One Guard

When the NBA playoffs are still in full swing, except for the series between the Mavericks and the Warriors that ended early, the intensity of other games is far beyond people's imagination. But it is worth mentioning that the Miami Heat also swept their opponents Charlotte Bobcats with a total score of 4-0 in the first round and easily advanced. The Mavericks and Heat are also the only two teams that have not lost in the entire first round.

It seems that the chances of these two powerful teams meeting in the finals have increased a lot. 1VS6 promotional advertisements have been placed in every corner of the world by the NBA.

But now, everyone on the Mavericks has no energy to think about things related to the Heat. Breaking out of the west is the most important goal at the moment.

In the West, the Thunder and Trail Blazers were inseparable from the start. Facing the Grizzlies, who are known for their defense, the Spurs encountered much greater obstacles than expected. The meeting between the Rockets and the Clippers was like a duel between Mars and the Earth.

This season, the Rockets' goal with the "Demon" combination is not just the playoffs. Rockets general manager Morey's goal for the team this year is the Western Conference Finals, which means they must at least reach the third round to meet expectations.

After two seasons of failure, the Los Angeles Clippers are already coveting the championship trophy this year. The Clippers, who have Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford and championship coach Doc Rivers, don't want to be like the previous two seasons in which they suffered a lot of losses. Go home early under the spotlight.

Therefore, the series between the Clippers and Rockets was extremely intense. So far, the two sides have tied at 2-2, and no point difference has exceeded double digits in any of the four games.

Watching these two teams battle it out in the playoffs, Carlisle was undoubtedly the happiest. No matter who advances, the Rockets or the Clippers, they will consume a lot of energy and physical fitness if they want to defeat the other party. These things are undoubtedly very beneficial to the Mavericks.

What Carlisle has to do now is to be prepared. For both the Rockets and Clippers, Carlisle arranged special tactical training. Anyway, the Mavericks now have plenty of time to adjust. Who makes them the first team in the league to advance?

On April 29, the third day after the Mavericks eliminated the Warriors, the gray-bearded Vince Carter finally returned to the familiar locker room.

Although Carter only averaged 10.9 points per game this season, Nick Young also took his place well during his absence. But when the "Old Flying Man" returned, the Mavericks still gave their most intense screams.

Looking at the enthusiastic locker room and the exciting atmosphere of the battle, Carter felt like he was alive again. Sure enough, professional basketball is the world that truly belongs to him.

Although the days of resting at home were relaxing, Carter felt empty in his heart. Back in the locker room, this guy felt a sense of belonging.

"Boy, you seem to be particularly aggressive during my absence!" After accepting the warm welcome from his teammates, everything returned to normal in the locker room. Carter walked up to Yiyang and extended his hand to the young Chinese defender.

"I promised you that I would let the team reach the finals." Yiyang raised his arm and fist bumped with Carter. The promise made to Carter at the bedside at that time was more than just a yes.

Four months and 26 days later, Carter disappeared from the court for almost five months. In five months, although Yiyang has experienced many different things, large and small. But his promise to Carter was never forgotten.

"When did they say you could play?" Seeing Carter starting to change clothes in front of the locker, Yiyang asked with concern.

"Now I can go on the court and do some recovery training, but I'm afraid I have to wait a month before I can play." Catha took out a training uniform with his name and number printed on it, with the name of the Dallas Mavericks on the chest and his own on the back. name.

Looking at the jersey, the corners of Carter's mouth curled up slightly. Long time no see,

Old boy.

"A month from now? It's almost time to play the finals by then." Yiyang calculated in his mind that June was the hot summer season for the finals.

"That's right...the finals." Carter muttered, imagining a stage that he had never touched before.

Over the years, not only has Carter not won the O'Brien Trophy, he has actually never entered the Finals, and has never even entered the Eastern Conference Finals as an "absolute core". God is always joking with this "old flying man" and makes him fall into the sand again and again.

Carter was at his peak during the Raptors period. "UFO" stayed in Toronto for more than 6 years. The best year was in 2001. The Raptors and the 76ers played 7 games. In the tiebreaker, Carter failed to win and watched Ivor. Sen won the victory, so many people think that Carter has entered the Eastern Conference finals as the core. This is not the case. The 2001 duel with Iverson took place in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Eastern Conference finals that year was the 76ers against the Bucks, and it was Iverson. Sen and Ray Allen's soaring scoring battle, and Carter, in his more than 6-year career in Toronto, the furthest he got was the Eastern Conference semifinals.

In the 2004-2005 season, the Nets acquired Carter through a trade, so some people also have the illusion that "Carter and Kidd have reached the Finals." But in fact, Kidd did enter the finals for two consecutive years, but that was in 2002 and 2003. Starting from the 2004-2005 season, Carter stayed in New Jersey for more than 4 years, and the furthest time was still the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Later, in the 2009-2010 season, Carter was sent to the Orlando Magic, and another illusion was born here that "Carter has reached the Finals with the Magic." However, in fact, the Magic entered the finals in the 2008-2009 season, and Carter missed it all again. Therefore, Carter did not enter the Finals with Orlando, but he did touch the floor of the Eastern Conference Finals in his two years here. The 2010 Eastern Conference Finals pitted the Magic against the Celtics, but at that time, Carter was no longer at his peak. He averaged only 13.7 points per game against the Celtics, and was far from being considered a "core player."

Over the years in Carter's career, he has always missed the finals very "just by chance". He seemed to be born with a curse. Every team he joined would eventually miss the finals.

But this year... Carter turned his head and looked at Yiyang who was seriously putting on his equipment. This year, that boy should be able to break this "curse".

Returning to the training ground, Carter felt that everything around him was so familiar. Carlisle, who always stood on the sidelines with his hands folded across his chest, tortured the trainer on the court, who was sweating profusely. Gobert and Tony Allen, who have always been obsessed with practicing defense, Nick Young, who always loves to compete with his teammates on three-pointers...

Carter smiled, picked up the basketball on the floor, and threw it casually. You must also work harder! Five months have already made him fall far behind others.

Just because he asked Yiyang to lead the team to the finals does not mean that Carter is the kind of player who is willing to win the championship on his own.

He has even thought about it. Even if he still fails to win the championship at the age of 40, he will not do anything like teaming up to win the championship. Because a championship won like that means nothing to Carter.

Therefore, Carter just wants to train well now. In the finals, I also contributed to the team! Only in this way can he hold the O'Brien Cup with peace of mind.

Carter clenched his fists and his expression became serious. Everyone, please work hard!

※※※

Although they advanced early, the Mavericks never relaxed in training. Since eliminating the Warriors, Carlisle has been paying attention to the Clippers and Rockets games every day, studying the opponent's play style, and then practicing corresponding restraint tactics in the training field.

Even though there is no competition, everyone's training intensity is not low at all. Even Carter, who had just returned from injury, worked so hard, and there was no reason for others to be lazy.

Finally, on May 3, Carlisle did not keep the players for extra practice, but sent them home early at 5 p.m.

Today is the day of the tiebreaker between the Clippers and Rockets. As expected, these two teams fought to the end.

And the final winner of this game will become the Mavericks' opponent the day after tomorrow! Therefore, Carlisle takes this game very seriously. He sent all the players home early just to watch the game.

In this year's playoffs, Paul continued his high level as always. Although the points per game in the playoffs are three points less than last year, the assists per game are four more.

There is no doubt that this year's Clippers are no longer the team that only relied on Paul to support them. Griffin and DeAndre Jordan have become more mature, and Redick and Barnes have also provided the team with strong firepower. Not to mention, Jamal Crawford, the big killer on the Clippers bench.

Even if Paul doesn't have to score personally, he can very well lead the team to win the game just by passing the ball. Only in this way can Paul's greatest role be brought into play. You have to believe that after Paul activated the entire team's offense, his firepower was unmatched by Paul playing alone.

Today's tiebreaker is a typical "Paul-style" game.

On the court, Paul can not only score by himself, but also allow his teammates to get easy scoring opportunities. Even Carlisle, who was used to watching Yiyang's performances, couldn't help but be amazed by Paul's strength. Paul is more mature and stable, and has much more experience than Yiyang. If the Clippers advance, Yiyang's opponent will be very difficult to deal with.

On the court, Howard was tortured to death by Griffin and DeAndre Jordan's defense. The Rockets' scoring burden falls on Harden's shoulders.

But Harden's shooting percentage today was extremely low. Matt Barnes' rough defense made Harden unable to find his form.

During the rotation, Jamal Crawford, the popular candidate for Sixth Man of the Year this season, also performed well.

Under Paul's excellent organization, 6 Clippers players scored in double figures today, and 4 points scored in the 20s!

When a team is in such good shape, it's almost impossible for them to lose.

In the end, Paul and his Clippers persisted until the end and won the tiebreaker with a score of 126 to 121.

After the game, Carlisle's heart was pounding in front of the TV. Paul's performance completely conquered him.

"22 points and 14 assists helped six Clippers score in double figures! Chris Paul, he completely controlled the game on his own! The young combination of James Harden and Howard had to accept the early defeat. The fate of being eliminated!" Mike Breen said, applauding Paul. "This also means that Yi and Chris, the strongest point guards in the league, are about to collide head-on!"

After the game, Griffin looked extremely excited. Today, Griffin scored a team-high 24 points, ridding the interior guarded by Howard with holes.

"Congratulations on successfully advancing to the Western Conference semifinals. Do you still have the confidence to win against the powerful Mavericks in the next round?" A reporter asked, and the expression on Griffin's face suddenly disappeared.

Yiyang... Mavericks... playoffs, these words are mixed together, which does not sound good to Griffin.

From the time he entered the league until now, Griffin has always been outnumbered by Yiyang. The year Paul first joined the Clippers two seasons ago, they were swept 4-0 by the Mavericks.

Dallas Mavericks? It's really a narrow road between enemies.

Griffin stared at the reporter seriously and pointed at the camera. Carlisle in front of the TV even had the illusion that this kid was talking to him.

"Just wait, we will complete our revenge!"

After Griffin finished speaking, he glared at the camera for a few seconds, as if he could see through the Mavericks players in front of the TV.

The threat from Los Angeles is getting closer and closer.