no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 223 Jimmy Butler’s Upper Limit
After the press conference, Xu Yong returned to the locker room. He originally wanted to chat with Rose for a while, but found that Rose was not in the locker room.

He asked and learned from Hinrich that Rose went to the infirmary after the game.

He suddenly had a bad feeling and got up and went directly to the infirmary.

On the way there, he suddenly thought that Rose performed so well tonight, and it stands to reason that he should go to the press conference with him.

When he got to the locker room, he found Rose sitting there alone, and the team doctor didn't know where he had gone.

Xu Yong knocked on the door, waited for Ross to look up and asked, "Are you okay?"

Rose forced a smile at him, which made his bad premonition even stronger.

Just then the team doctor came back. It turned out that he had gone to get protective gear.

The team doctor fixed Rose's right knee and then called Xu Yong to help get Rose into a wheelchair.

Then, after a few simple exchanges, Xu Yong watched the team doctor push Ross out of the infirmary.

Because the situation is still uncertain, they need to go to the hospital for further examination.

But if the situation is good, there will be no need for protective gear and wheelchairs.

"boom!"

I don’t know how long it took, but Xu Yong punched the door.

There is an unknown fire in his chest now.

It's obvious that Rose has just regained his form, it's obvious that he was doing well during the game, and it's obvious that he thought things were getting better.

After a long time, he took a long breath.

He completely understood why Rose made those incomprehensible actions later on.

Every injury recovery is a process for players to rebuild their confidence, and every injury again destroys that confidence.

Reshape, destroy, reshape, destroy...

This is not about cultivating immortals. How can a normal person withstand such continuous torture?

When he thought of this, he suddenly thought of someone.

Maybe we can get some good news tomorrow?
The next day, Xu Yong learned about Ross's condition in advance from Foreman and drove directly to the hospital.

When he arrived, several of his brothers were sitting in the ward. Ross on the hospital bed had dark circles under his eyes and looked extremely depressed.

This is also what Xu Yong expected. Last season, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and this season he tore the meniscus in his right knee. Anyone else would have thought it was God, who is called God here in the United States. punish.

Because Ross was going to have surgery in the afternoon, Xu Yong first said hello to his second brother Reggie after entering.

"Can I talk to Derek alone?" he asked.

Reggie turned to look at Ross, said "thank you" back, and then left the ward with the other Ross family brothers.

Obviously, the most discerning second brother knew that Xu Yong was here to enlighten Ross.

"Do I look like a joke now?" After the others left, Rose tensed up and laughed at himself.

He was reimbursed after playing less than half of the season for two consecutive seasons. He could have been brilliant, but now, he doesn't know if he can stand on the court again.

"The youngest MVP and two championships, do you think LeBron will think he is the joke when he hears what you said?" Xu Yong did not answer directly, but asked after sitting down.

Ross was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

Xu Yong's comforting words are so special.

Although what he said is correct, he has now retired and his historical status is higher than that of James, but... He has only played four full seasons. Who can accept his retirement after his rookie season?

"Do you know who I thought of when I saw you leaving yesterday?" Xu Yong then asked.

Ross looked at Xu Yong.

"Our teammate, Shaun Livingston."

When he heard Livingston's name, Ross paused, then thought thoughtfully.

"I don't know how Sean recovered, but I think what he experienced should not be easier than what you have experienced in the past two years, but he persisted, and you are the same, right? You are Derek Ross." Xu Yong said looking at Ross.

This kind of encouraging words worked. Ross took a long breath, relaxed his body, nodded and said: "Thank you."

Seeing Rose's reaction, Xu Yong knew that his opening remarks had worked.

Of course, this is not what he came to Rose to say today.

Because this kind of comfort is like giving someone two lotus flowers to clear away the disease. You feel good when you eat it, but it is just a placebo and cannot really solve the problem.

And what he is going to say next is the medicine that really hopes to solve the problem.

"Derek, I have a question for you." Xu Yong looked at Ross.

Ross also looked at Xu Yong again.

"Do you want to continue your career?"

"Of course." Rose's answer was affirmative.

"You have to change your style of play."

However, Xu Yong's next words silenced Ross for a moment.

"After going through so much, you should know that what I said back then was right." Xu Yong said calmly.

Ross was still silent, but his hands clenched fists unconsciously.

"I know it's difficult, because that means you may no longer be a superstar, but the answer you just gave is that if you want to continue your career, this is the only way." Xu Yong said nothing. Not tactfully, because even if it was said tactfully, it would still be the same to Rose now.

"I want you to come back and we can win a championship together. This is what I thought before I came here. I think you are the same, right?" He continued.

Rose was obviously stunned when he said this, because when he was injured last season, all he said to Xu Yong was "wait for me to come back."

Finally, after taking a long breath, Rose nodded.

He was not entirely convinced by Xu Yong's words, but after two consecutive seasons of experience, he was defeated by reality.

People are like this. They will not give up until they reach the Yellow River, and they will not look back until they hit the south wall.

Now the Yellow River has arrived, and the South Wall has also hit. If someone pulls your ears and tells you that it's time to turn back, then just go back.

"Have a good surgery and recover from your injuries. I'll wait for you to come back." Xu Yong stood up and comforted him.

After Ross nodded in response, he also stood up and left the ward.

He chatted with Reggie for a few words at the door, and then left the hospital.

After sitting back in the car, he took a long breath, then took out a cigar from the armrest box, lit one and started smoking.

The words he said in the ward were indeed what he was thinking.

Rose is his partner. The two have won championships together, and more importantly, they have grown together.

The relationship between them was like the Splash Brothers he knew.

He has no reason not to want Rose back.

But on a deeper level, or more realistically speaking, Rose occupies a super maximum salary. If he does not make changes and continues to be on the roster next season, the Bulls' road to the championship will be extremely difficult.

Winning the championship requires team spirit, and the team requires sacrifice.

If you blindly pursue personal interests like Klay Thompson, things will not necessarily develop in a good direction.

But now Rose is taking advice and believes that everything will slowly get better.

……

Rose's injury came suddenly, and the Bulls' record also experienced ups and downs.

Although Rose's overall performance was not good before, as long as the star, even a half-disabled star, can play, the team's offensive threat on the court is different.

When McGrady was limited to seven minutes, he was still able to influence the situation on the court, not to mention that Rose's current situation is much better than him.

Of course, the more important problem is that Teague cannot fill the impact of Rose's absence.

The Bulls' draft selections over the years have been very good, but Forman was completely wrong about Teague when he was selected last season.

Facts have also proved that it was not an accident that Leonard's static talent was so good that he was dropped out of the draft.

Because without opening your eyes, it's really difficult to judge whether a person who doesn't know how to shoot can actually practice shooting.

Finally, after a week of tossing, Thibodeau completely abandoned Teague.

After that, his choice was to give Livingston a chance.

Although Foye's performance is good, his organizational skills are difficult to fulfill the role of point guard.

Then, Livingston surprised everyone.

This homeless man in the league seems to have been waiting for this opportunity. During the time he was on the court, he not only organized the offense very well, but also shot a very beautiful low turnaround jumper.

You must know that although he played well with the Cavaliers last season, the Cavaliers after James left were serious, and the data was very watery.

Livingston's outstanding performance also stabilized the Bulls' record.

Fast forward to mid-December, and the Bulls ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference behind the Pacers, Heat and Raptors with 12 wins and 20 losses.

On this day, Xu Yong practiced shooting alone for a while. After he finished practicing, he saw Thibodeau sitting on the sidelines.

Xu Yong smiled and walked over and sat down. It had been a while since the two of them communicated like this.

"What do you think about putting Sean in the starting lineup?" After Xu Yong sat down, Thibodeau asked Xu Yong for advice.

Livingston's performance in this period is honestly better than that of starter Hinrich. After all, he is young. After getting rid of injuries, his impact is stronger and his organizational skills are better.

Xu Yong thought for a while and then shook his head.

"Is it because of his three-pointer?" Thibodeau asked upon seeing this. This is why he was worried and wanted to seek Xu Yong's opinion.

The Bulls are really not good without Rose's defensive counterattack ability. This is another reason why he wants to use Livingston.

But in positional battles, point guards without three-pointers are too easy to target.

The Celtics' previous offensive constipation was largely due to Rondo not shooting.

"Tom, Sean can't help us much." Xu Yong shook his head and replied in a helpless tone.

Livingston is indeed good, and his overall ability is even better than that of Hinrich now, but his help to the Bulls is still limited.

According to the Bulls' current lineup, even if he turns on the unparalleled mode like last season's regular season, it will be difficult for the final record to be better than last season.

After all, they had Yao Ming to wait for last season, but they have no one to wait for this season.

Not to mention the youth of the lineup, more problems will be exposed in the playoffs.

Thibodeau fell silent after hearing this. What Xu Yong wanted, he actually wanted to get.

"So you think we need to trade?" After a while, he said.

This trade is not to trade Rose as Windhorst said, but to move others to replace him with a better point guard. Morris, Anderson, and even Foye are all bargaining chips that can be considered.

"I think it's time for Jimmy to take on more responsibility." Xu Yong shook his head and expressed his thoughts directly.

His answer stunned Thibodeau.

After thinking for a while, Thibodeau shook his head: "We don't have that chance."

Because of their outstanding performance at the beginning of the season, the Bulls directly skipped the rebuilding process. The goal this season is still to compete for the championship.

If we take this as the premise, there are actually not many opportunities for young people to exercise.

This is different from Xu Yong's situation before, because no matter how good Butler is, it will be difficult to reach Xu Yong's progress speed.

You must know that when Xu Yong was in his second grade, he had already helped the team win the championship and won the FMVP.

In other words, allowing Butler to take on more responsibility, that is, giving Butler training, will inevitably lead to greater ups and downs in the team's record.

"Tom, people always have to make choices. We need Jimmy to do more. We have to give him a chance, learn to accept his mistakes, and wait for his growth. Or, we can only wait for D.rose." Xu Yong Looking at Thibodeau, there’s no beating around the bush.

If Rose is not injured this season, they can wait for Butler to grow slowly, even slower than in history.

But now, Rose's injury has changed everything.

His words are not without reason. Just look at Leonard on the Mavericks next door. The absence of Nowitzki and Nash last season gave Leonard the opportunity to exercise. This season Leonard’s Performance has changed qualitatively.

And in history, the Warriors are a good negative example for Mudiay's growth.

Although Butler is very good, it's just like he couldn't teach Durant real organization during the offseason, because this thing can only rely on practice.

Thibodeau fell into thought.

This choice is not easy to make.

If the record fluctuates greatly, it is not impossible that he, the head coach, will be fired.

But without practice, this season is likely to be just a repeat of last season.

"Do you think Jimmy can bear this responsibility?" After thinking for a while, Thibodeau looked at Xu Yong and asked.

"Tom, I think you know this issue better than me." Xu Yong replied with a smile.

Thibodeau was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

If you love someone, fuck them to death. His thoughts are not those of Sima Zhao, and everyone on the street knows it.

……

After the training session the next day, Butler found Xu Yong with an excited face: "Senior, thank you."

"Thank you? What are you thanking me for?" Xu Yong was a little confused. It couldn't be that Thibodeau relayed what he said to Butler. Thibodeau's character shouldn't.

"Coach Thibodeau came to me today and asked me to prepare to organize more offenses in the following games. I know that he will definitely not do that without the consent of the senior." Butler is still smart.

"Because of this? You thanked him too early." Xu Yong shook his head.

"Jimmy, this will be a very big challenge for you. To be honest, when Tom asked me before if I thought you could take on more, I was also doubtful." Xu Yong looked worried (Thibodeaux asked questions at this time Face).

"But I think, you are Jimmy, a person who entered the NBA from a junior college. If you can't do it, who else can do it?" When Xu Yong said the last thing, he couldn't help but reach out and take a picture. Pat Butler on the shoulder.

Butler was instantly moved and felt indescribable. Of course, it also strengthened his confidence.

"Senior, I know I will encounter some difficulties, but believe me, I will definitely defeat him and become the person you expect me to be." Butler's tone was extremely firm.

"Of course, I believe you can do it, all the time." Xu Yong said with a smile.

...The Bulls' opponent in the next game is the Mavericks.

Rose was reimbursed for the season after playing 11 games, but he still played 11 games anyway, and Kobe has not returned yet.

The Lakers are now Howard's single-core team and no longer have the competitiveness they once had in the Western Conference.

The current Western Conference, like the second half of last season, is a battle between the Mavericks and the Thunder.

The Thunder's strength was expected, but the Mavericks' performance was unexpected.

因为小牛队的核心诺维茨基今年都35岁了，但他仍然能以49.7%的命中率场均得到21.6分6板，是自2011~2012赛季以来数据最好的一年，而且39.8%的三分球命中率甚至要好于那个赛季。

If you include his 89.9% free throw shooting rate, this is close to the "180 Club" performance.

This is the third spring of the old driver's career, which perfectly explains what it means to become more and more sophisticated as you get older.

Of course, the Mavericks' outstanding performance has a lot to do with Leonard's continued improvement.

伦纳德在自己的三年级交出了场均18.2分6.2板2.5助攻2.1抢断的表现，投篮命中率达到50.2%，三分球命中率提升到了37.9%。

He has become the Mavericks' second-leading scorer and plays a crucial role on both offense and defense.

But beyond that, there are the Mavericks’ successful summer signings.

At the beginning of this season, Kidd, who was Nash's substitute, already said that this was his last season. His state this season was also very average, and he basically relegated to the role of assistant coach, but the addition of West was very good. Makes up for this;
The addition of Tony Allen gave the Mavericks a deadly defense line composed of Allen, Leonard and Chandler, and Nash's defensive problems were completely covered up.

In addition, they used the veteran inside midfielder Samuel Dalembert signed by the mini-midlevel this summer to make up for the final shortcomings of the inside substitute lineup.

Take a look at the Mavericks' roster.

Starting: Nash, Tony Allen, Leonard, Nowitzki, Chandler;

Substitutes: West/Kidd, Carter, Marion, Yi Jianlian, Dalembert.

This lineup is not only balanced in strength, but also has surprisingly healthy salaries. Except for Nowitzki, who has a maximum salary, only Chandler has a salary of 1500 million+. The others have contracts of less than 500 million, and most of them are less than [-] million.

This game was held at the home court of the Bulls and attracted a considerable number of fans.

The two-bull finals competition sounds very far away, but in fact it happened two and a half years ago. No one knows whether such a thing will happen again.

If so, the only two meetings of the season are a perfect preview.

During the warm-up before the game, the players on both sides were shown footage, and Nash's warm-up took up a lot of space.

The only hidden danger for this Mavericks team this season is Nash's injury.

Nowitzki has basically gotten rid of last season's injuries, but Nash has become more serious.

But judging from his appearance tonight, he should be able to play.

Xu Yong finished his warm-up and sat on the sidelines to rest. At this time, several people came over to say hello to him.

Yi Jianlian, West, Allen, all former Bulls players.

After saying hello, Xu Yong finally stood up, gave Yi Jianlian a hug and said some words of encouragement.

Last season, Yi Jianlian averaged 9 points per game as a substitute. Both data and efficiency were the best since entering the NBA.

But this season due to the addition of Dalembert, his playing time and data have decreased.

This is the NBA, competition is everywhere and changes every season.

The warm-up is over and the opening ceremony is about to begin.

Before the opening ceremony, Xu Yong patted Butler on the shoulder.

Butler will have to face an opponent of this level in the first game he is entrusted with an important task, and he will also have to encounter his "lifelong enemy", which is very stressful.

Butler was calm. It could be seen that after the previous communication with Xu Yong, he was really fearless.

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

Mavericks: Nash, Allen, Leonard, Nowitzki, Chandler;

Bulls: Hinrich, Butler, Xu Yong, West, Brown.

As Chandler moved the ball back to half court, the game officially kicked off.

Nash came up with the ball and played a pick-and-roll with Nowitzki. After the split, he made a fake move that seemed to pass the ball to Nowitzki, and then passed it behind the back to Leonard in the bottom corner.

Leonard caught the ball and hit a three-pointer from the outside.

Xu Yong was covering up the defense at this time. After seeing Leonard make the shot, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion at Nash's passing ability.

Nash's passing is full of imagination, and what's even better than "White Chocolate" Williams is that he can pass the ball without making a mistake.

This is talent, the kind that ordinary people can't develop in a lifetime of practice.

This is actually the reason why Leonard can grow rapidly in the Mavericks.

Nash + Kidd, this combination is much better than the Spurs' receiving environment in history.

In the Bulls' offense, Butler held the ball on the outside and greeted Hinrich's pick-and-roll.

A real organization is definitely not like Draymond Green who deals cards at the top of the arc. It is not called an organization, but is called a tactical tool man. If you leave the system, your secrets will be exposed immediately.

When it comes to organization, at least it must be able to form an offensive threat and create opportunities for teammates.

Xu Yong uses his personal offensive ability to break through and distribute the ball, and Nash uses pick-and-rolls to tear apart the defense.

Butler does not have Xu Yong's personal offensive ability, so like Nash, he uses pick-and-rolls to find offensive breakthroughs.

Nash is the breakthrough point on the defensive end for the Mavericks.

However, Allen's ability to bypass screens is very strong, and Hinrich's pick-and-roll was not successful.

Butler didn't hesitate when he saw this. After signaling Hinrich to leave, he immediately broke through Allen.

His breakthrough has a very personal style. He does not win with explosive power like Xu Yong, nor does he bulldoze like James. Instead, he uses his first step to get out of position, and then uses his physical advantage to suppress those behind him. Defend the man and then get the opportunity to attack.

Allen was a little uncomfortable at this time, because he was good at cutting the ball flexibly, but facing Butler's breakthrough method, he was always blocked on the off-ball side and had no chance to make a move.

Xu Yong happened to get rid of Leonard with the help of West's cover.

Looking at the scene in front of him, he didn't feel strange at all.

The fact that a person with mediocre talent can make a name for himself in the NBA cannot be explained by his hard training or patience. It involves a lot of court wisdom.

Leonard went over to help defend at this time, and Butler saw the opportunity and passed the ball to Xu Yong's side.

The timing of the ball was good, but at this moment, Xu Yong sensed the danger, but it was too late to warn him.

The moment Butler took action, Leonard used his long wingspan and big hands, like a big net with a positioning device, to directly complete the steal.

Xu Yong was also trying to grab the ball, but he didn't have time. Leonard's wingspan and big hands were too good at tracking the ball.

It felt less like a steal and more like a robbery.

After completing the steal, Leonard's next choice was also correct. He threw the ball directly to Nash, then focused on the fast break without the ball, and finally accepted Nash's pass to complete the fast break layup.

5:0.

The Mavericks gave the Bulls a blow at the beginning, and the key is, these 5 points all came from Leonard.

Butler looked up at the score and frowned. It could be seen that even though he was mentally prepared, he was still cut off by Leonard like this at the beginning, and he couldn't accept it in his heart.

Seeing this, Xu Yong walked over and reminded: "His stealing range is large, try to avoid passing the ball to his side."

Leonard's static talent and defensive awareness, coupled with his confrontation ability, make him one of the best perimeter defenders in NBA history, and it is not an exaggeration to say he is the best.

Butler nodded. Although he was very competitive, he was not stubborn.

The Bulls' offense continued. This time Hinrich blocked Allen, and Butler pushed Nash in with his body.

Then, after once again attracting Leonard's defense, he flicked the ball to David West who cut after the ball was dismantled.

The angle of this ball passing is not very good. Butler has no targeted training passing. There is still a lot of room for improvement in this aspect.

But his choice this time was obviously better than the last round, avoiding Leonard, whose defensive focus has always been on Xu Yong's side.

And more importantly, he has a strong ability to read the game, and the timing of passing the ball is still in place.

West also showed his experience. After seeing that the passing angle was low, he bent down to get the ball in advance. Facing Chandler's quick defense, he did not attack the basket directly. Instead, he dribbled the ball, jumped and dodge, and then returned. He took off and hit the ball directly into the basket, without giving Chandler a chance to block the shot.

The ball instantly lit up the United Center.

Not only was West's beautiful dunk, but also the Bulls' cooperation in this round, the mercury fell to the ground!

Xu Yong also found Butler and gave him a high-five while retreating.

Butler's golf IQ is really high, and he can get through it with just one click. This is a talent that cannot be seen.

Of course, more importantly, he finally felt that he could end this more than a year of being a cow and a horse.

You must know that he doesn't care about statistics as much as others. He really just wants to do what he loves to do on the court.

For example, dunks, defense, key balls, it is really tiring to have all the balls start from your own hands.

This round also aroused the Bulls' defensive enthusiasm, and Xu Yong directly took the lead to lock Leonard.

Nash failed to get a good chance after two sudden attempts. He could only dribble the ball back to the three-point line and sling Nowitzki for a single.

Butler reacted very quickly at this time and directly gave up Allen to flank Nowitzki.

When the Mavericks are driven by Nash, Allen's offensive weaknesses can be covered up, because Nash is the kind of person who is not afraid of double teams, and the more you double team him, the happier he is.

But when the ball stops and it becomes a singles round like this, it is inevitable that Allen will be targeted.

However, Nowitzki reacted quickly. Before Butler attacked, he quickly turned and shot backward toward the baseline.

"Shh!"

With the crisp sound of entering the net, Nowitzki also made a steady shot.

His touch is still extremely soft. The only difference from two years ago is that his control of body balance after leaning back is not as good as before, and he almost fell down.

7:2.

The Mavericks' offensive firepower is quite fierce.

The offense was fierce and the defense was strong. Xu Yong also saw the championship look from the Mavericks at this time.

If the Heat and the Mavericks meet in the finals, it will definitely be Mars hitting the Earth.

Of course, if they can defeat these two teams in a row, the gold content of the championship will be unprecedented.

In the Mavericks' offense, Butler continued to organize with the ball, and this time after breaking through the help defense to Leonard's switch, he did not pass the ball in a hurry. Instead, he took Leonard to the far end and returned the ball to Xinri. Oddly, Hinrich then switched from the strong side to the weak side and gave the ball to Xu Yong in the high position for a singles.

Facing Allen's defense, Xu Yong turned around and hit the ball steadily.

After scoring the ball, Xu Yong pointed at Butler.

To be honest, with Leonard's defensive ability, his efficiency in singles is not very high, but when playing against Allen, the certainty is much higher.

And this opportunity was created by Butler.

The Mavericks missed a wave of offense. Turning around, Butler continued to break through with the ball. This time, without Leonard's help, he chose to attack the basket directly and successfully caused Chandler's defensive foul.

Although he made a mistake in the opening game and his passing skills still need to be improved, every choice he made after that was correct.

"Jimmy Butler's upper limit is at least an All-Star." Outsiders watch the excitement, while experts watch the door. Barkley gave a professional evaluation after watching this round.

"Chicago has Xu, and now Xu has his Pippen." Kenny Smith on the side echoed.

Although it has only been a few rounds, Butler has already won the recognition of TNT giants with his performance.

"Derrick Rose, Xu Yong, Jimmy Butler, you have to sigh, Chicago's drafts in recent years have been very successful." O'Neal couldn't help but sigh.

"The successful cases of the Bulls and Thunder tell us that a team's long-term competitiveness comes from drafting and training, not from forming a super team." Of course, he did not forget to add.

Butler made two free throws, 7-6, and the Bulls gradually caught up with the score.

Carlisle was already standing on the sidelines at this time.

Butler's ability to organize with the ball was something he didn't expect at all, and the key is to be able to organize so well, which caught him completely off guard.

And the key is that Butler's personal offensive threat has also improved a lot this season, and Allen can't hold him down well.

This has also become a problem that the Mavericks have never been able to solve tonight.

And this affects the whole body, because Xu Yong uses the ball to attack every ball, he can make more and more effective contributions on both offense and defense.

At the end of the game, the Mavericks lost to the Bulls 106-112.

According to the statistics after the game, Nowitzki scored 30 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists for the Mavericks, which was a very good performance.

Leonard performed well on the defensive end, but except for the 5 points he scored in the opening game on the offensive end, he was basically locked up by Xu Yong.

After Butler diluted the ball, Xu Yong was still very scary after he devoted himself to the defensive end.

And compared to defense, Leonard still has a lot to improve on offense.

In Xu Yong's words, he contributed 28 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. He didn't play much on the offensive end, but he had the strongest presence of the season on the defensive end.

当然今晚最惊喜的人自然是巴特勒，他得到了21分5板7助攻2抢断5失误。

Although the number of mistakes was a bit too high, especially in the second half when he was targeted by Carlisle and made consecutive mistakes, the flaws were not concealed. Being able to perform like this against a strong team like the Mavericks shows that he is fully capable of organizing forwards.

Xu Yong and Butler attended the post-game press conference together.

"I'm as happy as the coach about Jimmy's performance. I've always believed he could do it. He was our MVP tonight."

When Xu Yong was asked about Butler's performance, he also praised him without blinking.

His junior performed like this, defeated the Mavericks, and even allowed himself to play a real [easy ball]. Any praise is worthy of it.

"During the game, Kenny Smith described you as Scottie Pippen, Xu's Pippen. What do you think of this?" The reporter then turned the question to Butler himself. When he mentioned "Xu's Pippen", he attracted a crowd of people below. Laughter, because this is equivalent to comparing Xu Yong to Jordan.

"Tonight's first half was a very good start for me. It proved that I can help Xu share the ball, but I know that has a lot to do with the Mavericks' lack of preparation. The situation I encountered in the second half also showed that With this in mind, I should also encounter greater opposition in subsequent games, so that (becoming Pippen) is still a bit far away for me, but I believe I will do better than that in the future."

Butler smiled first, and then answered seriously.

His answer turned the laughter below into applause.

Neither arrogant nor humble, these four words are perfect to describe this answer.

Xu Yong couldn't help but turn his head and look at Butler.

Butler can have this kind of mentality after such an outstanding performance. It is not surprising that he can become a superstar.

(End of this chapter)