On this night in front of the stage of the West Final, Yang Yiming was like a spectator of a grand ceremony.

He was too young, everything was going too well, and he didn't know how to appreciate the feelings.

Like a baby who has just learned to walk, he finds that the world he can explore is a big circle, and he doesn't know where to put his eyes and steps in the face of flowers and flowers.

1/

Chris Paul.

The night was certainly his.

13 years of career ups and downs, 13 years leading the league's point guards, 13 years of untouched stage. The stalk of the West Floor, today can finally be turned over.

Ahead of tonight's game, it's no surprise that countless people are already talking about Paul's first Western Conference Finals. After returning from Salt Lake City 3-1, there was no reversal of what happened. But Yang Yiming always felt that Paul didn't listen to or read a word of those talks and reports, he stood on the floor of the Toyota Center with the restraint and calmness of his heart, took over the game in an explosive way, and finally quickly returned to his heart like water.

41 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists.

This is Paul's way of expressing his feelings. In the fourth quarter, when the Jazz were close to or even overtake, he scored 11 points in a row, and even a three-pointer could be hit and shot. Maybe the heavens are also favoring this tragic superstar? But after shooting the three-pointer, Paul's face was hideous, and he pulled out the mountain, not at all to comfort fate, but to change my life against the sky.

But even this catharsis only lasted for a few seconds with Paul.

He quickly collected his expression and ran to the sidelines to join his teammates in the tactical set-up - Yang Yiming still remembers the timeout, Paul stood in front of him, like the most eager student, listening quietly to D'Antoni's explanation. At that moment, Yang Yiming even felt that he didn't know Paul anymore, this No. 3 was terrifyingly quiet, and the entire circle around the Rockets was also terrifyingly quiet. The shouting and cheering on the other side of the Jazz bench could even be heard clearly. The fans at the Toyota Center naturally couldn't calm down, but in the midst of the storm, Yang Yiming actually felt relieved.

Paul was back on the court, missing his first shot in several consecutive rounds, but the Rockets grabbed the rebound. James Harden was pushed and shoved by a group of Jazz players under the basket and almost fell, and Paul undoubtedly ordered Harden to get the ball back into his hands.

This is probably the first time Harden has been asked to surrender the ball by his teammates this season.

But today, the one who gave the order, is going to choke fate by the throat, Chris Paul.

With a 10-point lead and just 30 seconds left in the game, the Jazz were still stubbornly resisting. They fouled Paul, and after he hit two free throws in a solid way, the tough Jazz finally had to give up. Paul was finally able to stop holding the ball – the bearded man held the ball firmly, and Paul was ready to be interviewed by reporters who had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Chris, how are you feeling at this moment? What did you prepare for this moment. Of course, the reporter wants to hear Paul say in person, the speed of the book to win, and it is better to have some details of the celebration party - after all, it has been 13 years, Paul has also changed from a young boy to a bearded uncle, and before tonight, the two old clubs he played for were the only teams in the new century that did not make it to the Western Conference Finals: the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, and the Los Angeles Clippers.

But the grim Paul didn't fulfill any of the reporters' wishes, pointing to James Harden next to him and saying: "We said before the game that we want to make the theme of this game about ourselves from start to finish. It's the result of our hard work, and as long as we focus on our game, everything that should come will come. We did it, and from then on, we're going to keep going (be ourselves)..."

Harden, who was next to him, didn't speak. Yang Yiming looked at it from afar, wondering if he was a little unhappy at this time on the 13th. After all, on the night of the promotion, all his limelight was stolen by Paul, and the audience shouted CP3 instead of the MVP he was used to.

However, Yang Yiming knew that all this would pass, and on the bigger stage below, the two men would still fight side by side. The ceiling of the rocket this year, the hopes of the ecstatic old guys around him, and the world of flowers that he has just begun to explore, all have to be resisted by them.

2/

There was a gloomy-looking young man on the other side of the field, No. 45 Donovan Mitchell. competed with him for a whole season, and when it was time to say goodbye, Yang Yiming felt a little complicated. Halfway through the game, Mitchell had a sore left foot and said goodbye to the court early, before finally limping back to cheer on his teammates. Although I witnessed my teammates fall short under the aura of São Paulo, this will definitely not be the end.

The competition between Yang Yiming and Mitchell will continue for a long time.

Mitchell scored 22 points in the third quarter when he was needed the most, almost single-handedly pulling the Jazz back from the brink. If there is no injury in the fourth quarter, maybe there is a sixth game in this series, and the Western Conference Finals will not be so soon. Yang Yiming licked his dry lips. But now it's them who make the cut.

But the end of this game will only be the beginning of a long way.

Yang Yiming was hesitating whether to go up and say hello to Mitchell. After the game, all the players of the two teams on the field have greeted each other, congratulated, praised each other, and encouraged each other. Each other can be called worthy opponents. Yang Yiming is not used to this kind of scene, so he can only listen to the other party and return it himself. As a more humble Chinese, he is still somewhat unaccustomed to the optimistic exaggerations of the Americans, unsure of how much moisture there is. He scored 6.5 points in the game before the Western Conference finals, with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, which can only be mediocre. Maybe it's overshadowed by Paul's light, maybe the skill chosen today isn't good enough: "The active player skill, hitting the rim, facing an opponent who is taller than you, has a 50% chance of causing a defensive foul." Reference player: Derrick Rose. ”

Yang Yiming originally imagined that he would attack the interior first and create Gobert's foul trouble, and the Rockets' task would be lighter. He did dunk a shot in Gobert's head and hit a free throw, but most of the day, Paul, who was bent on making it to the Western Conference Finals, did all the tasks that belonged to him and those that didn't.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Yang Yiming decided to go up and say goodbye to Mitchell. It's a war between two people without gunpowder, no matter the anonymous challenge call, the scheming to get stronger, the open and the covert, Donovan Mitchell is too good an opponent, an opponent who "can do that kind of thing then I'll give it a try", an opponent who may be able to knock down but will always get up and start the next round.

Monkey King and Vegeta?

So who is Monkey King and who is Vegeta? Yang Yiming smiled when he thought of this, if he had to praise himself as Monkey King, wouldn't he be a little too shameless? He smiled and walked up to Mitchell on the bench and handed out his right hand.

Mitchell looked at him and squeezed out a bitter but understanding smile. He took advantage of Yang Yiming's right hand to pull himself up, and the two patted each other on the back and exchanged a few words in their ears:

"Congratulations."

"You're amazing, you're amazing!"

"It's you who wins, come on!"

"Thanks... Come back next season. ”

"Don't worry, I'll definitely come back next season!"