no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 199 Who will win the MVP?
Knicks fans are the most desperate group at this time.

In fact, there was not much hope for the eighth to beat the first. If you lose, you will lose. If you can steal one or two games, it will be considered a success.

But people are most afraid of raising expectations and then being disappointed, or being disappointed a lot, which is very despairing.

While TNT was chatting away, on ESPN, the number one Knicks fan A. Smith directly broke through the defense.

As someone who has experienced the grievances of the Knicks and Bulls in the last century, he really cannot accept that the Knicks have fallen to the point where they are being abused by 58 points.

He directly stated on the show that he had had enough of Anthony and Stoudemire, and the Knicks should get rid of these two people next summer to rebuild.

Of course, this kind of rhetoric will not bring any substantive effect, and selling on dips is also impossible to happen.

This just allows the desperate Knicks fans to find someone to vent to during these two offseasons.

But in this desperate situation, they received another good news the next day.

Yao Ming will not play in the G2 game. The Bulls have not announced the specific reason, but there is a high probability that there have been some recurrences of injuries.

This is actually not a surprise. For the Bulls this season, Yao Ming and Rose have been in and out of the lineup.

This finally allowed them to see a little bit of light.

Although, it now looks like a slap followed by a candy.

G2 is still being played in Chicago, and the pre-game footage shows the players on both sides warming up.

Because the bus was blocked by Chicago gangsters for more than an hour after the last game, the Knicks players looked much more honest tonight.

Of course, it was Xu Yong from the Bulls who was given more live shots.

It was another night of leading the team alone, although Xu Yong didn't seem to have much mood swings.

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

Bulls: Hinrich, Artest, Xu Yong, Gibson, Yi Jianlian;

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

The game started quickly, and after it started, the Knicks players played a completely different performance from the previous game.

Stoudemire came up and attacked Gibson in the low post and scored a goal. Later, Anthony also hit Artest's iconic pull-up jumper.

These two rounds also reflected the impact of Yao Ming's absence on the Bulls.

The first one is naturally about inside deterrence. Although Stoudemire is half disabled, G1 can be said to be suppressed by Yao Ming, an old rival.

But Yao Ming is not here, and he will have room to play against the inside line of Gibson and Yi Jianlian.

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Not only in terms of strength, but also psychologically, Stoudemire's confidence has also become different.

Then there is the second, more important thing. Xu Yong can no longer mark Anthony.

After all, basketball is a sport for five people. Kobe averaged 35+ per game and barely brought the Lakers into the playoffs, but in the end they were eliminated in the first round.

Although the other players on the Bulls team are stronger than the others on that Lakers team, Xu Yong's strength is obviously not yet at the level of Kobe Bryant.

So unless he replicates his regular season performance against the Thunder, he will still have to choose between offense and defense.

But the reason why the classic game is classic is that it is difficult to copy, so he can only choose to attack.

Of course, it was also Thibodeau's choice.

Anthony will leave it to people like Artest, Shane Battier and Tony Allen.

Therefore, in the past, Anthony's team often had An Fengxian single-handedly challenge the opponent, but in this game, it was Xu Yong alone against the All-Star combination of Anthony and Stoudemire.

The whole competition process was very intense.

In the desperate situation, both Anthony and Stoudemire performed well. The former made 26 of 12 shots from the field, scored 28 points and 9 rebounds, and rebounded strongly; the latter rebounded strongly with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks, a rare performance in the season. Dominated on both ends of the floor.

However, the final score on the court was 94 to 104, and the Knicks lost the game by 10 points.

Although the Knicks' performance tonight can be considered an epic improvement compared to the 58-point difference in the previous game, they still failed to win in the end.

Because for the Bulls, Xu Yong scored 45 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists by himself!

The points he gets alone are the sum of Anthony and Stoudemire.

And among Xu Yong's 45 points, including free throws, 30 came from the Knicks' penalty area.

Yes, Xu Yong directly smashed the Knicks' penalty area.

This is the damage an MVP-level swingman can do when paired with a space lineup.

Of course, this is also related to the Knicks' poor internal configuration of Camby + Jeffries.

Even, in addition to these two aspects, there is another factor that has always existed, Anthony's deduction of the "S" button.

Stoudemire was full of confidence tonight and was very destructive in the paint. He hit 8 goals in 6 shots in the three quarters and scored 18 points. It gave people a vague glimpse of the "little bully" back then.

That's right, he already scored 18 points in the third quarter, but he only scored 18 points in the end. In the last quarter, he only got one pitiful shot opportunity.

Yes, Anthony is in good shape tonight, but you can draw a conclusion with your toes: Compared to Anthony going to challenge the Bulls' forward group, Stoudemire's success rate in scoring in the paint is obviously higher.

Especially in the playoffs, success rate means the probability of winning.

But although Anthony is not a data-obsessed person like James, he prefers to solve problems by himself. Not only does he like to solve problems by himself, but he also does not have the "S" key.

So Stoudemire was full of anger after the game.

Although his performance this season has a lot to do with injuries, think about it before Anthony came to New York. He was also one of the top five or even top three power forwards in the league. But now he is better, and he doesn't even have the ball. He just plays a ball.

Without the ball, coupled with the 2-0 situation after losing G2, and the even more hopeless situation that Rose would come back to the Knicks later, Stoudemire really couldn't get along with that tone.

So after the game was over and the post-game handshake ceremony was over, he scanned the fire hydrant in the player tunnel. When he saw the dazzling red color, he punched it directly.

"Oh!"

With this punch, the glass of the fire hydrant window was directly smashed.

The power of "Little Overlord" is terrifying.

But no matter how strong it is, the hand is still made of flesh and bones.

Blood spilled all over the floor. Stoudemire covered his hands and walked quickly towards the infirmary under the surprised eyes of his teammates behind him.

……

"Amar'e Stoudemire smashed a fire hydrant after the game and was injured and missed G3"

This became a headline in the media the next day.

I can’t say it’s a bit outrageous, but the level of outrage is comparable to Kevin Johnson’s game-winner celebration that dislocated his teammate’s shoulder, Chuck Hayes’ drinking of water that electrocuted himself into the ICU, and John Wall’s bathing that caused him to slip and rupture his Achilles tendon.

And the key is that the Knicks were already trailing 0-2, and they suddenly lost Stoudemire. For New York fans, it was really not the most desperate, only more desperate.

Then in G3, Yao Ming came back again.

It was at this time that the Bulls announced the reason for Yao Ming's absence from G2.

Not because of injuries, but because of rest.

Yao Ming's injury in the regular season made Thibodeau realize that Yao Ming has reached a point where his performance requires CD, so he will try his best to ensure Yao Ming's health if he has the choice.

After all, let alone talking about it, if they meet the Celtics in the next round, it will be a fierce battle, so take a break in the first round.

This is Thibodeau's consideration, but to the ears of Knicks fans: Listen, is this human speech? !

It can be said that the announcement of this news really angered the Knicks and Knicks fans.

"If you are still a man, you should beat them on the court!" This is A. Smith's call to the Knicks on the show.

For G3 between the two sides, the Madison Square Garden Arena was fully occupied. New York fans excitedly waved eye-catching slogans such as "Beat Chicago" and "Make Their Underestimated Enemy Pay the Price."

The fans were crazy, and the Knicks players were also full of fighting spirit. When the camera showed Anthony before the game, he looked very pouting.

However, not long after the game started, the Knicks were pinned to the ground and rubbed by the Bulls.

Yao Ming came back, and Xu Yong played against Anthony again.

The melon that had just been sweet in the last game was bitter again tonight.

To be honest, with Anthony's skills, he shouldn't be so embarrassed when facing Xu Yong.

At least, it shouldn't be as embarrassing as James.

But it's obvious that he's not in good shape this season, and it's obvious that his talk has unbalanced his mentality.

In addition, Yao Ming had a rest to regain his physical strength, and he was so powerful in the paint that he completely destroyed the [King of New York] and [Banana Boat Boss].

In the second quarter, his range of motion became larger, and he received two technical fouls in succession and was ejected directly.

At this time, the Bulls were leading by nearly 20 points, and the game completely lost suspense.

By the second half, less than [-]% of the fans in the originally packed stadium were left. Most of the fans left the stadium early due to traffic jams in New York.

But what is unexpected is that after Stoudemire and Anthony were unable to play consecutively, Jeremy Lin relied on pick-and-rolls and breakthroughs in the second half to lead the Knicks and Bulls to a half-time stalemate.

Although Yao Ming and Xu Yong didn't play much time in the second half, the back and forth on the scene gave the remaining fans a good viewing experience.

In the end, the Bulls defeated the Knicks 103-91, extending most of the series to 3-0.

Jeremy Lin scored 25 points, 6 assists and 3 steals, which was the only comfort that New York fans got tonight.

At this time, Anthony's shady remarks before the game seemed very funny.

Even A. Smith looked like an incompetent and furious person at this moment.

This is the case in competitive sports. Strength determines everything. If you pretend to be someone without strength, you will become a laughing stock.

In the last game, Stoudemire returned for the Knicks, Rose returned for the Bulls, and Yao Ming was out again.

The Knicks were completely honest in this game, but they still couldn't avoid being swept in the end.

It is worth mentioning that this is the second time in Anthony's career that he has been swept. The last time was in the 07-08 season, when the golden duo of Anthony and Iverson met the Lakers led by Kobe Bryant in the first round.

But this time, because of the experience of 58, such a sweep will obviously be more impressive.

At this time, the King, who was far away in Miami, made a special evaluation to Anthony in his heart.

He originally expected Anthony to add strength to the Bulls in the first round, but he was really disappointed.

It seems that he will still have to take the position of boss of the banana boat in the future.

After this series, many people once again felt the pressure of the Bulls.

Yes, the Bulls did have their ups and downs due to injuries in the middle of the season, but when the Bulls are healthy, they are still that championship team.

Moreover, they also got another break.

The series between their potential opponents, the Celtics and the Hawks, continues, with the Celtics currently leading 3-1.

At this point in the game, most of the situations in the Eastern and Western series have become clear.

In the remaining two rounds in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers and Heat have already led 3-1.

This is the current overall strength of the Eastern Conference. Several teams in the top half have obvious advantages.

In the West, the Lakers directly swept the Clippers. Although Griffin performed very well, the strength gap between the two teams was there.

And what's even more fatal is that it is said to be a local derby, but in fact it is the Lakers' home court. "Home game changes to away game" in this literal meaning.

The game between the Thunder and the Hornets turned out to be more anxious than expected. Although Westbrook's shooting was unstable, he had a strong fighting spirit in the game. Moreover, the Thunder did not have the frame-protecting shield of Perkins to break through quickly against Westbrook. The defender is really not easy to defend, but with a big score of 3 to 1, the Thunder will not have a big problem in advancing.

The Mavericks were about as expected. They didn't have many chances against the Nuggets and led 3-1 with a big score. Leonard performed well and his personal average increased to 10 points per game, which gave Dallas fans great expectations.

The only unexpected matchup this year came from the Spurs and the Grizzlies. The Spurs led the Grizzlies 3-1, and the Grizzlies couldn't even achieve balance.

The person who changed this situation was a young man from the Spurs, of course not Leonard. Leonard is in the Mavericks at the moment.

But a Brazilian guy named Thiago Split.

This inside player who has been persecuted by the [vertical jump rule] in history has extremely excellent defensive abilities.

Let's put it this way, he is tall, long-armed, has bounce, and is one of the few white insiders who can stand up well.

This is simply a secret weapon carefully prepared for the gray and white bears.

And Duncan has not been troubled by injuries this year, so even without Leonard, the Spurs are still the better team this year.

At this time, the league announced the results of the second batch of awards. Irving became the best rookie, and the best defensive player was given to Chandler of the Mavericks.

Chandler has never been reused since his debut with the Bulls. After that, he made a name for himself in New Orleans, then moved to Charlotte and almost faded out of the league. He was reborn in Dallas.

Facts have proved that functional players still need to find a suitable system to display their true strength.

A few days later, the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals matchups were announced.

In the West, the Lakers and Spurs will face each other again after the 2008 Western Conference Finals, while the Thunder and Mavericks will have a grudge match.

In the East, the Heat and Pacers duke it out, while the Bulls will face a challenge from the Celtics.

After the matchup was confirmed, concerned fans recalled what Xu Yong said two years ago.

At that time, the Bulls, who defeated the Cavaliers, were stopped in the semifinals by the Celtics 2-4 in the second round.

After losing the game, Xu Yong once said: "If we meet again next time, we will win back all the lost games here."

The NBA has never lacked for revenge. The Spurs just took revenge on the Grizzlies, and this time, after two seasons, Xu Yong and the Bulls finally had their opportunity for revenge.

Before the semifinals officially started, the league announced the third batch of awards, which is the MVP.

This is undoubtedly the most talked about award this year.

It can be said that before the regular season is over, fans have already been arguing on social media about this topic.

Comey and James are the two largest groups in the league, and Durant and Xu Yong, as representatives of the new generation of stars, have an increasingly large fan base.

In fact, this year it is indeed a bit difficult for the major media, because there are enough reasons for whoever they choose.

Even the largest sports media ESPN's campaign for James in the past two months has reached a terrifying level.

It gives people the feeling that if James is not elected as the MVP this season, it will be a pity for the NBA.

All the results are finally revealed at this time.

The final results came out, and the winner of the 2011~2012 regular season MVP was...Xu Yong!
In the fierce voting results, he won more easily than many people imagined.

He received nearly 30% of the votes, nearly 2% more than No. 5 Kobe.

Durant came in third, with nearly 20% of the votes.

James, who had been the most vocal voice among the media before, only received 19% of the votes, ranking fourth.

This result, including this voting ratio, can be said to be somewhat unexpected.

But upon careful analysis, it actually makes sense.

Because Xu Yong not only won the scoring title this season, but more importantly, he has a strong sense of presence.

Rose and Yao Ming were frequently injured, but Xu Yong led the team to maintain the league's first record. This can define MVP performance better than statistics.

Not to mention that he also had a classic season masterpiece like beating the Thunder 50+ points.

ESPN's overwhelming campaign is true, but the majority of the group are silent after all, and they are all subjective in nature.

This also seems to explain why James is ranked last among the four. His performance in leading the team after Wade was absent, especially his impression score against the Bulls, was a bit too poor.

After Xu Yong won the MVP, he also became the second player after Rose to win the MVP in his rookie contract.

And as fans had assumed on social media, he achieved this honor in his third year as a rookie just like Rose.

This time, the Jamies had a new reason.

You have two MVPs from the Bulls, plus a league-leading center, and you are the real Big Three team, a super team.

On the other hand, James has never been on a super team.

In any case, this result, as well as the final vote ranking, can be said to have deepened the hatred of Xu Yong among the James fans.

It can be expected that if the two teams meet again in the Eastern Conference Finals, there will be another round of bloodshed on social media.

Before the start of the conference semifinals, Thibodeau convened the team in the video room for final analysis and summary.

This is what the team has been doing for the past few days.

Completely different from playing the Knicks in the first round, Thibodeau attaches great importance to the Celtics, his old club, and some people in the team even think that he attaches too much importance.

But over the past few days, the players have basically reached a unified view. Playing against the Celtics this season is second only to playing against the Mavericks in last season's finals.Thibodeau's analysis and summary gave them a clearer understanding of the Celtics, and some even deviated from their previous understanding:
[-]. The Celtics are a fast-paced team

Because the score is not high, many people will compare the Celtics with the 2004 championship Pistons, but in fact they are completely opposite to the Pistons' rhythm-pressing style. Their rhythm is very fast.

The most important point is that they will not slowly advance from the backcourt with the point guard. If there is an opportunity, they will serve from the backcourt and then seek a fast break. If there is a fast break opportunity, they will start it as soon as possible.

This is even more obvious this year, because Garnett appears more in the fifth position, and Garnett plays fast breaks very quickly.

This is a bit of a restraint for the Bulls, because even if Yao Ming loses weight, it will be difficult for him to retreat to the backcourt quickly.

In Game 2 of the Heat last season, Spoelster once used a double-team attack on the ball holder to achieve a similar effect. At that time, the Bulls were relatively passive.

[-]. The Celtics’ positional warfare offense has improved
Ray Allen's off-ball movement to catch and shoot is the standard offensive tactic of this Celtics team's positional battle, and it is also the most reliable tactic.

In addition, there are the off-ball or on-ball screens provided by inside players to Ray Allen or Pierce, as well as the singles tactics of Pierce and Garnett.

It looks more layered, but the tactics are simple and easy to target.

This is the main reason why the Celtics don't score much.

However, the Celtics' positional warfare capabilities have improved this season. The main reason is that the offensive space on the court with Garnett at the fifth position has improved.

In the past, when the team's center was Perkins or Kwame Brown, because Rondo's outside shooting was unstable and the offensive space was crowded, it was common for Pierce to encounter double-teams and for Ray Allen's off-ball shots to be defended. thing, but now except for Rondo, the other four points can be shot.

Moreover, Garnett performed very well in the playoffs this year because he played the fifth position. He averaged nearly 20 points per game in the first round and showed his third youth.

Even Rondo, although still unstable from three-point range, shot a career-high 41% from mid-range.

This kind of shooting rate, if you defend him alone and let him shoot, there is a certain probability that it will explode.

[-]. The Celtics’ defense is still strong
The key to the Celtics not scoring much, but still winning games, including winning the championship, is defense.

Although Perkins has left, Rondo and Garnett are both defensive level, Ray Allen and Pierce are also above the league level, and even Buss' defense has improved a lot in this environment this season.

Coupled with Garnett's defensive ability in the half court when he used the fifth position, this allows their defense to still maintain a high level.

[-]. Celtics’ resilience

Xu Yong and this Bulls team have already experienced this completely two years ago. The resilience of this team is on the same level as the Mavericks in last season's finals.

This year is a very special year for the Celtics, because this is likely to be the last year of the Big Three.

Ray Allen was very unhappy when he renewed his contract with the Celtics two years ago. But this season, after Bradley was usurped from the starting lineup after his comeback, his happiness turned into dissatisfaction.

The management and coaching staff are understandably concerned, after all, they have to prepare for the possible departure of Ray Allen in the summer.

But it is precisely because of this background that the Big Three have worked extremely hard this year.

Because just like Yao Ming joining the Bulls and winning a championship is not enough, the Big Three together will naturally not be satisfied with just one championship.

This is their last ditch effort before the Can Meet disbands.

Xu Yong agrees with Thibodeau's summary and analysis, because he remembers this as the swan song of the Celtics' Big Three.

This summer, Ray Allen switched to the Heat, and the Green Army's Big Three also announced their disbandment.

Specifically for this season, they reached the Eastern Conference Finals and once led the Heat 3-2.

If James hadn't played the Eye of Death to reverse the situation, they would have reached the finals and faced the young Thunder team, and they would have probably won another championship.

Of course, Thibodeau later analyzed the Celtics' weaknesses.

To know yourself and the enemy, you must know the strengths of the enemy, and of course, you must also know the weaknesses of the enemy.

First, age and physical fitness
Although the Celtics are very resilient, they are reaching their age limit after all. Pierce, the youngest among the Big Three, is already 34 years old, and Garnett will celebrate his 36th birthday in another week.

Willpower may keep them on the court, but their physical fitness will inevitably decline as the game becomes stiffer.

Second, conflicts within the team

As mentioned before, Ray Allen's departure is almost a countdown, and this is not just a conflict between him and the management.

Ray Allen's relationship with Garnett and Pierce can still be maintained, but his relationship with Rondo is a bit intense.

Although Bradley has grown up, he is still obviously not as good as Ray Allen in terms of tactical ability and performance in high-intensity games.

Third, home field advantage

The last time the Bulls and Celtics played against each other, it started in Boston, and Xu Yong had personally experienced the tricks in the away game.

But this time starting in Chicago, the difference will be clear against the Celtics.

After all, Thibodeau's core idea is to make the players tense up and never underestimate the Celtics, but at the same time, there is no need to put too much pressure on them, because the Bulls are still the stronger team. branch.

Xu Yong agrees with Thibodeau's feeling of being nervous but not overly nervous.

After all, the Knicks really didn't bring much resistance to the Bulls.

This is similar to the feeling the Heat gave the Bulls last year.

The two Banana Boat brothers feel somewhat incompetent as dungeon bosses.

……

The next day, the United Center was packed again.

After Xu Yong's remarks were exposed, Chicago fans were extremely excited.

Maybe the fans who are interested just want to see Xu Yong get slapped in the face once, but if Xu Yong finally does it, it will be the first time in two years to show off.

From then on, Chicago also had their pressing king.

And in order to make this happen instead of becoming a flag, Chicago fans will naturally spare no effort to support it.

After all, Xu Yong is the man who brought Chicago back to the top of the league.

During the warm-up before the game, the entire Celtics team had serious expressions.

Even Kwame Brown wanted to come to Xu Yong to reminisce, but Rondo stopped him.

Obviously, the Celtics also made sufficient preparations before the game and were ready to fight to the end.

When the warm-up was almost complete, the award ceremony was held on site.

This is the second time this ceremony has been held at home for the Bulls since the playoffs this year, and the winner is Xu Yong.

Last time it was the Most Improved Award, this time it's the MVP.

Xu Yong achieved a customized honor invisibly.

However, he has a chance to accomplish a recognized feat this season: winning the scoring title, MVP and FMVP at the same time in a single season.

Before this, only three people had done it, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and O'Neal did it once, and Jordan had done it four times.

Of course, the premise is that if the Bulls can successfully defend the title in the end.

Xu Yong also took a deep breath before receiving the trophy.

Because of his personality, he will not pass on the pressure to his teammates, but this season is also not easy for him.

The absence of Rose and Yao Ming, as well as the intensive schedule. If he hadn't specially trained his physical fitness last summer, even if he wouldn't be injured, he might not be able to withstand this kind of physical and mental fatigue.

But the moment I received the trophy, everything became worth it.

It was at this moment that he felt that he might try to catch up with his idol, the braised egg that was once out of reach.

"MVP! MVP!"

When Xu Yong raised the trophy above his head, the Chicago fans cheered.

The emergence of a third-year MVP is already an exaggeration. Now there are two at once, and it is two years in a row. This kind of thing that is unimaginable in dreams has now actually happened.

Tianxing Chicago!
When he walked to the bench, Xu Yong high-fived his teammates one by one, and finally handed the trophy to Butler for safekeeping.

After he put down the trophy, his eyes changed from excitement to concentration.

This is his MVP night and the beginning of his promise of revenge two years ago.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced.

Celtics: Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, Brandon Bass, Garnett;

Bulls: Rose, Xu Yong, Artest, Gibson, Yao Ming.

When the Bulls' starting lineup was announced, the Chicago fans at the scene were inexplicably excited.

It may be unbelievable to say, but this is the first time the Bulls have all three core members in this year's playoffs.

This season is really not easy.

But looking on the bright side, being able to play with all the players against the Celtics is already a good thing for the Bulls this season.

Garnett beat Yao Ming in the opening game, and the game officially began.

Xu Yong kept an eye on Ray Allen on the defensive end to prevent him from running off the ball, but the Celtics' opening choice was a bit unexpected.

Garnett did not cover Ray Allen, but ran to the other side to cover Pierce. Artest cleverly bypassed the pick and roll with the ball. Rondo directly threw the ball to Garnett, and then Garnett Shoot an iron-blooded jump shot directly from the high post.

"Shh!"

Garnett made a solid hit on his first shot, showing his excellent form since entering the playoffs.

Looking back, Rose was playing a pick-and-roll with Yao Ming in the frontcourt. When he met Garnett in a mismatch, he changed direction without slowing down and did not get a direct shot. Although Garnett was passed, his long-arm coverage can interfere from behind at any time. Ross.

Just when Rose turned around to look for his teammates, Pierce's defense had arrived. He and Garnett blocked Rose's passing angle, forcing Rose to attack the frame. Rose's final forced shot failed to score. .

But just when Garnett was about to collect the rebound, Yao Ming followed up to the basket, grabbed the offensive rebound, and after confronting Garnett who turned around, he completed the tip-in.

This round can be said to be basically in line with Thibodeau's pre-game analysis.

The Celtics not only have strong defensive ability, but also have a high degree of tacit understanding and quick defensive choices. At this time, the ball handler's speed in handling the ball will be very high.

But what Thibodeau didn't mention is that with such a lineup, Yao Ming will have much more room to play in the paint.

During the transition from offense to defense, Garnett directly received the ball from the same position on the right side and hit a jumper again.

The Celtics' offensive thinking tonight seems very clear, that is, Yao Ming will not be defended from the inside.

Because even though Yao Ming has lost weight, his lateral movement is still very slow, and he basically cannot go back after being pulled out. At that time, Garnett can coordinate the offense from the high post and attack the Bulls' basket.

Obviously, when Thibodeau studied his former team, the Celtics also studied the defensive system of Thibodeau's old team.

In the Bulls' round, Xu Yong held the ball and signaled Yao Ming to drop low.

We must take advantage of Yao Ming's advantage in the paint, otherwise Yao Ming will suffer too much on the defensive end.

However, Garnett's defense at this time was very smart. He held up Yao Ming in the high post to prevent him from going to the basket. After Yao Ming turned around, he switched to moving forward and waving his long arms to interfere with Yao Ming's receiving route.

When Yao Ming was still in the Rockets, Slam Dunk magazine interviewed him and asked him who was the most difficult defender in the NBA. Yao Ming's answer was Garnett.

In Yao Ming's description, Garnett, an inside spider man with full agility, is the most difficult to deal with.

Of course, this does not refer to a confrontation in the low post. If it is in the low post, Yao Ming has a great weight advantage and can get in with a turn or confrontation.

What's more, like what was shown in this round just now, is to restrict Yao Ming from catching the ball and disrupt Yao Ming's offensive rhythm.

Seeing this, Xu Yong didn't try hard anymore. Instead, he collected the ball and quickly started to break through Ray Allen, and then made a pull-up jumper from a 16-foot position.

But the moment he took action, Garnett pounced to interfere again, and the timing was just right.

It has to be said that Garnett's ability to help defend is exactly what the outside world has said about him: he has his own system and radiates into the half court.

And the key is that his wingspan is really long, which interferes a lot with Xu Yong.

Xu Yong took the shot with great difficulty despite strong interference.

"Shh!"

The basketball scraped against the rim and entered the net.

Xu Yong is a very tough player.

The scene was instantly filled with cheers from Chicago fans. This is the strength of their new MVP!
However, Xu Yong's expression after landing did not show excitement.

The stability of this kind of difficult goal is not enough, and it will be the same no matter who shoots it.

In fact, until now, his understanding of the playoffs is different from before.

To put it simply, the playoffs are about comparing success rates and making fewer mistakes.

This is the fundamental reason why those weak teams that average 20 points per game cannot make it in the playoffs. Most of those teams want the ball, and they are all accompanied by inefficiency and high turnovers;

This is also the fundamental reason why the Knicks clearly have good paper strength, but are unable to parry in front of the Bulls, because Anthony's performance against Xu Yong was too inefficient.

Xu Yong communicated with Rose during the retreat.

When the Celtics attacked the frontcourt, there was an obvious change on the Bulls' defensive end.

When the ball came to Garnett, a person appeared in front of him, not Yao Ming, but Xu Yong.

At the same time, Rose switched to Ray Allen.

And Rondo, who was originally guarded by Rose, was directly let out from the outside.

This is what Xu Yong and Ross exchanged just now.

From the opening game until now, Xu Yong discovered a very detailed point, that is, Ray Allen did not move much in the opening game, which was different from the regular season games.

Excluding Ray Allen's injury, it's more likely that the team's status has changed.

After Ray Allen's comeback, he is no longer the first choice in Rivers' tactics. The first choice becomes Pierce.

Therefore, Xu Yong can rest assured and let Rose switch defense, while he helps Yao Ming cover up the defense.

Facts have proved that Xu Yong's judgment was correct. Garnett returned the ball to Rondo. Rondo did not signal Ray Allen's off-ball tactics. Instead, he dribbled the ball to the free throw line and then chose three A throw near the second zone.

This is one of his signature offensive methods, but with Yao Ming in the three-second zone, his shot finally missed the basket due to Yao Ming's interference, and the rebound was also protected by Yao Ming.

Then, there is the Bulls' defensive counterattack.

Rose caught the ball, quickly broke into the frontcourt against Ray Allen's defense, changed direction without slowing down, and made a layup with a flying stick.

This offense and defense fully reflected Rose's personal ability.

Of course, it further reflects Xu Yong's game reading and reaction abilities.

But here Rose had just scored, and over there Ray Allen shot directly from the backcourt. The Celtics attacked the frontcourt with a wave of offense. Pierce broke through to 14 feet and hit Yao Ming's rebound shot.

Although Thibodeau had been vaccinated before the game, the Bulls were still somewhat unable to guard against the Celtics' fast play.

6 flats.

The score on the field was not high, but the two sides were engaged in tactical games in every round after the start. This was a completely different game from the previous game against the Knicks.

Such an opponent does deserve the attention Thibodeau received before the game.

And as the game progressed, there was another change on the court, that is, after the coaches of both sides noticed that the defensive scale was relatively loose tonight, they both strengthened their defense in an attempt to determine the lead through defensive counterattacks.

In this kind of matchup, whoever can get the upper hand has a greater chance of winning.

Therefore, the intensity of the game soon became based on tactical games and added a lot of physical confrontation.

But for two equally mature teams, it’s not that easy to play a good game.

On the contrary, as the defense strengthened, the intensity of the off-ball confrontation on the field also continued to increase, and the intensity of the entire game soon rose to the finals level.

With this change, the rotations of both sides began to be infinitely compressed.

It's not that they don't dare to expand the rotation, it's that the rotation with weaknesses has the opportunity to be targeted.

The main players on both sides played a very long time.

In this quarter, the Celtics changed two people, Bradley replaced Ray Allen, and Pietrus replaced Pierce.

The same goes for the Bulls, with Hinrich replacing Artest and Battier replacing Rose.

Even at the beginning of the second quarter, both sides only expanded the rotation to 8 players.

Kwame Brown replaced Garnett, and Yi Jianlian replaced Yao Ming.

As for those remaining on the field, they all defaulted to playing the entire first half.

This is really scary. In a competition of this intensity, this is not only a duel of strength, but also a duel of physical strength and endurance.

Of course Xu Yong is very happy to face this situation. After all, the man opposite him is in his thirties and middle-aged. Naturally, he is not as durable as him in his early twenties.

　Happy Mid-Autumn Festival ~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)