DeRozan's mid-range shot doesn't mean he has regained his form, because when the ball came to him in the next round, he attacked with the ball, but his shot after breaking through to the basket was still somewhat off.

But it was important that he invested in this matter.

Especially when in another offensive round, the Bulls insisted on double-teaming Xu Yong, and DeRozan hit the mid-range again, Thibodeau could only reach out and call a timeout.

When the timeout came back, the Bulls' defensive strategy was forced to change, and their double-teaming of Xu Yong was significantly weakened.

This gave Xu Yong enough room to play and made the Mavericks' offense smoother again.

Basketball games are complicated because they involve a variety of tactics and defensive targeting on both the offense and defense, but basketball can also be very simple. When your offensive striker has enough space to play, he can influence the situation of the game.

Of course the most important point is that Xu Yong was in great shape tonight.

What the Chicago fans did for him moved him so much that his body became completely excited.

After all, showing your best in front of the fans is the best response to their support.

However, the team culture that the Bulls have built over the years has made them resilient, and relying on their continued defensive intensity, they were able to maintain a stalemate with the Mavericks in the score.

The two sides fought fiercely until the last moment, and then Chicago fans once again saw their most familiar scene, Xu Yong dominated the game in the final moments.

Facing Butler's defense, he first scored with his signature back-to-the-basket singles, then broke into the inside despite Butler's defense, and after the confrontation, he forced a 2+1 to end the game.

Butler was beaten so hard that he turned around and hit the basket.

The fans at the scene were excited and helpless. After all, although the scene was familiar, Xu Yong was on the opposing team.

However, when the final whistle sounded and the camera turned to Xu Yong, the Chicago fans still reached out to applaud.

Xu Yong made 21 of 40 shots tonight, contributing a game-high 58 points, plus 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

20 points in the first quarter and 18 points in the last quarter. With such scores and performance at the United Center, there seems to be no problem at all.

During the handshake ceremony after the game, Butler and Xu Yong hugged each other tightly. He was frustrated when he lost because he really wanted to win, but that did not affect the position of Xu Yong in his heart.

At the press conference after the game, Xu Yong was the focus of reporters' attention, just like in every game after his comeback.

But unlike the previous Lakers post-game, Xu Yong was very relaxed and happy throughout the entire press conference, and he frequently responded to reporters' questions with golden sentences.

"I think my touch comes from the court. I'm so familiar with the basket here."

"Why didn't I get 60 points in the end? I think 58 points is also a good score."

"Butler is the strongest small forward I've faced since my comeback."

…

After the press conference, Xu Yong and Butler went to a nearby restaurant together.

When they hugged after the game, Butler said he would treat Xu Yong to something to eat after the game.

The two chatted a lot. This was the first time they met after Xu Yong's comeback.

When they were talking enthusiastically, they had a drink.

Butler drank one drink after another, and by the end he was obviously a little drunk.

"Senior, I know that whether you chose to retire or not to make a comeback in Chicago, you did it for my sake. I know that."

As the saying goes, truth comes out when drunk, Butler spoke out the deepest words in his heart.

This time Xu Yong just smiled and did not deny it, because he is no longer on the Bulls.

"Senior, I'm not very smart. I don't know how to express my gratitude. I can only learn it myself." Butler said as he took out a box from his pocket.

It seems that inviting him to dinner this time was just a formality, and the real purpose was to give him a gift.

Xu Yong took the box and was stunned after opening it.

He really likes this gift.

Because this is a star card from his rookie period, and it is inlaid with many sparkling diamonds.

The value of this card should not be less than a sports car now.

Butler then went on to say something that made it surpass a sports car.

"I remember one time after a game, a fan took this card to my senior. My senior liked it very much but didn't ask him for it, so I bought it," Butler continued.

This is really thoughtful, and it has been done with care for a long time.

And it doesn’t even stop there.

"I customized this using the diamond from my championship ring. I think this is the only way to repay my seniors for their help. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Thank you, Jimmy." Xu Yong looked at Butler with a smile, and his heart was filled with warmth again. There were so many touching things in Chicago this time.

And he also understood what Butler meant by "learn it", because Pippen used the diamonds from his championship ring to make a pair of earrings for Jordan. The meaning of the gift went beyond its value itself.

"But there is one thing I want to correct you about." After receiving the gift, Xu Yong looked at Butler.

Butler was a little stunned, thinking back to what he had said, it seemed that there was nothing that made Xu Yong unhappy.

"Even without me, you can still achieve what you have today because of your hard work and you know what you want, so don't underestimate yourself." Xu Yong said this very seriously, because in the world before his rebirth, Butler also proved himself, the only difference was that it was said earlier or later.

"Thank you, senior. I will remember it." Butler nodded vigorously.

The next day, Xu Yong did not fly back to Dallas with the Mavericks players. Instead, he took his own private plane and went back with Daddario.

Butler drank too much the night before, so Xu Yong arranged for someone to send him out of his residence.

When he woke up, the sun was already shining on his butt. He looked at the time and couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead.

This means I missed a whole morning of training.

After pressing his head hard with his hands, he suddenly remembered something and got up by slapping his forehead.

But when he picked up the phone, he realized it was too late.

He drank too much yesterday and couldn't remember a lot of things. Now he remembered that he had to send Xu Yong to the plane, but he had overslept.

He took out his cell phone and sent a text message to Xu Yong, then took a shower and prepared to go to the gym for training.

When he came out, he found that Xu Yong had replied to his message: "Do you still like the car?"

Butler was stunned for a moment. He was not stupid enough to reply with any car, but went straight downstairs.

Then when he arrived in the yard, he was stunned by the scene in front of him.

A brand new, latest model Ferrari was parked there, with a note stuck on the glass.

He walked over and picked it up, and when he saw the words on it, he couldn't help laughing.

“I can only learn.”

…

As the season continued, Xu Yong's hot form did not continue.

In fact, from the game against the Bulls, we can see that Xu Yong has the personal ability now, but because he hasn't played in a game for too long, he lacks stability, and stability is precisely the key to showing dominance in the game.

But the good thing is that the chemistry between Xu Yong and the team is constantly improving, and DeRozan's condition has also warmed up, which makes the Mavericks more competitive than before.

It can be said that Xu Yong’s comeback is of great significance to the Mavericks. It is not just the addition of a player, but also a reconstruction of self-confidence.

Yes, they lost the core of the team over the past few years (Leonard) last summer, but now they have their backbone again.

However, the Mavericks are not the only team that has performed in stark contrast since the trade deadline.

In addition to them, there is another team that has shown strong competitiveness.

The Warriors went on a six-game winning streak right after the trade deadline. After losing to the Thunder, they went on a five-game winning streak, pushing themselves directly back to second place in the Western Conference.

Wiggins' statistical performance is not much better than when he was with the Timberwolves. He is still the player who averages about 18 points per game.

But you can clearly feel that his desire to compete is much stronger and the content of his competition is much richer.

Or to put it more bluntly, he played more comprehensively and efficiently.

On the one hand, this is because the Warriors have the Splash Brothers to contain him. When he was with the Timberwolves, he was the first offensive option on the outside, but now he has become the second or even third option, and the defensive pressure he faces will be much less.

On the other hand, it is also because of his personality. Compared with James, he is obviously much more low-key, which makes the old members of the Warriors not feel threatened and are willing to cooperate with him more.

All in all, judging from the results, the Warriors are back in the championship race.

In mid-March, the Mavericks played a game against the Warriors.

Xu Yong played very well in this game, scoring 44 points, but the Mavericks still lost the game in the end.

Because the Warriors played better as a team, they were just like the Warriors before James came, selfless, team-oriented, and with clear division of labor.

When shaking hands after the game, Xu Yong noticed that Curry had grown a beard without him noticing.

Because of his baby face, Curry was once called "the cute god" by his fans, and "the elementary school student" by some fans.

Also because of that face, many people think he is a wimp who can only shoot.

But in fact, the toughness of basketball has never been determined by his playing style, but more by his choices in adversity.

If you can't beat someone, just run away. That's the biggest wimp in basketball.

Curry has been with the Warriors through all the ups and downs over the years, but he has always stayed the course.

To be honest, he entered the league with Xu Yong, and this is his tenth season with the Warriors.

Although his protection of Green has caused him to face a lot of criticism, in a sense, it is precisely because of his protection that the Warriors have been able to retain the team.

So there is no absolute right or wrong, it just depends on your perspective.

As a rookie from the same class, Xu Yong has great respect for Curry.

Just looking at Curry's familiar face but unfamiliar beard, he wanted to say "You've grown up", but in the end he blurted out the most realistic words: "Keep going."

Time flies, it is already mid-April and the 2018-2019 season has come to an end.

It has been less than two months since Xu Yong's comeback to the end of the season.

The Mavericks finally rushed to the fourth place in the Western Conference, ahead of them were the Thunder, Warriors and Trail Blazers.

Xu Yong played 22 games for the Mavericks, averaging 27 points, 7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 45.7% and 36.5% from three-point range.

His average points per game still ranks fifth in the league, but the data shows that he has not yet recovered to his pre-retirement state.

But because it was Xu Yong, no one dared to underestimate this Mavericks team.

The Mavericks' first-round playoff opponent is the Jazz.

Compared to the Jazz team that faced the Rockets in the playoffs many years ago, this Jazz team can be said to have gone through two rounds of blood exchange.

From letting Boozer go, trading Deron, deciding on Hayward as the core of the rebuilding, failing to make the playoffs, to now having Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert as the core, assisted by players such as Rubio, Ingles, and Favors, the Jazz have become a strong team in the Western Conference again.

Although they are ranked lower than the Mavericks, they actually only won one game less than the Mavericks.

In the West, the regular season rankings are enough to illustrate the strength of the teams.

However, after the game really started, the situation was somewhat one-sided, and the Mavericks finally completed a gentleman sweep of the Jazz 4-1.

It’s not that the Jazz’s performance had problems, but that the Mavericks’ performance was unexpectedly good, and the reason for that was Xu Yong.

Judging from his performance in the regular season, Xu Yong's condition was not at his best, but after entering the playoffs, his overall condition obviously improved to a higher level.

The most direct manifestation is that his average statistics have increased to 31.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists, and his hit rate has also increased to 49.5% and 37.5% from three-point range.

It is difficult to explain this phenomenon. We can only say that when superstars reach the playoff stage, they will motivate themselves to play the game.

If I have to say something, it's been a while since Xu Yong's comeback, and his condition has gradually stabilized from ups and downs.

The Mavericks' opponent in the second round is the defending champion Thunder.

The Thunder's performance this season, both in terms of record and player performance, is infinitely similar to last season.

This also makes them considered by the outside world as the biggest favorites to win the championship this season.

There is even a precedent in history. In the first season after Jordan retired, Olajuwon led the Rockets to win two consecutive championships.

Will Durant replicate Olajuwon's achievements? This is a high probability event.

The playoffs between the Thunder and the Mavericks also verify this point.

In the G1 match between the two teams, the Thunder defeated the Mavericks at home.

Facing a strong and mature team like the Thunder, many details will become the key factors in determining victory or defeat.

For example, the old rotation problem, and DeRozan's performance problem.

DeRozan actually has a problem, which is also a problem that he has always been criticized for, that is, he is the opposite of superstars like Xu Yong. His performance in the playoffs is worse than that in the regular season.

He entered the league with Xu Yong, and the only time he played well in the playoffs was the year he and Xu Yong scored more points than each other.

Even Jokic has a hard time performing at his best with Capela and Ibaka on the Thunder.

These details determine the Mavericks' disadvantage against the Thunder.

After Game 1, the media also began to feel that the Mavericks did not have much chance.

Basketball is, after all, a sport for five people. Even if Xu Yong still maintains his first-round form, it is not enough to make up for the strength gap between the two teams.

It was amidst such public opinion that the Mavericks were directly slapped in the face in G2. After a normal stalemate with the Thunder, Xu Yong finally completed the harvest and regained a point.

Xu Yong scored 47 points, including 11 points in the final moments of the final quarter.

Jokic also adjusted his playing style, assisting more from the three-point line, contributing a triple-double of 23 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists.

This directly caused the outside media to change their tone.

Even if there are many problems, as long as there is Xu Yong and he is given a qualified second-in-command, everything will become possible.

But it is obvious that the Thunder are not a team of the same level as the Jazz.

In Game 3 on the road, the four young players of the Thunder played together, especially Durant who scored 40+, helping the Thunder to take the lead again.

But fans who watched this game will notice that the game has changed. Unlike the one-sided game in G1, the Mavericks lost by single digits in the end.

With Xu Yong and Jokic continuing to perform well, the Mavericks are getting into the groove and have the wherewithal to battle against the Thunder.

This was also verified in subsequent games in the series.

In Game 4, the Mavericks scored across the board, even veteran Barea from the bench had a rejuvenated performance and scored 20 points, and the Mavericks tied the score.

In the decisive battle, Xu Yong became the familiar Satan and the master of death to the fans. He scored his first 50+ after his comeback and helped the Mavericks win the decisive battle.

3 to 2.

From the big defeat in G1 at the beginning to the big lead, fans began to gradually realize one thing: Xu Yong is not Jordan, and the Mavericks are not the Bulls.

The life-and-death battle of Game 6 was extremely fierce. Xu Yong encountered a crazy double-team, but the Mavericks showed great resilience. They fell behind several times amid the cheers of home fans, but stubbornly caught up with the score several times. Finally, Jokic received a pass from Xu Yong at the top of the arc and made a tying three-pointer, and the two sides entered overtime.

By the time overtime came, both teams had lost a lot of energy and were unable to maintain the defensive intensity of regular time.

Then the game became Xu Yong's stage. He scored 10 points in overtime and ended the Thunder's title defense amid the crazy cheers of the fans.

After the game, the American Airlines Arena was in an endless frenzy.

Amid the cheers, Xu Yong sat on the bench for more than a minute.

It's not that I'm excited, but I really have no strength left.

Condition and touch can be restored little by little through games, but physical fitness cannot be restored to the previous physical condition without enough time. I haven't played NBA-level games for a year and a half, and even training has been very rare.

But when he finally stood up, there was still a smile on his face.

When Jordan returned, he led the Bulls to fifth place in the regular season, but they lost to the Magic in the semifinals.

But now, he has led the team to the conference finals.

After the Mavericks eliminated the Thunder, social media went crazy.

When Xu Yonggang first returned to the league, the outside world said that the league already belonged to Durant, but as soon as Xu Yong came back, he defeated Durant.

This is Xu Yong.

Western Conference Finals, Mavericks and Warriors.

The Mavericks played tenaciously, but physical strength ultimately became the weight that weighed down the Mavericks.

Xu Yong's performance has obviously declined, not only compared with the semifinals, but even worse than the first round against the Jazz.

The Mavericks lost to the Warriors 2-4 and missed the finals.

This result has exceeded the fans' expectations, because it is a real reality that Xu Yong only returned to play in the regular season for two months.

The finals finally started between the Warriors and the Raptors.

Leonard has played exceptionally well this year. He and Antetokounmpo have been very strong on both offense and defense, and they defeated the Bulls 4-3 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

According to the predictions before the game between the two teams, the Raptors were the more favored team.

Xu Yong is also watching the finals, but even he doesn't know which team will win.

Because in his memory, Leonard led the Raptors to win the championship in 2019, and the Warriors with Wiggins also won the championship.

Fortunately, time will give the final answer.

After a week, the score between the two sides was 4 to 2, and the Warriors became the final winner.

Curry played the best finals of his career, averaging 31.2 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 48.2%, a three-point shooting percentage of 44.1%, and an average of 5.2 three-pointers per game.

When Curry's beard appeared in the camera, Xu Yong couldn't help but sigh that Curry is already 31 years old.