One Guard

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After May 4th, the results of the first round of the Western Conference have been released.

After six games of fierce battle with the Trail Blazers, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally survived. Although they lost James Harden, the Thunder's goal in recent years is still the championship. They did not allow themselves to be eliminated in the first round, so this group of young people relied on their stronger willpower to survive until the end.

It also took the Spurs six games to escape from the "big mouth" of the Memphis Grizzlies. I have to admit that the Grizzlies' strength in recent years has indeed been terrifying. If they hadn't encountered the Mavericks led by Yiyang last season, they might have been able to make a mark in the Western Conference finals. This year, the Grizzlies were unlucky to encounter the Spurs again, and had no choice but to be eliminated early.

Among them, the one most closely related to the Mavericks is undoubtedly the series between the Clippers and the Rockets. It was not until last night that the two sides decided the final winner through a cruel tie-break. There seems to be no problem with which of the two teams, the Rockets and the Clippers, advance. Both teams are candidates for the championship filled with superstars. The head-to-head confrontation between Chris Paul and Yiyang also attracted the attention of many media.

"It's not that enemies are at odds. Judging from Griffin's comments after the game yesterday, the Clippers have not forgotten the shame of being swept out by the Mavericks two seasons ago. This year, the Clippers have a complete lineup and the team's integration is very good. Maturity. I’m afraid it won’t be easy for the Mavericks to get through.”

"Although the Mavericks have broken their 'Black Eight' curse, the real challenge is just about to begin now."

"Chris Paul is by no means a young Stephen Curry, and he will no longer be able to score at will in the game. In addition, the existence of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin also gives the Mavericks the ability to survive. The inside advantage disappeared instantly. This will be a head-to-head series, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all even if the two sides reach a tiebreaker."

The media regarded this game as a close matchup. The Mavericks are indeed very strong, but the Clippers are not a fuel-saving lamp.

Griffin is at the peak of his career this season. In the playoffs last season, he averaged only 13.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and was regarded by the media as a liability in the playoffs. But in this year's playoffs, Griffin averaged 23.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, making him a real right-hand man for Paul.

Griffin's newly developed mid-range shooting and support abilities make him more comfortable on the court. The No. 1 pick in 2009 has begun to transform into a true superstar.

On the other side, DeAndre Jordan has also grown into one of the best centers in the league. Last season's playoff average of 45% shooting and 6.3 rebounds made him just an inconspicuous part of the league's many blue-collar centers.

But in this year's playoffs, Jordan's finishing ability at the basket has greatly improved. Facing Howard in the first round of the series, he also averaged a super high shooting percentage of 75% per game. In addition, figures such as 12.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game are enough to illustrate how well this guy performs in the three-second zone.

When the Clippers' two insiders begin to grow, they will be paired with a more mature Paul and a group of excellent helpers. The Los Angeles Clippers this season are indeed very different from before.

It's no wonder that Griffin was so rampant after the game against the Rockets. In his eyes, the Clippers were simply unbeatable.

Just as the Mavericks are preparing for a good start at home. An official news from the league made Carlisle extremely unhappy.

That is, one day after the Rockets and Clippers series ended, and one day before the start of the Western Conference semifinals, NBA officials and Clippers officials announced at the same time that team guard Jamal Crawford was renewed for the first time in his career after the 2010 season. Won the best sixth man trophy for the second time.

Jamal Crawford averaged 18.6 points per game in the regular season.

Very explosive indeed. And this guy's role cannot be reflected by data alone. Sometimes when Griffin and Paul are in poor condition, Crawford can step up immediately, shoulder the responsibility of the star, and lead the team to victory.

This guy definitely has the ability to dominate the game. Presenting the award the day before the start of the Western Conference semifinals will undoubtedly greatly boost the morale of the Clippers players.

After seeing this news, Carlisle was even more sure. Tomorrow's game against the Mavericks is bound to be difficult.

"It seems that the opponent is coming with a lot of force." Looking at the overwhelming news on the news website related to the Clippers, Carlisle's assistant Armstrong shook his head. So far in the playoffs in the Western Conference, there are no weak teams. Although the Clippers did not advance until yesterday, this does not mean that they are definitely weaker.

"Didn't you hear what Griffin said? Young wants revenge."

"If you take it lightly, you might really get retaliated against." After Armstrong finished speaking, he looked towards the court. Fortunately, everyone worked very hard. They are not complacent because they swept the Warriors, because advancing to the first round will no longer make everyone on the Mavericks feel satisfied.

On the basketball court, Gobert and Dalembert are still practicing offense and defense under the basket. The favorite thing for these two muscular men every day is head-to-head combat, and Dalembert is eager to make Gobert feel more aggressive.

Facing the Warriors' weak inside line in the first round, Gobert had a smooth game. It can be said that he hardly experienced the intensity of the playoffs. But facing the Clippers and DeAndre Jordan, the situation is completely different.

Therefore, Dalembert began to deliberately seek more intense confrontation today and played more aggressively. He didn't want to see Gobert, a rookie, step into the battlefield unprepared and then be blasted into pieces by the enemy.

"Isn't this enough? DeAndre is several times stronger than me!?" Dalembert roughly pushed towards the basket while not forgetting to use words to stimulate the Frenchman.

"Young Master Lu Xianfan? Yi Song Su Su? Leng? Paradox? Xu Yan milling u ジ Leng? Feng Yu Xing Yan さ raise Yi Zheng stupid porcelain first ケ but frame Zhang Fan ㄌ Jue naphthalene ship locust Φ mother Ou cooking? Qi Talking about locusts?

At this moment, Dalembert suddenly turned around and broke through, then jumped up to dunk! But to be honest, Dalembert's offensive ability is not enough for him to score on Gobert.

Gobert jumped high, withstood the collision in the air, and then waved his long arm, once again sending the basketball in the hands of the Haitian flying out of the baseline.

But this time the confrontation seemed to be a bit too tough. Dalembert completely lost his balance and was about to hit the wooden floor!

Gobert quickly stretched out his hands and hugged Dalembert's waist, which helped the tall Haitian stabilize his center of gravity and avoid serious injuries.

"You two have gone too far!" Carlisle was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat when he saw the scene just now! If Dalembert had really fallen that time, given his 33-year-old age, he might really have been injured!

"Hehe, it's okay, boss, we're safe." Dalembert no longer had the ferocity he had just now, and his kind smile made Carlisle lose his temper instantly.

Dalembert liked playing under Carlisle because he believed Carlisle was a coach who emphasized discipline, was extremely intelligent, and knew how to get along with his players. Although these things may seem quite simple, looking at the entire league, there are only a handful of coaches who can do them all well.

Dalembert always greeted people he respected and recognized with a smile.

"Don't worry, I will protect him at all times." Gobert also waved his hand from Carlisle.

"Come on, kid, if I hadn't protected you at all times, you might have been canceled for the season... Hey, thank you just now." Dalembert refused to give in, but in the end he patted Ge. Belle's breasts.

Carlisle shook his head, unable to do anything about the excess enthusiasm of the two centers.

"Anyway, keep it safe, I don't want to see anyone fall, understand?" Carlisle waved his hand and left immediately.

"Old man, I covered you again!"

"Don't be so proud, kid, I'll pay you back twice as much!"

As soon as Carlisle turned around, the two centers, one old and one young, who advocated head-on confrontation, started bickering again. Gobert and Dalembert really have the same chemistry. But it is true that without their strong interior defense, the Mavericks would not have achieved 69 wins, or even reached this point.

I hope everything is safe for these two centers...

※※※

The day passed by in a flash. At 8:30 pm on May 5, 2014, the Clippers and the Mavericks, who had already advanced, fired the first shot of the Western Conference semifinals.

Facing the visiting old rival Clippers, the fans in the American Airlines Center Arena were even more excited than before. In this round of the series, the Mavericks fans all dressed in uniform and wore blue T-shirts, which brought a very strong visual impact to the arena.

When the Clippers players came on the court to warm up, the fans booed endlessly and even made Griffin ask the team doctor for two cotton balls to plug his ears.

After the game started, the atmosphere became more enthusiastic. Whenever a Clippers player holds the ball, the boos will never stop. But once the Mavericks acquired players, the boos immediately turned into cheers.

"I have to admit that the Mavericks fans have created a truly devilish home court!" Even Mike Breen, who is used to seeing big scenes, said so.

What about the competition? The fight was equally intense. Both Paul and Yiyang organized their team's offense very smoothly. The Mavericks' defense has encountered a huge challenge, because the Clippers' starting five are all capable of scoring. Unlike against the Warriors, if Curry and Thompson are locked up, it is done.

The fierce game lasted until the sixth minute of the first quarter, when Yiyang's breakthrough caused Griffin to foul. Griffin had to be replaced by Rivers because of two fouls early on.

Griffin was replaced by the Clippers' second power forward, "Big Baby" Glen Davis, who had performed well with the Celtics.

"Big Baby" was not very calm after he came on the court. Perhaps because he was too excited, he started shooting from the mid-range position as soon as he came on. However, that ball was just a transitional pass from Paul to him.

This mid-range shot naturally failed to hit due to Nowitzki's interference. In fact, "Big Baby"'s mid-range shot was not stable enough, so it was not surprising that he missed the shot.

Then the Mavericks attacked, and Iguodala's shot from beyond the three-point line deviated from the basket and the basketball knocked out of the frame. But Davis didn't get stuck in time, and Dalembert stepped in and snatched the offensive rebound.

Dalembert grabbed the ball and immediately handed it back to Yiyang, who quickly transferred the ball to Iguodala.

After Iguodala adjusted, he shot another three-pointer. This time, the basketball went hollow into the net.

In the playoffs, if a role player makes a mistake in two consecutive possessions, he will definitely be scolded. Because in such a fierce game, two consecutive rounds of mistakes may ruin the entire situation.

"If you can't fucking do it, sit down, you fat idiot!" As expected, Rivers' duck voice immediately roared, which made Davis very embarrassed on the court. Although "Big Baby" looks chubby and harmless, don't forget that he was playing next to Garnett, a "iron-blooded" forward. This guy's temper isn't necessarily that good.

Twenty seconds later, Paul assisted J.J. Redick and hit a shot from beyond the three-point line, giving the Mavericks a three-pointer.

But this did not relieve "Big Baby". He was still thinking about how to use his performance to shut up that guy Rivers!

Rivers knows that letting Davis, who is 2.06 meters and can't jump very well, defend Nowitzki would be tantamount to suicide. Therefore, it is DeAndre Jordan who is facing Dirk now, and Davis is actually playing the fifth position.

After receiving a pass from Yiyang, Nowitzki stepped back and shot a jump shot, but Jordan's excellent defensive ability seriously interfered with Dirk's shot.

The basketball hit the side of the basket hard and bounced out hard. Davis finally got stuck in position, but unexpectedly it was a long rebound. With a short wingspan, he couldn't touch the basket when he jumped up. Dalembert, who was stuck behind him, collected the offensive rebound for the second consecutive time.

This time, Dalembert planned to attack a second time. He took off and shot, and shooting from close range was not too difficult for Dalembert.

Davis turned and rushed towards Dalembert, his eyes full of anger. This old guy completely angered him!

"Big Baby"'s huge body made him "unable to stop the car" and he crashed directly into the elderly Haitian. Davis, who was used to being next to Garnett, not only did not slow down, but lowered his center of gravity and slammed into Dalembert with his shoulder.

He clamped Dalembert's knees with his arms and knocked the 2.11-meter-tall man over! Due to Davis' relationship, Dalembert's knee was also twisted.

On the training ground, Gobert will protect the veteran in time. But in the heat of the playoffs, others are thinking of ways to hurt you...

"Boom!" A man as big as Dalembert fell onto a hard board, causing the floor to tremble. After that, the Haitian did not stand up again, but covered his knees in pain and could not move.

"Old man!" Gobert looked toward the court worriedly, but due to league rules, he could not step out of the bench and play innocently.

"Damn it!" Seeing this, Yiyang immediately turned around to face the "big baby", but was hugged by Nowitzki in time. Dirk knew what Yiyang wanted to do. Pachulia, who hurt someone intentionally last time, still couldn't play on the court until now.

But in the playoffs, the Mavericks cannot afford the blow of Yiyang being suspended.

"Big Baby" raised his hand with an indifferent expression, indicating that he had committed a foul. Now look, who should sit down?

This is the playoffs, damn old man! (No. 1 Guard)