Just when the fans were still talking about the East Finals G1, the first round of the West Finals quickly attracted the public's attention.

As a result of the game, the Thunder lost to the Mavericks 116-121.

Durant scored 40 points, Westbrook and Harden both scored 20 points, and the trio combined for 80 points, but the Thunder still lost.

Just because, Nowitzki on the Mavericks' side exploded with 48 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks!

Even more outrageous was the way he scored, shooting 12-of-15 from the field and 24-of-24 from the free-throw line......

You can understand that even if the Thunder have the interior combination of Ibaka and Perkins, they still can't guard Nowitzki at all, and can only use fouls to stop him from shooting.

It's not that our army is not strong, but the enemy has Gundam!

Nowitzki's form this year, especially as the playoffs progressed, became more and more outrageous.

Of course, in addition to Nowitzki, Terry and JJ Barria also cut 20+ each and became the driver's right-hand man.

In his own wilderness, Xu Yong pancakes for O'Neill while chatting with him about the Western Decision.

Although it is not yet time to think about the next round opponent, this game is worth their attention.

O'Neill lamented Nowitzki's state.

If the Bulls do face the Mavericks in the playoffs, it will be difficult for them to limit Nowitzki.

First of all, the big and four small lineups will definitely not be used, whether it is Battier or Artest, it will be the same as an ATM for Nowitzki.

But in the regular lineup, whether it is O'Neal Jr. or Gibson, it is difficult to limit such Nowitzki.

Xu Yong is not worried about Nowitzki.

It's just that a single defense can't prevent a pinch, it's just a test of the team's rotation speed.

He watched a video before he was reborn, that is, Wade reviewed the 2011 Finals of the Heat vs. Mavericks, and in his eyes, it was not Nowitzki who decided the game, but Barria.

That's not to say Nowitzki isn't strong, because it's impossible if you don't let Nowitzki score, all you can do is reduce Nowitzki's scoring efficiency.

In fact, the Heat have done a very successful job in this regard, through continuous pinching and defense, Nowitzki can average 26 points per game, but the shooting rate is only 41.6%, which is on par with Kobe Bryant in 2010, who is known as the most ironclad in the Finals.

But they couldn't limit Barria throughout the series.

Barria shoots accurately, moves the ball well, and most importantly, breaks through fast.

It felt like a basketball elf on the court, although he didn't play much time and didn't score much, as soon as he was on the court, he could make the Mavericks play a wave quickly.

In fact, the Mavericks swept the Lakers before, including the first game against the Thunder, and Barria contributed a lot.

Or to put it another way, although the Mavericks only have Nowitzki as a supergiant, those role players are also not soft.

So it's no surprise that after the Heat lose, Jamie will vigorously oppose Nowitzki's single-core remarks.

The next day, the second game of the Eastern Conference finals continued in Chicago.

The Union Center was still packed, and the enthusiasm of Chicago fans was at an all-time high because of the G1 victory.

Some fans even held up a 4-0 sign, which was completely disregarding what poisoned milk was.

During the pre-game warm-up, the live camera was given to the Heat.

Most of the Heat players have serious expressions, and the loss of G1 still has a big impact on them.

But there was one person who looked extremely happy.

James' face looked like the Heat had won the championship.

Yes, that's right, in yesterday's practice, Spoelstra increased his ball possession and designed a lot of small tactics for him, making him feel like he was back with the previous Cavaliers.

It turns out that he is an absolute GOAT when it comes to power struggles.

After the warm-up, the starting lineups on both sides were released one after another.

Heat: Money, Wade, James, Bosh, Ilgoskas

Bulls: Rose, Xu Yong, Artest, O'Neal Jr., Yao Ming

There have been few changes to the lineups on both sides, the only change is that O'Neal Jr. has returned to the starting lineup on the Bulls' side.

Ilgoskas flicked the ball back into the Heat half court to kick off the game.

The Heat came up with James holding the ball, and it was in the high post and Ilgoskas blocking and pick-and-roll.

After taking it apart, he threw it directly in the middle range position.

It's like dreaming back to Cleveland, and the opening scene starts with a taste for the Kings.

"Huh!"

His first attempt from mid-range went in.

In a sense, Wade is right when he says that, because a player's performance does have a lot to do with mentality, especially when it comes to shooting.

Just like the players of the men's basketball team, they don't dare to play, they don't want to play, and their 60-point strength can only be exerted by 20 points in the end.

And although James' shooting is unstable, it's not that he can't shoot, before playing the Celtics, the Heat was able to solve the battle in 6 games, and it was really because of James's shooting.

This is clearly a red flag for the Bulls.

And this signal is still strengthening.

After the switch between offense and defense, the Heat adhered to the defensive strategy of focusing on key people in the last game, relying on the quick defensive ability of James and Wade, and successfully interfered with Artest's shot on the outside.

After James received the defensive rebound, the Heat launched a defensive counterattack, and Jawee played a connection in the fast break, and Wade completed the empty catch and scored a violent dunk.

Xu Yong battled in a positional battle, and did not play blocking and dismantling with Yao Ming, but used the size back to eat Wade like in the All-Star Game, causing the latter's beating foul.

He went to the free throw line and hit both free throws to help the Bulls score points.

But looking back, Wade and Bosh found James after blocking and picking, and James caught the ball from the outside and made a three-point shot......

"Huh!"

Hand up and knife down.

After the goal, James made a big egg dance celebration .gif in the retreat.

It was invented by the "alien" Kassel, but was listed as a forbidden celebratory action like Wade's throat-cutting ceremony because the action was too revealing.

James made this kind of action at this time, obviously proud.

But this is very reasonable for him, after all, he won the power struggle, and his hand feels so good, it feels like everyone is floating in the sky.

As for what is forbidden to celebrate, isn't it a fine of 15,000? That's not money at all for him.

The fans at the United Center were agitated.

James scored only eight points in the last game, but tonight just started with five points, and all of them came from shooting.

They didn't know what was going on, but James was very different from the last game.

In fact, not to mention the fans, the players on the Bulls' side, including Xu Yong, didn't expect it at all.

You must know that the Mavericks can win the Heat in history, in addition to their own excellent performance, there is also the infinite empty James on the defensive end, until James does not dare to shoot.

So, James went to Dallas last night and stole Nowitzki's shooting bag?

But whatever the reason, a James who feels online is obviously a different offensive threat to the Bulls.

The Bulls continued to attack the frontcourt, and O'Neal Jr. received the ball and hit the basket, but was blocked by James' help defense.

James was not only active on the offensive end tonight, but also had a full presence on the defensive end.

The camera shows Spoelstra on the sidelines, as if wondering what the young manager has done in the past two days.

However, Spoelstra's face did not show happiness, but was very solemn.

While he understands Wade's concessions as a leader, when a team has to compromise with a player, it can easily spiral out of control.

James's former parent team, the Cavaliers, is a good example, changing coaches, changing teammates, and in the end, he couldn't help but slap his ass and leave.

On the court, the Heat once again played a defensive counterattack, with four to three in the frontcourt.

Wade reciprocated this time, giving the ball to James in the fast break, and James was about to stage the iconic Zhan axe dunk.

It's just that flying in the sky can't satisfy him, he wants to really fly.

But just as he pulled the ball to the highest point, a familiar figure appeared in front of his eyes.

It was Xu Yong who was killed in the oblique side.

When James pulled the ball up to the highest point.

"Smack!"

Xu Yong flew the racket out of the court directly from the side.

There was an exclamation at the scene.

Most of them didn't notice where Xu Yong came from!

Xu Yong turned back to James and said, "This is Chicago." ”

This familiar sentence made James instantly dream back to last season's opener.

Steals, drift three-point kills, technical desks.

These memories instantly spurted out of my mind.

It's not like a dull ache like a thumb, but a sting to the soul.

At this time, the big LED screen at the scene began to play the replay of the ball just now, although Xu Yong's defense was Wade, his attention was always staring at James.

Obviously, after James' opening consecutive scores, Xu Yong captured the Heat's intention to play with James in the opening game tonight.

So when Wade passed the ball, he was already moving with the ball, and then made a side block without James noticing him at all.

As the replay ended, there was a burst of applause and cheers from the audience.

This defensive round is actually very important, because if James scores again on the fast break, the Bulls should be stopped at the beginning.

Xu Yong walked to Artest's side at this time and told him about changing guards.

Artest can defend from the No. 2 position to the No. 4 position, and although Wade's pace is a little difficult for him to keep up, the Heat's offensive focus tonight is not on Wade.

The Heat's sideline ball, James received the ball from the outside, and then found that the defender was replaced from Artest to Xu Yong.

The block in front of him tingled him a little, and instead of passing or calling for a pick-and-roll as he had done in the past, he took a stance ready to hit one.

After all, he feels good tonight, and he may not be able to succeed in beating Xu Yong.

The Heat players also cooperated to open up the singles space, and tonight's game focused on one to make James happy.

James tried a three-way threat to break through Seo, but Seo put a lot more pressure on the ball than Rose.

Xu Yong, as a sophomore, can directly enter the first defense, which is really a real fight.

His size, speed, skill, and even experience have reached a top level in every aspect.

James soon discovered that he couldn't get off the ball at all in the basket, and there was a high probability that he would be stealed again as before.

So he can only choose to play with his back to his back.

Xu Yong was directly happy when he saw James' choice.

Other people's presidents are carving stone statues on the mountain, but James is the opposite, he is trying to collect mountains.

If one mountain in Chicago is not enough, do you need a Chinese one?

James started his back beating, but in Xu Yong's eyes, this was simply a big knife in front of Guan Gong.

By the time he made his first effort, Xu Yong had already withdrawn from the bench sideways, and then quickly pulled the ball out of his hands.

However, James's physical fitness is really exaggerated, and when his body is out of balance, he even reacts to come over and grab the ball with both hands.

Two people, four hands grasped the ball together.

It's just that James has no grip in the posture of falling backwards, and he has no advantage at all in the confrontation with Xu Yong's strength.

"Bring it to you!"

In the end, Xu Yong exerted his hands and snatched the ball directly from James's hand .gif.

This steal highlights a clean one, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a robbery.

The rest of the Heat team couldn't react, and they could only watch Xu Yong stage a one-stop fast attack.

Xu Yong quickly attacked the frontcourt, and after glancing at the backcourt that no one was chasing after him, he directly came to a one-handed windmill dunk of a performative nature.

The United Center boiled instantly.

In the past defensive round, Xu Yong completed the block on James with three defenses and four defenses, and then made a one-on-one steal and James showed a dunk.

This is to single-handedly bring the momentum back of the game!

And more importantly, he sent a very direct and tough signal to the Heat: even if you James feel good today, if you want James to keep the ball on the ball, then you have to ask his opinion first!

Spoelstra can fully understand the mood of those Cavaliers head coaches.

Because he really can't do anything but give the choice to James.

It's not that you can't do it, it's that you can't do it, otherwise James can tell you that 8 points is not his limit.

The Heat's offense, the ball is still in James' hands.

After an offensive error in the back basket, James opted to try the basket, and he had to score one in front of Xu Yong today anyway.

It's not the head iron, it's that when you're victorious in the power struggle, you always have to flex your muscles.

Otherwise, when others find out that you really can't do it, then you yourself will be embarrassed to hold on to the ball again.

James knew Xu Yong's stealing ability, and did not rush to get off the ball, but tried to divert Xu Yong's defensive attention with deceptive movements.

For example, he first looked behind Xu Yong, as if he was going to pass the ball to his teammates.

After finding out that Xu Yong was not taking the bait, he shook his shoulders from side to side again, trying to create a good opportunity to break through.

But as a result, Xu Yong not only didn't shake, but also got started directly!

Jordan asked Xu Yong to keep the ball away from the defender in the attack, which was not only for the technical action of turning and leaning back, but also a kind of offensive common sense.

James obviously doesn't have this common sense, and his ball keeps dangling in front of Xu Yong's eyes.

It's like a beautiful woman in a cheongsam twisting her hips in front of you, and you don't mean that it's not appropriate.

Xu Yong didn't wait for him to get off the ball and grabbed it directly.

His hand stabbed the ball, and James instantly lost control of the ball.

James instinctively went back to catch the ball, but he caught it but couldn't control it, and the ball flew straight out of the field from his palm.

The referee's whistle blows, signaling out of bounds, backcourt ball.

The United Center is completely boiling.

In two consecutive rounds, James was tackled in the face of Xu Yong once, and once he was forced to make a mistake without having a chance to dribble the ball!

Barkley in the commentary bench stretched out his hand to hide his face, and he had never seen a superstar play so badly.

Of course, the most desperate at this time was Spoelstra, who rubbed his hands on his face, and his expression really seemed to have collapsed.

Your 8-point release of military power was successful, and the result was this?

(End of chapter)