"Two seasons ago, a lot of us were here, but that time, we failed, and a lot of us, because of that failure, we left Dallas, which we loved, we loved.

"Today, we're back here again and a lot of people are waiting to see our jokes, they don't believe we can win, they don't believe we can beat the Pacers, they envy us for being on the top stage of the NBA, they're jealous that we can make a run for the O'Brien Cup."

"I don't want to lose, I want to win, I want to go back to Dallas with the O'Brien Cup!"

"I ask you, do you want to win?"

On June 8, 2006, in the visiting locker room of the Indianapolis Bankers Living Arena, Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson was impassionedly making the final mobilization before the game, two seasons ago, Avery Johnson, who was not the head coach of the Mavericks, followed the Mavericks to the Finals, their opponents at that time were the same as today, they were all Pacers, but the Mavericks led by the old Nelson lost the Finals, consisting of five All-Stars in their prime. It also fell apart after the end of that season.

"Yes, we want to win!" As the boss of the Mavericks and one of the few remaining players in the Mavericks that year, Dirk Nowitzki stood up from his seat after Avery Johnson's words fell, Nowitzki will never forget the disappointed look of his mentor Nelson after the Finals loss, that is, from that time on, Nowitzki secretly vowed that he would become better and stronger, and he must bring home a championship trophy for Dallas and Nelson Sr.

"Championship, Championship。。。。。。" With Nowitzki taking the lead, all the Mavericks players in the locker room followed suit, shouting championship slogans under Nowitzki's leadership.

"The battle has officially started now, for the championship, fighters, let's go!"

Avery Johnson had a lot of experience in the playoffs when he was a player, and he also played three times in the Finals, but as a rookie head coach who has only coached for two seasons, Avery Johnson has no experience in leading the team to the Finals, and even after the Mavericks eliminated the Suns to break into the Finals, Avery Johnson still felt inexplicably nervous.

Avery Johnson has no experience in leading the team to play in the finals, but there are people, especially his teacher Popovich, who has three championships in hand, so last night, Avery Johnson called Popovich for advice, and Popovich did not hide it, but taught him everything, from how to adjust the state and mentality of the players, to how to solve some small problems on the court, and even what strategy to use to deal with Meng Xu, Popovich taught Avery Johnson all his brains.

"I must win this finals!" After walking out of the locker room with the Mavericks and looking at the court at the end of the tunnel of the players, Avery Johnson said with a determined look on his heart.

。。。。。。

"Hello viewers around the world, this is the first game of the 2005-2006 NBA Finals brought to you by ABC Network, and I'm El Michaels."

"I'm Elvin Johnson."

"This Finals is the second time in the last three seasons that the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers have met in the Finals, and in the last Finals, the Pacers and Mavericks teamed up to contribute a wonderful series to basketball lovers around the world, so we are also looking forward to the Pacers and Mavericks once again presenting a basketball feast to audiences around the world!"

"In today's game, the Mavericks' starting lineup hasn't changed much, it's still center Eric Dampier, power forward Dirk Nowitzki, small forward Josh Howard, two guards Devin Harris, and Jason Terry."

Under Avery Johnson, except for Dirk Nowitzki, no one on the Mavericks' starting position is set in stone, no matter who it is, as long as Avery Johnson thinks he is not doing his best on the defensive end, or the game is not in good shape, Avery Johnson will take him off the court, and since entering the playoffs, Avery Johnson has constantly made adjustments and changes to the Mavericks' lineup to adapt to various styles and tactics, but today's game, The Mavericks, however, continued their starting lineup for the final two games of the Western Conference Finals.

"On the Pacers' side, the biggest change is that Jermaine O'Neal, who has returned from injury, starts, but after Jermaine O'Neal starts, the Pacers still start James Posey at the No. 4 position today, and there are no changes in the other three positions, and they still maintain the starting lineup in the Eastern Conference Finals, Tony Allen, Tyshawn Prince, and Meng Xu."

When referee Dan Crawford threw the basketball in his hand into the air, the first game of the finals officially kicked off, and Eric Dampier, who called himself the No. 1 center in the West, was removed from the head by Jermaine O'Neal before he could react.

Since Avery Johnson took office, the Mavericks' defense has changed very much, and it is no longer the Mavericks under the old Nelson who regards defense as nothing, but the Mavericks' tradition that has been maintained for more than ten years is not something that can be completely reversed in one or two seasons, plus there are few defensive giants in the Mavericks, so in a short period of time, it is obviously impossible to transform a team that is at the bottom of the defensive league into a top defensive team like the Spurs and Pistons, so today's game, Avery Johnson also didn't expect to rely on defense to beat the Pacers.

Avery Johnson's defensive strategy today is also very simple, that is, good steel is used on the blade, let Josh Howard, the best defender in the Mavericks, go to defend Meng Xu, Eric Dampier to defend Jermaine O'Neal, as for the others, then let it be, just do your best, after all, the Mavericks' biggest reliance is offense rather than defense.

"Senior, I've been waiting for this day for a long time." After the Pacers launched an offense, Josh Howard immediately posted to Meng Xu's side, as a player from Wake Forest University, when his seniors Tim Duncan and Meng Xu became superstars in the NBA, Josh Howard would definitely have some ideas, but the old Neeson didn't like to use rookies very much, so in the last Finals, Josh Howard, who was just a rookie, could only sit on the sidelines and watch Meng Xu kill in all directions. watched Meng Xu abuse Antoine Walker and Antoine Jamison one after another, but he could only be envious and jealous, so after that Finals, Josh Howard has been looking forward to one day competing with his seniors on the stage of the Finals.

"Haha, then come on, let me see what you're capable of." Looking at the No. 5 jersey on Josh Howard's chest, Meng Xu smiled slightly, although he was an opponent, Meng Xu had no ill will towards Josh Howard, on the contrary, Meng Xu felt a little sorry for him.

After Meng Xu participated in the draft, Josh Howard, who was recruited by Wake Forest University with a scholarship, wore the No. 5 jersey left by Meng Xu, and Josh Howard, who played for Wake Forest for four years, left a series of records at Joel Arena, the top ten in team history, the second player after Tim Duncan to reach a total of 1000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 steals and 100 blocks, and also led the team to a 25-6 record, in terms of Josh Howard's contribution to Wake Forest, It was more than enough to enjoy the treatment of Tim Duncan's retired jersey, but because of Meng Xu, the proposal to retire Josh Howard's jersey never went through.