no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 215 72 points in a single game!Change of kingship

At the end of the first quarter, the Bulls led 40 to 34.

Xu Yong played the entire first quarter, scoring 15 points on 13-for-30 in a single quarter, including 18 points in the opening game.

Brooks tried all defensive methods except Box-1 in this quarter, but they were unable to restrict Xu Yong.

If the team hadn't usually practiced such extreme defensive tactics, he would definitely want to try it.

It is worth mentioning that this is the first time in Xu Yong's career that he has scored 30 points in a single quarter, which also puts him in the ranks of new NBA legendary records.

Before him, only 6 players had scored 30 or more points in a single quarter, and among active players, only Kobe had done it twice.

Durant also scored 25 points in this quarter, setting a new personal scoring record in a single quarter.

This quarter of the game can be said to be a scoring battle between Xu Yong and Durant.

Moreover, the coaches on both sides used various defensive tactics, but in the end they failed to restrain the other side.

Stern grinned widely as he watched the TV.

Let’s not talk about the rest of the game, just in this quarter of the game, the topic between Xu Yong and Durant has been full, and the image of the old enemy has been established.

Of course, in addition to Stern, Xu Yong was also happy on the bench.

Although he was very tired after the first quarter.

Butler's pass was just a surprise, and he currently has no ability to dilute the ball.

More often, Xu Yong still has to rely on his one-on-one ability to solve problems.

However, because his performance of scoring 18 consecutive points in the opening game was so explosive, subsequent fake moves could easily create space or cause fouls.

This made it much easier for him to score later, and was also the key to his ability to score 30 points in a single quarter.

What makes him happy is that he is tired, and Durant will only be more tired.

At the end of the first quarter, he saw Durant already supporting his waist.

You see, it's a good thing for Durant that Scarlett doesn't like Durant.

Durant's size and physical ability do not allow him to play a protracted game.

If word gets out that Durant can't do it, it will be more hurtful than not being interested.

In the second quarter, neither Xu Yong nor Durant scored many points. Xu Yong scored 11 points and Durant scored 8 points.

On the one hand, their physical energy consumption was very high in the first quarter, and it was difficult to recover after a few minutes of rest. On the other hand, in the second quarter, the defenses on both sides of the game could be said to be chasing and intercepting them.

However, the Bulls only trailed the Thunder 64 to 69 at halftime.

After Artest and Gibson entered the bench, the ability of the Bulls' bench has been significantly improved.

As an older rookie, Gibson has started more than half of the time with the Bulls in more than three seasons. His ability and experience have reached the peak of his career.

As for Artest, although his ability has declined, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and he still has an advantage when playing as a substitute.

Of course, the most critical reason why the Bulls were able to cling to the Thunder in the first half was Xu Yong.

Xu Yong scored 41 points at halftime!
According to the fans, if there are 41 points in the half, then there cannot be 82 points in the whole game?
After the half-time break, the game between the two sides continued in the second half.

The third quarter of the game is just like the Battle of Tianwangshan in the series, it is very critical for both sides.

Just at the beginning of this quarter, the Bulls received their best good news tonight, and their outside touch recovered.

As soon as they returned in the second half, Butler and Hinrich hit three-pointers from the outside.

This change forced the Thunder to reduce their defensive investment in Xu Yong.

This gave Xu Yongxin a chance. After halftime, he recovered a lot physically and scored another 17 points in a single quarter.

The Bulls also successfully overtook the score 90-88 in this quarter.

At the end of the festival, his statistics were displayed on the large LED screen and on the live broadcast screen, with the words "new record" written on them.

34投21中，三分2中1，罚球16罚15中，58分7板5助攻1抢断1盖帽3犯规4失误。

Xu Yong's previous highest score in a single game was 53 points, which coincidentally was also achieved against the Thunder.

If the Raptors are Kobe's lucky team, then Xu Yong's lucky team is the Thunder.

At the same time, behind his data, there are also the statistics of Kobe Bryant on December 2005, 12, when the latter scored 21 points in three quarters against the Mavericks.

This is the first time in the NBA's nearly 20 years that someone has come so close to Kobe's statistic.

And unlike Kobe, who had already decided the winner at the end of the third quarter, the Thunder and Bulls are still in a stalemate. This means that Xu Yong's score tonight started at 60, and 70 is not a dream.

In fact, things are moving in this direction.

In the last quarter of the game, Xu Yong's physical fitness shocked everyone.

Especially when the game comes to the final quarter, even though his shooting percentage drops, he can still get rid of defenders and complete those shots.

Kobe's 81-point game that year made many NBA players sigh because Kobe took 46 shots in the game.

Note that this is only the number of shots included in the statistics. Blocked shots or other situations will not be included in the statistics.

In other words, Kobe took at least 50 shots in that game.

And just this point alone, not many people can do it in NBA games, because if you complete such a number of shots under that kind of confrontation, your hands will basically become numb when shooting from behind.

These words were Tracy McGrady's original words in the game when he scored 62 points. He also wanted to score 70 or even 80 points, but he couldn't shoot later and hit 10 of 1 in the last quarter.

Xu Yong undoubtedly reminded fans of this in the last quarter.

Even, the feeling is stronger.

Because Kobe could score 81 points that year, the biggest reason was that the Raptors used one-on-one defense against him most of the time, a defensive method similar to the "Anti-Jordan Law". The defense that Kobe encountered was lower intensity, and also Can take more outside shots.

But the Bulls' strategy tonight is for Xu Yong to break through more inside. This physical consumption is different.

And in that game, Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell had a lot of success factors until the fourth quarter, but Brooks didn't have that tonight.

Although because the Bulls found the target on the outside, he was unable to surround Xu Yong with multiple players like he did in the first half, but as long as Xu Yong gets inside, flanking is the norm.

So visually speaking, Xu Yong tonight was even more shocking than Kobe's 81-point game.

In sharp contrast, Durant is no longer good.

In the last quarter, Durant was basically invisible on the court. Driven by the desire to win, he competed with Xu Yong for three quarters. It felt like his body was hollowed out, and there was really not a drop left in his body.

Seeing Xu Yong still taking shots on the court, he was heartbroken.

Because he also realized that compared to scoring, the real gap between him and Xu Yong is physical fitness and endurance.

And this is actually the only thing that interests Scarlett in a basketball game.

Painful realization.

But just like he will fight tooth and nail in the first quarter, the biggest difference between him and James is that he doesn't understand Smart basketball.

His character is very real, or it can be understood as a down-to-earth ordinary person.

If you stimulate me, I will follow you;
If I can't beat you, then I'll spray you.

So he started using various occasions to trash talk Xu Yong.

His level of trash talking is certainly limited, despite Harden trying to stop him from doing so.

Xu Yong didn't pay attention to him at first. After all, he had promised Harden to let him go, and his physical energy was basically exhausted, so he didn't have any extra energy to quarrel with others.

But Durant was too real. Seeing Xu Yong talk back, he thought Xu Yong was afraid, so he increased his intensity.

Finally, when Durant came to him and chatted after he scored, he spat back.

And with just one sentence, Durant, who was still continuing to output, instantly turned into a deflated ball.

"If you really want to drink Scarlett's bath water, I have a pool at home, which is enough."

Harden was not far away at this time, and the corners of his mouth twitched when he heard these words.

If Xu Yong had ignored him when chatting with him before and refused to admit his relationship with Scarlett, then this sentence just now would be regarded as a change of direction and admission.

Although the matter of female celebrities staying overnight is just like those cheating girls on the Internet saying that they just spent the night chatting with other boys in the room, and you can know what happened with your toes, guessing and admitting are two different things.

Moreover, Xu Yong's level of trash talk is really too high now, every sentence is explosive.

Why do you think Durant refuses to listen to advice?
Xu Yong's trash talk also became a watershed in the fourth quarter. After Durant obviously withered, the entire morale of the Thunder team collapsed.

In the end, after four quarters of fierce battle, the Bulls defeated the Thunder 118-110 and won this focus battle.

Xu Yong is undoubtedly the most dazzling person tonight.

When he was substituted 30 seconds before the end of the game, his detailed statistics were again played on the spot.

30 points in the first quarter, 11 points in the second quarter, 17 points in the third quarter, and 14 points in the fourth quarter.

全场46投26中，三分4中1，罚球20罚19中，72分8板6助攻2抢断1盖帽4犯规5失误！

In comparison, although Durant also posted well tonight, his 48 points pale in comparison.

When Xu Yong came off the field, Thibodeau hugged him actively and forcefully.

He thought that Xu Yong could do everything he said before, but he really didn't expect that he scored 72 points.

You must know that before this, only three people had scored higher than this, Chamberlain, Kobe and David Thompson.

Yes, without Jordan, Jordan's single-game scoring record is 69 points.

And this kind of record is valuable if you study it carefully. Just like David Robinson once scored 71 points, but his purely brushed score has become an important basis for fans to ridicule him.

But Xu Yong, in terms of gold content alone, his 72 points even surpassed Kobe's 81 points.

When the live camera showed Xu Yong sitting on the bench gasping for air, bursts of applause erupted from the scene.

Originally this was just a regular season, even if there were many topics in it, it was just a regular season.

But Xu Yong's crazy scoring performance made this game destined to go down in history, and they were fortunate to be witnesses of history.

On social media after the game, fans were already in a frenzy.

"Great scoring performance, I even think because the opponent is the Thunder, it is the greatest scoring performance in history!"

"I haven't watched the game between Chamberlain and David Thompson, but I have watched Kobe's 81-point game. To be honest, Xu gave me a more shocking feeling. This is the greatest scoring performance."

"During the most difficult period for the Bulls, Xu's crazy scoring instilled the greatest confidence in Chicago fans. As long as Xu is here, we will be the defending champion!"

"He only felt good in the first quarter. Did you see that he scored more than 20 points in the next four quarters? He surpassed Kobe, man, he blew it!" A comment from "KBfnas".

"The Thunder did not maintain their defensive intensity against Xu in the second half. On the other hand, Kevin Durant was trapped for the whole game. I don't think there is much difference between their performances." Comment from "Los Angeles Nation".

"Yes, brother, I couldn't agree with you. If Durant is given the same defensive intensity, I believe he can even score more points." A comment from "Cleveland Kingdom Guard".

……

After the game, Xu Yong asked the team doctor to give himself a good massage.

Although he won't be injured, the fatigue and soreness in his body are really terrible.

He's a guy who doesn't crave numbers that much, so he'd rather not have another night like this if possible.

Of course, knowing that he had no choice, he could only relax in this way and take a look at social media on his phone.

Who doesn't like to watch others brag about themselves?

This has nothing to do with age or personality, it is simply a kind of spiritual enjoyment.

Then he saw Durant's trumpet remarks.

He couldn't help but smile wryly.

Pity.

He didn't know who the "No. [-] Xu Chui" was. After all, the Pacers still had Stephenson, but the "No. [-] Xu Hei" was born tonight.

……

Just like Kobe's 81 points that year, Xu Yong's 72 points began to break the circle on the second day.

And he broke the circle quite thoroughly.

Because Swift's "I.Knew.You.Were.Trouble" with him as the background has also begun to explode in North America.

This is a pop song that incorporates many elements such as electric bass and dubstep. It is completely different from Swift's previous country music. It has been evaluated by the media as the song "least like Taylor Swift".

But its melody and rhythm are extremely rhythmic, and it is very popular.

In addition, Scarlett also posted a social media status of "My Mr. 72 Points" at this time to join in the fun.

It is no exaggeration to say that Xu Yong has become the most talked about person in North American sports circles during this period, and his reputation as "Satan" has spread far and wide.

The number of celebrities attending Bulls games has increased dramatically. According to insiders, if you don't have status, you can't get front row tickets even if you have money.

Of course, with some fans bragging on social media, a lot of blackmail naturally arises.

Because many fans like to compare his 72 points with Kobe's 81 points, and they always mention the gold content.

This makes many Komi feel unhappy, as they are the largest group.

"He just scored a high score in one game", "According to you, David Thompson is better than Kobe", "Only when you score consecutive high scores can you really score", there are endless comments like this. .

Of course, whether it's bragging or blackmail, he doesn't pay attention to it now.

Because the Bulls have a tough schedule ahead.

They are going on a road trip to the Western Conference. The Spurs, Nuggets, and Grizzlies are not good opponents.

Especially the game against the Thunder was the first game where they adjusted their game strategy. Brooks was somewhat unable to cope with it, but he will definitely be studied and targeted in the future.

Especially, the next game is against the Spurs, and Popovich is not easy to deal with.

In fact, this is indeed the case. He encountered crazy defense at the beginning of the game against the Spurs.

Even the various small attacks he received during the game were unprecedented, and some minor conflicts broke out between the two sides.

Don't think that just because the Spurs have Duncan, they are a team that earns respect by strength. Bowen, Finley, etc., this team has no shortage of villains.

In terms of dirtiness, they and the Pistons can be regarded as having two walls.

However, after the game, Xu Yong still scored 43 points and led the Bulls to defeat their opponents.

It is not easy to score 40 points against the Spurs, but there is no way, who calls him Xu Yong.

The Spurs' 2-1-2 zone defense is called "Kobe Bryant's Happy Zone Defense" by fans, but is it not "Xu Yong's Happy Zone Defense"?
Although the Bulls' strategy is for Xu Yong to get to the basket for sudden points, he can still complete the offense if there is an opportunity in the mid-range, and that is Xu Yong's sweet spot.

Of course, there is another point that cannot be ignored. The Spurs do not have Leonard.

Historically, the Spurs have been able to remain strong even after their GDP has aged, and Leonard's presence is a key factor.

Without Leonard, Danny Green alone cannot support the Spurs' defense.

Without that kind of defense, it would be difficult for the Spurs to play the unsolvable offensive and defensive system in history.

The same thing happened to the Nuggets.

Digital Man participated in Howard's trade in history and sent Iguodala to the Nuggets.

But because they were able to get Bynum, and now Bynum is still with the Lakers, Iguodala naturally did not come to the Nuggets.

This Nuggets team, led by George Karl, is called the "Track Team" and is an offensive team.

It can be said that the two sides ran on the court for the whole game, and then Xu Yong suddenly scored 51 points.

Then, the Bulls won three games in a row.

In the last game of the week, the Bulls played the Grizzlies and lost 91-101.

The main reason is the Grizzlies' black and white duo, which restrains the Bulls' current style of play.Because Xu Yong cannot break through to the basket, the effect of sudden points is relatively average.

This is why a breakthrough player is always afraid of a team with strong inside strength, because the only way he can score points stably is breakthrough.

However, Xu Yong still scored 40 points with his mid-to-long-range performance.

He scored 4+ points in 40 consecutive games and was undoubtedly selected as the best player of the week.

This week, under his leadership, the Bulls achieved a record of 3 wins and 1 loss, and he averaged 51.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block per game, shooting 51.6% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range. Rate.

In particular, his scoring average is unprecedented. Fans who have not followed the game recently will subconsciously think that the data is wrong.

For comparison, Westbrook, who was elected in the same week in the Western Conference, also led the team to a record of 3 wins and 1 loss, averaging 21.5 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists per game.

This kind of performance has also reduced fans' doubts about him on social media, and even many fans who originally followed the trend have begun to become fans.

To paraphrase a fan, even if you open up the game to others, they won't be able to produce such data.

Some fans have even begun to discuss the topic of "whether Xu Yong is the strongest player currently in service."

Then the answers they came up with were surprisingly consistent.

James is Xu Yong's perennial loser. No matter how fierce the James fans are, it is not enough in front of Xu Yong;

As for Durant, regardless of durability, he has yet to lead his team to the Finals, so he is naturally at a disadvantage;

The only one who has any suspense is probably Kobe Bryant, who currently ranks first in overall strength.

Because of Bynum's injury, Kobe began to take more shots, and his data also increased. He now averages 28.2 points per game, the highest since the 07-08 MVP season.

Xu Yong and Kobe look a bit like Jordan and "Magic" back then.

……

It’s late December, and Christmas is coming soon.

Because the Bulls are not scheduled for a Christmas Day game this year, this is their most leisurely game in recent seasons.

After the last game before Christmas, Xu Yong invited the whole team to his manor.

He held a pool barbecue party here.

To add to the fun, he also contacted some party girls, focusing on one to make his teammates relax.

What?Is the swimming pool cold in winter?
His swimming pool is heated!
And it is very comfortable to bask in the sun in winter.

Xu Yong and Yao Ming were leaning on the beach chairs at this time, watching their teammates playing in the swimming pool and on the edge.

"Is there really Scarlett's bath water in this swimming pool?" Yao Ming focuses on a curious baby.

Like James' trash talk, Xu Yong's trash talk was also exposed by the media after the game.

Xu Yong knew Yao Ming's character and nodded openly to admit it.

"But if Durant really wants it, he probably has to look for it in the sewer, because the water has been changed." Xu Yong continued to explain.

Yao Ming was stunned for a moment, then laughed so loudly that it turned into the word "囧".

After he finished laughing, he couldn't help but reach out and give Xu Yong a thumbs up.

In terms of relationships, Xu Yong was different from other Chinese people. To be honest, he couldn't help but envy him in this regard.

"Thank you for your hard work this month." Yao Ming then said with emotion.

Although the statistics are gorgeous, Xu Yong's tiredness can be completely felt by him as a teammate.

And Xu Yongnai was right, he was really afraid that Xu Yong would fall.

"I got through it all." Xu Yong said and breathed a sigh of relief.

Yao Ming will return next week, and his life as a cow and horse will be much easier.

Yao Ming nodded, but there was a hint of sadness between his eyebrows.

This time his recovery from injury was not ideal, especially during the recovery stage. He could feel many aspects of himself, such as speed and explosive power.

Perhaps he was really sick due to overwork, and he had reached a stage where he couldn't even lose weight.

But thinking on the bright side, if he can play, Xu Yong can at least relax.

At this time, there was the sound of a car engine. Xu Yong stood up from the beach chair and said, "Here we come."

Yao Ming stood up in confusion, and then saw Butler and Teague carrying a large box over.

"What is that?" Yao Ming was full of curiosity.

"Christmas gift." Xu Yong said, already greeting his teammates.

It is not uncommon for players to give gifts to their teammates in the NBA.

Yao Ming also gave his teammates Maotai liquor with Chinese characteristics.

Xu Yong opened the box by the swimming pool and took out the gift, which was a box of beautifully packaged Rolex watches.

He delivered them to his teammates one by one.

Yao Ming took it and didn't pay much attention to it at first, but when he opened it and found that it was a gold watch with his name on it, he suddenly realized that Xu Yong had spent a lot of money this time.

Other team members also discovered this one after another, and some began to shout excitedly.

"Ron, you don't have to hold it like that, this watch is waterproof." Xu Yong smiled and said to Artest who was still in the swimming pool.

These are all customized watches, each costing US$4, including one he owns and one he had someone send to Rose’s house, which cost him a total of US$60.
This is no small feat.

Of course, in Xu Yong's opinion, it is very necessary.

Because he has been scoring high points in the past month, all the data belongs to him, and his teammates have made sacrifices to a greater or lesser extent.

Especially players like Gibson and Artest, who have sacrificed a lot from starting to coming off the bench.

Artest happily put it on and couldn't put it down.

Teammates also came over to hug him one after another, and then said words of thanks.

This Christmas was so worth it.

……

Time came to January, and Yao Ming finally made his comeback after missing the first three months of the regular season.

And when he comes back, he will play against a strong team like the Mavericks.

In the end the Bulls lost the game.

With Nash and Nowitzki returning one after another, coupled with Leonard's growth, the Mavericks are very strong.

They overtook the Lakers in record last month and reached the second place in the Western Conference.

Xu Yong only scored 38 points in the game, ending his sinful 9 consecutive games with 40+ points. This record is tied with Jordan and Kobe, and tied for the first place in history.

Leonard can be said to be the best defensive player among active players in the league.

Yao Ming did not perform well in his first game after his comeback, only scoring 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Of course, in the first game of comeback, the opponent is a team like the Mavericks, which is a favorite to compete for the championship, which doesn't explain too much.

However, in the following games, Yao Ming's data basically stayed at this level, averaging about 15 points per game, and more rebounds, up to about 9.

Now, everyone including Xu Yong knew that he really couldn't go back this time.

And this means that Xu Yong needs to do more in the next games.

……

Time has come to the end of January.

Although Yao Ming's performance has declined significantly, his comeback has significantly improved the Bulls' strength.

The Bulls overtook the Pacers in terms of record, ranking third in the Eastern Conference behind the Heat and Nets.

Xu Yong's season average data has stabilized at around 33 points per game. This is the first time someone has reached this level since Kobe Bryant's 35.4-point season.

It still needs to be emphasized that before the second attack was reformed to 14 seconds and the number of rounds was increased, the average score in this game was very high.

At this time, the league announced the All-Star voting and substitute lineups for the 2012~2013 season.

East: Wade, Xu Yong, Anthony, James, Yao Ming;
Irving, George, Iguodala, Bosh, Garnett, Brook Lopez, Howard
West: Paul, Harden, Kobe, Durant, Griffin;

Westbrook, Parker, Nash, Nowitzki, David Lee, Noah, Zach Randolph
Xu Yong was elected as the vote king for the third consecutive year, and directly raised the vote record to the 400 million level.

In the business of recording the number of votes, he is unparalleled, and he is the only one competing with himself.

However, this situation "may" change in the future.

Because Yao Ming became the starting center in the Eastern Conference this year, fans' dissatisfaction with the voting mechanism reached its peak.

Although Stern still pretended not to hear anything as usual.

The most depressed person at this time should be Howard. He should feel that he should have gone to the Lakers in the first place, so that at least the exposure would still be there.

And it’s also worth noting that there are quite a few new faces in the All-Stars this year, which means that a new generation is quietly coming.

……

After the All-Star Game, the annual trade deadline comes.

This year's deadline can be quite exciting.

Because before the All-Star Weekend, rumors of various trades were already flying, and deals had already been reached.

The Grizzlies sent Rudy Gay to the Raptors just before the All-Star break.

This wave of fans caused complaints from many fans, because the Grizzlies only received Calderon, Ed Davis and a second-round pick.

This wave can be said to be a free gift.

Then there is the Celtics. With the departure of Ray Allen, the aging lineup, and O'Neal's injury, the Celtics' competitiveness has plummeted.

Last season's Eastern Conference semifinals, where Pierce shitted the field, basically announced the end of this team, and Pierce and Garnett were packed and put on the shelf.

All this turmoil is traceable, because these transactions or rumors, and the reason why the Lakers amnested Okafor, are all preparations for the super luxury tax in the 2013~2014 season.

That level of super luxury tax cannot be tolerated by ordinary teams.

And because of the super luxury tax, this year's trade deadline was dominated by thunder and rain.

The biggest trade came from a three-way trade between the Magic, Bucks and Bobcats, and the biggest player among them was just JJ Redick of the Magic. The Orlandoans traded him for Doron Lamb and Tebe. Yas Harris two young men.

But both the Bulls and Pacers took action at this time.

The Bulls reached a three-way deal with the Knicks and Rockets.

The Bulls sent Kenyon Martin and next year's first-round pick to the Rockets in exchange for Marcus Morris.

Martin was sent to the Knicks, and the Rockets only received a first-round pick.

Martin basically has no chance to play in the Bulls, so it is expected that the Bulls will deal with him.

Marcus Morris, who they value, is the younger brother of the Morris brothers. He was selected by the Rockets with the 14th overall pick in the first round of last year's draft.

Morris is 2 meters tall in shoes. He mainly played power forward in college. When he entered the league, he was a swing forward, but he mainly played power forward.

His biggest feature is that his shooting range can be extended to the three-point line. He didn't have a chance with the Rockets last season, but he entered the rotation this season and averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He averaged 3.6 three-point shots and hit 38.5%. .

Looking at the data, Morris is a promising player, but in fact his overall shooting rate is only 42.6%, which is very inefficient as an inside line.

The main reason for this is that he is "neither three nor four". As the third position, he is not fast enough, and as the fourth position, he suffers from confrontation and height.

This is also the main reason why the Rockets sold him at a low price. Of course, in addition to this, Mogou is helping the boss save money as always, especially when the super luxury tax is approaching, he will pay more attention to this.

The Bulls' idea is relatively simple.

After Yao Ming's comeback, his strength declined, and they could only play more space basketball. At this time, inside players who can shoot three-pointers are their favorite.

As for first-round picks, you can’t expect to draw the jackpot at the end of the first round every year, right?

But there is a more important reason, which is that the Bulls will have two first-round picks next season.

In addition to the one that has been traded away, there is also the 2013 Raptors first-round draft pick that Yao Ming received from the Rockets when he joined.

This is a lottery pick.

Because the Raptors didn't expect Bosh to go to the Heat, the draft rights were unprotected when they were traded to the Rockets.

Now, the Raptors' record ranks last in the Eastern Conference.

Of course, at this time, you have to admire Forman's forward vision, because the season when Yao Ming came to the Bulls happened to be the season when the Heat's Big Three teamed up.

Competing for the championship, but still having the opportunity to be picked in the lottery, it is simply not too happy.

Then there's the Pacers.

They traded a second-round pick to the Raptors in exchange for Dengta Jones.

Jones played for the Pacers for the previous three seasons and was once a strong 3D player. After his contract expired, he went to the Raptors.

Now that Richardson is in a difficult position, the Pacers traded him back to obviously strengthen the defensive capabilities of the back line.

Then, a few days after the trade deadline, the Pacers faced the Lakers.

Although times have changed, the encounter between James and Kobe still attracted a lot of attention.

Especially after more than half of the season, Howard and James seem to have settled their relationship, and the Pacers have regained their competitiveness in the Eastern Conference.

The game was tight and the Pacers clearly had the advantage.

The main reason is naturally that the Lakers are weak inside.

Facing this kind of team, the Pacers, two regulars in "Shaq's Big Five", can be said to have performed very well this season.

The Lakers can only rely on their two guns to support themselves from the outside.

The good news is that Kobe was in excellent form, not only beating up Richardson, but also completely tormenting Stephenson. In the end, Vogel was forced to play Dengtae Jones, who had just been traded.

Jones is still capable as a veteran, and he called himself the "Kobe Bryant Terminator" in his early years. He is also very familiar with Kobe and his defensive effect is quite good.

The two teams fought fiercely until the end.

At the last moment, the Pacers led by 2 points and the Lakers had an absolute chance.

Bryant singled out Jones.

Then at this time, the "accident" happened.

Jones, a player who had repeatedly fouled Kobe during his early days with the Nuggets, stepped in for Kobe.

Kobe eventually sprained his ankle and retired, and the Lakers lost the game.

But this is not the worst part. The worst part is that the Lakers cannot do without Kobe at this time, and Kobe still fights with injuries in subsequent games.

Eventually, Kobe sprained the same spot against the Warriors, and this time he wasn't so lucky.

Kobe suffered a severe Achilles tendon tear and was reimbursed for the season, which also announced the early end of the Lakers' season.

Jones' step was criticized by fans, but the more reason was Kobe's fatigue this season.

Perhaps no one thought that the Lakers would amnesty Okafor in order to avoid the luxury tax, which ultimately triggered a series of butterfly effects.

But the final result was that the super backcourt partnership of Paul and Kobe was forced to press the pause button after a season and a half.

There are two direct consequences of Kobe's injury: the Lakers have basically withdrawn from the division championship competition with the Thunder and Mavericks this season; and, the competition for No. 1 in the league.

The royal power was not handed over this time, but it was replaced in the course of history.

(End of this chapter)