The Eastern Conference Finals has already been decided, but the Western Conference Finals are still going on and have reached a fever pitch.

Just the day after the Eastern Conference Finals ended, the Warriors and the Thunder played a decisive battle.

Xu Yong and Butler watched the live broadcast of the game together.

They made their usual bets before the game started. When James felt a chill on his back, Xu Yong bet on the Warriors, while Butler bet on the Thunder.

The familiar daily routine reminded Xu Yong of the time last year when they did similar things.

"Jimmy, I still owe you something." Xu Yong reminded Butler.

"Senior, I have nothing else to ask for now except to win this championship."

Xu Yong laughed after hearing this. The championship cannot be considered Butler's personal wish. It seems that he will have to continue to owe it.

"How is your foot injury recovering?" Xu Yong asked with concern. Since the injury, Butler has only been riding a bicycle on the sidelines and has not practiced with the team again.

"The team doctor said I can play in the first game of the finals." Butler said as he reached for the dried fruits on the table.

"Really?" Noticing Butler's eyes, Xu Yong confirmed it again.

"Well, the team doctor said it's best to rest for another week, but I don't think it's a big problem." Butler knew he couldn't hide it from Xu Yong.

Xu Yong nodded but didn't say much.

According to the current situation of the Thunder and Warriors, it is not impossible to play a full seven games, so playing another three games will actually be a week later.

The game was about to start, and Xu Yong also looked at Durant in the screen.

Xiaoshuai, come on!

An hour later, at halftime, the Thunder led the Warriors by 6 points.

After watching this half of the game, Xu Yong had two feelings. On the one hand, Durant was in great shape and scored 28 points in the first half.

On the other hand, the Warriors have become much more mature than during the regular season. The main reason is that after all the turmoil in the regular season, Green seems to have really accepted the role of doing the dirty and tiring work.

And don’t be fooled by the fact that the Thunder led by a large margin at halftime; that was based on Durant’s good form.

Durant's physical fitness is always a hidden danger. It is a bit exaggerated to say that he can only play a full half, but for him to focus on three quarters is already his limit.

Sure enough, by the third quarter, Durant's physical strength was obviously a bit behind, and the Warriors also used their ultimate five-small lineup, speeding up their three-point shooting, and quickly reversed the score.

After the third quarter, the Warriors took a 6-point lead over the Thunder, which means they beat the Thunder by 12 points in this quarter.

This season, Kerr adjusted his use of the death lineup, basically replacing it after about two minutes in the third quarter.

This game also seems to explain why they did that. There was high-intensity confrontation in the first half, and the pace of the game was suddenly accelerated in the third quarter. Not only would the opponents not adapt to the change in the pace of the game, but they would also not be able to keep up in terms of physical energy consumption.

Therefore, they also received the evaluation of "the strongest third quarter" from the fans.

However, someone from the Thunder unexpectedly stood out in the fourth quarter.

Harden came on at the beginning of the fourth quarter and led the substitutes to quickly catch up, and continued the momentum in the first few minutes after the main players returned.

Because of his different experiences, Harden is different from the Harden in history that Xu Yong knows.

Or maybe, his experience last season allowed him to rebound and reach the peak of his career, but his brilliance was overshadowed by Durant.

When it came to the final decisive moment, Harden's physical strength declined and Durant began to take over the offensive banner. The two sides were entangled until the last moment.

In the Thunder's last attack with 20 seconds left in the game, Durant's breakthrough layup missed. The Warriors launched a defensive counterattack. Curry hit a long three-pointer from one meter away from the three-point line, instantly igniting the Oracle Arena.

The Thunder had no more timeouts at this time. Durant directly advanced from the backcourt with the ball. When he was one meter away from the three-point line, he slowed down and took a three-pointer. He faced James at a 45-degree angle on the right side and shot a three-pointer...

“Swish!”

The same hand and knife fell!

Curry completed a near-game-winning shot, but Durant completed the final game-winning shot.

In this decisive battle, all you have to fight for is your heart.

Butler couldn't help but stand up from his seat excitedly, but he sat down again with a grimacing pain.

Xu Yong was also somewhat excited. Durant scored 46 points tonight, which was nothing like the Durant he knew.

"Senior, do you think the Warriors will not be eliminated by the Thunder?" Butler couldn't help but ask.

"No matter what, it's good news for us."

Xu Yong did not make any rash judgment, because in terms of strength he always felt that the Warriors were stronger, but the Thunder's performance was indeed impressive.

And judging from the overall score, the Thunder have indeed got the match point.

If the Warriors are eliminated, it would be like the four-star Cavaliers being eliminated in the division semifinals two years ago.

But even if the Thunder didn't win in the end, it would be good news, because that would mean the two sides would have to play to a seventh game, and Butler would have the week needed to recover from his injury, right?

So, they won’t lose anything.

The Western Conference Finals was still going on, but Xu Yong received a new piece of news. It was expected that the league would sign a formal sports league betting tactical contract with the gambling company this summer, and the NBA would be able to collect 1% tax from all NBA trips in the United States.

The content of this news can be summarized succinctly in five words: football betting is open.

This news is absolutely accurate because the source of the news this time is not from Schwartz, but from Tatum.

Since the last trip to the New York headquarters, Xu Yong and Tatum have had more private communications and talked about more things, including Tatum's concerns about the future development of the league.

Tatum feels that every move Silver makes now seems to compress the money the NBA will earn in the next few decades into a dozen years.

He is worried that the NBA will completely lose its popularity in a dozen years and eventually become a money-making tool like WWE.

That's why we say he has Chinese ancestry and takes a long-term view of things.

But he can't do anything about what is happening now, because as Silver continues to bring short-term benefits to NBA owners, the league committee's recognition of Silver is increasing day by day.

It can even be said that if the contract with the gambling company is really signed, Silver will obtain Stern's position on the committee in another way.

After all, from facilitating a 9-year, 24 billion broadcasting contract, to promoting an 8-year, 1 billion jersey sponsorship contract with Nike, and then to this unlimited gambling tactical contract, it can be said that they have made steady progress.

Looking at the money flowing into the bank accounts, it was difficult for those bosses to stop Xiao Hua from working.

This summer will be a very critical time node.

The Warriors won Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, and the win was so easy that it even seemed a little sudden.

On this aspect, Thompson was just as accurate as he was in last year's finals. In Game 6, with assists from Curry and James, he threw in 11 three-pointers, directly breaking the NBA record.

It was also after the game that fans on social media combined Thompson's performance in last year's finals and gave Thompson a new nickname, [G6 Tang].

On the other hand, the consumption of key players Durant and Harden is too great.

As expected, the two sides went to a tiebreak.

Apart from anything else, if a storybook was written about the feud between the Warriors and Thunder this year, it would probably sell well.

When the game really came to this, Xu Yong sincerely hoped that Durant could win this year.

It's not just because of what Durant has done for this season, but also because Durant has fought again and again despite repeated failures over the years. He needs such a meaningful victory to clear his name and build confidence.

In Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, NBA ratings once again hit a new high.

This time, Xu Yong not only sat together with Butler, but also Jokic and others to watch the live broadcast of the game.

This time they didn't make any bets, but just watched the game intently.

The game was very intense from the beginning. The Thunder strengthened their defense against Thompson, and their condition was obviously better than in G6.

But the Warriors were also in high spirits playing at home, with both Curry and James playing very well, especially Curry.

The reason why the Splash Brothers are difficult to defend is that they are at their peak at the same time. If you take care of one of them, it will be easy for the other one to explode.

The Thunder had been focusing on defending Curry before, but in this game they were forced to focus on Thompson, and Curry completely broke out.

The third quarter of the game became a watershed. Curry made three consecutive three-pointers from three positions: the three-point line, one meter from the three-point line, and the logo, which drove the fans crazy, the commentators insane, and even Butler and others felt incredible.

This is no longer a question of defensive intensity, but a really crazy game.

Through the screen, Xu Yong could feel Curry entering the Zone.

The arrival of James did cause Curry's statistics to decline a lot, but it also reduced Curry's energy consumption in the regular season, so he naturally had the physical strength to explode in the playoffs.

At the end of the third quarter, the Warriors had widened the gap to more than 15 points.

The Thunder did not give up in the final quarter, but the score difference was indeed too big in a contest of this level.

In the end, the Warriors defeated the Thunder 127-120 in a home game and advanced to the finals for the second consecutive year.

After the game, the Warriors went into a frenzy of celebration, with Curry running around the court waving a towel like a schoolboy.

James looked directly for the camera, squatted, covered his face, and cried, all in one smooth movement.

Although he was looking for the camera out of habit, Xu Yong could feel that James was really excited at the moment.

"Stephen is truly a groundbreaking player." Even Butler couldn't help but sigh.

Others also nodded silently. This game of Curry can be said to have refreshed most people's perception of his ceiling.

"A super team that wins after having to play a game seven, is that very strong?" Xu Yong asked in return.

Although he also recognized Curry's amazing performance in this game, and he even thought that the Thunder played very well, no matter what, the Warriors, a super team this season, which is stronger on paper than their previous 72 seasons, played to a seventh game, which is not a success at all.

Just like Jordan did play a Game 7 against someone in the playoffs (Jordan didn't play a Game 7 except in the Finals), but the peak Bulls team actually never played a Game 7.

Of course, the reason why Xu Yong said this at this time was very simple. Being intimidated by the opponent before even fighting was not necessarily a good thing.

"The boss is right. If Stephen's thighs weren't thick enough, the Warriors wouldn't have made it to the finals this year." Jokic was the first to react.

This succeeded in making the others laugh.

Xu Yong couldn't help but look at Jokic and smile. Has the little black guy shown his horns?

After watching the game, everyone else left one after another. Xu Yong called Anderson and took him to the United Center.

It was already quite late after watching the game, so they were now practicing late into the night.

Then, Xu Yong saw Murray in the training hall again, and the latter was also surprised to see him.

"Just practice yours and don't worry about us."

After Xu Yong finished speaking, he started one-on-one attack and defense training with Anderson.

Anderson could fully feel Xu Yong's concentration, which was completely different from the relaxed atmosphere when he watched the game before.

By the end of the training, Anderson felt that several of his ribs were almost broken again.

He feels like a punching bag now, but the good thing is that his ability to fight has indeed improved significantly.

"Boss, I will defend that guy Draymond." Although Anderson is not as smart as Jokic, he can also feel the pressure Xu Yong feels about the finals from the confrontation just now.

Xu Yong smiled and said nothing.

He can see Anderson's efforts, but in this upcoming showdown, there is only so much Anderson can do.

If Butler plays with an injury, he must do more.

After resting for about ten minutes, Xu Yong stood up again.

"One more round." After standing up, Xu Yong said lightly.

"Come again?" Anderson had a painful look on his face, but seeing Xu Yong already walking towards the court, he could only grit his teeth and get up to chase after him.

This scene also made Murray next door stop involuntarily.

Looking at Anderson who was about to be beaten to pieces, Murray felt that Xu Yong was a little too cruel.

…

The Warriors and the Bulls had the same regular season record, but because the Bulls defeated the Warriors twice in the regular season, the Bulls had home-court advantage in the finals.

The day before the game, the Warriors flew to Chicago on a chartered plane.

"Sean, do you think Butler can play in the finals?" In the front row of the plane, Iguodala was chatting with Livingston.

Because the Bulls have basically not changed much from the coaching staff to the core members over the years, Livingston, the former Bulls player, can be said to be quite important.

"As long as he can play, Jimmy will play," Livingston said. Although Butler had not yet played well when he was still on the Bulls, that kind of character is innate.

"He can't play." At this moment, James in the back row said firmly.

Iguodala and Livingston both looked back in confusion.

Ayers, who was listening to music in the back row, also took off his headphones.

"With a sprain of that severity, it will take at least a month to recover." Before James could say anything, Pachulia on the side began to explain.

Iguodala and Livingston both had strange expressions, but they had to agree. After all, Pachulia and James are both experts in this area.

Ayers in the back row put on his headphones again.

The Bulls, who are aiming for a dynasty, versus the Warriors, this year's finals matchup has attracted unprecedented attention without even needing any publicity.

After the finals matchups were confirmed, social media became a hot topic.

In a survey report released by ESPN, 58% of fans believe that the Warriors will win.

This is not a very high number, but you have to remember that the Bulls are a team that is on the verge of a dynasty.

The reason is actually very simple, because so far, the Bulls have not released any news that Butler can play in the finals.

This may be the Bulls' attempt to paralyze the Warriors, but it is more likely that Butler really can't play.

In particular, when a reporter photographed Butler limping before entering Game 1 of the Finals, people were convinced that Butler really couldn't play.

The United Center was packed with people on that day.

Although the outside world is more optimistic about the Warriors now, that has not affected the enthusiasm of Chicago fans at all.

During the pre-game warm-up, the on-site photographer was also looking for Butler.

Butler did not take off his training clothes when warming up. He just shot a few balls and then sat on the sidelines, which made the fans at the scene even more worried.

Of course, on the Warriors bench, when James looked up and saw this scene, his face was as white as honey.

Thanks to Antetokounmpo and the Raptors, they contributed to the Warriors' championship this year.

After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony, and the Warriors were the first to appear as the visiting team.

Curry, Thompson, James, Green, Pachulia.

Kerr did not start with a small lineup like he did in the beginning. After all, it was the first game, and he is more confident in the team's strength now.

After the Warriors, the next team to appear is the Bulls.

Accompanied by the classic music "Sirius", the DJ's long-toned voice came.

"From Arizona State University, 6-foot-8 shooting guard, No. 21, Jimmy Butler!!"

Butler can play, and he is the first to appear!

The other Warriors players couldn't help but look at James and Pachulia. What happened to the agreement that they couldn't play?

James' face turned pale. The Bulls' actions could not be said to be unintentional, but rather deliberate.

As for why?

Look at the atmosphere in the United Center at this moment, the enthusiasm seems to be about to blow the roof off!

If the news had been released before the game, fans might still be worried about Butler's recovery, but now this has happened, it's really not a surprise at all.

Moreover, not only the fans, but also the morale of the Bulls was high before the game started.

"Now! 7-time NBA All-Star vote leader, 4-time scoring champion, 3-time AMVP, 4-time MVP, 4-time Finals MVP, 4-time championship winner, 6-foot-9 from Arizona State University, No. 6, Satan~Xu~Yong!

When the familiar guitar solo of "Sirius" sounded, accompanied by flames shooting into the sky, Xu Yong stood up from his seat.

He stood up and high-fived his teammates one by one, then raised his hands above his head, and other Bulls players raised their hands one after another.

"Go! Bulls!"

When the resounding shouts rang out, the atmosphere on the scene was pushed to its highest point.

Niu Yong Battle 2.0, the curtain is about to begin.