no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 278 Chicago Magician

"I'll go with Ron." Thibodeau noticed Xu Yong's murderous intention and tried to dissuade him. After all, if Xu Yong was sent out, the Bulls would really lose tonight, and losing this game, plus Butler's injury is unknown, and the momentum of the series may really be reversed.

"I have a way." Xu Yong said.

"Draymond Green." Seeing that Thibodeau was still about to speak, he added.

After hearing this, Thibodeau nodded.

At this time, the game entered a technical timeout and players from both sides returned to the bench.

Butler has been helped up from the ground by teammates on the court.

The team doctor and teammates wanted to help him, but he refused directly. He hobbled to the bench by himself.

When he saw this, Xu Yong's cold expression softened slightly.

Butler's ability to walk off on his own shows that the injury is not as serious as that of Kobe and Leonard.

This is a blessing in misfortune.

Speaking of which, the Bulls team has its own hardness. Needless to say, Xu Yong, Adams is a person who is still strong even if he is kicked in the balls one after another, and Butler himself is also a representative of tough guys.

Of course, in addition to physical hardness, it probably also has something to do with Butler's style of play. He is not the kind of person who jumps very high, and because he always causes damage, he will instinctively move backward when he lands on an unstable landing spot. Actually, these details made him much better than the other people on the mat.

After sitting on the bench for a while and talking to the team doctor, Butler got up and tried to walk, but failed.

Looking at this scene, Xu Yong suddenly remembered Yao Ming when he was playing for the Bulls.

He went over to stop Butler.

Butler eventually returned to the locker room accompanied by team doctors.

After the timeout, the Bulls replaced Butler with Xu Yong.

After Xu Yong came on the court, he began to look for Antetokounmpo for singles in a very targeted manner.

This scene is very similar to last year's playoffs. The difference is that this time the reason is not because of Antetokounmpo's excited provocation, but because of his dirtiness.

This also led to Xu Yong's style of playing him in singles being very different from last year's playoffs.

For example, Xu Yong will wait until the strong side is cleared before launching an attack. After the attack, he will play with Antetokounmpo like a prey, or he will pull back after passing and try again, or he will feint and score and then ride on his face. Trash talk.

This made the already anxious latter quickly become impatient.

One step away from elimination, one step away from the finals. After the first two games of the series, it means that there is no chance for normal play. At these times, people will face a choice. Like James, he was beaten with no chance to turn around. Better take the risk and give it a try.

Judging from the results, Antetokounmpo and James, or a large number of people, are similar. Maybe they did not plan for a long time like Bowen, maybe they just made a temporary move, but in the end they all moved forward. That step.

This kind of person may have a psychological burden the first time, but after tasting the sweetness, it will only get worse.

The video of James stepping on his feet was made into a highlight reel, but why can’t Antetokounmpo do the same?

Stepping up Irving is just his [masterpiece]. In addition, there are Trae Young, Collins, Anthony Davis, etc., and there is even another [masterpiece] Porzingis.

Don't say it's just accidental. People who really play cleanly, even if they can't control their feet, will take it back at the last moment, such as Mike Conley, Jeff Green, etc.

"He really just wants to win too much" and "he's just too clumsy." These sarcastic words about James have no sense of violation when applied to Antetokounmpo.

So Xu Yong's purpose of doing this is very clear, which is to push Antetokounmpo into a hurry, because only then will he have a chance.

"You know what? You'll never get a chance to play in the Finals until I retire."

Finally, another trash talk from Xu Yong made Antetokounmpo furious. He did not provoke Xu Yong, but Xu Yong targeted him crazily.

Xu Yong is the face of the alliance, but he is not superior at all.

Angry, he pushed Xu Yong hard like an enraged gorilla.

But what he didn't expect was that Xu Yong was not angry at his actions, but instead looked at him with a smile on his face.

The referee gave him a technical foul, and the hot breath blowing out of his nostrils made him look even more like that.

The technical fouls at this time have not been revised yet, and it is still a one-throw and one-free throw rule. When Xu Yong held the ball and beat him in singles again, a ruthless look flashed in his eyes.

Originally he didn't want to, but Xu Yong forced him.

When Xu Yong broke through him again and headed towards the basket, he repeated his trick at the right angle and sent his foot to Xu Yong's feet again.

Compared with the first time, his nervousness this time has been reduced a lot, replaced by a sense of anticipation.

There is a trivia that many people have not noticed, that is, although foot stepping is banned by the league, no one has been suspended because of it.

Until Pachulia stepped on Leonard last season, the league introduced the "Zaza Clause": If there is a similar stepping on the ball during the game, the referee can upgrade the foul to a flagrant foul or a technical foul based on replay to prevent defenders from trying to hurt. opponent.

But even with this clause, the punishment for this kind of behavior is still low, because it is difficult for you to subjectively judge whether a person is intentional or unintentional.

Therefore, in the face of this kind of behavior, more depends on the players' awareness of self-prevention. For example, Kobe developed the habit of landing with both feet to prevent Bowen.

Or, like Xu Yong did to James and Green, he used his own methods to make the other party afraid and then dare not attack you.

Xu Yong's attention has actually been on Antetokounmpo. Although he does not have eyes in the back of his head, he had already seen Antetokounmpo's approaching body before jumping up.

So when he fell, he had already found the right angle.

Antetokounmpo must have not watched the game between the Bulls and Heat that year, otherwise he would have been more careful about his thumbs.

But what happened next, even Xu Yong, never expected.

After all, Xu Yong didn't have an eye in the back of his head. The landing point of his foot was deviated, and he stepped heavily on Antetokounmpo's ankle.

Antetokounmpo's ankle was stepped on and bent at 90 degrees. He tried to step on his foot twice, but his ankle was severely injured.

Of course, the price was that Xu Yong also lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

Players on both sides were a little confused at first, but when they realized what happened, the Bulls players on the court were angry.

What everyone didn't expect was that Jokic rushed directly towards Antetokounmpo who fell to the ground. Rose on the Raptors tried to stop him, but was knocked to the ground by him.

What few people at the scene know is that the Jokic family is actually full of bad tempers. Jokic's two brothers are more tempered than the other, but compared to them, Jokic is much gentler.

But that was only relative. After seeing Antetokounmpo make evil moves twice in a row, especially the second time against Xu Yong, he finally couldn't bear it anymore.

The referees were also confused, and as a result, Jokic stepped forward and punched Antetokounmpo on the ground.

Antetokounmpo's lower body was still hurting. At this moment, he didn't notice Jokic's approach at all, and the punch hit the face.

Everyone looked at Jokic like he was crazy.

Fortunately, Biyombo next to him reacted quickly and pulled Jokic away desperately.

The referees finally reacted and blew their whistles like alarm bells to prevent the situation from developing into a brawl at Auburn Palace.

Jokic did not continue to be impulsive and turned around and walked towards Xu Yong. Rather than beating someone, what was more important now was Xu Yong's condition.

Everyone else on the Bulls court also gathered around Xu Yong at this time.

Xu Yong was grinning. The landing just now was a hard landing, and it really hurt. If he hadn't been immune to injuries, he would have broken his shoulder.

However, it was precisely because of his immunity to injuries that he dared to do this when his back was turned to others, so this was an expected accident.

Antetokounmpo over there was pounding the ground in pain.

He should be the first to experience the soreness and soreness of both the upper and lower body.

Finally, a stretcher came from the sidelines, and Antetokounmpo was put on the stretcher and left the field.

Xu Yong also had a "painful expression" at this time and returned to the bench with the support of his teammates.

When he returned to the bench, the team doctor came over to check his condition, and the large LED screen at the scene began to replay what had just happened.

Because it only happened in a moment, many people actually didn't know what happened.

Then after seeing Antetokounmpo score twice, many Canadian fans at the scene fell silent.

Antetokounmpo's behavior tonight really exceeded the limit.

The first time might be called an accident, but the second time, and the target was Xu Yong, they couldn't argue even if they were at home.

"Boss, are you okay?" Jokic came over and asked in concern.

Xu Yong looked at Jokic and couldn't help but reached out and patted Jokic on the shoulder. He looked like he was in pain and couldn't open his eyes when he was on the court, but in fact he didn't miss a single frame of the scene where Jokic was furious.

He was surprised, but also relieved.

Then, he stood up with Jokic's shoulders and shook his arm.

The meaning of this set of actions is obvious, he has no trouble.

Jokic's eyes were as wide as bells!

The reason why he was so impulsive was because he was under the basket at the time, watching Antetokounmpo make the move, and also watching Xu Yong fall heavily.

Xu Yong can no longer be described as tough, he is simply superhuman.

At this time, the referees at the technical table had finished watching the replay, and then gave the penalty for the conflict just now.

They executed the [Zaza Clause] and gave Antetokounmpo a flagrant secondary foul, which meant Antetokounmpo was ejected, even though he probably should have been in the ambulance on his way to the hospital by now.

At the same time, Jokic also received a secondary malicious expulsion.

This result was expected. After all, beating someone up in front of everyone is rare in today's league. The last time it happened was... Xu Yong of the Bulls.

Without Butler as the core organizer and Jokic as the sixth man, although Xu Yongsheng can still play vigorously, the Bulls' firepower is obviously weaker. On the other hand, the Raptors only have one less Antetokounmpo opponent. Their impact is significantly smaller.

Although Xu Yong scored 30+ points again in the second half, the Raptors used wheel defense against him to consume his energy, and finally won the game, changing the score to 1-2.

On social media after the game, fans cursed Antetokounmpo.

"I used to think Antetokounmpo was inspiring, but now I just think I was a fool."

"Inspirational and dirty are actually not conflicting. You said LeBron came from the slums. Isn't he inspirational?" A comment from "KBfnas".

"LeBron: How come you can drive me everywhere? It turns out that you said I am inspirational. Then you are right, brother."

"Two stops in one game, I think LeBron is going to be the loser in this regard."

"This game really succeeded in putting Antetokounmpo ahead of LeBron on my list of most disappointing players."

"So what if you win the game in this way? So what if you win the championship? Do you really want to wear a championship ring on your foot?"

"By the way, has anyone noticed Xu? Why is it okay for him to fall like that?"

……

"Although Jimmy's condition is better than expected, my suggestion is to have surgery to avoid worsening of the injury." In the infirmary after the game, Butler sat on the bed, with Xu Yong and Thibodeau standing beside him. There is a team doctor who talks to them.

"If I receive conservative treatment, how long will it take at the shortest time?" Butler asked the team doctor.

"A month, if recovery goes as expected."

One month, the finals should have been played by then.

"What if I can just play?" Butler asked reluctantly.

Xu Yong probably guessed what Butler wanted to do at this time.

The team doctor also knew what Butler wanted to do, so he persuaded him: "That is not a wise choice. There are too many people who have aggravated their injuries by playing with injuries, which affects their entire careers."

"Jimmy, I agree with this." Xu Yong echoed. Although Butler has always been known for his endurance and toughness, Butler actually missed some games due to injury last season. He does not have the same characteristics as himself. Immunity to injuries.

And he knows that many people have ruined themselves just as the team doctor said. For example, Durant's ability has declined sharply because he played with injuries in the Warriors.

"Senior, I have to play unless my leg is broken." Butler's eyes were firm.

"If you play with an injury, it will take at least a week. Anything less is unrealistic." The team doctor gave the lowest time limit at this time.

Xu Yong originally wanted to say something, but when he saw Butler's firm eyes, he still didn't speak. He knew that persuasion would be useless.

And as a reborn player, he also knows that Butler has the ability to play through injuries.

Moreover, basketball is a sport for five people. To defeat that cosmic team, he alone cannot do it.

But with Butler, even if Butler is still in a weak state, the Bulls' chances will be much greater.

Of course, the premise is that they must first pass the Raptors level.

The next day, the league announced the results of the conflict in the previous game. Jokic was additionally punished. He was fined $5 and suspended for one game.

Although it was just a punch, Jokic's behavior was very dangerous because it could easily cause large-scale conflicts between players on both sides.

And compared with Anthony's experience of being suspended for 15 games for one punch, it can be seen that the league has actually weakened its handling.

Because obviously, who wants to see the Raptors go to the Finals instead of the Bulls?

Not to mention that the cause of this incident was because of Antetokounmpo.

You can say the league is biased, but that's inevitable as it has happened many times in the past.

G4, the Bulls and Raptors game continues in Toronto.

In this game, like the previous game, the Bulls were missing Butler and Jokic, and their offensive firepower was obviously not as good as the Raptors.

Moreover, in a league with the [vertical jump rule], it is very difficult to win the game entirely relying on defense.

However, in this game, in addition to Xu Yong's steady contribution of 43 points, there was another person who stood up. Perhaps it was expected that he would stand up.

Kyle Anderson.

Anderson was only a 3D striker last season, but this season he has slowly developed, or recovered, his original organizational skills.

This can be seen from his season average of 2.7 assists per game.

Don't think this data is small. You have to know that next to Butler and Xu Yong, the number of times he holds the ball is very limited.

Thibodeau had no choice in this game. He was given the right to organize, and he lived up to expectations and delivered an outstanding performance of 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Of course, his performance is also related to the absence of Antetokounmpo. The latter was one size larger than him when he was there, and it was difficult to bring out his characteristics.

However, Antetokounmpo was reimbursed for the season due to an ankle injury. The Raptors could only let Patrick Patterson start, and his performance was left largely empty.

The Bulls' fourth position is weak, but it's actually not as weak as imagined.

After [accidentally] winning G4, the Bulls already led 3-1.

Will the surprise last?

It's hard.

After returning to Chicago, the Bulls did not create any more surprises, but they gave everyone a big [surprise].

In G5, the Bulls coaching staff made starting adjustments and replaced Anderson with Jokic at the starting fourth position.

Naturally, this cannot be Thibodeau's handiwork. He came from Malone's suggestion.

Of course, what Thibodeau will adopt is also because Xu Yong also supports this suggestion.

Malone's reason is simple. Since Antetokounmpo's absence gives the Bulls an advantage at the fourth position, why not amplify this advantage?

Compared to Anderson, Jokic is stronger in both organizational and scoring abilities.

The biggest problem with the Twin Towers is the defensive end, but the Bulls tried it for a while in the second half of the regular season. As long as they don't face a team that is very good at defensive counterattack tactics, it can still be used.

Then it was the same reason again, Antetokounmpo couldn't play, and the Raptors' defensive counterattack threat also declined greatly.

So it seems that Antetokounmpo is making a lot of money for one-for-two, but the fact is that the Bulls will never lose money.

Jokic played the playoff classic of his Bulls career.

In the first playoff start of his playoff career, he posted a triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, fully demonstrating his [Chicago Magic] style.

Although the fly in the ointment is that he made 5 mistakes, which is a bit too many relatively speaking, and the 4 fouls also show that even without Antetokounmpo, he still has a big disadvantage in playing the fourth defensive end.

But despite the flaws, who can post a triple-double in his first playoff game? And still in the second grade?

It is no exaggeration to say that Jokic's value has increased a lot in this game.

With Jokic's performance, Xu Yong faced significantly less defensive pressure in this game. He also scored 56 points, directly ruining the Raptors' game.

4-1, despite some big twists and turns, the Bulls finally eliminated the Raptors and advanced to the finals.

(End of this chapter)