One Guard

"Don't think you are safe, Houstonians are coming to take away the victory!"

The image of James Harden pointing at the TV screen and shouting to Yiyang became the most popular picture the next day.

This bearded No. 13 has made so much progress this season that it’s staggering. In the MVP rankings, the top three players are all defenders. Among them, Yiyang, Curry and Harden occupy the top three positions.

Since the counterattack against the Clippers, the Rockets have been full of confidence. Even if they can create such a miracle, what else is impossible?

Although the Rockets' counterattack is not only due to Harden alone, although his performance in some games was not outstanding enough, there is no doubt that James Harden is still a major focus of the Rockets' successful counterattack.

The third direct crossover with the first battle can't help but make people daydream about it.

Can the magical Houston Rockets create another myth?

"No, everyone has made a mistake, that is, confusing the Clippers and the Mavericks. I must solemnly state here that the Dallas Mavericks, who have won 74 games this season, are not at the same level as the Los Angeles Clippers! The fact that the Rockets can counterattack the Clippers doesn't mean they can definitely defeat the Mavericks."

"Why not? As long as Harden, Howard and the 'hairband gang' all play well, there is no chance that the Houston Rockets will soar into the sky. This is the playoffs. In the playoffs, there are countless examples of upsets and David and Goliath defeats. !”

The series hasn't even started yet, but the war of words between the two teams has already been very intense.

In the training ground at the American Airlines Center Arena, the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere finally disappeared. At first, Carlisle was a little worried. Will an too easy first round make the players too relaxed?

But now it seems that Carlisle is worrying too much. They are the defending champions, and they are the creators of the great record of 74 wins. Those players wearing Mavericks training uniforms always know what they are doing.

"They are all in good shape. After the Rockets come to Dallas, they may have to shut up." Armstrong stood happily on the sidelines. With the Mavericks' current state, there should be no big problem against the Rockets.

"It's not that simple, Darrell. Do you know where the Clippers lost?" Carlisle stared at the court while talking to his assistant.

"After 3-1, the Clippers were too lax, and they will lose if they are arrogant." Armstrong answered without thinking.

"There is indeed this factor, but this statement is a bit unfair to McHale and the Rockets. Because they can win not only by the opponent's relaxation. From the fifth game, McHale began to play on the defensive end Focusing on limiting the Clippers' wings, Redick, who was able to contribute 19.5 points in each of the first four games, only averaged 9 points per game in the next few games, and his three-point shooting percentage plummeted to 12.5%. Likewise, Redick had previously performed well and averaged 19.5 points per game. Rivers, who scored 16 points, only averaged 5 points in the last three games after the Rockets adjusted their defensive strategy. Under such circumstances, Paul and Griffin seemed somewhat isolated on the offensive end, and their physical exertion undoubtedly increased. Quite a few.”

Listening to Carlisle's comprehensive analysis, Armstrong couldn't help but smile. This guy always sees more than others.

"But we don't have such a problem. The Rockets' wing defense cannot lock down our offense." Armstrong spread his hands.

"Indeed, but there is another reason why the Rockets won. In addition to the inside and outside combination of Harden and Howard, the Rockets' lineup also has Ariza and Josh Smith on the front line. We also have our old Terry. , a talented player like Brewer who can break out at any time. In contrast, although the Clippers have a bright starting lineup, only Crawford is outstanding on the bench. The Clippers' own lineup depth problem also caused them to One of the reasons for losing. So, in the next series, we have to adjust the lineup."

"Let Dwayne come off the bench?"

"No,

Let Andre play the sixth man! "

"Andre? Iguodala?" Armstrong opened his mouth wide. He thought Carlisle would let a guy with a stronger scoring ability play as the sixth man.

On the training ground, confrontational training continues. Yiyang handed the ball to Iguodala as always. As long as he wanted to run without the ball, he would probably pass the ball to Iguodala.

Iguodala averaged only 3 assists per game during the regular season this season. From a statistical point of view, he is by no means a good passer. But Iguodala's support and organizational skills are not reflected in the data. His steady passing may not directly result in assists, but it can cut through the opponent's defense like a scalpel and deliver "ammunition" to teammates who get opportunities.

Yiyang reached the mid-range position on the right side and received a pass from Iguodala. The former received the ball and feinted a shot, sending Shelvin Mark flying, and then drove inside to attract Dalembert to cover up.

Seeing this, Yiyang threw the ball high, and Gobert succeeded in "eating the cake" and deducted two points.

From the data point of view, the assist belongs to Yiyang. But in fact, Iguodala's timely response was particularly important.

Tepid, this is how Iguodala feels to people, but Carlisle knows that the power contained in that strong guy is more than that...

It is perfect to let this guy play the sixth man!

Training time always flies by, and on May 3, the Dallas Mavericks finally waited for the start of their Western Conference semifinals.

James Harden and Dwight Howard landed in Dallas. This time, the Mavericks' opponent is no longer the Thunder or the Spurs. But this year's Houston Rockets are no more trivial than those old rivals.

Speaking of the series between the Rockets and the Mavericks, most people will think of the Rockets led by Yao Mai 10 years ago when they were counterattacked by the Mavericks in the first round. But now, the staffing of both teams has changed. The Mavericks entered the Yiyang era early, and the Rockets have also emerged from the reconstruction period after Yao Mai left.

Another Texas Civil War. With the rapid rise of the Mavericks in recent years, the Texas Civil War seems to be an indispensable topic in the playoffs every year. Before, it was the Mavericks and Spurs, but this year, it was replaced by the younger Rockets.

"A very unfortunate news is that during the regular season of this season, the Rockets suffered a perfect 4-0 defeat by the Mavericks. In these four games, the Mavericks' offense did not show firepower at all. They were able to defeat the Rockets four times because of An iron-clad defense! The Mavericks gave up only 97.9 points per 100 possessions, shutting down the Rockets' top offense in the league."

While the players were still warming up on the court, Kenny Smith had already started warming up the fans based on the data he had.

"So today, the Mavericks will definitely continue to work hard on defense. After so many days of rest, the Mavericks have an absolute advantage!"

"You can't say that. Have you forgotten the classic showdown between the Mavericks and the Rockets just after the All-Star Game? In that game, the Mavericks fought back-to-back after double overtime the day before, and the Rockets Then they took a full eight days of rest! What was the result? It turned out that the performance of the two teams on the court had nothing to do with how many days they had rested!" O'Neal immediately began to excuse the Rockets. He did not think that the rest would be longer. , even better for the Mavericks.

On the commentary stage, several live treasures have already started a new round of war of words. On the basketball court, the Mavericks and Rockets players also glared at each other. The Rockets are naturally eager to avenge their past humiliation. After all, they have never defeated the Mavericks this season. The Mavericks, whose only goal is to win the championship, cannot allow themselves to fall in the Western Conference semifinals.

In fact, in the five years since Yiyang joined the Mavericks, they have only been eliminated once in the Western Conference semifinals. Ever since this team changed their surname to "Yi", they have never had the habit of being eliminated early.

Of course, not all Rockets players are hostile to the Mavericks. A member of Team Rocket's "Hairband Gang" was currently chatting with Yiyang with a smile.

"It feels good to be back here again." Jason Terry looked around. He may be the only Rockets player in the audience who can get cheers from the Mavericks fans.

"We should be fighting side by side now, Jason." Yiyang recalled that in the middle of the season, Cuban and Carlisle wanted to buy Terry. At that time, as a direct competitor, the Rockets did not release him. Facts have proved that their decision was extremely correct.

"Added a new tattoo?" Terry curiously pointed to the inside of Yiyang's arm, where Terry also had the same O'Brien Cup tattoo as Yiyang. He still remembered that he took him to get a tattoo during Yiyang's rookie season.

At that time, no one believed the Mavericks could dominate the league. The results of it? Look at things now, things are unpredictable.

"Yes, I won the second championship, so I added a year under the O'Brien Cup." Yiyang looked at his arm. The tattoo he added last year was not a fancy thing. Under the original O'Brien Cup tattoo, the numbers "13-14" were added to represent his second O'Brien Cup.

"Every time you win a championship, add a year underneath it? You brat, unless your arms are as long as Rudy Gobert, otherwise in a few years, you won't have room for tattoos on your arms." Terry As always, he joked with Yiyang. Standing on the floor of the American Airlines Center Arena, he felt as relaxed as if he were at home in Yiyang.

Until Terry looked down and realized that he was wearing the red training uniform of the Rockets. This guy shook his head. Are you kidding? We are opponents now!

"But this year! I won't let you succeed, you brats! Did you see what we did to the Clippers?"

"I watch every game, Jeter. But trust me, your new friend can't get past Dallas." Yiyang looked past Terry to Harden and Howard in the other half.

"Okay, I won't talk nonsense to you anymore. Let's go and warm up, the game will start soon." After Terry finished speaking, he was about to turn around and leave, but his face was full of reluctance.

"Jet."

"Um?"

"Will you come back after this season?"

"......talk later."

After a brief silence, Terry waved his hand and turned to leave. ()

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