Basketball's most talented forward is on the left

The Mavericks, who play the role of the final boss this season, are currently a team that no one cares about and no one is optimistic about. In ESPN's latest championship rankings, the Mavericks, currently third in the Western Conference, are only ranked 11th.

In front of him are not only the Knicks, Spurs, Lakers, and Celtics who have better records than him, but also the Heat, Thunder, and even the Magic and Hawks who have performed averagely this season...

What on earth caused the Mavericks, a league powerhouse in the new century, to fall to this level?

All I can say is that we can’t blame the audience, not even ESPN this time, but the Mavericks themselves. After all, before this season, the Mavericks spent three years establishing themselves as a regular season dragon and a playoff bug.

of.

Starting from the 2007 season, no matter how well they played in the regular season, the Mavericks always struggled in the playoffs. They went through black eight and black seven, and their best result was in the second round.

At this time, the old German player Dirk is not yet the greatest international player in history. He is currently labeled as: a softie, the most popular MVP in history, the biggest pseudo-superstar in history, etc.

Let’s take a look at the Mavericks lineup. The core is 33-year-old Nowitzki, the sixth man is 34-year-old Terry, the playmaker is 38-year-old Kidd, the wing defensive leader is 34-year-old Marion, and the outside turret is 36

Year old Peja.

How should I put it? It is still a living army of senior citizens. If you cover up the names of these people and just look at their age, what is the difference between this and the Spurs of the previous two years?

The only thing to be happy about is that the former "second center in the Western Conference" Dampier is finally gone, and the man in charge is the "boxing champion" who missed most of last season due to injury, Tyson Chandler.

But what good is a Chandler?

So far this season, the most outrageous incident for the Mavericks is that at the beginning of the season, Terry got a championship tattoo on his arm...

If O'Neal had retired and gone to TNT, maybe this thing would have been on the top five.

Of course, although the Mavericks have been ridiculed by the crowd, so far this season, the Mavericks' regular season performance is still as good as usual.

They have become the end of this year's winning streak. The Hornets, Spurs, Heat, any team that is on a winning streak will have their winning streak come to an abrupt end after encountering the Mavericks.

But no one still thinks they can do anything. After all, fans are already too familiar with this kind of scene.

In this game, the Knicks, who are also on a winning streak, are still favored. After all, instead of ending the Knicks' winning streak, people are more looking forward to how Zuo Li will destroy the Mavericks' inside line.

Before the game, bad news came from the Mavericks. Cameron Butler, who was injured last month and was also an important signing for the Mavericks in the summer, was injured for the season.

This means that after finally waiting for a second position that can be played, it is now gone.

You must know that before, Butler was the Mavericks' second scorer besides Nowitzki. Now that he is out of the game, the Mavericks suddenly lose a strong player who averages 18 points per game.

This also allowed the Mavericks to use DeShawn Stevenson as the team's second starter in this game against the Knicks.

Stevenson averaged only 5.6 points and 2.8 assists this season.

In addition, the Mavericks' starting four are: Chandler, Nowitzki, Marion and Kidd.

A starter whose average age is over 33 years old is also the oldest starter in the league.

The age level next door is much more reasonable: Zuo Li, Randolph, Battier, Belinelli and Curry, the oldest is only over 33 years old.

However, unlike the outside world, Zuo Li knew how difficult the Mavericks were. Looking at the Mavericks' lineup, especially the newly transferred Peja and Chandler, Zuo Li sighed:

"After all, it was formed for him."

In Zuo Li's view, the Mavericks' summer trade can be called a model in the league's trade history.

Why did the Mavericks lose in the past playoffs?

First of all, the inside line is not strong enough!

Dirk is not a traditional inside man. He plays more outside. There is no problem on the offensive end, but on the defensive end, he cannot protect the frame and rebounds for a long time.

This puts more demands on the Mavericks' No. 5 position. Unfortunately, the Mavericks have always trusted a piece of trash. If Dampier's body was half as hard as his mouth, the Mavericks would not be able to achieve this achievement. He has been regarded as such for so many years.

The other teams in the Western Conference are playing violently inside and are unable to protect the rim, allowing the league's top perimeter players to get whatever they want.

He was beaten eight times by the Warriors because the paint was destroyed by the Warriors' crazy front line. Zuo Li will never forget the scene when big brothers like Harrington and Baron Davis scored crazy points on Dampier's head.

After waiting for so many years, the Mavericks finally ushered in the most reliable rim-protecting center in team history. Although Chandler's offense is as poor as Dampier's, his defense can simply throw him from Paris to BJ. With Chandler

Now, Dirk can finally unleash his offensive firepower in all directions.

The Mavericks acquired Chandler, and Zuo Liyuan called it a blockbuster transaction that changed the history of the Mavericks.

In addition, acquiring Peja from the Hornets directly made up for the problem that the Mavericks did not have a stable three-pointer on the outside. Whether it was Josh Howard in the past or Marion now, they did not have a stable three-pointer, and the same was true for the back line.

, and with a three-point shooting rate of 44.3% this season, Peja can produce stable three-pointers from the bench.

But Butler is equally important. He was one of the original Wizards Trident, with strong offensive firepower. When he started, he could make up for Kidd's lack of firepower. He could also form an output duo with Terry, which made up for the Mavericks' lack of firepower.

The shooting guard problem has been a problem for many years.

It can be said that if Butler had not been injured, the Mavericks general manager would definitely be worthy of the annual award.

Not to mention that he also brought in Barea, the little guard who changed James' worth and destiny...

It can be said that although the Mavericks are old now, there are many people who can use them. This is very similar to the Knicks.

With the personnel formed, Carlisle's tactics finally showed their power.

jump ball!

Zuo Li won, the Knicks did not have a fast break, and chose to play positionally.

And it was obvious that Carlisle was relieved, the position was good... they felt much more comfortable playing in the position.

Zuo Li pulled out and mentioned the high post to catch the ball, while the Mavericks stayed at the beginning and adopted a zone defense strategy.

Now the person in front of the left wing is not Chandler, but Marion.

No more pretending, no man-marking, no more playing, guys just show off their trump cards!

Zuo Li is not surprised by this. The Mavericks' defense this season is more and more dependent on zone defense. Because there are too many veterans in the team, zone defense can better control physical consumption. At the same time, Chandler's protection can be further utilized.

Frame capability.

but……

Zuo Li observed the Mavericks' defensive positioning. They all performed their duties and were very strict. It can be said that it is the top zone defense in the league.

Not everyone can play this. If there is no tacit understanding and enough experience, it is easy for opponents to find loopholes in regional defense.

Unless you play very good team basketball!

And it just so happens that the Mavericks this season can be called a model of team basketball!