Chapter 292 Stephen Curry is the “next Kobe”?
The Bulls have their own advantages.

Their inside combination of Boozer and Joakim Noah has a stronger presence under the basket.

Tyson Chandler’s decline puts the New York Knicks at a disadvantage in the confrontation under the basket.

This was reflected in the first two games.

It’s just that the Bulls’ main style of play, and what Thibodeau is good at, is not to attack from the inside. Therefore, even if Thibodeau noticed this, he did not immediately change his formation or adjust his style of play.

It wasn’t until after losing the second game of the series that he finally wavered when he had to change his lineup.

The third game of the series was played at Chicago’s home court.

All the Bulls fans were in place, cheering for the team.

The Bulls, who returned to their home court, were obviously in the right state a little faster in this game. And they also played the effect they wanted:
Boozer continued to attack from inside and outside, scoring 9 points in the first quarter alone.

Noah’s presence on the offensive end was also greater than in the previous two games.

He is not an inside player who excels in individual scoring.

But his support and organization of passes are also very good.

Originally, he was going to be a “double first team” player next year, although after getting this “double first team”, the media called him “the weakest double first team.”

No matter how exaggerated these two awards are, they are valuable enough to prove his ability.

The Bulls took the initiative in the paint.

At the end of the first quarter, the New York Knicks were only trailing by 1 point.

The passivity in the interior does not affect the New York Knicks’ continued strength on the outside!

This is a very exaggerated thing.

It is also a very incredible thing.

In the past NBA, if a team had problems in the interior, it would inevitably affect the status of the outside line.

However, the New York Knicks continued to keep the score close despite being passive in the interior.

The reason is also very simple:
The New York Knicks are strong enough on the outside!
Su Wan needs no further explanation.

Stephen Curry’s overall ability has reached new heights after the “vertical jump” rule change.

Plus Paul George…

Compared to before, George’s progress is not fast.

But this mainly refers to his slow progress in ball-handling offense.

But in other aspects, his progress is not slow.

Whether it’s cutting without the ball, shooting after catching the ball, or the ability to tangle on the defensive end, he is stronger than he was at the same stage.

In addition to the championship buff bonus, there is another point. When he plays in training games, he will inevitably face off against Su Wan. This makes his improvement on the defensive end faster than before.

Under Su Wan’s guidance and the influence of the championship buff, another point is Su Wan’s ability to contain the ball. His ability to handle the ball without the ball is definitely more mature than before.

It’s probably already at the level of a “half-step all-star”.

He is fully capable of being the team’s main player, and his performance when he breaks out can reach All-Star level.

Tonight is his breakout day.

The New York Knicks relied on the power of their outside “trident” to keep close to the score even when the team was suppressed inside.

Moreover, when the game entered the second quarter, Dio and Tyson, who were more familiar with the Bulls’ inside offensive mode, were able to give a better response when facing Noah and Boozer.

The New York Knicks began to change from a “closing” state to an “active” state.

It’s Thibodeau’s “headache” time again!

Tyronn Lue and Mike Malone smiled at each other.

They were not too surprised by this result.

They both know well that Boozer has the ability to carry the team. He and Deron Williams are called the “New Utah Duo”, but Deron Williams cannot reach the level of Stockton, and Boozer cannot reach the level of Malone!
The best result they achieved together was the Western Conference semifinals.

The n years with the Jazz have proven that Boozer does not have the ability to carry a team in the playoffs, especially in the current semifinals. The fundamental reason is that Boozer does not have enough ball-handling ability.

This gives opponents a way to limit him at critical moments.

The New York Knicks began to change their formation in the second half of the second quarter. Whenever Boozer went forward for a screen, the inside players would try to double-team him in advance, surrounding him the moment he got the ball, forcing him to handle the ball faster.

In the process, Boozer exposed his biggest problem as a core player:

No good ball distribution ability.

At one point in his career, he averaged more than 3 assists per game for two seasons.

But it all happened during the Jazz period.

After leaving the Jazz and in the early days of the Cavaliers, his average assists per game did not exceed 3.

The average number of assists per game has remained at around 2 throughout the year.

Judging from his playing style and the choices he makes after touching the ball, he is a finisher who is more accustomed to shooting himself, rather than a good supporting point and passer.

After all, there were several seasons in which his average turnovers per game were higher than his average assists per game!
His ability to deliver more than three assists per game on the Jazz is inseparable from the system that Jerry Sloan built specifically for him and Deron Williams.

Deron’s best passing performance was also when he was on the Jazz.

Jerry Sloan really wanted the two of them to get closer to the “Utah Duo”.

It’s just a pity…

No matter how much they make up for it with tactics, they can never reach the level of the “Utah Duo”.

After leaving the Jazz, his abilities in this area were fully revealed.

Boozer fell into a slump in the second quarter.

Although the Bulls still have the advantage in the interior judging from the overall momentum on both offense and defense, this advantage is not enough to offset the Bulls’ disadvantage on the outside.

Suwan and Stephen Curry played more and more strongly. In the third quarter, the two of them combined to make 5 three-pointers from beyond the three-point line!

It is already a terrifying thing for the team to make 5 three-pointers in a single quarter.

But now it is Suwan and Stephen Curry who have done it.

The Bulls were thus put in a passive position.

At the end of the third quarter, the New York Knicks had established an 11-point lead. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Derrick Rose was eager to perform, but he made mistakes in a hurry and made consecutive turnovers.

The Bulls’ last bit of hope disappeared completely with his mistake.

At the end of the game, the New York Knicks came to Chicago and continued to maintain their strong performance, winning the third game of the series with a score of 109 to 92, a 17-point advantage.

The score was 3-0, which meant that the Bulls were doomed and it was only a matter of time before they were eliminated.

Derrick Rose left the scene with his head down.

He scored 30 points tonight, but also allowed Stephen Curry to score 31 points!
Most media outlets said that Stephen Curry was the “x factor” that made the New York Knicks so strong in the second round. Failure to defend against this “x factor” meant that Derrick Rose had to take the blame for the team’s yet another loss to the New York Knicks.

In addition to Curry’s 31 points, Suwan also scored 38 points tonight!
For the first time this season in the NBA, players from the same team scored 30 or more points in a single game.

Bill Walton said: “Now, we can finally truly call Suwan and Stephen Curry the ‘Tsunami Brothers’!”

Although this title has been used for two years, before this season, few media would put Stephen Curry and Suwan in the same position.

Judging from Stephen Curry’s previous performance, he does not have the ability to stand on the same level as Suwan.

However, after the start of this season, Stephen Curry used his performance in the regular season to earn his first trip to the All-Star Weekend. Now, with his performance in the playoffs, the “Tsunami Brothers” formed by him and Suwan have truly become a dangerous combination for opponents…

Bill Walton also said: “No matter which opponents the New York Knicks will face in the future, the head coaches of these opponents will be very troubled by the restrictions on Suwan and Stephen Curry…”

The next morning, the league officially announced the “Best Team” of this season:
“First Team: Suwan, Kobe, Kevin Durant, Chris Bosh, Howard;”

“Best Second Team: Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Griffin, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol;”

“Best Third Team: LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Diaw, Kevin Love;”

The Lakers are strong again, and Kobe is back in the “Best First Team”.

In addition, with the departure of LeBron James, Chris Bosh once again made it into the “Best First Team” ranks.

The Miami media took the opportunity to criticize LeBron James again, calling him “the culprit for the Heat’s peak Big Three that led to their elimination from the semifinals for two consecutive years”!
Now without him, the Heat can still reach the semifinals…

Instead, LeBron left the Heat and could only be eliminated in the first round!
And the ranking of the “best lineup” is also average.

Only ranked in the “Best Third Team”.

Who delayed whom, and who relied on whom to perform better.

Clear at a glance!
Stephen Curry also made it to the “Best Second Team”…

This once again made him the focus of outside attention.

This discussion continued until the end of the Bulls’ series with the New York Knicks.

The final score between the two teams was 4-1.
The Bulls lost one game at home but won the second one, avoiding the embarrassment of being eliminated at home.

The entire Bulls team can be said to have exploded in this game.

Even Noah made 8 of 6 shots, which shows how outrageous the condition of this group of people is and how much they don’t want to be eliminated in their home court.

But after winning this game, the Bulls immediately encountered the “law of conservation of character”. In the previous game, they scored no matter how they shot, but in the next game of the series, they immediately lost no matter how they shot.

In these two games, Stephen Curry continued to perform well, contributing 26 points and 28 points respectively.

After the final five games, Stephen Curry averaged 5 points, 28.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the semi-finals, with a shooting percentage of 4.5%, a three-point shooting percentage of 46.5% and a free throw shooting percentage of 42.5%!

Although there is still a big difference compared to Suwan’s averages of 34.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 51.5% shooting percentage, 45% three-point shooting percentage, and 88% free throw shooting percentage.

But it is definitely a “super giant” level data in the league.

It was also such a performance that even Barkley couldn’t help but say when he saw Stephen Curry high-fiving Derrick Rose: “Stephen Curry is now qualified to be compared with all the No. 1 players in the league!”

Kenny Smith also said: “Stephen’s performance in this series is really exaggerated!”

Their views are also the views of most outside media.

There are even many media people who have called Stephen Curry the next “Kobe”!

It’s just that the New York media disagrees with these media’s views…

No disrespect to Kobe.

But if we compare the current Stephen Curry to Kobe, does this mean that Stephen Curry will no longer be satisfied with the position of “second in command”?
He wants to be the “boss”?

The New York Knicks naturally don’t want to hear these words.

In their impression, Stephen Curry is polite and has a completely different personality from Kobe.

But the problem now is…

At the end of this season, if everything goes well, the New York Knicks will be able to complete their “three consecutive championships”!
For any player, it’s the end of a phase.

Michael Jordan announced his retirement twice, both times after winning three consecutive championships.

With Stephen Curry playing like this this season, maybe he has other thoughts…

This year is still his contract year!
If he expresses his intention to leave, even if the New York Knicks can match the contract of any team, judging from so many past NBA examples, as long as a player wants to leave, he will basically leave in the end.

They even went to ask Suwan whether Stephen Curry would leave New York in the future.

Su Wan looked at their worried faces and smiled.

Is this still the heartless New York media?
How come everyone has become a complaining woman who believes everything she hears?
But think about it, these guys have suffered for ten years and finally stood under the spotlight of the entire league, so they naturally don’t want to fall into the quagmire again. Therefore, they are prone to worry about gains and losses at the slightest disturbance.

Su Wan was quite satisfied with their appearance.

But he did not directly answer Stephen Curry’s question, mainly because he didn’t know what choice Stephen Curry would make.

The only thing he knew…

After Stephen Curry’s contract with Nike expired, he did not choose Nike or Adidas. Instead, he chose a small, unknown brand.

From the choice of this brand, we can see that when Stephen Curry makes a choice, he prefers to “be the head of a chicken rather than the tail of a phoenix.”

So he wouldn’t be surprised if Stephen Curry really left New York.

He will not specifically try to retain Stephen Curry. If he wins this year’s championship, he will have 8 championships.

These championships are his confidence…

He really never thought about whether Stephen Curry would leave.

Instead of spending this time thinking about how to play the next game.

Four days after the New York Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, another Eastern Conference semifinal matchup also came to a conclusion:
The Heat eliminated the Pacers 4-2 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals!
(End of this chapter)