NBA: Starting with the undercut by Parker and Bowen

Why did the Bulls suddenly collapse?

Yao Ming's question wasn't just about this Bulls game, but about the entire season.

As a promising team primarily composed of rookies, the Chicago Bulls achieved a record of 49 wins and 33 losses last season, ranking fifth in the Eastern Conference.

In fact, based solely on their record, they should be ranked third in the Eastern Conference, having won only one less game than the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished as runners-up in the NBA that season.

Unfortunately, they were in the Central Division along with the first-place Pistons and the second-place Cavaliers in the East, so according to the rules, they ended up in fifth place.

They actually played quite well in last season's playoffs!

In the first round, they swept the defending champion Miami Heat, who had both Wade and O'Neal, 4-0; in the second round, they battled the Detroit Pistons for six games, and finally lost 2-4.

Compared to last season, their roster remains largely unchanged, except for the retirement of the aging PJ Brown.

But they also added Joe Smith, the 95 number one draft pick, who is still in pretty good form!

However, so far this season, the Bulls have a record of 9 wins and 15 losses, and with tonight's game, that number will be 16. The playoffs seem to be slipping further and further away from them.

The team's current key young players include Kirk Hinrich, a 03 rookie, and Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni (an undrafted player), and Chris Duhon, all of whom were 04 rookies.

Logically, these new players are improving, so the team should be getting stronger!

But then, the Chicago Bulls' record collapsed in the new season.

The reasons could be multifaceted:

First, Ben Wallace has grown a year older, and the defensive system built around him has begun to crumble.

Last season, when Ben Wallace joined Chicago, the Bulls' defense was immediately and significantly strengthened.

They limited opponents to 93.8 points, ranking third in the Eastern Conference and sixth in the entire league.

Ben Wallace's guidance inspired the Bulls' young players to actively engage in defense, with Kirk Hinrich even making the All-Defensive Second Team.

The decline in the Bulls' overall strength led to the collapse of their defensive system.

So far this season, opponents have scored 100.9 points against them, a full 7.1 points more than last season.

Secondly, the Kobe Bryant trade drama during the offseason caused the young Bulls players to lose their composure and their will to fight for Chicago.

After all, I'm just a commodity to be traded at will. Why work myself to death when I can just coast through life?

Third, the potential of newcomers must be fully realized.

After all, neither Hinrich nor Ben Gordon and others are people with exceptionally high potential.

Their excellent performance last season has almost pushed them to the limit of their potential.

The problem now is that the competitive form of the five new players has collectively declined in the new season, which is something that deserves serious consideration.

Of course, there could be other reasons for the Bulls' collapse.

After all, as a prestigious team with a long history, the Chicago Bulls have had far too many scandals.

As Coach Zhang predicted, neither Yang Lin nor Yao Ming played in the final quarter.

Even so, facing a Chicago team that seemed to have given up, the Rockets still managed a 30-28 lead in the final quarter, winning by another 2 points in that quarter.

The following morning, the Rockets flew from Chicago to the border city of Detroit.

On the plane, everyone was busy with their own things.

Matt Barnes, who was browsing the news, suddenly laughed loudly: "Haha~~ Guys! Look at the news. Chicago got thrashed by us and fired their head coach."

Yang Lin was curious and started searching.

News reports indicate that this morning, John Patterson, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Chicago Bulls, announced the formal dismissal of Scott Skiles, the team's head coach, due to the team's poor performance in the new season.

Patterson issued an official statement: "This was a difficult decision, but it was a necessary measure at this time. Scott has been a great help to the team during his tenure as coach."

"Most importantly, he led the team to regain people's respect. I admire his hard work and the positive impact he has had on the team."

Skiles was fired, becoming the first head coach to be dismissed in the NBA during the 2007/08 season.

Barnes' statement was somewhat exaggerated; Skiles' dismissal seemed to be entirely due to the Rockets' big win last night.

But the real reason is that the Bulls' record collapsed in the new season, and head coach Skiles just happened to be the perfect scapegoat.

Of course, the Rockets' big win last night also played a role, giving Skiles a serious blow to his coaching position.

This shattered the Bulls' management's last illusions.

Tell them: This team needs to make changes; their peak was left for last year.

The season continues on December 23.

The Rockets' last game of four games in five days is a back-to-back road game against the Detroit Pistons.

When people mention the Pistons, the first thing that comes to mind is their arena.

The Palace of Auburn Hills is one of the most prestigious arenas in the NBA.

In terms of global recognition alone, the league can perhaps only rival Madison Square Garden in New York and Staples Center in Los Angeles.

And as time goes by, Madison and Staples Center may gradually decline and then disappear.

But the legend of the Palace of Auburn Hills will surely be recorded in history, providing ample fodder for conversation in the future.

After all, fights between players are not uncommon in sports, but it is extremely rare for players to beat up fans and cause a major battle.

Most importantly, that idiot Artest attacked the wrong person, adding a unique kind of fun to the brawl.

After entering the stadium in the evening, Yang Lin observed the interior of the stadium with great interest.

Seeing this, Yao Ming asked curiously, "What are you looking at? What's so interesting? Aren't most arenas in the league laid out similarly?"

Yang Lin replied with a smile, "I'm mentally simulating the fight that happened here before! If we were to encounter it, how would we secure a favorable position?"

"Haha~~ Yang, that's not easy to meet."

New recruit Matt Barnes suddenly chimed in, jokingly saying, "First, we need a Ron Artest. Although most players in our league don't seem very smart, some are even brain-dead."

"But finding another Ron won't be easy. That guy's hot-tempered and prone to mental lapses. Most importantly, he's incredibly strong."

Having played for multiple teams and successfully built a successful livestreaming career after retirement, it's clear that Barnes is an extroverted person.

He's only been with the Rockets for three or four days, but he's already become familiar with his teammates and can chat with anyone.

Well... most importantly, he knows whose coattails he should rely on in the team.

That's right! It's you, Leader Yang, please accept the loyalty of my prodigal son, Matt Barnes.

At 8 PM, the starting players for both sides took to the field.

The Rockets' starting lineup remains unchanged, still featuring the core trio of Young, Yao, and McGrady, paired with perimeter defensive stalwart Battier and beastly power forward Wilcox.

The starting lineup for the home team, the Pistons, tonight is: Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess, and Rasheed Wallace.

Tsk tsk~~

Looking at the opposing starting five, Yang Lin felt a pang of regret.

With Ben Wallace gone, the Pistons are no longer the same team they once were; next season, Chauncey Billups will be traded to Allen Iverson.

At that time, the era of the Iron-Blooded Pistons will officially come to an end.

This was Yang Lin's first and last time facing the incomplete Iron-Blooded Pistons.

See you next season, the Pistons will be a different team.

This Pistons team has only won the Larry O'Brien Trophy once, so why do they seem to have left a deep mark on NBA history?