warrior godfather

Chapter 755 Desperate

Feb. 2, 2:7 p.m., Chicago United Center.

The game between the Warriors and the Bulls is about to begin. The once-shocking "Sirius" prelude resounds throughout the arena. Under the spotlight, the Bulls players enter the arena one by one, accompanied by the cheers and applause of the fans.

This season is a season of change for the Bulls.

Before the start of the season, the Bulls signed Wade to form the Big Three for the second time. After Leonard left and Clay was injured, Rose, Butler, and Wade formed the strongest perimeter combination in the league.

The Warriors Tsunami Brothers are the ultimate in projection, and the Big Three of the Bulls are the ultimate in breakthrough, each with its own advantages.

At the same time, to everyone's surprise, Rose voluntarily gave up the leadership, Butler took over, and the Bulls suddenly completed the handover of the scepter.

Before last season, Rose and Curry monopolized the best guard spot together, and was recognized as the second point guard in the league and the first point guard in the Eastern Conference.

But just one season later, he handed over his position as the team boss, which surprised people and at the same time cast doubt on the prospects of the Bulls this season.

It's not so easy to be the boss of the team. Does Butler really have this ability?

Rather than believing that Butler has the strength to lead the Bulls to the championship, they believe that Rose can regain his form.

After the season started, their ideas seemed to be confirmed.

Rose's playing time has been reduced a lot compared to before, and is controlled at about 30 minutes. However, in the limited playing time, his performance is still unsolvable. He is still the fast-moving Windy City Rose, averaging 22.5 points and 6.5 points per game. Assists 4.7 rebounds 1.2 steals, three-point shooting percentage also reached a career high of 38.6%, high production and efficiency.

Bulls fans believe that if Rose's playing time returns to the regular 36 minutes, he can still play MVP-level data.

And Butler's performance is somewhat unworthy of the Bulls' boss status.

He averaged 36.6 minutes per game, only scored 23.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks. 47.5%, 35.8% three-point shooting, fully relying on 8.3 free throws per game to support production efficiency.

And Butler didn't have any of his skills that left a deep impression on people. Breakthroughs, mid-range shots, three-pointers, and passing are all good, but none of them are enough to be a signature skill.

Rose's signature is breakthrough, high-speed change of direction without slowing down, folding the lever for layups is pleasing to the eye, Wade's signature is the lost step, the rhythm is unpredictable, and the throw is light and heavy, all of which left a deep impression on people.

The only thing that Butler deserves to be commended may be a few shots at critical moments, including a buzzer lore that made Bulls fans crazy.

But Rose and Wade also have no shortage of key shots. They are both big-hearted stars. Compared with Wade in his old age.

Like Rose, Wade's playing time has also been greatly reduced this season, maintaining it at about 30 minutes. However, after Stevens carefully planned Wade's rotation time, he played false starts and traveled off-peak, and he still scored 18.4 points and 4.7 points. Assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks, and a shooting percentage of 50.4%.

He seems to have returned to the youthful time when he led Oakland Rod-L-Richards High School and competed in the Illinois High School Basketball League.

A ruthless Pat Riley kicked Wade out, but it also gave him a chance to win the title again.

He accepted the new role, made sacrifices, was willing to be a de facto sixth man, and at the last moment of his career, burned himself and made the last sprint.

This superstar who came out of the slums of Chicago finally realized his long-cherished wish, put on the Bulls jersey of his dreams, fought for the fans in his hometown, and enjoyed the cheers and applause of the United Center.

Under strict load management, Wade played 48 games for the Bulls, rested 4 games, and was not injured. He contributed a 5.3-second mid-range shot for the Bulls and a 12.3-second throw. Kill, quickly captured the hearts of Chicago fans.

Although he is old, a lot of rest time allows him to maintain ample physical fitness and burst out with full energy after playing.

He is not 193 Jordan now, but 20 Jordan in 193 minutes.

Rose and Wade have performed so well, but Butler naturally looks a bit bleak in comparison.

While the Bulls are sitting on three key ball masters, they can only rank second in the Eastern Conference, 3 wins behind the Celtics, which shows the strength of the Celtics and the Bulls' own lineup. Not flawless.

This is why Zhang Yu still dared to speak loudly and was confident in defeating the Bulls at the end of the Warriors' six-game winning streak.

The rotation of Curry and Antetokounmpo is his biggest confidence, followed by the Bulls' own weakness.

The 5-year 1.9 early contract extension signed by Rose will take effect this season. The annual salary of the first year is 3848 million U.S. dollars, plus Butler's 2300 million U.S. dollars and Wade's 2000 million U.S. dollars. 80% of the team's salary space is occupied, and other positions can only be filled with role players and basic salary.

It just so happens that the Big Three are all outside players, and the inside lacks strong players, which inevitably becomes much weaker. Only Robin Lopez supports the overall situation.

Fortunately, the two rookies Mirotic and Bobby Portis have grown up, providing space and hardness for the Bulls inside, which can escort Robin Lopez.

But this kind of inside configuration still seems a bit shabby, and it is only better than the Warriors relying solely on Antetokounmpo to support the sky.

However, the Warriors are worthy of the bulls in the final lineup. Covington has returned, and the five dead players are still the lineup with the highest net rating in the league.

Markkanen is not weaker than Mirotic in terms of three-pointers. As long as the inside rotation is done more carefully, he can still beat the Bulls.

After all, Antetokounmpo is a superstar with both offense and defense, while the Bulls only have three functional blue-collar workers. This is the Warriors' biggest advantage in the interior and the Warriors' chance of victory.

……

After the entrance ceremony, players from both sides came to the field, Antetokounmpo successfully jumped the ball, and the game officially started.

The Warriors' starters are Curry, Jaylen Brown, Wiggins, Antetokounmpo, and Looney, and the Bulls' starters are Rose, Wade, Butler, Mirotic, and Robin.

The Warriors took possession of the ball for the first offense, and the Bulls quickly retreated and set up a defensive formation.

Curry dribbled the ball across half court, stopped at the top of the arc, and played a pick-and-roll with Antetokounmpo.

Mirotic followed and pounced on Curry, Rose squeezed to cover and chase, and Curry took advantage of the opportunity to pass the ball to Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo took the ball and went down. Robin emptied Looney and came up to help defend. Wade and Butler shrank to the basket to block Antetokounmpo's breakthrough.

Antetokounmpo gave the ball to Wiggins on the outside, and Wiggins shot after catching the ball. Butler tried his best to save it, causing a slight interference.

Bang!

The basketball hit the front of the basket, talked high, and was protected by Butler.

Wade, Butler, Mirotic, and Robin all returned to the penalty area to protect the rebounds. No matter how much Antetokounmpo and Looney could grab, they couldn't grab four of them.

The Bulls attacked, Butler handed the ball to Rose, came to the frontcourt smoothly, and fought on the ground.

The Bulls are one of the teams with the slowest tempo and the fewest rounds in the league. Wade can’t run anymore, and the interior is all slow-moving. Only Rose and Butler can play a few fast breaks, and they are steady at other times Falling ground and running tactics.

Rose and Mirotic played a pick-and-roll, but Mirotic's screen quality was not good, and he was squeezed by Curry. Antetokounmpo followed and stood in a middle position, which could not only seal Rose's breakthrough, You can also attack Mirotic's external demolition in time.

Few people in the entire league dare to do this. If you switch to a slower inside line to face Rose, you don't dare to have the idea of ​​​​one defense and two defenses.

Rose didn't have a good chance. Robin on the weak side immediately raised the 45 degrees and set a screen for Wade. Wade cut inside and Rose passed the ball.

Jaylen Brown was thrown halfway away, Wade broke through to the inside, Looney stopped in front of Wade, stretched out his hand to cover his shooting space, Wiggins in the weak side corner also took a step back, and cooperated with Lu Ni blocked Rose's breakthrough route.

Wade had a wolf in front and a tiger in the back, so he didn't make a strong kill, but continued to distribute the ball to Butler in the corner.

Butler initiated a second breakthrough. At this time, the Warriors' inside defensive formation has been disrupted. Butler passed Wiggins and came to the penalty area. Looney had no time to turn around and interfere. Butler made a layup, 2:0.

ESPN commentator Mike Breen, who is in charge of the national broadcast, said:

"A layup from Butler! The Bulls finally tore through the Warriors' defense through continuous breakthroughs."

Mark Jackson said:
"The Bulls played very patiently. First, Rose launched a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, leading Antetokounmpo out, and then turned the ball to the weak side. Wade used the screen to break through, attracting Looney to help defend, and then turned to Butler. With continuous assaults in his hands, the Warriors' basket was emptied and the Bulls pierced through."

On the court, the Warriors attacked, Curry continued to pick and roll with Antetokounmpo, and the Bulls were still very fierce in defending Curry. After Curry passed to Antetokounmpo, everyone else shrank to the penalty area. Deto Kunbo points to Jaylen Brown, who catches the ball and makes a three-pointer, 3:2.

"Oh……"

After Jaylen Brown made a three-pointer, a sigh of disappointment sounded from the front row audience, reaching Zhang Yu's ears.

But Zhang Yu didn't feel the slightest joy, his brows were slightly frowned, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

In the next round, the Bulls continued to play tactics patiently, taking advantage of the breakthrough advantage of the Big Three, and launched an assault after consecutive pick-and-rolls and screens.

Looking back, Curry lobbed directly to Antetokounmpo, and Antetokounmpo made a low-post strong play, attracting three Bulls to pinch and pass to the outside line. Jaylen Brown missed a three-pointer, and the long rebound bounced to Rose. inside.

The Bulls launched a fast break, and Rose made a one-stop layup, 4:3.

"Rose! Rose!"

After Rose landed, a huge sound spread, and thousands of fans worshiped.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, confirming the guess in his heart.

Stevens is desperate.

(End of this chapter)