After reading the news, Xu Yong, who put down his mobile phone and was about to sleep, suddenly heard his mobile phone vibrate again.

He glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall and saw that it was past 12 o'clock at night.

Who is this talent who called directly so late?

He frowned, and when he picked up his phone and saw the caller ID, his brow unconsciously relaxed.

His words were reasonable.

"Kevin, you called me so late, didn't you want to tell me that you were going to get married?" Xu Yong teased.

"No, no, Xu, remember the question I asked you earlier?"

"I don't have mind reading, and even if I did, I needed to be face-to-face." Xu Yong continued to complain.

There was a hearty laugh on the other end of the line.

After a while, Durant's voice continued to come from there: "I asked you, you taught me the technique, if I finally beat you, do you win yourself." ”

Is this it?

Hearing this, Xu Yong couldn't help but smile, just after the match was confirmed, Durant couldn't wait again.

"Kevin, good luck."

Before, he felt that he had been a little bit of a flag recently, but it seemed to be almost interesting in front of Durant, an old general on the stage.

With Durant's words, he feels that this year's championship is stable.

After the Bulls and Thunder confirmed their encounter in the Finals, the official and media began to spread the publicity.

23VS24 was never able to do so because 23 couldn't rush out of the East, but this year's 6VS35 came as scheduled, and it was at the peak of his career.

"It's going to be a showdown of the century, a Mars vs. Earth-style encounter."

Barkley used an exaggerated but realistic description in the latest episode of TNT.

Needless to say, Xu Yong is the first person in the league, leading the team to 72 wins, and if he wins the championship, he can already see Jordan.

Durant, as the MVP of last season, led the team to revenge the defending champion Mavericks this season, and then crossed the Warriors with 67 wins.

So this year's 6VS35, the fans' expectations are much greater than that of the 23VS24 of the year.

And both teams are already very mature teams, and there will not be a situation where one side is stronger than the other side as in the past few years.

This was also reflected in ESPN's pre-match survey.

In a survey of "who do you think will win the 2015 NBA championship," the Bulls received 58 percent of the vote and the Thunder received 42 percent, the closest in nearly five years.

Even 2KTV began to revitalize, using games to simulate the series matchups between the two teams, and after ten rounds of simulation, it turned out that the Thunder team had a higher winning rate.

There are all kinds of this, and the heat of the finals is extremely high before the game.

With one day to go until the start of the Finals, the Thunder arrived in Chicago to prepare for the G1 Finals.

The two sides staggered to the main arena for open practice against the media, with the Thunder in the morning and the Bulls in the afternoon.

In the afternoon training session, the sidelines were already crowded with reporters.

The Bulls showed that the whole team was still very relaxed, and at the end of practice, Hawes even quietly touched behind Adams with a basket on his back, and then Butler suddenly jumped out and completed a man-to-man dunk on top of Adams' head.

After finishing the training, Xu Yong was also surrounded by many reporters and media.

At the beginning, there were some common questions, mainly about what preparations the Thunder team had made, whether they were looking forward to playing against Durant, and so on.

However, in the middle of the interview, Xu Yong was stunned by a reporter's question.

"What do you think of KD saying you're more handsome than Jordan?"

Rao is the first time he has heard such a strange question after so many interviews, comparable to a reporter asking Durant "Why are you called KD".

Fortunately, at this time, another reporter opened his mouth to explain what happened.

It turned out to be the Thunder interview session in the morning, and when a reporter asked the question "The SuperSonics failed to defend Michael in the 1996 playoffs, how are you going to defend Xu, who is as strong as Michael", Durant used an interrupted expression, and then gave this answer: "Where is Michael?" I don't think he's better than Michael in any place other than handsome. ”

After listening to the reporter's story, Xu Yong couldn't help laughing.

He didn't know how to evaluate Durant's answer for a while, because affirmation means admitting that he is not as good as Jordan, and denying it is equivalent to denying his appearance.

That night, Xu Yong and Harden had a small gathering in a café.

"After tonight, we're going to fight to the death on the field." There was a lot of emotion in Harden's words, they used to play together with the Devils and then win the championship together, but now they are rivals, and one of them is destined to go home empty-handed this year.

"James, if you want to experience Chicago nightclubs, I can help you." Xu Yong said with a smile, he is practicing his thoughts.

Harden was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Regardless of the outcome, I think it's going to be a final that we'll both remember." Xu Yong, who put away the joke, said seriously.

Harden nodded earnestly, and this year they will give fans an unforgettable matchup.

The next night, the United Center was crowded inside and outside, and the major media broadcasts were already in place in the arena, according to the league's official data, before the start of the game, this year's Finals ratings had hit a season high.

According to this momentum, by the time the competition officially begins, this year's ratings will be on record breaking pace.

During the warm-up before the game, the scene frequently gave shots to the players of both sides.

The slit-cut shots of Xu Yong and Durant drew cheers from the audience.

Accolades aside, just individual ability, Durant is now undoubtedly the second man in the league.

In the Jordan era, this year's Finals would be the equivalent of a matchup between Jordan and Olajuwon, which never came.

That's probably why Barkley said that this year's Finals is the matchup of the century.

And when the camera swept from the audience, a familiar figure appeared on the big LED screen, former league president David Stern.

The scene resounded with bursts of cheers, the predecessors planted trees and the later people enjoyed the shade, and the duel between Xu Yong and Durant can have such high attention today, which is indispensable to Stern's original operation, and the topic of "ten-year showdown" has just reached its fifth year.

After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony, and when Xu Yong finally appeared on the stage, the familiar entrance DJ introduction brought the emotions of the scene to a climax.

6-time All-Star Voting King, 3 Scoring Champions, 3 MVPs, 2 FMVPs, 2 AMVPs, 2 Championships, as a non-Nike player, was compared to Jordan in the sixth year of his career, and the only reason was that the honor was excellent.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were released one after another.

Thunder: Reggie Jackson, Harden, Durant, Ibaka, Gasol;

Bulls: Rose, Butler, Xu Yong, West, Adams.

Amid the cheers of the Chicago fans, Adams turned the ball back into the Bulls half to officially kick off the game.

The ratings of the game also set a new record at this moment.

When he arrived in the front court, he found that it was Durant who defended himself, and Xu Yong asked for the ball directly after the high position.

Jackson came over to help defend as soon as possible, and Xu Yong's choice was similar to when he played the Pacers, passing the ball in the direction of Rose at the top of the circle, forcing Jackson to stop and then grab the ball with one hand and turn to attack.

The difference is that when he turned, he first gave Durant a strong confrontation, and then jumped back to shoot.

Durant's talent is much higher than Anthony's, and the interference effect of the real pounce is great, but after eating this hard confrontation, the interference effect of his backward jump is limited.

"Huh!"

Xu Yong took the lead for the Bulls.

Looking back, Harden organized, passed to Gasol, Gasol attracted the assistant defense and then passed Jackson to cut into the layup and score, and the Thunder offense played smoothly.

Xu Yong arrived in the front court to continue to ask for positions.

The Thunder originally formed a team according to the Bulls' team model, and now they play similarly to the Bulls, except that they didn't focus on Durant at the beginning tonight.

Combined with Durant's defense of himself, it is easy to judge that Brooks is not really trying to pinch him, but to use Durant to defend himself.

The advantage of single defense is that it will not affect the team's defense, and with Durant's physical condition, he has the potential to defend alone.

Although this is a bit abnormal, after all, in normal games, Brooks is trying to hide Durant and reduce Durant's physical exertion.

But this is also in his arms, allowing Durant to consume on the defensive end, which is about equivalent to limiting Durant.

"Xu, I'm serious, you can't compare to Michael except for your appearance." It was at this point that Durant began to output trash talk.

Xu Yong turned around and broke through after hitting back, and then turned back and hit the back.

If it weren't for the pre-game interview, Durant's trash talk would have really disturbed him, but now he is mentally prepared and can be immune.

After hitting the basket, he smiled and said to Durant, "Trash talk doesn't help you stop me." ”

Xu Yong waited for Durant to break the defense, which was still much worse than Trash Talk Durant, but what he didn't expect was that Durant was just smiling.

It seems that the losses over the years have made this guy's psychological tolerance a lot greater.

The game continued and the situation on both sides was scorching.

Durant's defense against Xu Yong is not good, because over the years, the offensive end has taken on more and more, and his defensive ability has degraded.

However, Harden sorted out well on the offensive end, and the Bulls did not prevent the Thunder's team offense.

By the 9th minute of the quarter, the two sides entered the rotation, and the score on the court was 22 draws.

Xu Yong scored 14 points in a single quarter, and was also substituted at this time for the break.

Then the rest of the first quarter was almost over, and the score on the court became 24-30, with the Thunder leading.

Xu Yong sensed that something was not quite right.

At this moment, Malone sat down next to him and chatted with him about the situation of the game.

The main reason why the Bulls' record this season is so much better than last season is not Rose's comeback, but Butler's dominance, which allows Xu Yong to play a lot of easy balls instead of playing offensive shots like he has done in the past two seasons, which greatly improves the team's offensive efficiency and gives people a feeling of being unguardable.

But Brooks is using Durant as bait to lure Xu Yong to play alone, although Xu Yong's singles are very efficient, but the biggest problem is that his teammates watch him play with this style of play, and he does not participate in the offense, and his state is very affected.

It wasn't obvious when Xu Yong was there, but it was reflected after the game.

This is also why those super giant standing stick singles competitions obviously look very efficient and score a lot, but in the end they still can't win the game.

Xu Yong reacted after listening to Ma Long's analysis.

So Brooks' uncharacteristically defensive strategy, Durant's response to his trash talk, and maybe even calling him in the middle of the night to mention the past, can all be explained.

It's so dirty.

He thought Brooks was a chicken soup coach, but he didn't expect it to be so insidious.

It seems that after the Thunder's consecutive losses over the years, it is not only the players who have changed.

"We don't need to adjust our game strategy." However, Ma Long's final summary surprised him a little.

"If we can get into the fourth quarter and have a stalemate, then we can make a decisive wave in the final moments."

Brooks's trap is very clever, but the biggest problem is that Durant as a decoy is a bit costly, if Xu Yong continues to consume Durant's physical energy on the offensive end, in the fourth quarter, Durant will also be difficult to play on the offensive end.

Or it can be understood that Brooks chose this way because he felt that he couldn't fight the Bulls on offense, and used Durant to exchange the state of the rest of the Bulls, so as to gain an advantage in the third quarter and then win the game.

Therefore, the key to the game in the fourth quarter depends on the situation in the first three quarters.

Xu Yong nodded, Brooks' approach is actually a bit similar to the [Anti-Jordan Rule].

The best way to break the game is for him to blow up the opponent, that is, Durant.

In other words, now that you have fallen into this trap, it is better to choose to dismantle the trap than to spend the whole night climbing there.

When Xu Yong reappeared in the second quarter, the Bulls trailed by 6 points.

The Bulls didn't let the Thunder continue to widen the margin as Butler and Rose held the deficit through defense in the second quarter.

Xu Yong reappeared, and Durant also followed on the court.

Xu Yong continued to play alone after coming on the court, and after giving Durant a strong confrontation, he turned and shook him off to the basket to make Gasol's defensive foul.

Since you want to dismantle the trap, you have to use violent means.

Xu Yong hit both free throws steadily, and compared to Durant, his physical advantage is huge.

After the Thunder continued to score, he played more and more violently, and this time he turned around and completed a man-smashing dunk directly above Gasol's head.

After the goal, he made a "listen" action, and the United Center was in a boil, and a neat defensive cry began to sound.

With the deafening shouts, the defensive intensity of the Bulls is improving, and after successfully preventing a wave of attacks from the Thunder, Xu Yong continued to attack, this time he turned around and chose to shake Durant directly, and the jumper continued to score.

"I think what KD said is wrong, in addition to his appearance, Xu's scoring ability is also as strong as Michael's."

This wave of consecutive chasing points made Barkley in the commentary seat exclaim.

At halftime, the Bulls had taken the lead 58-52.

Xu Yong scored 20 points in the second quarter and 34 points at halftime.

"Scott [Brooks] has to realize that no one can guard against Xu one-on-one." At half-time, Barkley continued.

Coming back from halftime, because of what Barkley said before halftime, fans are paying attention to whether the Thunder will adjust their strategy in the second half.

However, no, Brooks seems to have become a bull, still resolutely using Durant to defend Xu Yong.

In this quarter, Xu Yong's hand felt a little lower, but he still scored 13 points in a single quarter, and the score at the end of the third quarter had reached 47 points.

The Bulls, on the other hand, still lead the Thunder by 6 points at 84-78.

"Tonight is Xu Xin's career night in the finals." Barkley continued to exclaim from the commentary box.

Xu Yong's highest score before the Finals was 51 points, which was scored in G6 against the Lakers in the 2012 Finals, and it will be broken tonight anyway.

"Scott Brooks, it's Sam Mitchell possessed, and they all forgot that they can adjust their defensive strategy during the game." O'Neal also echoed on the side, when Kobe Bryant scored 81 points that year, the Raptors also defended him alone.

In the fourth quarter, Reggie Jackson was in excellent shape, and the Thunder quickly caught up with the score.

Seven games against the Warriors were a lot of drain, but they were in great shape.

The Bulls sent Xu Yong in advance.

But it was also at this moment that the Thunder made defensive adjustments.

They began to resolutely let go of the Bulls' outside points, and then doubles, or even threes, pinched Xu Yong.

This sudden adjustment of defense caught many people on the Bulls off guard, and although Xu Yong's shot was fast, Rose, West, and even Butler missed outside shots one after another.

And when Xu Yong adjusted his playing style and played without the ball, the Thunder team also made a crazy no-ball double pinch attack on him to restrict him from receiving the ball.

In the case that his teammates can't shoot, although Xu Yong can force a break through the basket to make a kill, the Thunder team is getting smaller and smaller, and it is becoming more and more difficult for him to score.

The Thunder began to gradually grasp the situation on the court.

Obviously, Brooks went to two extremes, first the [anti-Jordan rule] and then the [Jordan rule], and the Thunder executed it very well.

In the end, with the expressions of Shy Barkley and O'Neal covering their mouths, the Thunder defeated the Bulls 103-98 and won G1.

After the game, the Thunder players were celebrating wildly, and most of the Bulls were a little lost because they didn't even remember how the game was lost.

"Xu, don't go to the press conference today." After the handshake, Thibodeau came over to find Xu Yong.

"Tom, you know I have to go." As frustrating as it was to lose, Xu Yong knew he couldn't miss a time like this.

However, before going to the press conference, Xu Yong explained a few words to Butler.

At the press conference, all the reporters below, the 72-win Bulls lost the first game, which is big news.

"You scored 58 points, breaking Jordan's personal 55 points in a single game for the Bulls Finals, and only three points short of Elgin Baylor's 61 points, this is your new Finals career night, how do you feel right now?" The question was asked by a reporter from FOX.

"We lost the game and what you said means nothing in the face of the loss." Xu Yong replied calmly.

"You scored 58 points, but your teammates combined for 40 points, do you think it was your teammates who didn't play well to lose this game?" The reporter continued to ask questions.

Thibodeau did not let Xu Yonglai because of consideration, and every question was very acute for Xu Yong.

"Our opponents showed tonight why they are here and they are a mature and very strong team."

Xu Yong did not choose to answer this question head-on, because tonight's performance was more of a strategic contest and had nothing to do with play, but he could not show weakness in front of the media.

"Do you think the Bulls have a chance in the next games?"

"Of course, the road to success is never easy, and we showed against the Pacers that we have what it takes to solve problems, and it's the same here."

After finishing the press conference, Xu Yong returned to the locker room.

Until then, Butler had asked his players to stay in the locker room.

After Xu Yong entered, Butler closed the door to the locker room.

Most of the players were nervous at this time, their performance in the last quarter of tonight was really poor, many empty seats were not grasped, not to mention others, they themselves found it difficult to accept.

The last time Xu Yong was angry, the scene is still vivid, and today it seems that it is inevitable.

But after waiting for a while, the imaginary anger did not come, and they looked up to find Xu Yong sitting in their place.

'I have to apologise to everybody that it was me who played too many singles tonight and caused the team to lose and that won't happen again.

Unlike the attitude of the press conference in front of reporters, Xu Yong, who returned to the locker room for a small meeting, took the initiative to take responsibility.

In fact, the person who is most responsible tonight is Ma Long, because after discovering Brooks' strategy, Ma Long decided to ask Xu Yong to stick to the style of play, and Xu Yong did achieve a stalemate in the third quarter, but Brooks' tactical adjustments in the fourth quarter exceeded Ma Long's prediction.

Telling teammates that this is Ma Long's fault, and everyone doesn't have to take it to heart, this is obviously inappropriate.

He didn't do this to help Ma Long, because after Ma Long made a decision, he didn't object.

Essentially, Malone is just an assistant coach, and he can not listen, so he is also responsible.

The team members were all surprised at this time.

"Xu, it's not your fault." Ross spoke.

"Boss, we didn't do a good job." The rest of the team chimed in.

The team boss scored 58 points in the finals and still lost, and then you blame the team boss, which really doesn't make sense.

However, what can be felt is that with Xu Yong's words, the mentality of the players has relaxed, they were afraid that Xu Yong would have a training session like last time, but now, they only feel ashamed and want to prove themselves again.

"There's not much point in talking about who's at fault right now, and the conclusion we can draw tonight is that we're playing against a team that's as strong as us, and you can't win the game alone, you can only win by playing team basketball." Sensing the change in the mentality of his teammates, Xu Yong continued.

Everyone else nodded their heads.

Xu Yong's words are just right, the strategy is to be adjusted, and the state is the same, not that Xu Yong does not play alone at the beginning, and the Bulls can easily crush the Thunder, mentality and state are the key factors that affect the performance.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Anderson glanced at Xu Yong, got up and went to open the door after seeing Xu Yong nod.

At the door is Marlon.

Seeing that everyone was there, he just wanted to speak, but Xu Yong had already gotten up and hooked up on his shoulders and walked out of the locker room with a smile.

"What do you do?" Malone wanted to break free because he was ready to apologize to the team.

"Mike, I've got the morale thing done, tonight's game is over, we should discuss the next game." Xu Yong said with a smile.

Ma Long was stunned, although Xu Yong didn't say it, he knew that Xu Yong had already helped him take the responsibility off.

"Thank you." Ma Long, who stood up, thanked Xu Yong in a very sincere tone.

Tonight's events are not big, but they are not small, he has overstepped his authority as a teaching assistant, and if this is exposed, it will be easy to be fired.

The core of the Bulls' coaching staff is Thibodeau, who is the No. 1 assistant coach, but not to the point of irreplaceability.

Xu Yong waved his hand and pulled him directly to the office.

Zhuge Malone is just a joke, although Malone is very good at tactics, but he is only 43 years old now, and he is a young coach who is still far from the level of [Lakers' father].

But the combination of Malone and Thibodeau has been verified to be complementary, and if Malone really leaves, it will be really difficult for you to find someone to fill that hole.

Especially over the years, Malone's fame has grown with the rise of the Bulls, and many teams are poaching him.

Of course, Xu Yong actually has a little selfishness in doing this.

Jokic should be in the NBA next season, and Jokic has grown up under the coaching of Malone.

Keeping Malone is a good thing for Jokic, and it's naturally a good thing for the Bulls.

"Brooks' strategy is actually not new." After sitting down in the office, Malone also began to analyze the Thunder's strategy.

Xu Yong is listening carefully, Ma Long is just inexperienced, and his tactical level is not questioned.

"That's what the Pistons were doing against Michael."

"Didn't the Pistons always use [Jordan's Rule]?" Xu Yong questioned, after all, he is only a player, even if he has done commentary, it is impossible to understand the events of the last century, especially tactics, so deeply.

"No, they only used it in the fourth quarter, and in the first three quarters they had Dennis (Rodman) and Joe (Thomas) rotate to both consume Michael and isolate the rest of the Bulls and make them out of shape, but in the fourth quarter they suddenly adjust their strategy.

Michael's personality you know, he just wants to break through that kind of attack and lead the team to win, but he fell in front of the Pistons again and again, and it wasn't until '91 that he completely realized that he couldn't do it alone, and he made a settlement with himself and began to let his teammates take on more.

In the past, he needed to score 37 or even 47 points to win the game, but then he scored even 27 points and the Bulls swept the Pistons.

Of course, he also developed the ability to attack in the low post, and this unconventional triangle offensive play made the Pistons unable to adapt, because no one could limit Michael in the low post, and he could crush players in the same position after gaining weight, and he could also play anyone in the wrong position. ”

After listening to Ma Long's analysis, Xu Yong has a more accurate understanding of that period of history.

And as soon as Malone said this, Brooks's strategy was really not clever, but more about hitting them by surprise.

It's a bit unrealistic for him to have Jordan's low-post singles all of a sudden, but it's easy to crack this tactic.

Ignore Brooks's trap, the original Bulls defeated the Pistons by team, and the current Bulls did not rely on him alone to win 72 wins.

So it makes sense to go back and see what he said in the dressing room now, because that's the best way to help the rest of the players adjust their mentality.

Here, Xu Yong and Ma Long are chatting about tactics, and the media over there has begun to build up momentum.

"Durant will surpass Nowitzki, and once he beats the Bulls, who have won 72 wins, this title will be the most valuable championship in history."

This is Stephen S. A. Smith's description in the latest podcast shows that there are three steps to becoming a god, and the third step is also the most solid one.

"History will not repeat, the Thunder will usher in a turning point in team history"

ESPN also used such a headline to cover this game, and the content of it is analyzing the difference between this Thunder team and the SuperSonics team, the biggest of which is the existence of Durant.

"KD understands what it means to be an individual and a team, and that makes him sacrifice and puts the Bulls struggling."

Even the NBA official used the most ink on Durant when describing the game.

These are all normal, because with James no longer renewing his contract with Nike, those things that belong to James are naturally transferred to Durant.

Especially after Durant unexpectedly led his team to a victory over the Bulls, he had already settled on the new Nike No. 1 brand.

This kind of reporting continued during the two off-days of G1 and G2.

Of course, in addition to these, the outside world is also watching the situation of the Bulls.

The Bulls did not practice behind closed doors as they did in the Eastern Conference finals, but continued to practice openly with the public.

The reporters were then surprised to find that the Bulls seemed to be completely unaffected by G1 and instead looked motivated.

To paraphrase an ESPN reporter's description: "The Bulls' full-court confrontation was like a regular game, with muscle collisions and shouts resounding through the arena. ”

Training doesn't show the strength of the team, but training can show the morale and mentality of a team.

There is no doubt that such reports and conditions have given Bulls fans a shot in the arm.

Two nights later, it was still at the United Center, still full, and the Bulls and Thunder were about to face off in G2.

After the appearance ceremony, during the pause between the plays, Xu Yong raised his fist in front of him and said to everyone: "Defend our home field." ”

"Bulls, come on!"

The players folded their hands and shouted in unison before turning to the field.

Tonight, they didn't need Barkley to say that the fans could feel it, they really held back for two days, wanting to tear the opponent apart at any time.

"Thunder! Come on! ”

At the same time, the Thunder on the other side also shouted the team slogan under the leadership of Durant.

It can also be seen from their faces that the overwhelming coverage of the past two days has not caused them to have too many ups and downs in their mentality, and after four years of dormancy, they are also ready to win the championship.

Players from both sides came on the pitch one after another, looked at each other, and with the sideline whistle, Gasol turned the ball back to half court, and the curtain of G2 officially opened.

Harden continued to organize in the opening game, but the Thunder's opening offense was significantly less smooth than that of G1.

It's not that the Thunder's coordination or form is wrong, it's that the Bulls have significantly increased their defensive intensity.

Butler's tight defense against Harden, Rose's off-ball play with Jackson, and even Adams rooting Gasol on the bottom of his feet......

On the basketball court, the Bulls have proven in their previous games against the Pacers that they can defend like a bucket.

The Thunder's offensive wave ultimately failed to score, and Adams got a defensive rebound firmly protected by Gasol.

However, the Thunder's defense is fast, and they fully learn from the experience of the Pacers' elimination and do not fight with the Bulls to defend and counterattack.

After the Bulls advanced to the front court and fell into the position, Xu Yong did not continue to play singles in a high position, but played a no-ball tactic.

The Thunder's defensive strategy was still the same as on the court, but the result was that after Xu Yong shook off Durant after receiving a pass from Butler, he dribbled and hit a pull-up jumper.

It was still Xu Yong who opened the game to take the lead for the Bulls, but the difference was that his scoring was significantly easier.

"If you don't talk trash, you can't stop me."

And Xu Yong made the first move after scoring, and took the lead in spewing trash talk at Durant.

Durant was so angry that his teeth itched, but he couldn't think of Brooks' request.

Then looking back, the Thunder still failed to score, Harden went to the basket and tried to make a foul, but Adams didn't jump, and Harden's sideways shot was directly pinned to the rebound by Xu Yong, who assisted in the defense.

After two rounds, the adjustment of the Bulls coaching staff from the defensive end has become more and more obvious.

Because in addition to the problems with their own offense, the Bulls lost the last game, and there was also a big reason that they failed to prevent the Thunder's offense when Durant didn't play much.

But now, the Bulls are giving more defensive intensity, and the cards are telling the Thunder one thing: If Durant doesn't attack, you can't score.

And as long as the Thunder let Durant attack, Brooks' tactics will naturally be self-defeating.

And turning back Butler continued to organize, Xu Yong received the ball and faked the up and down steps to get rid of Durant again, attracting Gasol to help defend, and assisting Adams to score with both hands under the basket.

Xu Yong smiled and spread his hands to Durant.

He also continued to put pressure on the offensive end, and although the Bulls' style of play has changed, what hasn't changed is that Durant still can't limit him one-on-one.

Brooks couldn't sit still, and the gesture of reaching out and scratching his head showed that he was a little anxious at the moment.

So far, it is not as simple as saying that the Bulls are no longer in his trap, but that the initiative on both offensive and defensive ends has been grasped by the Bulls.

At the critical moment, Durant stepped up, and he received a pass from Harden and hit a pull-up jumper against West to help the Thunder break the scoring drought.

Back on the defensive end, under his command, Jackson also began to really flank the ball.

Xu Yong was decisive with the ball, Rose received the ball and quickly cut to the basket, attracted Ibaka's help defense and distributed the ball to West's 17-foot jumper.

Instead of scratching his head any longer, Brooks got up and called a timeout.

He didn't make a choice, but the Bulls have forced the Thunder to make a choice on the court.

And after two consecutive rounds, Xu Yong has obviously adjusted his style of play, no longer pursuing the consumption of Durant's physical energy, but using the advantage of the position to mobilize the defense, and then drive his teammates to attack, and even, he is still using various ways to induce Durant to attack.

He had to readjust his tactics.

And this is less than five minutes before the opening.

Xu Yong high-fived his teammates one by one when he got off the field, and even deliberately found Ma Long to slap him.

The game is back to their familiar rhythm.

After the timeout, Brooks made his adjustment, replacing Jackson with Robertson, letting Robertson take the lead defense, and then the others helped to limit Xu Yong.

There is nothing wrong with this adjustment, and it can even be said that it is quite level.

It's just that when the live camera was given to Brooks, his frowning brow did not stretch.

Because he is a passive choice, and his choice actually means returning to the offensive link with the Bulls that he doesn't want to do.

The final result of the game also confirmed his judgment, and after four quarters of fierce battle, the Bulls defeated the Thunder 118-108.

Xu Yong didn't score much tonight, only 28 points, but had a triple-double performance of 10 boards and 11 assists, and the Bulls had five double-doubles, Butler 23 points, Rose 17 points, West 16 points, Foye 12 points, and Adams also had 8 points and 15 boards.

After this game, the media suddenly fell to the side of the Bulls.

Although the two sides were tied 1-1 in the big score, the Bulls' style of play in this game made people deeply feel the pressure of their 72 wins.

It felt like Thunder G1 had used a big move to get out of the city and shout out how you were going to respond.

Then in G2, the Bulls won the game with a solid ace.

(End of chapter)