i have a coaching book

Chapter 72 The Unlucky Bull

After defeating the Iverson-less Philadelphia 19ers in an away game on the 76th, the Cleveland Cavaliers flew to Chicago to challenge the Chicago Bulls back-to-back.

This season, the Bulls currently have a record of 7 wins and 17 losses, ranking at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and their record is heading for the No. [-] pick.

Before the game, media reporters were optimistic that the Cavaliers would easily beat the Bulls. Under the leadership of James, the Cavaliers will win three consecutive away games.

Since the end of the Bulls dynasty, the Bulls have entered a rebuilding cycle. In recent years, several good players have emerged, such as Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Jaylen Rose, Donyell Marshall, Jay Williams, etc., all left the Bulls for various reasons, so that the Bulls no longer remember how to win.

Looking at the Bulls' starting roster, the Cavaliers are almost guaranteed to win this game, and there is no chance of an upset.

The emergence of the two dynasties seemed to exhaust all the luck of the Bulls. Before the appearance of Rose Rose in the Windy City, the Bulls could not see the hope of rising, and God was not on their side.

At point guard, Kirk Hinrich, the No. [-] pick in the first round this year, serves as the point guard.

The reason why the rookie Kirk Hinrich was appointed is because Jay Williams, the No. 2002 pick in [-], died in the offseason and crashed into a utility pole with his motorcycle, directly canceling his career.

The second is that because of the departure of Jaylen Rose, he was traded to the Raptors to assist Carter, which made the Bulls' point guard position stretched and they could only let newcomers take the position.

Kirk Hinrich is 193CM tall and weighs 87KG. He is a dual-energy player with both offensive and defensive capabilities, especially his defensive ability.

The playing style is unpretentious, but has a leadership temperament. This season, he can contribute 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Although he has not fully adapted to the rhythm of the NBA, he has shown good potential.

Jamal Crawford participated in the NBA Draft in 2000, was picked by the Cavaliers with the 8th pick in the first round, and was traded to the Bulls.

He is 196CM tall and weighs 91KG. He is also a dual-energy controller.

Good athletic ability, able to run and jump, somewhat thin body, the style of the game leans to the outside, has the characteristics of a sharp knife, has a good mid-range shooting ability, and the breakthrough action with the ball is very coquettish, but, limited by the thin body, successful rate is not high.

With his excellent first step speed, he is extremely powerful in singles with the ball. He averaged only 4.6 points and 2.3 assists per game in his rookie season, and his performance was mediocre.

This season, with the increase in playing time, the progress has been rapid. Currently, he can score 18.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, becoming the Bulls' first scoring point.

The offense was convulsed and unstoppable. In Lin Bai's previous life, Jamal Crawford played for many teams, and in three teams, he was able to score more than 50 points in a single game.

However, his stature is relatively thin and his defensive strength is not high. He can only rely on his speed and arm length to interfere. At the position of shooting guard, he is easy to be overwhelmed by the opponent. He is suitable for the position of the sixth man. In the future, he will play on three teams. All of them were successfully selected as the sixth man, and they are very good masters of chaos.

At the small forward position, the Bulls originally had a powerful wing defender Ron Artest, a beast-level presence.

However, because of being ridiculed by Jordan, Artest was young and vigorous, and directly dribbled the ball and broke the two ribs of 'Flying' Jordan.

Artest dealt with the gods in the eyes of the Bulls players so brutally, the fans and the top management of the players naturally didn't like each other, so they could only trade this high-quality general.

With Trenton Hassel and Jaylen Rose leaving one after another, the Bulls can only let Kendall Gill, who joined this season, play.

Kendall Gill entered the NBA in 1990. He has played for 13 years and has rich experience. He is 196CM tall, weighs 90KG, and is a swingman.

It used to be called "The Hornets Shuangsha" together with Larry Johnson. At its peak, it averaged 20.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

However, Kendall Gill, who has been 36 years old, has reached the age of retirement. How much energy he can contribute is a mystery. This season, he is currently averaging 9.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

At power forward, the Bulls are not much better.

Originally, there was a star player Elton Brand in this position, but Elton Brand's statistics are very good, but he can't win the game. The bulls with high spirits can only let him go.

However, Marcus Fizer, who was picked with the No. 2000 pick in [-], was in an embarrassing position and has not made much progress. With the transfer of Donyell Marshall this season, only veteran Corey Blunt can come. serve.

Corey Blunt entered the NBA in 1993 and has played for 10 years. He is 34 years old and can only retire. He is currently averaging 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He is a defensive blue-collar player.

At the center position, it was worth looking forward to. It turned out to be Eddie Curry with outstanding offensive talent. At the age of 18, he dominated the invincible Chicago area.

However, due to his overweight, he has not played in two consecutive games and can only be replaced by Antonio Davis who has just joined.

Antonio Davis was selected by the Pacers in the second round in 1990. He is 206cm tall and weighs 112KG. The inside pillar of the Dragons.

This season is currently averaging 9.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The data is not obvious, but don't forget that he was born in 1968 and is already 36 years old.

Just looking at the lineup, the Chicago Bulls don't have a single player who can play. They are either rookies or veterans. One is young and strong, but he is a convulsive player.

Therefore, the faces of the starting players of the Cavaliers are relatively relaxed. They believe that it is not difficult to win this game.

December 2003, 12 at 20:10 p.m., United Center Arena.

The game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls has officially started.

The Cavaliers' starting roster is the same as the previous game, lined up, point guard LeBron James, shooting guard Kedrick Brown, small forward Ira Newbell, power forward Carlos Boozer, Center Zajunas Ilgauskas.

In the middle circle of the court, as the whistle sounded from the referee's mouth, the basketball in his hand was thrown high, and the competition between the two sides began.

With his outstanding height, Ilgauskas easily defeated Antonio Davis and got the first chance to attack.

James dribbled the ball to the half court, directly from the center, forcibly rolled into the three-point line, ignored the pincer attack of Jamal Crawford and Kirk Hinrich, ran amok, broke through the defense, took a step to the free throw line, and pulled The ball rose and made a two-point layup.

2 to 0! !
James showed his unique domineering and gave the Bulls a blow.

Next, the two sides fought wildly, you came and went, it was so lively, the two sides seemed to be playing an exhibition match, and staged an offensive battle.

The Cavaliers, who underestimated the enemy, were launched an aggressive offensive by the Bulls. In the 8th minute of the first quarter, with Jamal Crawford's chasing three-pointer, the Cavaliers were about to fall behind by 10 points over the ball.

Fortunately, in the next 4 minutes, the Cavaliers did a good job of defending and catching up. James contributed 6 assists in a single quarter, leading the Cavaliers to play a wave of multi-point blooming, and slowly approached the score.

At the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers trailed the Bulls by 28 points in the first quarter, 31 to 3.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the two sides replaced the bench lineup. The Cavaliers were led by James and played steadily. They scored 8 points in a single quarter, tied the score and achieved a lead.

At the end of the halftime game, the Cavaliers led the Bulls by one point 54 to 53 and entered the locker room to adjust.

After a break, the two sides change sides and fight again.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Bulls played vigorously on offense. They used their mobility to frequently get open shots and hit them one after another with high efficiency. Kendall Gill suddenly broke out and made 6 of 4 shots in a single quarter. He scored 11 points and led the Bulls to play a multi-point offensive to overtake the score again.

The Cavaliers played back-to-back away games, and the impact of physical decline appeared. Fortunately, the individual star of the Cavaliers hit well in singles, which did not allow the Bulls to increase the score.

The Bulls led the Cavaliers by 82 points 75 to 7 and entered the final decisive battle.

Outside the Bulls home fans, applause fell like rain.

The Bulls seem to be upset tonight. Can they have the last laugh and knock the Cavaliers to the ground?
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers started from the defense, started bit by bit, played steadily, and slowly chased points.

Shrink the defense, let the Bulls shoot from the outside, and don't give the Bulls the space to attack the basket.

The Cavaliers suddenly stepped up their defensive rhythm and caught the Bulls by surprise.

Jamal Crawford showed convulsions. He played on the outside in the fourth quarter, making 9 of 1 shots and hitting the iron frequently.

Kirk Hinrich was not much better, being watched closely by James and shooting 6 of 1 shots.

The Bulls misfired on the outside, and the offensive situation was completely unopened.

James shot from inside and outside, hit the basket frequently, made 6 of 4 shots and 8 of 7 free throws. He scored 15 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in a single quarter, leading the Cavaliers to tie the score.

In the last minute or so, both teams had a chance for a lore, but Jamal Crawford missed the opportunity and missed a three-pointer with a 65-degree catch on the right. Adams took off the rebound.

The Cavaliers attacked, James shrewdly dropped the ball to the inside, and Ilgauskas, who was 221cm tall, hit the 206cm tall Antonio Davis with the ball.

Ilgauskas played low singles, turned around and put the basketball directly into the basket, scoring a two-pointer.

Subsequently, Kirk Hinrich made an emergency stop at the free throw line for a jumper, which was blocked by James and missed the key two-pointer.

Boozer grabbed a key rebound and gave the ball to James. The Bulls chose to foul and sent James to the free throw line for free throws. As a result, James had a big heart and made two free throws steadily.

The Bulls could only be powerless and swallowed the bitter fruit of the final defeat. The Cavaliers had the last laugh despite being near misses.

At the end of the game, the Cavaliers defeated the Bulls by 99 to 95 by 4 points and won three consecutive away games.

James once again became the focus, making 21 of 11 shots, 5 of 0 three-pointers, 12 of 10 free throws, 32 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds.

Ilgauskas scored 22 points and 12 rebounds and performed well.

Boozer scored 11 points and 8 rebounds. Only three Cavaliers scored in double figures. Lin Bai only played 10 minutes and scored 3 points and 2 assists. His performance fluctuated.

For the Bulls, five players made double figures and played a multi-point blooming situation. Jamal Crawford scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Kendall Gill 14 points, Corey Blunt 13 points and 11 rebounds, Antonio -Davis scored 11 points, Kirk Hinrich scored 10 points and 10 assists, and almost succeeded in an upset at home, which shocked the Cavaliers into a cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)