One Guard

"We have an advantage in every aspect."

When Yiyang said this expressionlessly, many Warriors fans watching the game in front of the TV hoped that Curry could lead the team to close the 20-point deficit in the second half and give this arrogant Chinese a good blow. Face!

They just don't want to admit that what Yiyang said is the truth. If the Warriors fell behind in the first half due to poor touch, they really had a chance to tie in the second half. After all, it's not like the Warriors haven't staged comebacks before. For a team like the Warriors, if the feeling comes and they hit a few three-pointers in a row, the disadvantage will be filled in an instant.

But the Warriors were 20 points behind at halftime, which had little to do with their feel. The Mavericks used solid and tight defense to win a 20-point advantage. Looking at how embarrassingly Curry was defended by Yiyang, you know that in the second half of the game, the Warriors' chance of creating a miracle is extremely slim.

"In the second half, let me put all the focus on the defensive end! The 20-point point difference, as long as we stabilize the 20-point point difference, we can take away the victory from Oracle Arena! Defense, you must defend well! Now It’s not time to relax yet, we have to fight the Warriors to the end!” Carlisle emphasized the importance of defense over and over again in the locker room. Although the Mavericks played well in the first half, if they relax their vigilance in the second half, the Warriors will be unable to catch up. quickly.

Whether the Warriors have a chance depends entirely on whether the Mavericks players give them a chance. If their defense can continue the level of the first half, the Warriors will not be able to turn around again.

At the beginning of the second half, Curry scored a three-pointer over Yiyang. This three-pointer was like a shot in the arm, bringing the lifeless Oracle Arena back to life!

But in the next two rounds, Curry didn't score again. In one round, he was unable to shoot, and in one round, he was defended by Yiyang and it was difficult to connect the ball.

In fact, Yiyang's defense was also very good when Curry made the shot. Only God knows how Curry scored that goal, but what Yiyang knows is that Curry can't score consecutive goals under such circumstances.

Then, Klay Thompson started to take action. This second-generation star doesn't want to give up the game just yet. The Warriors have been going smoothly all season. If they fall to the Western Conference finals like this, they will be too unwilling!

Green's off-ball pick-and-rolls delayed Tony Allen's defense several times, mainly because Green made too many small moves, and secret mobile pick-and-rolls appeared frequently.

Thompson hit two consecutive three-pointers, like the moonlight in the night sky, bringing a glimmer of light to Oakland.

But Yiyang quickly blocked the light with his own impact, and his breakthrough caused Thompson to receive consecutive fouls. If Thompson graduates with six fouls today, then Cole is basically out of the game.

finally,

The "Buddha's Light" that Warriors fans were waiting for never came. Thompson only flickered for a moment before dimming again. Frequent failures on the defensive end have disrupted the Warriors' offensive rhythm.

After working hard to narrow the point difference to 12 points, the Warriors were exhausted. Cole had to field the second team. However, compared with the second team composed of Barea, Bazemore, Old Carter, Nowitzki and Dalembert, Barbosa, Livingston and Si Petz and others seemed to be somewhat powerless.

Carlisle may be one of the few coaches who dares to maintain a ten-man rotation during the playoffs. In the playoffs, even a seven-man rotation is not surprising, because many substitute players simply cannot adapt to the intensity of the playoffs. , the head coach was completely afraid to send them on the field.

But the Mavericks are different. Barea was the main contributor to the Mavericks winning the championship in 2011. His strength is no problem in the playoffs. Let's not talk about old Carter. God knows whether this guy will perform a winning show this season. Bazemore is slightly less experienced, but has good abilities. Due to the needs of one senior and four juniors, Nowitzki played with the second team today. He is also the main offensive end of the Mavericks' second team. He and Dalembert can handle the exhausted Green or Bogut with ease. .

The Warriors have few interior reserves and can only rest one person at a time. Physically, they are already stretched thin.

Nowitzki's crazy singles made the cheers at Oracle Arena smaller and smaller. The Mavericks suppressed the Warriors in all aspects. From starters to substitutes, the Warriors could not find any advantage.

At the end of the third quarter, the score difference became 18 points. Even so, Warriors fans still don't give up. It wasn't until the beginning of the fourth quarter when Carlisle put out his lineup of one large and four small that Cole's legs went weak and he fell to the bench. He gave up.

"Dwayne is controlling the ball outside the three-point line. He has already scored 15 points in this game. Curry did not do a good job of defending Wade. Of course, Cole is even less likely to let Curry defend. Wade called for a pick-and-roll, was he going to break through!? No, it was a pass, a beautiful diagonal pass. Yi was very fast, and Clay secretly grabbed Yi's jersey, but still couldn't stop him! Yi made a feint The gun, Klay and Green were both shaken. The referee blew the whistle, Klay Thompson committed his fifth foul of the game! If Klay Thompson commits six fouls, then Coach Carlisle can celebrate the victory in advance."

"The Warriors have nothing to do with Yi's impact. Even if Thompson is defending, they can't change any result. The Warriors have always had a headache when encountering guards with strong physical fitness."

Mike Breen and Kevin Harlan shook their heads. At the end of the half, if anyone said the Warriors still had a chance, they were very willing to believe it. But at this moment, it was already the fourth quarter, and the Warriors were still in such a mess that two ESPN commentators also felt that the game could end early.

When Yiyang stood on the free throw line, the boos at Oracle Arena did not diminish at all. You rarely see a home court that can burst out with such power when the team is nearly 20 points behind. Warriors fans haven't given up yet, and they still believe a miracle will happen.

They shouted with all their strength and used various sounds and movements to interfere with Yiyang's free throws. It is not difficult for Mike Breen to imagine how great the pressure is on standing on the free throw line at this time.

But as always, Yiyang made both free throws steadily. 20 points. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Warriors fell behind by 20 points again. The sound in the Oracle Arena suddenly became quieter, and some fans began to leave early.

The Warriors were 20 points behind. Facing the Mavericks' defense, which was one big and four small, even a 1-point gap was as difficult as climbing to the sky for the Warriors. What's more, Klay had committed five fouls and was about to leave the game.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has basically given up resistance and accepted his fate.

No one on the Warriors bench could stand up to help them, so Klay and Curry could only rely on themselves.

There was no trace of vitality in the final singles between the two, and they even took every moment to rest during the transition between offense and defense on the court. Such a scene makes people both sad and distressed.

As for the Mavericks, Yiyang still clung to Curry until the last moment. His mad dog-style pressing defense caused Curry, an epoch-making three-point shooter, to lose his original power. Mike Breen's words gave a very accurate ending to today's battle between Yiyang and Curry.

"Stephen was completely beaten by Yi today! On both ends of the offense and defense, Yi had a firm grip on Stephen. This three-time MVP from China was able to hold on and manipulate the game with applause."

In the last five minutes of the game, the Warriors' morale had been completely destroyed. No one thought they could win the game. No one thought that there would be garbage time in the game of the century between the Warriors and the Mavericks!

Both Cole and Carlisle replaced the main players with "tacit understanding". The total score was 2 to 1, and the Mavericks exceeded it again!

"In this game, the Mavericks' small lineup of one and four made it impossible for the Warriors to find their rhythm. Curry made 6 of 19 shots and only scored 18 points. Klay scored 22 points, but his shooting percentage did not exceed 40%. . Green had 6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He looked very comprehensive, but for this game, he didn't do enough."

"Looking at the statistics of the Mavericks again, Yi has 32 points and 11 assists. In three games of the Western Conference finals, Yi has scored 30 points. This number very faithfully reflects the Warriors' weakness on the defensive end. Even if Coach Kerr uses Clay to go The defense is good, but the effect is not obvious. Dwayne scored 20 points, and Dirk also scored 17 points with the second team. Rudy Gobert grabbed 18 rebounds today. He played in the small lineup of the Warriors. At that time, the advantage was obvious. Mike, do you think the Warriors still have a chance to come back in the next series?"

"Maybe there are more." After Mike Brin finished speaking, he shook his head. The real voice in his heart is actually: The Warriors can't get past the Mavericks!

Two days ago, Warriors players celebrated on the floor of the American Airlines Center. Things have changed, and today, they can only watch the Mavericks reveling in the Oracle Arena.

Before the Five Little Deaths could warm up, they were wiped out in the dust by the Mavericks' more powerful formation.

Looking at Yiyang's back, Curry, who was sweating profusely, sighed, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness occupying his whole body. Compared with last season, everything seems to be no different...