One Guard

Anthony Davis' block and dunk after the opening game not only sounded the alarm for the Mavericks, but also boosted the morale of other Pelicans players.

What about the 74-8 Dallas Mavericks? The regular season and playoffs are two completely different battles. In the playoffs, the regular season record can only be used as a reference and cannot determine everything.

Now the game has just begun, and we have to keep fighting to know who is the stronger team.

Therefore, when the Mavericks attacked again, Yiyang could clearly feel that the Pelicans' defense was much more active than before.

It seems that Anthony Davis still has some leadership qualities. At least his emotions can affect every player on the Pelicans.

But positivity alone is not enough. The problems exposed by the Pelicans in 82 regular season games will not be solved just because of positivity.

Eric Gordon has never been known for his defense. This guy who is about the same height as Yiyang prefers to be a scorer rather than an outside gatekeeper.

The Pelicans' ability to defend against cuts is something Yiyang can take advantage of. This time he decided to meet Anthony Davis in person to see how much the other party was committed.

So, Yiyang handed the ball to Iguodala as always. Then, he began his never-ending off-ball movement.

It is very difficult for Eric Gordon to bite Yiyang. In terms of defensive awareness, Gordon may only be considered league average. Therefore, it is difficult for him to guess Yiyang's thoughts and predict Yiyang's next move.

Not every defender's brain can be as fast-moving on both offense and defense as Yiyang, Paul and Kidd.

Therefore, Yiyang used two consecutive realistic counter runs to get rid of Gordon, and cut to the inside with his bare hands.

Iguodala passed the ball to Wade, who then hit the ball to Yiyang. When Yiyang received the basketball, he had already rushed in front of Anthony Davis.

Davis's long arms look similar to Gobert's, and Yiyang doesn't want to challenge a "long-armed behemoth" like them head-on.

So, Yiyang rushed from one side of the basket to the other, preparing for a reverse layup, using the basket to cover the basketball.

But Anthony Davis is very smart, and it turns out that he is not the kind of stupid big guy who only shows off his bounce.

The upstart of the Pelicans didn't get caught, but waited for Yiyang to actually take the shot before jumping to block the shot.

Yiyang was shocked and felt cold. Fortunately, the arc of the ball was very high and Davis was unable to complete the block. But his extremely concentrated attention had already made Yiyang's temptation successful.

Not only did the other party not intend to give up, but he was also very focused! It's no wonder that Davis was able to challenge Dirk cleanly just now. He is now extremely sensitive to every move on the court.

A great deal of energy was invested on the defensive end, which did not affect Davis' performance on the offensive end.

When Davis caught the ball in the low post, Gobert immediately double-teamed him. But the No. 23 big man did not rush, but handed the ball to the team's shooting guard Quincy Pondexter.

Pondexter is not a star. This guy who entered the league in the same year as Yiyang is still a "professional substitute" to this day. It was this season that Pondexter got some opportunities to start.

Although this guy's scoring ability is not very explosive, he is very stable. He will never waste such a half-shot shot from mid-range.

Pondexter scored and the Pelicans continued to score! Anthony Davis completed the assist while being double-teamed!

"Maybe, this will become Anthony Davis' famous game!" Mike Breen finally became interested in this game. Davis' performance in three consecutive rounds was outstanding. Facing the 74-win Mavericks, the Pelicans did not get beaten at the beginning, but played back and forth under the leadership of Davis.

He can pass, shoot, score at the basket, defend, and runs fast... Yiyang really doesn't know the proof to describe Davis.

This guy's versatility is definitely at the top of the league.

It was his first time playing in the playoffs and he had already adapted to the intensity and rhythm of the playoffs in just a few rounds. And his performance also feels a bit like the league's No. 1 insider.

The playoffs will make people grow.

Yiyang nodded in approval. Facing such an opponent, it would be very dangerous if the score was not opened early.

In this case, let's start from the first quarter and increase the score!

The tentative round ends here, and from now on, the real war begins!

"Also, this time he advanced very quickly. I don't know what happened, but he must be very dissatisfied with the current situation."

Yiyang raised his arms outside the three-point line and directed his teammates to actively move. Wade easily found a gap and came out to ask for the ball.

After receiving the basketball, Wade attempted to shoot. After Tyreke Evans was sent flying, Wade took a big step forward before taking action.

With two points scored, the Pelicans' defense was indeed vulnerable.

However, the defensive end is where the Mavericks really need to pay attention. This season, the Pelicans are definitely one of the best offensive teams in the league. With Anthony Davis here, the Pelicans can always open up situations in the three-second zone.

This time, Davis remained positive. But Gobert went around to defend and blocked Davis' receiving route.

Gordon is not Yiyang. He does not have the passing accuracy to break through. Gobert is always passionate on the defensive end, and his passion will greatly reduce Davis' chances.

Davis wanted to come out to catch the ball, but as soon as he came out, Gobert roughly blocked it again. Get stuck, go around, get stuck again, go around again. The physical battle between inside players begins long before the basketball is received.

Davis couldn't catch the ball, and Eric Gordon looked for someone else. But Gordon is not a passer. On the contrary, this guy trusts his isolation ability more than passing the ball.

Asik covered on the right, and Gordon quickly went to the right. But his intention was so obvious that Yiyang didn't need to think carefully before taking his own steps.

After taking advantage of Asik's cover, Gordon was about to shoot, but found Yiyang's expressionless face appearing in front of him again.

It is undoubtedly very uncomfortable to be stopped when you are about to take action. The Pelicans' offensive rhythm has been interrupted, and the Mavericks' defense has been successful for the most part.

Tyreke Evans also wanted to come up to support, but Wade in the playoffs couldn't be thrown away by just running away.

Davis gritted his teeth. Is this the Mavericks' playoff-level defense?

In the end, Gordon had no choice but to take action against Yiyang. Basketball strikes, Gobert pushed past Davis and grabbed a defensive rebound. The physical confrontation at the playoff level was more intense than he imagined.

Yiyang didn't dare to relax and ran all the way after catching the basketball. Counterattack is the best way to open up the score.

Davis also accelerated with all his strength. Although it was impossible for him to catch up with Yiyang, with his jumping and wingspan, Davis believed that he should also have a chance to block the shot.

Yiyang went straight to the inside with great momentum. Just when he was about to take off, the No. 1 magically transferred the ball to Dirk outside the three-point line. During the whole process, Yiyang never looked back. Only genius knows how he found Dirk.

Since Davis is chasing after Yiyang, it also proves that there is no one in front of Dirk. This time, one is in the penalty area and the other is outside the three-point line. Unless Anthony Davis has wings behind him, he will never be able to block shots again.

With his hand raised and the knife falling, Nowitzki hit a three-pointer. The gap between the top teams and the last teams in the playoffs becomes clear after a few rounds.

Anthony Davis' performance thereafter was still outstanding, but he was unable to withstand the Mavericks' offensive and defensive performance.

Mavericks fans were singing and dancing in the stands and seemed to have started celebrating the victory three quarters in advance.

In the last 1 minute and 32 seconds of the first quarter, when Yiyang was substituted, the score on the field had been stretched to 12 points. The Pelicans' defense was completely useless against the Mavericks' offensive firepower.

"Yi's organization is very good. In the first quarter, he allowed Davis to see the huge gap between the Pelicans and the top teams."

At this time, the camera gave Anthony Davis a close-up. But on his face, you could see neither frustration nor fear.

That guy, it was like the score was just a tie.

At the end of the first quarter, Dalembert replaced Gobert. But Monty Williams didn't make any substitutions. This guy wanted Anthony Davis to play a whole quarter!

"Davis is still on the court, and the Pelicans don't want to be passive in the first quarter!" What surprised Mike Breen was that they didn't accept defeat!

Although Dalembert has rich experience, he lags behind Anthony Davis in all aspects of physical condition and athletic ability.

The only way to defend this guy is for Aminu to double-team!

But after the game started, everything was different from what was originally planned.

Davis received the ball from deep positions one after another, and when he received the ball in the penalty area, it was often difficult to stop him from scoring.

Dalembert tried to keep his hands in front of Davis's eyes, but it didn't work. Davis made a lot of difficult shots near the basket.

There was even one time when this bushy-browed No. 1 pick was double-teamed by Aminu and Dalembert and still managed to hit the target!

In the last 1 minute and 32 seconds, the Mavericks let Anthony Davis beat 6-0! The Mavericks' bench seems to be missing a finishing touch. And Davis is playing like a duck in water in the second team.

At the end of the first quarter, Yiyang looked up at the big screen. The 12-point difference was reduced to 6 points. The Pelicans did not accept the verdict of fate, but worked hard to change it.

Since a 12-point gap can't crush you, then make the gap even wider!

Although the battle in the first quarter was tough, it boosted the morale of the Pelicans. Fighting against the legendary Mavericks, they were only 6 points behind! It seems that the opponent is not invincible!

But in the second quarter, Yiyang didn't give Davis and the Pelicans any chance to counterattack. Davis is very strong, as good as Yiyang imagined. Because of this, giving them any chance is dangerous.

After the second quarter of the game started, Yiyang deliberately made the pace faster. For the Pelicans' poor defense, nothing is more efficient than finishing the offense before the opponent can react.

Yiyang started a game with Davis. After the rhythm of the game increased, Davis felt like he was running with Yiyang every moment.

Whenever the Pelicans take a shot, Davis has to run. Because when he turns around, Yiyang is always at the front.

The Pelicans' poor defense prevented anyone on the team from withstanding Yiyang's impact. The Pelicans' only chance is for Davis to retreat.

However, every time he blocked a shot, Davis' hands were just a hair away from the basketball.

Yiyang made a throw, but Davis couldn't reach it. Yiyang pulls up the lever for a layup, but Davis is always just a hair away from the basketball. If Yiyang passes the ball, the person who receives the basketball will definitely score, because the Pelicans have no way to predict the pass and there is no way to block it in advance.

On the defensive end, the Pelicans follow the ball more than they know how to follow people.

In fact, the Pelicans are a team that is very good at blocking their opponents' three-pointers. They give their opponents very few three-point shooting opportunities. The problem is that this team seems a bit top-heavy. This season, they have allowed 32.7% of their opponents' shots in the three-second zone, ranking first in the league. From this position, the Pelicans were shot 63.5% from the field. It can be seen that Davis and Asik did not really protect the basket. But in fact, this is not the fault of Asik and Davis, but has to do with their poor perimeter defense capabilities.

If you shoot directly from outside the three-point line, the Pelicans can block it. But as soon as you start to break through, the Pelicans have nothing to do. Don't think that Yiyang only cared about having sex with Vignali the night before yesterday. When studying the game video, Yiyang had already kept these data in mind. Only when he got to the court did he know which method would be more effective against his opponents.

Ten minutes later, when Davis looked at the score again. He was surprised to find that they, who were only six points behind at the beginning of the second quarter, were now a full twenty points behind!

Yiyang finished the job mercilessly, not even leaving any chance for Davis, the passionate No. 1 pick, to create a spark.

"With 15 points in a single quarter, Yi was on full fire. Of the 15 points, 13 of the points came from the three-second zone, and 2 points came from free throws. The Pelicans were completely unable to prevent Yi's breakthrough. No, I think the entire league also had Not many teams could guard against Yi's breakthrough. It was just the Pelicans who allowed Yi to hit an exorbitantly high shooting percentage." Seeing Yi Yang walking off the court with a relaxed expression and wiping his sweat, Mike Breen sighed. Take a breath.

I thought Davis would make the game full of suspense again, and I thought the strong Pelicans would make the game more variable. Unexpectedly, as soon as Yiyang exerted his strength, everything disappeared with the wind.

The huge strength gap between the two teams cannot be filled by Davis alone. After Yiyang left the game, the Mavericks also had Wade, Dirk, Iguodala, Gobert, Carter... Just dealing with them was enough to defeat the Pelicans one by one.

Laxity is the only thing the Mavericks need to pay attention to in the first round of the playoffs. No one gets nervous about a fumble on offense when they're up by too many points. If you lose in the regular season, you still have dozens of opportunities to make amends. But there are not so many opportunities in the playoffs. Sometimes one game or even one offense can change fate. Even if they are number one in the league, there are no more opportunities.

As Yiyang, who has never been shut out of the playoffs in his career, he understands the truth of this. He understands what the playoffs are like better than all the Pelicans players present. So, he didn't let any accidents happen.

Davis had a slight spark in the first quarter, but Yiyang immediately extinguished it. Davis only played half of the first playoff game in his career, and he was already destined to be killed.

"It's too strong." Mike Breen smiled, and he began to pay attention to the situation in the stands to see if anything interesting happened. For example, Vignali and Wen Xue were eating the same small bucket of popcorn.

"Yi's annual salary can reach tens of millions of dollars, and he also has many endorsement contracts. According to this logic, his mother and wife should each buy a bucket of popcorn. Even if they can't finish it, it's not a waste. , after all, a barrel of popcorn only costs 10 US dollars at most even at the American Airlines Center Arena, and the consumption of two barrels is only 20 US dollars, which is really nothing to Yi's family..." Mike Breen has already started chatting with his partner Kevin Harlan, because there is nothing much to talk about in the game itself.

Yes, as long as they don't let up, the Mavericks don't have much to worry about, especially in the first round of the playoffs. And it is impossible for a leader like Yiyang to make the team relax.

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