no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 265 Of course I choose to obey him

"This is the craziest January in the NBA. The dusty history is constantly being refreshed, and their creators all come from the same person, Satan and basketball artist. He is Xu Yong. He is crazily expanding the influence of the NBA. This is the Jordan era. After that, the NBA’s influence has truly been greatly improved!”

ESPN's A. Smith was red-faced and shouted loudly during the show that night.

On the other hand, Buckley was even more exaggerated. In the latest episode of TNT, when the screen listed Xu Yong's crazy performance in the past month, he directly kissed the screen and worshiped.

Even arrogant celebrities and NBA executives like Larry Bird expressed their feelings in front of reporters: "We should be grateful for Xu's emergence. Now the NBA has unparalleled global influence. It is impossible to imagine what the league would be like without him. .”

When Jordan was still playing, the league never lacked his touts, and Xu Yong is no exception now.

Although data does not represent absolute strength, Xu Yong's continuous crazy data in the past month has made everyone compare him to peak Jordan.

Even in this world where there is never a shortage of sunspots, some people blame this series of phenomena on the [small ball era].

But no matter what, the influence and topic of the NBA have indeed reached new heights this month.

The praise from the outside world continues, and the Eastern Conference Finals between the Bulls and Cavaliers continues.

However, before the start of G4 of the series between the two sides, the familiar plot reappeared again, or something unexpected happened again.

James will miss G4 due to a hamstring injury.

Prior to this, James had three major injuries that plagued his career: groin, big toe, and hamstring.

One of them will always break out at some point, making James unable to play, making the James players feel extremely regretful, and giving rise to many what-ifs (what would happen if James could play).

Then the Cavaliers pulled back 4-106 in G101.

Irving scored 41 points, hit the difficult fairy ball several times, and was awarded the "European God" in the first battle.

Of course, more importantly, Xu Yong performed poorly in this game, scoring only 28 points.

It wasn't that the poisoned milk made him feel bad, but that he was indeed a little tired.

Starting from the third game against the Raptors, he started a crazy scoring mode. Although he will not be injured, the fatigue will not disappear.

Especially in the last game, he scored like crazy in the final quarter despite being tired. If he wasn't tired yet, he would be superhuman.

But in this way, fans found that James was embarrassed again, because what happened in Miami happened again in Cleveland.

It’s not embarrassing to win, it’s embarrassing to miss someone!
  At this time, fans don't know whether they feel that James is not smart enough or too smart.

But unlike in Miami, James did not choose to come back in G5. His hamstring injury is still bothering him. According to Rich Paul, James will most likely need to undergo hamstring surgery in the summer in order to completely cure this problem. A trouble.

However, although he was unable to play, he still went to Chicago despite the injury to support his teammates.

In G5, the two sides fought fiercely.

Xu Yong has recovered from fatigue, but the Cavaliers showed super willpower in a desperate situation. Not only Irving, but also Love and Davis also stepped forward one after another.

This is the first time in the past two seasons that fans have felt that the Cavaliers' Big Four...well, more accurately, it should be said that the outstanding combat power displayed by the Big Three.

The two sides fought until the final moment, and Butler became the winner of the Bulls. When the Cavaliers frantically attacked Xu Yong at the end, he scored the Bulls' last 8 points, helping the Bulls defeat the Cavaliers 116-112. Advance to the finals with a big score of 4-1.

Last season, Butler scored 13 points in the final moments of the Finals. This season, he had highlight moments in three consecutive series.

Even if Xu Yong is a [real sun] that exudes hot light, he cannot cover up the diamond light radiating from Butler.

Xu Yong and Butler are the Bulls' most successful draft cases in the past [-] years.

The Bulls' opponent in the Finals has long been determined. Before they faced the Cavaliers in G5, the Western Conference Finals game was over. After losing Leonard, the Mavericks were unable to compete with the Warriors and were swept out by the Warriors 0-4.

The game will be played two days later. Because the Warriors have a better record and the Bulls need to start on the road, they took a flight to Oakland the next morning.

After arriving in Auckland, Xu Yong went to a private room of a local restaurant after training, and Ayers treated him to a meal as a host.

After leaving James, he finally had the opportunity to play in the Finals, and he is now still a member of the Warriors' rotation.

"Congratulations, Jeff." Xu Yong congratulated Ayers.

"Xu, please stop making fun of me." Ayers smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Sarcasm?" Xu Yong looked confused, but he really didn't mean it.

"You don't know what the outside world is saying about us now. He said that even if we can win the championship, it will be the lowest-valued championship in history. Zazana's kick ruined all our efforts." Ayers couldn't help but sigh. .

Xu Yong smiled bitterly.

He remembers that Leonard was kicked off in the 16-17 season. That season, the Warriors gathered many factors such as surrendering to the enemy and stepping on the sidelines. Although they won the championship, it also caused a lot of controversy. If it weren't for the popularity accumulated by the 2015 championship and With Curry's presence, the Warriors' reputation at that time would not be much better than that of the Bucks later.

Now history has changed. Pachulia arrived at the Warriors early and stepped in early. If the Warriors did not win 73 games this season, there would be no risk of 73 wins and second place. But the current situation and the fact that they did not win before If you win the championship, it will be difficult for Curry alone to save your reputation.

In a sense, Pachulia's kick indeed put the Warriors into an invincible position this season.

"Actually, if we play normally, we have a greater chance of winning against Dallas." Ayers continued with emotion.

Xu Yong picked up the drink in the cup and touched it with Ayers, then drank it all in one gulp, expressing his agreement with what he said.

The outcome of a game does not indicate the strength of the Warriors and Mavericks. After a normal series, Xu Yong feels that the Warriors have a better chance of winning. There is the factor of comprehensive strength, and there is also the [ The reason for the vertical takeoff rule].

When the Mavericks were able to defeat the Pacers to win the championship, Chandler was indispensable, but now this rule greatly limits him, not to mention that Chandler's own age and weight gain are also declining.

The Mavericks' inside advantage is not that great, and their outside advantage is much worse than that of the Warriors.

Needless to say, this [vertical takeoff rule] really ruins basketball.

Suddenly, Xu Yong seemed to have caught something, and the plan to make Xiao Hua step down seemed to have some clues.

After getting together with Ayers, Xu Yong practiced daily in the evening, and Anderson, Adams and Jokic followed him.

"Boss, why do I think the Warriors are better than the Cavaliers?" Anderson couldn't help but ask during a break during training.

"Where do you get this feeling?" Xu Yong felt that Anderson had a lot on his mind every day.

"Look, they didn't make it to the finals last year, and they got there this year in that way." Anderson complained.

When he complained, Jokic and Adams also smiled at the same time.

It seems Ayers is right, the Warriors are indeed being looked down upon now.

"Kyle, everyone can look down on them, but we can't." Xu Yong looked at Anderson and said seriously.

His reaction made Jokic and Adams subconsciously stop smiling.

Yes, it is just an attitude that other people look down on the Warriors, but if they underestimate the enemy and lose, all their previous efforts will be in vain.

"Do you play video games?" Xu Yong then asked.

"I can play some 2K and shooting games." Although he didn't know why Xu Yong asked this, Anderson still replied truthfully.

"I love Fortnite," Adams echoed.

This actually surprised Xu Yong. Adams has started to grow a beard this season and has become a serious [Aquaman]. Looking at such a big and thick person, he didn't expect that he would still like to play like this.

"Boss, you know me. I like horse racing and drinking tea." Jokic finally said with a look of enjoyment.

Xu Yong then looked at Anderson and Adams: "Then you should understand the principle of [one generation, one generation, one generation of gods]. They are the strongest team under this version of basketball rules."

别觉得历史中15~16赛季的勇士总亚军了，就觉得他们比14~15赛季的勇士弱，事实上恰恰相反，15~16赛季才是无杜兰特版本的最强勇士。

There was too much luck for the Warriors to win the championship in the 14-15 season. At that time, Durant of the Thunder was injured. Their opponent in the Western Conference Finals was the Rockets of Harden and Howard, and that was already the strongest opponent they had ever encountered. As for the Finals, the Cavaliers were Knights of the Seven Jedi and lived up to their name.

If the 73-win Warriors hadn't been too exhausted in the regular season, Curry was injured again in the playoffs, and Green was suspended in the finals, leading to a 3-1 overturn, Curry would have become a god in advance if he won the championship.

Of course, as Xu Yong said, the Warriors are a team that is very strict about rules and standards. If they were put back to the 90s, they would never be able to perform like this.

But if that doesn't happen, because now they have to face this version of the Warriors.

Xu Yongdu can guess that the penalty scale in the finals will be tightened and the game rhythm of both sides will be fast, because only in this way can the Warriors exert their full strength.

The cavalry battles he watched in his previous life were classics. It was not uncommon for both sides to serve from the backcourt and dunk in the frontcourt, then attack each other.

The kind of offensive battle that seemed exciting at first glance, for a person who grew up watching Jordan play, he always felt that it lacked some soul.

But under the existing rules, after seeing Foster's performance in G3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, such a game is inevitable.

The three followers nodded one after another, realizing that they were opponents they could not underestimate.

Before the official start of the finals, the league's publicity reached a climax.

The showdown between the old and new eras of basketball is full of gimmicks.

ESPN also conducted an investigation into the situation of both sides in the finals, as in previous years.

Survey results show that more than 80% of fans think the Bulls can win the championship.

This ratio is slightly exaggerated. In addition to Xu Yong's dominance and the Bulls' strength in the Eastern Conference Finals, it also further illustrates how unwelcome the Warriors are now.

The day before the Finals, the Warriors' practice at Oracle Arena was open to the media.

After the training, the Warriors players quickly returned to the locker room, leaving head coach Kerr to interview the media on the sidelines.

"Maybe many people forget that we are the team with the best record in the league, and we are well prepared."

When asked about ESPN's investigation and outside voices, he said he didn't care and was confident about the upcoming finals.

When the first game of the Finals started, the Oracle Arena, the Warriors' home stadium, was full early.

The fans in the Bay Area are in an unprecedented mood, and you can feel the emotion that hits you from afar as long as you are in the stadium.

41 years have passed since the last time the Warriors reached the Finals. Do you know how Warriors fans have lived these past 41 years?
  They were also a wealthy team with three championships and owned superstars such as Chamberlain and Rick Barry!
  But today's Warriors fans only know it through the oral accounts of their fathers and even grandfathers.

But the passion for inheritance is still as hot as a flame.

Of course, this also has a lot to do with the Warriors' current style of play. In the early days of small ball, its unique style of play that transcended the times was deeply loved by fans.

With one hour left before the start of the game, Curry took a daily three-pointer in the tunnel, which has become one of the important links that Warriors fans are keenly following before the game.

He only hit the ball when he tried the second ball, which ignited the fans at the scene, and Curry also ran back to the locker room with the cheers of the fans.

It was not until half an hour before the start of the game that the players from both sides officially entered the stadium to warm up.

The on-site photographer also immediately provided shots of Xu Yong and Curry.

If we turn the time back to the 2009 draft, no one would have thought that the finals would usher in the peak showdown between them.

Because Griffin was the most popular in that session, followed by Thabeet and Harden, Xu Yong was an unexpected second pick, and Curry fell to the seventh pick.

During the warm-up, Xu Yong and Curry were still under the camera, chatting in the middle of the court for a while.

Unlike James, with Harden as the middleman and being a rookie in the same class, they have a very good relationship with each other.

Although it may be because Xu Yong became famous early, it seems that they are a generation behind them.

After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony. When Curry appeared on the stage, the arena immediately boiled.

Although the Warriors have yet to regain the championship, Curry's popularity in the Bay Area is unparalleled.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced: Bulls, Dellavedova, Butler, Xu Yong, West, Adams;

Warriors: Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green, Pachulia.

Amid the cheers of Bay Area fans, Adams returned the ball to the Bulls half, and the finals officially began.

The Bulls came up with the first attack. Butler organized the ball in a classic way, and Xu Yong ran down to catch the ball.

Adams' solid body blocked Barnes. After receiving the ball, Xu Yong went straight into the Warriors' penalty area and jumped directly into the air towards Pachulia who raised his hands...

"Oh!"

He contributed a brutal dunk in the opening game.

Pachulia was pushed directly out of the baseline, and there was a dull pain in her chest.

[Vertical take-off rule] Targets all centers, including traditional centers like Pachulia who are slightly slow to react.

Otherwise, why would this guy play ball dirty? Especially in the past two years, before stepping on Leonard, he also elbowed Westbrook to step on Harden, because when he was unable to protect the basket, he could only maintain his defensive threat in this way, and then Survive in the league.

Now there is a wave of restlessness, and Xu Yong's aggressive attack at the beginning is quite cruel.

When the offense and defense transition, the Bulls' defense puts a lot of pressure on them.

Although this is the first time the two teams have played in the finals, it is not the first time they have met. Thibodeau knows how to best beat this Warriors team.

But at this moment, the referee's whistle sounded.

Delavandova was called for a defensive foul.

This was not a very obvious confrontation. He was just struggling to move forward when going around the screen, not to mention that Pachulia's screen was suspected of fouling.

But the referee still gave him the whistle.

Xu Yong's previous judgment was correct. The tightness and looseness of penalties in the finals and the Eastern Conference Finals are completely opposite.

To use an analogy, if she is a woman in the Eastern Conference finals, then she will be an unexperienced girl in the finals.

The Warriors passed the ball from the sideline. Curry made a beautiful cut and then cut back. Using Green's screen, he received the inbound ball and turned around to shoot a three-pointer.

Curry has shown his shooting speed to the extreme with this ball. As a master of one-stage shooting, his push shot limit can be as fast as 0.3 seconds. If you say shooting in seconds, it is too slow.

Of course, what's more important is that he can still maintain a super high hit rate even with such a fast shooting speed.

"Shh!"

There was a crisp sound, and Curry raised the knife and hit a three-pointer, which also caused the Oracle Arena to boil.

Curry still has such high popularity even though the Warriors didn't win the championship. This is all because he threw three-pointers one after another.

In the Bulls' offense, Xu Yong continued to run to catch the ball and attack the basket again.

But this time, the Warriors' three players shrank, Xu Yong distributed the ball to the outside, and Delavandova, who received the ball, encountered the Warriors' assisting defense and missed the ball.

Cole had already stood on the sidelines at this time, and the Warriors obviously adjusted their defensive strategy, or maybe he had arranged it this way from the beginning, but Xu Yong's opening attack solidified their ideas.

Both the Raptors and Cavaliers benefited from the frantic double-teaming of Xu Yong, and there's no reason why he shouldn't keep up.

Butler took the opportunity to break through to the inside and put the ball into the basket against Green's defense.

Green's defensive position is actually pretty good, but he doesn't dare to take action easily at this moment.

The tightening of penalty standards will inevitably mean that both sides will throw taboos on the defensive end, which means that the offense will become easier.

The Warriors' first attack was like this, and Butler's attack just now was also like this.

But looking back, Curry's [figure-8 movement] contained the defense, and Thompson received a pass from Green on the weak side and hit a three-pointer.

And after Butler attacked the basket and assisted West's 17-foot jumper, looking back, Curry showed off the excellent touch he showed in the tunnel, taking a step outside the three-point line and hitting Dellavedova's defense for a three-pointer. .

The Warriors hit all three of their three-point attempts from the outside in the opening game. Their three-pointers from the outside tonight felt as hot as a bikini girl on a Miami beach in the summer.

半场比赛结束，勇士队以65比54领先公牛队。    徐永半场被疯狂夹击，7投5中拿到14分，巴特勒得到了大量机会，16投10中的他拿下全场最高的26分。

Curry hit 4 three-pointers in the half, contributing the Warriors' highest 24 points, and Thompson hit 3 three-pointers and scored 16 points.

Under their leadership, the Warriors made 18 of 10 three-pointers in the half and scored 30 points on three-pointers alone.

The Warriors used their halftime performance to prove the famous basketball saying: three points are always one more than two points.

At halftime, Cole was the happiest, and he even accepted an interview with reporters at halftime.

"I said we're ready, the Bulls are very good, but we come with determination."

Cole's words also made fans in the Bay Area boil. If they can win G1, the Warriors' confidence in the entire finals will be completely erected.

At halftime, Thibodeau summarized the half-time game and planned the second half's play in the locker room. The atmosphere in the locker room was somewhat depressing.

Thibodeau is not a person who is good at adjusting the atmosphere, but fortunately Malone is.

After Thibodeau concluded, Malone said with humor: "I think Xu has had enough rest. He will score 48 points in the second half."

Why 48 points? Because that adds up to exactly 62 points, and the highest score in a single game in the Finals is Elgin Baylor's 61 points.

After hearing this, everyone else laughed subconsciously and felt a lot more relaxed.

Because for Xu Yong, who has broken many records in succession, this may be a goal.

After the half-time break, the two sides continued to compete in the second half.

When the Warriors attacked first, they played a very classic elevator door tactic. Curry first cut in from the wing, then cut out from the middle, using the double screen of Green and Pachulia to block the defender, and then received Thompson's pass Pass the ball and take a three-point shot.

The basketball passed through the net as if it was equipped with a positioning device, and the Oracle Arena was boiling again.

This is not just a matter of scoring a goal, but the Warriors made a three-pointer as soon as the second half started. This means that they continued the feel of the first half. This is the best news for the Warriors.

Curry was also very excited after scoring the goal, and did his signature shoulder-shaking and head-shaking celebration in front of the camera.

68 to 54, the Warriors widened the point difference to 14 points, which was also the largest point difference between the two sides tonight.

The third quarter is the section that the Warriors are best at. They have the opportunity to completely open the score in this quarter.

In the Bulls' offense, Xu Yong suddenly fell to the low post.

Scoring 48 points in the second half was just to adjust the atmosphere. It would be difficult for him to do so under the Warriors' defensive strategy.

The Bulls' half-time strategy adjustment was to let Xu Yong start the offense in the low post. This is why Xu Yong took the initiative to find Thibodotti before the halftime break.

This sounds a bit counterintuitive, because the Warriors did not give up on him, and it was easier to be flanked when he went to the low post.

But the final result of this round proved it correct.

Because Xu Yong held the ball in the low post and attracted a double attack, he immediately distributed the ball to Butler at the top of the key. After receiving the ball, Butler quickly shot a three-pointer.

Butler also continued the feel of the first half.

And the key is that this is in turn using the Warriors' flanking strategy to create opportunities for outside teammates through Xu Yong.

As long as the Bulls can hit three-pointers from the outside, this tactic is a good way to break the Warriors' defensive strategy.

After returning to the defensive end, Thibodeau also signaled on the sidelines that the Bulls also adjusted their defensive strategy and began to defend the outside.

The reason why Thibodeau did not do this in the first half is because although the Warriors are good at three-pointers, they are not only good at three-pointers. Their three-point tactics are also accompanied by air cuts under the basket. If they expand outside, they will lose inside. It's a risk, but now that the Warriors have been making shots from the outside, this risk must be taken.

The Warriors also reacted quickly. Curry made a beautiful turn to get rid of Dellavedova, and then received a pass from Green and hit Adams with a long-range throw to score.

Historically, Dellavedova once restricted Curry very well in the 2015 Finals, but he is not able to do this now because the Curry he faces now is obviously not the same version as the one he faced in 2015. There is too much force now.

But the good news is that Xu Yong continued to contain the defense in the low post and passed the ball to Dellavedova at the top of the arc, who also made a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

Although he failed to limit Curry like he did in history, he took the opportunity and the ball.

This ball also made Cole stand up from the bench.

The Bulls can shoot three-pointers from the outside, but their defense does not allow three-pointers. Three points are indeed one more than two points, but now it is reversed. It is the Bulls who shoot three-pointers!
  Moreover, Thompson's cut layup in the next round was interfered by Adams and missed, and the rebound was also collected by Adams.

If they continue to play at this pace, the Bulls will soon be able to catch up with the point difference.

After hesitating for a while, he shouted and made new tactical gestures to the retreating Warriors players.

Xu Yong caught the ball in the low post again, and he soon found that the intensity of the double attack on him became lighter.

Obviously, Butler and Dellavedova's three-pointers shocked Cole, and this is exactly what he really wanted.

When he was still playing against the Cavaliers, he was already undergoing intensive low-post confrontation training with Anderson in order to use it when playing against the Warriors.

Because the Warriors' current inside line is actually very weak without Bogut, and Barnes' low-post defensive ability is not enough to guard him.

After the ball came in, Xu Yong immediately launched an attack. He gave Barnes a hard confrontation, then turned around and wiped the basket, facing Green who was assisting in defense, and scored with a one-handed throw.

62 to 70, the Bulls closed the point difference to single digits.

There was a commotion at the scene, and the fans also felt the change in the situation on the field.

The Bulls' momentum is starting to pick up. Their moves on the defensive end haven't gotten bigger, but their steps are obviously getting faster.

Curry's throw was defended by Xu Yong and missed the basket. The rebound was protected by Adams.

When advancing to the frontcourt, Xu Yong continued to play in the low post. This time Green's contraction came faster, but Xu Yong hit his back and then turned around to shoot toward the baseline with a fake move. Then he collected the ball and jumped up and down along the baseline to support the ball. A layup was scored.

When Barnes was unable to put enough defensive pressure on Xu Yong immediately, Xu Yong could easily score in the low post when faced with this level of flanking attack.

Cole reached out and touched his head. One was now bigger than the other two.

In theory, under the relatively tight penalty scale, the Warriors' offense can easily open up, and the pace of the game on the court will be very fast, just like in the first half.

But now, the entire rhythm of the game was suppressed by Xu Yong's low singles.

And the key is that the Bulls have good outside touch. If he continues to shrink, the Bulls will only chase points faster.

The Warriors wanted to play fast on the court, so Green directly threw Curry in the frontcourt from the backcourt, and Curry forced the rhythm.

But the Warriors made a mistake in the rush. Curry's pass after being flanked was directly intercepted by Xu Yong. The Bulls played a fast break. Xu Yong first passed the ball to Butler, then followed up to receive Butler's pass and performed a gliding dunk.

66:70.

The Bulls went on a 12-2 run and narrowed the point difference to 4 points.

Cole reached out and called a timeout.

The players on the Bulls bench were all excited, and they all looked at Xu Yong with great excitement.

In this climax, Xu Yong contributed 6 points and 2 assists, and all 12 points were directly or indirectly obtained by him.

"You can't restrain Xu all night, this is something no one can do!" From the commentary box, Barkley shouted excitedly with a red face.

After returning from the timeout, Cole made his adjustment. His adjustment was to let Curry attack from a farther position.

After taking advantage of an off-ball screen, Curry caught the ball one meter outside the three-point line, feinted, then stepped back and shot a three-pointer.

This step made him retreat directly to the logo position.

The Bulls' defense expanded even further, and they were a little caught off guard.

Curry's logo made a three-point shot and hit it with one hit.

Oracle Arena, which had been silent for a long time, was once again boiling.

Curry's logo shot, a shot that is unique in history, is the blockbuster at Oracle Arena.

Xu Yong continued to fall low and continued to ask for the ball.

After seeing the Warriors using Green to defend him, he turned around and shot backwards and hit the ball steadily.

The cheers at the scene stopped abruptly.

Xu Yong was so stable that it felt like he was not affected at all by Curry's three-pointer just now.

But why?
  Of course Xu Yong knew that Curry would make three-pointers with the logo, but how many three-pointers like that could Curry throw out in a whole night?

It cannot be said that there is a problem with Cole's choice, but he relies a little too much on three-pointers.

Sure enough, Curry continued to try a three-point shot from one meter outside the three-point line in the next round, but failed to hit it.

West collected the long rebound, and Xu Yong continued to attack in the low post. This time, Barnes directly chose to foul and sent Xu Yong to the free throw line. He really didn't have much to do with Xu Yong.

Cole finally turned around and called Iguodala up in advance. Iguodala came on to replace Pachulia, and the Warriors launched the [Death Five].

Seeing Cole's adjustment, Xu Yong's expression became more relaxed when he stepped to the free throw line.

Can Green protect the penalty area that Pachulia can't protect?
  Facts have proved that the fifth primary school still has no way to defeat Xu Yong on the defensive end, because Xu Yong has not one-on-one ability in the low post, but one-on-two ability, even as shown in the Christmas game, It will also make the Warriors' protection of the inside worse.

But the five small ones are not useless. They help the Warriors a lot on the offensive end.

When Pachulia was on the court before, Adams could stay within the free throw line, which allowed him to defend against the Warriors' air cuts. However, during this period, Green was able to open up the space. He played center and Adams was the opponent. As a human being, he must extend beyond the free throw line, which makes it difficult for him to effectively protect the penalty area.

As a result, neither side could guard against the other, and the battle began as scheduled.

In the end, it was the Bulls who had the last laugh.

Because Thibodeau always insisted on defending the outside expansion, the Warriors were unable to take three-pointers from the outside for a long time. When it came to the last three minutes, Thibodeau suddenly gave up the outside expansion, giving the Warriors some outside opportunities. , and then the Splash Brothers, who had not taken action for a long time, got cold hands on the outside.

On the other hand, for the Bulls, Xu Yong is still lethal in the low post.

The Warriors' penalty area has completely become his dessert spot, and he can eat as much as he wants.

Three points are indeed one more than two points, but in the last three minutes the Bulls proved another basketball truth: the closer to the basket, the higher the shooting percentage.

In the end, the Bulls relied on a last-minute surge to defeat the Warriors 123-116, winning their first victory in the Finals.

In terms of statistics, Xu Yong scored 30 points in the second half and 43 points in the game, plus 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Butler scored 14 points in the second half and 40 points in the game.

Xu Yong did not break Baylor's single-game scoring record in the Finals as Malone said, but he and Butler set a new NBA record together. They became the first pair in the NBA to score 40+ points in the Finals at the same time. The combination.

For the Warriors, Curry scored 37 points and Thompson also scored 21 points. However, in the last three minutes, they made a combined 5 of 1 shots from beyond the three-point line, which ultimately caused them to lose the game.

This battle lived up to the fans’ expectations before the game.

The Bulls were the winners, but the Warriors proved they might not have a chance.

Two days later, the G2 match between the two sides continued at Oracle Arena.

It's still the same penalty scale, and a more thorough offensive battle than G1.

The difference is that the scene of this game is obviously more intense than G1.

Because the penalty scale only makes it easier for you to foul, not that you can't foul.

As the stalemate continues, so does the confrontation and action on the field.

In an attack in the second half of the second quarter, Butler received a pass from Xu Yong and rushed inside to try to dunk. He was fouled by Green, which almost triggered a conflict between the two sides.

After being pulled away by the referee, the trash-talking contest between the two sides began.

"This is not a place for you to be arrogant, this is the Bay Area!" Green shouted at Butler.

"I should give you a kneecap as well." Butler said unceremoniously. He had followed Xu Yong over the years and his level of trash talk had reached a very high level.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" Green's eyebrows twitched and he pointed directly at Butler and yelled. He was obviously hurt.

Butler didn't say anything, but smiled and made the gesture to Green that Xu Yong had done to James, 1, 2, 3... three fingers.

But unlike Xu Yong, the meaning of his trash talk is clearer: Who am I, you ask? I'm someone who has three or four championships.

But what is unexpected is that Green, who was originally extremely angry, suddenly calmed down. With a sneer on his lips, he said lightly to Butler: "To win a real ring." A real championship ring).”

Butler's expression changed obviously.

Xu Yong saw this and pulled Butler over.

Obviously, even Butler is no match for Green when it comes to trash talking.

Haslem's formula is actually a replica of Green's formula, except that one target is James and the other is Durant.

"Ignore that guy." Xu Yong reminded Butler.

Butler nodded, but his face was still ugly.

When he got to the free throw line, he rarely missed both free throws.

And this also became a watershed in Butler's performance. He was completely lost in the second half.

The Warriors seized this opportunity and eventually defeated the Bulls 116-106 to equalize the score.

Xu Yong still contributed a stable 45 points, but tonight he was alone and failed to lead the game.

At the post-game press conference, Xu Yong attended with Thibodeau.

"He is fine. Everyone has times when they are not in good condition. He will come back in the next game." When talking about Butler, Xu Yong seemed very calm.

Butler's question will require some communication later on, but obviously not now.

After a suitable moment, he expressed to reporters what he really wanted to say: "I respect our opponents and am more satisfied with the performance of my teammates, but what I want to say is that this should not be a finals game. strength."

Although what he said to Jokic before the finals started showed that Xu Yong was already prepared, after actually playing two games, he grew up watching Jordan play and was naturally paranoid about the style of basketball. In the end, I found that I still couldn't accept such a game.

Reveling in the numbers achieved at this level of competition? Sorry, he can't do it.

"I don't think there is any problem with the referees' whistle blowing. They are very dedicated and respectable, but what I want to say is that they need to relax their standards. What the fans want to see is a wonderful basketball game, and It’s not a shooting contest.”

What Xu Yong added next was very direct and made the reporters in the audience restless.

Before this, when players talked about the penalty scale, they mostly talked about how the referee targeted them, so much so that the league issued relevant rules that did not allow players to talk about the referee's penalty issue, but Xu Yong was the first to comment on the penalty scale. The person who raised the question, or more accurately, was the first person in the league.

Not surprisingly, on social media that night, fans who were supposed to be talking about victory and defeat, and even the media, focused on talking about these words.

This is Xu Yong's unprecedented influence now, and it is already a real force.

New York, Office of the League President.

When Xiao Hua learned the news and the media reports, his monkey-like pointed face was distorted.

Obviously the league's ratings for the past two games have reached a new high, but Xu Yong said such words after the game!

"Mr. Xiao Hua, what should we do?" Next to Xiao Hua, his assistant couldn't help but ask. He is responsible for the work of the referee committee, which is also the work that Xiao Hua has done before.

Xiao Hua was so angry that his teeth itched. He picked up those media reports and looked at them again. If they were not controlled, it would have a great negative impact on the league.

So what else can be done? Of course... I chose to obey Xu Yong!
  (End of this chapter)