NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 705: The powerful "Old Deng" (4600 words chapter)
On Thursday, April 2010, 4, at 22 p.m., the United Center was already boiling!
The city of Chicago's concept of basketball seems to be still stuck in the 90s. Although it has been rotten for almost 10 years, as long as there are signs of rise, the old fans will proudly puff out their chests!
There are also many young fans who advocate Derrick Rose. Even if he is not an Excel player, his excellent viewing experience is enough to attract attention.

In terms of jersey sales, Rose's ranking at No. 4 is the best proof!

After the regular season ended, the NBA Store and NBAStore in New York announced sales data. Compared with last season, sales hit a record high and increased by 25% year-on-year.

Li You made the biggest contribution. The bonus of the championship and New York made the jersey sales top the list for many years in a row. Among the new generation of players, Rose is the most popular. The newbie has become a star player with his explosive style of play.

In contrast, Kevin Durant, who almost won the scoring title, entered the league earlier, but it was not until this season that his jersey sales ranked in the top 10.

Without discussing the players' strength, Rose has surpassed many "Old Dens" in popularity. Even with 40 wins, there are fans calling for MVP. This is the charm of good posture!
Chicago fans wearing white "rose" cheering T-shirts shouted in unison after the game started. Under the propaganda of local media, they should give their all when facing the "arch-enemy".

Although the record gap is too big, rational fans do not have high demands. Losing less means winning. If we can protect the next home court, then it will be a win!
At the very least, seeing Rose and Li You compete with each other is also a win. After all, the "arch-enemies" are 32 years old and will retire in a few years. The peak periods of both sides are perfectly staggered, and the young people in the future will definitely be able to beat "Old Deng".

The Chicago fans who burst out with 120% enthusiasm seemed to scare Rose. The newbie was a little nervous after the opening, and his signature crossover dribbling breakthroughs repeatedly "hit the wall".

This is not the first time this has happened. Previously, when commentators blamed Rose's poor performance on the refereeing in New York's home court, this excuse seemed to be invalid again when he returned to the United Center tonight.

With 6 minutes and 41 seconds left in the first quarter, the Bulls, who had just returned from a timeout, made another mistake on the offensive end.

Luol Deng's breakthrough layup was blocked by Chandler. Although he tried hard to get the frontcourt rebound, he was almost stolen by Marion.

The referee finally called a foul on the ball. Marion spread his hands in regret. Luol Deng, who escaped the danger, took deep breaths. Thibodeau on the sidelines began to loudly remind the players to stay focused.

Doug Collins was a little disappointed with the Bulls' performance on TNT. On offense, they were repeatedly trapped in singles, and too many 21-foot jumpers were simply giving away points to their opponents:

"Although Derrick Rose performed well in his second season, his offensive options have not improved."

"The 20-foot jumper was an inefficient and poor offensive choice. Lee put Rose in trouble and he looked like he could only pray to God to make those shots."

The long two-point shot after the pick-and-roll has become Rose's main offensive means at present. Although Gibson and Noah try their best to cover, Li You can still squeeze through.

Faced with a defense that bypassed the screen, Rose was unable to respond with a three-pointer. Instead, he ran headfirst into Li You's defense. After half a quarter, Luol Deng had no choice but to increase his singles rounds.

"Shh!"

The stadium erupted in boos again. The opponent jumped the ball too early, and Marion seized the opportunity to tip the ball away at the free throw line. The Bulls still failed to score after the timeout.

Seeing Li You suddenly speed up in front of the logo using Gasol's screen, the groom Albert in the commentary booth immediately exclaimed:
"God, Taj Gibson had to pay with a foul! I think Lee looks faster!"

"."

The referee blew the whistle again, and Gibson, who was being pulled, immediately raised his hand to signal. The rookie looked helpless, and when he saw the furious Thibodeau on the sidelines, he almost shouted "I can't do it".

This was not the first time that the rookie had problems with his defensive positioning. Gibson became nervous when he saw Rose out of position. He had thrown all the instructions from the assistant coach out of his mind and relied entirely on his physical instincts on the court.

"Defense!."

As the Knicks served the ball from the sideline, the defensive cheers started again, but the volume was a little smaller. The fans sitting in the front row turned their heads to look at Li You who was serving the ball and shouted a few times in a friendly manner.

From the start of the game till now, the Bulls have only scored 8 points. Rose, who failed to rebound, had a blank expression on his face, but he was getting more and more anxious in his heart, waving his arms vigorously.

The ball was passed to Gasol, and on the left wing, Gibson, who had just been fouled, no longer defended as hard as before, watching the big man in front of him calmly extend his left arm.

Rose quickly squeezed to the side, trying to disrupt the hand-to-hand pass, but Li You, who had rushed into the court, suddenly stopped and ran back, and Gasol easily passed the ball and immediately accelerated down.

His teammates were out of position and Gibson was still hesitating, but Li You in front of him didn't make too many adjustments. He tilted his body slightly, received the ball, drifted and made a jump shot!
"Lee with another three!"

The crisp three-pointer made Marv Albert raise his voice, 19:8, the score difference reached double digits. Doug Collins saw that the Bulls had problems with defense and could only comment euphemistically:

"We have to allow rookies to make mistakes. Young people will grow in games like this."

On the Bulls bench, Brad Miller did not volunteer to play. Since the team made the playoffs, the veteran has been somewhat silent and did not complain about being squeezed out of the starting lineup by a rookie.

At this time, Brad Miller turned his head and saw that in the offensive round, Noah found Rose cutting in from the left wing on the three-point line. He did not stand up to celebrate like his teammates.

After receiving the ball, Rose went straight to the basket. He failed to completely shake off the defense. After a jump step, he twisted his body forcefully in the air and glided to the lower right side of the basket before throwing the ball towards the backboard!

"Oh!"

The quick pull-up layup was still slapped away by Li You's left hand while he was hovering in the air, and the perfect blocking timing once again made Rose's beautiful shot fail.

Unable to control his body's center of gravity, Rose fell to the ground the moment he landed. When he got up, the Knicks had already launched a counterattack.

Although the Bulls players retreated quickly, Kirk Hinrich tried to delay them immediately;

But when approaching the three-point line, he slowed down, dribbled the ball behind his back, changed direction between his legs, and Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, accelerated again, and the sliding Kirk Hinrich was forced through.

Hinrich, who was chasing to the basket, had no time to jump. Li You, who was defending, had already held the ball with one hand, leaned forward to pick up the ball, and easily put the ball into the basket.

21:8, there was jubilation on the Knicks bench, and the rookie team looked vulnerable.

Seeing that the game was on the verge of collapse, Rose stopped leading the offense. After passing the ball continuously, Gibson found Hinrich in the right elbow area. After receiving the ball, he took one step with the help of a screen and made a direct jump shot. The Bulls broke the scoring drought.

Cheers had just resounded throughout the arena. In the defensive round, Noah tried to cooperate with his teammates to complete the double-team in advance at the top of the arc. Li You, who had just moved his feet and was dribbling with his right hand, suddenly exploded the ball and then his center of gravity suddenly lowered.

Li You led the ball forward and before Rose could bend down, he had already accelerated through the two of them. The moment he caught up with the basketball, he dribbled one step and took off directly in the paint area.

Gibson, who was helping to defend the basket, jumped up with all his might. Li You, whose head was level with the basket, had already accumulated strength at this time. He pulled his right arm back in the air, broke through the defense, and swung his arm to dunk!
"OH——!"

Seeing Gibson being pushed out of the baseline, Marv Albert exclaimed excitedly again, and then laughed loudly:

"Lee once again taught the youngsters a lesson! Incredible starting speed, Derrick Rose seems to have forgotten how to defend."

Noah, who was trying to steal the ball, almost threw his teammate to the floor. Although he was beaten badly by the 76ers for two seasons, this was the first time he experienced such an opponent:
"Shit! How did he do that?!"

At the moment of breaking through with the ball, Li You's center of gravity was extremely low, and the basketball just happened to pass through the gaps between people. Watching the video was completely different from experiencing it in person. Noah thought he could react, but he couldn't do it at all during the game.

"."

Rose didn't say anything. His teammates had tried their best to help him on the defensive end, but they still couldn't stop Li You from scoring. This made him more anxious. No one wanted to lose 50 points at home.

Noah's high-quality screen finally allowed Rose to break through from the top of the arc, and he stepped into the paint and shot, finally scoring. Thibodeau on the sidelines signaled to double-team in advance, and JR Smith, who received the ball on the left wing, faked and easily broke through after facing Gibson who came out to defend.

Noah just squeezed to Gasol's side under the basket, and Chandler, who was missing behind, jumped high, caught the ball in the air, and dunked with both hands!

At 25:12, the game seemed to have entered a tug-of-war.

Rose tried to punish the retreating defense with a jump shot, but his 21-foot two-pointer from the left wing was blocked by Li You who went around the screen.

Gasol grabbed the rebound again. In the transition offense, Gibson, who had been working hard on defense, had just returned to the basket when Rose at the top of the arc was forced past by Li You who was changing direction with a push ball.

Noah and Gibson watched Li You's two-handed dunk at the end, and boos were heard in the stadium again.

By the time Gibson failed to finish after the pick-and-roll, the Chicago fans in the screaming seats had already started yelling and cursing. The game didn't look like it was bottoming out and they had been waiting for two days!
The noisy stadium did not affect the Knicks' offense. Facing double-teaming, after continuous ball transfers, Marion made another jump shot from the right corner.

Thibodeau had no choice but to request a timeout. Looking at the frustrated players, he couldn't help but shake his head subconsciously. No matter how good the plan is, it will be useless if it is not executed properly.

"The Bulls look like they're in trouble! Derrick Rose still can't get rid of Lee's defense."

In a good mood, Marv Abbott began to turn the topic to the star players. After Doug Collins looked at the technical statistics, he did not criticize the second-year rookie, but summarized in advance:
"The defending champions are getting back on form! Prince's injury affected the starting lineup, but Lee made up for it in the playoffs."

"The Bulls can only pray that their opponents make mistakes. This young team lacks a real leader and it is difficult for them to complete those response shots."

"."

Rose had excuses for his poor performance in the first two games, but tonight when he returned to his home court, he performed poorly in the first quarter. It was difficult for the commentators who witnessed this scene to give him a very good evaluation.

The resilient Bulls naturally would not give up, and Thibodeau's command also played a role. In the next few minutes, he simply used simple and rough fouls to disrupt the rhythm of the game.

Although Rose and Luol Deng attacked repeatedly, they scored few goals in running games and missed layups, so they could only work hard to retreat and defend.

With 48.6 seconds left in the first quarter, Rose was broken through again in the transition offense and was hit hard by Li Youhu, and the rookie fell to the ground on the spot.

I thought the referee would call a foul on both sides, but he ended up pointing to the free throw line. Rose, grinning in pain, covered his ribs and complained loudly to the referee. It was rare that he stopped having a paralyzed expression, but instead he was called for a technical foul.

"Damn the call! You should go wash your eyes"

Rose, who was held back by his teammates, was still shouting loudly. The entire series was crushed by his body, and the newbie who was pulled to the end completely broke the defense.

Li You looked relaxed after making three free throws, in stark contrast to his sweaty opponent. Brad Miller, who came on as a substitute for the Bulls, no longer had his previous irritability. This "iron elbow" was too familiar to the veterans.

In the offensive round, the emotional Rose completed a very fast change of direction in front of his body at the top of the arc without any cover, and accelerated with full speed holding the ball in his left hand.

The expected breakaway defense still did not happen. Rose gained half a body position and rushed into the paint area, trying to jump and break through the defense. The moment he passed the ball, Li You on his side cut it away.

"what!!"

He jumped into the air and screamed, but Rose didn't hear the whistle. Li You, who completed the steal, didn't wait for the Bulls to delay, and immediately passed the ball to Matthews who came on as a substitute.

The rookie who was as fierce as a tiger in fast breaks was 1 vs. 0 in the frontcourt. After receiving the ball, he dunked it steadily, and then pounded his chest in front of the camera.

The Bulls team failed to seize the final offensive round and could only watch the score gap widen. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 40:17 and the United Center was filled with shouting and cursing.

With Li You around, ticket prices usually go up, and Chicago is no exception. Before the game, local sports media hyped the game up, and the high-priced tickets were sold out early.

7中2，三分线外1中0，罚球2中2，6分1篮板1助攻2失误，罗斯的状态不像是触底反弹，表现完全不符合球迷的预期；
8中7，三分线外2中1，罚球5中5，20分3篮板3助攻1抢断1盖帽，填满数据栏的李佑小胜公牛队，锡伯杜的防守策略起到了作用。

During the intermission, TNT released the statistics of two core players for the fans in front of the TV, and New York fans on Twitter began to mock their opponents in advance.

As usual, the visiting team's head coach was interviewed before the start of the second quarter. D'Antoni was off the phone for a long time, and when he heard Sager's question, he subconsciously spoke his mind:

"Adjustments? We didn't make too many adjustments. In the playoffs, we insisted on giving the ball to Lee, which was the best game strategy."

Sager almost couldn't hold it in. The Bulls' double-team was still effective. In his opinion, Li You's scoring conversion offense accounted for a larger proportion, and he didn't get many opportunities for three-pointers.

When the mustache man saw the expression on his old friend's face, he smiled and started talking again:

"I'm glad to see that our defensive strategy worked. The coaching staff watched a lot of game videos on how to limit Rose. He has outstanding talent!"

"."

The 23-point difference was a perfect start for a rotation lineup that was good at playing with the wind. The Bulls, who lacked playoff experience, could only fight hard with their main players if they wanted to catch up.

Ronald Murray played for less than three minutes and was replaced by Thibodeau after missing several shots.

Rose and Hinrich, who played the entire first quarter, returned to the court. Luol Deng didn't even take a rest. Noah also stayed on the court. The Bulls began to make extreme rotations again.

Rose, who was trying to avoid the rush hour, had just stepped onto the free throw line and was pumping his fist in celebration. When he turned his head, he saw that Li You had already high-fived Chalmers. "Old Deng" had made his debut ahead of schedule:
"Shet!"

Rose, who couldn't control his emotions, cursed softly, "Returning early when leading by 20 points, this is bullying the rookie!"

The scene of core players confronting each other appeared again. Putting aside the outcome and only looking at the content of the game, some Bulls fans felt that the first half was still very exciting, and cheers gradually appeared in the stadium.

Completely different from the previous two games, Li You, who has completely entered the playoff state, has repeatedly demonstrated his explosive physical fitness. His simple and rough front-body changes of direction and tank breakthroughs made it difficult for Rose to resist.

With 4 minutes left in the first half, Rose received his third foul. Luol Deng's assist was not in place, so he had no choice but to take action.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The voices of "traitor" began to gain the upper hand, and Li You, standing on the free throw line, couldn't help but smile when he heard the cheers gradually resounding throughout the stadium.

After making both free throws, he squeezed directly to Rose's side. The emotional rookie kept pushing him, but was pushed to the baseline by Li You instead.

The referee smiled and signaled the two to pay attention to their actions. Li You raised his hand and looked at the angry Ross. For the first time in this game, he joked:

"Welcome to the real playoffs, future MVP!"

"."

(End of this chapter)