The Bulls' opponent in the opener game was the Mavericks.

If you want to say that Stern will still arrange, such a tight shortened season, the games that should be there can still be in place for you.

This opener & Christmas battle directly let the fans pick up the book.

And last season's loss to the Mavericks, Nowitzki's flu was also a big reason.

Now that both sides are healthy, if there are any grievances, there will be another round of grudges.

Here is another small turning point in history.

Historically, Nowitzki basically belonged to the stage of "wishing to play in Buddhism" after winning the championship, and after winning the championship, he returned to China to participate in the European Championships, but he injured himself.

But now, after failing to win the championship, he has done more to recover and maintain training during this long period of downtime.

So at this time, Nowitzki's state is much better than the same period in history.

Chicago, Union Center is full.

Jordan was also at the Union Center tonight.

Because tonight, in addition to the competition, there is also a medal ceremony for the championship ring, and a flag-raising ceremony for the championship flag.

It was quite a monumental moment.

Jordan sat in the front row of the audience, and Xu Yong took the initiative to shake hands and hug Jordan after seeing it.

"Glory is yours too." Xu Yong said as he hugged Jordan.

This sentence is a pun, that is, Jordan is a Bulls celebrity, and it is also said that last season's champion has Jordan's credit.

Jordan laughed when he heard it, you kid just can talk.

Just after saying hello, Jordan suddenly noticed that there was a person looking at him not far behind Xu Yong.

He looked over, and then couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Why does this kid look so familiar?

If that small board size is taken care of, it is similar to the seven points that he rarely had when he was young.

After discovering this, Jordan thought about it for a moment.

Black Americans, sowing is a habit.

However, Jordan became famous early and did a good job in this regard, even if he went to have fun, the umbrella was also good.

But umbrellas can't be 100% safe, let alone someone with a heart.

Based on Butler's age, Jordan struggled to recall the places he had been to and who he had approached during that time.

But in the past 20 years ago, he was so busy every day that he had forgotten all about it.

So he finally withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at Butler.

It's just a coincidence that there are more people in the world who look alike.

Even if it wasn't a coincidence, there was no reason for him to recognize an illegitimate child to inherit the property.

Butler also withdrew his gaze.

In fact, he is not blind himself, and he knows that he looks a little similar to Jordan.

But he won't come to a wealthy family to confess his relatives like those Hong Kong and Taiwan dramas, because he has no feelings for his biological father, he can't talk about hatred, but he doesn't have any love.

A man who has not fulfilled any obligation to support him is not worthy of being his father at all.

What if he was really Jordan?

At this moment, the lights of the scene hit the center of the stage, where many white shiny championship rings were already placed.

Championship rings are different, but after the NBA became rich in recent years, its main part is dominated by diamonds, highlighting the word "trench".

This year's championship ring is no exception, according to media reports, Raunsdorf is willing to spend money this time, and the cost of a ring is as high as 200,000.

After Stern said some congratulatory words, the championship ceremony began.

The first to accept the ring was the management, and Foreman had a smile on his face when he got it.

Every championship in the NBA changes the fate of many people, and Foreman is one of them.

And the general manager is rarely mentioned, but at this moment, many people remember that Foreman is just a rookie in the position of general manager.

Xu Yong, who is not in the top three in the draft, has the guts to exchange Noah and Deng for Yao Ming, not to mention signing free agents, and daring to exchange James Johnson and Korver for Battier.

After the management received the ring, it was followed by the coaching staff.

When Thibodeon's bald head appeared on the big LED screen, there was a burst of whistles and cheers.

When you can't lead the team to success, people's appearance will become one of the targets of others' attacks.

But when you lead the team to success, this shiny brain, it looks quite cute.

Ma Long, who appeared next up, also enjoyed a lot of cheers, Thibodeau is not very good at offensive tactics, and Ma Long has contributed a lot in this regard.

As the so-called strategizing, the decisive victory on the field is for [Zhuge Ma Long].

When the coaching staff is over, then it's time for the players.

Xu Yong was the first to appear, and as the FMVP of the finals, this treatment is understandable.

Xu Yong walked to the center of the court and shook hands with Rausdorf.

Lawnsdorf also took the initiative to hug him, which caused a burst of cheers from the fans at the scene, and also made Jordan in the front row of the audience a little embarrassed.

Although he won two triple championships in the Bulls that year, the relationship with the management was very bad, especially during the second triple championship, it may be said that it is the same situation.

Some people will say that it was just between Klaus, the general manager, but in fact, the general manager is the executor of the boss's will, which is essentially a community of interests, so they were called "two Jerry" at that time.

But now, Xu Yong seems to be much better than he was at the beginning.

Xu Yong took the championship ring and walked back to the team amid the cheers of the audience.

It was during this process that he took a closer look at the ring, and then couldn't help but laugh.

Generally, the year of the championship is written on one side of the ring, and the other side is empty.

After all, these "words" are all inlaid with gemstones, and one more will cost a lot.

But on the other side of this ring, there is a big "7".

It can't be said that it is unintentional, it can only be said that it is intentional.

The number 7, James' high-profile remarks, as well as his speech at the award ceremony last season, are too sensitive and topical.

In the dark, there are indeed 7 meanings.

Butler tried to poke his head to see what the championship ring would look like.

It's too attractive for him as a newcomer.

When Xu Yong found out, he threw the ring directly to him.

If you want to see it, it looks good.

"Don't be envious, you have it next season." And he didn't forget to add a sentence.

The smell of the sea was too strong, but Butler nodded earnestly.

The championship ring still has to be obtained by yourself to make sense.

After the championship ring ceremony, the flag will be raised.

In the 2010~2011 championship, the United Center raised the championship flag again after 13 years, and the fans stood up collectively, and many old Chicago fans couldn't bear to cry.

Jordan was also a little emotionally fluctuating.

This arena is the place where he has experienced ups and downs, and it is also the place where he has gained glory, and it occupies too much space in his life.

Seeing this place achieve glory again, even if there were those unpleasant things, how could he not be touched.

By the time the 7th championship flag was raised to the top of the arena, the United Center was filled with cheers from the fans.

Xu Yong also raised his hand and clenched his fist.

From this moment on, they are the defending champions.

To be the defending champion would mean to be a true enemy of the league, and the challenges would be doubled.

And this journey is destined to be completely different from last season, and it is only once that you know why it is so difficult to defend the title.

The award ceremony was followed by a warm-up session, followed by an opening ceremony.

The Mavericks came on as the visiting team.

Just their starting lineup was a surprise.

Kidd, Carter, Leonard, Nowitzki, Chandler.

Carlisle actually put Marion on the bench and then let Leonard play the starting line-up directly!

Xu Yong also felt a burst of surprise, this Carlisle, or the Mavericks value Leonard so much?

Of course, Butler on the bench was also suddenly high-spirited.

His lifelong enemy has a much higher starting point than him, but he will definitely catch up.

After the Mavericks appeared, immediately after the Bulls, the classic "Sirius" was full of cheers from the audience.

As the defending champion, the momentum is really different.

Rose, Xu Yong, Artest, Gibson, Yao Ming.

Although the Bulls kept O'Neal Jr., out of protection for Yao Ming, they would let O'Neal Jr. play more of Yao Ming's bench, and then add the decisive moment.

So overall, O'Neal Jr.'s playing time has not decreased.

After the opening ceremony, the two sides started one after another.

The Mavericks can't wait, and the Bulls are eager to give it a try.

One side wants to prove himself again, while the other side clearly wants to have a perfect night of champions.

"Toot!"

As the referee's whistle blew, Yao Ming turned the ball back to the half, and the opening game, the Christmas game, officially began.

That is, the moment when the matchup on the field was formed, everyone knew the reason why Carlisle arranged for Leonard to start.

Because he went directly to Xu Yong on the defensive end.

It all seems reasonable, too, because Carter is also a swingman at the front, and unlike Stevenson last season, he can play against Artest.

And although Leonard suffers a little in height, his arm span is terrifying, and with those big hands, this is a top-level talent defensive monster.

Rose saw it and played with Yao Ming to block and dismantle, and after seeing Kidd go around the defense, he directly shot a three-point shot from the outside in an empty position.

"Huh!"

Hand up and knife down.

This is the opening show of the results of his training in the past season of hiatus.

Although he certainly can't practice Curry's three-point shooting, not to mention talent, his two-stage shooting can't reach the speed of a period.

But if he is allowed to vote for a vacant seat like this, he will now be punished.

This goal directly made the United Center boil.

Rose has a solid three-pointer?

Even if it's a three-point open point, the improvement brought to the Bulls is very huge!

Xu Yong also temporarily gave up the idea of asking for the ball at this time, and Rose asked him to play more when he was in shape.

You must know that the shrinking season has just begun, and it is also great to be able to lie down for a while in the foreseeable hard races that can be carried out.

However, the Mavericks really didn't get what he wanted, and in retrospect, Nowitzki held the ball and singled to attract Leonard, who received the ball and made a three-point shot, directly scoring the first goal of his NBA career.

This scene stunned Xu Yongdu.

He has the impression that Leonard has just entered the NBA and has no scoring ability?

Could it be that his impression is skewed?

In fact, his perception does have some skews, because Leonard was already a qualified 3-and-D player as a rookie.

Of course, that was under the cultivation of the Spurs system.

And now, Leonard is more on his own.

Leonard is already a qualified defensive player in the NCAA, but he hasn't been able to develop shots.

But he was far from being as wooden as he seemed, and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

So when he learned that Nowitzki was in Dallas in the offseason, he went out of his way to run over.

It's actually not too unique this offseason, like Butler and Xu Yong, Derrick Williams and Kobe.

The shutdown has deprived these rookies of their exposure to the NBA, but it has not limited their access to active players.

Although Leonard didn't see Nowitzki the first time because he didn't have contact, and he missed the second time, he finally met the Dallas legend when he went the third time.

Nowitzki was a little surprised by Leonard's arrival, but when he heard that the opponent was here to improve his shooting skills, he immediately smiled.

After all, at such a moment, who would turn down a rookie on the team who wants to improve?

However, he didn't know how to train shooting, so he asked his mentor Holger, and after asking for his permission, he took Leonard back to his secret training base in Germany.

So Leonard is another shooting machine that Holger built after Nowitzki.

Yes, although this guy has been trained in a different way, the expressionless look on his face after shooting is really like a machine.

And back on the defensive end, Leonard relied on his long arm span to help defend and complete the steal.

There is nothing wrong with Rose's passing, but Leonard's arm span is too terrifying, with a bare foot of 1.98 meters and an arm span of 2.21 meters, which is more explosive than Jordan.

Of course, what is more important is the big hands, you must know that a large part of the reason why Rondo steals is also his big hands.

Leonard made a steal and went on a fast break, although he was not fast, but he still relied on his physical fitness to squeeze Rose and score the ball.

The fans at the scene were stunned.

Where did this newcomer come from?

Because the shutdown was so long, they even forgot that the Mavericks had chosen such a person.

On the Bulls' bench, Butler couldn't help but shake his legs.

If he could, he would really want to play against Leonard right now.

At the same time, in the second row of the Mavericks' bench, Cuban, who was traveling with the team, waved his fists excitedly.

Sure enough, Foreman is very discerning, and choosing Leonard really made them choose a treasure.

Xu Yong happened to notice Kuban's gaze at this time.

Without too much hesitation, he reached the front high post and reached out for the ball directly with his back to Leonard.

Rose saw it and quickly gave the ball over, then motioned for the strong side to clear it.

The experience of last season's Finals, including what Seo Yong did, has caused a natural transition of power within the Bulls.

You are strong, you are constantly thinking about your teammates, if James can also do this, how can you be the boss of the Heat, why do you need so many twists and turns.

The scene suddenly resounded with the coaxing of fans.

Jordan couldn't help but smile and nodded, this wave of newcomers is not used to the approach of newcomers, and it is very his style.

Leonard's face still didn't change any emotion, but it could be seen from his tense body that he was nervous at the moment.

Playing as a starter in the first game of the league on a championship team is itself under pressure, not to mention directly facing a player of Xu Yong's level.

Xu Yong chose the basket singles for the first ball.

The start of the falling step, plus the breakthrough of the double change of direction.

Leonard wanted to make a steal, but he lost his defensive position after making a save, and was directly shaken clean, only to watch Xu Yong enter the interior and complete a two-handed dunk on the Mavericks' interior.

The scene instantly erupted in cheers from fans.

It has to be Xu Yong!

Xu Yong turned his head and glanced at Leonard after he landed, he didn't know that Leonard was so good at stealing?

But often a person is overconfident in what he is good at, and that backfires.

His wave can be regarded as a lesson for the rookie Leonard.

This wave was very morale-boosting, and Gibson actually struggled to defend Nowitzki's offense.

When he advanced to the frontcourt, Xu Yong continued to lean his back against Leonard and reached out for the ball.

There is such a thing as class, how can one class be enough, and how can one class be enough.

After I finished English, I had to take Japanese, Korean, and Russian.

You need to master different postures in order to learn different knowledge.

This time, Xu Yong directly chose to attack with the basket on his back after receiving the ball.

Leonard looked even more nervous at this moment, still recalling the round just now, reflecting on him and summing up his experience, but he didn't expect Xu Yong to change his position.

And there was no time to react to him at all, Xu Yong pouted his ass and gave him a direct impact.

He finally knew why Marion had to talk to him so much before the game, Xu Yong's confrontation was too hard.

Originally, he played as a power forward in the NCAA, and confrontation was his advantage, but against Xu Yong, he directly became a disadvantage.

And Xu Yong's back play is different from Kobe's, he is closer to Jordan's style of play, the road is simple, a fake turn plus a turn back to the free throw line.

However, Leonard's defense did have something, although the center of gravity was shifted in the first confrontation, but he still pounced forward as soon as possible, and his own long arm interfered with Xu Yong's shot.

Xu Yong was also a little surprised, but he wasn't too surprised.

Leonard has been called by some as "the best perimeter defender of all time", and while he is a bit overblown, his talent and his defensive awareness are really strong.

And these things are innate, otherwise how can people defend James in the third grade.

The basketball flew past Leonard's fingertips to the basket.

"Huh!"

Another hollow bag.

Xu Yong's lesson to Leonard is called "Psychological Quality".

Even if there is defensive interference, the shot is still stable and the ball can still be thrown.

Leonard's face finally fluctuated at this time, and he frowned, obviously a little frustrated.

You must know that those expressions on his opening face, in addition to the summer training, are also inseparable from the encouragement of the coaching staff and teammates.

This Mavericks team is a team that plays as a team, and the internal atmosphere is no worse than that of the Spurs next door.

It's just that his performance in these two rounds has clearly disappointed them.

"Don't worry too much, keep faith." Just then, Nowitzki came over and patted him on the shoulder.

After a summer of getting along, they have a relationship of mentor and friend.

Leonard nodded, Xu Yong is FMVP after all, and he is still playing the Mavericks, so he will never be prevented so easily.

The Mavericks also responded on the offensive end, scoring two points on a turnaround and driving layup by Carter.

Although "UFOs" are not flying much now, they have made a lot of progress in technology.

7 draws.

The two teams are really playing G6 in the finals that no longer exists.

Xu Yong continued to ask for the ball in the frontcourt because he found that the Mavericks had not been able to pinch him.

That should be Carlisle's strategy for this game, or Carlisle's unlimited trust in Leonard tonight.

Whether Leonard will live up to Carlisle's trust Xu Yong didn't know, but he knew he had to seize this one-on-one opportunity.

Xu Yong continued to hit Leonard with his back, but this time Leonard stuck very tightly, not giving him room to turn around and lean back.

This guy is a great learner.

Xu Yong directly chose to turn around and break through this time.

Leonard didn't make a steal easily after suffering a loss, but tried to keep up with Xu Yong's pace.

After breaking through to the three-second zone, Xu Yong hit the pivotal foot and turned around.

Leonard is obviously a little out of step with the rhythm this time, his strength is static, and when he moves, he seems to be a little lacking in energy to beat Xu Yong.

Although he tried hard to pounce on the interference, the result was a hand on Xu Yong's arm and the referee blew the hand.

"Bang!"

And what's worse is that Xu Yong used his core strength in the air after being beaten, and still completed the shot steadily, and the ball shot into the net bag after hitting the board.

This ball is still a 2+1!

I don't know if it's because I haven't played for too long this summer, or if tonight is the championship night of the medal ceremony, and Xu Yong is starting as hot as Tokyo.

Xu Yong went to the free throw line and added free throws, and he had scored 7 points in a row with a sudden shot.

Leonard clearly couldn't stop him.

The live camera showed Carlisle on the sidelines, and the on-site photographer seemed to be telling the head coach of the Mavericks in this way, you can't do it either.

Carlisle glanced at the large LED screen, retracted his gaze and did not make adjustments.

An experienced coach like him knows one thing very well: real gold.

Not to mention defense, if Leonard has the potential to limit Xu Yong, then the Mavericks will have a chance to win when they meet the Bulls again.

Otherwise, even if the Mavericks keep their current lineup and meet the Bulls in the Finals again, it will be nothing more than another defeat.

A regular season, even in the opener, is worth the cost of trial and error.

Carlisle didn't react, and Butler's eyes lit up on the Bulls bench.

His senior is really too fierce.

In fact, it was not that he didn't watch the finals when he was in Tampe, but this feeling of sitting on the sidelines and watching the game is completely different from that in front of TV.

The details of the game, as well as the various confrontations in the off-ball round, were not visible in the live footage.

If it weren't for the fact that it was in the opponent's half when he attacked, he would have liked to have his eyes nailed to Xu Yong's body and see how he beat Leonard.

"Smack!"

Then he didn't see the offense, he saw the defense.

Xu Yong saw the opportunity and directly stole Nowitzki's pass to the outside.

The details of this round are full, because Xu Yong used the dog's footwork to quickly bypass the screen, and then used the cover's vision to block and rush out to complete the steal.

It's full of dry goods.

Xu Yong quickly launched a fast break after completing the steal.

On the Mavericks' side, only Leonard, who was ready to catch the ball from beyond the three-point line, followed.

This time it's a one-on-one battle in the fast break.

Although Leonard didn't dare to make a steal, he gave the ball a lot of pressure.

Xu Yong did not change direction during the advancement, and did not slow down to pass his space.

However, Leonard could not stop Xu Yong's advance.

The two men quickly went from the backcourt three-point line to the frontcourt three-point line.

Xu Yong had a noticeable deceleration and acceleration process at this time, and although this did not allow him to get rid of Leonard, it allowed him to gain the speed of the jump.

After rushing to the free throw line, he hit the ground hard with his right foot and went straight into the air.

Leonard didn't expect Xu Yong's explosiveness to be so terrifying, you must know that he has been putting pressure on Xu Yongqiu.

But at this time, he had no other choice but to try his best to jump, and then go to block Xu Yong.

However, this choice can see his lack of experience, but if he has seen Xu Yong's experience of blocking James, or knows the past of Chandler being blocked in the finals, at this time, he will either bet on cutting the ball or get out of the way.

There can only be one consequence of such a choice.

"Bang!"

In the exclamation of the fans at the scene, Xu Yong directly rushed Leonard in the air, and then smashed the ball into the basket with one hand!

In terms of static talent, Leonard is good enough, but his dynamics are much worse than Xu Yong.

In this kind of climbing competition, it is impossible for Leonard to stop Xu Yong.

Leonard falls under the hoop and collides with the cameraman.

And what's even more cruel is that the referee's whistle also sounded.

Xu Yong, 2+1 on Leonard in a row!

The free courses are of average quality, and the really high-quality courses are all charged!

On the bench side, Butler was shocked.

He was still lamenting Leonard's high starting point before, and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for this lifelong enemy at this time.

Xu Yong, this is no longer fierce, it is a bit too brutal!

Thinking about it from another perspective, even if the person sitting under the basket at this time is himself, I am afraid that his self-confidence will be shaken.

After all, in the first game of the NBA, he was scored 9 points in a row by the opposing player, not to mention the trouser pockets he played, and he was so violently blocked.

Really, brutality is just two words, but it is enough to remember for a lifetime.

Carlisle then brought Marion on to replace Leonard.

Not only did Leonard already commit two fouls, but he also realized that he might have been in a bit of a hurry.

When Leonard came off the court, he deliberately reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

Leonard nodded, sat down and spread the towel on his knees, then fell into a stupor.

It was obvious that at this moment, his mind was frantically recalling these rounds of confrontation with Xu Yong in the past.

After a while, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Because he realized that he couldn't stop Xu Yong now.

……

104 to 89.

The Bulls ended up beating the Mavericks at home.

From the course of the game, it can be felt that the strength of the Mavericks has not declined much, but the strength of the Bulls has obviously improved.

It was definitely a good start to the Chicago fans to defend their title and the best Christmas present they could have received tonight.

In terms of post-game statistics, Xu Yong scored a team-high 31 points, plus 6 rebounds and 5 assists, Rose made 2 of 4 three-pointers, got 23 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists, Yao Ming also scored 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Butler did not get a chance to play.

On the Mavericks' side, Nowitzki scored 27 points and Terry had 17.

Leonard played 20 minutes in his career debut, finishing with six points, six rebounds, two steals and four fouls on 2-of-9 shooting.

His start can be said to be very successful, but after being knocked off the game by Xu Yong, his mentality was affected, and he struggled a little on the offensive end.

However, his ability on the defensive end is still very potential.

During the handshake at the end of the match, Xu Yong noticed that Leonard's mood had adjusted.

"Keep it up." After shaking hands with Leonard, Xu Yong also opened his mouth to encourage.

He's not Jordan, or he's more like Kobe Bryant in that regard, preferring encouragement to juniors.

After all, only strong opponents can have a good game, and only a good game will have more fans.

It is absolutely undesirable to blindly pursue only personal interests, even at the expense of making stinky dishes.

……

If the opening game was a confidence for Chicago fans to defend their title, then the next game will be more than just a matter of confidence.

After a day of rest, the Bulls scored two more games in back-to-back games against the Magic and Wizards, combining for a combined 58-point game.

There is nothing to say about playing the Wizards, the Bulls won by 23 points in the end, but against the Magic, they won by 35 points!

The Magic didn't do anything this offseason, as they strengthened their interior line, traded Buss for "Big Baby" Davis from the Celtics, and signed a backup center like Daniel Alton.

This point difference is simply powerless.

It's really one section behind, two sections collapsed, three sections of flowers, and four sections of garbage time.

The Magic couldn't stop the Bulls' backcourt double-shots, and Nelson and Jason Richardson, who was already old, were like ATMs in front of them.

Coupled with the fact that Howard was suppressed by Yao Ming on the inside, and there was a back injury this season, the Magic team lost worse than last season's playoffs.

Even Butler got a chance to play in this game, and then scored 12 points directly on 3-of-3 shooting, plus 6 free throws, which was a good performance.

It's just one thing, but the bigger thing is that the mood of this Magic team is completely different from when it reached the finals before.

It's the same as playing entertainment games, it's okay to pinch soft persimmons, but if you really can't beat it, then just order it.

Howard sat on the bench in the fourth quarter without that trademark innocent big boy smile on his face.

It is clear that even he has realised that his team has no hope of winning the title.

In fact, it was just after this game that Howard requested a trade from Magic management.

This directly made this special shrinking season have a lot of surprise at the beginning.

"The Bulls broke up another team and ...... just a week after the start of the season" comment from "KBforever."

"How do I remember last summer, when Howard said he was loyal to the team and would be the Magic team for the rest of his life?" From the review of "Brownie's Future King".

"What about Huo loyalty? I don't think he can even change Bynum now! Applying for a trade during the contract period, how can such a player be loyal! From the comment of "Heat's seven-game winning streak".

"Howard is a clown, he is the most watery center in the league, and he is powerless in front of Yao." From ". LeBron".

……

And at this time, on social media, Howard turned out to be the target of a collective attack by Jammy.

This is also something that can't be helped, who told you that the peak Warcraft eliminated Youzhan in the first place!

Now that Howard has been caught, it's not enough to bury you.

Although in fact, Howard's approach is already okay.

After all, he didn't slack off like Carter at the beginning, but fought with injuries.

And he has a contract option next season, which is equivalent to a one-year contract, which is much better than someone else's symbolic gift of a few draft picks, which seems to be bringing back assets for the parent team, but in fact to keep the bird rights.

Where Howard will go will also be a topic of discussion before he is traded.

Even Xu Yong was a little curious.

Because Howard went to the Lakers in history, but now that the Lakers are in that situation, Bynum for Howard may not be a good choice.

After all, the inner line of the twin towers, Bynum still has a hand-to-hand distance.

That is, with this somewhat comedian-like component, the season continues to move forward.

After back-to-back victories over the Raptors and Cavaliers, the Bulls started their first Western road trip of the season with a five-game winning streak.

Their first away opponent was the Hornets.

The Hornets started the game with 3 wins and 2 losses, which was quite good.

Westbrook, the team's star player, averaged 26.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2 steals per game.

Of course, even more exciting than the stats is his style of play, perhaps to prove that the Thunder have chosen the wrong person, and his game is full of aggression and the iconic full moon scimitar dunk.

There have even been rumors that the owner of the Saints, a local NFL team in New Orleans, is interested in buying the Hornets.

The butterfly effect is amplifying, but what can't be changed is the outcome of the game.

Although Westbrook still handed over 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, in the face of a strong team like the Bulls, the performance of 7 of 25 shots was not efficient.

The Bulls also won the Hornets, extending their winning streak to six.

Then they had their biggest challenge in the seventh race of the season.

Their opponent is the Thunder, who are now ranked No. 1 in the West.

As Xu Yong expected, a more reasonable lineup made the Thunder's performance ceiling very high, and Durant's play could go to the team to touch the high ceiling.

One thing to say here is that Durant's offensive and organizational ability with the ball at this time is still relatively weak, and he relies more on off-ball offense.

If I had to say a ratio, it would be about 30% with the ball and 70% without the ball.

So Harden and Gasol appeared in the starting lineup at the same time, which greatly improved Durant's offensive efficiency.

The Thunder's offense is definitely full.

Even the Bulls couldn't limit them well.

However, compared to the offense, their defensive problems are not small.

Although Harden didn't take Artest's elbow and didn't turn into a look defense, his slow lateral movement made it difficult for his defense to face both Rose and Seo.

And although Fisher had a confrontation, but Ross and Xu Yong burst out, he could only tease his trouser legs.

So in the first half, the two sides were fighting more to attack, and the final result was that the two sides were five or five.

Then in the second half, Brooks, the head coach of the Thunder, came online, and he made a very small but effective adjustment.

He removed Fisher, put Harden at the No. 1 spot, and promoted Sofrosa to the No. 2 spot.

Although Harden still can't be guarded by anyone, the Thunder team has Ibaka, a monster on the defensive end, so the Thunder's defensive quality has improved a lot in the second half.

Coincidentally, Thibodeau also played one big and four small in the second half, removing Gibson and putting Allen in the starting lineup, and the team's defensive strength has also been greatly improved.

Therefore, after watching the offensive battle between the two teams in the first half, fans watched the offensive and defensive battle at the finals level in the second half.

I have to say that the fans at the scene are really cool.

The two teams played until the final decisive moment.

But it was this decisive moment that let everyone see where the two teams really have a gap.

The ability to solve hard at critical moments, the Bulls are much better than the Thunder.

Harden was basically locked up by Xu Yong at the critical moment, and the two were too familiar, so Xu Yong took a look at Harden's weaknesses.

But on the other hand, Harden obviously can't do this, and no one on the Thunder side can do this.

Originally, Durant was the most core candidate as the leader of the team, but his current offensive ability with the ball is really not good.

So in the end, the Thunder could only rely on Gasol to hold the ball in the low post and play alone.

But after losing weight, Yao Ming won't let him succeed so easily.

So the game was fierce, but at the last moment, the Bulls went on an 11-2 wave and took the game away dramatically.

Xu Yong was the best player for the Bulls tonight, shooting 13-of-26 from the field, plus 14-of-15 from the free-throw line, to get his first 40+ of the season, 44 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

And more importantly, among the last 11 points that decided the outcome of the game, the last 7 points were won by Xu Yong alone.

Butler's eyes widened on the bench and he once again saw another kind of brutality of his seniors.

"Satan wants to collect the game, and it's useless when death comes."

The home commentators couldn't help but exclaim.

From the beginning of the season to the present, thanks to the summer training, Xu Yong's overall competitive state looks even better than during the finals.

As with the previous win over the Magic, there was a big ripple effect after this game.

In his post-game press conference, Durant said he needed to play more with the ball in the coming games, and he needed to make himself more well-rounded.

In the middle of the season, and it was also a shrinking season, it can be seen that Durant was not much stimulated in this game.

Or when history changes, he wants to be as powerful as Xu Yong than learning from LeBron Huddle.

And after the Bulls defeated the Thunder and got their seventh win of the season, it was like crossing a high mountain and suddenly moving forward.

By the end of January, the Bulls had started their 15-game winning streak and were the only team in the league to remain undefeated.

This figure also tied the Rockets' all-time best opening streak in the 1993~1994 season, when the latter won the NBA championship that season.

Kneel and beg for full booking, commuter pass support!!

(End of chapter)