no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 276 The 2016~2017 regular season ends

Xu Yong didn't pay much attention to Murray before, that is, he saw Murray training earlier during the offseason.

But Deron said these words, which made him subconsciously pay more attention to Murray.

Then he discovered that this little guy was really special.

For example, regarding training, the reason why he didn't pay attention to Murray after the start of the season was because he didn't see him during extra training at night, which made him think that Murray was just showing up during the offseason. .

It wasn't until one day that he was training late and found Murray coming to the training hall sweating profusely. After communicating for a while, he found out that Murray had been staying in the gym at night and doing various strength training. Come to the training facility and do some shooting drills.

"Why didn't you come earlier?" Xu Yong was a little confused, because it was already after 11 o'clock in the evening.

When he asked this question, Murray didn't answer at first. It wasn't until he saw Xu Yong frowning that he explained. It turned out that he knew Xu Yong was going to practice extra at night and didn't want to disturb him.

Xu Yong felt very strange when he heard this, because generally speaking, newcomers are eager to have the opportunity to interact with the team boss alone, and there are sophistication everywhere.

But Murray didn't seem to want to "trouble" him.

Of course, Murray didn't know Xu Yong's character. Thinking like this would make him appear mature than his peers because he thinks about others.

Another example is that NBA teams will organize some community activities to enhance the connection between the team and fans.

This time Xu Yong went with Murray and Anderson.

Murray is usually a stern person in the team, but during community activities, when he met the community children, Xu Yong found that he loved to smile more than anyone else, and he actively instilled in the children the idea of ​​taking the right path. .

After these few experiences, Xu Yong suddenly found that he liked this guy a little bit.

And he also remembered a saying, the suffering experienced in childhood may make people feel inferior, but it is also a precious wealth in life.

Time has come to mid-April. After a season of competition, the curtain of the 4~2016 regular season has come to an end.

In the West, although the Warriors had some ups and downs, they finally ended the season with 27 wins thanks to their 67-game winning streak at the beginning of the season.

几个核心球员的数据，库里场均25.3分4.5板6.6助攻1.8抢断，詹姆斯场均25.1分8.3板8.6助攻1.6盖帽，汤普森场均23.4分3.7板2.1助攻，伊戈达拉场均10.2分4板3.4助攻，格林场均7.6分7.5板3.4助攻。

The Thunder are in second place with 63 wins.

After losing Howard, the Thunder's record this season has improved instead of falling, which is impressive.

杜兰特场均30.4分8.4板5助攻1.6盖帽，53.7%的命中率创下生涯新高。

It wasn't until the end of the season that fans discovered that what Durant said during the offseason was true, and he was really well prepared for the new season.

Harden averaged 25.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. If the opening game was not convincing enough, then he has now used his performance in one season to prove how much like Jordan he is after leaving Kardashian.

The Mavericks ranked third with 53 wins.

Leonard did not return until the end of the season due to injury and has not yet regained his form.

But unlike the Spurs period, Cuban gave Leonard full trust, and Aldridge's outstanding performance also allowed the Mavericks to still occupy the top three ranks.

The Jazz, Pelicans, Clippers, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers ranked 4th to 8th.

In the East, the Bulls also rank first with 67 wins.

Although not as obvious as the Warriors, the Bulls have actually encountered many problems this season, such as Rose's departure, the conflict between Jokic and Thibodeau, the conflict between Deron and Stephenson, and even Butler. In some cases, there was some personal heroism.

But against these backgrounds, the Bulls still had a better record than last season.

Moreover, this is still under the condition that Xu Yong stops playing in the regular season.

徐永场均贡献29.7分7.5板6.2助攻1.6抢断1.5盖帽，三项命中率分别是51.9%/41.4%/90.4%。

Without excessive physical exertion, Xu Yong reached the [180 Club] for the first time in his career (50% shooting rate + 40% three-point shooting rate + 90+ free throw shooting rate).

Butler averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game, with his scoring hitting a career high;

Adams averaged 11.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game;

Jokic averaged 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game;

Anderson averaged 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game;

The Raptors ranked second with 60 wins, their best record in team history.

德罗赞的状态依旧火热，他场均能贡献25.1分4.7板4.2助攻，洛瑞也有20.8分4.2板8.7助攻的表现。

But the reason for the real qualitative change in the Raptors is the progress of Antetokounmpo. In the fourth year of his career, he averaged 23.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He is already looming to compete with DeRozan for the team. Boss trend.

The Cavaliers ranked third with 58 wins.

When Davis entered the second half of the season, he suffered some injuries, which caused some ups and downs in their record, and they were overtaken by the Raptors in the rankings, but their overall strength is still strong.

The Pacers are fourth with 54 wins.

The Celtics ranked fifth with 53 wins.

They are the most amazing team this season. After signing Al Horford from Atlanta, where Rick Grimes started his zombie journey, their interior has been greatly strengthened.

Isaiah Thomas, on the other hand, thrives in the system created for him by head coach Brad Stevens. He averages 28.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, entering the MVP discussion and becoming the strongest player on the planet. 175].

The Magic ranked sixth with 51 wins.

George averaged 28 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, officially entering the peak of his career.

The Wizards (49 wins) and Hawks (43 wins) occupy the final two spots.

The Heat unfortunately missed the playoffs, which was their first absence since the 08-09 season.

In the past few seasons, the overall pattern of the East and West has been that the West is strong and the East is weak, but this year the situation has changed. The only two teams in the West that are capable of competing for the championship are actually the top two teams, while there are more powerful teams competing in the East. a feeling of.

Before the playoffs begin, the league announced the first batch of awards.

Newscaster Kyle & Newsboy Anderson immediately reported the results on his mobile phone.

Seeing him pick up the phone with an excited look on his face, Xu Yong couldn't help but ask: "Is Tom the best coach?"

"No." Anderson shook his head.

Others in the locker room suddenly booed. This is the third year Anderson has scored a hat trick.

"The best coach is Stevens in Boston."

Xu Yong nodded. This result was expected. The best coach was also called the Most Improved Award. This year's Celtics record has improved greatly compared to last year.

Moreover, Cole last year and Thibodeau the year before that have just served as head coaches of the two teams with the best records this season. As for Brooks and Casey, the Thunder and Raptors have very good records this year, but because they were also very good last year, This is not in line with the theory of fastest progress.

"But..." Anderson changed the topic at this time, "Nikola is the best sixth man!"

Jokic's smile suddenly stopped, a little unbelievable.

Even Xu Yong was a little surprised, because generally speaking, the best sixth man is given to someone with high scoring ability, such as JR Smith, Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford, etc. Lawford has two in each of the past four years.

But think about it carefully, among these people, JR is starting in the Cavaliers, Crawford is old, and Williams' Lakers team has the worst record this season. As for the madman who failed to score points on the bench for other teams.

"Nikola got 39% of the vote and Andre Iguodala got 36%."

Anderson's next words also confirmed Xu Yong's judgment, and it was only 3 percentage points better than Iguodala. Jokic's luck was also very good.

"Nikola, come on, your acceptance speech." Anderson looked at Jokic.

Everyone else in the locker room also looked at him.

At this moment, Xu Yong noticed that Jokic's face was not particularly happy.

This is understandable, Jokic is ambitious and he shouldn't care about this kind of award.

However, with so many people staring at him, he still spread his hands and gave a brief speech: "Thank you, Coach Malone, thank you everyone."

It was really brief, but Xu Yong heard something.

Jokic mentioned Malone alone because Malone played a key role along the way, but he did not have Thibodeau.

This is normal. No one is a saint. Thibodeau has been suppressing his playing time. It is impossible for Jokic not to have some ideas in his heart.

The Bulls' opponent in the first round is the Hawks.

The Hawks did not keep Horford this past summer, but chose to sign Howard. This seems to make the lineup more reasonable. Howard + Millsap, this is an All-Star inside combination.

In addition, letting Teague go, strengthening the more impactful Danny Schroeder and the younger shooter Kent Bazemore.

But the reality is that the Hawks' ability to protect the basket has indeed improved, but their offensive ability has declined significantly.

Without Horford's support, and both Schroeder and Bazemore seem too immature, the Hawks will not be able to play team basketball even in the regular season.

As for the playoffs, Budenholzer has never proven himself in the playoffs.

Facing such an opponent, the Bulls cannot be said to have won easily. They can only be said to have taken away the game effortlessly, 4-0. Howard was suppressed by Adams throughout the game, which made Atlanta fans start shouting to send Howard away.

But from the first round to the second round, the intensity of the competition increased dramatically.

The battle between the Celtics and Pacers is also the most intense in the first round of this year's playoffs.

Although Bynum is no longer good, and Paul and Anthony's strength has also declined due to age and weight gain, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse after all.

In the first two games of the series, the Pacers defeated the Celtics at home, taking a 2-0 lead.

It is worth mentioning that two days before the official start of the playoffs, Thomas, the core of the Celtics, encountered bad news. His sister died in a car accident in the early morning. This had a great impact on his state. Influence.

But after returning to Boston, the Celtics began to show their home court advantage, and they tied the score twice in a row.

And as the series progressed, the Pacers began to have some physical problems. The Celtics seized the opportunity. Thomas regained his form in G5 and G6, scoring 30+ in two consecutive games to help the Celtics. The team came back and defeated the Pacers 4-2.

After completing the dramatic comeback from a 0-2 deficit, the Celtics are now in high morale and in a hot state.

In the first game of the semifinals, the Bulls sat at home and waited for work.

But in the first game between the two teams, the Celtics, an old rival, gave the Bulls a little shock.

The Celtics' style of play is actually not unfamiliar, especially if you have seen Iverson's digital team back then, it will feel very familiar, the classic four guarantees and one.

The four people on the offensive end worked frantically to create opportunities for Thomas, while the four people on the defensive end worked frantically to wipe Thomas's butt.

Iverson relied on this style of play to lead his team to the finals on his own.

Thomas is certainly not as capable as Iverson, but he is indeed too flexible. He is like a loach on the court. Even Beverley can't do anything to him.

And one thing he is better than Iverson is his willingness to pass. He is essentially a point guard rather than a shooting guard.

So when the Bulls mobilize defensive resources, he can always get the ball to his teammates in the gap.

The most important thing about this teammate is Horford.

Horford has a very unique nickname: The Blind Ball Identifier.

He has the kind of statistics that are not flashy (he has never averaged 20 points per game as an All-Star). If you only look at the statistics, he is really not worthy of his name, but if you watch the game, then you will find his influence on the game. Reflected in all aspects.

For example, in this game, Horford will always position one step inside the three-point line after setting a pick-and-roll for Thomas. If Thomas does not score directly or passes the ball to an open teammate, then the ball will inevitably be sent to him. , and he is the team's second organizational point.

When he feels he has a chance, he either shoots or follows up to attack the basket. When he encounters help defense, he can immediately pass the ball to a teammate with a better opportunity.

Does this sound familiar?

Yes, his technical style is very similar to that of Pau Gasol, but the difference is that he has better hardness, which makes him more capable on the defensive end. This is why he can always play the top five in the fourth position. The reason for the number position.

Moreover, his versatility has been further reflected after the arrival of the small ball era. He developed a three-pointer last season.

Counting this season, he has taken more than 3.5 three-pointers for two consecutive seasons, and can shoot more than 35%. This is a space-based insider with productivity.

The Bulls can't limit Thomas, which means they can't limit the Thomas-Horford offensive system.

And Thomas also has key ball ability. His tying three-pointer before the end helped the Celtics successfully drag the game into overtime.

Then, there was no more.

Overtime became Xu Yong's show. He scored all 11 points of the Bulls, and blocked Thomas' shots twice in a row, once in the penalty area and once at the three-point line, taking away the game.

"Isaiah played like an assassin tonight, but unfortunately, he met the God of this era. How can humans compete with God?" Barkley's commentary at the end of the game became a classic quote.

(Isaiah Thomas of the Pistons is nicknamed the Smiling Assassin. The two have the same name and their playing styles are somewhat similar)

The Celtics' performance in G1 was impressive, but if nothing else, it was still difficult for them to threaten the Bulls.

Then, the unexpected happened.

Thibodeau adjusted his defensive strategy in G2. He no longer deliberately helped to defend and shrink, but focused on cutting off the connection between Thomas, Horford and other teammates.

This adjustment itself is not wrong, because Thomas scored 33 points and 9 assists in the last game, and Horford even scored a near-triple double with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Bulls are not afraid of Thomas scoring 30+ points, because that is not enough to kill the Bulls.

Then, Thomas Jr. made 33 of 18 shots, 53 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in a game, and his performance of 21 in the final quarter told everyone that Thibodeau's choice was wrong.

With his godlike performance, the Celtics regained a victory in the away game.

Thomas Jr. also shocked everyone in the league with his performance in this game.

You have to know that Iverson's highest score in the playoffs was only 55 points, and he was 8 centimeters shorter than Iverson (theoretically).

And Thomas's score directly ranked second in the Celtics, the NBA's oldest team, in the single-game playoff scoring list, second only to John Havlicek's 54 points.

One battle to become a god, that's probably the case.

Regarding Thomas's performance, Xu Yong also expressed his full recognition at the post-match press conference: "I must admit that we cannot limit him. He was the best performer on the field tonight."

"But he will never have a night like this again." But after praising him, Xu Yong added.

Xu Yong's words are very domineering, and no one will think that what he said is a rant, but this can't help but make people curious. After all, if the Bulls can limit Thomas, the past two games will not be so difficult.

And I'm afraid that even Thibodeau is a little helpless with the Celtics' style of play at this time, not to mention that the Bulls will go to Boston in the next two games, which is the Celtics' real home court.

So fans are really curious about how Xu Yong will limit Thomas' performance.

It can be said that the current situation of the series, coupled with Xu Yong's remarks, has attracted a lot of attention in this round of Eastern Conference semifinals G3.

And when it came to G3, Xu Yong gave the answer that everyone wanted to know. It was very simple, but it was indeed fatal. It could be summed up in two words: roll call.

Xu Yong and Butler took turns naming Thomas.

You have to know that Thomas is only 1 meters tall. When the two of them, especially Xu Yong, are mismatched against him, without help to defend, Xu Yong will be left undefended.

And when the Celtics were forced to invest a lot of energy on the defensive end to protect four and one, their efficiency on the offensive end was obviously declining.

Compared to thinking about how to restrict Thomas, this method of forcing the Celtics to invest on the defensive end is obviously more proactive.

And when the Bulls took the initiative to try, the offense and defense also changed on the court.

The Celtics obviously couldn't limit the Bulls' offense.

116 to 89, the Bulls defeated the Celtics in an away game, rewriting the score to 2 to 1.

Xu Yong scored a triple-double of 34 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Butler also scored 24 points and 7 assists. Thomas was a little stunned. He only took 8 shots in the game and only scored 13 points.

Then in the fourth game, the Celtics' extra-game move came as expected.

In G4, the basket was much tighter than usual when the Bulls players shot, which allowed their shots to always bounce out and become long rebounds.

Stevens also showed his ability to adjust. He asked Horford to play center, so that the Celtics' backcourt consisted of two small guards, Thomas and Bradley, which allowed them to start quickly after getting long rebounds. Fast break.

And in the positional battle, this lineup similar to the five small teams also allowed the Bulls to feel the atmosphere of playing the five small teams with the Warriors in advance.

Relying on such adjustments, the Celtics and Bulls played evenly in the first half.

But in the second half, the situation changed again, as Xu Yong and Butler began to take turns attacking the Celtics' interior.

Since outside shots are prone to counterattacks, just send the ball in the penalty area or cause damage.

Especially for Xu Yong, Horford was able to use his physical advantage when facing Butler, but against Xu Yong, he was knocked away twice in a row. Even if he was not knocked away, he could not restrain Xu Yong because of his lowered center of gravity. Never complete the attack.

Xu Yong can be said to be very experienced in playing such a five-small lineup.

Xu Yong scored 23 points in a single quarter. The Bulls scored 36 to 18 in the third quarter, which directly eliminated the suspense of the game.

Now it was Stevens' turn to express his emotions after the game.

"If the Bulls don't have Xu, I believe we have a chance to win tonight's game, and if we win tonight's game we will be back on the same starting line, but it's a pity that it didn't happen."

Stevens also led the little-known Butler University (a small school with only 4000 people) to the NCAA finals twice, and his opponents were Duke and the University of Connecticut respectively. He is someone who has truly seen big scenes. , but tonight he was really defeated by Xu Yong.

After the Celtics lost this game, they were already 1-3 behind. It was almost impossible to complete a comeback in the hands of the Bulls.

But in G5, they played impressively in a desperate situation. They were extremely committed on both offense and defense in the first half, which also allowed them to lead the Bulls at halftime.

But the familiar plot played out again in the second half, and this time Xu Yong was even more unreasonable, because Xu Yong, who only scored 16 points in the first half, directly scored 35 points in the second half, using his first 50+ points in this year's playoffs to directly defeat the Kaiyuan. The Celtics were sent home.

Before the game ended, Stevens looked at Xu Yong on the court and raised his hands helplessly.

His current mood is probably very similar to Riley's back then: Why is there no Jordan on my team, and why is Jordan on the opposite team!

(End of this chapter)