no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 227 The 2013-2014 regular season ends

Time has come to April, and the regular season of the 4~2013 season is coming to an end.

At this time, the league issued a new memorandum (the meaning of rule supplement). The memorandum stipulated that under the new rules, when big players take off vertically to defend inside, they will no longer allow defenders to jump to both sides in the air. Turn sideways to block the attacking player.

Yes, although it was a little later than Xu Yong knew, the [vertical takeoff rule] still appeared.

The emergence of this rule immediately caused huge controversy.

There are many supporters among them, and the biggest one among them is naturally James, because the emergence of this rule is the most friendly to breakthrough players.

Imagine that the center can't turn around when he jumps. Then when facing an offensive player's sideways layup, they can only be stopped in place, because jumping up will most likely be a foul.

Among breakthrough players, the most representative one is James. His unpredictable breakthroughs have doubled their lethality after receiving the bonus of this rule.

But what's more, there are a lot of doubts.

O'Neal and Barkley had the strongest reactions as members of the media.

"This league has changed many rules because of George McCann, because of Chamberlain, and even because of me, but these rules are all to limit our performance, but now, they have introduced a rule to make a player better. Play, even before that, they had done it once and it was so darkly humorous."

O'Neal's remarks were very direct.

It is understandable why he is so angry. You must know that if it were not for the zone defense and three-second defense, the Lakers would most likely win four consecutive championships, or even five consecutive championships.

It's even possible that he and Kobe don't have to have such a big conflict. After all, in the NBA, victory can cover up most problems.

The last time he mentioned was when the league modified the walking rules for James in 09, allowing players to take two steps with the ball before stopping, passing or shooting.

Yes, this is hot knowledge that many fans don't know.

"Actually, this is a result of the pressure put on the league by LeBron and other players after the last game against the Bulls." Barkley revealed some deeper inside information.

Their remarks put James at the forefront of the storm, and you can feel that they no longer respect or disrespect James at this time, but they don't take James seriously at all.

After all, James is just a player with poor skills who has yet to win a championship after ten years in the league. If it weren't for the five-year, 5 million endorsement contract and Nike still sparing no effort to promote him, he wouldn't even deserve it. There is such a high level of attention again.

Xu Yong saw the news after training.

His reaction to the news was expected, because in previous games he could already feel the league's renewed care for James.

Or to be more precise, Nike is exerting extreme pressure to force the league to compromise.

In response, Xu Yong expressed his objections when interviewed by reporters at the end of training.

"These rules will ruin the game. When breakthroughs become easy, players will no longer improve their skills. When big players can no longer guard the penalty area, the game will lose its appeal. This is a chronic poison."

Xu Yong now has a high status in the league, and his voice is still necessary.

His remarks also received support from many people, even O'Neal supported him on the TNT program.

But in the end, the league chose to implement this memorandum.

The reason is simple, profit.

After all, Nike is the league's largest sponsor. Their relationship with the NBA is somewhat similar to the relationship between YSL and Amelica, the relationship between father and son.

Of course, as Xu Yong analyzed before, Nike's continued pressure is actually a final sprint for James, just like the final madness.

If James can't win the championship before 2015, Durant will be ready to take over.

……

Time flies to mid-April.

The regular season of the 2013~2014 season has come to an end, and the rankings of the Eastern and Western Conferences have been finally determined.

In the Western Conference, the Thunder won 62 games. Their record not only ranked first in the Western Conference, but also ranked first in the league.

杜兰特打出了他生涯为止最炸裂的一个赛季，场均32分7.4板5.5助攻1.3抢断0.9盖帽，投篮命中率50.3%，三分球命中率39.1%。

His points and assists both hit career highs.

When he and Xu Yong separated last summer, he felt that Xu Yong was cheating him, but after the season, he found that Xu Yong's tactics were indeed effective.

Because in a sense, that is the key to Xu Yong's success.

In the final analysis, basketball is the training of basic skills. If you have solid basic skills, you will learn techniques quickly and with good results, and there will be a lower limit.

As for the upper limit, that is determined by talent.

Durant's talent is there. If he improves his passing accuracy and plays more of Kobe's offense, his scoring and assists will naturally increase.

His performance has made him the most popular candidate for MVP this year.

As for Harden, his points per game average has not changed this season, but his assists average has increased to 8.8 per game. His chemical reaction with Durant continues to get better.

The Mavericks finished second with 59 wins.

Nowitzki is getting better as he gets older this season, averaging 22 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 50.6% from the field, 40.2% from three-point range, and 91% from the free throw line, and successfully entered the [180 Club].

Of course, the Mavericks' outstanding record this season is mainly due to Leonard, who has raised the Mavericks' ceiling.

伦纳德三年级的数据单最后定格在场均18.7分6.8板2.6助攻2.1抢断，49.4%命中率和37.4%的三分命中率。

After the All-Star Game, he got more shooting opportunities and his data continued to improve.

The Trail Blazers ranked third with 54 wins.

The Trail Blazers' youth army came in waves. Although Roy retired, Lillard and Aldridge took over the banner.

Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Aldridge, and Robin Lopez, this lineup is also quite competitive in the Western Conference.

Of course, their ability to jump to third place is directly related to the decline of the Lakers and Spurs.

The Spurs are fourth with 52 wins.

The Spurs' continued dominance is, in a sense, a complete "accident."

Because it is essentially based on GDP's continuous salary cuts. Now that GDP is getting old and Leonard is not selected as a new "accident", which superstar would like a small market like San Antonio?

So now their strength will only continue to decline.

The Warriors, Clippers, Pelicans, and Grizzlies ranked 5th to 8th respectively.

After Kobe was sidelined for 6 weeks, he was eventually forced to undergo season-ending surgery again, and the Lakers ultimately missed the playoffs. This was the first time they missed the playoffs since the 2004-2005 season.

The first-round matchups in the Western Conference include Thunder vs. Grizzlies, Mavericks vs. Pelicans, Trail Blazers vs. Clippers, and Spurs vs. Warriors.

Among these four matches, the Spurs and Warriors are undoubtedly the ones that attract the most attention.

They are a duel between the remnants of the old era and the supernovas.

However, the Warriors have a very fatal injury this season. Their starting center, "Yellow Miracle" Andrew Bogut suffered a rib fracture in the game against the Trail Blazers and was reimbursed for the season.

博古特本赛季为勇士队出战67场且全部首发，场均能贡献7.3分10板1.7助攻1.8盖帽，是湾区的内线屏障。

His season reimbursement will make it difficult for the Warriors to limit Duncan's performance in the paint, even if Duncan is about to turn 38 years old.

In the East, the Pacers rank first with 60 wins.

詹姆斯场均27.8分8篮板6.2助攻1.6抢断，投篮命中率56.7%为生涯新高，三分球命中率达到37.9%。

保罗场均18.5分4.2篮板10.7助攻2.5抢断，46.7%的命中率，37.8%的三分命中率。

拜纳姆场均16.5分10.8板1.4助攻1.9盖帽，投篮命中率55%。

The Heat ranked second with 59 wins.

With Wade returning to health after the All-Star break, the Heat showed their inherent competitiveness. The only regret was that they failed to overtake the Pacers at the last minute to top the Eastern Conference.

Wade only played 54 games due to injury, but he still averaged 24.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, shooting 54.5% from the field and 30.4% from three-point range. His scoring dropped slightly, but his efficiency did not drop compared to last season. Reverse rise.

格兰杰在韦德缺阵的时候打出了不俗表现，个人数据也提升到了18.2分4.5板2.5助攻1.4抢断，投篮命中率46.2%，三分命中率39.4%；

The Bulls are third in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins.

The Bulls successfully overtook the Raptors after the All-Star break, but this record is their worst in recent years.

Rose and Brown were injured successively, Butler was ordered to dilute the ball rights in critical situations, Hawes was running into troubles, etc., just as Xu Yong expected, the Bulls experienced the most difficult season.

数据方面，徐永场均28.2分7.5篮板5.8助攻2抢断1.5盖帽，51.6%的投篮命中率，39%的三分命中率。

The changes in his statistics this season compared to last season are still obvious: he scored fewer points, but still ranked second in the league behind Durant; he had fewer assists because Butler diluted the ball; his shooting percentage increased Because the proportion without the ball has been increased, the difficulty of scoring has been reduced; the defensive end data has significantly improved, because with Butler holding the ball, he can redistribute his physical strength back to the defensive end.

巴特勒场均16.2分5.3板4.3助攻1.8抢断，投篮命中率45.4%，三分命中率35.2%
This is a season of transformation for Butler. Although his scoring and steals data are not as good as Leonard's, making him seem to be suppressed by Leonard on both offense and defense, his assists have directly doubled compared to last season. And Leonard has embarked on a completely different development trajectory.

David West averaged 14.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, and shot 48.8% from the field.

Adams played in all 62 games, started 42 games, averaged 5.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, including 2.8 offensive rebounds, and shot 50.4% from the field.

Foye averaged 11.6 points per game and was the team's sixth man, shooting 40.2% from three-point range and averaging 5.1 three-pointers per game.

霍伊斯为公牛队出战27场，场均9.6分4.3板2.4助攻0.9盖帽，三分球命中率41.8%。

The Raptors rank fourth in the Eastern Conference with 49 wins.

德罗赞场均22.7分4.3板4助攻1.1抢断，投篮命中率42.9%。

The Raptors sent Gay away at the beginning of the season and corrected DeRozan's core position, and his statistics have also improved.

What he needs to do next is how to become an efficient scorer.

阿德托昆博在自己的新秀赛季出战了77场，其中15场首发，场均出场24.2分钟，6.2分4.4板0.8盖帽0.8抢断，其中三分球命中率出人意料的达到34.7%（场均出手1.5次）。

The Wizards, Nets, Hornets, and Hawks ranked 5th to 8th respectively.

The Cavaliers ended up ranked tenth in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs.

The Celtics ranked No. 13. Zhou Qi played 62 games in his rookie season, including 40 starts. He averaged 24 minutes per game, contributed 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting 45% from the field and three-pointers. The ball hit rate is 34%.

The first-round matchups in the East are Pacers VS Hawks, Heat VS Hornets, Raptors VS Wizards, Bulls VS Nets.

Among them, the matchup between the Bulls and the Nets is undoubtedly the most watched.

At the beginning of the season, the Nets made the most stinking trade in the history of the NBA with a wave of Billy King's hand.

But it's just a stinker. Nets fans adjusted their mentality and thought about enjoying him for a season or two first. After all, this is a serious five-star lineup.

As a result, no one expected that the Nets started to pull at the beginning of the season, and then pulled until the end of the season. In the end, they only won 44 wins, which was 10 fewer wins than last season.

Pierce's average data dropped to 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, a career low.

Garnett averaged 6.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. When he was about to turn 38, Duncan was still shining in the Holy City. He completely declined and became a role player.

Then looking back at the pile of draft picks the Nets paid, Billy King's face couldn't be more swollen.

Moreover, it rained all night. Deron suffered from injuries this season, and his data dropped to 14.3 points and 6.1 assists.

Even Lopez suffered a fracture during the season and did not return until the end of the season. His status was also a problem.

As an opponent, and an opponent who has played against each other in the playoffs for two consecutive seasons (the Bulls and Nets met in the Eastern Conference semifinals last year), Xu Yong also began to study the Nets after the matchup was confirmed.

The problem with the Nets' team formation model is obvious. Although in theory the more stars a team has, the better, the distribution of shot rights is the biggest problem.

The right to shoot not only affects the player's data, but also affects the player's status.

Take Pierce and Garnett, for example. Did they decline so drastically just one season apart?

The answer is no. Pierce's shots dropped from 14.2 last season to 9.5, and Garnett dropped from 12.5 to 6.6.

If they were given the same shooting rights as last season, their data would most likely be the same.

So by extension, even if the Cavaliers form the Big Four, and they are the Big Four that are most suitable for James, the ball rights issue will probably be enough for them to drink.

Back to the Nets, although there are problems here and there, the Nets are the strongest team in the bottom half.

Because in the playoffs, it is the stage for stars and veterans. The four All-Stars of the Nets should not be underestimated.

Especially since the Bulls now have a younger lineup, in terms of winning chances, the Nets are not necessarily lower than the Bulls.

Thibodeau obviously knew this, so after the match was confirmed, he increased the intensity of the team's training to keep the players tense.

And after the training, the team members were also vaccinated.

After the training, Butler happily found Xu Yong.

"Senior, I got it."

Xu Yong looked confused.

"Most Improved Award, they called me."

After Butler said it, Xu Yong realized that he was talking about the trophy.

When he threw the Most Improved Award trophy to Butler, he told Butler to get one for himself.

Then, Butler did it this season.

"Now, all that's left is the championship trophy." Butler then said with anticipation.

"Not bad, come on." Xu Yong patted Butler's shoulder. With Butler's character, he didn't need anyone to remind him not to be arrogant or complacent.

On the first day of the playoffs, the Bulls did not play.

But on this day, together with the Nets, they held public training sessions for the media.

The Bulls are at the practice facility in the morning and at the home arena in the afternoon, while the Nets are the opposite.

After the Nets' training at the home stadium, reporters rushed for interviews.

Deron returned to the locker room early because he needed ice after the game, while Pierce and Lopez stayed to be interviewed by reporters.

Among the Lopez brothers, Lopez, like Noah, has a more flamboyant personality, but Lopez is more low-key and calm.

Therefore, when faced with questions from Chicago reporters, he basically dealt with them, even if they were offensive remarks. For example, before asking a question, he would add "The Nets have experienced a failed season." As a premise, another example is whether you have thought about what losing means to the team.

This is normal. The reporters at home will naturally have a different attitude towards the visiting team.

Lopez could bear it, but Pierce on the side couldn't bear it.

"I don't want to make excuses for our season's performance. Injuries and run-in are not our excuses. The important thing is that we are all here now and we are ready to win that championship. No matter who the opponent is, we will win the game." After making a confident rebuttal, he did not forget to add, "Just like what Da Meng did back then."

Pierce made a very classic analogy, and it is a very appropriate one.

In the 94-95 season, the Rockets at that time fought back from the bottom half to win the championship. This was also the origin of the phrase "Don't underestimate the heart of a championship."

That season, the Rockets fell to sixth place because of Drexler's injury, and the Nets were similar.

Pierce's remarks also reached the ears of the Bulls generals in the afternoon.

"No matter who the opponent is", this seems to mean that the Bulls are not taken seriously, and it also makes the Bulls players eager to try.

Regardless of other things, the fighting spirit of both sides was fully boosted before the game.

The next day, the United Center was packed and the fans were enthusiastic.

Although the Bulls' record and strength have declined this season, the younger lineup, coupled with a composition somewhat similar to the Bulls team they are most familiar with, has given fans unlimited expectations.

This is also the most watched matchup in the first round of the Eastern Conference. After all, in terms of the number of All-Stars (selected), there are 8 from both sides, 2 from the Bulls (Xu Yong, West), and 6 from the Basketball Team. The Nets have [-] (the starting five plus Kirilenko on the bench).

Before the opening ceremony, Butler was presented with the Most Improved Award trophy.

Butler looked calm at this time and didn't care about the trophy at all.

Recalling Butler's happy expression yesterday, Xu Yongyong couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

Shortly after the award ceremony was the opening ceremony, and the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.

Nets: Deron, Joe Johnshay, Pierce, Garnett, Lopez; Bulls: Hinrich, Butler, Xu Yong, West, Adams.

If age and status are not taken into account, the Nets' starting lineup can frighten half of their opponents' courage.

Lopez jumped to get the ball for the Nets and officially kicked off the game.

Pierce reached out for the ball directly at the start of the game, and it was obvious that he had a strong desire to attack.

He held the ball as a three-threat breakthrough, and after shaking, he started the breakthrough from the right.

His movements were rhythmic, but he couldn't get past Butler.

Butler's current defensive ability is more than enough to deal with his old and cold legs.

But Pierce then showed off his rich offensive skills. He dribbled the ball directly from behind to his left hand with his right hand, and then took the ball with his left hand and stepped back to the left to shoot.

If Butler's breakthrough is "the ultimate common people's breakthrough", then Pierce is the "common people's offensive kaleidoscope".

Pierce is not only good on the floor, but his wingspan is actually only 2 meters, which is only 08 centimeters more than his height.

However, Butler has really improved a lot this season. Generally, Pierce can retreat to get rid of the defense on this kind of ball, but Butler still successfully pounced on it.

What he didn't expect was that Pierce only made a feint. After the fake move caused Butler to foul the cylinder, he then jumped up and shot.

"beep!"

"Shh!"

The referee's whistle sounded, and the basketball then hit the net.

"You can't guard me, switch to Xu Lai!" After making the shot, he shouted directly to Butler.

Pierce is a trash talker, but he started talking trash right away. It can be seen that the words of reporters yesterday really stimulated him a lot.

But he soon regretted it, because Butler followed Xu Yong and had already improved his trash talk. "Xu.is.your.dady" was just the beginning.

At this time, facing Pierce's provocation, he immediately showed a disdainful expression: "Ha, if it were my senior, you would be beaten out of your shit again."

Pierce was stunned for a moment, and his face turned red instantly. Being beaten by Xu Yong was the biggest pain in his life.

Xu Yong was on his way over at this time, and when he heard this, he burst out laughing.

"Humph!"

Pierce saw Xu Yong coming over with a smile, turned around with a cold snort, and went to shoot the free throw with a red face.

At this time, Xu Yong pulled Butler to his side and warned him: "His skills are very comprehensive, but his speed is slow as he gets older. Don't be stunned, and don't try to stop him from taking action. Just make him feel uncomfortable." "

Pierce hit the extra free throw and scored 3 points in the opening game.

But looking back, Butler used the speed of a young man to take the first step, and then used his breakthrough method to cause Pierce a foul.

It is said that Harden is good at drawing fouls, and Butler's move is also extremely powerful.

"You can't guard me?" Butler turned around and asked Pierce. He could talk trash to Pierce all night long.

Pierce was so angry that he didn't say anything like "This is the last time you disrespect me" like others. Instead, he turned around and continued to single out Butler in response.

However, his goal was not able to continue scoring, because, as Xu Yong said, Butler only put pressure on Pierce's defense but did not stumble. Pierce's final shot missed the basket despite the defense.

Xu Yong saw the right spot and picked off the defensive rebound to promote the fast break, assisting Butler's follow-up pass from the wing for a layup.

Butler's fast-break scoring ability has always been underestimated. Although it is not as good as Rose, it is still elite.

Xu Yong high-fived Butler while retreating.

Butler's golf IQ is really high, he can get it done with just one click, and he deserves the "Most Improved" award.

Moreover, his defensive skills have gradually matured this season. The only thing he lacks is experience. From this perspective, the fastest improvement is against an old ball player like Pierce.

In other words, Pierce is Butler's top NPC on his way to advancement, and he gains experience very quickly.

Pierce sneezed violently.

He continued to hold the ball and single-handedly beat Butler. This time he broke through to the basket, but Butler was really stubborn. In the end, he hit the three-second zone, and West was forced to pass the ball when he met the assisting defender.

And after this possession, Pierce no longer had the ball.

His toughness lasted only three rounds.

When people reach middle age, they can't help themselves. They have already passed the age where they are faced with a pressing defense and have to go in and out seven times.

However, he did not give up the offense, but switched from holding the ball to off the ball.

What he encountered without the ball was no longer a press, but a relatively loose defense. In the end, he used Lopez's pick-and-roll to fake a breakthrough, successfully shook Butler away and completed the shot.

Naturally, top NPCs are not easily defeated, and Butler's experience does not end so quickly.

The score of this game was finally fixed at 100 to 95. With Xu Yong's 8 points in the last moments of the quarter, the Bulls won the game in a thrilling manner.

Xu Yong finally scored a game-high 30 points. If he scored two points less, the outcome of this game is still uncertain.

It can be seen from many details that the strength of the two teams is indeed not as big as the ranking gap.

However, compared to the outcome of the game, the experience Butler gained in this game may be more important to the Bulls.

Throughout the first half, although Butler did not fall behind in trash talk and was very effective on the defensive end, he was still suppressed by Pierce on the whole.

On the stage of the playoffs, Pierce is a veteran who has been around for more than ten years, while Butler is only a novice who has been in the game for a year or two.

But in the second half, the situation between the two changed a lot.

Although Butler was at a disadvantage in the first half, he did not passively defend. Instead, he continued to consume Pierce just like he did against James.

After half a half of exhaustion, Pierce's physical fitness was obviously a problem.

While Butler was still full of energy and was flying at both ends of the offense and defense, Pierce could only pant and eat ashes behind.

This "surviving the old man" tactic cannot be said to have any effect on the old men of the Nets, it can only be said to be hit the nail on the head.

This is also the key to Xu Yong being able to complete a wave of harvest at the final moment.

In terms of key ball ability, Pierce is at a historical level, but as a key scorer at this historical level, he was beaten hard at critical moments.

The Bulls won first, but in the second game, the Nets came back 106-101.

The winner of this game was not Pierce, because after the exhaustion in the first game, Pierce did not recover in the second game and was basically in an invisible state.

The person who determines the final outcome of the game is Lopez. This All-Star with the lowest reputation among the Nets' Big Five is actually the core of the Nets' offense.

This can be seen from his title as the team's scoring leader this season.

The Nets shifted their offensive focus to him in the second game, and he beat Adams.

Adams' advantage is confrontation. He is very effective against physical players like Howard and James, but he is very passive against skilled insiders like Lopez.

Especially since he is still in his rookie season, Butler is considered experienced compared to him.

After winning G2, the Nets grabbed the home court advantage from the Bulls, which made Nets fans full of confidence.

But just when they thought the Nets were going to replicate the Rockets' winning streak as Pierce said, they immediately encountered a blow after returning home in G3.

Xu Yong used a 50-point game to tell Brooklynites what the strength of the current No. 1 team is.

The Nets tried to use Pierce, Johnson, Kirilenko, and even Garnett in the end, but they couldn't guard them.

If Kirilenko was four or five years younger, he might be able to achieve the limit, but unfortunately it is not possible.

Moreover, the effect of the Bulls' mid-season trade came out in this game. Thibodeau gave Hawes more time to confront Lopez.

Lopez's advantage is his excellent technique, but his disadvantage is that he is slow. Hawes can protect the frame, but his disadvantage is also slow.

If you are high, I will be high, if you are slow, I will be slow. It's like a three-prong plug finding a multi-prong socket. Lopez said it was too satisfying.

Even in G4, Thibodeau directly started with Hawes, and Lopez was basically strangled to death at this point.

And although this Nets team experienced a big deal in the summer, the problem of lack of main attack points has not been solved.

This is also the most complaining point about Billy King's deal. No matter what chips he uses to rob Anthony, the effect will be better than now.

Perhaps his idea is that relying on the lineup advantage can drag the game into the decisive moment, and then let Pierce take away the game with his key ball ability. If explained this way, the first two games of the series are barely part of his plan.

But the key to the problem is that the existence of Super Giant will break this stalemate. The performance of Xu Yong G3 is a breaking point.

Then as the series progresses, the old guys' physical fitness will naturally have problems. At that time, it will be difficult to maintain the balance.

So although Xu Yong's touch was not that good in this game, West and Butler both performed well. The three Bulls scored 20 points and scored another victory, directly beating the score to 3-1.

Of course, there are variables in the game.

到了G5，乔·约翰逊状态爆棚24中14，三分球都6中3拿了32分，帮助篮网队扳回一城。

Well, Johnson was guarded by Xu Yong, and many of his shots tonight were in a state of ignoring defense.

In G6, Xu Yong politely returned the favor with 43 points, taking the Nets away 4-2, ending the Nets' dream of replicating the Rockets' championship path.

After the series ended, some of Pierce's words at the press conference attracted a lot of attention.

He was a little frustrated about losing, and he didn't say anything about winning it back, because his contract expired this summer and it was unknown whether he would continue to stay in the Nets.

But he singled out Butler for praise, calling him "one of the toughest players" he's ever seen.

For these old-school players, only performance on the field can win their respect, otherwise Pierce would not have repeatedly made fun of James after retiring.

What, why didn't Pierce praise Xu Yong in the first place?
People have beaten the shit out of you, how can you still be in that mood!
The Bulls finished last in the first round in the Eastern Conference.

The remaining three groups before them have all finished.

The Raptors and Wizards played fiercely and ended the day before, and the result of the game was a bit unexpected. The Wizards defeated the Raptors 4-2.

Both DeRozan and Lowry performed a bit disastrously, with both shooting below 40%. They still have a way to go.

The remaining two groups were relatively easy and expected.

The Pacers took away the Hawks 4-1, and the Heat directly swept the Hornets 4-0.

Yes, the Hornets failed to win a single game against the defending champions.

After the first round of this Eastern Conference, the person who suffered the most was not Pierce, but that man.

From the exchange with Xu Yong during the All-Star Game, we can see that Jordan has high hopes for this year's Hornets. After all, this is the team he built.

Although he also knew that it would be difficult to beat the Heat, he thought he should win at least one or two games.

As a result, Jefferson couldn't take much advantage against Bosh, and Walker was completely suppressed by Wade, not to mention the likes of Michael Gilchrist and Cody Zeller.

The Hornets not only had a big score, but also had no chance at all.

Some people may say, isn’t there a [vertical takeoff rule]?Hibbert's interior defense should be weakened a lot, right?

The key to the problem is that the Heat's perimeter defensive pressure prevents the Hornets from even getting to the basket.

In the last game, Jordan was possessed by the King in the stands and was beaten to the point of leaving the game early.

However, the Heat's dominance in this series has made many people realize that their strength has not weakened compared to last year.

In this way, the Eastern Conference semifinals matchups are also announced, Pacers VS Wizards, Heat VS Bulls.

Then a day later, as the Spurs narrowly defeated the Warriors in the tiebreaker, the first round of the Western Conference was completed.

雷霆4比2淘汰灰熊，小牛4比0横扫鹈鹕，开拓者4比2击败快船，而马刺则是4比3险胜勇士。

Compared with the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference did not suffer an upset this year, and all the teams in the top half were successfully won.

In the Western Conference semifinals, the Thunder faced the Spurs, and the Mavericks faced the Trail Blazers.

Just after the first round, just like in the past few seasons, the league announced the ownership of the most important award of the season, MVP.

Prior to this, ESPN had done its best to canvass votes for James.

But the final results came out, and Durant was undoubtedly elected as the MVP of the 40~2013 season with nearly 2014% of the votes.

His advantage is really too obvious.

Let’s not talk about wins. Two more wins are basically negligible in front of James.

The key is that Durant averages 32 points per game, which is the same as Xu Yong last year, a gap-like lead.

Not to mention that Durant's assist numbers have also increased this year, including his continued efficiency.

Just like the comment highlighted by "KBfnas" on social media: If Kevin Durant cannot be elected MVP this season, it will not be his regret, but the regret of the league.

Xu Yong saw the news during extra practice and sent Durant a congratulatory text message.

It can be seen from Durant's request after he defeated him in a one-on-one last summer that Durant is also a ball fanatic like Kobe and Thibodeau.

He could guess that besides games, what Durant did most in the rest of his time was training.

Because there is not enough training, it is impossible to develop a new weapon in one season.

Durant's transformation from an off-ball shooter who entered the league to his current strength cannot be explained by just two words: talent.

Compared to James, Durant is worthy of being his opponent.

Of course, the premise is that Duran specifically surrendered to the enemy as he knew he would.

But now that James has become a wandering king, the probability of that happening is not high.

After Xu Yong sent the text message, he was about to go back to rest. After all, there should be many people congratulating Durant at this moment, and his text messages should be flooded soon.

But as soon as he stood up, his cell phone rang, and Durant actually called him directly.

"Thank you, Xu." As soon as he picked up the phone, he heard Durant's sincere thanks.

Don’t forget the well-digger. Durant still knows that his ability to win the MVP this season has a lot to do with Xu Yong’s help.

And his voice sounded a little excited.

This is normal, because in the past few years, it was not only James who was suppressed by Xu Yong at his peak, but also him.

"You earned this yourself." Xu Yong replied calmly.

Durant is willing to practice and has talent. If it were anyone else, even if you showed his post-up skills in his face, he would still only have that little ability.

"Xu, I have a question."

"I am listening."

"If we meet in the finals and I defeat you in the end, does this count as you defeating yourself?"

Xu Yong was stunned for a moment, not because of Durant's magical way of asking questions, but because of these familiar words.

In that sunset conversation, he also asked Kobe the same question.

"Are you still listening?"

"Kevin, let's wait until you win the championship."

Xu Yong's answer was very calm, not as emotional as Kobe's.

Because Durant is popping champagne on the bus this time.

He really wanted to tell Durant that there is something called a flag.

Moreover, the Mavericks are stronger this season than last season, and the Thunder may not be able to win again.

(End of this chapter)