"Don't think you're safe, the Houstonians are coming to take away the victory!"

James. The image of Harden pointing to the TV screen and shouting at Yiyang became the hottest picture of the next day.

The bearded No. 13 has made a staggering improvement this season. On the MVP list, the top three are all defenders. Among them, Yiyang, Curry and Harden just occupy the top three positions.

Since the comeback against the Clippers, the Rockets have been full of confidence. Even they can create such miracles, what else is impossible?

Although the Rockets were able to fight back is not just the credit of Harden alone, although there are some games where he did not perform well, there is no doubt that James. Harden remains a big focus for the Rockets to be able to successfully counterattack.

The third direct crossover and the first big war, which can't help but make people reverie.

Can the miraculous Houston Rockets create a myth again?

"No, everybody made the mistake of confusing the Clippers with the Mavericks. I must state for the record that the Dallas Mavericks, who have 74 wins this season, are not at the same level as the Los Angeles Clippers! Just because the Rockets can beat the Clippers doesn't mean they're sure they'll be able to crush the Mavericks. ”

"Why not? As long as Harden, Howard, and the 'Hair Bands' all play well, the Houston Rockets are not without a chance. It's the playoffs, and in the playoffs, there are countless examples of upsets and weak defeats! ”

Before the series began, the battle of words between the two teams was already very intense.

In the training ground of the American Airlines Center Arena, the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere was finally swept away. At first, Carlisle was a little worried. The first round that is too easy will not make the players too relaxed.

But for now, it seems that Carlisle is overthinking. They are the defending champions, and they are the setters of the great record of 74 wins. The players in the Mavericks' training jerseys always know what they're doing.

"They're all in great shape, and the Rockets come to Dallas and probably have to shut up." Armstrong happily stood on the sidelines, and with the Mavericks' current state, there shouldn't be much of a problem facing the Rockets.

"It's not that simple, Darrell. Do you know where the Clippers lost? Carlisle's eyes were fixed on the pitch, but his mouth was talking to his assistant.

"After 3-1, the Clippers are too lax, and the arrogant team will lose." Armstrong replied without thinking.

There is an element of this, but it is a bit unfair to McHale and the Rockets. Because they can win, it is not just the other party's laxity that depends on it. From Game 5 onwards, McHale began to focus on limiting the Clippers' wings on the defensive end, and Redick, who averaged 19.5 points in the first four games, averaged only 9 points per game in the next few games, and his three-point shooting rate plummeted to 12.5%. Similarly, Rivers Jr., who previously played well and contributed 16 points per game, averaged only 5 points per game in the last three games after the Rockets adjusted their defensive strategy, so Paul and Griffin looked a little isolated on the offensive end, and their physical exertion undoubtedly increased a lot. ”

Listening to Carlisle's exhaustive analysis, Armstrong couldn't help but smile. This guy will always see more than others.

"But we don't have that problem, the Rockets' wing defense, can't lock up our offense." Armstrong spread his hands.

"Yes, but there's another reason why the Rockets won. In addition to the inside and outside combination of Harden and Howard, the Rockets' lineup has Ariza, Josh. Smith is two strong generals. At the same time, there are also our old Terry and Brewer players who can explode at any time. In contrast, although the Clippers have a star-studded starting lineup, only Crawford is the only one on the bench. The Clippers' own roster depth issues were also one of the reasons for their loss. So, for the next series, we've got to adjust the lineup. ”

"Let Dwayne play as a substitute?"

"No, let Andrei fight the sixth man!"

"Andrey? Iguodala? Armstrong's mouth was wide open, he thought Carlisle was going to let a guy with more scoring ability play the sixth man.

On the training ground, confrontational training continues. Yiyang handed the ball to Iguodala as always, and as long as he wanted to run without the ball, he would most likely pass the ball to Iguodala.

Iguodala averaged just three assists per game during the regular season this season, and statistically speaking, he's anything by no means a good passer. But Iguodala's ability to respond and organize is not something that the numbers can tell. His steady passing may not be a direct assist, but it can be like a scalpel to cut through the opposition defence, delivering "ammunition" to teammates who get the chance.

Yiyang received a pass from Iguodala after reaching the middle distance position on the right, and the former received the ball and dribbled a shot to Sherwin. Mark flew and then went inside to draw Durham Porter into the defense.

Seeing this, Yiyang threw the ball high, and Gobert successfully "ate the cake" and deducted two points.

Judging from the data, the assist belongs to Yiyang. But in fact, Iguodala's timely response was particularly important.

Tepid, that's how Iguodala feels, but Carlisle knows there's more to that strong guy than that......

It's just perfect to let this guy play the sixth man!

Training time always flies, and on May 3, the Dallas Mavericks finally waited for their Western Conference semifinals to begin.

James. Harden and Dwight. Howard landed in Dallas, and this time, the Mavericks' opponent was no longer the Thunder or the Spurs. But this year's Houston Rockets are no easier to mess with than those old rivals.

Speaking of the series between the Rockets and the Mavericks, most people will think of the Rockets led by Yao Mai 10 years ago when they were counterattacked by the Mavericks in the first round. But now, the staffing of both teams is no longer in the background. The Mavericks entered the Yiyang era early, and the Rockets have also walked out of the rebuilding period after Yao Mai's departure.

Another Texas Civil War, with the rapid rise of the Mavericks in recent years, the Texas Civil War seems to be an indispensable topic in the playoffs every year. It used to be the Mavericks and Spurs, but this year, it was replaced by a younger Rocket.

"The very unfortunate news is that in the regular season this season, the Rockets suffered a perfect 4-0 block from the Mavericks. In these four games, the Mavericks' offense did not show firepower at all, and they were able to beat the Rockets four times, relying on an ironclad defense! The Mavericks are conceding just 97.9 points per 100 possessions, dumbing the Rockets' league-leading offense. ”

While the players were still warming up on the field, Kenny. Smith has already started to warm up for the fans based on the data he has in hand.

"So today, the Mavericks will definitely continue to work on defense. After so many days of rest, the Mavericks have an absolute advantage! ”

"You can't say that, haven't you forgotten the classic matchup between the Mavericks and the Rockets just after the All-Star break? In that game, the Mavericks played back-to-back games after double overtime the day before, while the Rockets had a full eight days of rest! The result? As it turned out, the performance of both teams on the field had nothing to do with the days they rested! O'Neal immediately began to excuse the Rockets, and he didn't think that a longer break would be better for the Mavericks.

On the commentary stage, several living treasures have begun a new round of verbal warfare. And on the basketball court, the Mavericks and Rockets players also glared at each other. Naturally, the Rockets are eager to make a comeback, as they have never beaten the Mavericks this season. And the Mavericks, whose only goal is the championship, can't allow themselves to fall in the Western Conference semifinals.

In fact, in the five years since Yiyang joined the Mavericks, they have only been eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals once. Since this team changed its surname to "Yi", it has never been in the habit of going out early.

Of course, not all Rockets players are hostile to the Mavericks. A member of Team Rocket's "Hairband Gang" was smiling and chatting with Yiyang at this time.

"It's a good feeling to be back here." Jason. Terry looked around, and he was probably the only Rockets player on the floor to get cheers from the Mavericks fans.

"We're supposed to be fighting together now, Jason." Yiyang remembered that in the middle of the season, Cuban and Carlisle asked for Terry, and the Rockets, as direct competitors, did not release him. As it turned out, their decision was the right one.

"New tattoos?" Terry curiously pointed to the inside of Yiyang's arm, where Terry also had the same O'Brien Cup tattoo as Yiyang. He still remembers that it was during Yiyang's rookie season, and he took him to tattoo it.

At the time, no one believed the Mavericks could dominate the league. The result? Look at the present, the world is unpredictable.

"yes, a second championship, so we added a year to the O'Brien Cup." Yiyang looked at his arm, the tattoo he added last year was not a fancy thing, that is, under the tattoo of the original O'Brien Cup, the number "13-14" was added, representing his second O'Brien Cup.

"For every championship you win, do you add a year below? Stinky boy, unless you have Rudy on your arm. Gobert is that long, otherwise in a few years, there will be no place to tattoo on your arm. As always, Terry joked with Yiyang, standing on the floor of the Center Arena on American Airlines, he relaxed as if he were in his own home.

That is until Terry looks down and realizes that he is wearing the red training uniform of Team Rocket. This guy shook his head, what are you kidding, now we are rivals!

"But this year! I'm not going to let you get away with it, stinky boy! See what we did with the Clippers? ”

"I watch every game, Jett. Trust me, though, your new friend won't make it to Dallas. Yiyang's gaze went past Terry and looked at Harden and Howard in the other half.

"Okay, no more with you. Warm up and the game is about to begin. After Terry finished speaking, he was about to turn and leave, but his face was full of reluctance.

"Jett."

"Huh?"

"Will you be back after this season?"

“...... Let's talk about it. ”

After a brief moment of silence, Terry waved his hand and turned to leave. ()

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