Training camp time flies by.
After a few days of observation and basically knowing the status of the players, Thibodeau began to group them according to their status.
Those he deems qualified will begin tactical training under Malone's leadership, while those he deems unqualified will undergo high-intensity basic training on their own to quickly recover.
His principles are very simple and can basically be summarized into two.
Article 1: Competitive sports is not a treat. Whether it is a game on the field or a training session off the field, the players are required to give 100% of their input.
"If you just don't want to be pushed to the limit, you will be eliminated from this league very quickly", these are Thibodeau's original words;
Article 2: Everyone on the team has his or her own position and value, and no one is dispensable.
"If you don't know what you can do, come to me and I'll tell you."
If the previous one was harsh, then this one showed Xu Yong the tenderness he had seen a few nights ago.
Xu Yong discovered that in just a few days, he had broken the rigid image of Thibodeau that he had in his mind before his rebirth as Jeff Van Gundy. Thibodeau is a very capable and charismatic coach.
But it's right to think about it. A rookie head coach can take the Bulls, who only added Boozer, to dominate the Eastern Conference for two seasons. It's impossible to do it without real materials.
All in all, the Bulls team, which has undergone a major overhaul in the offseason, has performed well after Thibodeau's back and forth. At least the team's cohesion has been improved.
Even O'Neal, who was initially classified as unqualified, worked hard on his bicycle to recover under Thibodeau's individual guidance.
The head coach the Bulls are looking for is definitely worth it.
The training camp time flies by quickly, and the preseason begins in a blink of an eye.
This year the Bulls' preseason games are all scheduled in the United States.
Nothing unexpected happened in this process. With 7 wins and 0 losses, the Bulls showed the depth of their lineup.
Yes, it's not the strength of the team, but the depth of the lineup, because Thibodeau gave the substitutes many opportunities to show off.
This is not to say that he has become completely unknown to Xu Yong, but that the Bulls' substitutes can play too much, and Thibodeau can only do this if he wants to explore the rotation.
It is worthwhile to give so much time. Hinrich and Korver on the outside and O'Neal on the inside have become his favorite 8-man rotation, followed by O'Neal and others.
At the end of the preseason, ESPN, like previous years, began to make a wave of predictions about the strength of each team in the new season.
James' team ranks first on this list again.
Although this year may be the year that seems most deserving of it.
1. Heat
There has never been a super team. The Heat's Big Three had the highest MVP rankings last season with 1/5/12 respectively. A team led by O'Neal's grandma can win.
In addition to the Big Three, they also signed Mike Miller with a mid-level contract, retained Haslem at a price below the market price, and "Big Z" Ilgauskas followed James with a minimum salary. The Heat, just to fulfill a championship dream.
They also signed a group of low-income players who came here because of their reputation and are still capable of fighting.
The only question is, can they break Michael Jordan's 72-win record with the Bulls in the new season?
2. Lakers
The Lakers are still the same Lakers. Their reinforcements in the free market are very limited. They only brought Matt Barnes with a basic salary, but their bigger changes will come from within. Bynum's growth will Provide the greatest support to the team.
Kobe has the opportunity to become the first player to complete three consecutive championships once or twice after Jordan this season.
Of course, it will be very difficult, because the Heat are likely to make Kobe and the Lakers fall short.
But at least, fans finally have a chance to see 23VS24 on the stage of the finals.
3. Magic Team
4. Celtics
5. Mavericks
6. Spurs
7. Thunder
8. Bulls
The Bulls' performance last season was impressive, but instead of strengthening the lineup, the management made another big trade, sending away two starting players for the second consecutive season and also changing the team. Head coach.
Although they have gained a lot from signings in the free market, such a huge team change has made the team's chemical reaction worrying, and Yao Ming's injury is also their biggest hidden danger.
If they can overcome these two problems, they may become a difficult opponent for the Heat in the East.
…
"Eighth? This ESPN guy must have been kicked in the head by a donkey!" Artest looked unhappy when he saw the strength list. They should be among the top five teams at least, but now they are ranked Behind the Thunder.
"Not bad, we were all 20th last year." Ross said with a smile.
"These guys really don't take us seriously." Artest was still angry.
"Very good." Xu Yong stood up at this time, and his actions also attracted the attention of other people in the locker room.
"We can do black eight again." He then said calmly.
When he said this, the team members were stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help laughing.
Even Artest laughed belatedly.
Xu Yong’s words are very meaningful.
But it does make people happy all of a sudden.
They are ranked eighth. If they can defeat the Heat in the playoffs, it will indeed be another "black eight".
You don't even have to wait until the playoffs.
"Our opening game is against the Heat, right?" Rose said at this time.
"Well, the league takes good care of us." Yao Ming, who had been silent, said expectantly.
"Then get ready, brothers, let them see the strength of our Black Eight team." Xu Yong then looked around the crowd and said.
This pun immediately made the Bulls players gear up.
In the opening game or something, we must have a loud shot!
By the way, there are two opening games this year. In addition to the Heat and Bulls, there is also one in which the Lakers play the Thunder.
However, the treatment of these teams participating in the opening game is also different.
The Heat and Bulls have the first and second most games in the league back-to-back this season, respectively, and the teams they played at the beginning of the season are not weak.
Obviously, this is special care given to them by Stern, who was almost knocked out last season.
…
The season is about to begin, and each team has completed its final cuts.
The result for the Bulls was the same as Xu Yong had expected, and it was the veteran who was left behind in the end.
Because the Bulls' current lineup is relatively stable, they can make trades during the season even if there are any surprises, so stability is the first principle.
As a veteran, as a player deep in the bench, he is less likely to get emotional and can provide game experience for the team's young players.
At this time, Xu Yong received a call from Sun Yue.
He didn't get a chance with the Suns before, but finally managed to stay on the Warriors' 15-man roster.
"Congratulations, remember to treat me to dinner next time you come to Jinzhou." Xu Yong joked.
He is really happy. No matter what the reason is for the Warriors to keep Sun Yue, at least Sun Yue can get good training.
For a men's basketball team that lacks guards, that's all that matters.
The footsteps of the season are approaching, and the media has begun to build momentum for the opening game.
The opening game between the Heat and the Bulls quickly attracted a lot of attention.
The debut of the Big Three, coupled with the grudges between the Bulls and James, and the two old Rockets players James and Yao Ming Artest, the elements of this game are directly full.
The game will be held at the United Center, home of the Bulls.
On this day, a large number of fans gathered early inside and outside the arena.
Although the World Championships gave Chicago fans an early taste of the power of the Yao-Xu combination, what they are really looking forward to is the Bulls in the new season.
You must know that this is the first time since Jordan retired that the Bulls have become a true championship team.
The enthusiasm of the gangster brothers is like a fire in winter, warming Chicago.
Of course, in addition to the fans, there were also many celebrities who came to join in the fun. For example, the pop singer Taylor Swift appeared in the front row of the audience, and she was famous for her role as "Black Widow" in "Iron Man 2". Scarlett Johansson.
You must know that this opening game is still the first show of the Heat's Big Three.
This past offseason, the outside world was eager to see the debut of this super team.
But when the players from the two teams began to walk out of the tunnel, the fans' eyes were all attracted to the players.
At the beginning, the camera kept showing players from both sides, and it also kept igniting the emotions of the fans at the scene.
James, Wade, Xu Yong, and Yao Ming were all All-Star starters last season, and Bosh and Rose were also substitutes.
In this ordinary regular season, six All-Stars were gathered at once, and the stars alone in this game were dazzling enough.
The photographer also thoughtfully provided split shots of Xu Yong and James.
Xu Yong wore No. 23 in college, while James wore No. 23 before going to the Heat. Now both of them wear No. 6. This sense of destiny is simply the favorite of fans.
When the scene started to warm up, the commentator on the sidelines couldn't help but start to warm up.
The guest commentators tonight are also heavyweights, TNT’s Barkley and Kenny Smith’s ace commentators.
"Charles, who do you think will win tonight?" Smith asked.
"Who can win? Man, the way you asked the question is wrong. You should ask how many points the Heat can win!" Barkley raised the decibels with a look of dissatisfaction.
"I can't imagine the Heat losing, so the Bulls wish themselves luck!" Barkley then added.
Kenny Smith was happy to hear this.
In fact, it is different from what many people think. Except for ESPN, other media are ridiculing the Heat's team-up. It's just that Barkley himself has hugged people, so he can only say so.
While talking, the warm-up on the field ended and the scene entered the opening ceremony.
The Heat took the lead as the away team.
When they came on stage, the fans at the scene also gave them the most enthusiastic... cheers.
Chicago fans don't care that the Big Three were once close to the Bulls. They just expressed the most primitive and true disdain in their hearts.
Among the Big Three, Wade has a wry smile on his face when he appears. From the United States to China and back to the United States, he has received more ridicule in recent months than in the first seven years of his career.
James nodded along with the boos, as if he enjoyed the feeling of becoming a public enemy.
As for Bosh, his face was expressionless when he came on the stage, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Carlos Arroyo, Wade, James, Bosh, Ilgauskas.
The Heat's lineup of three and two is not bad at all.
When the home team Bulls came on the stage, the familiar background music of "Sirius" aroused overwhelming cheers from Chicago fans.
The red flame will sweep across the alliance again!
The Bulls' starting lineup is also very interesting, because fans can confirm the starting lineup, namely Rose, Xu Yong and Yao Ming, and the remaining variables are very variable.
The final starters came out: Rose, Tony Allen, Xu Yong, Artest, Yao Ming.
Thibodeau ended up choosing the lineup he used most in the preseason.
When seeing this lineup, James couldn't help but laugh out loud on the Heat bench.
This lineup doesn't even have a serious power forward. Do you think Bosh can't beat Artest, or do you think Yao Ming can guard against Bosh?
The Bulls' biggest failure is choosing a rookie like Thibodeau as their head coach.
The final tactical arrangements were completed, and the starters from both sides began to appear one after another.
James still chose to appear last, then found the right position of the camera and threw out his domineering powder.
He must throw away this powder because it can represent that this is his team.
The jump ball between Yao Ming and Ilgauskas in the center circle, the two 2.20+ meter giants competing for each other, basically depends on who has the faster hands.
In the end, Yao Ming, who had just finished the World Championships, was faster and won the opportunity for the Bulls to take the lead in attacking.
The Heat's head coach is Spoelstra. At this time, Spoelstra's resume is very similar to that of Mike Malone on the Bulls. The main difference is that he has been the head coach of the Heat for two years, but essentially he is still a coach. Rookie coach.
He was sitting on the bench, looking straight at the court.
In the opening game of the new season, he was still observing more.
Because he is coaching the Big Three, he must ensure that what he says is well-founded, otherwise the giants will antagonize him and he will not be able to serve as a head coach for long.
Rose organized with the ball, and then quickly made tactical gestures.
Yao Ming quickly mentioned the high post to provide Xu Yong with an off-ball pick-and-roll, and after completing the pick-and-roll, he quickly cut to the basket.
However, the Heat's defense was well trained by Spoelstra. James successfully squeezed through the screen, and Big Z also reached out to interfere with the passing route to Yao Ming. This wave of tactics did not get a good offensive opportunity.
Upon seeing this, Rose made another tactical gesture. At this time, Yao Ming directly pulled to the free throw line and built a screen wall for Rose.
This time Rose successfully used Yao Ming's pick-and-roll to shoot a mid-range jumper near the free throw line.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball goes hollow into the net.
Rose's summer training was fruitful.
The Bulls came out on top.
And from the Bulls' two consecutive offensive attempts at the beginning, we can see the Bulls' positional battle tactics, pick-and-roll.
This is also the reason why Thibodeau was so busy cutting pick-and-roll materials before, because practicing new tactics does not happen overnight, but requires a lot of time.
But hard work pays off. Judging from the opening performance, this tactic is very suitable for the Bulls' current lineup.
Of course, Heat fans and players don't care much about it. It's a 2-pointer, and it was shot by Rose in a way he's not good at. I'll give it to you.
You must know that the Big Three are strong in offense!
Arroyo advanced to the frontcourt with the ball, and obediently gave the ball to James who asked for the ball at the top of the key.
As Xu Yong knew, James' weight increased to 120 kilograms this summer.
The feeling of strength with muscles all over his body and even muscles in his mind made his self-confidence expand infinitely. He can't wait to prove that he is different from last season.
My sense of taste and smell are basically gone...
(End of chapter)
