Basketball's most talented forward is on the left

After five years, the Dallas people once again won the Western Conference Championship trophy. Witnessed by away fans, Nowitzki raised the trophy high above his head.

"This time, don't let the damn champion get away again!" the Dallas TV commentator said emotionally.

The Mavericks fans in front of the TV were also very emotional and shed tears. Cuban even cried on the sidelines of the away game with tears in his face.

If you were someone else, you might think: Ha! What are you pretending to be?

But if this team is the Mavericks, then all I can say is... you really should cry!

Five years, do you know how they spent these five years!?

Any fan who knows it will feel that these tears are so real. For example, Barkley said: "If it were me, I would probably cry so much that my mother wouldn't even recognize her."

Yes, from being overturned in the 2006 Finals, to being beaten eight times in 2007, to being eliminated in the first round and second round of the playoffs, in five years, the Mavericks have successfully become the number one pseudo-strong team in history.

Nowitzki has gone from being the best player in the world to becoming the most popular MVP in history, the biggest softie in history, and a pseudo-superstar...

It can be said that the Mavericks, from top to bottom, from the stars to the fans, have been waiting for this day for too long.

Although they have not finally won the championship, they have been able to win the Western Conference Championship trophy after 5 years, even though they were underestimated along the way. This has once again proved their strength.

And Dirk proved that he is definitely not a pseudo-superstar by averaging 30.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, shooting 58.6% from the field and 44.8% from three-point range!

Trail Blazers, Lakers, Thunder...these three teams have become the stepping stones for Dirk's second spring!

"It's very good. The Dallas Mavericks really proved themselves this time. I'll watch the next finals." Director Zhang said after watching the award ceremony.

"It's true. Although the Knicks advanced very smoothly, easily defeating three teams, currently winning 12 games and losing only one, creating the second-best record in history to win the division championship, especially sweeping the Celtics 4-0.

And the 4-1 victory over the Heat, the two favorite teams to win the championship, makes people see the terrifying strength of the Knicks." Yu Jia said.

"But we still need to remind the Knicks not to underestimate the Mavericks. They are really capable."

Indeed, Yu Jia was not the only one to make such a reminder after watching the Mavericks game. Several other media outlets and many celebrities also reminded the Knicks not to be careless.

Even Kobe made a long-distance call to Zuo Li that night.

"Hey, Zuo Li, although I know that you guys are very strong, but listen to me, they are not ordinary."

Kobe's tone was very serious. He was really worried that the Knicks were losing money. After all, the previous game was so smooth that he couldn't understand it.

"Don't worry, no one in the world knows the power of this calf better than me. You forgot, I was the one who called you to remind you." Zuo Li said casually.

"You guy, I'm serious!"

"What a coincidence, so am I."

Kobe: "#??%$￥%!!!!"

Zuo Li: "???"

"Take care of yourself, don't come here and ask for special training after losing!"

"No, I lost to you the last time I asked you for special training, but this is just one time. I have won many times before..."

"Broken cross!"

Kobe turned off the phone.

"...Young Master...Hey, hey, hey! Damn! This guy has a bad character and even hung up on me!" Zuo Li threw away his phone in displeasure. What he said was true!

But for Kobe to say "They are extraordinary", it shows how deeply the Mavericks impressed Kobe.

But Zuo Li was telling the truth. Is there anyone in this world who knows the power of this calf better than he does?

Despite his casual tone, he has always regarded the Mavericks as his biggest opponent in his heart. He has been paying attention to the state of the Mavericks throughout the season. After confirming that they would face the Mavericks in the finals, he began to watch the video tapes of the Mavericks games overnight.

, the level of seriousness is absolutely perfect.

"After all, our goal this time is to defend our title." Zuo Li walked to the window and looked at the busy traffic outside the window.

Since reaching the Western Conference Finals, Zuo Li has moved out of his Long Island home and once again moved into the player apartment where he has lived for more than two years.

This apartment and the one next door have been opened up, and Dolan gave it to Zuo Li directly. The area has reached 70 square meters. In Manhattan, New York, where land is at a premium, an apartment of this size is already very expensive.

, but compared with Zuoli’s vast and luxuriously decorated Changdao villa, it cannot be compared.

But there is an advantage here, that is, it is very close to the arena, and coming here can calm Zuo Li's restless mind.

It's not that Zuo Li doesn't want to enjoy it. It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it's difficult to go from luxury to frugality. People who haven't experienced the extravagant life of players will have a hard time understanding the true meaning. Zuo Li is not a masochist, so naturally he won't dislike it.

But compared to those, he still has his own ideals, which are more important than other external things.

So this time, he must achieve his goal of defending the title!

…

On May 31st, the Knicks held their last training session before the Finals at home.

G1 of the Finals will officially start at Madison Square Garden on June 1. In the Finals, the Knicks' home court advantage will not be obvious because the Finals implements a 232 game system.

That is to say, the finals will first play two games in New York, then return to Dallas to play three games in a row, and finally return to New York to play two games.

However, the atmosphere on the training ground is still relaxed. After all, the Knicks, who have reached the Finals three times in three years, have long been accustomed to this format.

Curry even had the time to send a taunting text message to Harden, who was also a rookie in the 2009 class, during a break in training.

Curry: "Man, it's such a pity that we couldn't meet in the finals. Why did your Thunder suddenly fail... I thought I could play the 2009 Civil War with you... And you don't know, the pressure of the finals was too great, and I lost weight!"

Harden: “…”

Guess how many times Curry broke Harden's heart with one sentence...

In short, all Thunder players know that Harden recently changed his mobile phone...

Ahem, let’s get down to business.

Many people may think that with this format, it is particularly important to protect their home court, but in fact, the Knicks are more concerned about their performance on the road.

If the Knicks can win 1-2 away games, then the Knicks will most likely resolve the battle within 5-6 games.

In the same way, if the Mavericks can win an away game in New York, they will also have a chance to end the suspense of the game at their home court.

Therefore, if you want to win the finals, you can't just consider protecting your home court. How to play well in the away game is also very important.

This point should resonate with the Mavericks. If they could win an away game first in 2006, the Heat's comeback might be in vain.

The reason why the Heat were able to make a comeback in 2006 was that they officially took the lead in winning an away game.

Therefore, the Knicks are not prepared to put all their strength in the first two home games.

"For the Knicks, every game is very important." D'Antoni said.