This year's MVP selection came later than in previous years.
Just after the series between the Bulls and Raptors ended, the league announced the results of the season MVP selection.
Without much suspense, Xu Yong was successfully elected MVP of the 2016-2017 season with 38% of the votes.
Last year, Xu Yong's statistics were better, but because the Bulls' record was not as good as the Warriors, he ultimately missed the MVP. However, this year the Bulls' record is the same as the Warriors, and Xu Yong's statistics are obviously better than Curry and James, not to mention his game-watching experience.
In fact, the biggest problem for a team that sticks together is that unless they can completely suppress other core players in the team, or force other core players in the team to give up their shooting rights, it basically means withdrawing from the competition for MVP.
And this year Durant received 29% of the votes, more than Curry and James.
The alliance's ethos had been corrected by Xu Yong without anyone noticing, and even the factors that media people considered when voting had changed.
However, it is a bit regrettable that Xu Yong won the MVP three times in four years, but because of his performance last season, he missed the chance to win three consecutive titles, just like Jordan.
Of course, for Xu Yong, who is only 27 years old, he still has a long career ahead of him.
This time, Xu Yong did not choose to collect it before the game, because the Cavaliers and Raptors were fighting a decisive battle and it was unknown when it would end. He chose to go to the New York headquarters to collect it.
He went with Jalen Shipp.
Who is Ship?
When he first entered Arizona State University, he had a teammate who he later became friends with.
Most of the people at that time were engaged in basketball-related careers. For example, Xu Yong’s first younger brother, Cooksix, although he did not make it to the NBA, is now playing in the European league.
As for Ship, because he had less talent, he tried to pursue his dream for two years after graduation but gave up and went to study finance.
James, who dreams of becoming a programmer, is still struggling in Golden State, but Ship, who dreams of playing basketball, became Xu Yong's personal assistant last summer.
Anyway, someone needs help, and it is always more reliable to find a teammate from college than a stranger.
On this point, he and Durant thought the same thing.
The NBA headquarters is located at 645 Fifth Avenue, right next to Central Park.
This building called the Olympic Tower is 51 stories high and is considered a landmark building in the vicinity that can be seen from a long distance.
When they arrived, Tatum was already waiting for them in the first-floor lobby.
Of course, this 51-story building cannot belong entirely to the NBA. In fact, the NBA only rents 12 to 20 floors, although this sounds exaggerated enough.
The 12th floor is the entrance. On the wall of the front desk, Xu Yong saw many classic posters.
There are scenes of Jordan crying while holding the championship trophy (Bulls Dynasty), Bird and Johnson facing off (Black and White Duel), Kobe and O'Neal leaning on the championship trophy together (Lakers Dynasty), and Duncan raising the glass (Spurs odd-year championships), and the one in the middle, the most eye-catching, and probably the newest, is the scene of him kissing the championship trophy last season (New Bulls).
This is what you see as soon as you come in, which is equivalent to the first impression when you meet someone.
On the other side, that is, next to it, is a small circular sports area, surrounded by six light walls, on which are freeze-frame images of six people scoring, namely Leonard, Curry, Yao Ming, Kobe, Durant, and Xu Yong.
Unlike posters, this light wall is replaceable. Except for Kobe and Yao Ming, the rest are top players in active service.
What, why is there no king?
Because this isn't Cleveland.
There was no one at the front desk, but when Xu Yong walked in through the gate, the NBA staff inside were immediately excited.
They all stopped what they were doing and gathered around, taking out their phones to take pictures of Xu Yong.
Tatum didn't stop him. He was a good-tempered leader, and with Xu Yong's current popularity, it was rare for these employees to have such a close opportunity.
"Xu, can I have an autograph?" someone finally plucked up the courage to ask.
"When I leave." Xu Yong did not refuse, but he and Tatum had something else to do.
The employee nodded excitedly, and when he saw that others were about to speak, Xu Yong signaled to everyone, and there was a sudden cheer in the office.
Tatum then walked forward with Xu Yong. He smiled and pointed to the wall on the side. It was made of glass. There was a height ruler on each side, and specific names in some specific positions, such as 5-foot-1 Derrick Blake, 6-foot-6 Jordan, 6-foot-9 Xu Yong, 7-foot-1 O'Neal, and the tallest was Yao Ming, 7-foot-5.
This is somewhat similar to what Xu Yong saw at the Dallas All-Star Carnival that year.
After passing the office, they arrived at the elevator room.
With so many floors, they certainly won't visit each floor one by one. However, if Xu Yong is willing after receiving the award, Tatum will arrange for someone to take him on a tour.
They went straight to the elevator room, and it was here that Xu Yong was attracted by the decoration on the wall.
On one side of the wall is the entire half court and a free throw circle. Even the wooden boards on the wall are the same long strips of maple wood used on competition floors.
On the other side are some basketball knowledge points, such as important rules, and some little-known facts, such as the size of the backboard and the size of the basket.
At this time, Xu Yong was attracted by the size of the basket, because he just drew two balls inside the basket.
In other words, the diameter of the basket is exactly twice the diameter of the ball, which is much larger than many people imagine.
This is the first time Xu Yong, who has played basketball all his life, has heard of this. It's quite interesting.
When we got to the 19th floor, there was a stage where reporters and media were already waiting.
Xu Yong came to the headquarters to receive the award. This is no small matter. This kind of first-hand material is quite valuable.
When it was time for the award ceremony, Xiao Hua finally showed up, although before the award ceremony, one could see his displeasure on his face.
The experience in the finals last season should have caused a complete rift between Xu Yong and him.
But so what?
When Xiao Hua came on stage, he could only try his best to appear excited and happy, then presented the award to Xu Yong, shook hands with him, and said words of congratulations.
But just when Xu Yong came down with the trophy, Tatum congratulated him with a flushed face.
Xu Yong could feel that, unlike Silver's forced congratulations, Tatum's congratulations to him were from the bottom of his heart.
Perhaps this is the power of blood.
"Mr. President, can you take me to continue to visit the headquarters later?" When Silver turned around, Xu Yong said, holding Tatum's hand.
"Of course, my pleasure." Tatum nodded excitedly.
Xiao Hua's mouth was crooked.
Next, Xu Yong, accompanied by Tatum, began to visit the NBA headquarters from top to bottom.
Wherever Xu Yong arrived, he would cause a sensation among the staff there, and at this time Xu Yong would have time to take photos with them and sign autographs.
When Xu Yong left, the staff from the NBA headquarters all came to the door to see him off.
"Thank you, Xu, you brought a happy day to the NBA headquarters. I think most people here will be happy when they think of this day." When Xu Yong was about to get in the car, Tatum thanked Xu Yong.
"I should be the one thanking you for accompanying me on this tour. Having the president of the NBA as my tour guide is a treatment not everyone can have," Xu Yong said with a smile.
Tatum's face turned red after hearing this. It was really a happy thing to receive such praise from Xu Yong.
When Ship drove to the airport, Xu Yong felt in a pretty good mood.
He is certainly not the kind of person who just wants to have sex and not care about what happens afterwards.
In fact, if the NBA is compared to a historical dynasty, Stern can be compared to a figure like Emperor Wu of Han, who expanded territory and built a powerful empire when the empire was in turmoil.
In theory, his successor only needs to develop steadily.
So although Tatum is somewhat mediocre and does not have the strategic ability of Stern or even the business ability of Silver, at least he is a loyal supporter of Stern's global plan and is good at handling interpersonal relationships. He would be a good candidate for the now prosperous NBA.
A few days later, the matchup between the Cavaliers and the Raptors in the East was finally decided after seven games. Thanks to DeRozan's key shot, the Raptors got through the danger and met the Bulls again.
Of course, what is different from last season is that this time they met the Bulls in the divisional finals, and this is the kind of game where whoever wins goes to the finals.
It can be said that although they are all win or go home games, the closer to the finals, the stronger the players' desire to win will be.
Almost at the same time, the semifinals in the Western Conference also ended one after another. Leonard was troubled by injuries and the Thunder eliminated the Mavericks 4-2. It was also the second consecutive year that they met the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
This year's Eastern and Western Conference finals have an epic feel to them.
Before the curtain officially opened, the league announced the last batch of awards for the season, which were also the winners of the best lineup.
The best team: Westbrook, Curry, Harden, Xu Yong, Durant;
Second team: Isaiah Thomas, Irving, Butler, James, Anthony Davis;
Third team: John Wall, Paul, DeRozan, Aldridge, Antetokounmpo;
All-Defensive First Team: Marcus Smart, George, Xu Yong, Antetokounmpo, Gobert;
Second team: Jrue Holiday, Klay Thompson, Butler, Draymond Green, Embiid.
Xu Yongshuang's number of first-team appearances increased by 1, and he is continuing to catch up with Jordan.
Just the day after the best lineup was announced, the Bulls faced the Raptors for the first time in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Compared to last year, the Raptors' offense this year is obviously more diversified. Antetokounmpo's tactical position is close to DeRozan, making it difficult for opponents to make defensive choices.
Carroll also played a full season with the Raptors and integrated well into the team system.
Coupled with the arrival of Shumpert to enhance their perimeter defense, this Raptors team is almost complete.
The same was shown on the game scene. They were in a stalemate with the Bulls from the beginning and continued to be in a stalemate until the end of the quarter.
Then, at the final decisive moment, Xu Yong blew up his good brother DeRozan.
In particular, Xu Yong knew that the Raptors could only rely on DeRozan to play key balls in the end, so he directly looked for him on both offense and defense.
DeRozan was at a disadvantage in every aspect against Xu Yong and really had no way out.
Antetokounmpo couldn't wait to step up. He was in great form in G1 and had already scored 26 points and 11 rebounds.
But in the playoffs, especially when facing a top team like the Bulls, any technical flaw will be targeted to death.
Last year, the Bulls coaching staff was not fully prepared for him, but this year they are very familiar with him.
The result was that he wanted to step out with the ball, but when he rushed in he faced a wall, and his passing skills were not enough at this time.
109 to 104, the Bulls narrowly defeated the Raptors. The victory came in the final decisive moment. Xu Yong scored 8 points in a row at the critical moment, helping the Bulls win the game in the way he knows best.
Then, the same thing happened again in Game 2.
Everyone can see that the Raptors are strong enough to compete with the Bulls, but they just lack that last bit.
At this time, Casey fully understood why Stevens said that after falling behind 1-3. The gap between the two teams was really just that little bit.
But if you look really closely at that point, you'll find that there might be a galaxy inside.
After all, just like no one could come close to Jordan in terms of strength during his prime, who in the league today can compare with Xu Yong in scoring ability at critical moments?
After Game 2, Xu Yong saw that DeRozan was very depressed. Knowing what DeRozan had experienced in history, as a good brother, he didn't know how to comfort him.
After all, competitive sports are cruel, and he can't give up the opportunity of a dynasty because of DeRozan.
"DeMar, believe in yourself. I have failed too, twice, but I stood up in the end, didn't I?" This was the only way Xu Yong could comfort DeRozan while shaking hands and hugging him.
DeRozan looked at Xu Yong, smiled bitterly and nodded.
He really wanted to say that people are different, but what Xu Yong said was also true.
In G3, both teams moved to Toronto.
Familiar scene, familiar flight, but the difference was that when they got off the plane, a warm breeze blew towards them.
The difference between the conference semifinals and the conference finals was also reflected at this time. Although there was only a difference of about half a month, the temperature in Toronto had obviously risen.
"Finally, I don't have to endure the ice and snow anymore." Jokic was full of emotion when he got off the plane.
He has much less fat to keep warm this year than he did last year.
Not only him, but other Bulls players also had happy faces. After all, last year, coupled with the cold wave in Chicago this year, they really didn't like playing in such a cold environment.
Xu Yong also showed anticipation. The dynasty was getting closer and closer, and even he could hardly contain his excitement.
The Scotiabank Arena, which can accommodate nearly 20,000 people, was packed and the enthusiasm of Canadian fans remained the same.
Although they are trailing 0-2, the Raptors are not much behind the Bulls on the field, and the Celtics have completed a 0-2 reversal this year, so they are not without a chance.
At the beginning of the game, the Raptors also showed their determination, especially DeRozan, who was in hot form. Facing Butler's defense, he made consecutive strong shots, allowing Toronto fans to relive the style of last year's playoffs.
Thanks to his performance, the Raptors led the Bulls by 8 points after half a quarter.
Although Xu Yong responded by scoring 8 points in a row, the Raptors still led the Bulls 38 to 32 in the first quarter thanks to their performance.
Both sides started rotation, and Xu Yong, who played the entire first quarter, went off the court to rest.
At this time, Thibodeau also compressed the rotation, allowing Butler and Joe Johnson to lead the team together. Adding Jokic who was about to play, the Bulls' lineup in this substitute transition period was still quite strong.
In response, Casey of the Raptors did not give Antetokounmpo any rest time, but let him continue to play.
Neither Xu Yong nor DeRozan were present in this segment, but it was a very important link in the situation for both sides.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Butler showed his scoring ability which has continued to improve this season. He jumped over the gap between people during the breakthrough and scored 2+1 over Biyombo.
Although he lost his balance and fell to the ground, he excitedly stood up from the ground after seeing the ball go in, and then bumped chests with Johnson.
He was so excited.
And this was just the beginning. Butler interfered with Terrence Ross's shot on the defensive end, and then turned around and hit a difficult step-back three-pointer on the right side.
Almost in an instant, he wiped out the advantage that the Raptors had worked so hard to build in the first quarter.
Xu Yongdu couldn't help but stand up and applaud Butler's performance.
Even though he is a reborn person, even though he has watched Butler grow up little by little, he still has to sigh at the magic of Butler as a player.
You can't see that he has an absolute killer move, but he always stands up when the team needs him.
He is definitely not just Pippen, but is destined to become a superstar.
And more importantly, Butler's goal, which came with a powerful aura, made the Raptors very helpless.
Because Xu Yong wasn't even on the court at that time.
If you talk about ability, Xu Yong is even stronger than Butler.
If they cannot maintain their advantage at this time, then when Xu Yong returns, the Raptors' ending will probably be even worse than that of the Celtics.
Antetokounmpo's shot after rushing into the paint was double-teamed and missed, and even after grabbing the offensive rebound it missed again. The Raptors were in a scoring drought during this transition period with the bench.
After seeing his consecutive shots miss, Antetokounmpo couldn't help but throw his hands in frustration.
DeRozan stood up and walked towards Casey at this time, ready to volunteer to go on the court.
Casey nodded, he also knew that the Raptors now had no way out.
If they were behind 0-3, there would be absolutely no chance for them to turn the game around.
DeRozan walked to the technical table and waited for the dead ball to come on the court.
At this time, Xu Yong turned around and talked to Anderson next to him about the details of the previous defensive round.
If the team faces the Warriors in the finals, the performance of Anderson, the starting power forward, will be crucial.
But at this moment, a quick whistle suddenly sounded on the court. Xu Yong turned around and saw Butler lying under the basket, covering his ankles with his hands, and the players on both sides were entangled with each other.
"Damn it! That guy is so dirty!" Adams, who was sitting on the other side, couldn't help but curse.
The conflict over there was forcibly separated by the referee, and at that moment, a replay of the previous ball was shown on the large LED screen on the scene.
Butler broke through Rose's defense, gained position and flew up for a layup. Antetokounmpo came to assist at this time, but he didn't have time to block the shot and directly stretched his foot to the landing point of Butler. Butler didn't notice it at all, and after landing, he was directly blocked by Antetokounmpo and sprained his ankle.
Xu Yong's face suddenly became extremely gloomy, and he stood up and walked towards Thibodeau.
Last season, he once had a question: Did Antetokounmpo learn to trip over others from James, or was it his nature?
Now it seems that this question has an answer.
After getting the answer, he will let the dirty guy know the price of doing so.
…
Bay Area.
Because the Western Conference Finals started a day later than the Eastern Conference Finals, James watched the live game with Rich Paul at his beachfront villa.
Although Rich Paul's schemes failed several times, the relationship between them goes beyond that of ordinary players and agents. As the saying goes, no matter how many times Rich Paul abused him, he still treated Rich Paul like his first love.
When they saw this scene happening, both of them were stunned.
Then Fu Paul was the first to smile.
James then smiled happily, and as a person who has experienced this, he suppressed his emotions and said, "He just wanted to win too much."
But unfortunately, his hands trembling with excitement betrayed him.
Although Butler is not Xu Yong, he is too important. With his injury, the Bulls lost their organizational core and the Warriors' chances of winning the finals skyrocketed.
He is finally going to win the first championship in his life!