One Guard

Carter's performance in confrontational training was as expected. He deserves to be the second position produced by North Carolina and the most famous player in the NBA. Although he still can't keep up with the rhythm on the court after not playing a game for half a year, overall, Carlisle is still very satisfied with his performance.

As a three-point shooter, Carter can occasionally make a cold shot from beyond the arc. As a veteran, he can occasionally use his experience to create opportunities for his teammates. Do you still long for him to score 20+5+5 like he did ten years ago? Of course it's impossible. It's already remarkable that Carter can still do what he just mentioned.

Like the Western Conference semifinals, in the Western Conference finals, the interval between the two games of the two teams is also only one day.

One day, the Mavericks' "seven-minute defense" has not yet passed the heat, and the Spurs don't know if they have recovered from the shadow of defeat. But no matter what mentality or state the two teams are now, the game will not start until they have adjusted.

This is a business league. Since it is a business, it must ensure that the competition is intensive enough. If the players can rest for two or three days, maybe the quality of the game will be higher. But the league doesn't care at all. In addition to quality, they are more obsessed with "quantity".

So on May 27, under the expectant eyes of reporters and fans, the second game of the "Cow and Horse War" officially kicked off just 48 hours after the first game!

Before the game started, Carlisle did not release news of Carter's return, but eagle-eyed fans still saw Carter warming up with others before the game. If Carter just showed up today wearing a suit, he definitely wouldn't show up. If Carter shows up in practice clothes but doesn't warm up, he's not going to play.

But if this guy is wearing training clothes and warming up with the team, then his chances of playing are very high!

Seeing this scene, the fans cheered in the stands and shouted Carter's name.

Carter, with a gray beard, smiled at the stands. He didn't expect that he would be so popular in Dallas.

"The fans, like me, are looking forward to your coming back soon." Yiyang smiled. In fact, a veteran like Carter will be very popular wherever he goes.

Although they can no longer dominate the game, although they can no longer produce explosive statistics, they can no longer even bring exciting performances to the fans. But everything they have done in the past ten years has already been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Carter is grateful that he can still be remembered, if he had the opportunity to play today. Carter made up his mind that he must not let down those who support him!

Over there with the Spurs,

Popovich naturally saw Carter coming out to warm up. But to be honest, Carter's appearance will not have any impact on the game. Even if Carlisle does send him on the court, Popovich has no worries.

Not everyone is Duncan and can maintain dominance for decades. Popovich admitted that Carter was a great second position. His dribbling, distribution, half-court singles, jump shots, support and post-up abilities were all amazing. Many young second-position players today are not even half as comprehensive as Vince.

But no matter how comprehensive it is, it was still the past. The 37-year-old Carter can no longer compare with the 27-year-old "demigod". If you have that time, you might as well focus on how to contain Yiyang.

In the last game, the Spurs did not score in the last seven minutes of the fourth quarter, which was the key to their loss. Today, in order to cope with the Mavericks' historic defense, Popovich asked the players to share the ball more, let the ball move, and try not to allow one-on-one situations to occur.

So in the first quarter of the game, under the command of Popovich, the fans saw the ultimate concept of "team basketball"!

Tony Parker immediately handed the ball to Leonard after halftime. Leonard held the ball as a triple threat, waiting for Duncan's pick-and-roll to come and accelerate the breakthrough.

Duncan quickly cut inside after covering the screen. At the same time, Leonard hit the ground and passed the ball to Duncan, who cut inside.

Nowitzki chased behind Duncan, and Gobert also defended to the basket. Duncan raised the basketball high, but not for a layup. Instead, he passed the ball to Brazilian center Split who was unmarked under the basket.

Splitter lifted the basketball, and Gobert jumped up at the same time. But the Spurs still didn't take a shot, and Split still passed the ball. This time, the target of his pass was Danny Green, who reached the right corner.

After the basketball was passed by four people, a crack was torn open in the Mavericks' defense. Danny Green completed the shot before Tony Allen came up to defend, and the basketball passed through the net cleanly!

"Another three-pointer. This is Danny Green's second three-pointer today. The Spurs did a great job sharing the ball today. In one attack, the basketball passed the hands of all five people, but there was no trace of it. Don't appear to be procrastinating. The Spurs used the strength of the team to the extreme!" Mike Breen has never seen a team play like this. With high assists and high shooting percentage, the Spurs played too ideally.

The Mavericks players were all out of breath. Facing the Spurs' smooth sharing of the ball, they were simply exhausted on the defensive end.

After Green's three-pointer, the Mavericks were already eight points behind the Spurs. finally. This advantage was almost maintained by the Spurs until the end.

At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs relied on a team shooting rate of 70%, yes, 70%! The score became 34 to 27, and he scored 34 points in a single quarter. This is definitely a high number. The Spurs' smooth offense made it difficult for the Mavericks, who are good at defense, to defend themselves.

"Also, in the second quarter, speed up the tempo!" Carlisle did not get angry because of this. He knew that losing his temper would not solve any problems. To solve a problem, there must be a way to solve it.

Carter, who failed to get a chance to play in the first quarter, smiled bitterly. If the Mavericks played faster in the second quarter, he probably wouldn't be able to get playing time. After all, Nick Young is more suitable for fast-paced offense and defense than him.

I have to admit that Carlisle's changes have been very beautiful. After Yiyang led the team to speed up the offensive pace in the second quarter, the aging Spurs repeatedly failed to retreat in time and were successfully attacked by the Mavericks.

Halfway through the second quarter, the Mavericks had equalized the score. Then, the rotating lineup began to play, with Nick Yang and Yiyang forming a double backcourt. They seemed to be able to handle this fast-paced battle with ease.

Nick Young's movement without the ball always allows Yiyang to send wonderful passes, and as long as the ball reaches that guy's hands, he will definitely shoot decisively!

Before the end of the second quarter, Nick Young and Yiyang hit three consecutive three-pointers, which dealt a huge blow to the Spurs.

59 to 54, under the fast-paced and indiscriminate bombardment, the Mavericks "beat the old master to death with random punches" and regained the initiative in their own hands.

"What a wonderful half-time game! Both the Spurs and the Mavericks showed their characteristics. From the players to the coaches, both sides played tricks and refused to give in to each other. It was a very beautiful game! Phew, just sitting here and explaining , I’m already sweating!” Mike Brin wiped the sweat from his forehead, and neither of the evenly matched opponents was far behind. Although the Mavericks are currently in the lead, he believes that the Spurs will not give up.

In this kind of game, it is often impossible to determine the winner until the last minute.

In the first quarter of the game, the Spurs beat the Mavericks with smooth offense. In the second quarter, the Mavericks used fast-paced offense and defense to drag the Spurs into the quagmire. After the game entered the third quarter, Carlisle and Popovich finally "unified" their thinking and focused on the defensive end, eager to establish some advantages before the start of the fourth quarter.

Therefore, in the third quarter, there was neither a pleasing passing ball nor a hearty fast break. Some are just strict offensive and defensive positions on both sides.

The Mavericks' unlimited defensive changes prevented the Spurs from taking advantage of the passing game, and the Spurs' quick retreat also made it no longer easy for the Mavericks to sneak attack.

Halfway through the third quarter, the Mavericks led 69-63, but after that Yiyang took a break. They did not score a point in 3 minutes, but the Spurs beat them 7-0 and took the lead 70-69. However, after Duncan and Leonard came off the court, the Spurs failed to score in the last 2 minutes of this quarter. After the Mavericks scored 5 points in a row, they entered the final quarter with a 75-69 lead.

It is worth mentioning that Carter finally got a chance to play in the middle of the third quarter and performed well. He hit two shots from outside the three-point line, and once, when he cut inside, he received a pass from Yiyang and was about to dunk, but was violated by Split. However, at the free throw line, Carter still made two free throws and scored two points. Eight points in a single quarter, for a 37-year-old veteran, is enough to be described as "amazing".

In this section of the game, defense has become the theme of both teams. Both sides were unable to score for several minutes, which shows how tight the defense was.

In the fourth quarter, the two teams continued to shine. Yiyang scored in singles and Duncan scored with a hook.

Nowitz stepped back independently, and Leonard took three steps against all odds. Neither side can contain the other. If one side takes the lead, the other side will definitely launch an offensive to complete the overtake. After that, the other team will adjust during the timeout, and so on, in an infinite loop.

As Mike Breen had predicted, the outcome of this game was destined to be decided at the last minute. The two teams continued to alternate the lead, the point difference did not widen, and the game time became less and less.

Until the last 40 seconds of the game, the score between the two sides was still 104. At this time, Popovich had already put Split on the bench, with Duncan playing five and French forward Boris Diaw playing four.

There is no doubt that although this lineup is shorter, its offensive power is more impressive.

After Parker attacked with the ball, he first caught Duncan's pick-and-roll and walked inside. But instead of breaking through, he predictably passed the ball to Duncan who was cutting inside.

But Gobert didn't make a mistake. He stood in front of Duncan just right and didn't give the unsmiling overtime class a chance. Duncan entered the penalty area, and Nowitzki immediately stepped forward to double-team.

At this moment, Duncan suddenly distributed the ball. Diaw, who was in the mid-range position, showed no mercy and hit the mid-range shot without being marked!

This was Diaw's first shot today. His previous two points were obtained by free throws. However, just once, he won a crucial two-point advantage for the Spurs in the last 29 seconds!

But before the Spurs players had time to be happy, the Mavericks sent a quick baseline ball.

Yiyang shuttled through the crowd with a basketball. The ball was served so suddenly that the Spurs had no time to retreat in time.

Yiyang surpassed Diaw, Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. Finally, waiting for him under the basket was the Spurs' strongest defensive guy, Leonard!

Facing the expressionless black forward, Yiyang remained calm in the face of danger. He adjusted his pace and threw the ball under Leonard's long arms!

Yiyang had to admit that Leonard's big hands and long arms made him a natural top defender! Yiyang's throw was almost blocked by Leonard!

However, there is essentially no difference between almost blocking a shot and not blocking a shot. The basketball passed Leonard and fell into the net accurately. In the last 20 seconds of the game, Yiyang used a difficult throw to tie the score again!

"The ball went in! The Spurs had just scored, and they immediately equalized the score again! Oh my God, it was already the last 20 seconds, but the two teams were still inextricable! They once again pushed the Mavericks from the cliff. Edge pulled back, and he didn't let the Spurs take away the victory! Coach Popovich used up the last timeout in his hands. In the last 20 seconds, if the Spurs couldn't end the game, the game would be dragged into extra time. hour!"

"Listen, we're not playing overtime!" However, after the players came off the court, the first words Popovich said were inconsistent with Mike Breen's prediction.

Yiyang walked off the court panting, it was really a critical moment just now. He saved the team again, but he wasn't excited. If possible, Yiyang hopes that the game will never reach the point where a decisive victory is needed to determine the outcome.

In the last 20 seconds, the Spurs had the ball. When Yiyang was at a loss what to do, he suddenly felt someone pinching his shoulder.

Yiyang turned around and saw that it was Carter.

"Boy, hold on tight. It's not impossible for Tony Parker to make the last shot. Don't take it lightly when he comes on the court." Carter's eagerness to enter the finals has not diminished at all... .