no shortcuts in basketball

dingdiange：

The game between the Mavericks and the Lakers is a focus of attention from the outside world, but for the Mavericks, it is just a small episode in the season.

This season's Mavericks, even during the time when Poole was causing trouble, the team's record was very stable.

To put it bluntly, this Mavericks team and the Bulls team of that year have one thing in common: stability.

Back then, the iron triangle of Xu Yong, Butler, and Adams, and now the iron triangle of Xu Yong, Jokic, and DeRozan, are the best team building models.

Before the All-Star Game, the Mavericks had the best record in the league, and after the All-Star Game, their winning streak continued.

When the time came to March, a topic that had been mentioned several times in the past two years was brought up again: whether the NBA's historical regular season record will be broken.

Because of the epidemic, the Mavericks missed this record for two consecutive years, but now, in the first full season in the past three years, they truly have this opportunity.

The key now depends on how the Mavericks choose.

After all, before this, both the Bulls and the Warriors have done textbook demonstrations of both pros and cons. The former gave up breaking records to retain sufficient physical fitness for the playoffs and finally won the championship, while the latter stormed to 73 wins and finally won the Western Conference runner-up in 73. .

The Mavericks then made their choice with action.

Although the Mavericks' opponents fought hard, the Mavericks also went all out to win.

When the season comes to the last few games, the outside world has all focused on the remaining games of the Mavericks, because breaking records is becoming more and more possible.

Finally, when the time came to early April, when the Mavericks won the final game against the Celtics, their final record was set at 4 wins.

The all-time regular season record held by the Warriors died after just three seasons.

And this is different from the NBA in history that started the point-brushing mode and relied on points-brushing to make news. This was actually done after the league canceled the vertical take-off rule.

"When the league passed through 2015, two true super teams emerged in the league. The standard for us to define it is not its lineup, but the record it has achieved. The Bulls and Mavericks have the biggest thing in common. The thing is, they all have Xu.”

When the new record was set, Buckley gave the most accurate summary of the record on the TNT program.

Such a summary has also triggered extensive discussions among fans. Is it more difficult to complete two consecutive dynasties with one team like Jordan, or is it more difficult to complete two dynasties with two teams like Xu Yong?

Everyone has their own opinions, and there are different opinions.

But at the same time, some people pointed out that Xu Yong has not done this yet.

The Mavericks chose to go all out to break the record in the regular season like the Warriors did, which inevitably means that they consumed too much in the regular season and will suffer from physical fitness and injuries in the playoffs.

Thinking about it this way, the teams in the Western Conference that have entered the playoffs are all eager to try.

In fact, it's not just the West, but also the East. Antetokounmpo, who led his team to regain the first place in the East this season, can't wait.

Previously, the Warriors won 73 games and were runner-up in the Western Conference. Who wouldn’t want to do it again with the Mavericks now?

At the end of the season, the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs have officially begun.

The Mavericks' opponent in the first round is the Lakers.

What, why the Lakers?

The subjective factor is that James is alone and others do not give him enough support.

The objective factor is mainly because Davis suffered injuries, and he has played somewhat intermittently this year.

As for VanVleet, his singles ability is not up to Irving's level and he does not deserve to have the ball. A point guard without the ball who wants to perform well is like asking a chef to cook without adding seasonings.

Moreover, James led a group of rookies who missed the playoffs before. This year, despite core injuries and poor teammates, he led the team to the playoffs, and it was still in the Western Conference, which is already quite good.

Because of the past entanglements between Xu Yong and James, and also because of the grudges in the regular season, regardless of their strength, the encounter between these two teams was definitely the most popular matchup in the first round.

Then before the first round started, Poole gave everyone a big job.

"If it weren't for injuries, we would never have fallen to this position. We have the strength of the top four in the Western Conference, and we will win the final victory."

Is Poole really stupid?

After hearing his remarks, Xu Yong felt that this was not necessarily true.

Historically, Poole was able to get a big contract with the Warriors, largely because of his abnormal behavior after being beaten by Green, playing the role of a pitiful, weak, and helpless victim.

Now, there is a saying that red and black are also black. If it weren't for the clamor after joining the Lakers, how many people would pay attention to Poole who was kicked out.

Similar representative players include Green.

Of course, Xu Yong just likes to see Poole's behavior.

After all, this kind of words can greatly stimulate the desire of the Mavericks team members to compete.

that's the truth.

The Mavericks showed absolute commitment from the beginning of G1, and the Lakers were unable to parry.

Poole's remarks are actually not completely unreasonable. If Davis can maintain full attendance, the Lakers will indeed not fall into this position.

Now that they are in this position, they will indeed be more competitive than other teams in the lower half.

But what he overlooked was that because he failed to attend full attendance, Davis's status was a problem. In addition, he was afraid of being injured again, and his strength was limited.

After losing g1, the classic reappeared immediately.

"The Lakers will not lose, they will win the game 4-1."

"The Lakers will not lose, they will complete the comeback 4-2."

"The Lakers will not lose, they will achieve a 4-3 comeback."

"The Lakers will not lose, they will come back 5-4!"

The first-round matchup between the Mavericks and the Lakers focused on an entertainment game.

Of course, the fans were happy to see it. After all, who doesn't like to watch people having fun? Especially in the last game, James was beaten so hard that he dropped his pearls on the bench.

Although there is an element of acting, it is something that must be done in order to continue to win the support of fans.

Without fans, losing is a small matter, but losing money is a big deal.

Just after the Mavericks finished the first round, the league announced the winner of the season MVP.

There is no trace of suspense. With the team's record-breaking record and his outstanding data of 33.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, Xu Yong was once again elected as the regular season MVP.

It is worth mentioning that this is also the third consecutive season that Xu Yong has won this honor after his comeback.

The three consecutive MVPs that were cut off during the Bulls era were achieved in Dallas.

This result is true to the saying: when the east is not bright, the west is bright.

After experiencing a first round with full traffic but basically no suspense, the Mavericks encountered the Grizzlies, their opponent they had faced two years ago, in the second round.

Xu Yong's previous words have also come true. After only two seasons, the Grizzlies team has grown up rapidly. This season, they directly reached fourth place in the Western Conference and eliminated the Clippers to advance to the conference semifinals.

Compared to the Lakers, the Grizzlies put significantly more pressure on the Mavericks in the second round.

Although the Grizzlies also have a core that basically relies on breakthroughs to score, he does not have such a big demand for the ball. The Grizzlies are essentially a team team, plus they have continued the defensive team culture. After gaining a certain amount of experience, their strength is quite impressive.

The Grizzlies unfortunately lost the first game, but in the second game they were full of morale and evened the score, demonstrating what it means to be young and energetic.

After the game, the previous argument reappeared.

"Look, the Mavericks are going to make the same mistake as the Warriors. They were overly exhausted in the regular season, and they won't be able to do it with even a little intensity in the playoffs!"

"You can't even beat the Grizzlies and you still want a dynasty? This is simply a ready-made peach. Whoever picks it up will be lucky!"

"How did the Lakers lose in the first round? Bad luck?"

In G3 of the series, the Mavericks and Grizzlies moved to Memphis to continue their contest.

The atmosphere at the Grizzlies home court is also quite warm.

After all, they have seized the home court advantage from the Mavericks, and now they have the next two home courts. The situation is great, how can the fans not be excited.

Of course, it is inevitable that some people will be overly excited. For example, some fans at the scene raised a sign saying "Xu, we don't need you at all."

This slogan seems inexplicable at first glance, and only old fans can react to it immediately.

Because the tie involved the draft that year, the Grizzlies selected Xu Yong and sent him to the Bulls. After that, Xu Yong flourished in the Bulls, but the Grizzlies were always at the bottom of the Western Conference. The Grizzlies were just like sending him away in the past. Kobe Bryant's Hornets were also laughed at for years.

Now they have finally risen, and they have the opportunity to eliminate Xu Yong's team with their own hands and go down in history. How can this not be exciting?

But it was this slogan that Xu Yongjing saw at the first sight of the stadium.

He didn't say anything, but his expression had been serious since then.

Most of the teammates on the Mavericks team didn't know what happened, and they all thought that Xu Yong was because the situation in the series was not optimistic.

But one person with sharp eyes discovered the problem.

In the Mavericks, Jokic has two biggest advantages, one is weight, and the other is carefulness.

When he was still in Chicago, he was the only one who could make flattery look like flattery.

So as soon as the game started, Jokic dropped directly to the top of the arc and beyond the three-point line, and then directed his teammates to create opportunities for Xu Yong.

This is probably a tacit understanding that can be understood with just one look.

In this game, Jokic finally sent 16 assists, 11 of which were given to Xu Yong.

Jokic's historic passing ability, coupled with his spatial ability, made Xu Yong's mouth watering.

Of course, on the other hand, Jokic's assist rate is so high because the target of his pass is Xu Yong.

After all, if it is James who receives the ball, then there is a high probability that you will get a second-hand assist that will not be included in the technical statistics.

The Grizzlies used Williamson to defend Xu Yong tonight. After all, Williamson can go against Xu Yong in terms of confrontation, but he experienced a night of growth tonight. His confrontation was with Xu Yong. There was nothing in front of him, because most of the time he couldn't keep up with Xu Yong's pace.

51 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, this is the data Xu Yong handed over tonight.

Under his leadership, the Mavericks played a great game in the final quarter and successfully won G3.

Then in G4, when the Grizzlies summed up their experience and began to adjust their defensive strategy and flanked Xu Yong, Xu Yong handed over a triple-double of 33 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. On the defensive end, the Grizzlies lost everything. A huge defeat.

In two games with completely different styles, Xu Yong still played with ease in the face of the Grizzlies' level of defensive intensity.

Of course, the Mavericks don't show the fatigue that the outside world said at all.

Obviously, the Mavericks are different from the Warriors, and even different from the Bulls back then.

The difference in the former is that the Mavericks are stronger than the 73-win Warriors, and the difference in the latter is that the Mavericks have not suffered any major injuries this year.

Therefore, it is true that breaking the record will consume the Mavericks, but the extent of the consumption is far less than what the outside world says.

On the contrary, after losing G3 and G4 one after another, the Grizzlies team's youthful energy suddenly disappeared.

4-1, the Mavericks successfully eliminated the Grizzlies and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

This time their opponent in the Western Conference Finals is the Warriors.

Curry missed most of the game last season due to injury, but led the team to make a comeback in the new season. Encouraged by him, the Warriors also had high morale and eliminated the Jazz and Thunder to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The strength and morale of this Warriors team are far higher than last season, but when they faced the Mavericks, they still failed to change the result.

The reason is simple. Since Xu Yong joined the Mavericks, the Mavericks have restrained the Warriors in terms of lineup configuration and play style.

As for morale, the morale of the Mavericks is no lower than that of the Warriors.

Of course, Curry's condition this season is indeed good enough, which allowed the Warriors to grab two wins from the Mavericks.

4-2, the Warriors ended the season in a decent way.

Although Curry stood in the middle circle for a long time at the end of G6, it was because he could not move after exhaustion of physical strength, or because he was powerless about the ending in front of him, or, after giving all his strength, he also knew that he was like Just like those stars who were notified by Jordan, they will never have the chance to touch the trophy again.

In the finals, the Mavericks met the Raptors again.

The Raptors' path to promotion this year is much smoother than two years ago. Thanks to Antetokounmpo's further improvement and Leonard's good attendance rate this season, the Raptors are dominant in the Eastern Conference. Absolutely, even the Bulls were easily defeated by them 4-2 in the conference semifinals.

This also made the finals much more intense than two years ago.

The Raptors captured Dallas immediately and took a 1-0 lead.

But before the fans could come up with their previous opinions again, Jokic and DeRozan broke out one after another, and the Mavericks won two games in a row to rewrite the score to 2-1.

However, in G4, Antetokounmpo also broke out and completed a tip-in at the last moment, rewriting the score to 2-2 and forcing the Mavericks to the top of the mountain.

"I think we can really do it!" Antetokounmpo said with excitement during the on-site interview after the game.

His mind is now full of what Xu Yong said to him before, the future is his, and his future is now!

Dallas, Tianwang Mountain.

Just when everyone thought that tonight's game would be more intense than ever, Xu Yong told everyone with his actions at the beginning: Impossible, absolutely impossible.

In previous matches between the two teams, including this finals, Leonard was always able to put a lot of restrictions on Xu Yong, but tonight, Leonard's defense failed against Xu Yong from the beginning, and Xu Yong's desire to compete was unprecedented. of intensity.

Did something happen, like Green or Poole's previous remarks, that irritated Xu Yong?

Actually not.

It's just like Xu Yong said at the beginning of the season, when the dynasty is close at hand, there is no need for external conditions to stimulate it.

What's more, this is an agreement between him and Rose.

When Leonard could no longer restrict Xu Yong, the Raptors' defensive resources were mobilized, and the previous states of Jokic and DeRozan began to take effect.

As a result, the Raptors' defensive system, like the Grizzlies before them, began to collapse.

Xu Yong only scored 48 points in the end, but under his leadership, the Mavericks scored 126 points.

The Mavericks also got the match point.

g6 toronto.

The Raptors were forced into a desperate situation and jumped over the wall in a desperate situation. The Raptors fought to the death.

The score difference between the two sides never exceeded 5 points from the beginning to the end. Even 27 seconds before the end, the Mavericks only led by one point.

In the Mavericks' final attack, all Canadian fans in the audience were shouting for defense.

At this time, because Leonard's defensive effect was not good, Antetokounmpo switched to defend in front of Xu Yong.

Xu Yong swayed, lowered his center of gravity, broke through and changed direction, pulled back, and shook off Antetokounmpo's mid-range jumper. When he saw Antetokounmpo rushing forward, he collected the ball with one hand, turned around and completely swung away. The opponent then turned around and took a shot.

The basketball traces a perfect parabola.

"Shh!"

Hollow into the net.

Xu Yong defeated the Raptors.

The scene was in an uproar, and the fans held their heads in disbelief.

Antetokounmpo also looked pained.

Xu Yong looked at Antetokounmpo after landing, smiled and said: "I told you that the future is yours, but I forgot to say that now it is mine."

dingdiange