Healthy basketball, starting from eating the old Lakers F4

"There's something wrong with this whistle lately, right?"

“Haha, Stephen himself is confused too!”

"It seems like some people don't want us to lose!"

"Stephen, it's a little late to be treated as the face of the league!"

It is the end of January, this year's All-Star lineup has been announced, and the regular season schedule is already halfway through.

The Bulls' original goal was to rebuild and compete for the No. 1 pick, and they basically surrendered in advance in away games.

I never expected that in the recent six-game road trip in the Western Conference, the penalty standards changed drastically, as if I had encountered a ghost.

Instead of the previous situation of "home games are like away games, and away games are like graveyards", there are about 30 free throws in each away game.

You know, last season the Bulls averaged only 17.8 free throws per game, ranking last in the league.

The Houston Rockets, who are at the top of the league's free throw list with their two whistles, only averaged 26.4 free throws per game last season.

Obviously, the penalties the Bulls have encountered in recent games are very abnormal!
Curry suddenly turned into Harden, and the three-point rain turned into one-point rain. Who would believe this?
This is Curry! Suddenly, there are free throws for standing long jump and Miller kick! Who can defend Curry?

Curry has been practicing through games last month and has slowly regained his shooting touch!

His physical condition has almost recovered. Compared with last year's finals, he has at least 80% to 90% of his strength.

At this time, Curry suddenly has a whistle, even a top-tier whistle in the league!

If something like this happens, all the defenders in the league will curse!
Right now, which offensive guard wouldn't be jealous of Curry's treatment?
As for the defensive stalwarts on the back line, when they meet Curry, the fastest shooter in the league, they need to rely on prediction to disrupt Curry's shot.

Now predict the jump in advance, scratch Curry a little, and send Curry to the free throw line for three free throws.

Curry happens to be one of the players with the highest free throw percentage in the league!

When this situation occurs, who as the victims can bear it?
It has to be said that the league officials suddenly changed their strategy against the Bulls, lifted the ban on targeting the Bulls, and even showed increasing favor to Curry. This has indeed made many people unbalanced and complain.

Curry's offensive ability is ridiculously strong. If he is given special treatment and restricted, other guards can at least fight with Curry for a few rounds.

Now that Curry is not allowed to be touched, there is no need for him to go to great lengths to break into the basket when his shooting touch is not good. He can just save time and effort by doing a Buddha bow to shake off his opponent, and then make a standing long jump.

Harden can get three free throws in one round, so Curry can do it too!
And because Curry is so accurate in free throws, fouling Curry outside the three-point line means directly giving the Bulls a three-pointer!
This also forced many defensive players to adjust their strategies in defending Curry. Instead of taking the initiative to physically confront Curry, they had to keep a step away to avoid being hit by a standing long jump.

It just so happens that Curry's shooting speed is so fast and his three-point ability is so strong. Without being disturbed too much by his opponents, Curry's three-point efficiency has also set a new high in the last two games.

In the last game, he shot 11 out of 8, and in this game, he has already shot 9 out of 7 before the game is over. He can easily score 20 points with three-pointers alone, not to mention an average of about 10 serves per game...

Just from three-pointers and free throws, Curry's scores in the last two games have suddenly skyrocketed to more than 30 points.

Speaking of tonight, Curry had a good touch and played well in the first half.

So not much time or ball possession was wasted, and over 30 points were scored in just three quarters.

If he continues like this, it would be normal to score 40+ tonight, and 50 points would not be a difficult task.

And if he continues to maintain this state, as long as the penalty standards do not change, it will not be difficult for Curry to win the Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor, break the three-point single-game record, or refresh his personal single-game scoring data.

"It's so brutal! To be honest, it's a bit too much!"

"Nikola's star treatment has also improved. He is almost like O'Neal!"

"The league clearly doesn't want us to get the No. 1 pick and doesn't want us to continue to play so poorly!"

“Who knows what league executives are thinking?

They are just a bunch of fat-headed guys!

It’s all because of us playing that they can make so much money!

In the end, they still scheme against us!"

"That's not the case either, the ones who give us money are the team owners and the endorsements.

If the league lacks operations, no matter how well we play, we won't get so much money.

All I can say is that they still have some use, although not much, but we are still better than those antiques from before the 1990s!"

The current treatment of the Bulls comes at a price, and the Bulls players know what's going on.

League officials do not want the Bulls to have a big win in this year's draft. Instead, they hope that the Bulls can regroup according to their ideas from now on and attract a large number of fans to pay attention to NBA games again.

The Bulls can choose not to cooperate, but if they don't follow the official opinions of the league, they will definitely not end up well.

For example, the last-ranked team in the league can only draw a draft pick at the end of the lottery.

On the other hand, if the Bulls are obedient, although they will lose the lottery pick, they may still be able to get a pick in the middle of the first round, close to the lottery area.

Meanwhile, the star whistle treatment may continue until the end of the regular season.

In this way, the data this season will undoubtedly increase significantly, and the feeling of playing during this period will be extremely comfortable.

It's fun to cheat for a while, and it's always fun to cheat all the time.

NBA stars, who doesn’t want to have a father who gives you the green light and protects you all the way?
It's just that the conditions are not there.

Now there is a chance to enjoy the treatment of a biological son without calling him a godfather, who can refuse?

Although Duane doesn't pay as much attention to data and honors as Curry and Jokic who are still accumulating data and honors, Duane can't refuse the goodwill from the league's top management.

So, after winning two away games in a row, Durant also pulled Curry and Jokic together to have a direct conversation with the Bulls management, communicating with each other and unifying their ideas and opinions.

Let’s have some fun first! From now on, the goal of this season has changed to making the playoffs.

However, the plan to train new talents cannot be neglected.

It’s just that before we had to take more care of the first-year rookies, but now the weight of the first- and second-year rookies will be reduced, and more attention will be paid to the third-year rookies.

As for the fourth-year rookie who is destined to give up and has nothing to do with the championship in the next few seasons, there is no need to worry about it.

In short, before the All-Star Weekend, the Bulls suddenly had a new goal, and there were some new changes in their playing style, lineup, and rotation.

But it will take some time to adapt to this change.

After all, everyone agreed at the beginning of the season that the team's goal this season is to strive for better draft picks. This season they can play some health-preserving basketball and combine work and rest.

Now suddenly the team's goal has changed and the team is going to hit the playoffs again. This will indeed make it difficult for some players to keep up with their minds and bodies. This is like a cow or a horse who was on vacation just now and was suddenly called back to the company by the boss to work overtime.

Even if you do it for the sake of making money, you can accept this situation, but psychologically and emotionally, you will more or less have some holiday syndrome, and it will be difficult to improve your efficiency all at once during work.

Duan is good at playing health-preserving basketball, so it is not difficult for him to deal with this kind of problem.

However, it is somewhat difficult to help other teammates and change their thoughts and attitudes.

Fortunately, Curry has been preparing secretly. This summer, Curry was originally planning to join the national team to prepare for the Men's Basketball World Cup.

Curry has basically completed all his NBA honors now, but he still lacks a few gold medals in international competitions.

Originally, the Bulls didn't have too many requirements for performance this season, so Curry just played slowly, practiced slowly, and used games as training to maintain his form.

Now that he knows that the team and his teammates need him, Curry also feels obliged to do so.

As the leader of the team, he was the only one who took the lead in doing this kind of thing.

Therefore, in the next four away games in the Western Conference, Curry often took the lead from the first quarter.

Of course, some teammates also felt that Curry was having fun and playing comfortably.

Warming up is different from warming up. With a sandbag, you will feel more comfortable and enjoyable.

And when Curry warms up in the first half, he can basically go all out in the second half and win the game in one go.

If the Bulls have a hint of the Warriors' three-man madness, Curry could potentially score 20 points in a single quarter if he lets loose.

The Bulls' other scoring points helped Curry fill in the gaps, make a few more open three-pointers, and grab a few more rebounds. They were able to easily widen the score in the third quarter and lay the foundation for victory in the game.

It is also because Curry's performance in the game is getting better and better, especially his three-pointers and free throws are beyond the reach of his opponents.

The six-game road trip schedule in the Western Conference is not terrible for the Bulls. Instead, it is very friendly and meaningful.

After all, it is a relatively difficult schedule. In the past, after going through this stage, it happened to be the All-Star Weekend, and we could relax and regard it as a period of hardship before sweetness.

Now, because of the treatment of the whistle, Duane and others play very comfortably, and the continuous winning streak also makes the Bulls players play very happily. This is undoubtedly winning, plus conquering the away game, double the happiness!

It is worth mentioning that most away fans did not vent their dissatisfaction with the Bulls because of the whistles on their star players. After all, everyone is aware of the treatment the Bulls suffered in the previous seasons.

The Bulls are not a pseudo-strong team that is always favored. Instead, they are champions that have suffered a lot and remain strong despite all the hardships!
That is why most fans can accept losing to the defending champion Bulls, who have regained their momentum and the league is willing to do so.

Of course, there were a small number of fans who expressed some negative emotions and remarks, but there were also fans who were crazy and excited about Curry's performance and the Bulls' resurgence.

Perhaps it is the recent championships that have made Curry so popular, or it may be the league's secret encouragement to create an atmosphere of strong dialogue between the East and the West.

In short, the atmosphere in the stadium for the Bulls' consecutive away games in the Western Conference was extremely warm.

Time flies, and the All-Star Weekend is finally here.

So far, the Bulls have quickly climbed from 8th to 9th in the Eastern Conference with an -game winning streak.

However, they are still 5 wins away from a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The situation this year is different from previous years. March Madness hasn't even started yet, but it's already recognized as a big year for the draft. The teams that are in a bad state will naturally do so thoroughly, and the teams that are expected to make the playoffs will naturally not miss the opportunity to sell more tickets for the playoffs.

Because of this, the Bulls are still a long way from being a playoff team in the Eastern Conference in terms of wins.

Fortunately, the problem is not too big. There are still more than 30 games after the All-Star Weekend, so there is still a chance to catch up.

Back to this year's All-Star Weekend, the selection system for the All-Star Game has been adjusted.

Because the overall strength of the Eastern and Western All-Stars has been somewhat tilted in recent years, the pattern of the West being strong and the East being weak has reappeared.

In order to increase the ratings of the All-Star Game, the league has also made a new rule that the captains of the Eastern and Western All-Star voting champions will each select their own players to form their teams.

Although Duane averaged less than 16 points per game this season, he still gained the support of a large number of fans because of the honors he had accumulated in the past. He easily won the Eastern Conference All-Star vote and became the captain of the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

It is worth mentioning that Curry and Jokic, like Duane, were voted by fans as starters for the Eastern Conference All-Star Game.

At the same time, Curry and Jokic were also selected as teammates by Dunn during the captain selection process.

In addition, Duane selected his former teammates such as Leonard, Harden, George, Butler, Horford and others into the team, making the Duane team a true Duane team!

However, after the All-Star Game started, the Durant team did not perform as united and fight bravely as the fans expected.

Although on the surface, everyone seems to be in harmony.

But if you watch the game carefully, you will find that the game was played normally, but too normally, lacking the tacit understanding and cooperation that former teammates should have.

Fortunately, James' team became more divided and there was little coordination.

After all, it is somewhat incredible that James became the Western Conference All-Star vote leader.

Over the years, I have changed a lot of teams and teammates, but I have not achieved any results. However, I have never lost a vote.

Naturally, this is something that some ambitious Western Conference stars are dissatisfied with.

James did not beat his opponent, but he did not live up to his reputation, which of course is difficult to convince the public.

On the contrary, Duane was once the most skilled player among all the other players and is now highly respected. The players he chose this time are all his former teammates, so there is really no problem in his selection.

In addition, before the All-Star Game started, Duane made it clear that he would help other All-Star teammates and provide support.

Duan has lowered his posture, and his former teammates and Duan no longer have any grudges or resentment towards him, and they have basically let it go over the years.

So, under the leadership of big brother Duan, Duan's team still defeated James' team with a score of 195 to 184, a full 11 points advantage, and won this All-Star Game.

In the end, the All-Star MVP trophy was also won by Butler, who had better statistics on the team.

After the All-Star Weekend, Durant and his two teammates returned to Chicago to prepare for the second half of the regular season.

However, even with the help of the referees, they found it difficult to make the playoffs.

Jiangshan has talented people on behalf of the people, and they have been leading the way for hundreds of years.

Previously, the Bulls no longer competed for the championship, and the new and middle-aged stars all made efforts to strive for the lead.

Now that the Bulls seem to be making a comeback, the strong teams in the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs are once again facing a formidable enemy and regard the Bulls as their number one opponent... (End of this chapter)