Chapter 1667 The Battle for the Top Spot in the East and West Is Also a Battle for MVP

On November 24, the Lakers, who have won 14 consecutive games, will face the Chicago Bulls at home.

This can be regarded as the most watched matchup in the league since the opening game.

It's hard to imagine that the Bulls, who were still weak a few seasons ago, would be called by the national media as the team with the best chance of defeating the Lakers at this stage. After all, last season, they also hurried home in the first round of the playoffs. Rose continued to win. After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in two seasons, he looks no different from the rookies who first entered the league. His performance was not even as good as Rose's rookie season.

But the world is so strange. In the summer when the entire league was focusing on the Heat and the Knicks, the Bulls, who missed out on James and many other big fish, quietly became the big winner of the off-season, leaping from an ordinary postseason player in the Eastern Conference. The game players have become the current championship team.

You must know that the biggest trade the Bulls made in the summer was to acquire Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Brewer from the Jazz. At the same time, they selected big man Asik in the draft, and the coach was replaced by Roy. Thibodeau is a newcomer.

Overall, it is very average, and the transaction rating is an embarrassing B-, because compared with the big fish in the summer, these people are small shrimps at best, and the worst thing is that the most important big fish in the transaction, Boozer, is In the preseason before the start of the season, I successfully strained my quadriceps and I have not returned to the team yet...

At that time, many people were complaining that the Bulls' management couldn't even pay for the physical examination, otherwise they wouldn't have spent a long time trying to get an injury.

Some fans jokingly said: Rose, run, the Bulls are starting again!

This sounds uncomfortable, but it is very realistic. The Bulls are not an easy place to stay. It is Jordan's territory. No matter where you go, you will naturally compare yourself with Jordan. The pressure is not ordinary.

What's more, they also compared teams composed of multiple rookies in the league. The Thunder, which has Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Jeff Green, Ibaka and others, is of course number one. The Trail Blazers, who were plagued by serious injuries, were ranked second, and the Grizzlies, who had been drafted for who knows how many years, were selected for third. The Timberwolves who bought Beasley were actually ranked fourth, while the Bulls were only ranked fifth...

After all, apart from Rose, Noah and Gibson are not well-known, and they have not performed well in the past two seasons.

Now it seems like a slap in the face!

Just such a few transactions and such a newbie really made the Bulls soar into the sky and become the biggest dark horse since the beginning of this season!

This sounds incredible, but now they have achieved an astonishing 12 wins and 2 losses in the first 14 games, which is the best record since Jordan retired. This record is also full of gold because they have defeated many strong teams, such as the Celtics in the East. The Magic, the Hawks, the Spurs and the Jazz in the Western Conference all fell at the hands of the Bulls.

Today's Bulls have not only surpassed the Bobcats and Bucks, who were brothers in the previous two seasons, but also left behind the Celtics and Magic, the two championship teams in the previous three seasons, and currently rank first in the Eastern Conference. It was the first time since 1998 that the Bulls had done this.

As for the highly anticipated Heat, led by the Big Three, they only had a record of 7 wins and 7 losses in the first 14 games, and were actually 5 games behind the Bulls.

Who could have imagined that the Eastern Conference would be like this after the start of the season. The Bulls, who had been in decline for many years, would rise like this after just one summer!

Looking at the championship predictions given by ESPN and multiple media outlets in the summer, no matter which list, the Chicago Bulls' name cannot be found in the top ten. On ESPN's list, they are still a fringe playoff team. It's teams like the Bucks, Bobcats, and Pacers.

It’s no wonder that the media ignored them before the game started. Who would have thought that a new head coach, leading a team mainly composed of rookies in the past three years, could create such a miracle.

Now, the Bulls are ranked third in the championship rankings, and the team's strength rankings are ranked second only to the Lakers. Various media experts even predict that the Bulls have a 70% chance of winning the first place in the Eastern Conference.

What is the reason why they are so optimistic about the Bulls?

There is only one answer: Rose at the beginning of the 2010-11 season was too scary!

This season, Ji Feng and the Lakers are still the most eye-catching. Ji Feng, who averaged 38.8 points, 11.7 assists and 10.6 rebounds per game, is still unsolved. The 14-game winning streak only proves that this dynasty triple crown Lakers still haven't won enough.

At the same time, James left his hometown and went to Miami, urgently needing an amazing season to prove himself; although Howard had just failed in the Finals, it is not easy for him to lead the Magic to such a height. Rumor has it that Howard is already the number one center in the league!

But facing the above three mountains, the young Rose is not timid. In the last 9 games, Rose, who has unlimited firepower, averaged 27.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, and led the Bulls to 7 points. A record of wins and 2 losses.

It is worth mentioning that Rose played 40 minutes in these 9 games.

During the game, we can often see Rose stepping on his hot wheels to get past the outside defender, stabbing straight to the basket with his head held high, then leaping high against the belated defender in the paint, with his powerful The strength of his waist and abdomen allows him to perform various dodge movements in the air.

Obviously, one person cannot stop Rose's breakthrough. Only the whole team can slow down his attack. However, once Rose catches a glimpse of how many people are coming to help defend, he will pass the ball out at the right moment. At this time, Boozer and Noah, who are unguarded, can easily take the cake.

Luol Deng, Boozer, and Noah have become seriously dependent on Rose.

The three of them have two common problems - they are not fast and tall among players in the same position, and they have no advantage at all in a one-on-one situation. However, Rose's threatening breakthroughs and excellent passing vision allow them to They got a lot of opportunities under the basket.

"Another Ji Feng-style super newcomer has risen!" People exclaimed when they saw this scene.

Rose now feels a bit like he was at his peak three seasons ago.

At the media conference before the game against the Lakers, Rose made wild remarks for the first time: "Ji Feng is very strong, but why can't I become the league's MVP?"

As soon as the remarks came out, the whole world was shocked!

Before the start of the season, people targeted James or Howard as Ji Feng's opponent, but unexpectedly, the person most qualified to say so now turned out to be a third-year player.

Ji Feng also responded at the same time: "Rose did a good job. To be honest, I have been looking forward to his growth since he entered the league. Now it seems that he is doing a good job. But, as you know, I never Who will we lose to?”

Compared with Ross, Ji Feng's response was more domineering and revealing, showing his kingly attitude.

Only then did people realize that Ji Feng had only been in the league for four seasons. In terms of age, Ji Feng was still one year younger than Rose!

However, no matter how big or small the stadium is, everything is based on strength.

This battle for first place in the East and West is also about the battle for MVP, and it will be staged at Staples!