I'm really good at shooting.

Chapter 633 History is always strikingly similar

The Bulls' trip to the Eastern Conference Finals was not as smooth as expected.

After they took a 2-0 lead with a big score, they were quickly counterattacked by the Celtics.

As Sun Hao said, this Celtics team is very mature and as resilient as previous seasons.

They returned to the home court and scored two consecutive games, tying the big score to a 2-2 tie.

The two sides entered G5 Tianwangshan.

The key Tianwangshan, the person who stands up...is still Paul!
He played god-level data in the battle of Tianwangshan, scoring a large double-double of 30 points and 16 assists, helping the Bulls win a thrilling victory.

But the price is that his knee is injured.

Although not as serious as the same period in history, it is not light.

It is generally believed that Paul will miss G6, and then wait until G7 before returning to play the tiebreaker with the Celtics.

After all, G6 is played in Boston, which is a better choice no matter in terms of injuries or strategic considerations.

But to everyone's surprise, Paul chose to play in G6!

His knees were wrapped in thick knee pads, which looked incredible.

Not to mention anything else, the thickness of the knee pads is a visible burden for Paul, who focuses on breakthroughs.

The fact is indeed the case. What fans saw in this game was not the familiar flying Paul, but the Paul who devoted more energy to the organization.

And it can be fully felt during the game that Paul's battle with injuries has greatly added to the morale of the Bulls.

That's exactly the same as adding a buff to the game, with 120% performance per person.

Among this group of people, Yi Jianlian has no intention of being the best performer.

He made 21 of 12 shots, scored 31 points and 10 rebounds, and blew up Garnett, his template on the opposite side.

Correspondingly, Paul scored an alternative large double-double with 12 points and 20 assists in the game.

Facts have proved that a good traditional point guard's addition to the players in the team is huge.

Paul, who is dedicated to organization, has historical capabilities in this area.

And it's not just the team's dual core, the performance of the role players is also remarkable.

In the end, the Bulls also defeated the Celtics 103 to 96 in the away game, and advanced to the finals with a big score of 4 to 2.

After the game, Paul limped to the bench and sat down after the game, touched his knee, and wept uncontrollably.

Because of the Wizards, Celtics, Magic and other teams, although the Bulls have strength, they have never been favored.

But this year, they also stood out among the Eastern Conference teams even though they were not favored!
Facts have proved that it is worthwhile for him to insist on playing Game 6 in spite of everyone's opposition.

Because although the tiebreaker is at the Bulls' home court, the Bulls who lost in G6 have completely different morale from the current Bulls.

Moreover, the Celtics are characterized by resilience and durability. If they really hit the tiebreaker, the Celtics will have a greater psychological advantage than the Bulls.

While he was crying, Yi Jianlian came over and patted his shoulder, and then used his body to help him block the lens of the camera.

This is to protect him from unnecessary negative influence.

Although Paul is the head star of the Bulls in terms of team status, as far as Yi Jianlian is concerned, this is already his seventh season with the Bulls.

After clearing up his emotions, Paul was pulled up from the bench by Yi Jianlian, and then waved to the audience with red eyes.

At this moment, for the first time since Jordan retired from the United Center, the cry of "MVP" sounded.

Especially when the camera showed the number "3" behind Paul, this scene gave people a feeling of deja vu.

Nine years ago, another No. 3 also did such a thing.

At this moment, the two figures overlap.

And what's interesting is that these two No. 3s both led the team to do this in the fifth year of their careers.

The history is surprisingly similar, and there is God's will in the dark.

At the press conference after the game, Paul and Yi Jianlian attended together.

"Chris, is your idol an AI?"

At the beginning of the press conference, some reporters raised such questions.

Because they are too similar, it is difficult not to associate them.

"Yes, I grew up watching AI play. I chose this number (No. 3), and my desire for victory was all influenced by AI."

Paul's answer blew up the reporter group.

The feeling that the guess has been confirmed makes people uncontrollably excited.

And this is too storytelling, it is really following in the footsteps of idols, and then doing what idols have done.

Even after hearing Paul's answer, some reporters unconsciously had the thought "It would be great if the Bulls could win the championship this year".

Because if that's the case, it's like the perfect ending in an American hero movie, which makes people feel too comfortable.

After winning the championship and then making a documentary, what Paul did this season can be compared to Kobe last season and James last season.

James' season, Kobe's season, Paul's season, every year has a perfect script, and there is continuity.

It's just...perfect.

And compared to the Western Conference finals because of injuries to determine the outcome, the Bulls' advancement this year is more story-telling.

After the two sides are determined, even if there is Sun Hao, the support of the Bulls in the United States is higher than that of the Warriors.

The most direct evidence is that in a survey conducted by ESPN called "Who do you want to win the NBA championship this year", the Bulls' support rate reached 52%, surpassing the Warriors' 44%.

"We're being treated like villains."

Looking at the overwhelming media reports, Durant turned to social media and said to Sun Hao after the preparation training for the day.

"If I were a fan, I would also like the Bulls to win the championship."

Sun Hao said with a smile.

His expression looked relaxed.

Durant looked puzzled. This kind of being regarded as a villain is actually the pressure of public opinion from the outside world.

This kind of pressure is not a good thing for players.

As a VIP user of social media, he was a little bit overwhelmed by the overwhelming reports.

"Enjoy the feeling, one day you will love it."

Seeing Durant's reaction, Sun Hao got up and touched Durant's head, then went back to the locker room.

He had already experienced this feeling when he was with the Lakers, especially in the last year of the dynasty. The whole world wanted to defeat them and become the terminator of the dynasty.

He also had the same psychological pressure as Durant at the beginning, but after experiencing more, he was enjoying it as he said.

Because from some aspects, being regarded as a villain, isn't it a kind of recognition of strength?

The finals will not start until three days later, and the two teams still have enough time to prepare.

At this time, the league announced the last batch of awards for the regular season: the best defensive team and the best team.

Best Defensive Team: Paul, Kobe, Gerald Wallace, James, Howard;

Best Defensive Second Team: Rondo, Wade, Josh Smith, Tyson Chandler, Greg Oden.

Oden, selected to the best defensive second team!
He was second only to Howard in the selection of the best defensive player before, which is a bit regrettable.

But being selected to the second team is the best affirmation for him.

And this thing is judged, a key factor is the visual sense.

The overall defense of the Warriors is average, and Oden's outstanding defense feels very strong.

So this result is not so surprising.

Best team: Sun Hao, Kobe, Durant, James, Yao Ming;
Best Second Team: Paul, Wade, Nowitzki, Stoudemire, Howard;

Best three teams: Nash, Arenas, Anthony, Duncan, Pau Gasol;

Two years later, Sun Hao and Kobe were once again selected for the first team at the same time.

And it is worth mentioning that Durant was selected to the best team for the first time in his career.

Facts have proved that Sun Hao's joining not only did not make Durant's data shrink a lot, but made him enter the ranks of super giants earlier.

Let him enter the third team in the first year, and jump directly from the third team to the first team in the second year!
Three cores, two selected for the first team, and one selected for the defensive team, this should have been a good thing for the Warriors.

But because the previous things came first, this actually confirmed their identity as the "big villain".

The day before the start, the Warriors arrived in Chicago by plane.

This is the first time Sun Hao has played in the league for so many years and came to Chicago on the stage of the playoffs.

For him, there are many emotions.

Ten years ago, he ushered in the first trial training of his career from this field.

Ten years later, Reid suffered a serious injury to those who tried out with him, and House was on the bench for the Celtics.

In this world, you can see love and hate, feel sadness and joy, but the most intangible thing is this time.

After sighing, Sun Hao asked Yi Jianlian out.

Compared with the city of Chicago, Yi Jianlian is more intimate.

He has known Yi Jianlian since time travel, and they are closer than anyone else.

Sitting down in the Chinese restaurant, the two chatted like old friends who haven't seen each other for a long time.

"Remember when we said we were going to play ball together?"

Yi Jianlian said with a smile.

Among all the people, Yi Jianlian should be the one whose personality changed the most because of Sun Hao.

He is much more cheerful now than he was at the same time in his history, and that has helped him play a better career in the NBA, especially this year, reaching the peak of his career.

Scoring 6+30 in the G10 playoffs of the Eastern Conference finals is something that can be boasted for a lifetime.

This can be regarded as a change of direction to verify a point that was discussed a lot in his previous life: Yi Jianlian can't play in the NBA, apart from injuries, he also has personality.

And what Yi Jianlian said is really killing memories.

At the beginning, they agreed to play for the Guangdong team, but until now, except for the national team, they have not been able to play in the same team.

But now, they met on the NBA's biggest stage like the Finals.

Life is really weird sometimes.

"Brother Hao, I want to win this time."

At the end of the chat, Yi Jianlian also said in a firm tone.

Sun Hao froze for a moment when he heard this.

He looked at Yi Jianlian's face again, and suddenly realized that the kid who kept calling him "Brother Hao" had grown up to be a man now.

This is actually normal. In seven years, one person can completely become another person.

"Then you have to work hard. If you win, I will ask your sister-in-law to introduce you a girlfriend, from Hollywood."

Sun Hao said with a smile.

"Actually... I already have a girlfriend."

Yi Jianlian said a little embarrassedly.

"is it?"

Sun Hao was stunned for a moment.

It was at this time that he suddenly realized one thing, how many playmates he had when he was young, became strangers when he grew up.

Because after having their own lives, the connection between each other becomes less.

Although he and Yi Jianlian hadn't reached that point, they did not communicate as frequently as before.

"And, if I win the championship this year, I'm going to propose to her!"

Yi Jianlian went on to say that he looked very much like a child reporting to his elders at this moment.

When Sun Hao heard this, he was suddenly at a loss.

Yi Jianlian said that after winning the championship, he planned to propose to his girlfriend.

If he kills the Bulls, will he ruin Yi Jianlian's marriage proposal?

This... is a bit confusing.

"Then you really have to work hard, your Brother Hao won't show mercy."

Sun Hao still spoke.

The off-court relationship is off-court, and the game is a game. Knowing this is the most basic quality of a professional player.

"Of course, the love you win is the most meaningful. If you can't do it, I will keep working hard!"

Yi Jianlian's words made Sun Hao a little moved.

This kind of Yi Jianlian makes people like him indescribably.

And with this sentence, he felt that Yi Jianlian's performance in the finals would definitely not be too bad.

On the day of the game, both teams are making final preparations.

For the Warriors, Nelson's biggest challenge is how to defend Paul.

Although Paul had been injured before, his injury was not too serious. After so many days of recuperation, he should be fine.

Azubuike's season reimbursement exposed the lack of defensive ability in the backcourt when the Warriors played the Grizzlies in the first round.

And because of that, the Warriors allowed Rose to score 36 points over their heads.

But now, they're up against a much more mature guard in Rose.

In terms of grand strategy, it must be to use offense to suppress the Bulls.

But in terms of details, he still needs to find someone to guard against Paul.

Curry is the bottom of the team's defense and is automatically excluded.

McGrady's current footsteps to defend Paul are similar to those on the main road in the early morning.

Sun Hao is the most suitable candidate, but the old Nelson can't do things like let the team's core scorer defend the opponent's offensive core.

So that leaves only Watson, Finley and Danny Green.

The three have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it is difficult to prevent them in terms of ability alone.

So old Nelson's final strategy is: Wheels!

It's not like he didn't do this kind of thing when he was in Dallas. In order to deal with O'Neal, he had five centers in one go.

Now facing Paul, the three-person wheel, plus Sun Hao's occasional rounds, these four are enough for Paul to enjoy a good meal.

And in the game day training session, the team also had good news.

Rookie Danny Green is in excellent form. This guard who hasn't had many opportunities in the Warriors may be able to become a surprise player on the defensive end of the team like Tyronn Lue of the Lakers.

(End of this chapter)