The Mavericks also have many fans who are not convinced, and the Internet has criticized the Knicks for getting preferential treatment, and the Knicks did make more free throws than the Mavericks in the last game.

In the 2006 Finals, many people said that the Mavericks lost to the referees, and Wade made a staggering number of free throws. Mavericks personality boss Cuban was much more low-key this time and did not stand up to criticize the referee. Cuban has been fined too many times, and he doesn't want to talk much about the financial crisis and the season suspension, at least for now, the situation is still more favorable for the Mavericks. If the Knicks made far more free throws than the Mavericks at home in Dallas, Cuban would have complained.

When he arrived in Dallas, Yao Ming invited Zhou Xuan to dinner as a landlord. The two went to the café to find a quiet location and ordered Western food.

Yao Ming smiled: "I won't talk about basketball today. Don't try to get a secret from me. ”

"If you don't talk about basketball, what are you talking about? Is it brewing wine and coffee here? ”

"Good idea."

Zhou Xuan took a deep breath and said lightly: "Do you know the changes in the dragon?" ”

"Hey, it's coming......"

"Just kidding."

"But I always think that Liu Bei should be very good at basketball. If you have your hands over your knees and are 1.8 meters tall, your arms are stretched at 2.1 meters, right? Better than Iverson. ”

“……”

The occupational disease is serious, and everything can be associated with basketball.

Both men have a lot of confidence in their respective teams, never mentioning tactics and keeping them secretive.

Yao Ming didn't think about winning the MVP, but he was desperate for a championship, as did Nowitzki, Kidd, Stevenson, Terry and others. This is the advantage of the Mavericks, and the veterans want to realize their dreams before retiring. And most of the Knicks players don't have such a strong desire, and they earn it by reaching the finals. They are still young, and they have opportunities.

This is the first time since 2006 that the finals have been played in Dallas. The fans who attended the game wore uniform blue T-shirts, showing a sea of blue. The fans cheered hard for the Mavericks, and their fighting spirits were high and they worked together. Playing in such an environment, the pressure is high enough.

When the game started, whenever the Mavericks attacked or defended, the fans cheered loudly. When Knicks players get the ball, especially when Zhou Xuan holds the ball, they will be booed by Mavericks fans.

Encouraged by the fans, Yao Ming and Nowitzki both played very actively, attacking the basket with internal passes. The Knicks wanted to make a foul on the road and beat Yao Ming down. As long as Yao Ming sits under the basket, it is difficult for Knicks players to score easily in the restricted area.

The two teams battled to attack, and the Knicks trailed by 11 points at halftime.

In the second half, Zhou Xuan, Beverley, Matthews, Gallinari, and Stoudeyer ran and bombed, playing a wave of 15-2 and overtaking the score.

The Mavericks replaced Kidd and allowed Barria and Terry to step up their offense and combine inside and outside. Terry had a convulsion in the second half, and the Knicks had already guarded the perimeter, but he still shot three 3-pointers in a single quarter. It's useless to interfere, just enter! And Pekovic was plagued by fouls, and after the break, the interior could only rely on Anderson and Xiaosi to stand up.

In the fourth quarter, Zhou Xuan's shot was inaccurate, and he couldn't score consecutive jump shots, and the Mavericks took the opportunity to widen the score. In the conversion of 32 and 23 defenses, the Mavericks did very well. As soon as Zhou Xuan passes, they will also release the weak side, Stoudeyer and Gallinari have average ability to respond, and the ball cannot be divided.

Replaced with Miller to strengthen the organization, and there is one less pitcher on the outside, the Mavericks also have a way, and the periphery is empty Miller, including Zhou Xuan and Stoudeyer. If they rush to the inside, they shrink.

Miller can't do three-point shooting, mid-range shooting is not a strong point, and the efficiency is average, and the Knicks can't catch up.

91-103, the Knicks lost one more game, and the Mavericks led 2-1.

The Mavericks weren't the best defensively in the regular season, but they were balanced offensively and defensively. When it comes to the playoffs, most of the focus is on defense, the intensity has increased dramatically, and the offense depends on the stars. Nowitzki played very consistently, scoring 22 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists this time. Yao Ming also scored 19 points and 8 rebounds. John Terry scored 25 points.

Zhou Xuan had 18 points, 3 rebounds and 10 assists, Stoudamire had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Matthews also became an important scoring point for the team, scoring a new 20 points in the playoffs.

Yu Jia said: "Mavericks rarely get double-doubles to grab rebounds inside, in fact, the Mavericks win the Knicks by rebounding, and they have a strong overall ability to grab rebounds." Marion and Kidd are both very good at grabbing, Yao Ming and Nowitzki can help their teammates block people, and Zhou Xuan can't grab Kidd. ”

Zhang Reasonableness said: "Zhou Xuanli is slightly inferior, and the number of rebounds has always been inferior to Kidd, Paul, and Rondo, and it is already very good to be able to grab more than 3 in the regular season." Pekovic's ability to grab rebounds is okay, but he hasn't played well in this series. ”

Pekovic struggled to defend Yao Ming alone, and he had to fight against Yao Ming and Haywood on the offensive end, both of whom were tall and big, making it difficult for him to hit the basket. If he doesn't play in the low post, his role is weakened. Even O'Neal, who dominated the basketball world back then, didn't rely on all inside attacks, and Pekovic's response and blocking ability were poor.

The Fourth War. The Mavericks' home frenzy continues unabated.

Carlisle changed the lineup and also played small-ball tactics, starting Barria and Kidd. John Terry and Stevenson are on the bench. There are people who organize, and there are people who break through the offense, plus the two strong points on the inside, which makes the Knicks unguardable.

Beverley's starters are not easy to play on the fast break. In the first season of the NBA, he reached the finals, Beverley was not nervous at all, it was impossible for him to shoot twice, and his defense was too small, and he was whistled for two fouls and went off the court early, and Redick was on top.

Zhou Xuan singled Barria in the first quarter and made a very resolute personal shot, and in the second quarter, he made a breakthrough against Terry by blocking and dismantling, attracting the bag and sharing the ball, and this time Gallinari stood up and hit three points in a row. If he hadn't played extraordinarily today, the Knicks would have had to surrender their guns in the third quarter.

The Mavericks also got home-court advantage in this game, and Nowitzki and Yao Ming made fouls in a row. Pekovic quickly committed five fouls, and Anderson also had four.

Barkley said: "The Knicks have few people in the interior rotation, Anderson can't let go of his hands when he reaches the Finals, he can't defend well, and Murphy is a holehole." Once there are too many fouls, they can't stand it. ”

"The most important factors in the playoffs, interior defense and free throws, are not advantageous against the Mavericks Knicks," Smith said. In the first three rounds, it was their magic weapon to win. ”

Yao Ming's playing time also increased, and in the fourth quarter, he continued to attack the interior with Nowitzki, Pekovic graduated with 6 fouls, Anderson and Xiaosi couldn't stand it, and the Knicks lost another game 95-112. The aggregate score was 1-3.

The Knicks are cornered again, and the Mavericks still have a home court. If they want to win the title, they have to win three games in a row. The teams that supported the Knicks felt that they were out of play. They can't come back and forth, the Heat have obvious flaws on the inside, and Bosh doesn't play well. Now the Mavericks are stronger on the inside than the Knicks.

D'Antoni could only repeatedly tell his players to defend harder, repeatedly emphasizing interior defense. Manager Chris? Mullin also felt that the squad was not perfect. Zhou Xuan recommended Evans as a defensive blue-collar worker, because he was worried that the interior defense would not be good. They also sent away to ensure the attack.

A team can't be all offensive players, it needs blue-collar players. The Warriors had Marion, Turyaf, and Jackson, but now the Knicks don't have blue-collar players on the inside who are very good at defense.

Mu Lin even felt a little sorry for Zhou Xuan, because Zhou Xuan chatted with him and said several times that the goal was to win the championship. The Knicks have the offensive power of a championship team, but they don't do well defensively. During the mid-term trade, Zhou Xuan also suggested changing to a defensive player, and the most obvious thing they brought in was Redick and Murphy, or a three-point shooter, if these two people were used to get a good interior bench, and the outside line was strengthened by finding free agents, the Knicks might be stronger.

It's a pity that there is no regret medicine to sell in reality, and they can only use the current lineup to fight to the death with the Mavericks.

If you win the fifth game, you will return to the New York Knicks for two consecutive home games, and there will be a chance to turn the tables. In any case, the fifth game must be won.

At the start of Game 5, the Mavericks players were even more excited, David? Stern was at home to watch the game. If the Mavericks win, there will be an awards ceremony here, and the league staff has already done a dress rehearsal beforehand.

Cuban said in an interview that he believes the Mavericks will win the championship this time. Basketball experts also agree that the Mavericks have a better chance of winning, and the reason is the advantage of Yao Ming and Nowitzki.

D'Antoni certainly won't sit still. Speaking in the dressing room, he said: "It's not good for us right now, we can lose the game, but we can't lose the spirit. I ask everyone to focus until the last moment, even if we lose, we must face it with our heads held high and not be defeated. ”

D'Antoni added: "Everyone has been working on this season and beating the Heat says it all. Since we've been behind three times, don't we have a chance this time? We're going to win this time, play to your strengths! ”

After the three Mikes discussed, the Knicks changed the lineup again, and Redick started to increase the outside firepower. The inside line is still Gallinari's cameo in the No. 4 position.

Once the game began, the Knicks quickly gained the upper hand. It was a pivotal game, but Nowitzki played poorly and couldn't make consecutive shots. There was a reason for his absence, and before the start of this game, he had a fever of nearly 39 degrees and was sick.

Stadamire didn't want to lose to Yao Ming and defended hard. Kidd doesn't go inside now, and mainly does the work of hanging the ball on the inside, and Yao Ming's performance is still very stable. Scored 10 points in a single quarter. The Knicks lead by one point.

The turning point came in the second quarter, when the Knicks sent Beverley and Stephenson to form a two-guard line, and did not let Miller play, with Matthews at small forward and Pekovic and Anderson on the inside.

Stephenson, who rarely had a chance to play in the finals, performed very well, not only pressing with Beverley in the frontcourt, but also ensuring a high success rate by playing Terry in a misplaced position, and abusing Terry with his body. Barria didn't take advantage of Beverley either, both of whom were agile.

By the time Carlisle realized the mistake and replaced Stevenson, the Knicks had pulled the score away. Miller replaced Beverley and singled out Barria at the same time.

At this time, D'Antoni also regretted that he didn't give Stephenson more time before, although he had poor three-point shooting, his ability to attack with the ball was better than Redick and Matthews, and he was very fierce on the defensive end, guarding against breakthroughs, and fouling hard once he was passed.

At the 7th minute, Stephenson almost got into a fight with the Mavericks' Stevenson, and the two collided fiercely, not to be outdone, and had a hot temper. After each of them suffered a technical foul, D'Antoni replaced Stephenson and replaced him with Zhou Xuan.

After that, there was a lot of gunpowder on the field, and Zhou Xuan was knocked to the ground three times, and his leg was ground out with blood. Yao Ming was also knocked over by Pekovic during the attack.

In the fourth quarter, Zhou Xuan relied on a double-block mid-range shot to score and stabilize the advantage. Nowitzki didn't feel good all over the court, Yao Ming also played for a long time, and the efficiency of the fourth quarter was reduced, and the general trend was gone.

The Knicks won 108-98 to tie the total score at 2-3 and returned to New York to make their best comeback.