Against the Big Three of the Knicks in the Second Round, Attack vs. Attack.

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The Pacers lost the first two games in the Bulls' home court without any suspense. The gap was enormous and visible at first glance. Even in the second game, they had nothing to do against the Bulls, who were deliberately training. Returning to their home court, the result was the same: nothing had changed. 4-0, no suspense, no chances.

It was like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, the Bulls easily sweeping the Pacers and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

In fact, this series was quite boring to play. The difference in strength was so large that the outcome of the game was often decided from the first quarter, and the Bulls' star players didn't need to perform at their best.

As a six-time league scoring champion and the current highest-scoring player, Wang Chong only averaged 22 points per game in the 4 games of the first round, playing just over 30 minutes. If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't even notice him. Fans who watched the game might even wonder if Wang Chong had touched the ball at all.

But the reality was that the Pacers were eliminated so quickly in every game that Wang Chong didn't even have time to rack up stats before the game ended.

The Bulls swept the Pacers 4-0 and became the only team to sweep their opponents in the first round of the playoffs.

The results of other matchups in the Eastern Conference included Miami Heat 4:1 Philadelphia 76ers, Celtics 4:2 Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic 2:4 New York Knicks.

The Magic, the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, faced the Knicks, the fifth seed, and were the only team to be eliminated.

The effectiveness of the Magic this season was indeed a bit low, and they relied almost entirely on Howard to hold up half the sky for the team in the paint.

The same thing happened in the playoffs across 6 games. Howard averaged 27 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, but aside from Nelson and Jason Richardson, who scored in double figures, the rest of the team struggled. Nelson posted 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Richardson contributed 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

The two key players, Turkoglu and Arenas, failed to score in double figures, especially Turkoglu, who shot only 29.4% from the field.

On the other hand, the Big Three of the Knicks performed consistently. Anthony averaged 24 points per game, Rose posted 18 points and 7 assists, and Stoudemire was the least effective of the three, mainly due to facing Howard in the paint. Howard was clearly much larger than the two perimeter players under pressure, but even so, Stoudemire still contributed 16 points and 8 rebounds, which was better than anyone else on the Magic except Howard.

It was hard for two fists to fight against four hands. Despite his frustrations, Howard could only leave with resentment.

Being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs would likely make Howard seriously reconsider his future career. Howard, born in 1985, was now 25 years old. The outside world had high expectations for him and believed his potential could even rival James. However, if he continued with the Magic and wasted time, it was possible that he would achieve nothing in his career.

In the four-game series of the Western Conference, the Spurs defeated the Rockets 4-2. Yao Ming caused some problems for the Spurs on the court, but I must say the gap in strength between this Rockets team and the Grizzlies was massive. Time and space were not on their side, making it too difficult for them to accomplish an "8-seed upset."

Lakers 4-2 Hornets was also a normal result. It was still too hard for the New Orleans Hornets, led by Paul, to compete with the Lakers, who had reached the Finals three years in a row.

The Mavericks and the Thunder eliminated the Trail Blazers and the Nuggets with scores of 4-1, respectively. In the West, there was no situation similar to that in the Eastern Conference.

The matchups for the second round were now set.

East: Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks, Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics.

West: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks.

Facts had proven that the Knicks' earlier idea was correct. They faced their strongest opponent, the Bulls, in the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, by the end of the season, they had desperately tried to secure a win, but ultimately failed. When the teams met, the Bulls' defensive level had improved compared to the regular season, while the Knicks' defense remained in its poor form.

Before the second round of the playoffs in both the Eastern and Western Conferences, the league announced the results of the All-NBA team selection.

The First Team All-NBA for the 2010-11 season was exactly the same as last season, with Wade, Kobe, James, Wang Chong, and Howard still selected.

The original First Team for the guard position had included Rose, the regular season MVP, with Wade on the Second Team. But in this time and space, the situation had changed slightly. Rose, who didn't have the 62-win record with the Bulls, did not have any obvious advantage over Wade in terms of personal statistics. The result was that Wade received slightly more votes for the First Team than him. Once again, he took the spot on the best team.

Rose, who was eliminated by Wade, was selected for the Second Team All-NBA alongside his teammate Stoudemire. They were joined by Westbrook from the Thunder, Dirk Nowitzki from the Mavericks, and Pau Gasol from the Lakers.

The five players selected for the Third Team All-NBA were Chris Paul from the Hornets, Stephen Curry from the Bulls, Anthony from the Knicks, LaMarcus Aldridge from the Trail Blazers, and Yao Ming from the Rockets.

After careful calculation, the Knicks actually had three players selected for the All-NBA team, which was higher than the Bulls, Heat, Lakers, and other teams.

But this was not surprising.

Since Anthony only joined the Knicks after the All-Star break, most of his statistics during the regular season were earned when he was the primary player for the Nuggets. After arriving at the Knicks, his ball-handling rights slightly decreased due to the Big Three, but his personal statistics were not significantly affected.

Among the Big Three of the Knicks, the lowest scorer was Rose, with 24 points per game. Anthony and Stoudemire averaged more than 25 points per game, ranking among the top ten in the league. It was rare for a third team player to have such a stat line.

Originally in the 2010-11 season, Anthony had not been selected for the third team. The two forwards on the third team were Aldridge and Randolph.

However, the Grizzlies had the worst record in the Western Conference this season and couldn't pull off an "8-seed upset" in the playoffs. Randolph's average of 21 points and 12 rebounds per game was not comparable to Anthony's 25+7+3.

In addition, although the Knicks' record had little to do with Anthony, the Nuggets also made the playoffs in the Western Conference. He played 50 games for the Nuggets, contributing to a 29-21 win-loss record for the team.

Considering everything, it was no surprise that Anthony surpassed Randolph and made the third team.

Duncan and Garnett, who were usually regulars on the All-NBA teams in the forward position, both were absent this time, which also excited many fans of these two great power forwards.

Both were 34 years old and had opted for a change in tactics. They were no longer the main forces of their teams but had instead positioned themselves as functional players to shine on the court.

Garnett averaged only 12.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season, the lowest of his career, while Duncan also ceded, averaging 13.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, another career-low. Both dedicated all their energy to defense and helped their respective teams improve their defensive levels. As a result, even though Garnett and Duncan didn't make the All-Defensive team based on their personal stats, both were selected for the All-Defensive team. The teams they played for had the best records in the East and West, respectively. They were also the only two teams with 60 wins in the league and were favorites to win the championship.

The five players on the All-Defensive First Team were Rajon Rondo from the Celtics, Kobe Bryant from the Lakers, James from the Heat, Wang Chong from the Bulls, and the untouchable Magic center, Howard.

In addition to Garnett and Duncan, the other three players on the Second Team All-Defensive were Paul from the Hornets, Tony Allen from the Grizzlies, and Mavericks center Tyson Chandler.

Among them, Tony Allen was the only player whose team didn't make the playoffs but was still selected for the All-Defensive team. This also demonstrated Allen's immense defensive capabilities.

In fact, during this offseason, Wang Chong also considered signing Tony Allen, who had left the Celtics.

But after thinking it over, he gave up.

On the one hand, Tony Allen wasn't cheap. The Grizzlies signed him to a three-year contract worth nearly 10 million. Although the annual salary was just over 3 million, for the Bulls, who already needed to pay luxury taxes, those 3 million from Tony Allen essentially meant 6 million.

Moreover, the Grizzlies had already offered 3 million

, and with the promise of a starting spot, if the Bulls wanted to snatch Allen, they'd have to offer more than the Grizzlies. Once the Grizzlies made their offer, it wouldn't be surprising if the annual salary rose to 3.5 million or even 4 million.

Wang Chong wasn't concerned about saving money for the team owner but was more focused on whether Allen was suitable.

In fact, Tony Allen was capable of playing individual defense and would be one of the league's best perimeter defenders in the coming years, but that was where his value ended. On the offensive side, Tony Allen wasn't quite up to par.

Lacking independent offensive skills, most of his points came from catching passes and finishing off-ball. Most importantly, his mid-to-long-range shooting ability was almost non-existent, shooting only 28% from the field and averaging fewer than 0.5 attempts per game.

In Wang Chong's view, the most ideal state for the Bulls would be when all five players on the court could shoot three-pointers, leaving no blind spots beyond the arc.

For teams in the small-ball era, defense was important, but offensive capability always came first. In the fast transition between offense and defense, the impact of any outstanding defensive player would be greatly diminished.

In this sense, although Tony Allen was much better than Danny Green in terms of defensive ability, he couldn't compare to Green in terms of practicality as a 3-and-D player.

So after giving it some thought, Wang Chong decided not to sign Tony Allen, and he wouldn't regret it because Tony Allen was eventually selected for the All-Defensive team, as originally expected.

May 2, 2011: The Bulls faced their challenge against the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs at home. Compared to the suspense-free series against the Pacers in the first round, the Knicks were considered a relatively strong opponent, even though they had significant defensive weaknesses, their explosive offensive firepower could fully compensate for that.

In the East, aside from the Heat and Celtics, only the Knicks had a slight chance to threaten the Bulls.

In the first game, both teams sent out their strongest starting lineups. The Bulls were unbeatable, with Curry, Billups, Wang Chong, Garnett, and Gasol.

The Knicks' starting lineup consisted of Rose, Roger Mason, Carmelo Anthony, Stoudemire, and center Ronny Turiaf.

In terms of overall height, including Wang Chong, the Bulls, who had three players over 2.10 meters tall, clearly had an advantage. Stoudemire and Turiaf of the Knicks were only 2.08 meters tall.

The two teams jumped for the ball, and Garnett and Stoudemire competed for possession. Garnett won the tip with his height and wingspan.

If Stoudemire had been at his peak, with his explosive physical condition and jumping ability, he might have had a chance against Garnett, but he had only signed a contract extension after serious injuries with the Suns, which caused the Suns to part ways with him.

But the facts showed that the Suns' judgment was correct. Stoudemire had only one standout season with the Knicks, and even his performance in this season's playoffs was significantly reduced.

In the original 2010-11 season, the Knicks were swept 4-0 by the Celtics in the first round. Stoudemire faced Garnett, averaging only 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, shooting only 38.2% from the field.

Now, facing the much stronger Bulls and Garnett again, the result was predictable.

After Curry dribbled the ball past half-court, he immediately passed it to Wang Chong. Wang Chong held it and beat Anthony in a simple move. After driving through mid-range, he stopped and made a jump shot. His movements were simple and unpretentious, yet completely unstoppable.

When the two teams faced off in the regular season, it was an intense offensive battle. The Knicks' defense was poor, and they couldn't stop the Bulls' offense, but at the same time, the Knicks' offense was extremely powerful. Rose's quickness was very threatening even for the Bulls. Combined with Anthony's maximum scoring ability and Stoudemire's interior strength, the Knicks' offense was fully equipped to compete with the Bulls.

And that's exactly what happened.

After Wang Chong gave the Bulls the lead, Rose immediately delivered a strong counterattack for the Knicks.

Having played against the Bulls, the Knicks had also realized that Rose was the most suited offensive player among the Big Three when facing the Bulls. This was because the Bulls' perimeter defenders, whether Curry or Billups, were much slower than Rose.

Rose brought the ball past half-court, faced Curry's defense, simply accelerated, passed Billups, and drove straight to the basket. He faced Garnett and scored a tough layup.

A few minutes into the game, both teams were attacking at a very fast pace. Both sides abandoned defense and focused on offense. Naturally, the Knicks had no other choice but to maximize their offensive firepower. For the Bulls, it was all Wang Chong's decision.

It wasn't impossible to improve their defense and force the Knicks into a positional battle to beat them consistently, but Wang Chong felt that it wasn't necessary. With him and Curry, the Bulls definitely wouldn't lose to any team. In terms of offensive firepower, the Knicks' offense was strong, but their main methods of scoring were Rose's fast breaks and Anthony's mid-range shooting. The Bulls, however, had an extremely strong three-point shooting arsenal.

There was no reason why three points couldn't beat two points. So, in the first game against the Knicks, Wang Chong's strategy was to attack with offense.

End of this chapter

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