Kidd, it shouldn't have been. He has only won one championship so far in his career, and it was at the end of his career.

For most of his career, he has been tossing and turning, and there are a bunch of people around the coach to attack, how to cut without the ball, how to pull away singles, how to defend, and how to persevere until the end of the game.

But to be honest, before he met Yiyang, he had never had a "disciple" in the true sense. The person who is enough to bring the team to victory in the way he did back then at critical moments.

9-time All-Star, played for 19 years, and at the end of the year, he can still teach the league point guard to be a man, watching Yiyang go to success, and he doesn't seem to have any regrets at this time.

"Grade 2 thigh strain, recovery takes 4-8 weeks......" Carlisle stood in front of Kidd's hospital bed with his hands on his chest, 4-8 weeks, when it was unknown whether the Mavericks were still in the playoffs. Because a month later, it's time to play the finals.

"4-8 weeks?" When Kidd heard the news, he didn't feel much distressed, but looked out the window and smiled. This old guy has long been relieved.

"How are you going to arrange the playoffs?" Kidd knew that after his injury, the team's rotation at point guard would start to stretch again. "Don't let that guy go to the top for the whole game, you don't want to see him get injured like me when he's older, right?"

"I can only let Jett make a cameo in the No. 1 position, no way. Against the Thunder, we can only take a desperate bet. This summer...... You're not going to renew your contract. Carlisle looked at Kidd with a look of reluctance.

"You can see my physical condition this season, and it's too torturous to stop and stop. Being a professional is no longer for me, but I might be like you and become a coach. So, I'm sure, it's time. Kidd was referring to "it's time", of course, about retirement.

"You're very open-minded, does that kid know you're retiring?"

"I haven't told him yet, no one knows about my retirement except you and Mark. I don't want to...... Let them be distracted in the playoffs. ”

As the two were talking, there was a knock on the door to the ward. Yiyang and a group of teammates who had just finished training walked in and gathered around Kidd.

"Damn, I just said that you have entered the old age, and now you will give yourself a vacation?" Although Terry is not serious in his mouth, he is actually very sorry in his heart.

"How long did the doctor say he was going to rest?" It was still Nowitzki who spoke reliably, and he got to the point at once.

"4-8 weeks, if the recovery is not ideal, the season will be reimbursed." Carlisle spread his hands, and most of the players were silent when they heard the news.

In 4-8 weeks, even if Kidd returns as quickly as possible, the Mavericks may not be in the playoffs by then. Kidd and this season, it's basically goodbye.

Also, remember to allocate your physical strength reasonably during the competition. You're not Superman, and you can't be filled with endless power every minute and every second on the court. Against Westbrook, don't go head-to-head with him, be smarter, understand? Although lying on the hospital bed, Kidd still did not forget to guide Yiyang.

Yiyang nodded slightly, and then silently put the flowers on the bedside table.

Carlisle on the side smiled, maybe Kidd really has the potential to be a coach......

After a while in the ward, the players went home to rest. It's the playoffs, and no one has time to spend all the time in the hospital. Resting at this time is also part of the job for the Mavericks players.

When he returned home in the evening, Yiyang tossed and turned. His mind was full of the Thunder, Westbrook and Kidd, who was recovering from injuries at the moment.

Losing Kidd at such a critical moment, Yiyang felt that he was really unlucky. He remembered the days when he first entered the league and Kidd mentored him every day. Now I have all my skills, and most of them are also taught by Kidd himself. It's a pity that this kind of day can only be revisited next season.

Speaking of next season...... Kidd: Does he really have a season left? Yiyang is not stupid, he knows very well that Kidd is actually difficult to adapt to the high-density and high-intensity rhythm of the game now. Kidd's performance on the field this season has also been far less good than last season. Now that he's been injured again, no one knows what level Kidd will be next season. Maybe even Kidd himself doesn't know if he can still play.

The more Yiyang thought about it, the more he felt distracted. He simply called Kidd directly, but Kidd's answer didn't make Yiyang feel better.

"I wasn't going to tell you about it now, but...... Yes, I'm going to retire at the end of the season. Kidd's voice on the phone was so calm, but this calm voice brought Kidd's impact to Yiyang's heart.

"Retire!?" This word was still too far away for Yiyang at this time, although he had already guessed this ending. But when Kidd said it himself, Yiyang was still stunned.

"That's right, retirement. When I got a lot of injuries during the season, I thought about it very seriously. I don't think it's possible for my body to recover completely, and if I continue like this, I'll definitely play a few games and get injured a few more games in the future. It's not helpful for the team, I don't want to be a ...... sitting in the stands and getting paid Rubbish. Kidd confided in Yiyang, Yiyang was reluctant to leave Kidd, could it be that Kidd himself was willing? However, in a man's world, there are some things that have to be let go even if you are not willing to do so.

"Moreover, the rapid progress of your kid also made me make up my mind to retire. At least after losing me, the Mavericks have a stronger "heir", hahahaha! So I decided not to renew my contract with the team after the end of this season. I'm going to go coaching and when I retire I'm going to be a coach, that's something I've been thinking about for a long time......"

"It's not time to say goodbye yet, Jason." Yiyang finally spoke, but his voice was not as hearty as Kidd's.

"No, it's time, too. I'm 40 years old, and I've had a career that's even about your age now! It's hard to experience the pain of watching a team in crisis and having a weak heart. When you're my age, you'll understand. Of course, that could be many years away, hahaha. Kidd laughed again, as if he didn't care about retirement.

In fact, Kidd has been fighting against himself for a long time. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so calm now.

"And most importantly, too. You always have to learn to walk alone. I can't be with you all my life, Jett can't be with you all my life, and Dirk can't be with you all my life. We are destined to leave the world of basketball before you. For a long time after that, you are destined to walk on your own. From now on, you're the leader of Dallas. It's you, going to lead others forward. Kidd had actually wanted to tell Yiyang about this for a long time, and this was the last lesson he had prepared for Yiyang. It's just that he hasn't been able to find a chance.

Unexpectedly, this extremely important conversation, Kidd actually told Yiyang on the phone.

Yiyang didn't gnaw for a long time, maybe he was digesting Kidd's instructions, maybe he was in a daze alone. Kidd didn't urge, and the two were silent on the phone for a while.

"Hmm...... I see, Jason. Finally, Yiyang responded. This kid is still the same as when he first came to the team, and his words are always a few simple words.

"The next era belongs to you, too." Kidd looked at the dates on his phone, from 1994 to now 2012. Time, it turns out that so much time has passed.

It's time to leave this stage to someone else......

※※※

May 12, 2012, for many Chinese, May 12 is a day that will never be forgotten for a lifetime. And on American soil, today is also the official start of the Western Conference semifinals.

The day after Kidd and Yiyang had a long talk, he announced that he was about to retire. As soon as this news came out, it undoubtedly stimulated the nerves of countless Mavericks fans. Because many people didn't expect that the fourth game between the Clippers and the Mavericks would be the swan song of Kidd's professional career.

And Kidd's injury is good news for the Thunder, who are hungry for revenge. The two teams met in the Western Conference Finals last year, and the Mavericks went 4-1 to reach the Finals and eventually win the championship. A year later, the two teams met again, and the Thunder were determined to get revenge.

"The Thunder have been stronger than ever this year, finishing second in the West during the regular season and handily knocking out the Denver Nuggets in the first round. This season, it will not be easy for the Mavericks to pass the Thunder again. Before the game began, even Yiyang's supporter Barkley was a little worried about the Mavericks' prospects.

Compared to the Clippers, the Thunder are superior. Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Ibaka, Perkins...... The Thunder's lineup is quite luxurious across the league. And in the middle of this season, the Thunder also traded for the experienced Fischer. In key moments, Fischer will certainly play his part to help the young Thunder stabilize the situation.

Nowitzki is an eternal pain in the Thunder's game, averaging 11.8 points in the fourth quarter in five games of last year's Western Conference Finals, and he made 59 of 61 free throws in total. How to limit Nowitzki is the Thunder's biggest problem.

From the start, the Thunder's defense was very targeted. Perkins and Ibaka's skillful wrapping made Nowitzki get off to a rough start, scoring just 1-of-6 shooting in the first quarter and scoring just three points. However, Yiyang's performance continued to go high, scoring 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first quarter. He wanted a victory as a gift to Kidd!

In the second quarter, Harden, the super sixth man of the Thunder team, began to exert his strength, and he hit a three-point shot as soon as he came up, and one person scored 5 points in a row, and the Thunder exceeded the score. However, Yiyang soon returned to three points, and the Mavericks regained the advantage. Nowitzki gradually moved into offensive mode, and with 32.8 seconds left in the quarter, he hit a step-back shot and drew a foul to score back-to-back free throws to give the Mavericks a 51-45 lead. Unfortunately, Ibaka also hit a three-pointer at the end of the quarter, and the Thunder only trailed 48-51.

At half-time, the two sides played very anxiously, but the impact of Kidd's injury was still revealed in the second half.

Yiyang, who has been fighting against Westbrook for a long time, has begun to lose a lot of energy, and his stability on the offensive end has also been greatly affected. Nowitzki and Terry struggled to keep the margin open, but the pace of the game was completely controlled by the Thunder. The Mavericks have to chase hard.

It wasn't until 53.9 seconds before the end that Ibaka received a pass from Durant and dunked with both hands, and the Thunder took a crucial one-point lead at 97-96. The resilience of the Mavericks was surprisingly strong, and even though Yiyang had missed three consecutive shots, the Mavericks still persevered to the end under Nowitzki's leadership.

At this point, Carlisle called a timeout. At the beginning of this series, it was a lot tougher than it was against the Clippers. After fighting for so long, Carlisle naturally didn't want to waste his hard work.

"In the first round of the series, the Mavericks passed comfortably and didn't seem to make Dallas fans feel a sense of crisis. Today, the Mavericks, who are playing away from home, finally understand the dangers of the playoffs! The game is over with less than a minute left, and the Mavericks are 1 point behind! Will the Thunder's revenge succeed, or will the Mavericks continue to win on a winning streak? I'm looking forward to seeing how both sides perform after the timeout! "On the podium, Barkley was fully engaged.

On the sidelines of the pitch, Carlisle frowned, staring at the panting Yiyang.

"How does it feel? Will you be able to hold on? Carlisle knows that Yiyang's performance at key moments will determine the outcome of the match. If Yiyang really doesn't have the strength, then he might as well focus on Nowitzki or Terry.

Although Carlisle was interested in controlling Yiyang's playing time today, he still played 43 minutes. On average, Yiyang only rests for one minute per quarter. No way, this is already the biggest concession Carlisle can make. Don't look at Kidd's tepid performance this season, but his absence has a huge impact on the team.

"I can, no problem!" Yiyang wiped his sweat and calmed his breathing. Kidd is watching himself, and he must not let him down!

"Hmm......" Carlisle nodded, then spread his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist. Next, we're going to shut up the game! ”