One Guard

"Coach Carlisle, please tell me that you will not attend today's game. Is the news true!?"

"Yi, are you really not going to play today?"

"If he doesn't play, who will you use to defend Kyle Lowry? Tony Allen or Darren Collison."

When the Mavericks players appeared in the tunnel, countless reporters swarmed over and stretched their microphones. If the stadium security had not stopped the reporters, Carlisle and Yiyang would probably have been unable to move forward.

Although Carlisle and Yiyang did not answer any reporters' questions, judging from Yiyang's state, this guy was indeed very abnormal today.

Yiyang holds a pack of tissue paper in his hand, wiping his nose at any time. His eyes were dull and he seemed to walk limply. Judging from the rich experience of these reporters, the fact that Yiyang contracted the flu must have really not escaped!

On the other side, the Raptors and their team naturally cannot escape the "hunt" of the media. DeRozan, Lowry and black coach Dwayne Casey have become the three most popular.

"I don't know if he will play, but whether he plays or not, I will do my best to try to stop the losing streak." Facing the camera, DeRozan spread his hands indifferently. It doesn't matter to him whether Yiyang plays or not.

DeRozan was in great shape today and he was determined to win the game. Even if Yiyang is here, he can't change DeRozan's goal.

"If I don't play, the pressure on me will definitely be a lot less." Lowry's answer was very honest. No point guard in the league wants to play against Yiyang, not even Paul. If Yiyang is really absent due to illness, it will undoubtedly be a good thing for Lori.

"Whether Yi is playing or not, we must respond seriously. A team that can set a 20-game winning streak certainly does not rely on the efforts of one star. Of course, without Yi, we will take more initiative at home. !" Dwayne Casey looked calm on the surface, but he was actually very excited inside. The extreme low temperature in Toronto really helped him a lot!

Although the Mavericks are still very strong, without Yiyang, the difficulty of this game will undoubtedly drop a lot.

After being interviewed by reporters, Casey stepped onto the court with his head held high. The land of the North cannot be invaded!

While the players were warming up on the court, the cameras of the on-site photographers were focused on the visiting team's bench at the Air Canada Center. There, Yiyang sat alone, holding a cup of hot water in his hand.

The players on the field were already sweating profusely, but Yiyang was still wrapped in his training clothes, picking up the tissue next to him to wipe his nose from time to time.

"Earlier today, news broke that he would not be able to play because he had the flu. At the time, I thought it was just another boring rumor, but now it seems that it is indeed true." Looking at others warming up, Yiyang still remained Sitting on the bench, the question of whether Yiyang can play naturally has an answer.

Until the start of the game, Yiyang sat on the bench and did not get up. At the beginning of the game, Darren Collison took off his training clothes and started for the first time this season. As for Yiyang, the staff handed him a blanket, and Yiyang covered him with it. As a "spectator", he started today's game comfortably.

At the beginning of the game, DeRozan took the lead in the mid-range position. Facing Tony Allen's defense, DeRozan directly stepped back and made a jump shot.

On the commentary table, Chris Webber was still complaining about whether DeRozan was a little too excited. As a result, the basketball hollowed into the net and rolled up "white waves".

"To take the lead in front of Tony Allen, it seems that DeRozan is in unusual condition today." Weber looked at DeRozan's performance in the past three games. 24 points, 25 points and 23 points, very stable.

But facing the Mavericks, just scoring twenty points doesn't seem to be enough...

After scoring, DeRozan happily high-fived Lowry. His condition was as good as it was during training!

Seeing DeRozan score, Yiyang didn't feel too nervous.

Basketball is different from football. You can't let a team or a player not score a goal for an entire game. Scoring a goal first doesn't mean anything, being able to continue until the end is a reflection of strength.

However, just twenty seconds later, DeRozan scored again.

"Alley-oop dunk, pass from Kyle Lowry! DeRozan's cut in was so sudden that even Tony Allen had no time to react. The two backcourt partners have a tacit understanding. Lowry's pass and DeRozan's Luo Zan’s timing for taking off is perfect!”

Hanging on the basket, DeRozan refused to let go. He remembered the first words Lori said to him after Guy left a month ago.

"It's up to us now, either we do a good job or we have to get out!"

Then, let's do it!

Scoring two goals in a row will undoubtedly boost DeRozan's confidence! He became more focused, and DeRozan's subsequent performance made Yiyang's brows frown deeper and deeper on the bench.

In the first quarter of the game, the name Webber mentioned the most was DeRozan. Mid-range shots, breakthroughs, and damage, except for three-pointers, DeRozan can do almost everything. You know, he is facing Tony Allen!

DeRozan has already caused the Mavericks to struggle on the court, and entering the rotation time, due to the lack of Yiyang, Carlisle had to let Devin Harris, a veteran who has faded out of people's attention for a long time, come off the bench.

Devin Harris was once one of the best point guards in the league, and he happened to become famous with the Mavericks. After visiting various teams in the league and coming back, Harris has changed from a handsome boy to an old guy. But again, his abilities have deteriorated with age and injuries.

At the beginning of this season, even though Harris didn't play much, he experienced many injuries, large and small, just in training. Fortunately, Harris is healthy today, otherwise Cuban and Carlisle may have to go to the Development League to find gold.

Although Harris is still famous, his strength is indeed not much left. Coupled with the fact that he has not played a formal game for a long time, Harris is in very bad condition.

Facing the impact of the Raptors' backup guard, Venezuelan Greves Vasquez, Harris was completely helpless. With height, strength and speed, Harris was completely suppressed by the Venezuelans!

If the first nine minutes of the game were DeRozan's personal performance, then the last three minutes of the rotation were Vasquez's stage.

In 3 minutes, Vasquez scored 6 points and 2 assists, making Harris helplessly shake his head. Time and injuries are really the biggest enemies of professional players.

At the end of the first quarter, the Raptors led 30 to 19 by 11 points. Carlisle stood up anxiously with the tactical board and walked to the pile of players. Yiyang was alone outside, which felt quite unpleasant. He is clearly on the court, but yet outside the game. Yiyang clenched his fists, but what could he do if he went up like this?

After the start of the second quarter, according to Carlisle's arrangement, Nowitzki and Iguodala increased the number of active shots. Raptors power forward Amir Johnson is a player with a rough style of play who likes to use his strong body to solve problems on the defensive end. But facing Nowitzki's shooting point that is nearly 3 meters high, Amir Johnson, who is 2.06 meters tall, can't make up for it no matter how strong he is. You know, the basket used in NBA games is only 3.05 meters.

With Nowitzki's outstanding performance, the Mavericks gradually closed the score. Seeing that the situation of the game was about to turn around, DeRozan stepped forward again!

This time, DeRozan did not make mistakes in the mid-range, but continuously attacked the basket.

It stands to reason that with Gobert guarding the basket, it is not a wise choice for DeRozan to attack the basket. But today, the referee's whistle seemed to favor the Raptors playing at home. DeRozan repeatedly committed fouls and went to the free throw line, making Carlisle so angry that he cursed off the court.

After DeRozan, Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas, the No. 5 pick in 2011, also began to perform. Four early fouls made Gobert timid on the defensive end, which undoubtedly gave Valanciunas many scoring opportunities.

Under the attack of DeRozan and Valanciunas inside and outside, at the end of the half, the Raptors widened the point difference to 15 points. Nowitzki's performance alone is impossible to compete with.

"No, the Mavericks played very hard today! If their performance does not improve in the second half of the game, the 20-game winning streak will most likely be broken in Toronto!" Weber shook his head. The Mavericks were really unlucky.

If they play normally, the Mavericks have the ability to suppress the Raptors even without Yiyang. But today, without Yiyang, DeRozan had an explosive performance. He scored 18 points in the first half of the game, and his shooting percentage was very high. For the Mavericks, who have lost their star player, this is undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

After the start of the third quarter, Iguodala finally stopped "playing dead". Although Terrence Ross, the No. 8 pick in 2012, is a jumping man with gorgeous dunks, he is still too green, and Iguodala repeatedly caught loopholes on the offensive end.

However, the efforts of Iguodala and Nowitzki did not make the score much closer. Because after they score, DeRozan and Lowry, who are in great condition, can always get the score back.

At the end of the third quarter, DeRozan had scored 32 points. The Raptors still lead by 10 points!

Nowitzki and Iguodala both performed at a high level, but it's a pity that DeRozan simply exceeded his level.

"DeMar DeRozan showed no mercy. Consecutive losses to teams like the Lakers and Bobcats seemed to have given him a strong desire to win. There were only 12 minutes left in the game, but DeRozan had already scored 32 points. I wouldn't be surprised if he scored more than 40 today." Weber was completely impressed by DeRozan's performance. The lanky guard's upper limit seems to be greater than people think.

In the fourth quarter of the game, Dwayne Casey did not allow the Raptors' violent offense to continue. Because this black coach knows that if he wants to win the game, he must rely on defense.

Now, the Raptors have achieved a considerable 10-point advantage. Therefore, he can also change the focus of the game from offense to defense.

The increased defensive intensity of the Raptors put the Mavericks in a quagmire. Iguodala was double-teamed, and Valanciunas, who was tall and long-armed, defended Nowitzki personally. While playing solid defense, DeRozan can also make a difference on the offensive end.

At 2 minutes and 48 seconds of the fourth quarter, DeRozan took a mid-range shot directly after receiving a pass from Lowry. The basketball hit the net as hollow as before. Tony Allen held his head in his hands in frustration. He actually let that guy hit him. Scored 40 points!

"With 40 points, DeMar DeRozan broke his career-high scoring record! God, I think even LeBron would have a hard time scoring 40 points on Tony's head. What else can I say? ? This is a night destined to belong to DeMar! The Mavericks' winning streak is over!"

After DeRozan scored, Carlisle stopped the game again. That guy was in such a hot state that it was impossible to restrain himself.

Yiyang originally thought that the team could win without him. But looking at it now, the actual situation is far from what was imagined.

2 minutes and 47 seconds, 12 points difference. It looked like the Mavericks' winning streak was destined to be buried. Just when Carlisle was at a loss, he seemed to feel someone tugging on his suit.

Carlisle looked back and saw that it was Yiyang.

"I want to go out there and try."

As soon as Yiyang said these words, he immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the team.

"Huh?" The confused Carlisle didn't know how to answer, so he let out a conditional response.

"In the last two minutes or so, I want to go on the field and give it a try." Yiyang repeated what he said, then lifted the blanket, stood up and stretched his arms.

Does a 20-game winning streak matter? Of course it's important. But to be honest, Yiyang doesn't really care about futile things like winning streaks. Not every team on the winning streak list has won the O'Brien Trophy.

Since a winning streak cannot get you the O'Brien Cup, then this thing is not the most important thing to Yiyang.

But if he had to sit on the sidelines and watch the team lose, Yiyang really couldn't do it.

It’s not about records, it’s about wins and losses.

Everyone in the Mavericks team was stunned, but Yiyang's eyes were extremely firm.