no shortcuts in basketball

261 The Plan Has Changed
When the final whistle sounded, the score on the court was fixed at 106-97. The Bulls defeated the Raptors and won the battle of Tianwangshan.

现场的LED大屏幕上打出了徐永今晚完整的比赛数据：45投25中，三分球8投4中，罚球16罚15中，69分7板6助攻4抢断2盖帽4失误3犯规。

The photographer immediately took the camera to Xu Yong, and the cheers at the scene were overwhelming.

"Satan! Satan!"

Xu Yong was sitting on the bench to rest. There was no one sitting on either side of him. At this time, his aura teammates did not dare to sit next to him.

Feeling the enthusiasm of the fans, Xu Yong extended his hand to greet the fans.

It's not that he doesn't want to stand up, but that he is too tired to stand up now and needs to slow down.

But this scene was photographed by other reporters, and it is the best promotional poster for Xu Yong's 69 points in a single game tonight.

Then, when Xu Yong stood up, he immediately had to be interviewed by reporters at the venue.

On this 69-point night, he was destined to be busy.

The courtside interview was very brief. After Xu Yong answered the questions, he walked towards the player tunnel amidst the cheers of the fans.

After feeling the fans' unabated enthusiasm, he continued to wave.

And when he entered the players' tunnel, the fans there frantically handed him all kinds of things asking for autographs.

Xu Yong chose to stop and satisfy their needs as much as possible.

But after a while, Malone came over to remind him that he would attend a post-game press conference later.

Xu Yong nodded and prepared to leave.

"slowly!"

At this moment, a person in the crowd crazily squeezed his head out and shouted in this direction.

Xu Yongyong couldn't help but stop and look.

Xu Yong felt that he had some impression of the other party, but he couldn't remember who it was for a while.

When they saw Xu Yong looking at the high school student, others also made some gaps for the boy to squeeze out.

"Xu! Xu! Can I have your sneakers?" This high school student was also quite courageous. He found that he had attracted Xu Yong's attention and said directly.

Usually when encountering this kind of situation, most players will ignore it. After all, the opponent is already a high school student and not a child.

But that familiar feeling made Xu Yongyong couldn't help but ask: "What's your name?"

"Edwards, Anthony Devonte Edwards, I just joined Serrell High School in Atlanta this year." The other party said excitedly.

Edwards, when he heard the name, Xu Yong immediately remembered that Edwards is the No. 2020 pick in [-] and has an impressive nickname: Ant-Man.

"I can't give you sneakers, but..." Xu Yong said as he took off his jersey, asked the fan for a signature pen, signed his name on it and handed it to the other person, "I can give you this."

Edwards almost jumped with joy. He excitedly collected the jersey and shouted "I love you."

"Senior, do you know him?" After entering the player tunnel, Butler couldn't help but asked curiously. This signed jersey, and the jersey from the night of 69 points, is an absolute collectible, full of value and commemorative significance.

"Jimmy, do you think he looks a bit like someone?" Xu Yong turned around and asked.

Butler looked confused, recalling Edwards' face, and then suddenly a word popped out of his mouth: "Me?"

This answer stunned Xu Yong, and then he couldn't help laughing.

He originally wanted to say Jordan, because if Edwards had a shaved face, he would look exactly like Jordan.

But there's nothing wrong with Butler's answer. Two people who both look like Jordan are naturally somewhat similar to each other.

Seeing Xu Yong's reaction, Butler thought he was right. While he was a little happy, it was also a pity. In fact, he wanted it too.

After returning to the locker room, Xu Yong took off his sneakers, took out a pen from the closet, and prepared to sign on it.

When he saw this, Butler's eyes suddenly lit up.

Is his senior planning to give this pair of sneakers to him?
It must be like this. If the jersey is given to someone who looks like him, then the sneakers must be his.

He rubbed his little hands with excitement. After seeing Xu Yong start writing, he finally couldn't help but got up curiously and walked to Xu Yong's side.

Xu Yong turned to look at him doubtfully, and then continued to write his own.

"To Michael (gift to Michael)..."

When he saw those words, Butler was stunned.

It turned out that Xu Yong was going to give the sneakers to Jordan.

Well, it was given to Edwards before because Edwards looked like Jordan.

His senior's favorite turned out to be his former idol.

But just as he was thinking this, the words written behind Xu Yong almost stopped him.

"My son (my son)..."

He almost forgot that Xu Yong had a son named Michael Xu who was almost one year old.

So he still thinks too much.

When Xu Yong gave Edwards his jersey before, he probably just didn't want to disappoint him.

The most important thing is to take the initiative.

"Senior." After Xu Yong finished writing, he brought it to his mouth to dry the handwriting, and then he continued.

"Huh?" Xu Yong turned around, his eyes becoming more and more confused. Butler had been standing next to him and he didn't know what he was doing.

"Can you give me your shorts?"

Xu Yong was stunned for a moment, but soon understood what Butler was thinking.

He probably also wanted to leave something commemorative.

Just as he was about to take a shower at this moment, he took off his shorts, signed them, and handed them to Butler.

Butler looked happy after getting the shorts.

Xu Yong put the sneakers into the shoe box, turned around and put them in the closet, then took a bath towel and prepared to take a shower.

"Boss." At this moment, Anderson couldn't help but speak.

Xu Yong turned around and saw that the other party was eager to give it a try.

"what happened?"

"Um...who are you going to give your underwear to?"

……

After taking a shower, Xu Yong and Jokic attended the post-game press conference together.

Jokic's performance in the opening period of the fourth quarter was eye-catching, and he was a surprise player on the team's bench tonight.

Of course, letting him attend tonight is just a chance for him to show his face. The protagonist of tonight's press conference is Xu Yong, and no one can take away a little bit of the light.

"Xu, you showed a strong desire to attack at the beginning tonight. Are you planning to make big news tonight (breaking the scoring record)?" A reporter from ESPN asked Xu Yong.

"My goal is to help the team win tonight's game." Xu Yong's answer was the same as when Yang Yi interviewed him before the game.

"You broke Michael's single-game scoring record in the playoffs 30 years ago. How do you feel now?" Another reporter from ESPN asked.

The other reporters all looked at Xu Yong.

"Say sorry to Michael for me." Then, Xu Yong gave them an unexpected but humorous answer.

"Of course it's very happy to be able to set a new record, but what's even happier than that is that the team won." He paused when he said this, because he found that he seemed to have dissed Jordan unintentionally.

"This means that we can go to Toronto again with confidence that will help us win the final victory." He finally added.

"With 1 minute left in the game, you did not stay on the court, which made you miss 70+ in the end. Isn't this regrettable?" A reporter from TNT asked Xu Yong.

"The outcome was already decided at that time." Xu Yong's answer was very reminiscent of Kobe Bryant, who scored 62 points in three quarters. He also refused to continue playing in the garbage time of the last quarter.

"But you are only one goal away from 70+." The reporter seemed to really feel sorry for Xu Yong. After all, this kind of opportunity is not always available.

"Then next time." Then Xu Yong gave him a completely irrefutable reason.

If you said this from someone else's mouth, you would think it was bragging, but does Xu Yong really have no chance to do it next time?

I'm afraid no one would feel that way.

"Night of 69, Night of the Gods"

TNT used a rather impressive headline after the game.

“I watched the game and it was the strongest scoring performance, you know that’s playoff intensity, it’s not the same as when I was there, but if one-on-one, if I was still at my peak, either one of us could have won. "Kobe, who has retired and started to exercise, said with a smile when asked about this topic during an event interview.

"You may not know that Xu's pull-up jump shot technique was learned from me. Seeing his performance on the court now, I feel like I am still playing on the court." McGrady, who has retired for a long time and is already pregnant, is participating in the podcast The inside story was revealed on the show.

"Great scoring performance, when I got the call from my friend I thought he was wrong, but when I turned on my phone to confirm it was really crazy, you have to remember that was 30 years ago and it was Michael I did it, and I am very happy that I can still compete with such a great player." Wade shared the experience of that day on his personal social media.

More stars also expressed their amazement and congratulations on Xu Yong's score on social media.

Even some Hollywood movie stars joined in the congratulations, because this has become the hottest news at the moment.

The 30-year-old record has been broken, and it was set by Jordan. This is breaking news in itself.

Even in China, with Yang Yi's article "It turns out that dreams can come true", the news reached an unprecedented level of popularity.

Xu Yong has given the Chinese people too many surprises, but this time, it was a complete shock. It was also after completing such a hard-core performance that many people began to realize that Xu Yong not only had the same opportunities as the top four shooting guards, but was indeed on the road to surpassing Jordan.

Just after this night, Xu Yong got a new nickname, Mr. 69 Points.

After seeing this nickname, Xu Yong suddenly felt that he was still careless.

Getting one more point or one less point won't sound so weird.

Of course, he didn't have much to think about at this time, because the Bulls had to return to Toronto to play against the Raptors.

You must know that so far in the series, the Bulls have not been able to capture Toronto. This time the Raptors are fighting against the odds and it is bound to be another fierce battle.

Xu Yong thought so, and all the Bulls players showed much more concentration than the last time they came back to Toronto.

But when the game started, the Bulls found that the Raptors seemed to be a different team compared to the previous games. Not only did the offensive end not cooperate smoothly, but even the defensive end would have communication errors and miss people.

It was only after playing for a while that everyone realized that they had ignored the psychological pressure that Xu Yong's last shocking performance brought to the Raptors players.

When you face a player who may score 60 points over your head at any time in the playoffs, it's difficult to maintain a stable mentality.

DeRozan's performance in this game also plummeted compared to the past two games. The Raptors basically did not cause much trouble to the Bulls throughout the game.

4-2, the Bulls won two games in a row and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This round of the series has made people realize two things. First, the Raptors have a bright future, and their core lineup is still very young; second, how terrifying Xu Yong's current strength is.

The Bulls' opponent had been determined before then, the Cavaliers.

This year's series between the Cavaliers and the Pacers ended faster than expected. The Cavaliers showed strong strength and completed a gentleman's sweep of the Pacers 4-1, avenging last year's defeat.

Because the opponent had been determined, Xu Yong began to watch the game video of the Cavaliers and Pacers after returning to Chicago.

Then he soon discovered something unexpected: James had changed.

This change does not refer to his playing style. He still needs to hold the ball a lot to be effective, and he still doesn't like to get stuck and is a good player in fast breaks.

But suddenly he didn't like spreading his hands anymore.

Although there are no accurate statistics, Xu Yong has the impression that every time he plays against the Cavaliers, James has to stand at least two or three times, as if that is the only way to make the referee realize that he should respect him.

But after watching the videos of these five games, he had the impression that James only missed twice, averaging 0.4 times per game, which is almost negligible.

It is impossible for James to change his gender. The only explanation is that his current mentality is very stable.

As evidence, during the away game in Indiana, facing the boos from the Pacers fans, James's emotions on his face and his performance on the field did not seem to be affected.

Although I don’t know why, what is certain is that this is an increase in strength for the Cavaliers.

After all, the Cavaliers' Big Four lineup is there. As long as James performs normally, their strength will definitely be higher than that of the Raptors.

And there is another point that is easily overlooked. Last year, the Cavaliers injured Love in the first round. They said that there were only three of the Big Four, but this year they have no one injured and the lineup is complete.

Taken together, this will be the strongest opponent the Bulls have encountered in recent years.

Xu Yong is gearing up and eager to try.

As for Rose, he has figured it out after playing the Raptors.

Respect Rose's choice, but let him leave without regrets.

This championship gave him another reason to be determined.

……

The day after the matchup in the East was confirmed, the semifinals in the West had also been played. With Leonard's stable performance of 35+ in two consecutive games, the Mavericks defeated the Thunder with a big score of 4 to 2 to complete their revenge. Reaching the Western Conference Finals, their opponent was the Warriors who swept the Trail Blazers.

Leonard, who has officially reached his peak, will face the rising Splash Brothers. Can Curry usher in his first trip to the finals? Can Leonard become the king of the Western Conference in one fell swoop? The Western Conference finals this year and Just like the one in the East District, it’s full of attractions.

However, before the most exciting series of these two rounds begins, the league announced the last batch of awards of the season, which is also the ownership of the best team.

Best team: Westbrook, Curry, Xu Yong, Durant, Leonard
Second team: Paul, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, James, Draymond Green

Third team: Lillard, Klay Thompson, Aldridge, Griffin, Cousins

Best Defensive Team: Paul, Xu Yong, Leonard, Draymond Green, Anthony Davis

Second team: Bradley, Tony Allen, Jimmy Butler, Ibaka, Adams
Anderson announced the news in the locker room this time, with everyone looking happy.

He already looks a bit like the NBA's latest news announcer.

Then everyone picked up water bottles and gave Adams a bath in advance.

Adams' performance this season can be considered as officially becoming the Iron Triangle.

The platform of the Bulls is definitely a plus for him, but he is a hard-working old scalper in the Bulls, and he is worth it.

And what is certain is that by this summer, the Bulls will talk to him about extending his contract in advance.

Of course Xu Yong was also happy for Adams, but when he saw Jokic, who was the most popular, he couldn't help but think of a question. Jokic has always played the fifth position in his history, and he and Adams are in the same position. are overlapping.

The Bulls' fourth position is relatively weak now, so is it possible for Jokic to play the fourth position?

This may be something the Bulls coaching staff needs to consider next season.

After the short celebration, Stephenson began to twist his limbs in the locker room again and started a dance performance, and this time he also brought rap.

Stephenson is really full of black elements. He likes singing, dancing, rap, tattoos, hip-hop dressing, and the way he communicates with others.

But when it comes to NBA black people, they basically can't erase these elements. Take rap as an example, Lillard, Iverson, and O'Neal have all released albums.

Although Stephenson is not to their level, his celebration with [air guitar] is already very telling.

Then looking at Stephenson, Xu Yong thought of the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals. He suddenly felt that Stephenson might be the one who could disrupt James' mentality.

……

The Eastern Conference Finals will be played one day earlier than the Western Conference Finals, and long before that, the league and the media have begun to vigorously promote this series.

James returns to the C position, the confrontation with Xu Yong, and the Cavaliers' Big Four facing off against the Bulls' Iron Triangle. Even if Rose can't play, this is the most star-studded series since the start of the playoffs.

By the time game day arrived, the traffic jam within a few kilometers of the United Center was already comparable to last year's Finals.

The United Center is already overcrowded.

In the Bulls locker room, Xu Yong was chatting with Butler about the game.

"Jimmy, you should be more aggressive at the beginning." The Raptors' previous strategy of defending him was very successful. Based on his understanding of Lu in his previous life, there is a high probability that the Cavaliers will learn from it.

Butler nodded confidently. Although his performance against the Raptors dropped somewhat, the confidence he built in the first round is still there.

Half an hour before the game, players from both sides entered the stadium one after another.

Xu Yong was naturally the focus of the audience, and he caused a burst of cheers as soon as he appeared.

As a man who has just pushed out Jordan, who has held the top spot for 30 years, he now has strong light-gathering attributes.

Xu Yong's warm-up condition before the game seemed to be quite good. Several attempts from the outside were all empty-shot, which made people wonder.

Maybe Xu Yong can get 60+ tonight?

If that were the case, Xu Yong would probably make Jordan sweat.

Of course, James is indispensable in the shot.

In fact, there is one thing that fans can basically reach consensus on, although it is not mentioned, and that is that the Cavaliers can no longer afford to lose this year.

It can be said that Love was injured last year, but if they continue to lose this year, then this team will have no meaning in continuing to exist.

Because there were some [unexpected] situations in the previous offseason, James stood up for his teammates and put pressure on the management, allowing JR and Tristan Thompson to get high-priced contract extensions. He showed off his friendship with his teammates. The team's position is stabilized at the cost of a direct explosion in the Cavaliers' salary space.

Not to mention what happened in the summer, Davis will also start a maximum salary contract in the summer, and if he does not renew his contract in advance, his starting salary will be 3000 million.

If he pays a super luxury tax of more than [-] million and can't even make it to the finals, then Gilbert is the NBA's biggest victim.

When the warm-up was about to end, the scene suddenly fell into a violent commotion because someone was late.

Not Jordan, but Kobe.

Kobe brought his wife Vanessa and his three daughters to the scene.

Xu Yong saw Kobe's appearance and took the initiative to go over and say hello to him.

"You're here." Xu Yong opened his hands.

"I'm here." Kobe smiled and hugged him. He fulfilled his promise during the final game of retirement.

This scene was captured by the live camera. In the camera, Kobe was all smiles, and the scene was filled with cheers.

Fans realized at this moment that Kobe and Jordan were still very different. Even after Jordan retired, he kept holding on to him, making people afraid to approach him. However, after Kobe retired, he seemed to be a completely different person. He didn't need to compete anymore. Everyone is smiling and affable, as if they are the happiest people in the world.

After the warm-up, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.

Cavaliers: Irving, JR, James, Love, Davis;

Bulls: Dellavedova, Butler, Xu Yong, Kyle Anderson, Adams.

Adams moved the ball back to the Bulls half, and this much-anticipated battle officially kicked off.

Before the Bulls advanced to the frontcourt, Xu Yong discovered something that surprised him: James was guarding him!
When he reached the frontcourt and saw James still in front of him, he confirmed this.

After confirming this, he directly reached out to Butler to ask for the ball.

Plans have changed, prepare...

(End of this chapter)