One Guard

Fans can probably name a lot of the strongest duo in the history of the NBA. But perhaps not everyone can recall the most disappointing duo in the league.

In the 2005-06 season, the backcourt duo of "lone wolf" Stephon Marbury and Francis was undoubtedly a "frequent player" on this list. At that time, both of them had already reached the end of their heroes, and naturally they could not perform satisfactorily. .

Not many people may even remember the "Shark King" combination of "Big Shark" O'Neal and "Little Emperor" James. This combination was indeed very bluffing at the time, but unfortunately O'Neal was too old, so it did not reach the heights expected.

Denver's "Golden Guns" formed by Anthony and Iverson may have the most domineering nickname among the duo. But it turns out that when these two guys are combined, one basketball is not enough to score points.

There are too many disappointing duos in NBA history. Some of them are regrettable, and some of them simply disappeared into the long river of history. However, most of these combinations have one thing in common, that is, one of them has already passed his peak period.

Yiyang and Dirk Nowitzki actually fall into this category. In fact, their performance in the last game has caused many experts to include them in the list of "the most failed duo". But today's game has forced those so-called experts to reconsider their conclusions.

In the fifth minute of the third quarter of the game, Yiyang's breakthrough was violated by Leonard, but because the foul count had not yet reached, Yiyang could not make a free throw, and the Mavericks only got a chance to throw a sideline ball.

Taking advantage of this dead ball opportunity, Carlisle replaced the sweating Marion. Seeing the guy with long blond hair re-enter the court, the Spurs players couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

"How was your rest?" Yiyang took the initiative to step forward and high-five Nowitzki intimately.

"Plenty of energy! Come on, let's continue!" Nowitzki moved his arms and then motioned for Gobert to serve the sideline ball.

Yiyang stood near the free throw line. After the referee blew his whistle, he pushed Parker secretly, then stepped out of the three-point line and prepared to catch the ball.

Parker was pushed so hard that he was delayed for a few seconds. After he rushed out with Yiyang, he happened to run into the off-ball pick-and-roll set up by Nowitzki for Yiyang.

"Damn it!" the Frenchman cursed secretly in French. At this time, Yiyang had easily received the ball from the sideline, and then accelerated his breakthrough while Parker had not yet set up a defensive posture.

Danny Green still wants to make up defense.

But Yiyang's breakthrough speed this time was so fast that Green had no time to make up for it.

Seeing that Yiyang's breakthrough was a foregone conclusion, Split stayed under the basket and was ready. Duncan also chased Yiyang, hoping to complete the block.

Facing the basket guarded by the Brazilian center, Yiyang was not afraid. He jumped up directly, almost wanting to perform a dunk from behind!

But after deceiving Split and Duncan by raising the basketball in the air, Yiyang did not dunk or layup. Instead, he put the basketball down again and passed it out from under his arm. The basketball was impartial and flew right into the hands of Nowitzki, who had just appeared.

Facing Parker, who is less than 1.9 meters tall, Nowitzki directly faced the "little sports car" defense and fired decisively.

One step beyond the three-point line, Dirk took the ball. While the basketball was still flying, Duncan felt a thump in his heart. As soon as Nowitzki came up, their defense failed.

"Brush!" Everything went as Duncan expected, Nowitzki made a mid-range shot!

Yiyang pointed at Nowitzki, ran up and patted the German's butt. A typical connection between Yiyang and Nowitzki. This connection is not as flying as Paul and Griffin, nor is it as beautiful as Wade and James. But this connection is very real. Easily, Nowitzki scored his 24th point of the day, and the Mavericks once again widened the point difference to double digits!

"As soon as Dirk came back, he completed a wonderful cooperation with Yi! The Spurs finally narrowed the point difference to single digits within five minutes of the start of the third quarter, but as soon as Dirk came up, the gap was widened again. Let's go!" Mike Breen shook his head. Yiyang and Nowitzki's performance today was really outstanding.

From the moment Dirk and Yiyang scored at the beginning of the first quarter, these two guys never stopped playing. Dirk repeatedly scored in the mid-range, while Yiyang frequently broke into the penalty area to attack the Spurs' defense.

Sometimes Dirk would fake a real pass to assist Yiyang for an easy layup, and other times, like just now, Yiyang would use his superb ball-distribution skills to help Nowitzki get an open opportunity. Well, although Dirk still has Tony Parker in front of him, for him this is not much different from an open shot.

In the first half of the game, the two outstanding performances allowed the Mavericks to lead the Spurs by 15 points. I wonder if the expert who claimed that "only the Spurs can suppress the Mavericks, but the Mavericks cannot suppress the Spurs" feels ashamed now?

In the third quarter, Carlisle asked Marion to start the second half. The purpose is very clear, just to let Nowitzki rest for a while so that he can perform at critical moments.

Taking advantage of the period when the Mavericks' firepower was weakening, the Spurs pursued fiercely and finally narrowed the point difference to 8 points before one minute. But just now, Dirk's appearance ended the Spurs' momentum.

"Damn it, have all the old guys rejuvenated recently!?" Seeing Dirk scoring as soon as he came on the court, Popovich also cursed. The previous game was Carter's buzzer-beater, and the last game was Manu's 27 points. Today, another Dirk Nowitzki is in great form.

The old guys broke out one after another, messing up the entire series. If only Nowitzki breaks out, that's fine. But today, Yiyang performed very well.

In three quarters, he had 23 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 rebounds and no turnovers. Yes, no one made any mistakes! This data is already beautiful enough, but now the third quarter has only played five minutes! God knows what Yiyang's data will look like after the fourth quarter.

The Spurs were not to be outdone, and they were eager to close the gap. After attacking, Parker handed the ball to Diaw, who raised his hand to ask for the ball. Diaw, who was covered in the smell of coffee, broke through with the ball in the mid-range position. Just when he was halfway through, Diaw suddenly stopped and once again made a step-back jumper.

In the last game, Diaw has not forgotten the scene of Diaw hitting an independent step back from the Golden Rooster in front of Dirk. Sorry, Burris, you hit the muzzle of a gun today!

Nowitzki was not afraid of Diaw's slightly raised knee. He straightened his long arms, rushed forward, and slapped his arms hard.

"Snapped!"

As soon as Diaw took the shot, the basketball was mercilessly slapped back by Nowitzki! The moment he slapped the basketball away, Nowitzki couldn't help but yell! This goal is his best way to vent all these grievances! Those guys who say they are old and useless, take a look!

"Diaw also wanted to score a goal with a step-back jumper over Dirk. His move did make him the headlines of many news websites yesterday. But Diok undoubtedly told Burris that from now on , don’t challenge my authority again!”

After the basketball flew out, Yiyang jumped up high, overpowered Parker, and grabbed the basketball that he had no right to own for the time being.

Before it even landed in the air, Yiyang, who was leaning sideways, passed the ball out. Iguodala has already started running towards the frontcourt, and a fast break is formed instantly!

No one expected Yiyang to get on the ball so quickly, and Leonard tried hard to chase after Iguodala. When Iguodala jumped for a layup, Leonard followed suit in time.

But the fierce physical confrontation did not defeat the strong Iguodala. Iguodala still stabilized his center of gravity and moved the basketball lightly. Leonard tried his best to reach the ball, but he still missed it by a hair.

"Also, an incredible assist. It was like he could predict the future, completing such a precise pass in the air before it even landed! Iguodala's finish was also very beautiful. After all, not everyone can do it with Leonard. Survived the hunt."

The goal was scored, with a 12-point deficit and 3 minutes and 45 seconds left in the third quarter. Popovich called a timeout. He didn't expect this game to be so difficult. Nowitzki and Yiyang are both in great shape, unstoppable!

Popovich took the tactical board and formulated many defensive strategies against Yiyang and Dirk. But in fact, Popovich has been doing this all night, but sometimes, you can't prevent it! No matter how exquisite your tactical arrangements are, there is no guarantee that they will be effective in actual execution.

If every defensive tactic worked, there wouldn't be so many great stars in this league. The reason why stars are stars is precisely because they are powerful and have surpassed tactical arrangements.

At the end of the third quarter, the Spurs really didn't make any breakthrough. Duncan's three singles were all blocked by Gobert. Ginobili's breakthrough made it a two-plus-one, but that was it. What about the taciturn Leonard? He became the main scoring force of the Spurs, repeatedly reaching the penalty area and scoring with difficulty. But after all, Leonard is not a super scorer. His layups again and again couldn't compare with the Mavericks' powerful firepower.

After three quarters, the Mavericks maintained a 15-point lead. In this game, the Mavericks overwhelmed the Spurs. It seemed that Yiyang's behavior in the locker room the day before yesterday had indeed paid off.

Everyone on the Mavericks team is very focused and serious, and they don’t dare to be careless in the slightest. And this is why they were able to suppress the Spurs today.

After the start of the fourth quarter, Yiyang and Nowitzki continued to score goals. These two guys complement each other, making the Spurs' defense unable to grasp the key points at all.

On the Spurs' side, the fiery three-point touch of "Red Mamba" Bonner and Italian defender Belinelli once gave the Spurs hope.

But when the Mavericks began to pay attention to the two, they were not surprised that they both misfired. In the first game of the series, the Mavericks were able to hold the Spurs scoreless for 7 minutes. It was not just luck.

In the third minute of the fourth quarter, Carlisle boldly replaced both Yiyang and Dirk. The Spurs seized the opportunity, with Bonner and Ginobili frequently making contributions from beyond the three-point line. But in the last six minutes of the game, when the Spurs were about to get close to the score, Carlisle made a big move and replaced Yiyang and Dirk.

It was like this every time, when the Spurs would equalize the score, Carlisle would send in Yiyang and Dirk. Popovich even felt that the damn bald coach was just trying to make him angry on purpose!

He seemed to be waving to himself, and then yelling: "Come on Greg, come after me!"

And when Popovich really wanted to catch up, Carlisle ordered the "drivers" Yiyang and Dirk to step on the accelerator, leaving Popovich behind to eat dust.

At the end of the fourth quarter, Yiyang and Nowitzki still bombarded the Spurs' basket. Their scoring efficiency has not decreased at all and is terrifyingly high.

In the last two minutes of the game, Popovich had no choice but to withdraw all his main players, and then leaned back helplessly. 115 to 99, the Spurs lost today, and they lost so completely!

After the game entered garbage time, Mike Breen and Kevin Harlan also began to chat about the performance of the players in this game. After all, at this time, the game itself is not worth watching.

"You are really a prophet, Kevin. I remember before the game started, you said it was impossible for Yi and Dirk to score 60 points together. You are right, they did not." Looking at Yiyang and Dirk, Data, Mike Brin smirked.

"Really? Are they just one point away?" Kevin Harlan felt a little unbelievable. Yiyang and Nowitzki looked so good today, but they didn't even add up to 60 points?

"It's not a difference of 1 point, but a difference of 11 points." Mike Breen's smile was still profound.

"11 points? This is impossible? Could it be that I was dazzled just now? Yi and Dirk obviously played very well today. How could it be possible that the two of them only scored 49 points together? In the third quarter of the game , it’s more than that.” Although Kevin Harlan didn’t want to be slapped in the face so soon, what Mike Breen said was too bizarre.

"It's 11 points, that's right. Today they didn't score 60 points together, but scored 71 points! Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds, and Dirk Nowitzki had 40 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds. That’s why I say, you are a born prophet, Kevin.”

Mike Breen laughed, and Kevin Harlan gave his old partner a roll of his eyes.