no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 195: The one shot that determines your career ([-] words chapter, please subscribe! Monthly vote!)

It is more than 2000 kilometers from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City and the flight time is more than five hours, so after the game, the Bulls players did not return to the hotel, but flew directly.

After getting on the plane, the team members did not play cards or other games, or even communicate much, because they were too tired, so they basically just fell back and rested.

With the bumpy journey and back-to-back games, perhaps this trip can give people a more realistic experience of the shortened season.

When getting off the plane, Xu Yong noticed that Yao Ming was frowning when walking, which gave him a bad premonition.

This hunch was quickly confirmed.

After resting in the hotel for a while, when the team was about to leave for the training facility, Xu Yong found that Yao Ming had not gotten in the car. After calling and asking, he found out that the team doctor had accompanied him to the hospital for a check-up.

When they arrived at the training hall, Thibodeau also announced that Yao Ming would not play in the game against the Thunder tonight.

Yao Ming's specific situation will not be known until the hospital's examination results come out, but even if it is nothing serious, he will not appear in tonight's game.

As a coach who has worked with Yao Ming early on, Thibodeau knows Yao Ming's situation better than anyone else and is the most cautious in dealing with it.

The reason why this happened is because Yao Ming played so well in the last game.

Here is a hot knowledge. For players who are older and have potential injuries, the more obvious decline is in their recovery ability than in their dominance.

Or to put it in a more understandable way, this kind of player's explosion has a CD.

As a result, of the Bulls' three core players at the beginning of the season, only Xu Yong is still able to play.

It has to be said that these consecutive injuries seem to make up for all the Bulls' luck last season.

At this time, even Thibodeau was inevitably a little worried.

After announcing the news and before training started, he found Xu Yong and asked about his physical condition.

Obviously, now two of the three cores cannot be defeated, and there is little hope of winning against the Thunder. Thibodeau has plans to give up strategically.

After all, if Xu Yong is included again, the Bulls' journey this season will end early.

"Coach, I won't be injured." Xu Yong said frankly.

Thibodeau was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then nodded, smiled and patted Xu Yong on the shoulder.

Xu Yong is always so confident and competitive, which also makes him more confident about the game at night.

Although this time, maybe he really misunderstood Xu Yong.

When Xu Yong returned to the hotel after training, he knew that Yao Ming had returned.

"How is it?" Xu Yong immediately went to Yao Ming's room and saw Yao Ming drinking water there.

"It's nothing serious. Let's rest for a few days and we can play tonight's game." Yao Ming put down the water glass in his hand and told him the good news.

"No, don't let a small thing cost you a big thing." Xu Yong waved his hand quickly.

"You don't want to repeat what happened in the 08 Olympics, right?" And before Yao Ming could speak, Xu Yong continued.

This question stopped Yao Ming, and he nodded.

"Tonight's game depends on you." He then reached out and patted Xu Yong on the shoulder.

The Bulls want to maintain first place, and only Xu Yong is left. This challenge is very big.

"Don't worry, we still have 12 people." Xu Yong said with a smile.

This made Yao Ming laugh as well, and subconsciously looked at the water glass on the table.

Yes, the glass is still half full.

……

That night, Oklahoma City played at home, and the Ford Center was packed.

The last time the team lost to the Bulls, fans have been waiting for revenge.

Because different divisions play each other twice in one season, this is probably their only chance.

Moreover, Rose and Yao Ming were sitting on the sidelines in suits and ties before the game, which was also a God-given opportunity.

During the warm-up before the game, Asik looked somewhat nervous.

Yao Ming actually had a truce before, but at that time, O'Neal was still there to start the game, but now that neither O'Neal nor Yao Ming can play, this is his turn in the true sense.

From the beginning of the season, there is no chance to play in the starting lineup. The span is so long, and since there are no other healthy centers in the team, it is expected that the playing time will be very long. It is normal to feel pressure and nervousness.

In fact, it's not just Asik, Yi Jianlian also has some.

It has only been more than a month since he changed his shooting, but now that the Bulls are in such a situation, there is a high probability that he will play.

Others may not quite know what this means, but he knows this may be his only chance with the Bulls.

If you don't get it this time, there may be no next time.

Even if the Bulls waive him and temporarily sign someone in the free market to make the transition, it is entirely possible.

Because what the Bulls need now is someone who can withstand this situation. When Yao Ming and O'Neal return one after another, there won't be many insiders who will have a lot of roles.

The Big Three of TNT still appeared on the scene to commentate and were in the warm-up area during the warm-up.

"Shaq, do you still think the Bulls have a better chance of winning tonight?" Because it was a back-to-back game, Kenny Smith asked more directly this time.

O'Neill smiled and did not answer, but he had already answered.

Now that the Bulls are missing two of their three core players, it would be a bit false to say that the Bulls have a better chance of winning.

"Do you know? Me and Xu, we won the fifth championship ring together." After laughing, O'Neal turned to look at Barkley and said.

Barkley was speechless. This was the first time O'Neal had said this, and he stared at him every time.

It’s as if he doesn’t have a championship!
Although he really didn't, he didn't bully others like that.

Just when he was about to correct O'Neal that Xu Yong led him to win the championship, O'Neal had already taken the lead and continued to speak: "I see a characteristic in Xu, that is, the more difficult the game, the better he can play. The better you perform, the better you can win the game.”

Kenny Smith on the side laughed out loud when he heard this.

If you want to say that after O'Neal joined TNT, the one thing he did the most was to blow Xu Yong.

The number one Xu Chui in China is Yang Yi, and the number one Xu Chui in the United States is O'Neal.

"Come on, that's because he led you to your fifth championship." Barkley retorted.

"Are you jealous?" O'Neill immediately corrected him, "You forgot about the God-Killing War so quickly?"

This sentence left Buckley speechless for a moment.

G3 in last season's finals was so classic.

"I think the Thunder will win the game easily tonight. Their advantage in the paint is huge." Barkley did not choose to confront O'Neal again, but gave his own opinion.

At this moment, the warm-up on the court was over and it was time for the opening ceremony.

The Bulls took the lead as the visiting team, with Hinrich, Xu Yong, Artest, Gibson, and Asik.

Who would have thought that the defending champion, who had a 15-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, would now have such a shabby starting lineup.

Thunder: Harden, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka, Gasol.

For the Thunder, Fisher will not be able to play tonight due to injury. However, based on the experience of the last match, even if Fisher can play, Brooks will probably arrange such a starting lineup. He is also determined to win tonight's game.

The game started quickly, and Gasol gave the Thunder the opportunity to take the lead.

The Thunder opened the game with Gasol's low post attack.

Brooks is also a leader among the younger generation of coaches. He is very good at cultivating young players, has excellent chicken soup ability, and is also quite accomplished in tactical skills.

This opening arrangement is obviously aimed at the current weak point of the Bulls' inside line.

This also worked quickly. Although Asik had size, his ability to fight in the low post was slightly weak. More importantly, he was inexperienced. He was beaten one-on-one by Gasol in the low post.

And looking back, as soon as Seo Yong caught the ball, Gasol attacked him from the inside.

This clearly shows that Asik has a good grasp of the situation.

Xu Yong's choice was Kobe's style of play, turning over to the baseline to make strong throws while facing double teams.

He tried this style of play last season, and it actually worked against the Lakers in the last game.

After all, Asik's frontcourt is guaranteed.

"Shh!"

However, he hit the target on his first shot and did not give Asik a chance to perform.

Looking back, Gasol continued to play singles in the low post to attract the Bulls' attack. He quickly released the ball. After a burst of transmission from the outside of the Thunder, Harden hit a three-pointer from the outside.

The Thunder have been able to hold down the Lakers and rank first in the Western Conference, mainly relying on offense.

Although they lack Westbrook's impact on the basket, their playing space and overall performance have been greatly improved.

Especially tonight, Gasol still has a huge advantage in the paint, and the flow of the offense highlights a mercury-filled situation.

"Shh!"

But looking back, it was Xu Yong again. This time he turned back towards the three-point line and hit again.

O'Neal made Xu Yong's signature move of spreading his hands towards Barkley, and Barkley was also scratching his head at the situation on the court.

Although the Bulls defeated the Lakers last night, they still spent a lot of money, but how could Xu Yong still look so alive?

During the transition between offense and defense, Thibodeau stood on the sidelines and shouted. He was obviously not satisfied with the team's opening defense.

His roar was still useful. The Bulls' defensive intensity relied on excellent defensive rotations to limit the Thunder's tactics.

Harden finally fed the ball to Durant. Facing Artest's defense, Durant showed off his hold on the ball, shuffled and changed direction to score a layup.

The overall offense, coupled with Durant's hard solution, the Thunder's offensive level is much stronger than before.

The Bulls don't have Yao Ming, and it becomes very difficult for the defense to limit the Thunder.

Moreover, Xu Yong's third shot also missed the basket.

Just when Asik was about to pick up the offensive rebound, a figure soared from his side and picked up the ball.

It's Ibaka.

After Ibaka started full-time this season, his scoring did not change much, but his rebounds and blocks improved a lot, especially blocks, which reached an astonishing 3.7 times, leading the list in blocks.

His defensive sense and jumping ability are the same as those of his second brother, which is amazing.

The Thunder played a fast break, and Harden's European step passed Hinrich for a layup during the fast break.

4:9.

Facing the Bulls, who had only the remaining lineup to play, the Thunder clearly had the upper hand on both offense and defense.

And under Brooks' instructions, the Thunder continued to optimize the defensive end, letting Gasol guard Gibson and Ibaka to guard Asik.

The reason for this is that Asik has basically no offensive threat at the basket, and this can give full play to Ibaka's defensive capabilities.

This adjustment was very effective. Xu Yong had no good chance after being flanked and could only change his offensive thinking.

But Asik is a pure human shield. Not only does he have no offensive ability, but he also has no mid-range ability. Basically, Ibaka squats under the basket without coming out.

The Bulls' attack still failed to score. Looking back, Gasol shot Asik a mid-range shot from the free throw line.

4:11.

The score difference instantly reached 7 points.

Thibodeau had to reach out and call a timeout.

At the end of the bench, Yao Ming clenched his fists subconsciously.

Xu Yong is actually in good shape tonight, but the Bulls are too disadvantaged inside and there is not enough space on the court. It would be difficult for Jordan to play in this situation.

And he can't play yet, so he can only watch and worry.

At this moment, Thibodeau walked to the end of the bench, then pointed at Yao Ming...Yi Jianlian next to him.

Yi Jianlian was caught off guard. Although he knew that he was likely to appear in the rotation tonight, he did not expect to come so early.

After all, even if there are only four people left in the Bulls, Martin's rotation order is still ahead of him.

It wasn't until Yao Ming patted him on the shoulder that he came back to his senses and stood up.

After the timeout, players from both sides reappear.

Thibodeau looked at Yi Jianlian's back at this time, feeling somewhat helpless in his heart.

From the opening game to now, Gasol is in very good condition. With the four insiders he can use tonight, it will be difficult to guard whoever he replaces.

He doesn't expect much on the defensive end. He only hopes to open up more space on the offensive end so that Xu Yong can have a better breakthrough space.

In the Bulls' offense, Xu Yong tried a wave of moves without the ball. The pick-and-roll provided by Yi Jianlian was very solid. He came out of the screen to catch the ball and took a quick shot.

"Shh!"

The basketball hit the net again.

Just as Yao Ming thought, although it was a back-to-back game, Xu Yong was still in good shape tonight because of his excellent physical fitness.

6:11.

Thibodeau continued to direct the defense from the sidelines. Artest used his full strength to restrict Durant from catching the ball.

Upon seeing this, Harden signaled to pull away and fed the ball to Gasol in the low post.

At this time, Harden is not a big-core ball-handler, but an organizational shooting guard who has a way of sorting out the offense.

His understanding is basically the same as Thibodeau's. No matter who the Bulls use to guard Gasol tonight, they will not be able to guard him unless they attack in the low post.

As long as Gasol is flanked, the Thunder's offense can be activated.

Thibodeau did not signal a double attack at this time. Rather than letting the Thunder throw three-pointers from the outside, it would be better to let Gasol score two points inside.

But what happened next was unexpected for both parties.

Gasol lowered his focus and hit Yi Jianlian from behind, but Yi Jianlian's cheeks bulged and he used all his strength to hit Gasol, and in the end, he interfered with Gasol's shot.gif!

Yao Ming waved his hands and clenched his fists as he watched from the sidelines.

What stands out about this ball is its toughness!
Gibson protected the defensive rebound, and the Bulls advanced to the frontcourt and continued to play position.

Xu Yong didn't get a chance this time without the ball, so he signaled to open up space.

Yi Jianlian bounced directly to the three-point line at the top of the arc.

Now Ibaka on the Thunder team is a little confused.

It's not that he doesn't know anything about Yi Jianlian. Because Yao Ming can't play, the Thunder coaching staff has introduced all four Bulls insiders.

Otherwise, the Thunder wouldn't have let Gasol play inside at the beginning of the game.

But the problem is that according to the analysis of the coaching staff, Yi Jianlian is an insider with very unstable shooting and rough inside skills. How can he stand at the three-point line?

There was not much time to think. When Xu Yong changed direction with the ball and passed Sefolosha and went inside, he decisively chose to attack inside.

After Xu Yong broke through to the penalty area, he passed the ball to Yi Jianlian at the top of the arc.

After receiving the ball, Yi Jianlian aimed at the basket and completed the shot before the Thunder's defense arrived.

If the trainer wants to increase Yi Jianlian's shooting speed, the first problem to correct is to look down at the three-point line.

This habit can be corrected quickly, because Yi Jianlian has changed his style of play, to a 3D inside line, and when shooting outside, he must make sure it falls outside the three-point line.

It's completely unnecessary to look at that at this time, after all, he is not James.

And the trainer did not change his shooting hand pattern because the timing was not right.

Changing shooting movements during the season is very risky, not to mention that if you are just shooting three-pointers, the big man's shooting speed does not actually need to be that fast.

After all, your attack point is high, and even if there is help on defense, there will be no time to cause effective interference to you.

What the trainer wants more is to let Yi Jianlian speed up the entire shooting rhythm.

Together, these changes make Yi Jianlian's shooting look much more comfortable.

Combined with Yi Jianlian's performance on the defensive end in the last round, we have to say that Grover is the master trainer after all, and the trainer he found is quite reliable.

"when!"

But it is a pity that Yi Jianlian failed to hit this three-pointer.

The long rebound was taken by Durant, and the Thunder once again launched a fast break. This time Harden's European step-up throw caused Hinrich's thug to foul and got two free throw opportunities.

Yi Jianlian pursed his lips and shook his head.

Because he didn't hit an open three-pointer, Harden's fast break caused damage. There were five-pointers here and there.

But just then, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around and saw it was Xu Yong.

"Don't be stressed. What's important is not the result, but the process. Even if we can't stay, Brother Yao and I are still here."

Yi Jianlian was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief after digesting it.

The reason why he wants to stay in the NBA, in addition to not wanting to leave any regrets for himself, is also the same as Yao Ming back then. He doesn't want to live up to the expectations of domestic fans.

Chasing after Yao Ming is what the Chinese people expect of him at this time, and it is also the direction of his efforts.

But now this expectation is obviously unrealistic, and as Xu Yong said, even if Yao Ming fades out, even if he really can't stay, Xu Yong will still be there.

Then, there is really no need for him to put so much pressure on himself.

After seeing his reaction, Xu Yong patted his arm again and motioned him to go to the frontcourt, where Harden was about to take a free throw.

Thibodeau was standing on the sidelines at this time. His original plan was to let Yi Jianlian open up the space. If he couldn't do it, he would replace Martin.

After all, Martin is the most reliable among the defensive end.

But he didn't do that now, because Yi Jianlian showed enough toughness in the round just now.Harden made two free throws.

At 6-13, the Thunder continued to maintain their lead.

The Thunder fans at the scene were already very relaxed at this time.

The Bulls can't open up on the offensive end and can't defend on the defensive end. The Thunder will definitely win tonight's game.

Not only Thunder fans, but Thunder team members are also very confident at this time.

Sufficient confidence means active defense. Xu Yong's off-ball movement still had no direct chance after catching the ball, and the double attack also came immediately.

He could only return to holding the ball outside the three-point line, and then used his breakthrough to eat Sefolosha alive.

Because there are no other strong offensive points to contain tonight, his pick-and-roll will only make the double-team come faster.

This is definitely the most difficult game the Bulls have played since the start of the season.

Xu Yong burst into the three-second zone and was immediately attacked by Ibaka's contraction.

He can choose to rush to the basket quickly at this time, which is also the choice the Thunder predicts he will make, so at this time not only Gasol shrinks to the basket, but the Thunder players on both wings are also moving in.

Xu Yong made the second choice and gave the ball to Yi Jianlian again.

Yi Jianlian once again received the ball at the top of the arc.

This time no one from the Thunder even rotated over, and only Ibaka raised his hands symbolically to defend.

This basically means to put.

This is the same as ignoring Asik's offensive threat at the basket before. It is clear that he does not believe that Yi Jianlian can make a three-pointer.

They even felt that Yi Jianlian might not dare to take action again.

After all, the only result for a fringe player who misses consecutive three-pointers is to be substituted.

This judgment is correct. If Yi Jianlian fails to score continuously, Thibodeau will still replace him with Martin.

And if he is substituted, it will be difficult for a marginalized person like him to get another chance.

So this is a three-point shot opportunity, which can also be said to be the shot that determines Yi Jianlian's career.

Is it to return directly to the CBA, or to continue to stay on the court and continue to fight for the possibility of staying in the NBA, just for this shot.

Yi Jianlian made another three-pointer.

Compared with the last time he took action, he looked obviously much calmer.

After unloading the psychological burden, he suddenly looked down on it.

At worst, just go back to CBA!
The basketball flew through the air and drew a parabola.

When the ball began to fall at the highest point, the expressions of Thunder fans began to become less relaxed.

Brooks also frowned.

Because this ball looks like it will go in.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, the basketball went straight through the net.

Yi Jianlian hit this three-pointer!

At this time, the contrast between the coaches on both sides of the field is particularly obvious.

Brooks frowned and stood up, while Thibodeau clenched his fists in front of him.

This is not just a matter of three-pointers, but the Bulls' offensive space has opened up.

And with the offensive space, Xu Yong can do a lot more things.

Xu Yong was also happy for Yi Jianlian at this time, and high-fived Yi Jianlian while retreating.

9:13.

Yi Jianlian's three-pointer also narrowed the point difference to less than 5 points.

The entire morale on the Bulls' court is different.

Harden directly played a pick-and-roll with Gasol, and misplaced the European step to break through Yi Jianlian's layup.

The current version of Yi Jianlian is after gaining weight. Although he can carry Gasol, his ability to defend defenders is average.

Harden successfully broke through the defense with an underhand floater.

"boom!"

But the ball did not fall into the basket, but was directly pinned by Xu Yong who helped defend the basket!
Xu Yong was too familiar with both Yi Jianlian and Harden. He basically predicted the result of this mismatch, then shrank in advance to complete the block, and also picked up the defensive rebound.

The Bulls successfully defended this round, but because it was Xu Yong's block and there was no Rose on the court, the defensive counterattack could not be launched.

The two sides continued to fight on the ground.

This time Xu Yong held the ball directly outside the three-point line.

Sefolosha was passed twice in a row, but he could only continue to press forward, because Xu Yong had already shown his shooting touch tonight at the beginning, and giving space was equivalent to giving away points.

As a result, Sefolosha was passed for the third time.

Sefolosha is from Switzerland. He is tall, long-armed, has both body size and speed. He is known for his excellent off-ball defense and sturdy single defense, so he is also called the "Swiss Army Knife" by fans.

He has already demonstrated his off-ball defense before, allowing Xu Yong to only score two points through off-the-ball movement, but in this one-on-one defense, he wanted to go crazy at the moment.

If you were someone else, he wouldn't be so embarrassed.

The opponent is bigger than you and only faster than you. He has never felt this kind of despair before (T-Mac was already dead before he became the main force).

Ibaka is still shrinking.

But at the same time, the Thunder were also rotating in defense, no longer giving Yi Jianlian the three-point open opportunity just now.

At this time, it depends on Xu Yong's passing ability, or the organizational ability of a point forward.

Because he needs to read the defense and make a judgment in a short time whether to attack or pass the ball.

If you pass the ball, you need to pass the ball to the person who he thinks has a direct chance to shoot.

Then it turns out that everything has two sides.

Rose's frequent injuries caused the Bulls' record to fluctuate greatly, but this also accelerated the improvement of Xu Yong's organizational skills.

At this time, the passing he practiced during the offseason made things move in a positive direction.

Or you can also understand that part of the reason why Xu Yong trained on physical fitness and passing during the offseason was to deal with this situation.

As a born-again player, he knows the intensity of a shortened season, and Rose's history of injuries starting this season.

Back on the court, Xu Yong's choice was to shove the ball directly to Artest at a 45° angle on the left.

Durant, who was guarding Artest, had just taken a turn to guard Yi Jianlian. After receiving the ball, he decisively completed the shot.

"boom!"

The ball bounced off the backboard and fell into the net.

Although Artest's defensive performance has declined slightly this season, his three-point shooting is still a career high so far.

Brooks reached out and called a timeout.

12:13.

After the Bulls made two consecutive three-pointers, the point difference was only 1 point!

"Charles, I've told you a long time ago, Xu will become stronger when he encounters the strong." O'Neal said proudly in the commentary box.

For the Bulls' two three-pointers, in addition to the shooter throwing the ball in, Xu Yong's tearing of the Thunder's defensive formation was even more critical.

Now the Thunder really can't shrink at will, which means that the Bulls have won themselves the possibility of a battle with the Thunder.

Buckley couldn't express his pain at this time. In fact, it can be seen from his remarks in previous programs that he has also joined Xu Chui's team.

But O'Neal is more suitable for this role than him. For the sake of the effect of the show, he can only be a compliment.

Now looking at this guy O'Neal with a proud face... Hey!Let me take a breath too!

After the timeout, Harden and Durant directly started a pick-and-roll.

After Harden broke through Xu Yong, he passed the ball back. Durant received the ball and hit Hinrich directly.

So what if you pull him out with his hands? It was unsolvable when Durant was full of physical energy.

But looking back, Xu Yong immediately broke through to the basket and fired back.

As with the previous judgment, after the Bulls opened up the offensive space on the court, Xu Yong had more room for breakthrough.

Looking back, Durant reached for the ball directly and beat Artest directly from outside the three-point line.

A change of direction with a drag step, and after passing Artest, he hit the ball again with an emergency stop.

This performance made the Thunder fans excited.

The last time the Thunder lost, it was because of Durant's lack of hard-hitting ability. Just now, Durant took the initiative to ask for the ball and used the ball to attack. It was clear that he wanted to prove himself.

Then Xu Yong got past Sofolosha's defense for an unknown number of times, and made an emergency stop in response to the latter's almost desperate expression.

Xu Yong and Durant, after the World Championships two years ago, once again staged a battle against Biao, but in the plus version.

Because both Xu Yong and Durant's strength has been significantly improved compared to that time.

The happiest person at this time is Stern.

The pair of topics he wants to create for the next ten years are becoming possible step by step.

After the first quarter, the score was 30-all.

The two teams combined to score 60 points in a single quarter and played an iconic offensive battle.

Among them, Xu Yong scored 15 points in a single quarter, and Biao Durant scored 16 points in a single quarter. Both of them played the entire first quarter, and the offensive battle made the fans enjoy watching it.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Durant sat on the bench and gasped for air.

Don't look at it like they didn't score 20 points in a single quarter, and they didn't seem to score a lot, but in fact this was an era before the second attack was changed to 14 seconds, and the number of offensive rounds was not many.

And more importantly, just like in the World Championships, the two were directly facing each other on offense and defense until the second half of the game.

A knowledge point that is easy to impress, Durant's defense is very poor.

In fact, Durant's defense has never been bad, only average after the injury, and excellent before the injury.

His defense benefits from his physical condition and team role needs. It is very similar to McGrady. When he is focused, his defense is elite level, but most of the time he cannot allocate energy to defend because their physical fitness cannot do it.

"Do you need a rest?" Thibodeau looked at Xu Yong from the Bulls bench and asked.

Of course he hopes that Xu Yonghe will play the entire first half like he did against the Lakers, and it is best not to rest in the second half.

After all, whether it's scoring tonight or organization, the Bulls are all pointing to Xu Yong alone.

But the reality is that Xu Yong spent a lot of time on the offensive end in the first quarter, which is completely different from the situation when he was walking around on the court for most of the quarter when playing against the Lakers.

When Xu Yong heard this, the famous saying of Barkley immediately came to mind: Don't end up in my situation, I will have plenty of time to rest after I die.

But if he really said such a good thing to Thibodeau, Thibodeau would probably get goosebumps.

"After tonight's game is over, I must have a good sleep." Xu Yong said with a smile.

Thibodeau looked at Xu Yong and nodded, already knowing the answer.

After taking a few breaths, Durant had recovered.

At this time, the time for a break between sections had arrived. Durant looked up and suddenly froze when he saw the court.

Because he saw Xu Yong appeared again!
Be a person!

Durant was really shocked.

This is not a matter of traveling during off-peak hours or traveling during peak hours. Xu Yong’s consumption in the first quarter was no less than him!
Under Durant's shocked eyes, Xu Yong broke through to the inside, and after a strong confrontation with Turiaf, he caused a defensive foul by the latter and got two free throw opportunities.

From body language to confrontation, Xu Yong didn't show any signs of fatigue.

Speaking of which, based on their combined offensive and defensive strengths, Xu Yong and Durant are pretty evenly matched, with Durant being stronger offensively and Xu Yong slightly better defensively.

But Xu Yong’s biggest advantage is physical fitness.

This is not just the result of his training during the offseason, but a cumulative result of so many years.

Durability and physical fitness are Xu Yong's biggest advantages.

Don't talk about others, just talk about Butler, it can be said that he has shown the highest point that can be achieved with these two talents.

And Xu Yong's talent is much stronger than Butler.

After getting to the free throw line and making two free throws, looking back, Xu Yong successfully sent a hot pot to Reggie Jackson on the defensive end.

Then when he returned to the offensive end, Xu Yong ran off the ball and misplaced the ball and hit Reggie Jackson to score a 2+1.

When he got excited, he even gave the opponent a classic NBA trash talk: Welcome to the NBA.

Before Jackson could hold back, Durant couldn't hold back. He stood up and asked Brooks to come on.

……

In the end, the Bulls narrowly defeated the Thunder 113-109 and won an incredible victory.

You must know that the Bulls, who lack the two cores, are weaker than the Thunder.

In particular, Durant played brilliantly tonight and scored 40 points. Gasol and Harden also scored close to 20 points.

But Xu Yong couldn't stand up to his performance tonight like a god descending from heaven. He played the entire game and made 35 of 18 shots, hitting a career high. He was also the first 50+ player, with 53 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Especially in the last quarter, when Durant's scoring efficiency declined due to physical exhaustion, Xu Yong was still able to hit key goals despite being double-teamed, which stunned the Thunder fans at the scene.

"Shaq, you are right, he is the contemporary Michael Jordan!" Even in the commentary box, Barkley joined Xu Chui's team regardless of the cost.

In contemporary Jordan, this classic word has changed hands again.

But it seems that this time, the word has been approved by many people.

Because in the past two days, Xu Yong did something incredible.

He scored a total of 97 points in two games. This is the fourth player in history to do this after Kobe.

But unlike Kobe, he faced championship-level teams like the Lakers and Thunder, and his scoring was very valuable.

Not to mention this is still a shortened season.

In fact, at the end of the game, social media was almost taken over by shocked fans.

"This was the best performance of the season. When his teammates fell one after another, Xu carried the team forward on his own. He was a lone brave man."

"This is the greatest scoring performance I have ever seen since Kobe Bryant's 05-06 season. Xu is on his way to dominate this league, and he is only in his third year!"

"Last season's FMVP was by no means a flash in the pan. I think it's time to include Xu in the MVP discussion."

"The competition for MVP this season will be unprecedentedly fierce. Who among Xu, Durant, James, and Kobe will be elected in the end? I think it will depend on the final results of the four teams."

"I originally thought that Xu would fall off this list. After all, when the two core players of your team are injured, it is really difficult to guarantee the team's record, but I have to say that Xu shocked me, even if the Bulls Even if his record is not number one, I will vote for him!"

"One thing that's very interesting is that if Xu really does this, the Bulls will have two players on the roster who won the MVP in the third grade at the same time."

"Foreman: It's so silky smooth, who would have thought!"

……

While the outside discussion was in full swing, Xu Yong was fast asleep in the hotel room.

He is also a human being, and after being fucked so hard back to back, his physical strength has reached its limit.

Not to mention that they only slept for a while on the plane last night in order to catch the away game.

Although he was tired, he slept with a smile on his face. After all, he did what he promised Thibodeau.

……

The day after the game against the Thunder, ESPN updated the latest MVP list.

In this list, Xu Yong also topped the list for the first time since the season.

Prior to this, although the Bulls' record had been superior to the Heat and higher than the Thunder in the Western Conference, James had always occupied the top spot.

But it is obvious that Xu Yong's performance in back-to-back games in the past forced ESPN to make such a change.

If it was just a discussion among fans on social media last night, now Xu Yong has really become the favorite for MVP this season.

The Bulls also returned to Chicago to rest after finishing their road trip.

Even including the flight time, they only had two days to rest.

It was at this time that the Bulls made layoffs.

They waived Peja Stojakovic.

This is mainly because out of consideration for the future of the team, the coaching staff decided to let Yao Ming practice for a period of time.

During this time, they need to replenish their inside line.

Because it is difficult to survive this period with just four insiders, and it may even continue to cause injuries and cause greater trouble in the future.

Especially when Asik didn't work in the last game, the team would have very few options.

At this time, there are not many insiders for them to choose from in the free market. After all, all the capable and suitable players have been signed.

The Bulls finally signed Chris Anderson, who had been amnestied by the Nuggets, on a ten-day contract.

　Brothers, remember to make full reservations and monthly passes. Thank you very much!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)