One Guard

To be honest, it's not surprising that the Mavericks can defeat the Trail Blazers. What is surprising is the inhumane score of 4-0.

The Mavericks still restricted the performance of Lillard and McCollum without Gobert, a defensive hero. Yiyang was able to reduce Lillard's scoring average by a full 10 points per game, which is enough to prove his defensive skills.

Of course, Yiyang's name did not appear among the final three nominees for Defensive Player of the Year officially announced by the NBA.

After all, during the regular season, the Mavericks actually put more emphasis on offense than during the previous three consecutive championships. As for Yiyang, he naturally focused more on the offensive end. Yiyang did not show such superb defense in the regular season like it did in the Western Conference semifinals. So it's not surprising that he wasn't nominated for Defensive Player of the Year again this year.

But there is still a Mavericks player's name in this three-person list, and that is the "Tower of Suffocation" who is preparing to make a brave comeback in the Western Conference Finals, Rudy Gobert.

Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Rudy Gobert. Compared with the previous two names, Gobert seems not to be famous enough. One is an all-around center who "believes in the process", and the other is a super genius who has already enjoyed the treatment of being selected for the Dream Team before entering the NBA. Therefore, Gobert's inclusion in this nomination list makes many fans find it very incomprehensible.

"Rudy Gobert? The Frenchman who missed half the season? Oh, if the official list didn't come out, I would have almost forgotten that there is such a number one figure in the Mavericks."

"Gobert's defense is indeed good, but I still think Embiid is better."

"Rudy has missed too many games this season. Based on this alone, he is not qualified for selection. If possible, people should put Paul George on this list!"

Since the NBA currently uses an awards ceremony after the season to award regular season awards, only one nomination list will be officially announced. However, just by being selected for the nomination list, Gobert has already been questioned.

No way, as a purely defensive center, Gobert's reputation is definitely not as famous as Embiid and Anthony Davis. After all, offense is what pleases fans the most. Defensive players like Gobert and Tony Allen are often ignored by fans.

And Gobert's two injuries this season did cause him to miss a long period of time. Missing games means fans are not impressed with him.

But if you look closely at Gobert's data, you will find that he absolutely deserves the nomination. With Gobert in the paint, the Mavericks' defensive efficiency this season reached 100.6, ranking first in the league. In those games when he was absent, the Mavericks' defensive efficiency instantly dropped to fifth in the league! It can be seen from this that

Gobert plays a crucial role in the Mavericks! If it weren't for Gobert, Carlisle wouldn't have done anything to replace defense with offense.

But fans don't care about this. Of course they want players who are more famous and better-looking to win the award. Yiyang said he couldn't understand this.

"Someone would actually question you? I really don't understand how long it's been since these guys watched football." Looking through the news on his phone, Yiyang complained off the court.

On the basketball court, Gobert was doing free throw training while talking to Yiyang.

"It's not that they haven't watched football for too long, it's that I haven't played for too long, Yi." Gobert looked calm, as if what Yiyang said had nothing to do with him.

Yes, if you count on everything, Gobert has been injured for almost 3 months this season. The length of a regular season, from mid-October last year to mid-April this year, is only six months. In other words, he was not in front of the fans for almost half of the time. This kind of attendance rate is indeed not high. When he got injured, the regular season wasn't even over yet. And when he can come back now, he has already reached the Western Conference Finals! The time span in this is so large that there is no need to say more.

"How do you feel? With the Warriors and Rockets, it should be over soon. But as soon as you came back, you encountered the most difficult game, and there was no time for you to transition."

"Everything is OK, I just need to find the feeling of the game. I am very happy to be back in time. The nightmare of last season will not continue this season."

"Brush." ​​As he spoke, Gobert completed today's free throw practice task. It's time to take revenge for being eliminated by the Warriors last season.

Yiyang turned off the phone screen and went on the court to practice shooting. Whether Gobert is qualified to be nominated for the best defensive player, you will know by the Western Conference finals!

※※※

The Mavericks swept the Trail Blazers and reached the Western Conference Finals, which was a relief. But the Western Conference semifinals between the Warriors and Rockets can really only be described as tragic.

Originally, the Rockets led the Warriors 3-2, and everyone thought it would be impossible for the Warriors to reach the Western Conference Finals. James Harden and Chris Paul will have the opportunity to pursue their championship dreams.

However, in the fifth game, Paul unexpectedly retired with an injury. This result was unexpected by everyone.

You can see the unwillingness and frustration on the face of the No. 3 defender. After fighting hard until now, we are almost winning. Why did injuries come to us at this time?

In the history of the NBA, some stars have infinite glory. But some stars can only be choked by fate and become tragic heroes. The current Chris Paul is absolutely tragic enough.

In such a close and high-level duel, if the main players are injured, it is almost fatal. In addition to Paul's injury, the Rockets' desperate three-point shooting tactics also suddenly failed in one quarter.

Paul's leg killed James Harden in one quarter of the Rockets' game. In the end, the Warriors completed a shocking reversal and eliminated the Rockets in the tiebreaker with a total score of 4 to 3.

This also means that the theme of this year's Western Conference Finals is still the showdown between the Warriors and the Mavericks, Curry and Yiyang!

"I'm very happy that we were able to fight out. Even in the most difficult times, I never doubted our goal! Now, we have done it! Although it was thrilling, we still became the finalists!" and the Rockets After the tiebreaker, "Big Mouth" Draymond Green looked particularly excited in front of reporters' cameras.

"We can definitely continue to win. After all, we have experienced more ups and downs along the way than smooth ones. We are ready for a tough battle and can start a war at any time!" Durant was about to face Yiyang and the Mavericks. , also seemed extremely confident. This kind of confidence was definitely not seen when he was with the Thunder. But in Oakland, Durant has the capital to be confident!

"We all know that Chris Paul's absence is a turning point in the series. But instead of no one being injured, the Dallas Mavericks have to face the sacrifices of Rudy Gobert. By the way, Gobert just got Nominated for the best defensive player this season, do you think his comeback will be an obstacle to your advancement to the finals?" Seeing Durant's excitement, the reporter poured cold water on him, hoping to get some exciting answers.

"Hinder? No, the Mavericks also had Rudy in the Western Conference finals last season, but he couldn't stop us. Rudy is indeed an excellent defender, but this does not mean that we will lose."

Durant's answer was actually quite polite. Compared to Draymond Green, Durant's words are insignificant.

"Rudy Gobert? Are you talking about the guy who lost to me in the best player award last year? It doesn't matter, I will still beat him this season. His comeback will not disrupt our plan. And our plan is to win the championship! By the way, he has only been nominated and has not won the award yet. We will find a way to deal with his defense, just like we did last year." Drummond has not yet interacted with Gobert. When facing the superiors, they have already started to bicker with each other. This is his style. All members of the Warriors have such confidence!

A huge sense of joy enveloped the Warriors players as they escaped death and fought their way out of the siege. Unlike the Mavericks, who easily reached the Western Conference Finals with an 8-0 wave, the Warriors, who have experienced more obstacles, are now even more excited!

They have survived so many hardships, there is no reason to fall to their defeated opponents last year!

Yiyang shook his head while watching the TV. Rudy had only left for a while. Have you all forgotten the despair you felt when he was enveloped in the basket? From fans to opponents, everyone has this problem!

But it doesn't matter, in a few days... people will remember it all!

Yiyang rubbed his hands and stared at Green, who was showing off his power in front of the camera.

Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green...the original lineup was formed by the Warriors and Durant to fight against Yiyang. Last season, they indeed succeeded in "anti-Yi".

But this year, it’s time to settle old accounts together!