NBA: LeBron James wants to team up with me

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After the All-Star break, the league returned to its intense regular season schedule.

It's just that compared to the compressed and intensive schedule of the shortened season last year, the normal 82-game season feels much easier.

At least the Bulls are obviously much more relaxed when it comes to adjusting rotations.

Although there shouldn't be any serious injuries among the Bulls' main players in the next three to five years, minor injuries and illnesses are inevitable.

For example, Jimmy Butler will only play an average of 66 games in the next three seasons, and his attendance rate isn't very high.

Marc Gasol missed a lot of games due to injuries in the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons, playing only 65 and 59 games respectively.

Wang Chong knows very well that the NBA has been flipped upside down since his arrival and that many things and people have undergone tremendous changes.

For instance, Yao Ming has not yet retired, and Derrick Rose has not suffered any major injuries.

In this regard, it's not impossible that, on any given day, these Bulls players who have not sustained major injuries might suddenly face a season-ending injury or even suffer significant injuries that could affect their later careers.

Therefore, he didn't dare to be careless. While ensuring the victory in the game, he still wanted to let the team members rest as much as possible to alleviate fatigue.

As for Wang Chong himself, it's not false at all.

His overall durability has reached a total value of 99. In theory, his stamina is no worse than LeBron James's.

Although James has many critics, it's undeniable that his physical condition, career longevity, and competitive status are among the highest in history. It's not even an exaggeration to describe him as the greatest in history.

Before him, could anyone dare imagine that a professional athlete could still average 26+7+8 per game at the age of 39 during the regular season? Although those stats come at a cost, like defending by watching from the sidelines, rushing in counterattacks, not returning to defense after offense, and avoiding three-pointers in critical moments to score just two points.

But even with all these tricks, it's not easy to average 25 or 6 points per game.

Comparing him to Kobe Bryant, who was 37 years old and sacrificed the team's record to let a group of new promising stars accompany him in national tours like he was studying with a prince, Kobe didn't even manage to average 20+ points per game.

Of course, Wang Chong has no intention of imitating James's highly selfish playing style. If his competitive level declines in the future and he can no longer serve as the team's main nucleus, he will only consider two options. The first is to retire with a good reputation, and the second is to transform into a spot-up shooter, reduce ball possession, minimize confrontations, and make the most of his limited physical energy.

What Wang Chong really means is that, in theory, when his endurance level is comparable to that of James, he has no plans to rest unless he feels truly exhausted and completely incapable of playing.

But this kind of situation has basically never happened since Wang Chong raised his physical strength value to the maximum of 99.

The physical capacity value of 99 not only strengthens Wang Chong's physical reserves during the game but also greatly increases his physical recovery speed. He also recovers significantly faster than other players who experience physical overload.

So when Curry, Gasol, and other players were given rotations when facing the bottom teams in the league, Wang Chong was always present, as usual.

With Wang Chong as the anchor, the Bulls are almost invincible when they face a weak team. The lower limit of Wang Chong's leadership is there. He has an offensive ability that can definitely score in critical moments, and if he's serious, he can compare his defensive ability to Garnett's. He can help the Bulls stabilize the situation and even regain the initiative when the situation is unfavorable.

In fact, Wang Chong's playing style has been adjusted according to the changes in the team.

Just like last season, when many players on the team were injured, Wang Chong would choose to increase his output and use more offensive points to help the team win.

In the 2011-12 season, Wang Chong averaged 34.4 points per game, the second-highest scoring of his career, only surpassed when he first joined the Bulls in the 2005-06 season.

This season, both Curry and Gasol have undergone significant transformations, and their offensive firepower has improved significantly. At the same time, the departure of Garnett has also weakened the Bulls' defensive strength. Therefore, Wang Chong also made appropriate decisions based on the Bulls' situation.

By the time March of the regular season began, Wang Chong had played 60 games for the Bulls, averaging 28.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.2 steals, and 2 blocks per game.

Due to the slow pace of the game in the last two seasons, the points per game on the scoring list are generally not high, so no one noticed it at first.

But as the regular season progressed, more and more people started to notice that something was wrong.

Why does Wang Chong's defense look a little stronger? Averaging more than 2 blocks and steals per game? What level of defense is this?

You must know that only a few people have managed to average more than 2 steals and blocks per game at the same time. Even if you look at the history of the league, all these players are the best defensive players and the most famous ones. They are the champions of the Rockets, the great dream Hakeem Olajuwon.

In Olajuwon's career, he averaged more than 2 blocks and 2+ steals per game for four seasons. His defensive ability at his peak was terrifying. He was also the first player since the DPOY award for the best defensive player was introduced. He won this award twice in a row.

Of course, everyone knows that defensive stats and real defensive ability are different. That doesn't mean a player's defensive ability has to be strong if they get more steals and blocks. The defensive style some players are good at doesn't directly stop the offense but interferes with the opponent's shots and makes the offense miss, which is also good defense.

Tim Duncan is one of the best.

As one of the greatest defenders in history, Tim Duncan never won the Defensive Player of the Year award once in his career. As an interior player, he never won honors like leading in rebounds or leading in blocks.

But who would dare say that Duncan's defense wasn't great? Many media outlets even mention Duncan when evaluating the best defensive players in history, and his position remains above his former rival Garnett.

This is because many of Duncan's defensive contributions don't show up directly in stats like blocks. Duncan stays calm and rarely risks blocking his opponent's shots. He prefers to raise his hands high and interfere with the opponent's rhythm of shooting. It doesn't matter whether a shot goes in or not; a block doesn't necessarily change the direction of the game.

So the question is: can Wang Chong's impressive defensive stats perfectly reflect the Bulls' defensive system in the game?

The answer is yes.

The reason why the Bulls' defensive wing isn't much worse in the new season than when Garnett was still around is precisely due to Wang Chong's quiet efforts on the defensive end.

In fact, Gasol is a very good defensive player, but his defense mainly reflects his ability to protect the basket. He lacks enough mobility due to his large weight and cannot help defend like Garnett, looking for leaks and filling the gaps for his teammates to improve the team's defensive level.

But Wang Chong can do this because he has height and wingspan no less than Garnett's, and he is faster and more explosive than Garnett. Although his jumping ability might be better than Garnett's peak, this does not stop Wang Chong from contributing to the Bulls' defense.

This is also the direction Wang Chong has used the points he worked so hard to accumulate during the season to strengthen during the summer.

Currently, Wang Chong's main defensive capability values are already very high.

These include rebounding from 77 to 85, blocking from 86 to 89, steals from 77 to 87, perimeter defense from 88 to 92, interior defense from 80 to 86, and help defense from 87 to 94. Skills, defensive awareness from 85 to 88, and defensive intelligence from 85 to 90.

It can be said that Wang Chong's defensive value is also very high now. With the blessing of eight defensive badges, as long as Wang Chong is serious and gives his all, his defensive ability can reach the highest level.

"The terrifying Wang Chong, unknowingly, has actually improved again! This season, Wang Chong's defensive contribution is at the forefront of the league, even greater than Howard, Duncan, and others. Also, his steals and blocks have reached over 2, with a defensive performance of more than double. If he can continue through the season, there will be no suspense in selecting the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) this season."

"The calendar has entered March. The Bulls have currently achieved a record of 50 wins and 10 losses, with a win rate of 83%. They have basically secured first place in the league. Wang Chong leads the MVP and DPOY lists, and his fifth MVP of the regular season is within reach. Can Wang Chong win the fifth MVP of his career and tie it with the basketball god Michael Jordan?"

When almost everyone was discussing this matter, a sudden change occurred.

Since early February, the Miami Heat started a winning streak just as they did in the original timeline. They achieved a 12-0 record throughout February, then continued their winning streak into March, constantly racking up one win after another.

15 consecutive wins... 20 consecutive wins... 25 consecutive wins!

The Heat, undefeated in a game with great momentum, chased down the Bulls in terms of records, rapidly closing the original huge gap and becoming the only team in the league capable of keeping up with the Bulls' record.

With this exciting winning streak, James's MVP evaluation also increased. In terms of stats, James's 27.4 points, 8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game are comparable to Wang Chong's.

Now, the regular season MVP race has become confusing.

Although Wang Chong is definitely superior in terms of high-level stats and overall contribution both offensively and defensively, many rational fans know that sometimes the MVP isn't awarded to the strongest player.

Otherwise, last season's MVP should have gone to Wang Chong rather than James.

Unfortunately, the MVP vote is cast by local media reporters in the United States. In cases of a large disparity, they can't completely abandon the public and impartial status of a reporter and forcefully choose the worst.

But when the gap between the two isn't so wide, and you can find some excuses to take an indirect route, then it becomes easier to handle.

Wang Chong, who has won the regular season MVP four times, has already made the U.S. media feel aesthetic fatigue. More importantly, in their view, Wang Chong, who renounced his American citizenship, is not as likable as James.

Therefore, as long as there isn't too much difference in performance stats and team record by the end of the regular season, it's normal to vote for James as the first choice.

Wang Chong is mentally prepared for this. This fifth MVP of the regular season will definitely not be easy to win. Unless the Bulls can win more than 70 games, he will have to change teams and lead that team to a resurgence with the best record in the league. Then, they might win the regular season MVP without a doubt.

But that being said, it's quite surprising. When Wang Chong looked closely at the schedule, he discovered that the Heat's 28th game after starting their winning streak happened to be an away game against the Bulls.

In the original timeline, the Heat had a 27-game winning streak that shocked the entire league, the second-longest consecutive winning streak in history, and it was the Chicago Bulls who ended the Heat's winning streak in game 28.

But one Bull is not the same as the other. The lineups of the two teams are completely different, and due to the butterfly effect, the regular season schedules of the two teams are quite different from the originals.

Unexpectedly, he could still find this situation, which made Wang Chong lament the ability of history to correct itself.

Since this is the will of God, Wang Chong wouldn't mind imitating the original Bulls and giving the Heat a tough blow in the middle of their winning streak.

Indeed, the Heat defeated the Charlotte Bobcats at home on March 24, and then beat the Orlando Magic away on March 25. Their winning streak officially reached 27 games, and the next challenge was to face the Chicago Bulls away on March 27.

This is the third meeting between the Heat and the Bulls this season. The two previous matchups ended in losses for the Heat. But this time, the Heat arrived with a 27-game winning streak. Could they win in the Bulls' home court?

The Bulls, as always, had a dismissive attitude toward the Heat.

In the previous game, the Bulls defeated the Timberwolves 104-97 in an away game. At the post-game press conference, a reporter asked Wang Chong:

"In the next game, you will face the Miami Heat, who recently achieved 27 consecutive wins. Facing this unstoppable Heat, which has recently been winning consecutive games, do you and your Bulls have the ability to end your opponent's winning streak and win the game?"

In response to this question, Wang Chong smiled dismissively. "Winning consecutive games, unstoppable? Sorry, with all due respect, the Heat were only able to win 27 games in a row because they had the luck of not meeting us during their winning streak. If they had played a few more games later, their winning streak might have ended. I got more than 30 wins."

"But unfortunately, when they faced us, their winning streak ended at 27 games."

As soon as Wang Chong said this, the reporters at the scene became excited.

Big news again! Indeed, whenever Wang Chong faces the Heat's Big Three, it will be the most explosive news!

End of this chapter

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