experiences, Xu Yong suddenly found that he liked this guy a little.
He also remembered a saying: the hardships experienced in childhood may make people feel inferior, but they are also precious wealth in life.
Time flies and it is already mid-April. After a season of competition, the curtain has fallen on the 2016-2017 regular season.
In the West, although the Warriors had some ups and downs, they relied on the 27-game winning streak at the beginning of the season to end the season with 67 wins.
The data of several core players are as follows: Curry averaged 25.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.8 steals, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.6 blocks, Thompson averaged 23.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists, Iguodala averaged 10.2 points, 4 rebounds and 3.4 assists, and Green averaged 7.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
The Thunder are in second place with 63 wins.
After losing Howard, the Thunder's record this season has not declined but improved, which is impressive.
Durant averaged 30.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.6 blocks per game, with a career-high shooting percentage of 53.7%.
It was not until the end of the season that fans realized that what Durant said during the offseason was true, and he was really prepared for the new season.
Harden averaged 25.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. If the opening game was not convincing enough, then he is now using his performance in a season to prove how much like Jordan he is after leaving Kardashian.
The Mavericks are third with 53 wins.
Leonard did not return until the end of the season due to injury and has yet to regain his form.
But unlike his time with the Spurs, Cuban gave Leonard full trust, and Aldridge's outstanding performance also allowed the Mavericks to still occupy the top three.
The Jazz, Pelicans, Clippers, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers ranked 4th to 8th.
In the Eastern Conference, the Bulls also ranked first with 67 wins.
Although not as obvious as the Warriors, the Bulls have encountered quite a few problems this season, including the departure of Rose, the conflict between Jokic and Thibodeau, the conflict between Deron and Stephenson, and even Butler's personal heroism at times.
But against this backdrop, the Bulls still had a better record than last season.
Moreover, this was when Xu Yong played conservatively during the regular season.
Xu Yong averaged 29.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, with his three-way shooting percentages being 51.9%/41.4%/90.4% respectively.
Without excessive physical exertion, Xu Yong entered the [180 Club] for the first time in his career (shooting percentage 50% + three-point shooting percentage 40% + free throw shooting percentage 90+).
Butler averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game, including a career-high in scoring;
Adams averaged 11.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game;
Jokic averaged 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game;
Anderson averaged 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game;
The Raptors ranked second with 60 wins, and their record set a new best record in team history.
DeRozan is still in hot form, averaging 25.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, while Lowry is also averaging 20.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.7 assists.
But the real reason for the qualitative change of the Raptors is the improvement of Antetokounmpo. In his fourth year of his career, he averaged 23.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and he has already shown a tendency to compete with DeRozan for the team leader.
The Cavaliers are third with 58 wins.
Davis suffered some injuries in the second half of the season, which caused their record to fluctuate and they were overtaken by the Raptors in the rankings, but their overall strength remains strong.
The Pacers are fourth with 54 wins.
The Celtics are fifth with 53 wins.
They are the most amazing team this season. After signing Al Horford from Atlanta, the starting point of Rick Grimes' journey as a zombie, their inside line has been greatly strengthened.
Isaiah Thomas has thrived in the system created by head coach Brad Stevens, averaging 28.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, entering the MVP discussion and becoming the [strongest 175cm player on the planet].
The Magic are in sixth place with 51 wins.
George averaged 28 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, officially entering the peak of his career.
The Wizards (49 wins) and Hawks (43 wins) occupy the final two spots.
The Heat unfortunately missed the playoffs, which was their first absence since the 2008-09 season.
In the past few seasons, the overall pattern of the East and the West has been that the West is strong and the East is weak, but this year the situation has changed. In the West, the only two teams that have the strength to compete for the championship are actually the top two teams, while in the East, there is a feeling of many heroes competing for the championship.
Before the playoffs began, the league announced its first batch of awards.
Kyle Newscaster & Newsboy Anderson were the first to report the results on their phones.
Seeing him pick up the phone with excitement on his face, Xu Yong couldn't help but ask, "Is Tom the best coach?"
"No." Anderson shook his head.
There was a burst of booing from other people in the locker room. This was the third year that Anderson had performed a hat trick.
"The best coach is Stevens in Boston."
Xu Yong nodded. This result was expected. The best coach award was also called the Most Improved Award. The Celtics' record this year was greatly improved compared to last year.
Moreover, Kerr last year and Thibodeau the year before have just been the head coaches of the two teams with the best records this season. As for Brooks and Casey, the Thunder and Raptors have very good records this year, but because they were also very good last year, they do not qualify as the one with the fastest improvement.
"But..." Anderson changed the subject, "Nikola is the best sixth man!"
Jokic's smile froze for a moment, a little bit unbelievable.
Even Xu Yong was a little surprised, because generally speaking, the best sixth man award is given to people with high scoring ability, such as JR Smith, Louis Williams, Jamal Crawford, etc. Crawford has won it twice in the past four years.
But think about it carefully, among these people, JR is starting for the Cavaliers, Crawford is old, and the Lakers where Williams is this season have the worst record. As for other teams, there is no madman who can score points on the bench.
"Nikola received 39 percent of the vote, while Andre Iguodala received 36 percent."
Anderson's subsequent words also confirmed Xu Yong's judgment, and Jokic was only 3 percentage points more than Iguodala, so his luck was also very good.
"Nikola, come on, your acceptance speech." Anderson looked at Jokic.
Everyone else in the locker room also turned their eyes to him.
It was at this moment that Xu Yong noticed that Jokic's face was not particularly happy.
This is understandable. Jokic is ambitious and he probably doesn't care about this kind of award.
However, with so many people staring at him, he still spread his hands and gave a brief speech: "Thank you Coach Malone, thank you everyone."
It was really brief, but Xu Yong heard something.
Jokic singled out Malone because Malone played a key role along the way, but he didn't have Thibodeau.
This is normal. No one is a saint. It is impossible for Jokic not to have some thoughts in his mind as Thibodeau has been suppressing his playing time.
The Bulls' first-round opponent is the Hawks.
The Hawks did not keep Horford last summer, but chose to sign Howard, which seems to make the lineup more reasonable. Howard + Millsap are an All-Star inside combination.
In addition, Teague was let go and the more impactful Danny Schroder and younger shooter Kent Bazemore were promoted.
But the reality is that the Hawks' rim protection ability has indeed improved, but their offensive ability has declined significantly.
Without Horford's support, and both Schroder and Bazemore still seem too immature, the Hawks couldn't play team basketball well even in the regular season.
As for the playoffs, Budenholzer has never proven himself in the playoffs.
Facing such an opponent, the Bulls cannot say that they won easily, but they won easily with a 4-0 score.
Howard was suppressed by Adams throughout the game, which made the Atlanta fans start shouting to send Howard away.
However, the intensity of the game increased dramatically from the first round to the second round.
The battle between the Celtics and the Pacers is also the most intense in the first round of this year's playoffs.
Although Bynum is not in good shape now, and Paul and Anthony's strength has declined due to age and weight gain, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse after all.
In the first two games of the series, the Pacers defeated the Celtics at home and took a 2-0 lead.
It is worth mentioning that two days before the official start of the playoffs, the Celtics' core player, Isaiah Thomas, suffered bad news. His sister died in a car accident in the early morning, which had a great impact on his condition.
But after returning to Boston, the Celtics began to show their home-court advantage, winning two games in a row to tie the score.
And as the series progressed, the Pacers began to have some problems with their physical fitness. The Celtics seized the opportunity. Thomas regained his form in Games 5 and 6, scoring 30+ in two consecutive games, helping the Celtics to reverse the Pacers 4-2.
After completing the comeback from 0-2 behind, the Celtics are now in high spirits and in hot form.
In the first game of the semifinals, the Bulls were well rested at home.
But in the first game between the two teams, the old rival Celtics gave the Bulls a little shock.
The Celtics' style of play is actually not unfamiliar, especially those who have watched Iverson's digital team back then will feel particularly familiar with it, the classic four-protect-one strategy.
On the offensive end, four people were frantically creating opportunities for Thomas, while on the defensive end, four people were frantically cleaning up Thomas's mess.
It was with this style of play that Iverson led his team to the finals on his own.
Thomas' ability is definitely not as good as Iverson's, but he is indeed too flexible. He is like a loach on the court, and even Beverley can't do anything about him.
And he has one thing better than Iverson, that is his willingness to pass the ball. He is essentially a point guard rather than a shooting guard.
So when the Bulls deployed defensive resources, he was always able to pass the ball to his teammates through the gaps.
The most important teammate is Horford.
Horford has a very unique nickname: the ball-blind identifier.
He is the kind of player whose statistics are not flashy (his average points per game as an All-Star season has never been above 20). If you only look at the statistics, he is really unworthy of his reputation, but if you watch the game, you will find that his influence on the game is reflected in all aspects.
For example, in this game, Horford always moves one step inside the three-point line after setting a screen for Thomas. If Thomas does not score directly or pass the ball to an open teammate, the ball will definitely be delivered to him, and he is the team's second organizing point.
When he feels he has an opportunity, he either shoots or follows up to attack the basket, and when he encounters help defense, he can immediately pass the ball to a teammate who has a better chance.
Does this sound familiar?
Yes, his technical style is extremely similar to that of Pau Gasol, but the difference is that he is tougher, which makes him more capable of confrontation on the defensive end. This is why he can often play the power forward position with his size as a power forward.
Moreover, his versatility has been further demonstrated with the arrival of the small ball era, and he developed the three-point shot last season.
Including this season, he has taken more than 3.5 three-point shots for two consecutive seasons, with a hit rate of more than 35%. This is a space-type inside player with production.
If the Bulls cannot limit Isaiah Thomas, they also cannot limit the Thomas-Horford offensive system.
And Thomas is also capable of hitting clutch shots. His equalizing three-pointer before the end of the game helped the Celtics successfully drag the game into overtime.
And then, nothing happened.
The overtime became Xu Yong's show. He scored all 11 points for the Bulls, and blocked Thomas' shots twice in a row, once in the restricted area and once at the three-point line, taking the game away in one wave.
"Isaiah played like an assassin tonight, but unfortunately, he met the god of this era. How can humans compete with God?" Barkley's commentary at the end of the game became a classic quote.
(Isaiah Thomas of the Pistons is nicknamed the Smiling Assassin. The two have the same name and their playing styles are somewhat similar)
The Celtics' performance in Game 1 was impressive, but unless something unexpected happens, it will be difficult for them to threaten the Bulls.
Then, the accident happened.
Thibodeau adjusted his defensive strategy in G2. He no longer deliberately helped to shrink the defense, but instead focused on cutting off the connection between Thomas, Horford and other teammates.
There is nothing wrong with this adjustment itself, because Thomas scored 33 points and had 9 assists in the last game, and Horford scored a near triple-double with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Bulls are not afraid of Thomas scoring 30+ points, because that is not enough to kill the Bulls.
Then, Thomas Jr. told everyone that Thibodeau's choice was wrong with his performance of 18 of 33 shots, 53 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 21 in the final quarter.
Thanks to his godly performance, the Celtics managed to pull one back on the road.
Thomas also shocked everyone in the league with his performance in this game.
You have to know that Iverson's highest score in the playoffs was only 55 points, and he is 8 cm shorter than Iverson (theoretically).
And Thomas' score directly ranked second on the Celtics, the NBA's oldest team's single-game playoff scoring list, second only to John Havlicek's 54 points.
It's probably like this to become a god through one battle.
Xu Yong also fully recognized Thomas' performance in the post-match press conference: "I must admit that we can't limit him. He was the best performer on the court tonight."
"But he will never have a night like this again." But after praising, Xu Yong added.
Xu Yong's words were very domineering, and no one would think that what he said was just empty talk, but it also made people curious. After all, if the Bulls could limit Thomas, the past two games would not have been so difficult.
And I'm afraid that even Thibodeau would have no way to deal with the Celtics' style of play at this time, not to mention that the Bulls will go to Boston for the next two games, which is the Celtics' real home court.
So fans are really curious about how Xu Yong will limit Thomas' performance.
It can be said that the current situation of the series, coupled with Xu Yong’s remarks, has attracted full attention to G3 of this Eastern Conference semifinals.
By G3, Xu Yong gave the answer that everyone wanted to know. It was simple, but indeed fatal. It can be summed up in two words: calling out names.
Xu Yong and Butler took turns to call out Thomas.
You have to know that Thomas is only 1.75 meters tall. When the two of them, especially Xu Yong, are mismatched against him, if there is no help defense, then Xu Yong is essentially unguarded.
When the Celtics were forced to put a lot of energy into four-to-one defense, their efficiency on offense was clearly declining.
Compared to thinking about how to limit Thomas, this method of forcing the Celtics to invest on the defensive end is obviously more proactive.
Once the Bulls took control of the attempt, the offense and defense on the court changed.
The Celtics obviously couldn't limit the Bulls' offense.
116 to 89, the Bulls defeated the Celtics away from home, changing the score to 2 to 1.
Xu Yong scored a triple-double of 34 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, Butler also had 24 points and 7 assists. Thomas was a little confused, taking only 8 shots and scoring only 13 points.
Then in Game 4, the Celtics' off-the-board tactics came as expected.
In G4, the Bulls players were much tighter to the basket than usual when shooting, which allowed their shots to always bounce out and become long rebounds.
Stevens also showed his ability to adjust. He let Horford play center, so that the Celtics' backcourt would have two small guards, Isaiah Thomas and Bradley, which allowed them to launch fast breaks after getting long rebounds.
Moreover, in the positional battle, this lineup similar to the five-small lineup also allowed the Bulls to feel the atmosphere of playing against the Warriors with the five-small lineup in advance.
With such adjustments, the Celtics were evenly matched with the Bulls in the first half.
But in the second half, the situation changed again as Xu Yong and Butler began to take turns attacking the Celtics' inside line.
Since outside shots are easily counterattacked, just get the ball into the restricted area or create damage.
Especially Xu Yong. Horford was able to play to his physical advantage when facing Butler, but when facing Xu Yong, he was knocked away twice in a row. Even if he was not knocked away, he could not limit Xu Yong from completing the attack by lowering his center of gravity.
Xu Yong can be said to have great experience in playing with this kind of five-small lineup.
Xu Yong scored 23 points in a single quarter, and the Bulls scored 36 to 18 in the third quarter, which directly eliminated the suspense of the game.
Now it was Stevens' turn to express his feelings after the game.
"If the Bulls didn't have Xu, I believe we would have a chance to win tonight's game, and if we win tonight's game we will be back to the same starting line, but unfortunately there is no if."
Stevens also led the little-known Butler University (a small school with only 4,000 people) to the NCAA finals twice, and his opponents were Duke and the University of Connecticut respectively. He is someone who has truly seen big scenes, but tonight he was really defeated by Xu Yong.
After losing this game, the Celtics were already trailing 1-3. It was almost impossible for them to complete a comeback against the Bulls.
However, in Game 5, they played impressively despite desperate situations. They were extremely committed on both offense and defense in the first half, which allowed them to lead the Bulls at the end of the half.
But the familiar plot was played out again in the second half, and this time Xu Yong made no sense, because Xu Yong, who only scored 16 points in the first half, scored 35 points in the second half, and used the first 50+ in this year's playoffs to send the Celtics back home.
Before the end of the game, Stevens looked at Xu Yong raising his hands helplessly on the court.
His mood now is probably very similar to Riley's back then: Why is there no Jordan in my team, why is Jordan on the opposing team!