The Jazz are a very strong team, and they have a lot of players. For two consecutive seasons, 8 of them averaged over 9 points per game. Are they kidding you?

But the problem is that the Bulls played much better than expected, especially Xu Yong.

Although he can't tear through the defense like Rose or Deron, he poses an offensive threat as a top forward or guard with the ball.

No one can limit him one-on-one, and he can pass the ball quickly when double-teamed.

Even Sloan was at a loss.

Kirilenko's absence has a huge impact on the Jazz.

But this is by no means an excuse, after all, the Bulls will be more affected without Rose.

I can only say that as a rookie, Xu Yong is too old!

The two teams were in a stalemate until the end. In the final decisive stage, the "home" fans cheered loudly, and the Bulls guys were all as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood. In the end, they successfully defeated the Jazz 102 to 97.

When the game ended, all the players rushed onto the field to celebrate.

Even Ross seemed extremely excited.

Although he didn't play tonight, the team beat the Jazz even though he wasn't there, which makes me happier than winning with him playing!

You have to know that the Jazz really played tonight, and the main players played until the end.

This is a huge confidence boost for everyone on the Bulls.

Of course, the Jazz players were not too upset, after all, this was just a preseason game.

After the game, the two teams shook hands.

During this process, Xu Yong received recognition from many people on the Jazz team. Boozer, Deron, and even Brewer, who played against Xu Yong for the entire game, all praised Xu Yong's performance.

After all, when a rookie scores a team-high 23 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in his preseason debut, it's hard not to take your hat off to him.

After the opening game, the players set off back to Chicago the next day with a happy mood.

On the plane, everyone was talking and laughing.

One of the characteristics of young people is that their emotions fluctuate greatly, but they are also easily satisfied.

However, there was one person sitting in the front row of the plane who looked a little unhappy.

Noah made 1 of 5 shots in the game, scoring only 3 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 turnovers.

He was okay at rebounding, but his performance in other areas was not good.

Especially defense, his best skill which is not reflected in the statistics, was also blown away by Boozer tonight.

The plane arrived in Chicago and the players got on the bus back to the stadium.

They would put their game equipment behind the gym, hold a small meeting and then disperse.

There are still two days of rest before their next preseason game, and the team will only arrange some daily training during these two days.

However, the bus had just stopped and most of the players had not yet gotten off. Noah, who got off first, suddenly gave an order: "Rookies, it's time for you to serve the whole team. Carry our luggage to the locker room."

Noah's words made some of the players laugh.

Xu Yong had heard of NBA rookies playing pranks before. This was a common practice.

Carrying a bag is the most common type. In the 2008 Olympics, Paul, as a rookie, was given a shoulder bag by the Banana Boat Brothers. The gif is also a classic.

Buying donuts and drinks is also common. Sun Yue bought them for other people for a whole season when he was on the Lakers.

Then the more common thing is to stuff popcorn into the car, or give rookies pink backpacks. Even Cousins ​​has been treated like this.jpg.

That’s basically all. This kind of prank is similar to a rookie gift. Once you’ve been pranked, you’ll be considered an official NBA player.

Of course, there are some weird ones, such as Nick Young likes to let rookies call him dad. I don’t know if it’s because he didn’t play enough poker with his girlfriend.

Even more outrageous is the incident where Arenas pooped in Blatche's shoes, which was beyond the scope of normal pranks.

Xu Yong and the others didn't say anything. Five of them (two undrafted draft picks with no guaranteed contracts) were carrying the bags of more than a dozen people. Each person could only carry four bags at most, which was a piece of cake for them given their physiques.

"Do you need my help?" Just as Xu Yong was about to pick it up, Deng came over and said.

It was obvious that the trip to London had brought him and Xu Yong much closer.

After all, 10 of his 18 points came from Xu Yong's assists.

Xu Yong shook his head. Since it was a gift for newlyweds, it would be meaningful to experience it.

However, when he was carrying his bag and walking towards the stadium, he discovered that the poster on the front of the United Center had been changed.

The old posters they had before departure had been replaced with new ones featuring the core players of the Bulls for the new season.

What he didn't expect was that he and Rose were actually in the C position, one on the left and one on the right.

Next to them are Deng, Hinrich and Noah.

Although there are many Chinese people in Chicago and there is an element of selling tickets involved, but at a time when the outside world is still full of doubts about him, hanging up such a poster which is equivalent to silent support, to be honest, Xu Yong still feels warm in his heart.

Of course, he might also understand why Noah came back and played such a prank on them so early.

Put yourself in his shoes. After playing for the team for two years, his status is not as good as that of a rookie who has just been there for two and a half months. Anyone would feel a little unbalanced.

After arriving at the locker room and putting down their backpacks, the players took back their backpacks one after another.

And the interesting thing is that the people who came to Xu Yong to get his bags all thanked him.

Xu Yong was not the only one who saw the poster. Moreover, even if the outside world doubted him, how could the team not know Xu Yong's strength?

You, Jordan, are a rookie, who dares to point fingers at him?

Qualifications are useful but not much in competitive sports; strength comes first.

"Rookies, go buy some donuts and drinks for us." But at this time, Noah spoke again.

Xu Yong frowned now.

But before he could open his mouth, Deng had already stood up and said to Noah: "Joakim, everyone is exhausted from the journey. If you still have energy, why don't you go buy one for all of us."

As soon as Deng opened his mouth, Noah immediately shut up tactfully.

The oldest player on this Bulls team is Hinrich, who has played for the Bulls for six years, and the second oldest is Deng.

And precisely because Deng is usually friendly and well-mannered, he has the highest status in the team.

If Noah were to fight with Deng, he would be hated by everyone on the Bulls.

Xu Yong gave Deng a grateful look, then looked at Noah thoughtfully.

After spending some time with them, he discovered that most of the players on the Bulls were nice guys; even the boxing champion Johnson was kind to others.

It is hard to imagine that this is an NBA team in Chicago, which is known as the "City of Gangs".

However, Noah is an exception. Even if it weren't for what happened today, he is usually a person with a more outgoing personality.

Looking back at the history of this Bulls team, Noah does seem to have played the role of a locker room leader.

After the meeting, Deng found Xu Yong alone.

"Joakim is probably just a little depressed because of his poor performance. I know him, and he is not a bad guy at heart." Deng came to act as a peacemaker.

"Are you taking your bad mood out on the rookies?" Xu Yong asked back.

"That's not what I meant. His personality has something to do with his background," Deng explained.

Xu Yong looked puzzled, as he had never really known about Noah's birth in detail.

"His father Yannick Noah is a tennis star and his mother is a Swedish beauty pageant champion. You know, being born in such a family would make him a little proud. Of course, if you want, I can make him apologize." Deng is still very realistic.

Xu Yong became interested after hearing this.

The Bulls cannot rise without Noah, and Noah's flamboyant personality is indeed what the Bulls need.

After all, if your team is full of nice guys, it's easy to be targeted in the NBA, and it's obviously better to let Noah play this role than to do it himself.

In a sense, Noah is equivalent to the role of "Rodman".

So the question is, how did Jordan tame Rodman back then?