no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 266 The Lone Warrior

After the first two games of the Finals, the Bulls flew back to Chicago that night. The Finals now follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format, and the next two home games are crucial.

On the plane back, looking at Butler who was still a little dull, Xu Yong was also thinking about how to speak.

If it were someone else, even if it were Pippen, Green's trash talk wouldn't be so lethal. Because of differences in personality, the same words will sound completely different to different people's ears.

If an ordinary person hears this sentence, he will most likely reply, "Win a championship first and then talk to me." However, after being in contact with Butler for so long, Xu Yong knows that he is not that kind of person, but has an extremely winning personality. , even ambitious.

He should also have that kind of character, otherwise he would not be able to reach his current heights with his talent.

If you want to find a similar person in the NBA, then that person is Kobe.

Even today's experiences are somewhat similar. You must know that after Kobe won the three championships with O'Neal, he was also questioned because of O'Neal. He always refused to accept it. In the end, he proved himself by completing two consecutive championships with Gasol. .

So it's understandable why Butler reacted so strongly after hearing Green's words.

Butler is getting stronger and better, and his performance is getting better and better. One day he will want to prove himself. Green's words just advance his thoughts.

"Jimmy, come to my house for dinner." Xu Yong said when getting off the plane.

Butler was stunned for a moment, but nodded.

After a while, Xu Yong's chef was cooking in the restaurant, while they were entertaining the king in the yard behind.

At this time, the little king had already grown up and was huge. In order to prevent it from being trapped in a cage, Xu Yong built a small enclosed yard for it, with rockeries and a pool in it. It looked like a small zoo.

But even so, it was just lying lazily on the rockery basking in the sun. When Xu Yong and the others came over, it tilted its head, and then turned back. It had completely lost the enthusiasm and interest it had when it was a child.

"Why is it like this?" Since moving out of the villa in the city center to the house he bought, Butler and Xu Yong have met much less often in private, and they have not seen the king for a long time.

"It doesn't belong here after all." Xu Yong looked at the king and said.

"Senior, do you mean to release him back to nature?" Butler was a little surprised.

"I'm trying, but I'm worried that it can't adapt to the cruelty of nature, even if it has two genes of the king of beasts." Xu Yong looked back at Butler and said.

Butler nodded in agreement. Ligers were born in zoos, which is completely different from those rescued from nature.

But after seeing Xu Yong's eyes, Butler quickly realized that Xu Yong was talking about more than just the lion in front of him.

"Jimmy, we have played together for five years, and I know your abilities and character well." Xu Yong continued.

"I shouldn't have fallen into Draymond's trap." Butler nodded and blamed himself.

"How about we make an agreement?" Xu Yong then asked.

Butler looked up doubtfully.

"If we can complete three consecutive championships, then if you really want to prove something, I won't stop you, and you should have that ability by then." Xu Yong said with a smile.

Butler hesitated to speak, and finally nodded emotionally.

Apart from his adoptive parents, this was the first time he truly felt that someone had been so good to him from beginning to end.

No matter what happens in the future, Xu Yong will always be his senior.

……

Two days later, Game 3 of the Finals between the Bulls and Warriors began in Chicago.

Soon after the game started, the players on the field quickly felt the changes in the scale of penalties on the field.

It became more encouraging of physical confrontation.

This is the model that the Bulls like, but certainly not the Warriors. The intensity of the confrontation on the court makes the Warriors obviously uncomfortable, and the offense has become a lot jerky. It can be said that except for Curry, everyone else's contribution to the game is weakening. .

The Bulls seized this opportunity and established a double-digit lead in the first quarter.

One quarter of the game was not enough to determine the outcome of each other, but in the second quarter, the Warriors' offense still had not improved.

At halftime, the Warriors trailed the Bulls by almost 20 points.

Are the Warriors really that far behind the Bulls?

Definitely not necessarily, but it's like getting used to something tight, and if you suddenly try to loosen it one day, it will be difficult for it to adapt, and even if it adapts, it will take some time.

In the third quarter, Cole started the game with a death-defying five. Although the rhythm was not fast under the high-intensity defense, the success rate of the Warriors' positional battles was significantly improved.

Especially the Splash Brothers. In addition to Curry still maintaining high efficiency, Thompson also fired from the outside. The Warriors took the opportunity to get closer to the score.

However, as the point difference approached, Thibodeau assigned Xu Yong to play tactics in the low post, and their point-chasing momentum was suddenly curbed.

Barnes and Xu Yong were really at a disadvantage when fighting in the low post. When he couldn't interfere with Xu Yong at the first time, the Warriors' five small players couldn't rotate in time.

The Bulls finally stabilized the situation in this quarter and still maintained a double-digit lead at the end of the third quarter.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Butler suddenly broke out. He first broke through to create a kill and scored 2+1, and then hit two step-back three-pointers from outside the right three-point line. One person scored consecutively in a short period of time. 8 points, directly extending the point difference to more than 20 points.

After hitting his second three-pointer, Butler turned to Green on the Warriors bench and shouted, "You don't have any."

Green was so angry that he could no longer say the word "real ring" because of Butler's performance.

In the end, the Bulls defeated the Warriors 114-91 at home, rewriting the score to 2-1 in a hearty way and regaining the home court advantage.

At the post-game press conference, Xu Yong could happily repeat the words he said after the last game: "I told you, Jimmy will be back."

In tonight's game, Xu Yong scored 31 points and Butler also scored 27 points, including the 8 points that opened the score in one fell swoop.

"I don't think the game has been decided. The next game will be the most critical game." When talking about the trend of the finals, Xu Yong said in a very serious tone.

He is not being humble or showing weakness, but he is very clear that the results of G3 were caused by scale changes, and the Warriors have the ability to adjust.

When he returned to the locker room after the press conference, Xu Yong reminded Butler just like he did when he played against the Cavaliers.

"You have to watch out for Draymond."

The difference between people is sometimes not that big, especially between James and Green.

He was extremely impressed with this year's Finals in history. It was James who stepped over Green, and then Green hit James' second brother with a backhand.

So in real terms, Green will only be dirtier than James.

Kicking the balls, poking the eyes, hitting the crotch, and even turning 360 degrees and delivering elbow strikes, to paraphrase the fans’ joke, the body parts Green attacks can all form a person.

Butler is now exchanging blows with him head-on, and the Warriors are in an unfavorable situation, so it's always right to be on guard.

Xu Yong's post-game comments were not accepted by the media. During the two off-season days, the outside world's praise for the Bulls returned to the sky.

It is not uncommon for the penalty scale to change in the finals. In the 2006 finals, and even the finals that Xu Yong watched in his previous life, the scale will only change once at most. It is impossible to say that it will be like this one after another. That way.

Therefore, the media's view is very simple. In the case of strong confrontation, a big victory for the Bulls shows that they cannot lose under the new standards.

In this atmosphere, after two days of rest, the G4 game between the Bulls and Warriors continued in Chicago.

The physical confrontation in this game was extremely fierce. Curry showed his best condition in the face of adversity. He made 9 three-pointers in the game and scored 45 points. He almost single-handedly led the Warriors and The Bulls contended.

But the Bulls' performance on this scale was indeed good enough, especially after Butler evolved again in the playoffs, almost filling the impact of Rose's absence, so even if Curry performed like this, they did not Behind in score.

The game entered the decisive period, and it was at this time that the gap between Curry and Xu Yong became apparent.

Curry is limited by his height and confrontation ability. He has only one way to kill the game at critical moments: three-pointers.

This unique ability makes it easy for opponents to target him when guarding him, which also makes him significantly weaker than similar super giants in finishing the game at the last moment.

In contrast, Xu Yong's scoring methods and stability at critical moments are much better.

Then came two decisive rounds.

One is when the Bulls and Warriors were tied at 105, Xu Yong swayed Barnes from a double attack and made a mid-range shot that was almost a game-winner against Green's defense.

The other is that on the defensive end, he directly switched to Curry, blocking Curry's shooting space, forcing him to pass the ball to Thompson. Thompson's final shot missed the basket due to Butler's interference, and the Bulls finally won. The game was won by a narrow margin of 109 to 105.

3:1.

After winning two consecutive home games, the Bulls ushered in their match point game.

"Is there any team in NBA history that has come back from a 1-3 deficit? Yes, it happened 10 times in total, but how many times in NBA history have there been a 1-3 comeback in the finals? 0 times, yes, once None, let us congratulate the Bulls for winning four championships in six years, a great achievement!"

In the ESPN program, A. Smith began to open champagne for the Bulls in advance.

Outside fans cheered for A. Smith's behavior. After all, the Warriors are the villain now, without brackets at all.

As a result, back at home, in addition to Curry's outstanding performance on the Warriors' side, a completely unexpected person broke out.

Green, who needs to invest a lot of energy on the defensive end. Usually even if he scores two three-pointers in the opening game, he will only score two three-pointers in the whole game. In the G2 game, he ushered in an explosion. He shot 5 of 7 from outside. This shooting rate made Adams completely afraid to shrink, and the Warriors' offensive space was greatly stretched.

Of course, this has the premise that Cole started the game with a five-point death penalty, which gave Green plenty of room to play. He scored 28 points in the game, second only to Curry, plus 11 rebounds. 7 assists and 2 blocks, a super inside figure.

His performance allowed Xu Yong's 41 points to be missed, and also allowed the Warriors to regain a victory at home and change the score to 2-3.

The victory in this game boosted the morale of the Warriors. Green was extremely excited when being interviewed by reporters after the game: "There has never been a 1-3 comeback in the NBA Finals? Then we are the first team. , man, you’re lucky because you’re witnessing history.”

Green's comments are full of hate, but what he said is not completely impossible, because except for G3 where the scale adjustment is not applicable, the Warriors' last two games were impressive.

Although most of this is due to Curry, Green, as the voice of the Warriors, saying such words obviously helps to improve the team's morale.

Of course, Green was not the only one to make harsh remarks this time. In the post-game press conference, Xu Yong also cut off the Bulls' retreat.

"The Warriors played well and they deserved this victory, but it's not all bad news for us, because we will win the trophy in Chicago, which is the best thing." Xu Yong said His expression was relaxed when he said this.

Obviously, when the game reaches this point, it is no longer just a technical and tactical contest, but also a psychological contest.

With Xu Xiang's words and Yong's words, the morale lost by the Bulls' loss can be restored to full, or even overflowed.

When Xu Yong came out of the press conference, he put away his relaxed expression.

Although they are still leading by a large score, they cannot afford to lose in the next game.

The Warriors' performance, especially Curry's, was indeed a bit unexpected.

He has the impression that Curry played the worst finals this year, averaging very low points per game.

But so far, Curry is averaging 33 points per game, which is a completely outstanding performance.

Although this has something to do with the Bulls' defensive strategy. Thibodeau did not blindly attack Curry, but focused on cutting off the connection between him and his teammates. But Curry's ability to perform like this is obviously in line with his performance. It has something to do with the low consumption in the regular season and the lack of injuries in the playoffs.

"Don't worry, senior, that guy Draymond will definitely not be able to shoot so accurately in the next game." Butler saw Xu Yong was worried and then said.

Xu Yong nodded.

It is indeed unlikely that Green will be accurate in two consecutive games, but the next game is G6, and the G6 Warriors have another person they need to focus on.

"Jimmy, in the next game you have to use up Klay Thompson's energy more when he's off the ball."

"Him?" Butler was a little confused. Thompson's performance in the entire game was average.

"His ability is hard not to break out in a game." Xu Yong explained.

Butler thoughtfully nodded seriously. "Draymond Green said they will become the first team in history to come back from 1-3 behind. What do you think?" In the latest episode of TNT's program, Kenny Smith raised the topic to his two partners. .

"I would rather believe that my grandma can still play basketball now." O'Neal shook his head.

"He's just a clown who wants attention. If I were playing, I could shut him up with one hand." Barkley was more direct.

"But we must admit that G6 will be a life and death battle for both sides." Kenny Smith made his judgment.

G6 between the Bulls and Warriors has attracted much attention.

Before the start of this game, official statistics showed that the number of reservations had reached a record high.

If the Bulls want to defend their title, this is their best chance.

And if the Warriors really win G6 in a hurry, then they will most likely be able to complete a 1-3 reversal in one go.

A large number of big names also came to the United Center. Jordan and Kobe appeared together, and even Bulls star Yao Ming, whom he had not seen for a long time, also came to the scene. This was a grand ceremony for the NBA.

By the time the warm-up started before the game, data already showed that the global ratings of this game hit a new high.

Xu Yong did not go to say hello to Yao Ming and the others before the game, because the greetings that should be said were already done last night. What he needs now is to devote himself to the game wholeheartedly.

Warm-up technique, both sides started.

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

Bulls: Dellavedova, Butler, Xu Yong, West, Adams.

In the last game, Cole started a life-and-death battle with five hits, but in G6 he switched back to the regular lineup.

The main reason for this is that the Warriors actually suffered a lot inside in the last game, especially in rebounding. Adams completely blasted Green.

If it weren't for Green's accurate shooting on the offensive end and making up for the defense with offense, it would be difficult for the Warriors to win.

So what Butler and Xu Yong thought yesterday, Cole also felt the same way, or he didn't dare to bet that Green could still shoot so accurately.

As the fans cheered, Adams moved the ball back to the Bulls half, and G6 officially started.

Xu Yong arrived in the frontcourt and soon found that Green was guarding him.

Cole obviously summarized the previous games and used Green to defend against his low post offense.

When Xu Yong saw this, he had to lament that Cole was a tactical wizard. Then, standing outside the three-point line, he reached out to Dellavedova for the ball, which even missed Butler's hand.

When he got the ball, everyone else consciously opened up the space.

Xu Yong held the ball with one hand and passed Green with a change of direction from the right.

The matchup between the two is essentially mismatched, and Xu Yong has no reason to fight Green in the low post.

The Warriors' help on the right side came quickly, but Xu Yong had no intention of breaking through from that side. He pulled back very sharply and was back to normal in an instant.

Green was immediately thrown away, and Xu Yong's change of direction exceeded his ability to react.

The scene instantly burst into cheers, and Chicago fans' discussion of the Warriors came from Pachulia and Green.

Pachulia enjoyed Xu Yong's riding dunk service at the beginning of the finals, while Green enjoyed Xu Yong's ankle reset at the beginning of tonight's game.

This opening also made Barkley in the commentary box excited: "A broken ankle appeared in the United Center. It belongs to Draymond Green. We can't see him in the camera. That's because he has already It was shaken off the screen!"

"Oh!"

As Barkley explained, Xu Yonghuang flew to Green and then broke through to the inside. After attracting Pachulia, he directly assisted Adams for an alley-oop dunk.

The United Center was in a frenzy early on.

After returning to the defensive end, the Bulls showed their defensive changes. After Curry received the ball, the Bulls began to double-attack him.

Curry's consistent strong performance also forced Thibodeau to make changes on the defensive end.

The result of this was that Thompson ran behind the screen and received Green's pass and made a three-pointer.

Butler's return to defense on this ball was quite fast, but Thompson's entire movement was very smooth, basically ignoring the defense.

After seeing the ball go in, Butler understood why Xu Yong said that before.

The two sides soon entered a fierce battle, and the scores alternately increased.

On the defensive end, Green was basically beaten by Xu Yong, and he ended up jumping around in place.

However, Cole has no intention of adjusting, because this way the Warriors can at least try to help defend, and Xu Yong is far away from the basket, so he will choose to pass the ball more often.

This is pitiful for Green. He had just become the team's savior in the last game, but this time he accepted a task that was comparable to being humiliated in public.

But in turn, although Thibodeau's defensive strategy choked Curry very well, Thompson broke out at the beginning.

After six games, theoretically they were as familiar with each other as an old couple, but they unexpectedly unlocked new postures unknown to fans.

The score rose alternately, and the two sides tied at 58 after halftime.

It can be said that the performance of both teams was very good. If you have to say who is worse, it can only be Green who is constantly being passed by Xu Yong. A world in which only Green was injured was achieved in the first half.

Fortunately, Green's tragic experience changed after returning from the intermission, because Cole saw that the situation was deadlocked, took the risk, and began to play the death five again.

When Green came up, he raised his knife outside the three-point line.

This allowed him to vent his emotions, and he couldn't stop spitting out the fragrance.

It is indeed a small probability event that Green made accurate shots for two consecutive games, but Xu Yong recalled carefully that Green seemed to be brooding on the Warriors' defeat this year because he felt that he would be elected FMVP if the Warriors won the championship.

Although he is a bit loud-mouthed, he is not brainless, which at least shows that he should be in good condition.

Green's excitement made him extremely active on the defensive end, and he destroyed Butler's layup.

However, in front of Adams, his rebound protection is still not good. After Adams takes off the rebound, he has to directly attack the basket.

But at this moment, the familiar scene reappeared, and it was more direct.

When defending, Green inserted the ball directly between Adams' legs, and then kicked it upwards.

Adams' attention was all on the ball, and he was unprepared this time. His poor second brother was hit hard by Green again.

Because it was right on the baseline, the referee reacted quickly and rushed into the court to push Green away.

Adams jumped away with a pained expression, then squatted down with his hands on his crotch.

Xu Yong's expression changed instantly.

He reminded Butler before because he thought Green would attack Butler, but the past two games did not happen. He thought Green would not attack Butler. Unexpectedly, Green chose Adams in the end, and it was Adams's egg. !

Did Adams dig up the Green family's ancestral grave, or did he sleep with Green's wife?

And it would be unforgivable to do this for the second time.

At this moment, a ruthless look flashed in Xu Yong's eyes.

You must know that this game can be said to be the focus of the world, but Green dares to do such a thing, which is simply unscrupulous.

This is like Brother Long from Kunshan, he must be allowed to have a long memory.

Then what people didn't expect was that after a short rest, Adams stood up again, took a long breath and signaled that he was fine.

This guy's balls are really made of iron.

Because Adams was fine, the referee only gave Green a technical foul and then announced that the game would continue.

After the technical free throw, the ball still belongs to the Bulls.

Xu Yong held the ball on the outside. He did not continue to play the Warriors inside, but directly signaled Adams to play a pick-and-roll.

Adams' pick-and-roll was solid and he quickly sent Green to Xu Yong.

The fans began to cheer.

Because Xu Yongyi humiliated Green throughout the first half, fans did not find anything wrong with this scene.

Xu Yong quickly launched an attack, but this time his attack choice was very unique.

He did not quickly pass Green and then break through the help defense like he did in the first half. Instead, he first leaned on Green and then used a heavy pivot-foot turnaround jumper.

Then his jump shot was very unique, because after successfully shaking Green, he chose a Nowitzki-style golden rooster to shoot independently.

However, it doesn't seem to be complete, because he did not move backwards, but basically faced Green's defense.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

There was a crisp sound when Green's hand hit Xu Yong's arm. Because he did not lean back, the ball was not able to completely escape Green's interference.

The other sound came from the collision of two people.

Because Xu Yong raised his knees without leaning back, his knees came into close contact with Green's crotch.

Only Xu Yong heard that voice.

Then, Xu Yong lost his balance in the air because of a foul. In order to protect himself, he slid backwards after landing.

The referee's whistle sounded immediately, and he pointed at Green to indicate Green's defensive foul.

Green held his head in annoyance after landing, but the next second he suddenly fell to the ground with a painful expression.

Because it was an instant collision, he didn't feel any pain at first.

But the second time, a burst of severe pain made him take a breath, and then he curled up into a ball.

The referee didn't know what was going on.

Xu Yong was also pulled up from the ground by his teammates at this time, and he also showed a confused expression.

The previous round was being replayed on the large LED screen at the scene. The whole scene gave the impression that Green jumped too far forward, and the two collided before Xu Yong could even lean back. Unfortunately, Xu Yong happened to be right next to him. During the process of golden rooster independent shooting.

Then, Green's second brother had a close contact with Xu Yong's knee.

When seeing this, the fans just felt happy in their hearts, because Green fucked Adams twice, and this time he finally suffered retribution.

Green didn't get up from the ground until the Warriors' team doctor arrived.

It was only after Green was carried away on a stretcher that everyone noticed an obvious pool of blood on the ground.

It seems that Green's second brother was injured a bit seriously.

Xu Yong was a little surprised when he saw this. His original intention was just to let Greene also taste the feeling of his second brother being attacked. After all, only if you have been hurt yourself can you know how deeply it hurts others.

But the current situation seems to be more serious than expected. This cannot be said to be because his knees are too hard, it can only be said that... Green's balls are not as hard as Adams's.

(End of this chapter)