no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 118: The best, crazy killing
Before the season ended and the playoffs officially started, ESPN conducted a poll.

The survey was very wide-ranging and the results were very interesting.

In [the most watched first-round match], the game between the Cavaliers and the Bulls topped the list. Because of the entanglement between the regular season and the slam dunk contest, the encounter between the two teams earned enough attention.

And in [the least suspenseful first-round match], the game between the Cavaliers and the Bulls is second only to the Magic and the Bobcats, ranking second on this list.

Therefore, it is easy to draw a conclusion from this investigation report. This is a standard "Jimmy happy game".

The playoffs are about to start, and before that, the league announced the first awards of the season, namely the Most Improved Award, the Best Sixth Man, and the Best Rookie.

The Most Improved Award belongs to Brooks of the Rockets. Although the arrival of Hamilton has reduced his shot rights and averaged less than 20 points per game, he can still contribute 19.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for the Rockets. The shooting percentage reached 39.8%, which is a significant increase compared to last season.

The best sixth man belongs to Crawford of the Eagles. He averaged 18 points per game. This is the first time in his career that he was selected for this honor.

Among the first batch of awards, the first two awards are expected, but the best rookie has a certain suspense.

The trio of Xu Yong, Evans and Curry lasted until the end of the season.

勇士队最终以26胜战绩，西部倒数第三的战绩结束赛季，库里场均17.5分4.5板5.9助攻1.9抢断；

国王队以25胜战绩，西部倒数第二的战绩收关，埃文斯场均20.1分5.3板5.8助攻1.5抢断。

值得一提的是，凭借着最后几场的努力，他最后也和原版詹姆斯一样，最后时刻达成了20+5+5的数据，加入到了奥斯卡·罗伯特森（场均30.5分10.1篮板9.7助攻）和乔丹（场均28.2分6.5板5.9助攻）的行列；

公牛队以44胜收关，东部第八，徐永场均19.6分4.2板3.8助攻1.5抢断1.7盖帽，投篮命中率46.8%，三分球命中率39.2%。

Scenes that seemed familiar six years ago began to appear.

Back then, James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, and also achieved 20+5+5. The Cavaliers did not make the playoffs, while Anthony averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. The best rookie was given to James.

Now Xu Yong and Evans will recreate the historical heights.

The final results came out, and Xu Yong was elected the Rookie of the Season with a 38% advantage, beating Evans (31%) and Curry (26%).

However, this result did not cause as much controversy on the Internet as James Anthony did.

The reason is also very simple. First of all, James was ninth in the Eastern Conference, and Evans was second to last in the Western Conference. There was a huge difference in record;

Secondly, your stats averaging over 20 points per game, combined with that record, who doesn't know that you got it at the last moment, the customized version of 20+5+5?
Thirdly, Xu Yong doesn't have the gangster background that Anthony has. He is even behind the big market in China. Where Anthony loses points, it is Xu Yong's plus points.

Of course there are four more, and the most important point, who is you Evans, not to say that you are called a guard version of James, you are really qualified to be compared with James, the popularity of James in the league, and the influence in the media , It's not something you Evans can touch porcelain at all.

However, although the controversy is gone, there are a lot of ridicules on social media at this time.

Who are you kidding?
Of course it's the Grizzlies!
For comparison, their No. 68 pick Thabeet played 13 games in his rookie season, including 3.1 starts, averaging 3.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and [-] blocks per game.

Well, it cannot be said that there is a gap with Xu Yong, it is simply a world of difference!
If you are a Grizzlies fan, especially a fan who went through last year's draft, or even a fan who reveled in the original deal, I'm afraid you dare not open social media at this time.

"This is indeed one of the greatest trades in NBA history, but for the Bulls, laugh and cry."

"Is your 'magic operator' okay?"

"Don't give up. Believe in yourself. Last year, you picked a parallel import with the fifth overall pick. This year, with the No. 17 overall pick, you can definitely choose someone who will be the core of the team!"

"In fact, I don't think it's all bad for the Grizzlies, because they managed to avoid being selected [the second most water list], but only a fifth pick."

"I told you to save some champagne a long time ago. You have to watch it on the bus to the game. Look, are you dying of thirst now?"

"Obviously they could lie down and win, but they chose to take the most difficult path. I cried to death."

"As a native of Chicago, I just want to say to the Grizzlies, thank you, because of you, warm the season."

……

Xu Yong learned the news on the plane to Cleveland.

His teammates celebrated him on the plane.

He is naturally in a good mood.

He didn't deliberately compete for this award, but it's a good thing to start his career as the best rookie.

After the announcement of the first batch of awards, the playoffs officially kicked off.

On the Eastern side, there were two series on the first day, Celtics VS Heat, and Cavaliers VS Bulls.

The game between the Celtics and the Heat started first. This game made fans feel the intensity of the game that is still at the beginning of the century.

The referee's whistle was really loose, and the confrontation on the court was really fierce.

The two teams scored 44 to 41 at halftime, and even scored a low score of 15 to 13 in a single quarter in the second quarter.

Sophomores like Beasley can't score in this kind of game at all, and even veterans like Pierce, Ray Allen and O'Neal are also hitting iron frequently.

Only superstars with killer skills like Wade and Garnett can still output stably.

This wave can be regarded as making everyone, including the young people of the Bulls, feel what the intensity of the playoffs is, and why the playoffs are called the stage of superstars.

It is not surprising that he scored in double figures in the regular season and made no contribution in the playoffs.

Just after halftime between the Celtics and the Heat, the game between the Cavaliers and the Bulls is about to begin.

The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland was full.

If you want to say which Jamie has more at this time, it is naturally the base camp in Cleveland.

It's not an exaggeration that everyone in this small town has a James jersey.

Moreover, the unified yellow color scheme throughout the game also made Quicken Loans Arena look oppressive tonight.

In the opening ceremony before the game, James' throwing of magnesium powder directly pushed the atmosphere to the highest point at the beginning.

The residents of [Knight Kingdom] can’t wait to enjoy their happy game!
The game began immediately, and the starters of the two teams appeared one after another.

Cavaliers: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, James, Jamison, O'Neal;

Bulls: Rose, Xu Yong, Deng, Gibson, Noah.

In the first game, both sides used regular lineups.

Amidst the cheers of the fans, O'Neal turned the ball back to the Cavaliers' half, officially kicking off the series.

The Cavaliers played the same way as in the regular season, starting with O'Neal attacking in the low post.

The difference is that Jamison added more space in the second half, giving O'Neal more room for singles.

After receiving the ball, O'Neal lowered his weight and observed the Bulls' defense. Seeing that there was no intention of flanking, he immediately started to play with the ball behind his back.

Although Noah has gained weight, he is still not in the same weight class as O'Neal, and he will definitely not be able to withstand it.

But the moment O'Neill turned around, the difference came out.

Noah was not knocked out of focus by O'Neal like before, but he could get up and continue to interfere with O'Neal's defense.

This difference had little impact during O'Neal's peak period. After all, the Sharks' confrontation was never a one-time deal, it was a continuous impact.

But for O'Neal now, he relies more on his own weight. The second confrontation was obviously not as good as the first, and he was not able to directly knock Noah away.

In order not to kill the ball, he gave Noah a counterattack, and took advantage of the trend to turn around to the free throw line with a hook.

But Noah still held the defensive position, and his excellent defensive judgment and long arm successfully interfered with O'Neill.

"when!"

O'Neal's shot went out of the frame, and the rebound was also pocketed by Noah.

The Bulls' bench was boiling.

The big shark is famous, resounding through an era.

Including this season, although the regular season has been plagued by some injuries, as long as he plays, it is still a huge threat to the opponent's inside line.

But the young Noah was on guard right from the start!
Noah's face was also flushed, the sweat and hard work in the past two months were all worth it at this moment.

Offensive and defensive transitions, the Bulls' style of play has changed from the regular season, and Rose is the main attacker at the beginning.

De Nagro's intentions are more obvious, playing away games and grabbing a start.

However, this wave of the Bulls' offense did not work. As a top defensive coach, Mike Brown successfully predicted De Nagro's thoughts and shrunk the defense at the beginning.

Because of O'Neal, the Cavaliers don't need to play zone defense, they just shrink, throw shots to prevent breakthroughs, and at the same time cut off Rose's passing route.

Rose's mid-range attempt misses the basket.

If the game between the Celtics and the Heat was just for watching, then in the opening round, Brown made the young Bulls players feel what the playoffs are, focusing on one target.

And Brown's defense is systematic. He is the man behind Steve Kerr in the future and the constructor of the Warriors' defensive system.

He is not only targeting Ross, but also Xu Yong.

He didn't pay much attention to Xu Yong in the opening game, but another detail tonight showed how meticulous he was.

During the regular season, Brown used Parker to defend Rose, but tonight, it was Mo Williams who defended Rose, and Parker was arranged to defend against Xu Yong.

Although Williams was passed by Rose, the shrinking defense did not let Rose get whatever he wanted.

On the contrary, Parker, an elite defender, is about the same size as Xu Yong, and his defensive effect is quite good.

He sticks to Xu Yong like brown candy, making the pindown tactics that the Bulls are best at unable to play.

This was the Nth time that Denagro was tactically beaten by the opponent.

However, the Cavaliers didn't play well at the beginning.

Because of how good Brown's defensive system is, how bad his offensive system is.

To put it simply, there are only two sets of his offensive tactics, one is to give the ball to O'Neal, and the other is to give the ball to James.

And when O'Neal is on the court, there is no space, only O'Neal's set.

This tactic, which had been tried and tested against the Bulls in the regular season, no longer worked with Noah's changes.

So although Denagro's side is not as targeted as Brown, it also stuck the Cavaliers' offensive weakness by mistake.

After O'Neal failed to score in consecutive low positions, James also tried to force one, but Noah let O'Neal's help defense and James returned without success.

Noah pumped his fist in excitement and roared after forcing James' offense to take a walk.

Gaining weight and muscle not only allowed him to carry O'Neal in his old age, but also charged against James' tank.

Of course, there is the most important point here. The referee's whistle tonight was very loose and not biased.

This is the operating art of Mr. Stern. Even in the 2006 Finals, which was criticized by fans for a long time, the whistles in the first two games were not biased towards the Heat.

Therefore, the opening two teams were the same as the ongoing Celtics VS Heat, focusing on one... "Listen, they are playing basketball."

At 6 minutes into the game, the score was 4-8.

No one expected the game to be played like this.

Denagro couldn't sit still anymore, so he stood up and called a timeout.

When the timeout comes back, the Bulls lineup has been adjusted.

Rose, who was targeted for shooting only 5 of 1 shots in the opening game, was replaced, and it was not Nate Robinson, but Hinrich.

Hinrich was not in good form before, and the rotation order was relatively late. At this time, he was suddenly rotated so early, and the intention was already very obvious. This was to let Xu Yong play with the ball.

Brown's offensive system is rough, but De Nagro is not much better. After Rose was targeted and couldn't beat him, he could only play against Xu Yong's ball.

The offensive performance of the two coaches tonight is exactly what the saying goes: where there are crouching dragons, there must be phoenix chicks.

Hinrich held the ball across the half, passed the ball directly to Xu Yong, and then signaled the weak side to pull away.

After Xu Yong held the ball, he signaled Noah to come out and play the pick-and-roll.

Also playing pick-and-roll, the biggest difference between Xu Yong and James in the opener is that one is active and the other is passive.

As for O'Neal in the latter part of his career, it's not appropriate if you don't grab him.

Parker obviously knew this too, so he tried hard to squeeze through Noah's pick-and-roll.

But Noah's pick-and-roll is not that easy to squeeze, and the position where he sets up the pick-and-roll is very close to Xu Yong.

And Xu Yong didn't stand still, he was already moving before Noah set up the pick-and-roll, forcing Parker to circle back.

As a result of the tacit cooperation between the two, Parker was directly blocked by Noah's wall.

O'Neill could only save it after seeing it, but it was too late.

The moment Xu Yong got the shooting space, he had already jumped up.

"Shh!"

With a picturesque gesture, the basketball passed over O'Neal's head and fell directly into the bag.

Feels good.

Xu Yong stopped following the action, with a smile on his face.

It seems that the extra practice a few nights ago was not in vain.

In the Cavaliers' offense, O'Neal continued to play low singles, and the Bulls also resolutely contracted.

O'Neal saw the opportunity to distribute the ball to James on the outside, and James made a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

"when!"

The basketball hits the hoop.

During this period, James's shooting stability refers to the short range of 10 to 16 inches. His mid-range and three-point shots from 16 feet away are still Duan Yu's Six-Mein Divine Sword, which sometimes works well and sometimes fails.

Gibson protected the defensive rebound and the Bulls pushed a fast break.

But James retreated quickly and blocked Hinrich's fast break.

The purpose of going to Hinrich is to open up space, but in terms of counterattack speed, he certainly cannot compete with Rosby.

Hinrich noticed Xu Yong who was following up and passed the ball.

Xu Yong caught the ball in one step inside the three-point line and directly chose to stop and pull up.

In the eyes of the coach, this ball belongs to the kind of "bad choice", because if it is not made, it is tantamount to wasting a fast break opportunity.

And James also rushed forward with all his strength at this time.

However, Xu Yong's choice was too straightforward, and it was obviously too late for James' second defense.

Xu Yong's shot flew over James' head to the basket.

James turned his head in the air, just in time to see the moment the basketball entered the basket.

"Shh!"

Xu Yong's pursuit is also hit!
After practicing dry pull for nearly two and a half years, he has truly mastered this technique.

The Bulls' bench was boiling, and Rose couldn't help standing up excitedly.

Although the kick is not as violent as the dunk, but Xu Yong's kick is accurate!

This is like sniping is not as good as artillery, but it can still kill people.

O'Neal still didn't make a strong attack at the basket. Looking back, Xu Yong made another scissors kick against Parker who circled behind him.

This is the possession of the iron-blooded wolf king, kill it indiscriminately!
10:8.

The Bulls took the lead in one go.

There was a burst of restlessness at the scene. The happy game was agreed, but why did it seem a bit unhappy at the beginning?

　The defender of the Chinese team...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)