no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 262 King? Just a toy of Satan!

There was also a burst of cheers at the scene.

Although theoretically James and Xu Yong have the same position on the court, in past games, James would not take the initiative to face Xu Yong unless he was passive. Tonight, the Suns really came out to the west.

Before his teammates could completely clear the strong side, Xu Yong had already launched an attack. He simply passed James cleanly with a horizontal drag step.

James' first defense is based on data and Nike, and his actual defensive performance on the field is very average.

In the years when he was selected to the first team, his opponent players basically experienced a small explosion in the playoffs: Jamison in 06 scored 32+9, and Jamison averaged 20.9 points per game in the regular season that year;
  In 07, he defended Parker and was a Finals MVP; in 08, he scored 45 points while Pierce scored 41 points.

The most famous one was that he did not dare to face Turkoglu in 09. As a result, he defended Pietrus as the "French Pippen" and almost sent the latter to the [180 Club];
  There is also the 2011 Finals against the Mavericks that Xu Yong experienced but did not happen in reality. James was considered the strongest in his career that year, but he was surpassed by Terry and Kidd and became a famous scene;

In addition, in history, the Pacer George also made the famous saying "Who is the Mamba, General Joe from Indy" and so on when he was facing off.

This is determined by two factors.

On the one hand is defensive talent.

Defense also depends on talent. The reason why Leonard's defense is so strong is based on his excellent lateral movement, wingspan and big hands. Among them, lateral movement is the most critical. He is equivalent to a "dynamic talent" in defense. .

As a heavy striker, James has the ability to cover the fourth position in the low post, but his lateral movement ability is relatively average. Coupled with his poor body coordination, the whole movement does look like a crab as fans ridiculed.

The other aspect is defensive skills.

Defensive skills can only be continuously honed and accumulated in actual combat, because everyone's body is different. Just like James went to Olajuwon to learn footwork and almost broke the latter's signature, you might ask him to learn puppy footwork. In the end, I learned to be lonely.

When a player does not have to defend from the beginning of his career, and is even protected by the coach on the defensive end as a chosen son, his defensive skills cannot be at a very high level.

This time passed so quickly that no one else on the Cavaliers could react. Xu Yong had already rushed inside and finished the game with a one-handed dunk.

The United Center was filled with excitement. This was a real step forward.

The home photographer also knew very well and immediately took the shots of Cavaliers substitute Lue on the sidelines.

Lu's mouth opened wide at this time, his expression dull.jpg.

Obviously, he does not have the power to ask James to guard Xu Yong.

The camera then showed James on the court.

James was heading toward the baseline to catch the ball, and there was no emotional change on his face.

"I bet you can guard me for two rounds at most." But just when he reached the bottom line, Xu Yong, who had landed, turned back to him and said.

After watching the video, Xu Yong would naturally find a way to get into James' mentality.

However, there was still no emotional change on James' face.

Xu Yong was a little surprised. Watching the video, it could be seen that James' mentality was relatively stable, but James didn't respond to such trash talk. Could it be that he beat James so hard in the last match that he scared the opponent?

James held the ball in the frontcourt, played a pick-and-roll with Davis, then split the ball and assisted Irving to score with a pull-bar and reverse layup after cutting in.

Xu Yong arrived at the frontcourt and saw that James was still guarding him and continued to ask for the ball from outside the three-point line.

Then, this time it was a breakthrough after a continuous horizontal drag step change.

James' center of gravity swung accordingly this time, indicating that he didn't want to guard the ball in front of him, but made a mistake in defensive judgment.

This time he made no misjudgments, but still failed to change the result. Xu Yong caught the moment when his center of gravity was swinging, and connected with the explosive first step to wipe him out again, and then went straight into the penalty area.

Although the posture is slightly different, the same thing is that the fans at the scene climaxed again.

What is crossing you is like crossing the main road in the early morning.

However, James did not give up on the ball. He chased the ball hard from behind, jumped up at the right time, and was ready to send a big block.

That was his signature scene of outstanding defense.

It's a pity that Xu Yong noticed him early, because Adams' ball stuck Davis. Xu Yong was very empty in front of him. He directly changed hands with a lever in the air, switched to his left hand and then glided to score a basket.

James' right hand struck a high-five in the United Center air.

There were cheers at the scene.

Xu Yong is simply teasing James.

"Two rounds." Xu Yong turned back and reminded James after landing.

James's expression remained unchanged.

This made Xu Yong realize James' current mentality, and trash talk alone did not seem to be effective.

This time the Cavaliers broke through with Irving holding the ball, and after picking and rolling with Davis, he returned the ball to Davis' close throw and scored.

After they got together, they worked really well together on the offensive end.

Xu Yong returned to the frontcourt and found that Lu was waving from the sidelines at this time, and James and Love switched defenses.

Ask a Smart man how meticulous his basketball operations can be. James has completely figured it out since the last exchange with Windhorst. There is no future in the East. In order to make a good impression on the new owner, he naturally has to show His [change].

This is also the reason why he proactively defended Xu Yong from the beginning. It didn't matter whether he could defend him or not. He just showed his posture first.

If you really defend for a few rounds like that, the effect is not good. If you switch to someone else, others will say: Look, this coach's opening arrangement is wrong.

Xu Yong frowned. Is he really over thirty? He can come here at most twice a night?

He continued to hold the ball, and then signaled Anderson to pick and roll James in front of him.

James had successfully piqued his interest at the beginning, and he had no intention of stopping there.

And messing up James' mentality is to seize the Cavaliers' fate, which is the easiest way to win.

After the match, he noticed that the Cavaliers' weak side was helping to defend in advance. This time, he did not drag his feet anymore, but leaned down, alternately dribbling the ball with his left and right hands, suddenly and explosively accelerating, and then changing direction without slowing down. Pull-up jump shot.

This change of direction was so large that James' eyes followed his feet but did not follow. In the fans' field of vision, Xu Yong had changed direction to the right, and James was still facing the left.

"Shh!"

Along with a crisp sound of hitting the net, Xu Yong's jump shot also hit the basket accurately.

But this is not the point. The point is that after Xu Yong hit the shot, he suddenly bent down, stretched his right hand parallel to the floor, leaned down and made a "too small" movement.jpg.

This moment sent the United Center into a frenzy.

Trash talk is more often between players, and most of the spectators in the front row can hear some.

But this kind of action can be seen by the whole audience, even the fans watching the live broadcast.

In a matter of seconds, Xu Yong scored in front of James in three consecutive rounds, and then followed it up with this kind of action, directly riding on his face.

Obviously, he is not just trying to score in front of James at this time, but also wants to add something exciting.

This fierce addition was indeed effective, and James's face changed instantly.

But looking back, James continued to play organization, and then distributed the ball to Love from outside. Unfortunately, Love had not touched the ball at the beginning, and his three-point shot from the bottom corner missed.

Xu Yong now somewhat admired James' mentality.

He was so embarrassed, but James didn't even respond. Was he really afraid of being beaten?

Before this change, Xu Yong would have felt a little boring. After all, no matter how beautiful a woman is, you can't be interested if she lies there motionless.

But after having experience in the regular season, he is very interested and unwilling to move. He will take out a small whip and whip you until you scream in pain.

The Bulls advanced to the frontcourt, and Butler organized a wave, but Anderson's three-point shot from the outside failed to score.

For the Bulls, Xu Yong was the one playing the game in the opening game, and no one else had a good touch. However, Adams showed his characteristics and successfully grabbed the offensive rebound, then threw it to Xu Yong from the outside, and also took the initiative to block.

Xu Yong motioned for him to go back, and then motioned for Anderson to continue sending James towards him.

James was obviously a little resistant at this time, but after Anderson blocked it, he moved inside. After Love was forced to follow inside, James still came to Xu Yong.

The cheers of the fans at the scene have already started in advance.

What most people associate with this scene is the experience after Antetokounmpo provoked Xu Yong when the Bulls played the Raptors in the last round.

Xu Yong directly beat Antetokounmpo nine times in the first half, making the latter doubt his life.

Then, after Xu Yong launched a three-threat falling step, James was passed over without any surprise.

Facts have proved that James has basically nothing to do with the current Xu Yong on the defensive end.

Fortunately, this time Davis squeezed past Adams to help defend and got in front of Xu Yong.

However, after gaining weight and muscle, his movement rate has declined compared to last season. When he raised his hand, Xu Yong was already in the air.

"Oh!"

A sideways one-handed dunk, Xu Yong directly pushed the basketball into the basket through Davis.

After landing, Xu Yong was also very excited and directly punched and roared.

The United Center was completely blown away. Before the game, they only saw Xu Yong's good touch from beyond the three-point line. They never expected Xu Yong to play so explosively in the opening game.

"Your first line of defense can't let him break into the penalty area so easily." Over in the commentary box, ESPN's ace commentator Mike Breen couldn't help but sigh.

He had spoken more politely, but the actual situation was that James couldn't even delay Xu Yong so that his teammates could assist in defense.

Before Brin finished speaking, the famous scene came.

When Xu Yong was walking to the backcourt, he made another move towards James who was walking towards the baseline of the backcourt. He first stretched out his index finger to sign a "1", then stretched out his middle finger, ring finger and little finger in sequence, from 1 to 4. [-].

The most direct and simple meaning of this action is that he has hit James four times in a row.

Of course, it is not impossible for you to interpret it as four championships.

But no matter what it was, Xu Yong punched James again after riding in the face, turning the physical attack in the regular season into a mental attack.

James' breathing accelerated a little, and he took out his braces and chewed them hard to relieve the pressure.

Then in the next round, he was on the weak side, and Irving singled out Delavandova, got inside, drew a foul, and got a free throw opportunity.

Xu Yong is really convinced by James now. In the second half of the season, James did not study his skills, but he really improved his mentality.

Irving made two free throws, and the score on the court reached 6-8, and the Cavaliers still clung to the score.

Xu Yong arrived in the frontcourt and when he wanted to get the ball, the Cavaliers began to flank him in advance.

He went from having the ball to not having the ball, using Adams' cover to reach the right elbow to catch the ball and fake a shot, then turned around and jumped up and down.

James happened to help defend this ball and jumped up to interfere with Xu Yong.

"Shh!"

At this time, Xu Yong showed his touch during the opening warm-up, hitting against James' defense.

From the beginning to now, he has scored 5 consecutive goals on James!

At this time, the fans at the scene began to get excited, and they were no longer willing to just cheer there.

"More than one, more than two, more than three, more than four, more than five!"

I don’t know who started it, but the fans at the scene started counting in unison.

Mike Breen, who was giving a serious explanation in the commentary box, couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

In terms of James' mentality, the Chicagoans who gave him empty magnesium powder bottles back then have always been quite good.

Xu Yong also showed a knowing smile. This scene was very similar to the scene he had seen in his previous life when away fans counted Antetokounmpo's free throws.

If there was anything more lethal than the moves he had made before, it was this. Looking at James's face now, it has become obviously tense. If it weren't for his skin color, he must have a dark face.

It’s 2016 and you are still making jokes from 2010!
  However, after everyone arrived in the frontcourt, James didn't even fight. He performed a wave of what is called a thousand-year-old tortoise, and a ten-thousand-year-old turtle is a real turtle.

But Love opened the door in the bottom corner. He received a pass from Davis and hit a three-pointer, closing the score to 9-10.

The Cavaliers' opening performance was that the other Big Three dragged James forward.

Xu Yong continued to run without the ball in the frontcourt.

The rest of the Bulls team is giving him the ball.

No one will give up creating opportunities for a person who made all five shots in the opening game, and that person is named Xu Yong,

However, the Cavaliers were also chasing and intercepting Xu Yong. The moment Xu Yong received the ball through the screen, three people were already surrounding him.

Then Xu Yong rushed into the paint and dunked before the encirclement.

But at this moment, a figure suddenly shot out from the side and headed directly towards the ball in Xu Yong's hand.

It's James!

Of course James couldn't be a real turtle, he was just trying his best to restrain himself, but with the previous shouts from the audience, he was already on the verge of breaking out, and now he finally got a chance.

His hand was about to touch the ball, but Xu Yong's dunk action suddenly accelerated.

"Oh!"

"Snapped!"

James' thumbnail was only [-] centimeters away from the basketball, but by a hair's breadth, Xu Yong smashed the ball into the basket, and his hand hit Xu Yong's arm.

The referee's whistle sounded immediately, the ball was 2+1!

Moreover, Xu Yong's current core strength is too terrifying. After he and James fought in the air, he did not move at all. On the contrary, James was knocked away in the air after exerting his strength.

The United Center exploded, and fans without the ball began to stand up and cheer.

Xu Yong and James have faced off many times, but the last time this kind of dunk scene happened was in the opening game of the rookie season.

This time they didn't count, but they let out a more lethal cry.

Yes, late but arrived.

"Who is your daddy!"

Need "more than seven"?

No, it's not necessary. After completing this dunk and scoring the sixth goal in a row, the fans' G-spot has been stimulated to the highest point.

The King of Cleveland? Just a toy of Satan!

James stood there, breathing heavily and shaking with cold.

Lu saw something was wrong and quickly called a timeout.

It was at this time that the camera captured James kicking away the bench closest to the technical table when he came off the court, shocking the rest of the team.

Those who didn't know better thought it was because his teammates performed so poorly that the king became angry.

After returning from the timeout, James came off the court to rest, and the Cavaliers gradually fell into a disadvantage.

It's not because the Cavaliers didn't play well without James, but because Xu Yong completely regained his form in the opening period.

No matter how the Cavaliers defend, Xu Yong can score or cause damage after receiving the ball, and always has a way to put the ball into the basket.

After the first quarter, the score was 31-45.

Just looking at this score is not enough to describe the excitement of this quarter, because Xu Yong made 15 of 12 shots in the quarter, 3 of 2 three-pointers, plus 8 of 8 free throws, scoring 34 points in a single quarter!
  In NBA history, this record can be ranked second, second only to Klay Thompson's all-time best record of 37 points.

"Even God can't stop Xu from sending the ball into the basket." This performance made Breen directly admired in the commentary box.

Although Thompson's score is higher, you have to know that Thompson made 13 of 9 three-pointers in 9 shots. This is basically equivalent to McGrady's 35 points in 13 seconds. It is an accidental event with a very small probability. Non-repeatability.

But the immediate feeling given by Xu Yong after this game is that if you give him a chance, he might really give you another try.

Of course, the price was that after Xu Yong came off the field, he sat and calmed down for a while before regaining his composure.

There was indeed an obvious watershed after James came off the court, and that was that the Cavaliers were even more desperate to guard him. He would have to fight hand-to-hand if he wanted to get a chance to take a shot.

Thanks to his immunity to injuries and the fact that he had developed a body as strong as steel with Grover, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to withstand that kind of thing.

So let’s not talk about who can score how many points with explosive power. The difficulty of scoring before and after a game is basically different.

Thibodeau deliberately waited for Xu Yong for a while. To be more precise, the entire Bulls team was looking at Xu Yong.

The shock that Xu Yong brought to them in this quarter was even more shocking than the previous 69 points in a single game.

Xu Yong regained his composure and stood up, and Thibodeau began to lay out his tactics.

As soon as the tactics were laid out, it was time to rest between sessions.

Xu Yong turned his head and glanced at the Cavaliers' half court at this time, and saw that James had indeed come on as a substitute in the second quarter.

He doesn't have the energy to play at this time, and the Bulls are not playing well in the transition period from the bench. Don't look at the Bulls leading by 14 points, but the Cavaliers are in good shape tonight, and James is good at staggering travel times. Being caught up is not impossible.

He pulled Stephenson to his side and whispered a few words to him.

Stephenson nodded happily after hearing this.

The second quarter begins immediately. The lineups of both sides are: Bulls: Stephenson, Holiday, Butler, West, Jokic;

Cavaliers: Mo Williams, Shumpert, James, Frye, Tristan Thompson.

Xu Yong was also sitting on the sidelines to rest.

"Boss, what did you just say to Lance?" Anderson was full of curiosity. Stephenson was so excited that he thought he heard some dirty jokes.

"It's nothing, just let him use his own characteristics." Xu Yong said calmly.

Anderson couldn't help but scratch his head after hearing this. What's so exciting about this?
  On the court, the Cavaliers' offense came up. James and Frye broke through West after a pick-and-roll, and then scored on the board after a jump step.

This season, all kinds of moves were blown away, which forced James to develop some moves.

Again, if he hadn't been favored at the beginning, with James' physical condition and basketball IQ, it wouldn't be a big problem to enter the top ten in history.

Looking back, Butler immediately used almost the same style of play. After picking and rolling with West, he went inside to cause a foul on Thompson and got two free throw opportunities.

But immediately, James used his breakthrough to attract a double attack and passed the ball to Frye at the top of the arc, who made a three-pointer.

The Cavaliers' current lineup is obviously not as strong as the starting period, but these functional players perfectly match James' technical characteristics, and this counterattack can allow him to show his strength.

And in the next round, James blocked Butler's attack. The Cavaliers launched a fast break. James and Williams cooperated and scored with a quick dunk after receiving the ball.

In just a moment, the Cavaliers launched a 7-2 offensive, narrowing the point difference to single digits.

Xu Yong's worries are not without reason.

At this time, Butler gave the ball to Stephenson and then restrained him on the weak side.

Although he didn't attack much in the first quarter, he was exhausted on the defensive end. In addition, he played the entire first quarter, and his physical fitness was not enough to support him in continuing to play the main offense.

Stephenson was happy the moment he got the ball. He is also a serious ball-handling player and can only perform when he has the ball in his hands.

He directly signaled to pull away for a single.

This choice is a bit reckless, but there is no problem, because of the four players on the court, only Mo Williams is weak defensively.

Then, [Stephenson] that Xu Yong said came online. His dribbling rhythm was like jumping on the ground. Even Williams was overwhelmed by him.

At this moment, he suddenly changed direction and passed Williams diagonally like a dart.

Thompson showed his ability to help defend and quickly defended the past.

Stephenson had no time to brake and collided with Thompson, but miraculously, before the collision happened, he quickly sent the ball to Jokic at the bottom of the basket, and then the ball flew out.

The referee did not blow the whistle, and Jokic easily scored two points under the basket.

After lying on the ground and watching Jokic score, Stephenson didn't need his teammates to pull him. He directly "stuck" and bounced off the ground again.

His style is really incompatible with the Bulls, but in this headwind situation, every move he makes seems to bring endless motivation to the people around him.

Anderson turned to look at Xu Yong in surprise at this time. He still didn't understand what Xu Yong said to Stephenson, at least it was definitely not what Xu Yong said.

Xu Yong: You have wronged me. I am telling the truth.

Some players need to use rules and regulations to restrain them and prevent them from becoming a wild horse; but what some players need is freedom and the release of their nature.

The former is the player that coaches love to use, and is also the majority of players. The latter is an alternative, and Stephenson is one of them.

James' breakthrough was blocked by Butler. Jokic quickly picked up the defensive rebound, turned around and raised it high, and threw it forward.

Stephenson jumped and ran forward, while Shumpert struggled to catch up behind him, eating exhaust fumes, but couldn't catch up.

Jokic's pass is too fast and accurate, and the key is that Stephenson runs extremely fast.

The scene was already cheering. Stephenson went to the frontcourt on a fast break, glanced back, and then jumped up for a two-handed slam dunk.

Xu Yong's eyelids jumped when he saw this. He was not afraid of anything else but that Stephenson would get blocked by the basket at this time.

Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary. Stephenson smashed the ball into the basket with both hands, swung around the basket and landed. He was already celebrating excitedly playing air guitar there.

"Lance~Stephenson!"

When the home team J.D. called out Stephenson's name in a prolonged tone, the atmosphere at the United Center, which had been slightly depressed due to the climax of the counterattack, was suddenly boiling again.

But this time they were not because of Xu Yong, but because of this player who played for the Clippers and was once thought to disappear from the NBA.

38:51.

After this small climax, the Bulls temporarily stabilized the situation on the court.

In the Cavaliers' offense, James felt Butler's struggle and gave the ball to Williams. Williams used the pick-and-roll to make a mid-range jumper.

Stephenson was a little too excited about this ball and jumped directly on it and was called for a defensive foul.

He's jumping around with his arms crossed, but that's the part coaches have to live with.

Fortunately, Thibodeau only frowned slightly and had no intention of asking him to replace him.

Williams' two free throw opportunities.

During free throws, each team must stand on both sides, two on the offensive side and three on the defensive side.

The defenders are usually inside and small forwards. Stephenson suddenly thought of something at this time. He pulled Butler and said a few words, and then when the free throw came, he stood next to James instead of Butler.

When James turned around to see him, he was confused at first, then frowned, and finally turned around and ignored him.

It's obvious that he's not a fan of players like Stephenson.

Williams made his first free throw and then followed it up with his second free throw.

At this time, players from both sides were lying down and preparing to compete for this offensive rebound.

At this moment, Stephenson and James were stuck for a while. After feeling that he had no advantage, he turned his head to James' ear and blew softly.gif
  Xu Yong had just drank some energy drink and almost choked when he saw this scene.

Appeared, the first Zhan Chui!

(End of this chapter)