2014-15 Before the start of the season, almost everyone's attention was drawn to the Knights. That summer, the Cavaliers welcomed LeBlanc James back, signed Kevin Love, and added the 2011 No. 1 pick, Kyrie Irving. At that time, most people thought that such a lineup was difficult to compete with, let alone in the Eastern Conference.
But that season, the real surprise was not the Cavaliers, but the Atlanta Hawks. 2013-14 The Hawks, who were only ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference, had a record of 60 wins and 22 losses in the 2014-15 regular season under the leadership of Coach Budenholzer. They were ranked first in the Eastern Conference and had seven more wins than the Cavaliers, who were ranked second in the Eastern Conference. They were second only to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference and ranked second in the entire league.
At that time, the Hawks 'five starting players: Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Demar Carroll, Paul Millsap, and Earl Horford. It could be said that none of these five players could be called absolute superstars. In this era of star players, the seemingly "commoners" of the Hawks were able to achieve such impressive results. It was unbelievable. Compared to their outstanding record, what was even more terrifying was that Millsap's 16.7 points per game was the highest score in the Hawks team. There was only one game in the entire season where a player scored 30 points, and Millsap's 30 points were also the highest. There was not much individual heroism, and they could be said to have brought out the spirit of team basketball to the extreme.
The Hawks 'head coach, Budenholzer, had to be mentioned.
This coach, who came from the Spurs system, also successfully injected the spirit of the Spurs into the Hawks team at that time. At that time, many people called the Hawks the "Second Team of the Spurs" and even joked that the Spurs were "Little Hawks." Every player maximized their own advantages in the team's rigorous tactical basketball. As the leader and commander of the team, Budenholzer contributed greatly. That season, Budenholzer was also awarded the title of "Best Coach," which was well-deserved.
Unfortunately, the Hawks could only be regarded as a flash in the pan. In the more competitive playoffs, the lack of absolute superstars was magnified infinitely. In addition, Korver was injured and was out of the season. In the 2015 Eastern Conference finals, the Cavaliers, who were firmly suppressed by the Hawks in the regular season, won the Eastern Conference championship with a big score of 4-0 and entered the finals. The Hawks, who had a smooth regular season, still couldn't cross the mountain of the Cavaliers.
At the end of the season, Carroll, one of the five main forces, chose to leave the team to join the Raptors. Although the other four main players of the Hawks managed to stay on the team, in the following 15-16 season, the Hawks were once again swept by the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
This summer, Horford and Teague joined the Celtics and Pacers, traded for Dwight Howard, and renewed Kent Bazemore for four years and 70 million dollars. On paper, the lineup was not bad. There were super inside players, shooters, and Millsap was still in the formation.
At the start of the new season, they had played seven games like the Bulls. They were currently 5 wins and 2 losses, temporarily ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Tonight, the Chicago Bulls were going to play against an eagle like this.
In the pre-match warm-up, Budenholzer looked at the Bulls from afar. Lu Yi was shooting warm-ups, and his eyes were full of passion. Like Popovich, he liked superstars, and the kind of superstars who could score. Unfortunately, even the peak eagles he led didn't have someone like Lu Yi.
He was not jealous of Hoy Borg's fake title. He had also asked Lu Yi about it in the summer, but the Eagle's scouts tried to get close to Lu Yi, but they were like a stone sinking into the sea. They did not get any reply.
He originally thought that it was fine if he couldn't get Lu Yi. The other party was just a kid with good talent. There were almost one or two rookies like this entering the Alliance every year. However, after seven matches, Lu Yi's performance was jaw-dropping. The super performance of scoring 60 points in two out of three matches made him gasp in amazement, but also made him regret it so much that his intestines turned green.
If he had gone out to recruit Lu Yi personally or given him an official contract, Lu Yi might have been a member of his new season's lineup.
Now that he thought about it, the kid had only signed with the New York Knicks for a 1 1 two-year,$3 million contract, and he wanted to slap himself.
Who would not love a cheap and good-quality player? Not to mention, Lu Yi was not only a good player, but he was also extremely talented. In just seven games, he had achieved the value of a superstar. If this was his player, he would be able to wake up laughing at night.
He glanced in the direction of Hoyberg and secretly curled his lips.
You're the one laughing now, young man.
At the start of the match, although Howard was no longer at his peak, his jump ball experience was only slightly more than Robin's. After reaching the finals and losing the championship in 2009, he moved to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Rockets, and now to Atlanta. This kind of wandering was unimaginable for other superstars.
Unfortunately, his pursuit of happy basketball and many injuries ruined this slam dunk superman.
The ball was first taken away by the Hawks. Howard was the first to run into the basket and box out. At the same time, he still could not get the ball for the first attack. Dennis Schroder guided the ball from the outside and finally scored a three-pointer.
"Clang!"
The rebound bounced up high. Howard was about to jump up to grab the rebound, but Robin held him firmly behind him, preventing him from advancing. At this moment, a man named Lu Yi passed by. He snatched Howard's favorite toy, oh no, his favorite rebound, and slowly controlled the ball into the front field.
The Bulls did not immediately choose to counterattack quickly because when Lu Yi grabbed the rebound and wanted to pass it to Rondo, Rondo almost ignored it and ran to the front field to fall, thus missing the opportunity to launch a fast attack.
Was this guy lazy?
Rondo's sudden decision to allow him to take the ball through the front field made him complain.
When he reached the front court, Lu Yi's basketball moved under his feet and suddenly rushed in two or three steps toward Millsap. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Howard, who was guarding the inside line.
Howard opened his hand and covered Lu Yi, not daring to let him enter his territory easily.
Lu Yi's figure paused slightly. Suddenly, he changed his direction and passed the ball to Robin.
"Clang!"
Robin dunked the ball into the basket.
After he succeeded, he gave a thumbs up to Lu Yi and was secretly very satisfied. The new head of their team was a core player who not only scored but also shared the ball. Even though the opponent had scored 67 points in the previous game, they had quietly sent out a quasi-triple-double with eight rebounding and eight assists throughout the game.
Playing with such a guy, not only could he feel that the team was infinitely close to the championship, but he could also play comfortably beside the other party. Such a person, the superman comrade behind him could not envy him.
(I slept late at noon and woke up late. I'm a little flustered. I don't know if I can finish ten chapters.) Please reward me with a flower evaluation!
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