One Guard

Nowitzki and Yiyang, these two guys once again occupied the headlines of major newspapers and news websites in Dallas. A German and a Chinese conquered the whole world on the American basketball court.

Dirk Nowitzki's second-highest 48 points of his career and Yiyang's another double-double in the playoffs as a rookie... In the shadow of these two guys, young Oklahoma Thunder looked so vulnerable.

In the first game, the Mavericks won by 10 points. For perhaps the first time this season, it's the Mavericks' opponents, not the Mavericks themselves.

For Yiyang, in yesterday's game, apart from his exquisite passing and high scoring efficiency, the most talked about was his airtight defense.

Westbrook, a guard who is as crazy as a bison and unstoppable, was blocked by Yiyang's "iron wall" throughout the game. The whole game was defended by Yiyang and only hit 3 goals, which was simply a stain on Westbrook's career.

There are a lot of guards who can score in this league, and there are also many who can pass the ball. Defenders who can contain the opponent's offense from the outside don't seem to be scarce. But the number of guys who can take care of the above three aspects at the same time will drop sharply. And Yiyang is one of them.

Yiyang successfully covered Westbrook, whether on or off the court, Westbrook has become a backdrop for Yiyang.

Even the fans could see how hard Westbrook was facing Yiyang. How could Scott Brooks, who was directing the game from the sidelines last night, not see the problem?

Impatience, easy to mess up everything at critical moments, and clear fluctuations in game performance... These have all formed labels one by one, and Brooks put them on Westbrook.

So far in the nba playoffs, only four teams are still fighting fiercely. In order to ensure that fans have a ball to watch every day, the four teams will play a game every other day, and then the two games will be staggered from each other.

In other words, Brooks does not have time to make too many tactical changes. One day is not enough for the young Thunder to change their style of play. The only thing Brooks can do is to make adjustments in personnel.

This guy looks at the players on the practice field. Westbrook is still full of energy, but the way he plays is still too rough. Eventually, Brooks' eyes fell on the bearded James Harden.

"Anderson, how many points did James score last night?" Brooks beckoned and called his assistant coach to his side.

The black coach named Anderson looked through the statistics of yesterday's game,

I found the column with the name "James Harden".

"12 points, played 17 minutes, scored 12 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds."

"17 minutes? Well..." Brooks remembered that because Harden's performance on the defensive end was very bad yesterday, he didn't give the bearded young man too many opportunities to play.

During the regular season this season, Harden averaged 26.7 minutes per game and contributed 12.2 points. As a young sixth man, this is already a very good achievement. But yesterday, Harden scored 12 points in just 17 minutes. Under the shortcomings of poor defense, the bearded man actually played such a high offensive efficiency.

"Do you think it will be effective if we increase James' playing time in the next game?" Brooks didn't make a decision immediately, but discussed with the assistant coach beside him.

"James is a good sixth man. He always brings us some surprises from time to time. But in the period when the Mavericks replaced Terry, we'd better not let James play. Terry guy, the last one There is no less sweetness in James in this game."

"Hmm..." Brooks nodded thoughtfully, Harden and Westbrook, these two guys are really not worrying at all.

※※※

The Thunder's training lasted until noon. After the players had a nutritious lunch, they returned to the training ground to rest. An hour later, Brooks will resume training.

The players sat on the ground in twos and threes, chatting without saying a word.

But one of the players with a big beard was sitting under the basket with a basketball in his arms, as if he was thinking about something.

Harden was a little depressed. He only played 17 minutes in the last game, and he didn't get any chance to perform at all. Seeing Westbrook rushing around with the ball at the last moment, and then being blocked by Yiyang, Harden felt that he might as well let himself go up and try.

But...how could he do it? He was a prodigy at Cal, he was a savior at Arizona State, and he was the third pick in the first round. Stern called out to the stage before Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Ricky Rubio and other big names.

But Brooks said to Harden on the first day: "We need you to act as a substitute."

Harden always thought that he would be the starting shooting guard, but since the team let him serve as a substitute, he should remain humble and continue to work hard!

Stay humble and keep working hard, this is Harden's mentality as a substitute player. Complain about the starters wasting too many chances? Harden is very clear that that is not within his rights.

Do your own thing and wait for the opportunity to come. James Harden has no complaints, he sweats silently on the training ground, striving to grasp every minute of playing in the next game.

Just when Harden was thinking wildly, Brooks walked into the training ground and blew the whistle in his mouth. The players got up one after another, preparing for the next stage of training.

"How are you resting?" Brooks spoke only after the players gathered in front of him.

"Not bad, boss!" the players answered in unison.

"Okay, stop being brave. I know, all of you are exhausted to death now. Three days and two games, this kind of intensive schedule is only possible in the world. But, this is the playoffs, guys No one can easily go to the end, we are tired, and the guys from the Mavericks are also not much better! So, cheer up! In the afternoon, we will mainly conduct 5-on-5 simulated actual combat training! Who If you don't take it seriously in the next training, you won't even think about playing tomorrow!"

"Understood, boss!" The Thunder team has always been a young army, and they are still full of passion for training.

The players dispersed one after another and began to warm up to prepare for the next confrontational training. Just when Harden turned over and was about to leave, Brooks stopped him.

"James, come here."

Harden turned around in surprise and froze for a second. After confirming that the coach was calling him, he walked slowly to Brooks.

"Tomorrow's game, I want to increase your playing time. I also need you to take more shots and strive to perform well on the offensive end. So in the confrontation training later, I hope you can do this."

"Increase playing time!?" After listening to Brooks, Harden showed his white teeth.

"Of course, but if you are still absent-minded on the defensive end, I will replace you immediately!" Seeing Harden smile, Brooks immediately gave him another "vaccination".

"Hey, I will do my best, boss!" Harden patted his chest, then ran back to the field excitedly, picked up the basketball and started warming up.

Opportunities sometimes come without warning.

Brooks looked at the young Harden, but he didn't know what to do. This team is really too young. If you want to say who can shoulder the heavy responsibility, there is really no one sure candidate.

I hope that guy who is still growing will not let himself down tomorrow.

※※※

"Beep beep beep beep!" The referee's harsh whistle sounded again, and Chandler roared at the referee in dissatisfaction, but was pushed aside by Marion in time.

In the stands, Mavericks fans booed violently. These boos seem to have been uninterrupted all night.

"James Harden caused Tyson Chandler's foul. This is Chandler's fourth foul of the game! There are 8 minutes left in the game. As the mainstay of the Mavericks' interior defense, Chandler must Control your own fouls!" Kenny Smith then looked at the technical statistics, Harden has scored 15 points today, in the fourth quarter, the offensive frenzy supported by this guy and Durant made the Mavericks' defense Very tight.

"If James Harden makes two free throws, then the Thunder will overtake the score! Today Harden's performance is very eye-catching, and he has now scored more than Westbrook after coming off the bench. Westbrook has already made 3 turnovers , James Harden's turnover data is still 0!"

The words of Kenny Smith and Barkley undoubtedly do not reveal a message - Harden's state today is hotter than the beauties in bikinis on the beach in Los Angeles.

Seeing Harden standing on the free throw line again, Carlisle could only shake his head helplessly. Harden, a player who changes hands in the air and finds shooting space, is very rich. He can always find a little space for shooting from the gaps in the defender's arms, avoid being blocked by the opponent, make a successful shot, and then make a foul . Chandler is not an insider who is easy to be fouled, but Harden's realistic fake moves made the "boxing champion" fooled several times.

When Harden received a pass from the referee at the free throw line, the boos of the home fans reached an instant climax. But the bearded young man turned a deaf ear. He made two free throws steadily and helped the Thunder take an important lead at the critical moment of the fourth quarter!

Subsequently, Stevenson received a pass from Yiyang at the three-point line. Facing Harden, this defensive guard was very confident and shot directly.

But to Stevenson's surprise, Harden's defense today was very active! Stevenson was not an excellent three-point shooter, and he lost all his sights when he was interfered by Harden. The basketball hit the left side of the basket and knocked out of the frame. Westbrook grabbed the defensive rebound himself and quickly pushed the counterattack!

However, this No. 0 guard is still too impatient today. It seems that the more anxious the game is, the shorter the remaining time, the more anxious this guy is.

Under Yiyang's anti-interference, Westbrook actually dribbled the ball to the instep, causing the basketball to go out of bounds. Such a good fast break opportunity was wasted by a low-level mistake, which made all Thunder players feel extremely sorry.

Westbrook lost the chain again at a critical moment, and Yiyang would not waste such an offensive opportunity that relied on defense. With Chandler's cover, Yiyang breaks into the three-point line, ready to stop and shoot a jumper.

Impatiently, Westbrook jumped up directly, trying to make up for his mistake just now with a block. However, the anxious state of mind has blinded Westbrook's eyes. Just now Yiyang just made a fake move of praying to Buddha, but did not really shoot. Westbrook's jump made himself lose his defensive position.

Therefore, Yiyang took a step back and used his favorite rhythm to make a mid-range shot. The basketball passed through the net, and the Mavericks regained the initiative.

Brooks called to stop the game. He really couldn't bear to see what happened the day before yesterday happen again. So, when the timeout ended and the game resumed, people were surprised to find that Westbrook was actually pressed on the bench!

The substitute for Westbrook was Erik Maynor, a second-year guard who performed well today. Prior to this, Maynor had already scored 13 points off the bench. surprise.

But Brooks replaced Maynor not in the hope that he would continue to score magically, but he believed that at least Maynor, a guy with a clear mind, would not mess things up!

Facts have proved that Brooks' positioning of Maynor is very correct. After encountering Yiyang's defense, Maynor instantly misfired on the offensive end. But compared to Westbrook. Maynor neither easily defends out of position, nor makes mistakes at critical moments. Most importantly, he doesn't stick to the ball.

The task of making up for Westbrook's offensive firepower fell on Harden.

The two teams played anxiously until the last two minutes of the game. Without Westbrook, the Thunder's offense seemed to be much smoother. At the critical moment, Harden did not lose the chain, but hit two consecutive three-pointers from the outside, opening the score in one fell swoop.

With 36.7 seconds left in the game, Yiyang found Nowitzki with a pass. Dirk shot from outside the three-point line, but was violated by Ibaka and got three free throws. However, the magical aura of the German making 24 of 24 free throws in the last game has obviously disappeared. Nowitzki only made two of three free throws. This is also the first time since the last game that Dirk missed free throws in the Western Conference Finals.

At this time, the Mavericks are 100 to 104 behind. Although the situation is very dangerous, there is still a chance.

The Thunder attacked again, and they held the power to end the game. Harden received a pass from Maynor outside the three-point line and played a pick-and-roll with Ibaka.

Ibaka completely stopped Stevenson, and Nowitzki certainly couldn't keep up with Harden. Just when Harden thought he could go straight to the rim to end the game, Yiyang, the Chinese man wearing the No. 1 jersey, suddenly stood in front of the bearded man!

"Yi's defensive speed is very fast, and he blocked Harden's breakthrough route in time!" Seeing Harden facing Yiyang, Kenny Smith became excited instantly as if he had seen tens of millions of dollars. . It's a pity that this group of duels appeared too late!

Harden had no choice but to return the ball to Maynor, and then tried to get rid of Yiyang through an off-ball pick-and-roll.

But Yiyang lingers around Harden like a ghost, no matter what the bearded man does, he just can't get rid of the "shadow" of Yiyang.

Yiyang's excellent defense completely locked up the outstanding James Harden. This guy who Brooks has high hopes for, can't even catch the ball now.

The Thunder were unable to organize an effective offense for a long time. In the last two seconds, Maynor's basketball was stabbed away by Stevenson. The two scrambled together, but the red light on the backboard suddenly remembered.

The Thunder team violated the 24-second violation, and the Mavericks defended this round in a daze!

"Yi and Stevenson did a great job. The defensive line formed by these two guards pulled the Mavericks back from the cliff!"

Critical moments, critical offenses. Carlisle stopped the game and replaced Terry and Peja to increase the offensive points on the outside.

Now that the Mavericks trailed by 4 points, the three-point shot became their only option.

Carlisle's arrangement is not complicated. Yiyang and Nowitzki play a pick-and-roll, and after attracting the defense, Yiyang sends the "cannonball" to Peja with a pass from behind that doesn't look at people.

However, Peja missed this key shot and hit the side of the basket. At that moment, all Mavericks fans hugged their heads in pain.

Yiyang hurriedly fouled Maynor who received the basketball. Foul tactics were the last struggle of the Mavericks.

It's a pity that Maynor, who was misfired by Yiyang for a whole quarter, was still at ease at the free throw line. He made two free throws and turned the score 106 to 100. At this time, there were only 2.3 seconds left before the end of the game.

This score was naturally maintained until the end of the game. James Harden raised his arms excitedly, ran to Brooks, and hugged the coach. Westbrook, who was on the bench, pulled his face together, out of tune with the joyous atmosphere around him.

As for Yiyang, the Chinese defender who did his best scored 15 points and 13 assists. He didn't leave immediately after losing, but stared at the bearded man.

Yiyang didn't expect the team to lose a home game, and he didn't expect Harden to replace Westbrook as the protagonist of the game.

It seems that his opponent is far more than Westbrook now...

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