"I'll go for Ron." Thibodeau noticed Xu Yong's murderous intent and tried to dissuade him. After all, if Xu Yong was sent off, the Bulls would really lose tonight. And if they lost this game, coupled with Butler's unknown injury, the momentum of the series might really be reversed.

"I have a way." Xu Yong said.

"Draymond Green." Seeing that Thibodeau wanted to speak again, he added.

Hearing this, Thibodeau nodded.

At this time, the game entered a technical timeout and players from both sides returned to the bench.

Butler had been helped up from the ground by his teammates on the court.

The team doctor and teammates wanted to help him, but he refused and limped to the bench.

When he saw this, Xu Yong's cold expression eased a little.

Butler was able to walk down by himself, which shows that his injury was not as serious as that of Kobe and Leonard.

This is a blessing in disguise.

Speaking of which, the Bulls team is inherently tough. There is no need to say much about Xu Yong. Adams is the kind of guy who can remain strong even after being kicked in the balls repeatedly, and Butler is also a representative of tough guys.

Of course, in addition to physical hardness, it may also have something to do with Butler's playing style. He is not the kind of person who jumps very high, and because he always causes damage, he will instinctively fall backwards when he encounters an unstable landing point. These details make him much better than the other people who were blocked.

After sitting on the bench for a while and talking with the team doctor, Butler stood up and tried to walk, but was unsuccessful.

Watching this scene, Xu Yong suddenly thought of Yao Ming when he played for the Bulls.

He went over and stopped Butler.

Butler eventually returned to the locker room accompanied by the team doctor.

After the timeout, the Bulls replaced Butler with Xu Yong.

After Xu Yong came on the court, he began to look for Antetokounmpo for one-on-ones in a very targeted manner.

This scene is very similar to last year's playoffs, the difference is that this time the reason was not because of Antetokounmpo's provocation after excitement, but because of his dirtiness.

This also resulted in Xu Yong's style when playing against him being very different from last year's playoffs.

For example, Xu Yong would wait until the strong side was completely cleared before launching an attack, and after the attack he would tease Antetokounmpo like teasing his prey, or he would pull back and pass again after passing him, or he would talk trash to Antetokounmpo's face after faking a shot.

This made the latter, who was already anxious, quickly become impatient.

One step away from elimination, one step away from the finals. The first two games of the series show that there is no chance if they play normally. At these times, people will face a choice: to be beaten with no chance of recovery like James in the past, or to take a risk and give it a try.

Judging from the results, Antetokounmpo and James, or a large number of people, are similar. Maybe they did not plan for a long time like Bowen, or maybe it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea, but in the end they all took that step forward.

This kind of person may have psychological burden the first time, but after tasting the sweetness, he will only become more serious.

The video of James's tripping was made into a highlight compilation, but why can't Antetokounmpo do the same?

Tripping on Irving is just his masterpiece. In addition, there are Trae Young, Collins, Anthony Davis, etc., and even another masterpiece, Porzingis.

Don’t say it was just carelessness. People who really play cleanly, even if they can’t control themselves and stretch out their feet, will retract them at the last moment, such as Mike Conley, Jeff Green, etc.

"He really just wants to win too much", "He's just too clumsy", these satirical remarks about James also fit in perfectly with Antetokounmpo.

So Xu Yong's purpose in doing this is very clear, which is to force Antetokounmpo into a hurry, because only in this way will he have a chance.

"You know what? You'll never get a chance to play in the Finals until I retire."

Finally, another trash talk from Xu Yong made Antetokounmpo furious. He did not provoke Xu Yong, but Xu Yong targeted him madly.

Xu Yong is the face of the alliance, but he is not at all superior.

He was so angry that he pushed Xu Yong hard like an enraged gorilla.

But what he didn't expect was that Xu Yong was not angry about his behavior, but looked at him with a smile on his face.

The referee gave him a technical foul, and the hot air from his nostrils made him look even more like one.

The technical foul rules at this time had not been revised yet, and the rule of one free throw and one throw was still in place. When Xu Yong held the ball and played against him again, a ruthless look flashed in his eyes.

He didn't want to do it at first, but Xu Yong forced him to.

When Xu Yong broke through him again and headed for the basket, he looked at the angle and repeated his old trick, again putting his foot under Xu Yong's feet.

Compared to the first time, his nervousness this time was much reduced, and was replaced by a sense of anticipation.

There is a little-known fact that many people have not noticed, that is, although foot-tapping is banned by the league, no one has been suspended for it.

It wasn't until last season when Pachulia tripped Leonard that the league introduced the "Zaza Rule": If a similar tripping situation occurs during a game, the referee can upgrade the foul to a flagrant foul or a technical foul based on the replay to prevent defenders from trying to injure their opponents.

But even with this clause, the punishment for such behavior is still low, because it is difficult to subjectively judge whether a person does it intentionally or unintentionally.

Therefore, when facing this kind of behavior, it depends more on the players' self-defense awareness. For example, Kobe has developed the habit of landing on both feet in order to defend against Bowen.

Or, like Xu Yong did to James and Green, use your own methods to make the other party afraid to attack you.

Xu Yong's attention had actually always been on Antetokounmpo. Although he didn't have eyes behind his head, he had already seen Antetokounmpo's approaching body before jumping up.

So when he fell, he had already found the right angle.

Antetokounmpo must not have watched the game between the Bulls and the Heat that year, otherwise he would have been more careful about his thumb.

However, what happened next was something no one, including Xu Yong, had expected.

After all, Xu Yong didn't have eyes, and his foot landed in the wrong place, and he stepped heavily on Antetokounmpo's ankle.

Antetokounmpo's ankle was stepped on and bent 90 degrees. He tried to step on it twice, but ended up hurting his ankle instead.

Of course, the price he paid was that Xu Yongye lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

The players on both sides were a little confused at first, but when they realized what was happening, the Bulls players on the field were angry.

What no one expected was that Jokic rushed directly towards the fallen Antetokounmpo. Rose from the Raptors tried to stop him, but was knocked to the ground by him.

What few people at the scene know is that the Jokic family actually has a bad temper. Jokic's two older brothers have worse tempers than the other, but compared to them, Jokic is much gentler.

But that was only relative. After seeing Antetokounmpo make two consecutive moves, especially the second time against Xu Yong, he finally couldn't bear it anymore.

The referees were also confused, and as a result, Jokic walked up and punched Antetokounmpo on the ground.

Antetokounmpo was still in pain down there and didn't notice Jokic approaching at all, so his punch hit him right in the face.

Everyone looked at Jokic like he was a madman.

Fortunately, Biyombo next to him reacted quickly and pulled Jokic away.

The referees finally reacted and blew their whistles like alarm bells, preventing the situation from developing into a brawl at Auburn Palace.

Jokic did not continue to act impulsively, but turned and walked towards Xu Yong. Compared with beating him up, Xu Yong's condition was more important now.

The other members of the Bulls team also gathered around Xu Yong.

Xu Yong was grimacing. It was a hard landing just now and it really hurt. If he wasn't immune to injuries, his shoulder would probably be broken.

However, precisely because he was immune to injuries, he dared to do this with his back to others, so this was an expected accident.

Over there, Antetokounmpo pounded on the ground in pain.

He should be the first person to experience this kind of sore pain from top to bottom.

Finally, a stretcher came to the sidelines and Antetokounmpo was carried off the court.

Xu Yong also had a painful expression at this time, and returned to the bench with the help of his teammates.

After he sat back on the bench, the team doctor came over to check on him, and the large LED screen on the scene began to replay what had just happened.

Because it only happened in a moment, many people actually don’t know what happened.

Then after seeing Antetokounmpo score his second goal, many Canadian fans at the scene fell silent.

Antetokounmpo's behavior tonight really crossed the line.

The first time could be said to be an accident, but the second time, and the target was Xu Yong, they couldn't refute it even though they were at home.

"Boss, are you okay?" Jokic came over and asked with concern.

Xu Yong looked at Jokic and couldn't help but patted Jokic on the shoulder.

He looked like he couldn't open his eyes due to the pain on the court earlier, but in fact he didn't miss a single frame of the scene where Jokic was furious.

He was surprised, but also relieved.

Then he stood up with his arm around Jokic's shoulders and swung his arms.

The meaning of this set of actions is very clear: he is fine.

Jokic's eyes were as big as bells!

The reason why he was so impulsive was that he was under the basket at the time and saw Antetokounmpo kick the ball and also saw Xu Yong fall heavily.

Xu Yong's character is beyond description, he is simply a superman.

At this time, the referees at the technical desk had already watched the replay and then gave the penalty for the conflict.

They enforced the Zaza rule and gave Antetokounmpo a second-degree flagrant foul, which meant Antetokounmpo was ejected, even though he probably should be in an ambulance on the way to the hospital by now.

At the same time, Jokic was also ejected for a second-degree malicious offense.

This result was expected. After all, beating someone up in front of everyone is not common in today's league. The last time it happened was... Xu Yong from the Chicago Bulls.

Without Butler, the core organizer, and Jokic, the sixth man, although Xu Yong is still energetic and can still play, the Bulls' firepower is obviously weakened. On the other hand, the Raptors are obviously less affected by the loss of Antetokounmpo.

Although Xu Yong scored 30+ points again in the second half, the Raptors used wheel defense on him to consume his physical energy, and finally won the game, changing the score to 1 to 2.

After the game, fans cursed Antetokounmpo on social media.

"I used to think Antetokounmpo was very inspiring, but now I just think I was a fool."

"Inspirational and dirty are not contradictory. You said LeBron came from the slums, isn't he inspiring?" Comment from "KBfnas".

"LeBron: How come you can always drive past me everywhere? So you're saying I'm inspirational, you're right bro."

"I think LeBron has to admit defeat in this regard, as he tripped me twice in one game."

"This game really succeeded in making Antetokounmpo surpass LeBron in my mind on the list of the most disappointing stars."

"What if we win the game this way? What if we win the championship? Do we really have to wear the championship ring on our feet?"

"By the way, has anyone noticed Xu? How come he was fine after falling like that?"

…

"Although Jimmy's condition is better than expected, my suggestion is still to have surgery to prevent the injury from getting worse." In the infirmary after the game, Butler sat in the bed with Xu Yong and Thibodeau standing beside him, and the team doctor talking to them.

"If I use conservative treatment, how long will it take me at least?" Butler asked the team doctor.

"One month, if the recovery meets expectations."

One month, by then the finals should have been over.

"What if I can only play?" Butler asked unwillingly.

At this time, Xu Yong roughly guessed what Butler wanted to do.

The team doctor also knew what Butler wanted to do, and persuaded him: "That is not a wise choice. Too many people have aggravated their injuries because of playing with injuries, which has affected their entire career."

"Jimmy, I agree with that." Xu Yong agreed. Although he had the impression that Butler was always known for his durability and toughness, Butler actually missed some games last season due to injury. He was not immune to injuries like himself.

And he knows that many people have ruined themselves just as the team doctor said, such as Durant, whose ability has declined significantly because he played with injuries on the Warriors.

"Senior, I have to play unless my leg is broken." Butler looked determined.

"If you play with an injury, it will take at least a week. Any less is unrealistic." The team doctor gave the minimum time.

Xu Yong wanted to say something, but when he saw Butler's determined eyes, he didn't speak. He knew it was useless to persuade him.

And as a reborn person, he also knows that Butler has the ability to play with injuries.

Moreover, basketball is a five-person sport, and he couldn't beat that Warriors team alone.

But with Butler, even if Butler is in low health, the Bulls' chances will be much greater.

Of course, the prerequisite is that they have to get past the Raptors first.

The next day, the league announced the results of the conflict in the previous game. Jokic was given additional penalties. He was fined $50,000 and suspended for one game.

Although it was just one punch, Jokic's behavior was very dangerous because it could easily cause a large-scale conflict between players on both sides.

And compared to Anthony's experience of being suspended for 15 games for one punch, it can be seen that the league has actually weakened its handling of the situation.

Because obviously, who would want to see the Raptors make the Finals instead of the Bulls?

Not to mention that this incident was caused by Antetokounmpo.

You can say the league is biased, but this is inevitable as it has happened many times in the past.

G4, the game between the Bulls and the Raptors continues in Toronto.

In this game, the Bulls were missing Butler and Jokic, just like in the previous game, and their offensive firepower was obviously inferior to that of the Raptors.

Moreover, in a league with the [vertical jump rule], it is very difficult to win a game solely by relying on defense.

However, in this game, in addition to Xu Yong's continued stable contribution of 43 points, another person stood out. Perhaps it was expected that he stood out.

Kyle Anderson.

Anderson was just a 3D forward last season, but this season he has been slowly developing, or restoring, his inherent organizational skills.

This can be seen from his average of 2.7 assists per game this season.

Don't think these statistics are small. You have to know that next to Butler and Xu Yong, the number of times he held the ball was very limited.

Thibodeau had no choice in this game. He was given the right to organize the game, and he lived up to expectations, delivering an outstanding performance of 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Of course, his performance is also related to the absence of Antetokounmpo. When the latter was there, he was a size bigger than him, and it was difficult for him to bring out his characteristics.

However, Antetokounmpo was ruled out for the season due to an ankle injury, so the Raptors could only start Patrick Patterson, leaving him with much less room to play.

The Bulls' power forward position is relatively weak, but not as weak as imagined.

After [unexpectedly] winning Game 4, the Bulls were already leading 3-1.

Will the surprises continue?

It's difficult.

After returning to Chicago, the Bulls did not create any more surprises, but gave everyone a big surprise.

In Game 5, the Bulls coaching staff made adjustments to the starting lineup, replacing Anderson with Jokic as the starting power forward.

This certainly couldn't have been Thibodeau's work; it came from Malone's suggestion.

Of course, one reason Thibodeau would adopt this idea is that Xu Yong also supported this suggestion.

Malone's reasoning is simple. Since Antetokounmpo's absence gives the Bulls an advantage at the power forward position, why not magnify that advantage?

Compared to Anderson, Jokic has stronger organizational and scoring abilities.

The biggest problem with the twin towers is on the defensive end, but the Bulls tried it for a while in the second half of the regular season. As long as they don't face a team that is very good at defensive counterattack tactics, they can still be used.

Then for the same reason, Antetokounmpo could not play and the Raptors' defensive counterattack threat also declined significantly.

So it seems that Antetokounmpo made a good profit by trading one for two, but the fact is that the Bulls never lose.

Jokic played a classic playoff performance in his Bulls career.

In his first playoff start of his playoff career, he delivered a triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, fully demonstrating his style as the Chicago Magician.

Although the only drawback is that he made 5 turnovers, which is relatively too many, and the 4 fouls also show that even without Antetokounmpo, he still has a big disadvantage on the defensive end when playing the power forward position.

But the flaws outweigh the merits. Who else can get a triple-double in their first start of the playoffs? And in their sophomore year?

It is no exaggeration to say that Jokic raised his value significantly in this game.

With Jokic's performance, Xu Yong faced significantly less defensive pressure in this game. He also scored 56 points, directly destroying the Raptors' rotation game.

4 to 1, despite some major twists and turns in the middle, the Bulls eventually eliminated the Raptors and advanced to the finals.