no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 259 Ross’s Choice
109 to 93, relying on the huge advantage established in the first quarter, the Bulls finally defeated the Raptors at home and won G1 of the series.

Xu Yong scored 46 points in three quarters. Even after Casey replaced Antetokounmpo, his offensive did not stop.

Originally, Butler was in good form and he played relatively well, but Antetokounmpo's actions suddenly boosted his desire to play.

This forced both sides to play a period of garbage time.

When the game was over, Casey glanced at Antetokounmpo and felt the same as DeRozan had before: Why did you say you had nothing to do to provoke him?

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

Because it was a one-sided victory, reporters were not paying attention to the game itself, but what happened between Xu Yong and Antetokounmpo during the game.

Antetokounmpo had a good performance in the first quarter, but was beaten by Xu Yong on both offense and defense. He finished the game with 6 points and 5 rebounds.

"I don't think he was provocative, he was just a little excited." However, Xu Yong was very open-minded when asked relevant questions by reporters.

He must also be open-minded, because essentially, Antetokounmpo is playing a little too excited.

Of course, the more important thing is that Antetokounmpo is only in his third year and is a serious newcomer. If he is preoccupied with a newcomer, it will appear that he is narrow-minded.

"But then you faced him and hit 9 goals." The reporter reminded.

"...So many?" Xu Yong turned to Butler and asked.

Butler shook his head, not in denial, but because he didn't know who would be bored enough to count that kind of data, although he felt that the reporter might have underestimated it.

"I'm sorry, that's the data for the first half." The reporter was reminded by the person next to him.

"There were 13 goals in total. Of the 17 goals you scored tonight, only 4 were not scored against him."

"Cough cough!"

Xu Yong held his empty fist and coughed, then smiled and said: "I'm a little excited too."

After finishing the press conference and going back to the locker room to rest for a while, Xu Yong took Anderson with him for extra practice.

With West's condition, there is a high probability that he will not be able to start in the starting lineup next season. There is a certain chance that Anderson will be the starting power forward.

But the premise is that Anderson must be able to withstand the destruction of the opponent's power forward in the low post.

Because it was at their home court, they went directly to the competition venue for training.

But when they arrived at the arena, they unexpectedly discovered that Antetokounmpo was training there, and he was still wearing the jersey from the game. It seemed that he did not go back to the locker room after the game, but stayed for additional practice.

Xu Yong just glanced at it and then looked away, and then went to train with Anderson.

What they train is low-post offense and defense, which will be used more when they play against the Cavaliers.

After they had been practicing for a while, Antetokounmpo suddenly walked towards them.

After seeing this, Anderson greeted Xu Yong and then walked up to Xu Yong.

If the other party is looking for trouble, he will definitely go first.

But Xu Yong patted him on the shoulder to indicate that he was okay.

Give Antetokounmpo a hundred courages, and the opponent will not dare to cause trouble for him in the United Center.

Sure enough, when he walked in front of him, Antetokounmpo said: "Xu, I apologize to you for my impolite behavior during the game. I was a little too excited."

He came to apologize.

Anderson was surprised, and Xu Yong was also a little surprised.

Before his rebirth, Antetokounmpo was already a superstar in the league. His impression of the opponent mainly focused on two points: First, inspirational. As a rookie in the middle of the first round, he was very thin when he entered the league, and then he suddenly played hard. He became a devilish muscular man, polished his skills bit by bit, and counterattacked to become a super giant;

The second is to step on the championship. "He really wants to win" and "the championship ring should be worn on his feet." These are the hot jokes about his stepping on the championship that year.

So in terms of recognizing Antetokounmpo's strength, Xu Yong is actually not that cold towards him.

Otherwise, during the draft that year, he would not just hint at Foreman, but name him like Butler and Jokic.

But now the other party took the initiative to apologize, which made him think of a very interesting question: Antetokounmpo would step in the door in history. Did he really want to win as the fans ridiculed?Or, just learn from others?

If it's the former, then he's actually just as bad a person as Bowen or anyone else;

If it is the latter, it means that although he is bad, he is not that bad, because in essence, stepping on the foot and holding a group are similar. Although the methods are different, they both rely on shortcuts to win. Others rely on this method to win. When you win a championship, you naturally want to imitate it.

Xu Yongyong didn't know the answer to this question, but considering the other party's proactive attitude of apologizing, he felt that he could offer a few words. If it could be done, then fewer stars would suffer in the future. Even if it couldn't be done, it would be just a waste. Some drool.

"It's understandable that young people are more energetic." Xu Yong commented, which was a response to Antetokounmpo's apology.

Seeing Xu Yong's magnanimous look, Antetokounmpo recalled the scene in the game when he was beaten to the point of shutting down. The corners of his mouth twitched and he tried to force out a smile.

"But I have a reason to win." After putting away his smile, Antetokounmpo said with firm eyes.

Now it's Xu Yong's turn to twitch his lips. Do you really want to win?
It shouldn't be. In his memory, Antetokounmpo seems to have stepped in during the period with the Big Three of the Nets. It happened after 2020. It's still early.

It couldn't be that just because he knocked the opponent out of his mind, this matter started in advance?

This time he wanted to make a few more remarks.

"Giannis, failure is the main theme of basketball, and there are no shortcuts in basketball. If you want to win, you can only work hard to make yourself stronger. When you are strong enough, you don't have to say you have to win, because you are already a winner."

Antetokounmpo was stunned for a moment, and he realized that he seemed to be on the same channel as Xu Yong, but Xu Yong's words made sense, especially the sentence that there are no shortcuts in basketball, which is why he has been working hard to this day.

"I will continue to work hard." He pursed his lips and nodded.

Xu Yong smiled when he saw this, hoping that things would develop in a good direction.

……

Two days later, the Bulls sat at home and continued their contest with the Raptors.

The G2 game was much more intense than G1. The Raptors made full use of their bench depth. Although they were still at a disadvantage at the beginning, they directly caught up with the score in the first half of the substitute transition period.

The impact of Rose's absence on the Bulls is obvious.

However, in the second half, Thibodeau made some adjustments based on the situation at halftime. He asked Xu Yong to take a rest early, and then led the substitute transition period for the third and fourth quarters.

This kind of adjustment will have an immediate effect, of course, provided that Butler's condition is good enough, otherwise after Xu Yong comes off the field and the Bulls enter the end of the quarter with a disadvantage, then it will not make much sense.

After a fierce battle in the final four quarters, the Bulls defeated the Raptors 108-100, leading 2-0.

With this score and the game process, Xu Yong's game strategy can be said to have worked perfectly.

After the first two games of the series, the two sides will move to Toronto to continue the contest for the next two games.

Going to Toronto is a troublesome thing, but going abroad is a trivial matter. The main reason is that the place is really cold.

When they came out of Toronto Pearson International Airport, the whooshing cold wind made people subconsciously shrink their necks even if they put on down jackets in advance.

But when they came out and on the way to the bus, they felt the enthusiasm of the fans in the cold wind.

There were many people holding Xu Yong's KT boards to welcome him, and even more people were holding Xu Yong's No. 6 jersey to ask for autographs.

Xu Yong stopped briefly, and after satisfying the needs of some fans, he finally boarded the bus that had been waiting for him for a while.

"Boss, is this Toronto?" Jokic asked suddenly when Xu Yong sat down.

"Nicholas, are you brain-frozen?" Anderson on the side touched his forehead after hearing this.

"But I feel like it's no different than when I was in Chicago, right?"

When Jokic said the second sentence with a smile, Anderson reached back his hand and touched his forehead, as if he was the one whose brain was frozen.

There was a burst of laughter in the bus, and Ross smiled and said, "You will get used to it gradually."

Jokic reached out and scratched his head, but there was no trace of this flattery.

After arriving in Toronto, the Bulls went to the training facility for training after a short break.

Because of the long distance, there is not much training time left for them.

Also in the training session, the Bulls' shooting touch was not very good.

Obviously, the icy weather in Toronto didn't freeze anyone's brains, but it definitely made their hands a little stiff.

The next night, G3 between the Bulls and Raptors kicked off at Scotiabank Arena.

The stadium was fully occupied and the fans' enthusiasm was quite high.

Although Canada has a small population, and its population is mainly concentrated in a few big cities, it is still a country after all, and the Raptors are a bit like a national team.

The result of this game was that the Raptors won, 106 to 95.

The score difference was 11 points, and more importantly, the Bulls rarely scored less than [-] points. The Bulls' touch in training continued into the game.

Their field goal percentage was just over 40%, which put them into a lagging situation at the start.

On the other hand, the Raptors have played in this environment all year round and have already adapted to this.

And there is another stat that is easily overlooked. The Raptors' winning rate at home this season is 85%, which is much better than away games.

This is somewhat like the devil's home field.

Antetokounmpo's performance in this game was also very eye-catching. He scored 21 points and 11 rebounds, and grabbed 5 offensive rebounds. His energy made the opponent West look old.

After the game, he was also very excited and shouted "We won" to the camera.

Two days later, the Bulls and Raptors continued their G4 contest.

The result of this game was again unexpected.

There will be times when any team does not perform well. The Bulls, who were as strong as the 72-win Bulls and the Bulls last season, also lost in the playoffs.

After all, people are not machines. They will have ups and downs and will be affected by some external factors, and the opponents in the playoffs are all capable.

This was the case when the Bulls lost in G3, but G4 was another situation.

The Bulls' touch recovered in G4. They scored 121 points in the game. Before the second attack time was changed to 14 seconds, this was an absolute high score in the playoffs.

But the Raptors scored 126 points in this game.

Obviously, the Raptors' performance was a bit beyond the standard, especially DeRozan, who scored 7 points in a row at the last minute, including a difficult three-pointer that determined the outcome, and scored a career-high 41 points in the playoffs.

And it's not just him. In this game of the Raptors, the starting five, plus Joseph and Terrence Ross on the bench, all scored in double figures.

This brought about the most critical data in the game, bench scoring, and the Raptors far surpassed the Bulls 32-18.

Yes, it's still the impact of Rose's absence.

Although Stephenson can fill some of the gaps, the gap in ability is obvious.

In fact, this problem also existed in the last game, but it was covered up by the team's sluggish feel.

Or to be more precise, it already exists in G1.

In order to solve this problem, Thibodeau chose to extend Xu Yong's playing time, but the Raptors' lineup was very deep, and there were some unexpected factors in these two games, which caused the Bulls to lose the game in the end.

One conclusion that can be easily drawn is that the Bulls' strength is still here, but the error tolerance rate is obviously much smaller than last season.

On the plane back to Chicago, the Bulls' morale was a little low. No matter what the reason, they were chased to a 2-0 tie after leading 2-2, and were forced into Tianwang Mountain. This must not make people happy. "Relax a little. When you get back to Chicago, take a hot bath to warm up first. Of course, you can also find a girl to help you warm up if necessary." Malone said jokingly on the plane.

There was a burst of laughter on the plane, and Xu Yong also laughed.

As he knows [the father of the Lakers] and [a coach considering retiring], Malone actually has a sense of humor.

But his mentality at this time is similar to Malone, and they really need to relax a little.

This Raptors team is stronger than many people imagined. Not to mention DeRozan's ability is stronger than at the same time in history. In terms of lineup configuration alone, having one more Antetokounmpo will greatly improve the Raptors' internal strength. , and more importantly, it makes up for the leadership quality that this Raptors team lacks most.

It was no accident that the Raptors were able to seize the opportunity to catch up with the big score.

But it is also obvious that it will be difficult for the Raptors to continue to perform like G4.

So in the final analysis, the Bulls' biggest opponent is themselves. As long as they can perform at a normal level, it won't be a big problem to win the Raptors.

To perform well, mentality is very important, and relaxation is naturally necessary.

Just as he was thinking, Xu Yong saw from the corner of his eye Ross sitting by the window, looking at the white clouds outside the window, looking thoughtful.

……

Chicago, suburbs.

Forman, who had just finished a busy day, returned home. He was about to go to Meimei to take a hot bath when he suddenly received a call.

After some communication, he finally gave up the idea of ​​taking a bath, said hello to his wife, and then rushed to the arena.

When he arrived, Ross was waiting for him at the office door.

He smiled and nodded, then opened the door and walked in with him before closing the door again.

"Derek, why are you in such a hurry?" Forman couldn't help but complain in his heart. After all, it was already non-working hours.

"Sorry to bother you with this trip." Ross apologized.

"I know you must be in such a hurry because of something important, so why don't you rush over here." Rose's character made him unable to get angry at all, so he waved his hand quickly and turned around to make coffee for Rose.

"I want to apply to leave the team in the summer."

Forman was just about to get the hot water when Rose's words almost made him drop the cup in his hand.

"What did you say?" He turned around with a look of disbelief on his face, then put down his cup and sat directly opposite Rose.

Rose would not be traded if they won the championship. This was the bet reached between Xu Yong and Raunsdorf.

But now, Rose actually asked to leave?
Doesn't this embarrass Xu Yong?
To put it bluntly, if Rose had been willing to be traded, Xu Yong would not have had to conflict with Raunsdorf because of him.

Now that conflicts have arisen, but you still say you want to be traded, what does that mean?
"Gall, I want to stay in Chicago, but I don't want to drag Xu down anymore." There was reluctance on Rose's face. As a local star, deep down in his heart, why would he want to leave his hometown.

But like he said, he can't continue like this. This time playing against the Raptors is the best reminder for him. If he hadn't been injured, the series might be over by now.

Yes, he can control his desire to play, mentality, etc., but he can't control his injuries.

A very real question, what if he is injured again next year?
Even if Xu Yong can drag him to defend his title this season, will he still drag him to complete the dynasty?

The last time the Bulls failed to complete the dynasty was because of injuries. Xu Yong had done so much for him. How could he let such an experience happen again to Xu Yong?
Xu Yong is the one who really wants to catch up with Jordan. It would be too selfish for him to continue like this.

Foreman looked at Ross for a long time, not knowing how to express himself.

Xu Yong and Rose, old and new, are of similar age. This is something that often happens in NBA teams.

For example, in the Lakers, the story between Kobe and O'Neal is a household name. Fortunately, they are not both inside or outside, otherwise they would have to fight.

Another example is the Cavaliers. As soon as James arrived in the Cavaliers, he squeezed out Ricky Davis, and the famous meme "I thought he was here to assist me" was born.

But Xu Yong and Ross took a completely different path.

Xu Yong had a conflict with Raunsdorf for Ross before, and now Ross has chosen to sacrifice himself for Xu Yong's achievements. The relationship between them is extremely precious in the business alliance.

"My contract has a player option next year, but I can't bring anything with me if I leave like this. I will execute the contract. When the time comes, my expired contract will have trade value, and I will also participate in the trial training of the trading team." When Foreman didn't object, Ross continued.

Foreman's nose even felt a little sore after hearing this. Rose must have thought a lot before coming here.

"If this is your final decision, I respect your idea, but because of the previous bet, I need to communicate with Xu and Mr. Raunsdorf."

"I know." Ross nodded gratefully.

After seeing Ross off, Forman paced back and forth in the office.

This happened so suddenly that it was difficult for him to figure out how to deal with it next.

Theoretically speaking, it is best to bring up this kind of transaction in the summer.

Rose suddenly told him, probably knowing that he needed some time to think about how to deal with it.

So does he want to communicate with Xu Yong now?

Will that affect Xu Yong's mentality?Just like Raunsdorf said James wants to come to the Cavaliers?
Maybe wait until summer to talk to Xu Yong?
If the incident happened suddenly, would Xu Yong feel that they forced Rose to make a choice?

This matter was a bit tricky to handle, mainly from Xu Yong's side. He didn't know how Xu Yong's side would react if they found out.

After struggling for a long time, he decided to communicate with Xu Yong first.

He left the office and went directly to the training gym.

Xu Yong's extra practice at night is public information within the Bulls.

Sure enough, when he arrived, he saw Xu Yong training there with Jokic, Adams and Anderson.

Anderson reminded Xu Yong, Xu Yong turned around and seemed to be very confused when he saw Forman.

"You guys keep practicing." When he saw Foreman looking at him, he said hello to the others and then walked to the entrance of the arena.

"Go to my office?" Foreman asked with a smile.

Xu Yong nodded. He was familiar with Forman and would not make things so mysterious if they were not important.

"Gundrick came to see me." After Xu Yong sat on the chair in front of Ross, Foreman handed the brewed coffee to him and then said.

"Huh?" Xu Yong looked confused. It is not common for players to find general managers in teams.

"He said he wanted to leave the team this summer." Now that he had decided to say it, Foreman didn't hesitate.

Xu Yong frowned and looked at Foreman with sharp eyes.

"I definitely didn't force him. Even if Mr. Raunsdorf had an idea, it would be in the summer instead of this time." Forman quickly explained.

Xu Yong withdrew his gaze: "Did he mention it himself?"

"Yeah, he said he didn't want to drag you down," Foreman explained.

"I understand." After hearing this, Xu Yong stood up and prepared to walk out.

"Xu." Forman stopped him.

"I think the reason Derek came to me first was because he didn't want to cause trouble to you at this time, but I think I have an obligation to tell you about it in advance." Forman said quickly.

Xu Yong said "hmm" and then left the office.

After coming out, he took a deep breath, but Foreman's words still echoed in his mind.

Finally, he went to the parking lot and drove directly to Rose's house.

Ross was stunned for a moment when he saw him coming, obviously surprised.

After taking Xu Yong to the room and sitting down, Rose blamed himself and said: "I thought Gal would tell you until the end of the season."

"Are you just giving up?" Xu Yong asked, looking at Ross.

Rose did not look directly at Xu Yong, but lowered his head and asked: "Xu, we helped the team return to the top together last season, didn't we?"

"I have no regrets anymore." He then looked up at Xu Yong.

"So you just gave up? When we are about to complete the dynasty together?" Xu Yong asked again. This was what they had thought about on the balcony.

"I..." Rose's expression was struggling, and his body was trembling slightly.

Finally, he took a long breath: "Xu, the pressure of injuries is driving me crazy. What if I get injured again next year? You know if that happens, I really don't know how to face you and the ball." Team."

"Who said you will continue to be injured next year? This year is just an accident." Xu Yong retorted.

"Who can guarantee that it won't happen?" Ross looked directly at Xu Yong this time.

Xu Yong was silent for a moment, yes, no one can guarantee it, he can't guarantee it, and Rose himself can't guarantee it.

"I was too naive during the offseason. I thought that if I changed my style of play and played healthy for a season, I would be healthy all the time. If I had realized at that time that my ankles and knees were already severely worn. If I can never get my parts back, I should accept the fact that I was traded."

Yes, people's thoughts are changing. At that time, Rose wanted to continue to attack the dynasty with Xu Yong, but after this season's experience, he now only hopes that he will not hinder Xu Yong from completing the dynasty.

"Let me go, Xu, this is also a relief for me. Maybe without the pressure, I can play healthily?" Rose said with a smile.

Xu Yong looked at Ross for a long time, hesitated several times, and finally nodded.

If this was Rose's true inner thoughts, he chose to respect it.

Rose took a long breath when he saw this, then stood up with a smile and patted Xu Yong on the shoulder; "Three championships, even if I retire now, LeBron will never catch up with my historical status."

Xu Yong was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but smile.

The joke he used to persuade Rose back then, he didn't expect that Rose would also learn it.

But Ross's mood showed that he really looked away.

After leaving Rose's home, Xu Yong drove back to the training hall.

Although he knew that this was Rose's choice, he still felt a little bored.

He needed somewhere to vent his emotions.

He returned to the training hall, greeted Anderson and began to fight.

Half an hour later, Anderson held his chest and raised a white flag: "Boss, go around me."

He felt like his ribs would be broken if he hit him again.

Xu Yong turned to look at Jokic.

"I remembered, I seemed to have forgotten to turn off the heat of the tea I made before." Jokic said immediately.

"Boss, I can do it." Adams said.

Xu Yong glanced at Adams' body and then announced that today's training was over.

"Boss, that guy Giannis yelled 'We can win' into the camera, he was very arrogant." Anderson said immediately after getting in the car.

Xu Yong said nothing and waved his hand to signal him to drive.

Targeting Antetokounmpo no longer makes much sense, because he feels that the only way to vent his emotions is the entire Raptors team.

(End of this chapter)