no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 214 Men's damn desire to win

The Bulls' next game is on December 12st, against the Thunder.

Because it was on the road, the Bulls flew to Oklahoma City the day before the game.

After waiting, Harden specially found a famous local Chinese restaurant to treat Xu Yong to dinner.

Thanks to Xu Yong's original suggestions and his own efforts, his performance this season has made another breakthrough compared to last season.

He is now averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists per game, and has been promoted to the first echelon of shooting guards in the league.

As his performance improved, the Thunder overpowered the Lakers and Mavericks from the beginning of this season, firmly occupying the top spot in the Western Conference.

And their two main competitors have encountered some troubles one after another.

For the Mavericks, Nash and Nowitzki were absent one after another due to injuries.

Although optimistically speaking, this gives Leonard more opportunities to exercise, but the Mavericks' record has obviously experienced ups and downs.

As for the Lakers, it's their own fault.

Before the start of the season, because Okafor could not be traded anyway, the Lakers finally chose to amnesty Okafor.

The "amnesty clause" is a way to end a contract that is different from buyouts and layoffs. It stipulates that each team has one opportunity to use this clause on a player in the team. After using this clause, the player The team still needs to pay the remaining salary of the player's contract, but the player's salary will not be included in the team's salary.

It actually existed in the previous version of the collective bargaining agreement, also known as the "Alan Houston Clause."

However, this clause has not been used frequently before, because amnesty requires full payment of salary and will not bring any benefits, so as long as the players can play, the team will not choose this method of treatment.

However, the new version of the collective bargaining agreement has revised this clause, stipulating that before the end of the 2015-2016 season, even if the team does not use it, the clause will automatically expire.

In addition, from the 2013 to 2014 season, that is, there will be a super luxury tax next season, so the frequency of amnesties has increased significantly in these two seasons.

The Lakers finally chose to use it to end Okafor's contract early.

This was nothing at first, it was useless, but as a result, Okafor left, and Bynum had no reliable substitute. He was injured after just one month of the season.

Although he did not let himself go under the constraints of Kobe because he did not become a digital person as Xu Yong knew, he has always had glass attributes.

Last season was the season in which he had the highest total attendance since he started, and he also played full attendance in the playoffs. This must be related to Okafor's existence.

And this time his condition was more serious and he had to undergo knee arthroscopic surgery, which cost him the entire regular season and he is not expected to return until mid-April.

Without Okafor and Bynum, the Lakers' internal strength has dropped by more than one level, and the decline in record is completely expected.

So Harden is much more comfortable than Xu Yong this season.

"Are you with the 'Black Widow'?" After eating and drinking, Harden suddenly asked Xu Yong.

Xu Yong was stunned for a moment and looked at Harden doubtfully.

He didn't mention it in front of the media, and Scarlett probably wouldn't take the initiative to show off on social media like Madonna did back then.

"TMZ broke the news." Harden said, taking out his mobile phone and handing the news in the browser to Xu Yong.

Xu Yong took it over and looked at it, and then he was stunned.

Good guy, from the moment Scarlett entered his house to the moment he sent Scarlett to the airport, everything was secretly photographed!

Sure enough, paparazzi are everywhere.

"Are you still following TMZ?" Xu Yong handed the phone back to Harden.

"I like to watch them cover some shows, such as 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians,' which is very interesting." Harden is not hiding anything from Xu Yong now.

Xu Yongyou laughed.

On the NCAA championship night, Harden showed his interest in big buttocks, so it makes sense to pay attention to the Kardashian show.

So, this is the beginning of his relationship with Kardashian?
"Wait a minute, this isn't what we're talking about. We're talking about you and Scarlett Johansson." Harden suddenly noticed that Xu Yong was changing the subject, and immediately brought it back to the topic.

"We are friends." Xu Yong replied calmly.

"Friends spending the night?"

"Can't we stay overnight at a friend's house?" Xu Yong said seriously.

"I believe it." Harden looked unconvinced.

Xu Yong shrugged. He and Scarlett were not in a relationship to begin with, so they definitely couldn't be considered lovers. If they were not lovers, then they were friends.

"After Kevin saw the news, I haven't seen him smile for a day. You may not know that he is a very funny person in private." Harden continued.

Xu Yong coughed twice.

As we all know, if you want to select a social media goat among NBA players, then James can only be ranked second in front of Durant.

Last year, Scarlett went to the red carpet of the Golden Globe Awards to perform acupoints. The photos were posted on social media. Her body shape was in line with Durant's appetite. Durant directly left a message below with the line that will go down in history: "I want to drink from you." Bath water”.

So if you want to say that Durant has no idea about Scarlett, that's impossible.

But in fact, with Durant's identity, if he didn't use this killer way of greeting, with Scarlett's character, he would have drank not only the bath water, but also the milk.

But now, Scarlett definitely looks down on him.

"I'm just worried that he will talk trash to you during the game." Harden continued.

"You think with his level of trash talk, I need to worry about this?" Xu Yong laughed when he heard this. As a victim of Green's formula in history, Durant's level of trash talk is at the bottom of the NBA.

"No, what I'm worried about is that he becomes autistic when you spray him." Harden corrected.

Not to mention how well he knows Xu Yong. Not long ago, the media exposed Xu Yong's trash talk against Howard, which directly caused the two core members of the Pacers to get into trouble now. He knows that Durant's personality is relatively sensitive, and Xu Yong wants to Come to think of it, autism is a high probability thing.

"I..." Xu Yong was speechless for a moment.

"Don't worry, as long as he doesn't go too far, I will let him talk trash." Xu Yong nodded.

Who told Harden to speak?

Of course, there is another point. Harden told him before that Durant used many trumpets to speak out for himself on social media.

Just think of it as a little reward.

"I knew it." Harden looked happy. This season can be said to be the Thunder's best opportunity. He didn't want the team to have trouble like the Lakers and Mavericks.

……

The next day, the attendance at the Ford Center Arena was full.

With the Thunder's strong rise in the past two seasons, Oklahoma City's football market is extremely hot.

In fact, not only on the scene, but also on TV media and online media, this game has received unprecedented attention.

The most important thing is the encounter between Xu Yong and Durant.

After Stern gave up on James, the focus of publicity naturally needed to shift.

Where to turn?Naturally they are Xu Yong and Durant.

From the World Championships two years ago, to the competition for the scoring title last season, to the Olympic finals that just ended in the summer, every interaction between the two was filled with sparks.

Even their nicknames are tit for tat.

Chicago's "Satan" and Oklahoma's "Death", there can only be one talker in hell.

No one knows better than Stern when it comes to creating buzz.

In fact, it's not just the league. In yesterday's TNT program, Barkley, the traffic king, directly brought out TMZ's report.

Even Scarlett herself is making an appearance.

Although it is true that Scarlett will not take the initiative to show off like Madonna, but which Hollywood actress have you ever seen who would not give up the heat she was given for free?

"He's awesome."

Although there was only a brief sentence, and he did not even mention his name, everyone knew what this sentence meant.

Now, both on and off the court, the topic exploded.

During the warm-up before the game, the camera frequently showed split shots of Xu Yong and Durant.

Xu Yong looked serious, while Durant looked serious.

This looks like it will be a fierce confrontation, and the fans' appetite will be whetted even more.

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

Bulls: Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, Xu Yong, Battier, Kwame Brown;
Thunder: Harden, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka, Gasol.

The Bulls' lineup was laid out, and Brooks was stunned for a while and immediately reacted.

There was a three-minute adjustment time between the end of the opening ceremony and the start of the official game. He redrawn the defensive tactics, and even pulled Sofolosha to explain a few more words before going on the court.

"beep!"

Brown moved the ball back to the Bulls half, and the focus of the battle officially began.

Hinrich pushed the ball into the frontcourt, and after making tactical gestures, he handed the ball to Xu Yong in the high position on the strong side.

The Bulls' tactics are very thorough. The strong side is completely cleared. There is a shooter in the bottom corner, 45° and the top of the circle on the weak side. Brown is on the bottom line of the weak side, leaving ample space for Xu Yong to play singles.

Xu Yong chose to play singles facing the basket, and after starting the falling step, he directly broke through Sofolosha.

Theoretically speaking, this style of play is best to have one star and four shots, but Murphy's current defense is too poor and cannot achieve the same effect as Yi Jianlian, so he can only settle for one star and three shots, plus the attack at the basket. Pancake Man, the effect is similar.

Of course, no matter which style of play, this means that Xu Yong's offense will be based on breakthrough offense, because if the players are scattered, if you focus on shooting, not only will there be no rebounds, but other people will not be able to participate at all.

Sofolosa's ball was not passed by Xu Yong like last season. After gradually establishing a foothold and becoming the Thunder's starter, his defensive ability is also improving. Moreover, Brooks just pulled him to tell him alone, and his defensive willingness has also improved. very high.

But when Xu Yong suddenly reached the three-second zone, the situation changed.

Because Xu Yong directly gave him a strong confrontation, and then jumped up from the ground without warning.

That terrifying instant burst of power gave Sefolosha no time to react.

"Oh!"

In the stunned expressions of the fans at the scene, Xu Yong kicked off the game with a brutal one-handed chop.

Brooks was also stunned.

He predicted the Bulls' tactics, but he didn't expect Xu Yong to attack so resolutely tonight.

Then, he has decided to adjust his defense in the next round.

If it were another player, he would definitely not make a conclusion easily based on one round, but Xu Yong's past of defeating the Thunder with 53 points in a single game last season is still fresh in his mind, and he cannot afford to take that risk.

Harden organizes the Thunder's offense from the perimeter.

The Bulls' opening style of play was completely different from before, but the Thunder still followed the rules, which is what Xu Yong told Harden before, that he would control the game in the first three quarters.

He did exactly that. After setting a pick-and-roll with Gasol, he scored the Thunder's first points with a signature step-back mid-range jumper.

Both sides looked pretty good at the start.

The Bulls continued to play positional warfare, and Xu Yong also continued to hold the ball.

However, he noticed Brooks' gesture at this moment and also saw the change in the Thunder's defensive position on the field, obviously preparing to flank him.

Brooks is straightforward.

However, Xu Yong is more straightforward.

He faked a breakthrough by changing direction to the right, then quickly pulled back to the left and dribbled directly past Sofolosha with his left hand.

Balance your left and right hands, just like resetting your pivot foot, making it difficult for your opponent to tell which side you will attack from.

Then, Xu Yong jumped high before the Thunder team's defense could get in place, and hit the basket with another powerful two-handed attack.

There was a commotion at the scene.

The game had just started, but Xu Yongsheng had already violently penetrated the Thunder's penalty area twice.

This restricted area is too loose!
Brooks looked solemn.

Xu Yong has obviously evolved compared to last season. This guy is too scary.

Moreover, the Thunder's scoring on the offensive end did not continue. It was not that they did not play well, but that Butler had a wonderful performance on the defensive end.

The Thunder still used Harden and Gasol's pick-and-roll, but this time Butler successfully bypassed it and interfered with Harden the moment he took action.

Eagle-eyed fans have discovered that he uses the same footwork as Xu Yong.

This is also a reasonable thing. As Xu Yong's junior student, and he often trains with him, it is impossible for him not to learn the puppy steps.

The rebound was protected by Brown. After the Bulls advanced to the frontcourt, the ball was in Xu Yong's hands again.

Continuous singles are very energy-consuming, but without having to invest in defense, three serves is by no means his limit.

Xu Yong held the ball with one hand and stared at Sefolosha.

Sefolosha was concentrating, but the drops of sweat on his forehead gave him away.

The game had only lasted two rounds, and it was obviously not physical exertion for him, but nervousness.

Although this is actually normal, and he is trusted by the head coach, but he was blasted in two consecutive rounds at the beginning, who can calm down?
Xu Yong changed his posture, from facing the basket to carrying the basket on his back.

Although the breakthrough just now successfully passed Sefolosha, the defensive ability of the Swiss Army Knife still has to be recognized.

Taking advantage of the confrontation in the matchup can improve the success rate of the offense.

"boom!"

During the first physical confrontation between the two, Sefolosha was pushed back half a step, and felt a dull pain in his chest.

Grover started becoming Xu Yong's personal trainer in 2010. The three-year plan originally set was now in its second year.

Xu Yong's current figure is the third piece of art he has created since Jordan.

You must know that Hill, McGrady, and Wade whom he trained before were unable to achieve the results he wanted due to injuries. Only Jordan and Kobe succeeded.

Moreover, Xu Yong is one size larger than Kobe, so his confrontation ability is also stronger.

After pushing away Sofolosha, Xu Yong turned towards the free throw line, and Sefolosha could only pounce on him.

Because if he doesn't go up, Xu Yong can easily get rid of his defense whether he breaks through with the left hand he used before or turns around and leans back.

This is why fans sometimes wonder why Kobe's opponents will still take advantage of his fake moves even when he is being guarded. Because if you don't jump, the fake moves will become real shots.

Xu Yong turned around and wiped Sofolosha clean.

Moreover, after he turned around, his center of gravity was very low in order to break through the speed, and his speed was very fast.

Fans looked at the familiar red Bulls jersey and felt two figures overlapping in a daze.

Turning and breaking through with a low center of gravity is one of Jordan's trump cards.

Xu Yong went to the basket, but one person was in place to help defend at this time.

Before being blocked, Ibaka can jump, move quickly, and is excellent in confrontation as the fourth position. His presence on the defensive end is very high.

Xu Yong jumped up. He seemed to want to test Ibaka's quality.

Ibaka jumped up immediately. As a Congolese giant, he is extremely tough.

However, Xu Yong collected the ball in the air, and then glided past him, moving from one side of the basket to the other.

Obviously, Xu Yong has never been a reckless man, and he knows enough about Ibaka that men who love to dance are the easiest to be fooled.

Of course, the most important thing is that his jumping and staying in the air are his biggest advantages.

After completing the gliding in the air, Xu Yong pulled the ball from his arms.

"Oh!"

A one-handed back dunk smashed the ball into the basket.

After completing the dunk, Xu Yong even hung on the rim with one hand before landing.

The Bulls' bench exploded, and Anderson and the others threw their towels into the air.

Xu Yong's three dunks in the Thunder penalty area were explosive.

The scene was also restless.

This is no longer something that happens once or twice, it is something that gets everything you ask for!
Moreover, three consecutive artillery bombardments came in, and their heads were buzzing with shock.

At this time, the Thunder's only weakness, or their biggest weakness, was also exposed.

In this era, without a hard C center to protect the frame, it is really difficult to face Xu Yong's violent style of play.

6:2.

Xu Yong scored 6 points in a row in the opening game, single-handedly taking the initiative for the Bulls.

When he turned around, Durant couldn't sit still.

He stood high with Battier behind him and asked for the ball.

Then after Harden fed the ball in, he turned around to face the basket, and then pulled it out directly towards Battier.

Battier's signature blind defense successfully blocked Durant's sight.

Although there is a difference in height, he can always seize the right opportunity with his eye-sealing trick.

"Shh!"

However, that didn't work.

Durant steadily put the ball into the basket.

And after Hinrich's three-pointer missed, Durant turned around and continued to gain position. After deceiving Battier's defensive focus with a fake shot, he strode directly into the paint with his long arms raised...

"Oh!"

Brown directly hit the ball into the basket through the defense.

A piece of hot knowledge, Durant's athletic ability is among the best among players of the same height. Coupled with his height and wingspan, he was a serious player during his time with the Thunder, or to be more precise, before he suffered a right foot injury. Button the little master.The scene instantly erupted in cheers from the fans.

The camera showed Durant. Durant did not pay attention to Brown, but turned to stare at Xu Yong.

His eyes also seemed to be drawn, and the death scythe loomed behind him.

In fact, if you say that more than a year has passed, it is difficult to say how much interest Durant still has in Scarlett.

Because the female Bodhisattva he followed on Twitter has disappeared.

But this involves the issue of men’s desire to win.

What Durant couldn't get, Xu Yong got, and he said Xu Yong was great. It felt really painful, too painful.

He can't change Scarlett's mind, but he must win it back on the court!
Facing Durant's eyes, Xu Yong just smiled slightly, and then continued to hold the ball with his back on the offensive end, turning around and making a sudden stop throw in return.

Brooks couldn't sit still and called Reggie Jackson from the bench.

In the Bulls' five rounds, Xu Yong attacked in four rounds and scored 4 points on 4-for-8 shooting.

Moreover, Xu Yong used four different offensive techniques in the four rounds.

Sefolosha's defense cannot be said to be bad, but it was ineffective at all.

This means that unless Durant is allowed to defend, no one on the Thunder team can limit Xu Yong in a one-on-one situation.

But Durant's physical fitness does not support Brooks making that choice.

Of course, Brooks is not the only one making adjustments, because the Bulls are also encountering the same situation.

After two rounds, Battier also proved that he could not guard Durant at all.

This is not because his defensive ability has declined, but because his defensive method is ineffective for Durant.

At this time, the person who switched defense became Butler.

Although Butler is only a sophomore at this time, after studying under Xu Yong, Tony Allen, Battier and Artest and other defensive masters, he can be said to be a master of skills.

The first thing he did was restrict Durant from catching the ball.

Because he has puppy steps, this makes Durant's catching environment obviously difficult.

In the end, Durant was forced to move to the three-point line to get the ball.

Butler saw Durant receiving the ball and immediately put pressure on the ball, preventing Durant from easily starting.

Durant obviously felt uncomfortable, just like the discomfort he felt when he was defended by Xu Yong before.

But soon, Butler paid the tuition for his youth.

Durant made a huge loop and caused a defensive foul on him.gif.

This is a new move that Durant developed last season in addition to holding the ball.

Because his center of gravity is too high, it is not easy to get off the ball when facing a pressing defense. This kind of foul can create offensive space for himself.

In fact, this was indeed the case. After Durant continued to hold the ball after the sideline ball was sent, Butler did not dare to press any more.

As a starting player, he basically has to take a rest after committing two fouls.

Then Durant dropped the ball and shot directly at Butler.

Butler struggled to pounce, but in fact his defense failed. When Durant pulled up, the only thing that could affect him was his own touch.

"Shh!"

Durant wielded the death sickle to complete the harvest again. He also scored 6 consecutive points in the opening game.

Durant looked at Xu Yong again with drawn eyes, but he found that Xu Yong had already taken Butler to chat, and he stamped his feet in anger.

"Pay attention to his shoulders. Before he joins the ball, his shoulders will be pulled in. If you think he is going to pull the ball out, start cutting the ball." Xu Yongzai shared his experience with Butler.

Limited by his physical condition, it is difficult for Butler to become a first-defense player, but with his skills and fighting spirit, it is not difficult to become a regular in the second defense as in history.

Even because there are many subjects to study, he can join them earlier, as long as he accumulates experience faster.

"Defense! Defense!"

Durant's consecutive scoring ignited the emotions of Oklahoma City fans, and the audience cheered neatly for defense.

After Xu Yong got the ball, he found that his defender had become Reggie Jackson.

In the round when Durant committed a foul, Jackson came on the court to replace Sefolosha.

And Jackson also pressed closely to prevent him from letting the ball go easily.

He vaguely noticed something, and instead of rushing to attack, he turned sideways and held the ball with one hand, protecting the ball while observing the inside defense.

Sure enough, this is a defensive trap.

Jackson is a super wingspan monster, with a height of 1 meters and a wingspan of 88 meters. The difference in height and wingspan is an astonishing 2cm, which is even more exaggerated than Rondo.

This kind of static talent, coupled with his excellent physical fitness, gives him the ability to misplace defense swingmen.

But if you ask a 1-meter man to guard a 88-meter man, that person will still be Xu Yong. This is a bit unrealistic no matter how you look at it.

After all, wingspan only alleviates the lack of height during misalignment, but weight and confrontation cannot make up for it.

Therefore, the only possibility is to attack him from the front and back when he breaks through, and form a front-to-back attack on him at the first opportunity.

In that case, Jackson's speed and wingspan can be used to their greatest advantage.

Brooks is indeed capable, because this is basically equivalent to a new way of defense.

After quickly analyzing the situation, Xu Yong immediately chose a post-up singles.

This time he gave a hard confrontation, forcing Jackson to take a heavy heart. When the gap in confrontation was so obvious, Jackson had no choice.

After doing this, Xu Yong quickly turned around to the three-point line to distance himself from Jackson, and then shot a fadeaway jumper.

Even if Jackson has a longer wingspan at this time, he can only become a decoration.

"Shh!"

Xu Yong easily hit this jumper without interference.

And after the hit, he didn't look at Jackson or even Brooks. Instead, he faced Durant's direction and smiled meaningfully.

The shouts at the scene instantly turned into agitation.

Tonight Xu Yong not only scored, but also showed off.

Face the basket, break through with your left hand, reverse dunk, throw, turn and lean back...

This is to forcefully display the exhibits in the museum that he attacked one by one.

Brooks looked helpless at this time.

In addition to his skills, he also saw Xu Yong's on-court coping ability.

You must know that it was the first round after the defensive adjustment!
It's unreasonable for a 23-year-old player to play more maturely than other 32-year-old players.

And back on the defensive end, Durant was stimulated and rushed to attack, but Butler seized the opportunity to complete the steal.

The Bulls played a fast break. Xu Yong accelerated violently past Harden during the fast break, and smashed the ball into the basket with a gliding tomahawk.

Brooks called a timeout.

Although the score on the field is only 12 to 8, the Thunder are now in trouble on both offense and defense.

"Incredible, Xu scored the Bulls' first 12 points!" During this timeout, Mike Breen in the commentary box couldn't help but exclaimed.

Not only because of Xu Yong's scoring stability, but also because of Xu Yong's physical fitness.

The only people who could score points so violently and still look energetic after scoring points were Jordan, Kobe Bryant at his peak, and James in certain periods of time.

"Kevin, Xu is deliberately irritating you." After coming off the court, Harden immediately pulled Durant and said.

He knew Xu Yong too well. If Xu Yong's scoring at the beginning was just a tactical need, then that smile just now clearly was to stimulate Durant and him to score.

To know the Thunder's improvement in strength this season, Durant's saving of physical fitness until the fourth quarter is a key factor.

The Bulls are now weaker. If they want to win, they can only break the Thunder's winning pattern.

Durant was gasping for air.

His physical fitness is definitely still there, but it's like playing 2K sprint and pressing too many buttons. Continuous singles with the ball makes his physical fitness drop quickly.

What?Xu Yong is also playing consecutive singles with the ball?

The lengths of their stamina bars are different.

Brooks also realized this and made tactical adjustments.

After the timeout, the Thunder's tactical focus shifted. Harden and Gasol played a pick-and-roll. After the split, a beautiful ball was passed to Gasol. Gasol's attack on the frame successfully caused Brown to foul, and he went to the free throw line and made two free throws. middle.

And looking back, the Thunder conducted a more thorough three-man encirclement on Xu Yong after he broke through.

Xu Yong's double hit the ball to Butler at a 45° angle on the weak side.

But it's a pity that Butler failed to seize the opportunity this time.

In fact, including the three-pointer that Hinrich missed earlier, the Bulls' outside touch was not good tonight.

After Gasol protected the defensive rebound, the Thunder went on a fast break. Reggie Jackson showed his own characteristics and immediately received the ball and scored on the fast break.

After returning from the timeout, the Thunder's offense and defense were effective and quickly tied the score.

As the number one team in the Western Conference so far this season, with only one fewer win than the Heat in terms of record, the Thunder's hard power lies here.

Thibodeau scratched his head.

The strategy he formulated after discussing with Xu Yong was to play in space. For this reason, he did not even let Allen play, but the current problem is that the outside touch is not good, and this has been discovered by the Thunder.

So what happens next, the Thunder will only be more determined to double-team Xu Yong.

Then, he turned around and called up Artest and West. All he could do was rotate and try the skills of others.

Xu Yong held the ball in the frontcourt and still did not rush to attack.

Of course, he also knows the problems Thibodeau is aware of.

He did not continue to play in singles, but chose to attack facing the basket, breaking through to the elbow area and making a pull-up.

In this case, he can only do multiple choice questions.

The stability of scoring when shooting away from the basket will decline, and there will also be the problems of rebounding and retreating as mentioned at the beginning, but it can avoid being flanked. After all, it takes time to get through.

The test at this time is whether his hand is strong enough.

Jackson's speed and long arms came into play at this time, and he gave Xu Yong enough interference without the defense being out of position.

The fans at the scene showed their expectations. Xu Yong's offensive choice at this time was forced. In the current situation, as long as Xu Yong scores a break, the Bulls' offense will be broken, which means that the Thunder can open up the score. .

"Shh!"

But their expectations were ultimately dashed. Xu Yong hit this pull-up against Jackson's defense!
Although this ball is difficult, it is obvious that Xu Yong has successfully developed his touch by scoring consecutively before.

"Defense! Do your defense!" When the Bulls retreated to the defensive end, Thibodeau stood up and shouted on the sidelines.

When there was no way to break the game, Xu Yong used his pure personal ability to achieve what he said before "getting the offense". Now he needs others to get the defense.

Under Thibodeau's shouts, the Bulls' defensive enthusiasm is increasing.

Harden broke through Brown after the pick-and-roll, but Battier shrank his position under the basket in advance and successfully caused Harden's offensive foul.

With this offense and defense, the Bulls stabilized the situation on the court again.

The scene was agitated. The Thunder were obviously stronger, but they just couldn't hold the Bulls down.

When Xu Yong got the ball again in the frontcourt, Brooks shouted from the sidelines, and he was a little anxious.

The Thunder didn't wait for Xu Yong to make a move and immediately started to double-team him.

Although Brooks was anxious, his thinking was fine. Since Xu Yong was the only one in the Bulls to score, just force the ball out of his hands.

Moreover, the Bulls have no shooting skills from outside three-point range at the moment, so the risk taken by doing so is not great.

But Xu Yong's choice surprised Brooks again.

Looking at Harden who was flanking him in advance, Xu Yong did not choose to pass the ball, but took the initiative to move in the direction of Harden, then changed direction toward the sideline without slowing down, and passed Harden's defense!

What was running through his mind at this time was the decision he had made before, to become Kobe.

What was supposed to be a double-team scene turned out to be Jackson and Harden chasing Xu Yong from behind!
Gasol under the basket and Durant on the weak side were both on their way to help defend.

Xu Yong did not panic, nor was he in a hurry to shoot the ball. Instead, he dropped his steps and stopped suddenly, and then made a steady shooting motion.

Because he really scored too many points, both Jackson and Harden instinctively pounced on the ball.

This was what Xu Yong was waiting for. He quickly collected the ball, then turned around, shook everyone away, and shot backward.

From the change of direction to forcefully break through the double team, to the emergency stop and the feint, to the final step back, the entire action was done in one go.

The fans at the scene were dumbfounded. Xu Yong could still be so calm under heavy blockage!
"Shh!"

The sound of the basketball falling into the net came again, and the scene was in an uproar.

Brooks also put his hands on his head in disbelief.

"God! Xu Lian scored 16 points! He was the only one on the Bulls to score, but the Thunder had absolutely nothing to do with him!" Brin was not only surprised at this time, but shocked.

The previous goals can be explained by the fact that the Thunder did not pay enough attention to Xu Yong's defense, but in the past two rounds, especially this round, the Thunder almost pounced on them, but they still failed to defend!
At this moment, Xu Yong was really like Satan coming to the world, making the Thunder team feel desperate.

And after the offensive and defensive transition, the Bulls continued the defensive intensity of the previous round. Jackson's attack frame with the ball was directly missed by Brown.

The game entered a dead ball, and substitutions were made on both sides. West and Artest came on to replace Hinrich and Battier.

Xu Yong took a few breaths and then looked up at the scoreboard.

16:12.

Because his teammates failed to shoot from the outside, the game deviated greatly from what he planned.

If the Bulls were accurate on the outside, he would basically be one-on-one, or at most one-on-two when breaking through the three-second zone.

If he plays like that, he is sure to last until the end of the game while only focusing on offense.

But now, the Thunder's entire defense is basically on top of him.

In order to break through this kind of defense, the physical energy he needs to expend is completely different.

In the round just now, to use the 2K analogy, he had to press the accelerator button until the stamina gauge was empty in a single round to achieve that effect.

Not only does this consume a lot of physical energy, but it also takes a while to recover.

If he continues to play like this despite being surrounded by many people, it will be difficult for him to continue to maintain his offensive efficiency, and he will not be able to support the whole game.

And he doesn't really want to become Kobe. Kobe's 35.4-point season has been questioned. In addition to his scoring numbers, he also has the seventh-best record in the Western Conference.

He keeps playing hard against many people, but his efficiency declines later in the game, and he will return to what he thought before. His teammates will follow him and run back, and finally he will no longer know how to play.

After his breathing calmed down a bit, he called Butler to his side to explain a few words.

The Thunder failed to score in the last wave of offense, and Brown protected the defensive rebound.

In the Bulls' offense, Xu Yong continued to be flanked with the ball, but there was a small detail on the court that basically no one noticed. Butler and West exchanged defensive positions.

Originally, Butler was at a 45° angle on the weak side, but now he was standing at the top of the arc.

It was this inconspicuous change that made Xu Yong make a different choice from the previous round.

After being flanked, he immediately passed the ball to Butler at the top of the key.

This time, not only Durant, who came over to attack, but also Jackson, who was originally defending Xu Yong, was stunned.

Why did Xu Yong suddenly not follow the routine?
Then, they felt a "swish" and something flew past their faces.

When I took a closer look, Xu Yongren was gone!

Butler has organizational ability, and Butler in history is an outstanding organizational forward.

Of course, because he didn't get any training opportunities, his ability has not been developed at this time, and it is still more in the theoretical stage.

However, compared to Shane Battier, he at least has it.

So after receiving the ball, Butler did two things. He broke through to the free throw line with the ball to attack the basket, and then distributed the ball to Xu Yong, who passed through the double attack without the ball.

This is what Xu Yong communicated with him in the very short period of time.

Of course, the main reason why Xu Yong chose Butler instead of West was to create surprise.

Little did the Thunder know that Butler, a late first-round pick who has improved this season but is limited to 3D, would have such ability.

He did succeed.

Even though Butler's ball was not that comfortable, and he made some angle adjustments after catching the ball, when he went straight into the penalty area, the rest of the Thunder team didn't react at all.

With a light flying layup, Xu Yong scored his 18th point after the opening, scoring 18 consecutive points in the opening game!
And after scoring, he looked back and saw Durant coming after him, shrugged and made his signature hand-opening celebration.

Harden's judgment was of course correct. While scoring, he was also looking for opportunities to stimulate Durant.

Otherwise, if he runs out of energy in the final quarter and Durant is still full of blood, the Bulls will not be able to win, and no matter how many points he scores, he will just be called the leader of the empty-cutting group.

Durant's breathing quickened.

He knew what Harden said was right, but whether it was right or not didn't matter at all at this time.

The Thunder advanced to the frontcourt, and Durant resumed his back-up pursuit of the ball, with a tough attitude.

The man's damn desire to win has made him desperate.

(End of this chapter)