One Guard

The San Antonio Spurs are a regular in the Western Conference Finals, but this is only their second time here since winning the O'Brien Trophy in 2007.

After several years of adjustments, the San Antonio Spurs have once again become a top team in the league. Last year, they met the young and invincible Oklahoma City Thunder and stopped in the Western Conference Finals. This year, the Dallas Mavericks kicked the Thunder out for them. The Spurs' goal is undoubtedly to reach the finals and then attack the championship again!

This season, Popovich has vigorously trained Leonard, actually hoping that he will compete with Durant and James. But using this guy against the Dallas Mavericks seems to be a good choice.

"Kawhi, how are you preparing!?" Popovich deliberately yelled at Leonard while the players were warming up on the court.

The young black small forward nodded to Popovich without any expression on his face. Kawhi Leonard is like this, a player whose father was tragically shot and killed when he was 16 years old, a player who knows sadness and happiness, but rarely expresses these emotions. Well, Yihe is a player whose personality is very similar to Yiyang...

Powerful people usually don't shout around. Carlisle and his Mavericks don't even know what kind of trouble they will face next...

Since fans from both sides were present today, the ATT Center was very noisy before the game started, but you couldn't tell whether the noisy shouts were cheers or boos.

Leonard stood opposite Duncan, one old and one young, both of whom had "facial paralysis" and no expression at all. They just wait quietly for the kick-off, then kill the opponent and take away the victory!

"Viewers, welcome to San Antonio! The Texas Civil War that everyone has been waiting for has finally begun!"

Mike Breen's shout kicked off the game. The referee threw the basketball high, and Kaman got the ball ahead of Spurs Brazilian center Split. Yiyang controlled the ball and advanced, and the Mavericks started their first offense in the Western Conference Finals!

In the stands, some people were shouting the word "offense", while others were desperately shouting "defense". The voices of the fans represent the mentality of the players on the field. The Mavericks and the Spurs are incompatible!

On the first offense, Yiyang handed the ball to Nowitzki. Nowitzki reached the high post and set up an off-ball screen for Yiyang, then handed the ball back hand-to-hand.

A hand-to-hand cooperation was enough for Yiyang to throw away the "French sports car" Tony Parker. Parker is not a player who is good at defense, and the Spurs' defense does not rely on individuals, but on the system!

Yiyang breaks through, makes an emergency stop, jumps, and prepares to take action. The whole action was completed in one go, and the French had no chance to stop him.

But just when Yiyang was about to take the shot, his vision went dark and his vision was completely blocked by something.

The calm Yiyang took a closer look and saw that it was Leonard's supplementary defense! The Spurs small forward jumped high, stretched out his long arms, and opened his big hands, completely blocking Yiyang's shooting path. If he doesn't want to be blocked, Yiyang has only two choices. Either increase the arc of the shot or pass the ball temporarily.

Passing the ball is an option with a higher success rate. Now that Leonard has stepped in front of him, Marion must have been let go. Just when Yiyang wanted to pass the ball to Marion, he discovered that Parker had already reached Marion's side, and Yiyang had no passing route at all!

With no other choice, Yiyang had no choice but to increase the angle of his shot despite Leonard's timely defense. But the result is obvious. Yiyang barely made a shot and failed to hit. The Spurs' first defense left a deep impression on Yiyang!

"Tsk, tsk, this defense is not at the same level as the Thunder!" Stevens curled his lips in the stands. The Spurs players' tactical execution ability is really good.

After successfully guarding Yiyang, the new MVP, Leonard didn't seem excited at all. He pushed forward without the ball with an expressionless face, as if he had just been guarded by a nobody.

These two guys, Yiyang and Leonard, are simply "the essence of human facial paralysis!"

Leonard ran to the right side of the 45° three-point line. He didn't even look at Marion and started running according to Popovich's tactical arrangement.

After a while, Leonard set up an off-ball pick-and-roll for his teammates. After a while, he suddenly ran away again, shocking Marion into a cold sweat. So far, Marion is still unsure of Leonard's intentions.

At this moment, Duncan suddenly threw away Dirk and reached the middle distance. Parker made a pass, and it seemed that the ball was still going to the "Stone Buddha"!

But Duncan did not catch the ball after running to the high post. Instead, he stood there with his hands on his crotch. This guy wants to set up an off-ball pick-and-roll!

Leonard made a perfectly timed start and passed by Duncan. Marion was greatly delayed by Duncan's pick-and-roll, received Parker's pass, and Leonard shot directly from outside the three-point line.

Spurs No. 2 stared at the basketball into the net with an expressionless face. When the fans and the DJ were shouting for his three-pointer, the guy just nodded slightly without any other expression.

A gust of cold wind blew, making Carlisle shiver on the bench. He finally realized what it was like for another team's head coach to meet Yiyang, a cold killer.

Cold-blooded, this is the intuitive feeling Leonard brings to Carlisle. After working with Yiyang for a long time, Leonard was the first player to make Carlisle feel cold-blooded.

From the beginning, Leonard calmly completed an excellent defense and hit a three-pointer.

Do you think this silent boy's performance is over? Don't be naive, this is the killer weapon Popovich has prepared for Durant and James!

In the Mavericks' second offense, Yiyang passed the ball to Nowitzki. Dirk played Duncan in singles. This situation naturally made the fans on both sides cheer wildly.

Although Nowitzki's condition has declined sharply this year, he is not helpless when facing Duncan. The German dribbled with his back and took two steps back, then suddenly turned around and shot a step-back jumper!

For a player like Duncan who likes to "stand on the ground and block shots", it is almost impossible to block Nowitzki's high shot. Nowitzki was confident in his shot selection, but when he was about to lift the basketball over his head, the ball seemed to be knocked away by someone.

"Kawhi Leonard, his successful chipping reminds me of Kawhi Leonard. These two guys are surprisingly similar in personality and playing style."

Quietly, Leonard took the basketball and left, just as quietly as he came. The No. 2 small forward advances very quickly, and only Yiyang can catch up with him. But Yiyang is not God after all. He can't block other people's fast breaks every time by using a big block.

Leonard dunked and landed. The Spurs led by five points and the Mavericks did not score a point. All the Spurs fans were cheering, while the Mavericks fans were silent. What about Leonard? Eyes always forward, arms outstretched, face expressionless. It was as if the person who had just completed a fast-break dunk had nothing to do with him.

After three rounds, Leonard's performance has reassured Popovich. As long as nothing happens to old guys like Duncan, it will be difficult for the Mavericks to do anything in this game.

In the following game, the Spurs' three-pointers were completely successful. Danny Green and Leonard faced two veterans, Marion and Carter respectively, and they played easily and happily. Suddenly shifting the offensive focus to the Mavericks' weaknesses, this must be Popovich's plan!

The Spurs' smooth offense also greatly improved their defensive enthusiasm. The Spurs' quick defense made Yiyang miserable. He was now having trouble passing and attacking. The Spurs' defensive thinking is very clear and they are rarely caught in gaps.

Under this tight defense, Yiyang was still able to score points. As for the others, they just stopped eating.

Five minutes into the second quarter, Yiyang used a beautiful European step layup to get a chance to hit a three-pointer. But just 20 seconds after Yiyang made the extra free throw, Leonard once again received an assist from Parker and hit a three-pointer.

Two rounds later, Yiyang broke through Parker and hit a layup right under Split's nose. But less than 20 seconds later, Leonard relied on Marion to force a layup. The advantage of his height and wingspan was fully utilized, and he did not hide at all.

This was the first time that Yiyang was overwhelmed by a player in the playoffs. As long as he scored, the opponent always seemed to be able to score. This situation lasted until the third quarter. When Duncan, Parker and Danny Green opened up the three lines, the Mavericks' defense simply could not withstand the devastation.

The Spurs flourished at many points and frequently succeeded from beyond the three-point line. Danny Green made 6 of 9 three-pointers, Leonard made 4 of 5, and even "Red Mamba" Matt Bonner also shot 4 of 6 three-pointers.

The Spurs made 15 of 29 three-pointers. This exaggerated shooting rate allowed them to send the game directly into garbage time with two minutes and 40 seconds left in the game.

When Yiyang was replaced by Carlisle, it was really hard for him to accept that he, who had just eliminated the scoring leader Durant, would lose so miserably to the San Antonio Spurs!

Yiyang sat on the bench expressionless. You couldn't tell whether he was sad or indifferent. At the other end of the court, the black small forward who won the victory also stared blankly at the big screen. If you just look at the facial expressions of these two guys, you might not even think that the Spurs are already 15 points ahead of the Mavericks.

After the game, Yiyang stood up and looked towards Leonard. Originally, he was selected with the second overall pick in the first round. What about Leonard, who is one year behind him? Pick 15!

A player who entered the league later than himself, and whose draft ranking was not higher than his own, defeated himself just like that. Yiyang's heart was full of frustration, and he was unwilling to give in. Is it true that I am not as good as Leonard?

Leonard seemed to feel someone was staring at him, so he turned his head. The two players stood on both sides of the court, looking at each other in the crowd.

The two just looked at each other without saying a word, expressionless.

Next round, come again!