Bulls owner Reinsdorf and general manager John Paxson came to the United Center together tonight. Before the game started, they went into the team's locker room to encourage the players.
Reinsdorf also went out of his way to find Su Feng. He shook hands with Su Feng with a smile on his face. He enthusiastically expressed that he was a fan of Su Feng and encouraged Su Feng to take on more responsibilities for the team.
Then he encouraged Kirkhinrich some more.
He is very satisfied with this year's two rookies. Now the outside world is saying that they have completed a great draft. The two rookies selected this year are excellent value for money, especially the second-round pick Su Feng.
The Bulls' current record is still ranked first in the Eastern Conference. This is the Bulls' best record since Jordan left. After years of rebuilding, they finally see the dawn of returning to the playoffs.
Therefore, the whole club attaches great importance to it.
I hope to stabilize the record, successfully enter the playoffs, and complete a true transformation since Jordan retired.
The Bulls have made many, many lottery picks over the years, but they all only blossomed but never bore fruit.
Reinsdorf even almost gave up on this plan of cultivating rookies to complete the reconstruction. He convened several meetings with the management to study whether to take the initiative and use several rookies and draft picks to exchange for a ready-made one. With the superstar back, maybe the team can take off and at least make the playoffs.
It’s not okay to keep showing off like this.
Originally, after Jay Williams got into a car accident while riding his motorcycle, he had completely given up. Therefore, Coach Bill never became a regular player, and the general manager was replaced by TV analyst John Paxson from Jerry Harris, the dynasty builder of the year.
Who knows that unintentional planting of willows will create shade.
After Su Feng joined the team, a strange combination of circumstances caused the team to fly away.
Now ranked first in the Eastern Conference.
At this position, no matter how bad they were, they became more positive, and they wanted to make a difference this season.
Even if Tyson Chandler is injured, even if Jalen Rose is traded.
No, Crawford will be back in the next game.
"Tony, play hard tonight." When John Paxson left, he didn't forget to pat Su Feng on the shoulder to show encouragement.
Tonight's opponent is the Boston Celtics, currently ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference.
The core player of the Celtics is Paul Pierce, whose nickname is Truth. He is a classical small forward with comprehensive skills and strong body. After joining the NBA, he has improved his strength year by year. Although he is not as well-known as the top four shooting guards, he is often regarded as an outside player on the same level as the top four shooting guards.
He has no obvious shortcomings on both ends of the floor and is very athletic.
What he lacks is topicality and public attention. The only time he was out of the circle was when he was stabbed more than a dozen times in front of a nightclub. As a result, he came back within a month and appeared on the court full of life.
Tonight, Su Feng is considered to be facing a real big test, because Pierce is a swingman who represents the league's top strength.
Of course, Su Feng may also face another player, Ricky Davis.
Ricky Davis was traded to Boston by the Cavaliers the day before yesterday. He was the core leader of the Cavaliers last season. This season, he has changed his mind and become a lady.
There is no other reason, his skills have not declined, and his physical condition is also very good. It's because the Cavaliers want to do their best to cultivate James, and everyone who may hinder James' growth will be traded, even the former boss.
They have also traded Darius Myers, another talented forward.
It is worth mentioning that Ricky Davis also said a famous saying: I originally thought he was here to assist me.
Here he refers to LeBron James.
This sentence also turned him into a very tragic joke.
Tonight, when Su Feng played, he received cheers from the audience, and he got the opportunity to play in the home finale for the first time. Before, that person was usually Eddy Curry or Tyson Chandler.
But with Tyson Chandler injured, Su Feng played a reverse pull that shocked the world in Minnesota. Su Feng got this honor tonight.
This means that Su Feng has truly entered the Bulls' new core competition list.
Moreover, the cheers Su Feng received also proved that he is already the most popular star of the current Bulls team.
This made Kirk Hinrich feel uncontrollably acidic.
They are both rookies, and I am still a lottery pick, but he is only a second-rounder, so why does he take advantage of all the good things?
Xinrich originally really thought that Su Feng was here to assist him.
Unexpectedly, the situation has turned around. Not only are they on equal footing, but they also have the momentum of coming from behind.
We can't let him continue to be so proud.
Hinrich made up his mind and said to Su Feng: "Tony, tonight you can control the ball more and let everyone see your organizational talent."
Xinrich clearly knew that Su Feng had no organizational talent, but he still wanted to make Su Feng a success. He just wanted Su Feng to make a fool of himself in front of the boss and general manager.
Su Feng didn't think so much. He said to Hinrich gratefully: "Thank you, Kirk, you are such a good person."
Su Feng is very sincere.
This sincerity even made Hinrich feel a little guilty. He thought to himself: Tony, it would be great if you were not so powerful.
Hinrich hoped that Su Feng would live well, but he did not want Su Feng to live better than him.
At this time, from the corner of his eye, he watched Reinsdorf looking seriously at the court.
He felt that his plan was going to work.
At this time, Nike executives and Phil Knight also appeared at the United Center, but they were not sitting in the first row, but in the top bleacher box.
They came to inspect Su Feng.
The reward terms proposed by Su Feng caused some internal controversy.
It's not that they think the terms are too excessive, because these terms are very harsh, and it is a good thing that Su Feng is willing to lower the fee to pursue such reward terms.
However, the amount is too large.
And it will stimulate other players under the team, if they imitate it.
Phil Knight didn't say anything, he just led the team to watch the game.
He actually made a decision in his heart, and he even had more careful overall considerations.
Tonight is just for relaxing.
And...what if Tony surprises himself again. In this way, these managers can be silenced.
Phil Knight didn't want to create a 'one word' work atmosphere, but he also didn't want his plans to fail.
Beep!
The whistle blows and the game begins.
The Bulls' starting lineup is Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis, Kendall Gill, Su Fong, and Kirk Hinrich.
The Celtics' starting lineup is: Chris Mihm, Mark Blount, Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis, Mike James.
Snapped!
Antonio Davis beat white center Mihm on a jump ball.
The basketball was passed to Hinrich, who passed it directly to Su Feng without any hesitation.
"Tony, come on."
Hinrich dropped these words, turned around and ran towards the flank.
This style of play surprised Celtics head coach John Carroll. He thought to himself: Is this rookie so strong now? He actually took control of the ball directly? Is he going to follow the path of Kobe and Tracy McGrady?
He was surprised.
It was not only him who was surprised, but also the Nike team in the stands.
They are engaged in the sports industry. Although there is a division of labor in the industry, they also know what this style of play means. From the moment Su Feng made his final appearance and received the highest cheers from the audience, Su Feng was cast in the light of a star.
Now, Su Feng directly takes charge of the ball as a scorer.
"This shows that he is already the absolute core of the Bulls. Has he grown so fast? In one season, he has completed a journey that other second-round picks will never complete in a lifetime."
"Even if you are a lottery pick, you can't become a core player so quickly. Only the proud ones like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony can enjoy this privilege from the beginning."
"He even came up from the bench rotation, and it's not even been two months."
There were exclamations one after another in the stands and boxes.
At this time, Su Feng took the ball and faced Ricky Davis at the top of the arc.
Although Davis was sold off by the Cavaliers, his strength is still strong. If defined according to the evaluation system of fringe player, water cooler keeper, rotation player, ordinary starter, elite player, All-Star player, superstar, superstar, historical superstar, and basketball god.
Ricky Davis is definitely more than an elite player and can touch the edge of an All-Star.
He almost got 20+5+5 last season. Although he is suspected of being a bad team player, the fact that he was able to get this number shows that his technical level is reliable. After all, this is 2003, and the average points scored per game is only around 90 points. Unlike later when the defense was lax, the number of rounds increased, and the data exploded.
Su Feng faced Davis' defense with the ball. He made a simple test. Davis' body was slightly shaken. He thought Su Feng would do more technical moves... They had played against each other before.
However, what he didn't expect was that Su Feng changed direction directly, and the basketball cut sharply in front of him...Su Feng has made great progress in both physical fitness and technical use compared to the last time in Cleveland.
Ricky Davis immediately understood why Sprewell was blown away by Soufon.
But it's too late.
Su Feng flashed away.
He couldn't catch up with Su Feng's exhaust.
Fortunately, Paul Pierce moved sideways in time. He blocked Su Feng's path, and Blount on the other side also came quickly.
Su Feng fell into a tight siege.
He has two options. The first is to quickly pass the basketball back to Hinrich who is already running towards the top of the arc. The view is the widest here, but Mike James is guarding tightly and is very likely to steal.
Hinrich also noticed this, but he was so excited that once Su Feng turned back to pass the ball, he would deliberately slow down the pass to show everyone how clumsy Su Feng was.
Su Feng's other option is to take advantage of Pierce's unstable footing and quickly release the basketball with a quick jump shot.
However, what people didn't expect was that Su Feng even paused for half a beat.
He waited until Pierce was completely blocked in front of him and Blount's pace came in front of Su Feng.
A situation of encirclement and annihilation has been formed.
Hinrich couldn't help but sneer at that moment, thinking to himself: Waiting to make a fool of himself. If you don’t have this ability, you still want to control the ball? I really thought that if Larry Bird taught me two tricks, I would be able to use them on the court immediately. This is the NBA, this is the strongest league...
Before Hinrich's taunting current was completely released in his mind, his eyes suddenly widened, filled with disbelief.
Because, he saw that at the moment when the double attack was about to be completely formed, Su Feng suddenly turned sideways, and then he took advantage of the situation and flicked the basketball from behind his head... Phew!
The basketball passed directly through the heavy defense and into the penalty area.
The moment Antonio Davis received the basketball, he was stunned. He didn't expect the basketball to be passed. He once wanted to go over to support.
But the conditioned reflex formed over many years still allowed him to easily grab the basketball, jump up, and slam the basketball into the basket with both hands... Boom!
Dunks happen.
Because there is no defense in front of or behind Antonio Davis.
How did he do that?
Hinrich was surprised! He felt incredible.
Antonio was roaring under the basket. He rushed over and high-fived Su Feng. He shouted: Good pass.
Pierce and Mim glanced at each other. They felt a flash of orange light in front of their eyes, and Su Feng's basketball disappeared, followed by a dunk.
How did he do that?
Pippen smiled slightly on the bench and looked at Larry Bird in the back row.
Bird raised his eyebrows. "Not bad. I have 70% of the skills I had at my peak."
This is high praise.
Because the quality of Pierce and Mihm's defense was not high this time, they did not move to Kasu Feng and did not have time to give Su Feng a physical confrontation.
Therefore, it is not difficult to complete this technical action.
But Su Feng only learned it for an hour and was able to use it in actual combat, and he did it so perfectly.
It can only mean one thing: extremely talented! A natural passer!
Pippen is very proud.
The United Center erupted in loud cheers.
Many fans saw Su Feng's technical details through the big screens above their heads. They felt that it was like a magician's skills.
Su Feng's pass broke everyone's established understanding.
The Nike group in the stands also exclaimed.
This matter went beyond their previous judgment on Su Feng.
Su Feng's scouting report is updated almost every game. Su Feng's evolution can be described as evil. But in those reports of rapid improvement, Su Feng's passing ability has never been mentioned.
More professionals believe that Su Feng is not good at passing the ball.
But this ball just now was so refreshing. It even feels like a magician. Su Feng can actually pass the basketball deep into the penalty area in a fantastic way. What does this mean? This guy has more weapons in his arsenal!
No wonder he keeps refusing sponsorship, no wonder he puts forward such harsh reward conditions.
It turns out he hid it so deeply.
A group of senior executives thought about it.
Phil Knight couldn't hide his joy.
One executive whispered, "Could this pass be an accident?"
Hinrich on the court thought so too. Is this an accident?
Su Feng passed by him, and he couldn't help but ask: "Tony, how did you do that?"
Su Feng thought for a while: "I just waved it casually."
Hinrich felt a lot relieved when he heard this explanation. It was an accident.
Then, he said: "You have to continue to take charge of the ball. With your ability, you will definitely be able to sort out the offense."
Su Feng nodded and thanked Xinrich for his encouragement.
Antonio Davis on the side took a deep look at Hinrich. He is a seasoned player in the league, and he knows very well what Hinrich is thinking.
…
