James was a little confused at this point.

Because he hadn't even recovered from the previous conflict, and then he was shot in the face by Xu Yong.

And the point is that Xu Yong is a rapid fire in a short period of time, and he doesn't give you a chance to react at all.

Of course, the point is, he really shot all in.

It's the same as science fiction.

But that's not to blame James, because with his scoring explosiveness, he can't do such a thing at all.

As for the fights he's been through, no opponent has ever done that in front of him.

Of course, this hasn't happened yet, in history, Kobe Bryant played against the Raptors in 2013, yes, it was the Raptors, Kobe's queen background board, and at the last moment, he scored three three-pointers in a row to drag the game into overtime, which became another classic moment in Kobe's career.

It's just that now Xu Yong has advanced that classic moment.

And you have to admit that the performance of the players is about confidence and belief.

If you have the ability and believe that you can do it, then it is a very high probability event that you can achieve it.

Of course, James was not the only one who was shocked at this time.

On the Heat's bench, Spoelstra also opened his mouth wide.

Although Xu Yong also performed well when he played last season, he did not have the ability to influence the situation.

Xu Yong's progress was so fast that he wondered if Xu Yong was training except for the game.

But that's obviously unrealistic, and the Heat's training intensity is also very high, so he knows very well that practicing like that kind of normal people will be scrapped sooner rather than later.

On the Bulls' bench, Anderson was also shocked.

He has not experienced back-to-back games between the Lakers and the Thunder before, and it is the first time he has seen Xu Yong's scoring explosiveness.

This gave birth to a very firm idea in his heart, that is, he must follow Xu Yongming.

Xu Yong's wave of scoring allowed the Bulls to establish a game advantage all of a sudden.

And in the time after the game, the Heat team was stunned that they had not been able to narrow the difference.

On the one hand, after Xu Yong scored those three three-pointers, the aura of the whole game was extremely strong, and he could always stand up to curb the momentum when the Heat wanted to chase points;

But on the other hand, the Heat always felt that the desire to win was obviously lacking after falling behind tonight, and the difference of more than a dozen points felt like a few tens.

The on-site photographer also understands the ball, and the camera cuts to Wade on the bench from time to time.

Although Wade's data has dived a lot this season, when it comes to the desire to win on the court, he is the highest in the Heat team.

……

In the end, the Bulls defeated the Heat 101-90 on the road.

The confidence of the Miami fans in the stadium suffered another blow tonight.

What was more difficult for them to accept than the result was the process.

Of course, this is also something that can't be helped, when your team boss avoids its edge and Tian Ji horse racing, your team wants to play with intensity, and it is very blue.

But on the bright side, when the playoffs come and Wade returns, the game may not be the same as it is now.

A very interesting thing is that according to the statistics after the game, Xu Yong had 34 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, the highest score in the game, and three three-pointers directly decided the game.

But James looked at it after the game, and he also had 28 points, 10 boards, 11 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

It's another game [the Heat lost to James] didn't lose.

It is still difficult to predict what the final outcome of this MVP battle will be.

After the match, Xu Yong and Ross followed Thibodeau to the press conference.

In the first game of his comeback, Rose also had 24 points and 7 assists, and his performance was also quite good.

"Derek, are you confused? When you're back and you're no longer the team's first choice? I mean, team tactics don't revolve around you anymore. Not long after the press conference began, a reporter from Miami asked Ross a question.

After losing this crucial battle, the local media was in a bad mood, which clearly showed that they wanted to make trouble.

The question he asked was also very provocative, especially the one added later, which was not even something that happened after Rose returned from injury this time.

And I can feel that there is some imbalance in his heart, after all, the Heat has been fighting for power for the past two seasons, why don't you Bulls?

You must know that Ross, as the youngest MVP, Xu Yong is coming from behind, and he should have played inextricably long ago.

"No, I'm not confused, we're a team, winning is our number one goal, and we're all doing what we're good at to help the team win." Ross's answer stands out with a crisp.

The Bulls won many games in the regular season last season by relying on Xu Yong's tackling at critical moments.

But because of the team's tactical system, his statistics are more beautiful in the end, and he is the one who won the MVP.

That's the MVP, the highest honor for a player.

Even if Xu Yong gets it, the title of the youngest MVP will be Xu Yong's.

Sophomore MVP, that would be an even more unprecedented achievement.

But in the end, even Xu Yong's fans felt unworthy for Xu Yong, but Xu Yong did not express any dissatisfaction.

On the contrary, in the playoffs, when his performance fluctuated, it was Xu Yong who took the initiative to make concessions to let him perform.

Even in the finals, it was Xu Yong who helped him get out of the predicament.

Even if he won FMVP, he was the first to mention.

He is black, not as serious as the Chinese take emotions, but he is first and foremost a person.

Who can be confused after all this?

Wade: We're different.

"Xu, let's talk about the conflict between Chris Anderson and LeBron? You were standing next to them. Seeing that he couldn't get the answer he wanted from Rose, the reporter pointed the finger at Xu Yong.

And unlike asking Rose, the reporter obviously knows Xu Yong's ability to deal with reporters, so this is a way to trick Xu Yong into jumping down.

Xu Yong smiled when he heard it, he saw the reporter's fox tail.

'I think it's irrational to try to impact an opponent when a player is blocked. He said slowly.

Xu Yong's answer instantly stunned the reporter, what he wanted to hear was Xu Yong's exculpatory words for Anderson, so that he could write a manuscript after the game to play on the topic, but Xu Yong directly criticized James for what operation?

"Luckily he's facing Chris, not James Johnson, otherwise I'm sure that punch would have hit the façade." Xu Yong saw the reporter's reaction, and then added.

The reporter's face was angry, although Xu Yong did not name him, but it was clear that he was talking about James, their new king in Miami.

"Of course, I'm just kidding." Fortunately, Xu Yong's next words eased the tension, and his face improved a lot.

It's just that what he never expected was that Xu Yong's next sentence reversed the poles and almost didn't let him die on the spot.

"If it's James Johnson, I'm sure he'll be very calm."

What is called anti-customer-oriented.

Xu Yong's response to reporters' questions can be described as a master.

And the key thing is that Xu Yong showed an attitude, he didn't mean to respect James at all.

"But the referee blew for a foul on Chris." The journalist emphasized.

Xu Yong smiled when he heard this, there was a huge controversy about this penalty, the kind that was going to be washed on social media after the game, but the reporter also mentioned it.

This is obviously another hole dug to get him to raise the penalty scale.

Xu Yong still didn't get out of the trap, not because he was worried about being fined, but because he knew that there would be no change if he mentioned it.

His answer was the same as before, you asked you, and I said what I wanted to say.

"If Chris gets an additional fine, I'll pay that fee for him." Xu Yong said lightly.

Now the reporter can't do it, and Xu Yong doesn't play it at all.

After the press conference, Xu Yong rested for a while, and then took Butler to the training gym to practice as usual.

But after practicing for a while, he saw someone enter the training hall.

It's Anderson.

Xu Yong did not communicate with Anderson, but practiced his own.

Because of tonight's game, he feels a little better about Anderson than before, but he still doesn't have a good feeling.

But what he didn't expect was that Anderson took the initiative to come over and help him pick up the ball.

This scene made Butler next door stunned for a moment.

This is an obvious indication of the initiative.

Someone picked up the ball, and the training speed could be accelerated, but Xu Yong didn't say anything.

Soon, halfway through the training, Xu Yong sat on the sidelines to rest, and after Anderson sat down, he took the initiative to help him open the mineral water bottle under the stool and hand it over.

It is worthy of playing in the CBA for many years, and this person is very sophisticated and well-learned.

He took the water bottle, took a sip, and said, "You don't have to do this, you have earned the fine for you." ”

Xu Yong: This is the standard right thing, not the right person.

I don't like the way your tattoo looks, but I'm sure you're doing it.

Of course, if Anderson is not happy and feels that his pride is hurt or something, he can also do nothing.

Anderson obviously didn't think so, he smiled and said: "You are the second Chinese player besides Hu to convince me." ”

"Hu Weidong?" Xu Yong asked rhetorically, and when he got Anderson's affirmative nod, he put down the water bottle and became interested.

As a person who has played in the CBA for many years in his previous life, he is still very interested in CBA celebrities, especially Hu Weidong.

Hu Weidong is the boss of the last men's basketball team, and if Yao Ming was not born, he would be the leader of the men's basketball team.

Seeing that Xu Yong was interested, Anderson immediately smiled and continued.

"You know that the CBA has a bad reputation in the United States, and we often say that whoever doesn't play well will be sent to China to play CBA, and I was also a little contemptuous at the time.

You know, I was very young, but I met Hu the first time I entered the gym. ”

Xu Yong was listening carefully.

"When I entered the stadium, I was shouting, is there anyone better than me in this stadium, and then Hu, I clearly remember that he was sitting in the middle line and resting, maybe he had just finished running or something, I thought at the time.

He called me over, he didn't even get up, and then he sat there and hit a three-pointer from beyond the arc. ”

Xu Yong couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

He didn't know if what Anderson was talking about was artistic, but he felt that it was most likely true, after all, Hu Weidong's nickname was Chinese Jordan.

Seeing Xu Yong laughing, Anderson also laughed.

Xu Yong also knew the purpose of Anderson's visit at this time, and he was just close to him.

"Come on and stay in the team, if there is such a fine in the back, I can give you a round." Xu Yong continued.

Anderson nodded vigorously when he heard this.

Xu Yong patted him on the shoulder, then got up to continue training, and Anderson joined in.

It was in this process that Xu Yong discovered that Anderson was also a very hard worker.

And that's to be expected.

After all, you're going to play from the CBA to the NBA, and you're still a rough guy at 21 years old, so it's impossible not to put in the effort.

Even from another point of view, Anderson is a very durable player, which is a good match for him and Butler.

Xu Yong's remarks at the press conference attracted a lot of heated discussions among fans on social media.

Paying fines for teammates is still a positive thing, after all, if the ticket is bigger, Anderson won't be able to pay for the little money he earns from working part-time with the Bulls.

Fortunately, however, the league did not impose an additional fine on the decision.

Although it is not a 100% thing to add a first-degree malicious fine, it is more because the penalty has caused huge controversy.

……

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is ten days later.

At this time, the season has come to the last half month.

It was at this time that the Bulls announced that they had signed Anderson until the end of the season.

In addition to his good performance against the Heat, Anderson's other highlight was the away game against the Knicks four days ago.

The Knicks are much weaker in strength because they didn't get Chandler as they did in history, but used Camby as the starting center.

But in the East, it's still a playoff contender and is playing a playoff spot battle with the Digital Guys and the Bucks.

And Cha Cha Rose was stopped in that game because of a sprained right ankle, so the two sides played a fierce game.

That is, in the fierce game, Anthony clashed when he was defending Xu Yong.

It's just that before Xu Yong could make a move, Anderson had already preemptively entangled with Anthony.

Humility is reserved for teammates, and Anderson is still the rebellious teenager when facing opponents.

Although the two sides did not end up with a serious brawl like the previous one, the league imposed an additional suspension and fine on Anderson this time.

During the ten-day contract, Anderson clashed with people twice in a row, and although there were reasons for both incidents, the league would consider aggravating the punishment from the warning side.

Generally speaking, the team will cater to the league, and this kind of player will basically lose his job.

But the Bulls themselves have not enjoyed any penalty benefits this season, and they have been targeted by the league, so naturally there is no reason to cater to them.

So after this wave of punishments, some reactions from the Bulls' side were:

First of all, the fine that he didn't help pay last time, this time Xu Yong paid it.

The second is that after Anderson's ten-day contract expired, the Bulls extended his contract until the end of the season.

Is there a problem with this?

No problem at all.

But it was clear that it didn't follow Stern's intentions.

However, in addition to not wanting to cater to him, the Bulls are indeed satisfied with Anderson.

Because since James Johnson was traded, they need to have such a "thug" character exist.

Although Artest is also a ruthless character, he is a starter after all, and Anderson is obviously more suitable in comparison.

Only then would the Bulls enter the playoffs with seven insiders.

This amount can already summon the Divine Dragon.

However, considering that O'Neal Jr. will not return until at least the second round of the playoffs, such a configuration is not an overflow.

And although there are only two small forwards on the Bulls' side, Artest and Battier, and the configuration is a bit thin, Xu Yong is an individual who can blame, and he often swings to the No. 3 position, so this is completely enough.

Anderson is also competitive, although he doesn't have much playing time, he does his best every second on the court, vigorously blocking, violently dunking, flying to save the ball, and his passion not only infects the fans at the United Center, but also his teammates on the Bulls.

It can be said that although he has not been in the team for a long time, he quickly became the team's "team pet".

And with the return of Rose and Yao Ming one after another, the Bulls also played a wave of eight consecutive wins to complete the season finale.

The 2011~2012 season, an atypical shrinking season, a wonderful season with frequent injuries but no shortage of highlights due to summer transactions, finally came to an end.

At this time, the playoff rankings, which the outside world is most concerned about, also have a final result after a fierce battle for positions.

In the West, the Lakers exerted their strength in the second half and finally overtook the Thunder and came to the top of the Western Conference.

Their record is fixed at 53-13.

In terms of statistics, Kobe Bryant played an MVP-level season, averaging 27.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, shooting a career-high 47.2% from the field and 35% from three-point range.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is Kobe's most beautiful season since the 2007~2008 MVP season.

The addition of Paul made Bryant play more easily and played the highest efficiency of his career.

Paul, on the other hand, also averaged 19.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, which is a significant improvement over the past two seasons.

The Lakers' trade for the summer was undoubtedly very successful.

The Thunder ended up in second place with a 51-15 record.

Although they couldn't retain the first spot in the end, the Thunder actually didn't perform much worse than the Lakers.

Durant, with the help of Gasol and Harden, played the most productive season of his career.

He averaged 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.6% from the field and 38.7% from three-point range.

Kobe Bryant and Durant, even without James and Xu Yong, these two are already fighting for MVP.

Harden also delivered 21.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals in his first starting season, shooting 49.1% from the field and 39% from three-point range, both career highs.

The Mavericks are in third place with a 45-21 record.

Nowitzki averaged 22.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, a slight drop from last season.

However, Leonard's performance surprised the Dallasian, who played in 64 games, 48 of which were starts, averaging 9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 49.3% from the field and 38% from three-point range.

With not much possession, this is already the performance of a top 3-and-D player.

And he's averaging less than one turnover per game, which is a great stat for a rookie.

While it's still a bit premature to say that Nowitzki was the most successful draft pick since then, he was definitely underrated in the 2011 draft.

The Spurs are in fourth place with 42 wins.

Although there is no Leonard, the existence of Duncan and GDP still keeps them ageless and competitive.

Grizzlies, Nuggets, Hornets, and Clippers are ranked 5~8.

In this way, the first round matchup on this side of the West:

The Lakers and Clippers' playoff city derby reappeared after many years, although the two teams have a difference in strength, but with Griffin, this series will be full of spectacle;

The encounter between the Thunder and the Hornets is also full of gimmicks, and Westbrook led the team to face his old club in the first season after being traded, which is difficult to say that it is not fate;

There shouldn't be much suspense about the outcome of the Mavericks and Nuggets, and fans are more looking forward to Leonard's performance in the playoffs.

The meeting between the Spurs and the Grizzlies is also very interesting, and it is worth paying attention to whether the Spurs, who were blacked out last season, can complete their revenge this season.

Then there's the eastern side.

The Bulls' record ended up being the same as the Lakers', both 53-13.

Yes, Xu Yong made good on his and Thibodeau's promise, and despite the frequent injuries suffered by the Bulls, he still took the team to the first place in the East.

No, it's not just the first place in the East, because of the relationship with the Lakers' win-loss game, the Bulls' final record is even the first in the league.

Xu Yong played in 66 games, averaging 28.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, shooting 48.8% from the field and 38.3% from three-point range.

Among them, his average points per game ranked first in the league, and incidentally interrupted Durant's scoring champion "three in a row".

In terms of data, Xu Yong has grown by leaps and bounds this year, and he has played the first 50+ in his career, with 40+ back-to-back.

All of this is directly tied to the Bulls' frequent injuries this season.

But it's not just injuries, as he's averaging a horrific 42.6 minutes per game this season.

This is the real Thibodeau, if you don't die, you will die.

In the last decade, there has only been one player who has played more minutes than that, Iverson.

In the 2001~2002 season and the 2005~2006 season, Iverson averaged 43.7 minutes and 43.1 minutes per game respectively.

Well, there is still room for improvement in Xu Yong's playing time.

Rose only played in 39 games due to injury, averaging 21 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, shooting 43.5% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range.

Yao Ming also played only 40 games due to injury, but his performance was basically the same as last season, averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 blocks per game, shooting 56.8% from the field.

The Heat are in second place with a 49-17 record.

One interesting thing is that after the third meeting between the Heat and the Bulls this season, the Heat's performance dropped significantly.

Of course, this has something to do with Wade's absence, and Wade's final appearance this season is only 49 games.

In terms of statistics, James averaged 27.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, shooting 53.1% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range.

If you only look at the data, James gives people the impression that there are only two: efficient and all-round.

So although the final record is a little weaker, James is still the favorite for MVP.

Of course, Wade was more miserable, although he was not elected MVP last year, but the final vote result was also ranked seventh.

This year, while his 49.7 percent shooting percentage is about the same as last season, his 22.1 points per game is the lowest since his rookie season, and his 4.8 rebounds are 1.6 fewer than last season, all of which came from the backcourt.

Even his 2.6 turnovers per game is the lowest since his rookie season, which is not to say that his turnovers control has suddenly improved, but that he has significantly reduced ball possession.

Bosh has also slipped to 18 points, and he's rebounded a little less than last season, and it's all backcourt.

In third place was the Pacers, who ended up with 40 wins.

Although David West didn't go to the Pacers, Boozer's style of play and ability are not much different.

The Celtics are fourth with 39 wins.

The performance of the Big Three this season fully proves the truth that [the hundred-legged insect dies but does not stiffen].

Rondo doesn't know if it's because he was used as a bargaining chip in the offseason, but this season he played the most beautiful statistics of his career, averaging 11.9 points, 11.7 assists and 2 steals per game.

On top of that, there's a big change for the Green Shirts, as Kwame Brown suffered an injury mid-season, and Rivers opted to play Garnett as the No. 5 and start alongside Brandon Buss.

This was originally a helpless move, but I didn't expect the effect to be surprisingly good.

You must know that Garnett's movement speed has declined since he got older, and his defensive coverage has also declined, and it is difficult to help defend from one side of the half court to the other side as before.

But playing the No. 5 position to assist in defense on both sides, the area of assistance defense is back.

And he can open up space on the offensive end, and the Celtics' positional play is obviously more layered than before.

Coupled with the growth of second-year guard Avery Bradley, the Celtics' combat effectiveness is significantly improved from last season.

It's just that these old guys are also difficult to avoid injuries in such a season, in addition to Kwame Brown who did not return until the end of the season, Ray Allen also played only 46 games due to injury.

Therefore, although the Celtics are ranked fourth, they are still the second team in the East after the Bulls and the Heat.

The teams from fifth to eighth are the Hawks, Magic, Digital People, and Knicks.

First round matchups on the Eastern side:

The Bulls vs. the Knicks, the two teams were rivals in the Jordan era, and the clash at the end of the season this season continued the feud, and the playoffs met each other, which can be regarded as a narrow road;

Heat VS Digital Man, the team play of Digital Man is limited by the low ceiling of talent, but they are still the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs that no one wants to encounter, and the Heat are the same as last year's Bulls, blessed;

The Pacers and the Magic should be the least suspenseful matchup in the East, because Howard still played with an injury after exercising the player option, and as a result, he directly reimbursed himself for the season, and the Pacers picked up a ready-made bargain.

There will be suspense in the matchup between the Celtics and the Hawks, although the overall strength of the Hawks is weaker than that of the Green Shirts, but the victory is young and impactful.

……

Confirmed the Eastern Conference first-round matchup against the Knicks without Chandler, which is a good result for the Bulls.

At least last year's experience as a comparison, it will definitely be a lot easier than playing a digital person.

However, there is one thing that is different in history, that is, Jeremy Lin checked his lower knee in advance after listening to Xu Yong's advice, and did some targeted measures and treatments, and did not reimburse the season as in history.

So this wave can be regarded as a mistake, and the change of direction makes the strength of the opponent in the first round a little stronger.

Of course, the Bulls are the first in the East, and playing the eighth in the East itself has a gap in strength, and this change will not affect too much.

But just before the playoffs began, the Bulls had another piece of bad news.

Rose has pain in his right leg and is expected to miss about three games, although there are no major problems with the examination. [Note 18]

Xu Yong's mentality was already very calm when he learned the news.

Speaking of which, Rose has had injuries even more frequently this season than Yao Ming, but that's the reality.

Good words are hard to persuade damned ghosts, and great compassion does not cross self-extermination.

But on the bright side, if he remembers correctly, Rose was seriously injured when he was on the court when he was leading by a large score against the digital man in the first round, and now he doesn't play the digital man in the first round, and he doesn't play in the first three games, maybe Rose won't be seriously injured.

And even if there is no Ross and Yao Ming can play, the overall strength of the Bulls is still very strong, and it is not a problem to play the Knicks.

But the Knicks, for their part, don't seem to think so.

When the news of Rose's injury broke, not only New York fans, but even Anthony, one of the protagonists of the last clash, was excited.

"The last two seasons have had the Black Eight Miracle, and this time it's our turn."

This assertive statement was of course questioned by reporters, and the Bulls are the defending champions after all.

'We're not in this position, Amare [Starmier], Marcus [Camby], including myself with injuries, but now we're all healthy, we're seriously underrated, we can beat the Bulls."

Anthony's self-confidence comes from the Knicks' lineup.

Jeremy Lin, Anthony, Starmeyer, Camby, as well as Byron Davis, J.R. Smith, Iman Shampert and many more.

On paper, the Knicks are the team that can finish in the top half of the East.

Anthony's remarks sparked heated discussions among fans on social media.

"Averaging 22.5 points per game, shooting a career-low 43.0 percent, yes, the poor form can be blamed on injuries, but after a bad season, Anthony is talking as if he's going to explode in the playoffs." From the review of "KBforever".

"Last season, Anthony shot an astonishing 37% from the field in the playoffs and led the team to be swept by the Heat gentlemen, and the Heat were finally swept by the Bulls, and now he says he can beat the Bulls, honey is confident!"

"I'd rather believe the Clippers Black Eight Lakers than think the Knicks have any chance, Xu defeated the Thunder without Rose and Yao, unless Xu is injured, I can't think of a second way for the Knicks to win."

……

This time the rhetoric on social media was almost one-sided.

In fact, Anthony's remarks are not only on social media, but also discussed by many players in reality.

Because last year, the number man who was considered to have a chance to black eight was finally swept cleanly by the Bulls.

The attitude of the players is not much different from that on social media, but there is one person whose remarks are very different from the mainstream voice.

That's right, it's Anthony's close friend, the second of the Banana Boat brothers.

That's right, it's the second, among the four brothers of Banana Boat, the eldest is Anthony with a gangster background.

The boss is questioned, and the second must stand up and stand up.

This is also in line with James's character.

"The fans are the spectator's point of view, only the words of the players are more real, I've played against the Knicks, they were a very difficult team when they were healthy, yes, the Bulls are the stronger team, but they don't have a full lineup, and I think the Knicks have a very good chance."

James' rhetoric could be described as extremely clever.

Because he didn't deny the strength of the Bulls, after all, the Heat was swept last season, and to deny the Bulls is to deny himself.

He's bringing a fresh perspective to the players and putting the Bulls on the ground up with an incomplete lineup.

This sounds very reasonable at first glance, but just like the championship won by James in history, it does not stand up to scrutiny.

Because he didn't talk about the actual performance of the Bulls' Rose's absence, nor the attitude of the other players, it was a poor information.

However, this wave is a double win for him, supporting the brothers to stand on the character, and allowing Anthony to desperately wear down the Bulls in the first round, still Smart.

The Bulls did not respond verbally to Anthony and James' remarks.

Because in response to words, they all lost.

However, Xu Yong's reaction to Anthony's arrogant attitude was very simple.

Before the playoffs officially began, he approached Thibodeau during a training session and made a request.

"I'm here to defend Anthony."

Since Anthony likes to scream so much, let's just prevent him from shutting up.

You must know that Stoudemire can still play at this time, Anthony is still a standard small forward figure, and Xu Yong does not suffer at all against him.

Naturally, Thibodeau had no reason to refuse such a request.

What? The team's offense still depends on Xu Yong?

Yao Ming can fight, but the old Cambiga's half-crippled Stoudemire is really not enough for Yao Ming to fight.

What's more, Xu Yong's physical fitness, what do you need to do when you play a team like the Knicks, I want all the offense and defense.

In fact, not only Xu Yong, but also the members of the Bulls are eager to try.

Because there is a high probability that the semifinals will play Celtic, it is likely to be a tough battle, so in the first round, the big guys are ready to play, and you can win one or two games, as long as it goes smoothly.

But since Anthony jumped like this, he didn't accept it, and he just beat him to death.

But just before the playoffs officially start, there was a small surprise on the Bulls' side.

The first awards for this season, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved and Coach of the Year will be announced before then.

Thibodeau was the best coach last year, so this year's one certainly didn't have a share with the Bulls, and it ended up going to Lakers head coach Mike Brown, who beat Heat head coach Spoelstra in the selection.

Spoelstra was not elected, in addition to the big three lineup is too eye-catching, the more important thing is the record.

The Lakers turned over the Thunder in the end, and Brown deserved the honor.

It is worth mentioning that this is the second time in Brown's career that he has won this honor.

Well, the last time was when I was coaching James in the 08~09 season.

The Sixth Man of the Year went to Louis Williams of Philadelphia.

And the Most Progressive Award, yes, was given to Xu Yong.

Xu Yong averaged 23.4 points per game last season, and this season he directly improved to 28.3 points, an increase of almost 5 points.

This is different from the kind of rookies or marginal players who are suddenly reused in the new season and have a large increase in weight, Xu Yong is the core in his own right, and then [Super Evolution] happens.

So although this award is generally not given to stars, Xu Yong really deserves it.

After this wave of small surprises, the curtain of this year's playoffs has also begun.

On the first game day, the Bulls and Celtics in the top half of the East, and the Lakers and Spurs in the top half of the West will all play.

And because of the time difference, the eastern side will be the first to start.

At the Chicago Union Center, the stadium was full of fans, and there were also crowds of fans outside the stadium.

Anthony may have instinctively overlooked a key point when he said this.

It's true that Anthony has a gangster background, but he forgets that Chicago is a gangster city.

When the gang boss in New York arrives in Chicago, the dragon has to lie on his stomach, and the tiger has to lie down.

So in this battle, if Anthony dares to do what he did in Madison before, then the Knicks bus will not be able to return to the hotel after the game.

During the pre-game warm-up, the live camera showed Anthony, and the United Center was also booed.

Obviously, Anthony will enjoy the SVIP treatment that belongs to Chicago fans tonight.

Anthony didn't care.

Since he said that, he had already expected such a scene.

From his point of view, he's boosted the morale of the team and it's worth it.

Of course, that's what he thinks, and judging by the pressure on the faces of the Knicks, it seems to be a little different from what he thought.

But don't care about such details, even James is in support of him, there is no reason why he can't win the game in front of him.

Before the opening ceremony, the award ceremony was held on the spot, and Xu Yong received his little surprise, the trophy of the Most Improved Award.

There is a legend about this award, that is, the [Most Progress Award] curse, which says that the person who wins this award will soon have a bad performance or even disappear from the league.

The last person to test this theory was Aaron Brooks.

Xu Yong naturally doesn't believe in this kind of thing at all, which is clearly survivor bias, and more of the Most Improved Awards have become All-Star level players.

Not to mention, LeFou last season is now the core of the Timberwolves.

Of course, he didn't pay much attention to this trophy, and after the award ceremony, he threw it to Butler at the end of the bench for safekeeping.

Then, by the way, he also set a small goal for Butler: to get one before the end of his rookie contract.

Butler was instantly motivated when he heard it, and he couldn't do it right now with a championship or something, but this can be had.

Immediately after that, it was time for the opening ceremony.

Away Knicks: Jeremy Lin, Landry Fields, Anthony, Stoudemire, Camby.

Then when it was time for the home team, the Bulls, the cheers created by the fans tonight directly shook the eardrums.

The Bulls' starters are showing up one after another.

Yao Ming, Hinrich, Gibson, Artest, and Xu Yong, who finally got up and let the cheers reach the peak.

(End of chapter)