no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 277 “He just wants to win too much”

This year's MVP selection comes later than in previous years.

Just after the series between the Bulls and Raptors ended, the league announced the results of the season MVP selection.

Without much suspense, Xu Yong was successfully elected as the MVP of the 38~2016 season with 2017% of the votes.

Xu Yong's statistics were better last year, but because the Bulls' record was not as good as the Warriors', they ultimately missed out on the MVP. However, this year's Bulls' record is the same as the Warriors', and Xu Yong's statistics are obviously better than Curry and James, not to mention the perception of the game. .

In fact, the biggest problem for a team as a team is that unless they can completely suppress the other core players in the team, or force other core players in the team to give up the right to take action, it basically means withdrawing from the competition for MVP.

And this year, Durant's vote rate reached 29%, more than Curry and James.

The atmosphere of the league has been modified by Xu Yong unknowingly, and the factors that media people consider when voting have also changed.

However, it is a little regrettable that Xu Yong won the MVP three times in four years, but because of last season, he was just as regretful as Jordan that he missed the three consecutive seasons.

Of course, for Xu Yong, who is only 27 years old, his career is still very long.

Xu Yong did not choose to collect it before the game this time, because the Cavaliers and Raptors were playing in Tianwang Mountain, and they didn’t know when it would end. He chose to go to the New York headquarters to collect it.

He went with Jalen Shipp.

Who is Shipp?

When he first entered Arizona State University, he was a teammate who he didn't know each other before playing, but later became very close to him.

Most of those people back then were engaged in basketball-related careers. For example, Xu Yong's first younger brother Cooksix, although he did not make it to the NBA, is now playing in the European League.

As for Shipp, because he was less talented, he tried to pursue his dream for two years after graduation and then gave up, and then went to study finance.

James, who dreams of becoming a programmer, is still struggling in Golden State, but Shipp, who dreams of playing basketball, became Xu Yong's personal assistant last summer.

There is always someone to help anyway, and it is always more reliable to find a teammate from college than a stranger.

At this point, he and Durant thought of it together.

The NBA headquarters is located at 645 Fifth Avenue, next to Central Park.

This building called the Olympic Tower is 51 stories high and is considered a nearby landmark building that can be seen from a long distance away.

When they arrived, Tatum was already waiting for them in the lobby on the first floor.

Of course, this 51-story building cannot all belong to the NBA. In fact, the NBA only rents the 12th to 20th floors, although this sounds exaggerated enough.

The 12th floor is the entrance. On the wall at the front desk, Xu Yong saw many classic posters.

There is Jordan crying while holding the championship trophy (Bulls dynasty), there is the scene of Bird and Johnson dueling (the showdown between black and white), there is Kobe and O'Neal leaning on the championship trophy together (Lakers dynasty), and there is Duncan holding the championship trophy together. Cup scene (the Spurs won the championship in odd years), and the middle one, the most eye-catching, and probably the latest is the scene where he kissed the championship trophy last season (the new Bulls).

This is what you can see as soon as you come in, which is equivalent to the first impression when you meet someone.

On the other side, that is, next to it, is a small circular sports area, surrounded by six light walls. On it are freeze-frame pictures of six people scoring, namely Leonard, Curry, Yao Ming, Kobe, Durant, and Xu Yong.

Unlike the poster, this light wall is replaceable. Except for Kobe and Yao Ming, the rest are all top players in active service.

What, why is there no king?

Because this isn't Cleveland.

There was no one at the front desk, but when Xu Yong entered through the door, the NBA staff inside immediately became excited.

They all stopped what they were doing and watched, taking out their mobile phones one by one to take pictures of Xu Yong.

Tatum didn't stop him either. He is a good-tempered leader himself, and with Xu Yong's current popularity, it is rare for these employees to have such a close opportunity.

"Xu, can I get an autograph?" Someone finally summoned the courage to ask.

"When I leave." Xu Yong did not refuse, but now he and Tatum still have something to do.

The employee nodded excitedly, and when he saw others wanting to speak, Xu Yong also signaled to everyone, and there was a burst of cheers in the office.

Tatum then walked forward with Xu Yong. He smiled and pointed to the wall on the side. It was made of glass. There was a height scale on each side, and there were specific names in some specific positions, such as the 5-foot-1 Delhi · Blake, 6-foot-6 Jordan, 6-foot-9 Xu Yong, 7-foot-1 O'Neal, and the tallest is Yao Ming at 7-foot-5.

This is somewhat similar to what Xu Yong saw at the Dallas All-Star Carnival.

After passing the office room, they then arrived at the elevator room.

With so many floors, of course they would not look at them one by one. However, if Xu Yong is willing after receiving the award, Tatum will arrange for someone to take him around.

They went directly to the elevator room, where they arrived. Xu Yong was attracted by the scenery on the wall here.

On one wall is an entire half court, a free throw circle, and even the boards used on the wall are long strips of maple wood used on game floors.

On the other side, there are some basketball knowledge points, such as important rules, and some trivia, such as the size of the backboard and the size of the basket.

Xu Yong was attracted by the size of the basket at this time, because he drew exactly two balls inside the basket.

In other words, the diameter of the basket is exactly twice the diameter of the ball, which is much larger than many people think.

This is the first time Xu Yong, who has played basketball all his life, knows this, which is quite interesting.

When we got to the 19th floor, there was an event stage, and reporters and media were already waiting there.

Xu Yong came to the headquarters to receive the award. This was no small matter. This kind of first-hand material was quite valuable.

When it was time to award the award, Xiao Hua finally showed up. Although before the award ceremony, his displeasure could be seen on his face.

The experience of last season's finals should have caused a complete stalemate between Xu Yong and him.

But so what?

When Xiao Hua came on stage, he could only try to be excited and happy, then gave Xu Yong the award, shook hands, and said words of congratulations.

But when Xu Yong came down with the trophy, Tatum congratulated him with a flushed face.

Xu Yong could feel that unlike Xiao Hua's hard squeeze, Tatum should congratulate him from the bottom of his heart.

Maybe this is the power of blood.

"Mr. President, can you take me to continue to visit the headquarters later?" When Xiao Hua turned his head, Xu Yong said, holding Tatum's hand.

"Of course, it's my pleasure." Tatum nodded excitedly.

Xiao Hua's mouth was twisted.

In the following time, Xu Yong, accompanied by Tatum, began to visit the NBA headquarters from top to bottom.

Everywhere Xu Yong went, he would cause a stir among the staff on that level, and now Xu Yong had time to take photos and sign autographs with them.

When Xu Yong left, all the staff from the NBA headquarters came to the door to see him off.

"Thank you Xu, you brought a happy day to the NBA headquarters. I think most people here will be happy thinking of this day." When Xu Yong was about to get in the car, Tatum thanked Xu Yong. .

"I should be thanking you for accompanying me on the tour today. The president of the NBA is my tour guide. This is not a privilege that everyone can have." Xu Yong said with a smile.

Tatum's face turned red after hearing this. It was really very happy to receive such praise from Xu Yong.

When Xipu drove to the airport, Xu Yong felt in a good mood.

He's certainly not the type to just go to bed and forget about the aftermath.

In fact, if the NBA is compared to a historical dynasty, Stern can be compared to a figure like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. When the empire was in turmoil, he expanded his territory and built a strong empire.

In theory, his successor only needs to develop steadily.

So although Tatum is a bit mediocre, and although he does not have the strategic ability of Stern, or even the business ability of Xiao Hua, at least he is a loyal supporter of Stern's global plan and is good at dealing with interpersonal relationships. For now It would be a good choice for the prosperous NBA.

A few days later, the duel between the Cavaliers and Raptors in the East finally came to a winner after seven games. With DeRozan's key ball, the Raptors passed the test and met the Bulls again.

Of course, the difference from last season is that this time they met the Bulls in the conference finals. This is the kind of game where whoever wins will advance to the finals.

It can be said that although they are all win or go home games, the closer it gets to the finals, the players' desire to win will definitely be stronger.

Almost at the same time, the semifinals in the Western Conference also ended one after another. Leonard was suffering from injuries and was in poor condition. The Thunder eliminated the Mavericks 4-2. It was also the second consecutive year that they would compete with the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. .

This year's conference finals in both the East and West have an epic feeling of starting with a big drama.

Before the curtain officially opened, the league announced the last batch of awards of the season, which were also the winners of the best team.

Best team: Westbrook, Curry, Harden, Xu Yong, Durant;

Second team: Isaiah Thomas, Irving, Butler, James, Anthony Davis;

Third team: John Wall, Paul, DeRozan, Aldridge, Antetokounmpo;

All-Defensive First Team: Marcus Smart, George, Xu Yong, Antetokounmpo, Gobert;

Second team: Jrue Holiday, Klay Thompson, Butler, Draymond Green, Embiid.

Xu Yongshuang's number of first-team games is +1, and he continues to catch up with Jordan.

Just the day after the best lineup was announced, the Bulls faced off against the Raptors in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals. Compared with last year, the Raptors' offense this year is significantly more diversified. Antetokounmpo's tactical position is close to DeRozan, making opponents difficult to make defensive choices.

Carroll also played a full season with the Raptors and integrated well into the team system.

Coupled with Shumpert's arrival, which has enhanced their defensive capabilities on the outside, this Raptors team is close to being complete.

The same is true on the game scene. They were in a stalemate with the Bulls from the beginning and remained in a stalemate until the end of the quarter.

Then, in the final decisive moment, Xu Yong blew up his good brother DeRozan.

In particular, Xu Yong knew that the Raptors could only rely on DeRozan to play key goals in the end, so he directly looked for him on both offense and defense.

DeRozan was at a disadvantage in all aspects against Xu Yong, and there was really nothing he could do.

Antetokounmpo can't wait to stand up. He was in great shape in G1 and had already scored 26 points and 11 rebounds.

But in the playoffs, especially against a top team like the Bulls, any technical flaws will be targeted to death.

Last year, the Bulls coaching staff was not fully prepared for him, but this year it can be said that they are very familiar with him.

The result is that he holds the ball and wants to stand up, but when he rushes in he faces walls, and his passing skills are not enough at this time.

109 to 104, the Bulls narrowly defeated the Raptors, and victory came at the final moment. Xu Yong scored 8 points in a row at the critical moment, helping the Bulls win the game in his best way.

Then, the same way, the Bulls did it again in G2.

Everyone can see that the Raptors are strong enough to arm-wrestle with the Bulls, but they just fall short at the end.

At this time, Casey completely understood why Stevens said such words after falling behind 1-3. The gap between the two teams was really only that point.

But if you really look at that point, you'll find that there might be a Milky Way inside.

After all, just like no one could come close to Jordan in terms of strength during his peak years, who in the league now can compare with Xu Yong's scoring ability at critical moments?

After the G2 game, Xu Yong saw that DeRozan was very depressed. Knowing what DeRozan had suffered in history, he didn't know how to comfort him as a good brother.

After all, competitive sports are cruel, and there is no way he would give up the chance of a dynasty because of DeRozan.

"Demar, believe in yourself. I have failed, twice, but I finally stood up, right?" Xu Yong could only console him while shaking hands and hugging DeRozan.

DeRozan looked at Xu Yong and nodded with a wry smile.

He wanted to say that people are different, but what Xu Yong said was also true.

G3, both sides moved to Toronto.

The scene was familiar, the flight was familiar, but the difference was that when they got off the plane, they were greeted by a warm breeze.

The difference between the conference semifinals and the conference finals was also reflected at this time. Although the difference was only about half a month, the temperature in Toronto had obviously picked up.

"Finally, I don't have to endure the ice and snow anymore." Jokic also expressed emotion when he got off the plane.

He has much less fat layer to keep out the cold this year than last year.

Not only him, but the rest of the Bulls team were also happy. After all, last year and the cold wave in Chicago this year, they really didn't like playing in that cold environment.

Xu Yong also looked forward to it. The dynasty was getting closer and closer, and even he could not suppress his excitement.

The Scotiabank Arena, which can accommodate nearly 2 people, was packed with seats, and the enthusiasm of Canadian fans remained the same.

Although trailing 0-2, the Raptors actually didn't lose much to the Bulls, and this year the Celtics had completed a 0-2 comeback, so they didn't have a chance.

At the beginning of the game, the Raptors also showed their determination, especially DeRozan, who was in hot form. He faced Butler's defense and hit consecutive strong shots, allowing Toronto fans to relive the style of last year's playoffs. .

Relying on his performance, the Raptors led the Bulls by 8 points in half a quarter.

Although Xu Yong responded by scoring 8 points in a row, the Raptors still led the Bulls 38-32 in the first quarter due to their performance.

The two sides entered into rotation, and Xu Yong, who played the entire first quarter, came off the court to rest.

At this time, Thibodeau also compressed the rotation, allowing Butler and Joe Johnson to play together to lead the team. In addition to Jokic, who was about to play, the Bulls' substitute lineup is still quite strong.

In response, Casey on the Raptors did not give Antetokounmpo rest time, but allowed him to continue playing.

Neither Xu Yong nor DeRozan was present during this period, but it was a very important link for both sides.

As soon as the second quarter started, Butler showed his scoring ability that has continued to improve this season. He jumped through the gap in the breakthrough and scored 2+1 on Biyombo.

Although his body lost balance and fell to the ground, after seeing the ball go in, he stood up from the ground excitedly, and then bumped chests with Johnson.

He was so excited.

And this was just the beginning. Butler interfered with Terrence Ross' shooting on the defensive end, then turned around and hit a difficult step-back three-pointer on the right side.

Almost in an instant, he completely wiped out the advantage the Raptors had worked so hard to establish in the first quarter.

Xu Yongdu couldn't help but stand up and applaud Butler's performance.

Even if he is a reborn person, even if he has watched Butler grow up a little bit, he still has to admire the magic of Butler as a player.

You can't see that he has an absolute killer move, but he can always stand up when the team needs him.

He is not just Pippen, he is destined to become a superstar.

And more importantly, Butler's powerful goal made the Raptors very helpless.

Because Xu Yong wasn't even on the court at this time.

If you want to talk about ability, Xu Yong is stronger than Butler.

If they can't hold on to their advantage at this time, then when Xu Yong comes back, the Raptors will probably end up worse than the Celtics.

Antetokounmpo's shot when he rushed into the paint was deflected by a double attack, but he still missed the offensive rebound after grabbing the offensive rebound. The Raptors were in a scoring drought during this substitute period.

After seeing consecutive missed shots, Antetokounmpo couldn't help but waved his hands in frustration.

DeRozan stood up and walked towards Casey, ready to take the initiative to play.

Casey nodded, knowing that the Raptors had no retreat now.

If they fall behind 0-3, it is absolutely impossible for them to have a comeback point.

DeRozan walked to the technical table and waited for the dead ball to come up.

At this time, Xu Yong turned around and chatted with Anderson on the side about the details of the defensive round just now.

If they face the Warriors in the Finals, Anderson's performance as the starting four will be crucial.

But at this moment, a rapid whistle suddenly sounded on the court. Xu Yong turned around and saw Butler lying under the basket, covering his ankles with his hands, and the players on both sides were already entangled.

"Damn it! That guy is so dirty!" At this time, Adams, who was sitting on the other side, couldn't help but curse.

The conflict there was forcibly separated by the referee. At this moment, a replay of the ball was played on the large LED screen at the scene.

Butler broke through Rose's defense, grabbed the position and jumped up for a layup. Antetokounmpo came to help defend at this time. He had no time to block the shot and directly stretched his feet to where Butler landed. Butler He didn't notice it at all. After landing, he was directly touched by Antetokounmpo and sprained his foot.

Xu Yong's face instantly became extremely gloomy, and he stood up and walked towards Thibodeau.

Last season, he once had a question: Did Antetokounmpo learn from James in his history, or was it his nature.

Now it seems that this question already has an answer.

After having the answer, he would let the other party know the price of doing so.

……

Bay area.

Because the Western Conference Finals started one day later than the Eastern Conference Finals, James watched the game live with Rich Paul at his beach house.

Although Rich Paul's schemes failed several times, the relationship between them is beyond the relationship between ordinary players and agents. As the saying goes, Rich Paul abused him thousands of times, and he treated Rich Paul like his first love.

When they saw this scene happening, both of them were stunned for a moment.

Then Paul Fu took the lead in showing a smile on his face.

James then showed a happy smile, and then as someone who has been through it, he suppressed his mood and said: "He just wants to win too much."

But unfortunately his hands shaking with excitement gave him away.

Although Butler is not Xu Yong, he is too important. With his injury, the Bulls lost their core organization and the Warriors' probability of winning the Finals skyrocketed.

He is finally going to win the first championship in his life!

(End of this chapter)