One Guard

With the start of pre-season training camp for the new NBA season, basketball news that has been immersed in it for a long time has begun to occupy the front page headlines in major media.

This season, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks are undoubtedly the two teams that everyone is paying the most attention to. The operations of the two teams in the summer gave them the status of hegemons in both the East and West divisions by the media.

As for the Cavaliers, they not only welcomed back LeBron James, but also attracted the terrifying "double-double machine" Kevin Love, plus the outstanding performance of No. 1 pick Kelly Irving. Cleveland has become rich overnight and has already created a "Heat 2.0" lineup. It's just that Love is in better shape than Bosh, and Irving is much younger than Wade.

Such a younger configuration of the Big Three is undoubtedly very competitive. In order to fight against Yiyang and to continue to realize his dream of a championship, James did everything he could. This time the Cavaliers' lineup seems to be even more terrifying than the Heat's Big Three. No one thought the Cavaliers would face any opponents in the East. The season hadn't even started yet, and they had already booked a spot in the Finals.

As for the Mavericks, they are also not very low-key this summer. Except for Nick Young and Darren Collison, Cuban almost kept all the main lineup when he won the championship last season and did not make the mistakes of 11 years again.

11 years later, the championship lineup was immediately disintegrated due to improper operation. This is the most regretful thing Cuban has ever done in his life. This year, Cuban not only did not mess up the lineup, the newly introduced Aminu, Bazemore and Jose Barea actually made the team look better.

Of course, the most exciting signing for the Mavericks this summer was the successful recruitment of Dwyane Wade! This is something that many people have never thought of. Wade would actually leave the Heat and go to the West!

It is worth mentioning that it is different from the infamy when James left. Wade's departure was unanimously understood by almost all fans, and all the infamy was heaped on Pat Riley.

It seems that fans still give Wade a lot of respect. Even if he joins Dallas, his popularity will not decline at all.

Some people say that Cuban was smart and stepped in when Wade and Riley were at their worst. He not only brings combat effectiveness to the Mavericks, but also brings "box office" guarantee.

Everyone is willing to pay to watch Wade play, whether it's in Miami or Dallas.

But some people say that Cuban is stupid and that he only knows how to throw money around. With Wade's current state, it is impossible to give the Mavericks much help. With that kind of money, it would be better to bet on the younger Chandler Parsons.

I don’t know if Cuban is stupid or the reporters are stupid. Now, they are starting to compare Parsons and Wade.

Despite this, when it comes to predictions for this year's championship, more people are more optimistic that the Cleveland Cavaliers can reach the top for the first time in team history. The reason is simple, the Mavericks' lineup is too old!

Among the starting five, except for Yiyang and Gobert, three are over 30 years old. Among them, Wade is 33 years old and Dirk is 36 years old. On the bench, there are even old guys like Carter, Marion and Dalembert.

If the lineup is too old, it is easy for a problem to arise, that is, the reputation of the lineup is greater than the strength of the lineup.

It seems that the Mavericks' lineup is indeed quite gorgeous. Yiyang + Iguodala + Wade + Dirk, this kind of dream lineup was something people never dared to think about even in games.

But except for Yiyang, how much strength can the other players show next season? This is completely unknown.

Everyone saw Wade's performance last season. If it weren't for his inability to do what he wanted, the Heat would not have been swept out 4-0. As for Dirk, everyone knows how much dominance he still has left at nearly 40 years old. Dirk's performance in the playoffs last season could only be considered average, and there wasn't much that stood out.

Iguodala and Tony Allen, how much contribution can they make on the offensive end?

"It's too old. The Mavericks' lineup is like the Nets last season. It looks bright, but it's actually just strong on the outside and weak on the inside. I know they have this MVP, but it's not just a single-core team that can win the championship. era. If the Mavericks’ veterans are unable to perform at their best, then the Dallas people’s dream of defending the title will be shelved!”

"Maybe Cuban thought his team wasn't old enough, so he signed Wade. Seriously, I think the guy could have renamed his team the Dallas Nursing Homes."

"Carter was renewed for 7 million in three years, and Wade was signed for 31 million in two years. Cuban used his actual actions to explain to us the meaning of the word "people are stupid and have too much money."

"Mark is keen on offering contracts to veterans. I think in a few years, we can even watch the gray-haired Duncan play in Dallas!"

While the Mavericks are favored by people, they are also looked down upon by more people. However, this is the controversy unique to strong teams. If you ask fans to discuss the Timberwolves and 76ers, which don't even have any stars, the fans may not even bother to discuss them.

The huge controversy outside has not affected the Mavericks' preparations. Everyone worked very hard in the training ground. First, Cuban did not sign any more players like Mayo and Odom who were lazy about their work. Secondly, everyone hopes to win glory in Dallas. For the championship trophy, sweating a little is nothing.

Even Carter, who will be ranked behind Wade and Tony Allen next season, is not lazy at all. The veterans are sweating like rain, and the young people naturally dare not slack off.

On the training ground, Yiyang was controlling the ball and advancing toward the substitute team's half. He is as calm as ever. In the fifth year of his career, Yiyang is now more mature than ever before.

As soon as he reached the three-point line, Gobert skillfully set up a pick-and-roll for Yiyang. Yiyang bypassed the pick-and-roll and broke through, but suddenly raised his hand and passed the ball to the basket!

The basketball passed through the crowd and went straight into the penalty area! Wade didn't know when he had already cut in, and after receiving the ball, he directly hit a two-handed dunk!

"Tony! Are you welcoming Dwayne!?" Carlisle's shout resounded throughout the audience again. It was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with Tony Allen's defense just now.

"He's too fast, boss, and he has a lot of fake moves." Tony Allen was also a little helpless. The current Wade is much more difficult to deal with than the Wade in the Finals.

That No. 3 was in excellent condition, as if he looked three or four years younger in an instant. His off-ball cuts coupled with Yiyang's wonderful passes... Next season, the Mavericks' offensive firepower will be even stronger!

"Okay, let's continue training. Treat this as actual combat, we don't have much time to waste!" Carlisle clapped his hands and the training returned to normal.

"They say they are old? I think they are very motivated. Moreover, the integration with Wade seems to be very smooth." Seeing the players immediately getting back into training, Armstrong smiled on the sidelines.

"None of what those idiots say is reliable, but the first game of this season is indeed a bit tricky."

While Carlisle and Armstrong were talking, Gobert blocked Bazemore's breakthrough layup on the court, and the main team formed a counterattack. Yiyang and Wade worked together, and the substitute team's defense had no chance at all.

But this wonderful shot did not attract Carlisle. His mind is now filled with the San Antonio Spurs!

Winning or losing in the opening game does not determine the outcome of the entire season, but it is the best opportunity to prove oneself to the media.

If you lose in the opener, reporters will be buzzing in your ear like flies until halfway through the season.

Carlisle doesn't want to face such troubles, so he should leave it to Popovich to deal with reporters.

Moreover, the Spurs are also an indicator to test whether the Mavericks' lineup and tactics are competitive. Whether you win or lose, it is enough to explain some problems.

If he loses the first game, Carlisle should seriously consider whether there is a problem with the Mavericks' personnel arrangement and tactics.

In short, whether in the long run or in the immediate future, the Spurs are an opponent that the Mavericks have to defeat.

Although the Mavericks eliminated it with a score of 4-2 in the playoffs last season. But that is already in the past tense after all, and it cannot explain anything.

This summer, the Spurs, as usual, did not make much adjustments to their lineup.

Duncan and Parker both renewed their contracts, and basically all the main players from last season have remained. But even if it's just this, the Spurs are definitely competitive enough.

As the start of the new season gets closer, the discussion about the opening game has become more and more heated.

"I've been busy with my wedding and beauty all summer, and I haven't had any systematic training at all. I won't be surprised at all if I don't perform well on the opening day."

A week before the game, the San Antonio media was already restless. Without Hei Yiyang for a summer, they all felt a little lonely.

"With two championship trophies and two regular season MVP trophies, Yi is already starting to feel a little restless. This summer we saw him playing around the world, but there was basically no news about training. It seems that a rising star, Before I reach the top, I have already started to fall.”

The San Antonio media were naturally very unhappy after being avenged by the Mavericks last year. They all hope that the Spurs can teach the Mavericks a lesson in the opening game and vent their anger for everyone.

Looking at the overwhelming negative reports about Yiyang, Wade couldn't help but smile. These idiots have no idea what Yiyang is doing.

This summer, because of his marriage, Yiyang did not attend the training camp for a long time. But in the pre-season training camp, the player with the highest status on the Mavericks was the one who worked the hardest!

Every day's regular training is over and everyone returns to the locker room exhausted, but Yiyang continues to stay on the court for additional training. Wade initially thought that this situation would only last for a few days, and that the extra training would end after Yiyang completely found his competitive state.

But now that the new season is about to begin, Yiyang's daily training is still unstoppable.

At home, his newlywed wife was waiting for him. He just signed a maximum salary with the Mavericks this summer, and he has enough capital to spend around the city. But none of these could shake Yiyang's will. His extra training was never interrupted, and his condition was getting better day by day.

Yiyang didn't play much in the preseason games. This convinced the media that Carlisle did this to cover up Yiyang's poor state!

However, only the Mavericks players knew. Carlisle did this just to try more tactics and get a better run-in, and it had nothing to do with Yiyang's state.

On the contrary, Wade's outstanding performance in the preseason won the full house. I believe that Popovich must be arranging many targeted tactics for Wade now.

The month of pre-season training camp went by quickly, and Carlisle was basically satisfied with the results of the Mavericks' training this month. Everyone has found his or her place in the team, and everyone is getting away from their lazy vacation.

As for the media that crazily criticized Yiyang? Just let them wait and be surprised.

It wasn't until the night before the start of the regular season that Wade finally saw Yiyang stop practicing. This is the first time since the start of the pre-season training camp that Wade has seen Yiyang rush home in a hurry at the end of regular training time.

"I thought you wouldn't feel tired?" Wade teased as he saw Yiyang changing clothes in a hurry to leave after training today.

"Tired?" Yiyang looked at Wade in surprise. "The new season hasn't started yet, how can I be tired?"

"You didn't practice extra today, wasn't it to save your energy for tomorrow's opening match?"

"Of course not. I originally wanted to practice more, but I promised Vignali to go home for dinner today. So..." Yiyang spread his hands. It turned out that this was the reason why he did not continue to practice today. reason.

Yes, since he got married and returned from his honeymoon, Yiyang hasn't had a few proper dinners at home. He promised Alex that Vignelie would be more important than basketball from now on. So no matter how busy he is at work, Yiyang must take a few days to spend with his wife.

This time, the surprised person turned into Wade.

You won't feel bored even if you practice for a month, and you can't beat it every day. The only day I skipped training was because I wanted to go home and have dinner with my wife.

What kind of monster is it that can persist in such a life?

At this time, Wade suddenly felt that the Heat's loss to the Mavericks last year was really not unfair. How could there be a chance of winning against an "inhuman" like Yiyang?

It's a pity that the San Antonio media don't know this yet. But don't worry, tomorrow, Yiyang will definitely make those guys who look down on him suffer the consequences.

The rising star begins to fall? Don't be kidding, Yiyang's era has just begun.