LeBron James, your house got robbed.

With the referee's whistle to end the game, the Cavaliers ultimately defeated the Pacers 87-81 on the road, sharing the second-longest winning streak in history with the Rockets at 22 games.

The Cavaliers maintained a lead throughout the game, but the Pacers didn't let them off easy. Their tight defensive discipline and high-intensity play dragged the game into a quagmire.

Because Chen Shuo intervened and snatched Leonard away, the Spurs did not make a trade with the Pacers.

So the Pacers used their 15th pick to select the fallen model monster, Biyombo.

Standing at 2.06 meters tall with a 2.29-meter wingspan, he has absolutely no offensive ability; on the court, he only does three things: box out, grab rebounds, and block shots.

The Pacers' already formidable interior defense has taken it to another level. The frontcourt trio of Roy Hibbert, David West, Tyler Hansbrough, and Bismack Biyombo completely shut down the Pacers' paint.

George, Granger, and their forwards emphasized one-on-one defense, denying the Cavaliers opportunities for three-pointers and transition plays, forcing the Cavaliers to take difficult mid-range shots.

This directly resulted in Paul scoring 32 points and Garnett scoring 25 points, exhausting all their energy to win the game.

The Pacers in the East and the Memphis in the West are both tough, unyielding teams; even if you manage to get by, you'll still have to fight tooth and nail.

Unfortunately, the Cavaliers' next game in a back-to-back series will be in Chicago, where they will face another defensive powerhouse, the Bulls.

On the overnight flight to Chicago, the sounds of people sleeping were everywhere; the players, who were usually full of energy and always wanted to play a few games, were all fast asleep.

Chen Shuo took out noise-canceling headphones from his bag and hung them on his head.

The world became completely quiet, and Chen Shuo was no longer sleepy.

Even Chen Shuo felt a headache coming on when he thought about the Bulls' interior lineup.

The frontcourt of Noah, Asik, Boozer, and Gibson, except for Boozer who is strong on offense but weak on defense, are all formidable players.

Noah is basically KG at the center position on the defensive end, with quick footwork, good defensive awareness, and tireless play.

Most importantly, the French Shu Qi was equally passionate on the field, cheering on her teammates like a mad dog.

With such a defensive anchor on the court, even if the other players are a little weaker, the team's overall defense won't be too bad.

Moreover, substitutes Asik and Gibson are like meat grinders. All of their good backup big men are defensive types. Asik is a rim-protecting behemoth, while Gibson is an energy power forward who helps and fills gaps everywhere.

The Bulls' defensive lineup on the wing and guard lines was equally impressive. The Bulls' version of Luol Deng was still a defensive stalwart, and Ronnie Brewer relied on his tenacious defense to survive.

Perhaps the only defensive weakness of this Bulls team is Derrick Rose, the Windy City Rose.

But when the game gets intense, Rose's physical attributes mean he's still good enough at defense with the ball.

After facing two formidable defensive teams back-to-back, Chen Shuo finally understood how other teams felt when they saw the Cavaliers.

Just looking at it makes your legs feel weak.

Tonight is destined to be a tough battle.

……

United Center, Chicago.

As Jordan's tune began to play, even Chen Shuo felt a surge of excitement. As the rhythm reached its climax, the Bulls DJ shouted out with passion:

"Derrick Rose—"

Bulls' number 1 ran and jumped onto the court, bumping fists with his teammates one by one, his face as calm as a still lake, truly displaying the demeanor of a great general.

Chen Shuo genuinely enjoys watching Rose play, both before and after his time travel.

The cold noodle master is incredibly awesome.

His playing style was even more dazzling and stylish, making him the kind of person Chen Shuo dreamed of imagining himself as.

Unfortunately, Rose's playing style was destined to be short-lived.

They also encountered a slave-like head coach like Thibodeau.

Overdrafting is Thibodeau's basketball philosophy.

In the eyes of someone who would remain unmarried for life for the sake of basketball, risking everything to pursue ultimate honor is a worthwhile endeavor.

Therefore, hardworking and reliable athletes like Hart, Bogans, and Butler all got enough playing time under his guidance, thus defying their fate.

That's why Rose became the youngest MVP.

In contrast, veteran coach Sloan protected Deron Williams' knees from the beginning, not allowing him to make a lot of crossovers and isolation plays, but instead using the classic pick-and-roll.

However, Deron Williams was unwilling to become the next Stockton and longed to unleash his offensive talent on the offensive end.

Before the game started, Noah glanced at his idol Garnett, who was wearing a Cavaliers jersey, and wisely refrained from going up to greet him.

He still remembers the first time he faced Garnett on the court.

It was during a free throw when Noah called out to Garnett and told him that he was his idol.

Garnett suddenly became angry, his face full of rage:

"Get lost."

Noah was absolutely hysterical at that point, while Pierce next to him was laughing nonstop.

Pierce later told Noah that Garnett didn't make friends with his opponents on the court.

A slight lapse in concentration prevented Noah from jumping over Chandler.

Chen Shuo looked around.

Noah quickly grappled with Chandler, while Boozer used his iron elbows to push Garnett away, preventing the Wolf King from taking his place.

Thompson was no exception, and was closely guarded by Brewer.

Paul initiated a pick-and-roll play with the ball, but Chandler and Noah got into a scuffle.

Taking advantage of Chandler's dribbling breakthrough, Noah immediately moved to the three-point line to block, and when Rose returned to his position, Noah quickly returned to his original position.

Paul couldn't find space to pass the ball to Chandler who was cutting to the basket.

He then accelerated and drove past Rose as he returned to position, chasing after Noah. He suddenly stopped and jumped in front of the free-throw line, causing Rose to commit a rear-end foul.

Chen Shuo's expression became much more serious.

Paul drew fouls on the very first play, which speaks volumes about the intensity of the defense.

Noah's pick-and-roll defense is exactly the same as Garnett's at the tail end of his prime with the Celtics.

Upon seeing a pick-and-roll, he immediately moves to the three-point line to screen the ball handler, and then quickly catches up to the center rolling down the court, which is terrifying.

By the way, whether it was the Celtics back then or the Bulls now, their defensive systems both originated from Coach Thibodeau, who has a head of messy curly hair on the sidelines.

Thibodeau completely transplanted the Celtics' defensive style to the Bulls.

Noah simply played the role of Garnett, while the responsibility of protecting the boards in the paint was given to Boozer, who had a weak defense but a keen sense for rebounding.

This system can be traced back to Jeff Van Gundy. Thibodeau served as Van Gundy's assistant coach for both the Rockets and the Knicks. Van Gundy's lineage goes back to Pat Riley's tough defense during his years with the Knicks.

Riley spent years running Showtime with the Lakers, and when he came to the Knicks and saw the quality of the players, he simply copied the methods of Chuck Daly, the godfather of the Bad Boys.

One of the key elements of Daly's defense is that big men constantly move to the perimeter, using their bodies to collide with the ball handler, increasing physical exertion and disrupting the dribbling rhythm.

A brutal and effective tactic.

Especially in front of back-to-back Cavaliers, Chen Shuo had seen Thompson deliberately put his head into Boozer's iron elbow at least twice when he was running.

The Cavaliers, having just emerged from the quagmire of Indiana, were plunged into a brutal battle in Chicago, stumbling and falling on the court.

Since Thompson couldn't get into position, the offensive burden naturally fell to Paul.

Paul continued to call for a pick-and-roll, but he had no intention of passing the ball, even though his eyes were fixed on his teammates' movements, misleading the defenders.

But in several consecutive attempts, he made a hard-hitting move.

Mid-range shots, floaters, and even pull-up jumpers from beyond the three-point line.

Chen Shuo watched Paul make one determined shot after another on the court.

Some people don't understand this guy; is he doing this for the MVP boost of a 23-game winning streak?

Or maybe they just want to win.