no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 222 "Do you want to dance too?"

After losing the opening game, the Bulls performed very well in more than half a month, including a four-game winning streak.

The most classic game came from the game against the Nets. The two teams played overtime. Xu Yong scored 8 points in overtime to complete the harvest.

The Nets fans watching this game were very depressed because the season had just begun and they could already feel the team's sluggishness.

To use the fans' enthusiastic comments, Xu Yong buried the Celtics last season, and then the two Boston veterans came back to life in New Jersey. Xu Yong buried them again, this time with an extra handful of dirt on top.

The easiest game came against the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers' current core is Irving and Davis, plus Luol Deng, who was traded from the Rockets this season.

But this game ended before the third quarter was played. There are two biggest feelings about the Cavaliers' current lineup: First, Davis was suppressed on both offense and defense against West, and his body still needs to be improved. Practice; secondly, Irving's game is indeed good-looking, but his team-leading ability... is a good hand for winning the No. [-] pick.

After the first ten games are played, the Bulls' record is 7 wins and 3 losses, ranking third in the Eastern Conference, behind the Pacers and Heat.

That's pretty good for a team that just experienced a failed dynasty.

Xu Yong averaged 28 points per game, West 18 points, Butler 15 points, and Rose 14 points.

Except for Rose, who still needs to find his form, the performance of everyone else on the Bulls is remarkable.

"They completed a magnificent turnaround in one summer."

As Barkley said on the show, the Bulls' summer operations are as good as ever. West and Foye have proven to be very successful signings, and Butler has also made rapid progress.

"As long as Xu is here, the Bulls will still be the same Bulls team."

Then he summed it up in a very everyday way.

The Bulls' next opponent is the Pacers.

If the season opener between the Heat and Bulls is still unfinished, then this game will be the highlight of November.

The Pacers have 9 wins and 1 loss since the beginning of the season, and the run-in is very successful.

Especially James' performance is surprising.

He actually gave up part of the ball this season, and as a result, his scoring increased, reaching 27.5 points.It was his highest score since leaving the Cavaliers.

Facts have proved that although Paul will miss the key moments, when it is not critical, he is still the point guard god.

Of course, the most important thing is that Bynum rarely acts like a monster around these two brothers and remains very healthy.

But think about history, when thorns like JR Smith were around James, they became more comfortable. James's business ability in this area is very good.

All in all, the team strength displayed by the Pacers this season should be the strongest since James entered the league.

"The Era of Kings Has Finally Arrives"

Windhorst wrote an article for ESPN that resonated widely with James fans.

He quoted Nike president Phil Knight in the article.

"We know that he has always been a leader in the field of basketball. What he has done in the past proves that he is the chosen one and will eventually usher in his era."

James also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine again after two seasons.

Although the season has only started for half a month, the media has already begun to eagerly start the carnival after being the second best player in the Eastern Conference in the past few seasons.

After all, at this time, James and Nike have the league's highest endorsement contract of 5 million for five years, and Nike does not want the money to go to waste in the end.

This game is played at the home court of the Bulls.

The fans at the United Center are more enthusiastic than ever.

In fact, not to mention Barkley and the others, the Bulls fans did not expect the team to perform so well in the new season, so their expectations were naturally raised.

But after all, there are many benefits in the Eastern Conference and the record is good. Although they played well in the previous opening game, they did not win. This time they faced the Pacers.

Their confidence is not without reason. After all, James has basically never won against the Bulls in recent years.

"Senior, do you think LeBron will guard you?" At the end of the pregame warm-up, Butler walked up to Xu Yong and asked.

"He can't let Korver guard me, right?" Xu Yong said with a smile.

The offensive capabilities of the Pacers' lineup this year are definitely much stronger than last season, but the defense has become weaker.

Especially if they used a sign to get Paul, they can't exceed the luxury tax and their means of reinforcement are limited.

"I think they might let CP3 guard you." Butler has a sense of humor.

Xu Yong smiled. It was not impossible. He had the impression that Paul had indeed experienced defending Durant.

After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony.

The Pacers took the lead as the visiting team.

Paul, Korver, Duntay Jones, Bynum, James.

Xu Yong and Butler were stunned for a moment when they saw this starting lineup.

They all guessed wrong, and Vogel chose a path they never envisioned.

It's just...Xu Yong turned his head and looked to the side at this time.

If James plays the fourth position, can he stop West?
The Bulls came on the stage as the home team, and the classic "Sirius" music played in the background.

In the host's drawn-out tone, West, Butler, Brown, and Rose appeared one after another.

It is worth mentioning that many employees in the NBA have been working for the team for a long time. For example, it is common for some home commentators to work for 30 or [-] years.

The Bulls' home DJ is legendary DJ Tommy Edwards, who has been with the team since the Jordan era.

So although the title of the team has been changed, it still has that familiar smell.

Especially when the score, composed casually by Alan Parsons, comes to a guitar solo, which is when Xu Yong appears.

"Now! Four-time NBA All-Star voting champion, two-time MVP, two-time FMVP, two-time championship winner, 6 feet 9 inches from Arizona State University, No. 6, Xu~~Yong!!"

When Xu Yong waved and came on stage during Edwards' introduction, he was responded to by explosive cheers from the fans.

Although the Bulls failed to win the championship last season, Xu Yong's explosive performance confirmed his status as No. 1 in the league.

James' expression at this time was filled with shock and envy, and envy was mixed with uncontrollable resentment.

This was what he longed for, and it was something that should have belonged to him, but now it was all taken away by Xu Yong.

After the opening ceremony, the starting players from both sides came on stage one after another.

Brown jumped to get the ball for the Bulls, and the game officially kicked off.

The Bulls played West in a targeted manner at the beginning. After all, this was a natural mismatch.

But West's low post play really didn't impress James.

In terms of body shape, James is close to 2 meters tall in shoes and weighs 06 kilograms, which is not particularly different from West.

If West was at his peak, he would find it difficult to defend, but at this age, West's explosive power is already very weak.

Of course, the most important thing is that James works hard on defense.

Xu Yong was quite surprised when he saw this, but he could understand it if he thought about it carefully.

It can be said that James has been forced into a desperate situation this season. If he can't make changes, Nike will abandon him.

For a player who is essentially a businessman, it is normal for the Kings to make some changes if they have money.

West finally chose a turnaround jump shot after turning around, and the ball missed the edge of the basket.

James turned around to collect the defensive rebound and then turned for a fast break.

Xu Yong saw it and went up to block it. James threw the ball directly to Paul in front.

Paul's advancement speed is very fast, and as a top point guard, he has very good vision. After fast breaking to the three-second zone, he looked at Butler who was pursuing him, and then slowed down and dodgeed before passing the ball to James who was following up.

That's right, James.

If you are not active in fast breaks, how can you hit the historical scoring leader!
James scored two points with an easy layup.

There was a commotion at the scene.

This goal explains why the Pacers can have a good record this season.

When Paul was in the Lakers, the Lakers' offense was more position-oriented, but with the Pacers, their offense was more defensive and counterattack-oriented.

James has always been good at playing this kind of fast break ball, especially with Paul, the point guard god, he can play more easily.

Seeing this, Xu Yong immediately started to attack with the ball. If you are good at defensive counterattacks, you must have defensive counterattacks to play.

The Heat also played this game back then, and they didn't take much advantage against the Bulls.

Jones is 1 meters tall and weighs 98 kilograms. He is a full-sized forward and defender, but he is still one size smaller than Xu Yong.

The first time Xu Yong held the ball, he chose a high post on the right side.

But the Pacers were very straightforward. Paul directly let Rose come over to flank him.

Xu Yong knew that Paul was quick to strike and threw the ball to Rose in advance.

Rose got a chance from the outside, but unfortunately his shot failed to hit.

The rebound was protected by Bynum and passed to Paul, who then made a long throw from the frontcourt.

At this time, James has already passed the center line!
In other words, Rose was already running away when he took the shot.

This is incredible, considering that he is currently playing the fourth position. In theory, he has to stay in position to protect defensive rebounds.

But this is the habit he has developed by playing easy.ball in the past two years. Blocking and grabbing boards are not as good as fast breaks. Fast breaks can score points.

Or to put it another way, James' other technical improvements have been relatively limited over the years, but his fast break ability has "reached its peak."

James caught the ball in the midfield and ran in one line, and performed the iconic James dunk in the frontcourt.

After smashing the ball into the basket, he beat his chest and roared, venting his emotions to his heart's content.

And during the retreat, he took the initiative to find Paul and gave him a high-five, with a domineering look on his face.

Everything Xu Yong took away, starting from today, he will take it all back!

The scene was restless.

The Pacers launched a series of defensive counterattacks at the beginning, turning the game against the visitors and suppressing the momentum at home.

This time Xu Yong chose to hold the ball outside the right three-point line.

With a tight trap at the beginning, the Pacers' defensive strategy has been very clear, and he will not be given any comfortable shooting opportunities tonight.

He now has two options, either continue to play from behind and attack the baseline after receiving the ball.

However, he gave up doing this for the time being, because he flashed back to the round just now. James was positioned outside and was ready to attack at any time.

Or make the second option, which is what he has to do now.

After observing the distance between Jones and himself, he started with a drop step, pulled the ball to hover with his right hand, and then quickly changed direction to the left while moving with his footsteps.

After Jones' center of gravity shifted to the left, he quickly changed direction to the right and accelerated past Jones with a burst of speed.

Appeared, vertical drag step!
And it's also a drag step. The biggest difference between Xu Yong and Deron, and even Durant, is that his explosive power is stronger, which allows him to pass his opponent more easily when connecting vertical breakthroughs.

James quickly came up to help defend.

Xu Yong did not pass the ball because he saw from the corner of his eye that Paul was already moving in. With Paul's starting speed, he might steal the ball.

He made an instant judgment, changed direction directly towards James without slowing down, then jumped up with a big step, and directly pulled the ball up with his left hand.

"Oh!"

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

The scene was instantly filled with cheers from the fans.

"I said, his scoring is art!" Barkley exclaimed in the commentary box.

From dragging past people to passing people without slowing down, and finally dunking with his non-dominant hand, Xu Yong used three techniques in one attack.

The most important thing is that these three technologies are connected so perfectly, giving people the feeling of smoothness, silkiness, and works of art.

"Perhaps, Xu can have a new nickname besides Satan, basketball artist." O'Neal on the side agreed with a smile.

On the court, Xu Yong's dunk not only reversed the suppressed momentum at home, but also forced the Pacers into a positional battle.

When it comes to positional battles, it's Paul's stage.

He plays pick-and-roll with Bynum, and then shoots Brown from mid-range.

Xu Yong predicted this and pounced on Paul the moment he took action.

However, Paul showed his master's vision, which should not belong to a 183cm player, collecting the ball in the air and directly giving the ball to James who cut in.

James scored two more points with a layup.

Xu Yong was slightly surprised.

The combination of the Banana Boat Brothers is the only combination of Wade and James in history.

But now it seems that the chemistry between Paul and James is obviously better.

This Pacers team is really different from James' previous team.

In the frontcourt, Xu Yong continued to hold the ball outside the three-point line.

Although the Pacers' positional battle just now was a bit unexpected, defensive counterattack is still the focus they need to guard against.

He observed the defense and used the drag step again.

But this time, Jones increased the lateral shift of his center of gravity to keep up with Xu Yong's rhythm, so that he would not be passed by a simple and crude step like just now.

As a role player who relies on 3D for a living, his abilities and choices are qualified.

But the problem is that a large swing in the defensive center of gravity means that it is difficult to get back on track.

Xu Yong directly dragged his steps horizontally, changed direction significantly to the left, and then stopped suddenly and pulled out his hand.

Jones couldn't interfere with Xu Yong's ball at all.

But just after Xu Yong completed his shot, Xu Yong caught a glimpse of Jones approaching in a strange posture with his body leaning back and his feet forward.

This posture is clearly meant to be a stepping stone.

Moreover, it is a more professional attitude than James.

Because of James's posture, he will elbow him in the face, but you can't retaliate with an elbow like this.

Seeing this, he adjusted his landing feet and landed hard on the balls of his front feet.

Everything was a flash of lightning. When Xu Yong landed, he found that he had not stepped on anything.

Looking up, it turned out that Jones had stopped at the last moment.

This guy's reaction speed is very fast.

But this is normal. Looking at the way he steps up, you can tell that this guy is extremely professional in this regard.

In the Pacers' position battle, West paid attention to James' movement this time. James' lack of flexibility without the ball makes it easier to follow.

After Paul was defended by Xu Yong, he distributed the ball to Korver, who was running outside without the ball.

The Pacers showed their offensive level in positional warfare in this round, but Korver was interfered with by Butler when he took the shot and missed the shot.

Obviously, the Bulls are not as good as the Pacers in terms of offense, but defensively, with two defensive levels on the field, plus three levels or more, it is really not that easy to get the ball in in a positional battle.

However, the Pacers retreated very quickly, and the Bulls switched to a positional attack.

Xu Yong continued to hold the ball, but his face was cold at this time.

Although Jones' step just now was unsuccessful, his image of a villain was fully exposed, and more importantly, at that moment, the image of Kobe Bryant under the golden sunset appeared in his mind.

The Kobe who even with a torn ankle still said he was waiting for me to come back.

If it weren't for Jones' kick, Kobe wouldn't have fallen so quickly.

This man with as bad a record as Bowen really deserves to die.

He used the drag step again.

Jones was still swinging his weight and trying to keep up with Xu Yong's rhythm.

Although this means that he may be shaken away by Xu Yong like he did in the last round, but in the worst case, he can just try to step in again.

But he soon discovered something was wrong.

Because Xu Yong did not change direction after the drag step this time, but continued left and right drag steps.

This caused his center of gravity to swing continuously.

Moreover, the drag step continues to hover the ball, so his whole body follows suit.

Cheers had already begun.

Everyone can see that Xu Yong is clearly playing tricks on Jones!
Paul couldn't stand it anymore and was about to go over to help defend, but at this moment, Xu Yong suddenly made a huge change of direction.

Jones's steps were already messy as he kept swaying from side to side. Now he was being pulled around like a puppet on strings. His body couldn't keep up, so he stumbled over his left foot and his right foot, and was knocked down!

Xu Yong also stopped the ball and took action at this time. "Uh-huh!"

Basketball hollow into the net.

6 ties, the Bulls tied the score.

The United Center is already boiling.

"Basketball artist!" Barkley shouted directly this time.

O'Neal's eyes widened at the side, this was obviously his nickname!

Amid the cheers of the fans, the Bulls once again defended the Pacers' position battle.

Although the Pacers' offensive power is very strong, the Bulls' defensive intensity has been maintained very well after getting off the ground.

The Bulls continued to build their frontcourt position.

Xu Yong also continued to hold the ball. West wanted to come up for a pick-and-roll, but he waved it back.

He held the ball in one hand and stared at Jones.

Just being knocked down once was obviously not enough for him to vent his emotions.

Butler reacted quickly at this time and waved his hand to signal others to move further to the weak side.

Xu Yong used the drag step again, and it was still a continuous horizontal drag step.

Jones was following him from left to right, his footsteps becoming more and more messy.

Anyone's mentality will fluctuate after being knocked down once.

Especially as a role player, he does not have the power to choose to switch defenses like James.

And as a 3D, his defense is his bread and butter. If he is humiliated continuously, Vogel will definitely take him off the field.

"Why do I think he is dancing?" Buckley couldn't help but said after seeing this scene.

"cutting.shape." O'Neal agreed, "although I think he was forced."

His words elicited laughter from Barkley and Kenny Smith.

If the ball was not sure before, but in this round, with such a large offensive space, Xu Yong can choose other methods, but he is still using this offensive method, and his playful intention is obvious.

At this moment, Xu Yong suddenly walked to the opposite side and broke through vertically.

Jones hurriedly retreated, but his steps were unclear and his whole body was shaking.

Then Xu Yong made a sharp retreat and pulled back.

Jones wanted to brake at this time, but the result was just like pressing the front wheel brake while riding a bicycle, and he was thrown away.

Whistles rang out everywhere.

The staggering was exciting enough, Xu Yong was knocked down continuously!
No, this is not a fall, it is a direct flight! !
And this time, Xu Yong did not rush to take action, but waited for Jones to struggle to get up from the ground, and then raised his hand to shoot.

"Shh!"

The basketball hit the net again.

The Bulls overtook the score!

"Satan! Satan!"

The fans at the scene could no longer contain their emotions and began to shout in unison.

At this moment, a short whistle suddenly sounded from the sidelines.

There was a substitution on the Pacers' side, and Jamison replaced Jones.

However, this does not seem to be a proactive substitution.

Because Jones limped toward the bench when he came off the field.

He looked like he had twisted his ankle when he was thrown around.

Seeing this, Xu Yong finally took a long breath.

He didn't know if Jones was faking it. After all, he was knocked down twice by his opponent in a row. This was the only way to get rid of him, because it was obvious that he would be knocked down a third time.

Like, what Butler did to Grant Williams.

Of course, it's possible that he was really injured, after all, he fell far enough.

No matter which one it was, it made him feel much better.

And after this forced substitution, James was put on a familiar mask of pain.

Because Xu Yong is now playing small forward, he passively changed from the fourth position to the third position and directly faced Xu Yong.

Although he doesn't hold the ball much in positional battles now, the key is that his off-ball play is completely blocked by Xu Yong.

Butler also took the initiative to switch defenses with Rose at this time, bypassing the screen and pressing Paul.

The Pacers' offense has clearly stalled.

In the end, there was not much offensive time left, so Paul could only forcefully beat Butler. His final shot was obviously short and hit the front of the basket.

There were constant whistles at the scene.

The Pacers have indeed become stronger, but the Bulls meeting James' team is like a cat meeting a mouse. Even if a kitten meets a big mouse, it is blood suppression.

Vogel could no longer sit still at this time and went to the sidelines to yell and direct the defense.

As a coach, he certainly understands better than the fans. The reason why the Pacers were suppressed was because they were forced into a positional battle by the Bulls, and the reason why they were forced into a positional battle was because the Bulls had a high success rate in positional battles. .

Therefore, if you want to break the situation, the most direct way is to prevent the Bulls' positional attack.

In other words, guard against Xu Yong.

Xu Yong held the ball and saw the entire defensive position of the Pacers, like a big pocket facing him.

Vogel's training of the team's overall defense is still very good.

However, he did not give up the attack, because the person guarding him at this time was James.

James's reaction at this time was very interesting.

Because he originally wanted to ask someone to switch defense, but now on the court, it is unrealistic to ask Bynum to switch, Jamison is the colander, in fact, it is Korver and Paul.

But just like what Xu Yong and Butler talked about before the game, the two of them switching defenses in front of him were completely giving away points.

This is because he wanted to change but couldn't, so he had to bite the bullet.

So he kept looking left and right at this time, waiting for his teammates to come up to help defend at any time.

Looking at this scene, Xu Yong suddenly felt that the world was very strange.

When he first entered the league, James was still the top player in the league, and he looked condescending when he faced him.

But now, it looks like the roles have been reversed.

Thinking of this, he said coldly: "Do you also want to dance?"

James paused.

Of course he had never heard this sentence before, but he could understand the meaning.

Because Xu Yong just made Jones look like he was dancing.

And the way he shook his head from side to side looked a bit like that.

However, he actually did not have the right to answer Xu Yong's question.

That's just trash talk.

The falling step is activated, the hovering direction changes, and Xu Yong's dragging step attack begins.

At this moment, Xu Yong suddenly felt that all the hard work in the past summer had paid off at this moment, because the drag step was not only an offensive method, but also a way to humiliate the opponent.

James chose to stay put.

Then, like a wooden stake, Xu Yong used a longitudinal drag step to wipe it.

Well, Xu Yong used the drag step to create the effect of Iverson's hesitation step.

There was an exclamation at the scene.

At this time, the Pacers' subsequent defense quickly came to help.

Xu Yong took his time. After getting enough distance from the opponent, he flicked the ball to West on the other side of the basket.

West took a big step after catching the ball and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand.

He just doesn't have strong explosive power, it's not that he doesn't have it.

The United Center was once again filled with cheers from the crowd.

Although James didn't dance like Jones, the visual effect was even more explosive because he was instantly killed!
"Defense! Defense!"

The emotions of the United Center fans have been completely aroused.

This time Paul went directly to the basket, successfully caused damage by being knocked over and walked to the free throw line.

Needless to say, although Paul dropped the ball at critical moments, in terms of fighting spirit, Paul is definitely better than James.

He adjusted his breathing and made two free throws, which stabilized the situation on the court for the Pacers.

And after the transition between offense and defense, Xu Yong couldn't help but smile.

Because the person defending him was replaced by Paul!

That guy Butler really got it right.

Although in theory, Paul has a quick start, his drag step is easily interrupted.

But he's not Durant.

The reason why Paul's defense against Durant has some effect is actually similar to the reason why Tony Allen can guard against Durant.

Because Durant is essentially an offensive player who faces the basket. He is tall and has a high center of gravity when dribbling. Facing flexible small defensive players, he can easily be cut by dragging his feet.

Because of Durant's average strength, his post-up ability is also average.

But he is different. The drag step is just the icing on the cake for him. His best way to score is from behind.

His back hitting against a small guy like Paul can be called bullying.

After holding the ball against Paul with one hand, Xu Yong directly put his weight on Paul.

And he was very careful not to exert force, because Paul, a bad boy, would probably cause him an offensive foul.

Facts proved that his judgment was correct, and Paul lay down directly.

But the referee didn't blow the whistle because Paul's acting was a bit exaggerated.

Xu Yong ignored him, turned around and went straight to the basket. Before the Pacers could help defend, he glided and dunked the ball easily into the basket.

After completing the goal, Xu Yong did not pay attention to Paul who got up from the ground to argue with the referee. Instead, he faced Vogel who was standing on the sidelines while retreating and asked with a smile: "You really sent someone to defend you?" me?"

In one sentence, Vogel directly broke through the defense.

Jones, James, and Paul, the Pacers played three players, but one was knocked down and sprained his ankle, another was nailed to a stake and then gave up after one round, and the last one even caused Xu Yong to question his soul.

This was a huge blow to Vogel, who had always had high demands on defense.

But he turned around and looked at the bench. Except for veteran Russell Butler at the end, he really couldn't send anyone else to face Xu Yong.

And this Butler is not a player of the same level as the Bulls' Butler.

When he was young, he couldn't be a starter because of his thin body. Now that he's older, it's difficult to rotate. It's better to count on Korver than on him.

Of course, Vogel didn't let Korver do this job, so Paul was misplaced and humiliated for most of the quarter.

About 8 minutes into the first quarter, the score on the field was 24 to 28, with the Bulls leading.

Both sides began to rotate one after another, and Xu Yong also came off the court to rest at this time.

Thibodeau's use of Xu Yong has changed this season.

This change is due to Yao Ming's retirement. He wants to reduce Xu Yong's consumption in the regular season and use it more in the playoffs.

Of course, his "love" for young players has not disappeared, it has just been transferred to Butler.

Not just the opening night, but every night.

At this time, the lineups of both sides are on the field.

Pacers: CJ Watson, Gerald Green, James, Jeff Ayers, Ian Mahinmi;

Bulls: Rose, Foye, Butler, Morris Jr., Anderson.

James started a pick-and-roll with Ayers, and then beat Morris.

Although it was only two points, he took another solid step toward the historical scoring leader.

But looking back, Rose directly broke through Watson and returned one.

Xu Yong felt his eyes light up at this moment.

Thibodeau still has true love for Rose. Except for Anderson, the remaining three people can open up space.

This is exactly the same as the previous game.

But the difference is that Rose didn't move suddenly before, but tonight he suddenly moved.

In other words, Rose recovered?

With curiosity, Xu Yong shifted his attention from James to Rose.

And he quickly made sure of it.

Because in the next offensive round, when Rose faced Mahinmi in a mismatch, he used the iconic change of direction without slowing down the lever to score a layup.

Rose has indeed not returned to his pre-injury state, but he does seem to have recovered a lot.

This made him very excited.

The entire team has been supporting Rose since the training camp, including West's previous remarks. Rose himself has been working hard.

Now everyone's efforts have finally paid off.

But Xu Yong is happy here, and Vogel is very sad.

Originally, Rose was in poor condition this season, and the transition period between substitutes became a critical moment for the Pacers to open up the score.

This is also the main reason why he keeps James on the court.

But now, it's become a pleasure for James and Rose.

No, it's not fun, because after Butler found that he couldn't withstand James' impact, he started to entangle and consume James.

This was something he had wanted to do as early as his rookie season, and he finally did it in his third year as a rookie.

The key is that he was really exhausted, constantly entangled with James, and finally forced James to knock him over, and then the referee called an offensive foul.

When Butler stood up and applauded James, Xu Yong watched in amusement from the audience.

Butler has made significant progress this season, and because he is on the Bulls, many fans compare him to Pippen.

But in his opinion, Butler is much better than Pippen.

Pippen never learned this kind of mental attribute and game style in his whole life.

This determines the two completely different upper limits.

Butler is the boss, while Pippen has been the second child his whole life.

There is no need to talk about hypotheticals. The 33-year-old Pippen left the Bulls and went to the Rockets to become the third player. The 33-year-old Butler led the team to the finals in eight games.

In fact, it was just because of Xu Yong, otherwise no one would be able to suppress him.

Butler's consumption was not visible for a while, but when the game came to the end, James began to paddle on the defensive end.

It's impossible to see him gasping for air. He would rather sacrifice part of his defense than look embarrassed.

It was during this period that the Bulls seized the opportunity to play a wave and finally defeated the Pacers 106-98.

赛后的数据统计，詹姆斯33分8板5助攻，保罗22分4板11助攻，拜纳姆17分11板2盖帽。

The Big Three's statistics were all very good, but they just didn't win.

For the Bulls, Xu Yong played 38 minutes, sweating slightly, and scored 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Rose had 21 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, Butler had 16 points and 4 rebounds, and West had 14 points and 7 rebounds.

This victory greatly improved the confidence of Bulls fans, after all, they defeated the first team in the Eastern Conference.

And more importantly than confidence, Rose got his first 20+ of the season and his form finally returned.

This means that the Bulls may not have to wait until later and can start another charge towards the championship this season.

(End of this chapter)