Chapter 864: The Highly Questioned Nomination
The Mavericks were able to beat the Trail Blazers, and to be honest, it wasn't a surprise. What was surprising was the inhumane score of 4-0.
The Mavericks still limited Lillard and McCollum without Gobert, a defensive stalwart. Yiyang's ability to reduce Lillard's scoring average by a full 10 points per game is also a testament to his defensive skills.
Of course, in the final three nominees for the best defensive player of the year officially announced by the NBA, Yiyang's name did not appear.
After all, in the regular season, the Mavericks actually put more emphasis on offense than during the previous three-game championship period. And Yiyang, naturally, also put more energy on the offensive end. Like this kind of supernatural defense in the Western Conference semifinals, Yiyang did not show it in the regular season. So it's no surprise that he wasn't nominated for Defensive Player of the Year again this year.
But there is still one Mavericks player on this three-man list, and that is the "Suffocating Tower" who is ready to make a brave comeback in the Western Conference Finals. Goebel.
Joel. Embiid, Anthony. Davis and Rudy. Gobert, compared to the previous two names, Goebel doesn't seem to be famous enough. One is an all-round center who "believes in the process", and the other is a super talent who has already enjoyed the treatment of being selected for the dream team before entering the NBA. Therefore, Gobert was able to be included in this list of nominations, which many fans found very incomprehensible.
"Rudy. Goebel? The Frenchman who missed half a season? Oh, and if this list isn't officially announced, I'll forget that the Mavericks still have such a number one person on the lineup. ”
"Gobert's defense is really good, but I still think Embiid is a little bit better."
"Rudy has missed too many games this season and that alone makes him ineligible for the selection. If they could, people should take Paul. George is on this list! ”
Since the NBA now uses a post-season awards ceremony to award the regular season awards, only one nominee will be officially announced. However, just being selected for the nomination list, Gobert was already questioned.
No way, as a pure defensive center, Gobert's reputation is certainly not as good as Embiid and Anthony. Davis. After all, offense is what pleases the fans the most. Like Gobert and Tony. A defensive player like Allen is often overlooked by fans.
And Gobert's two injuries this season did keep him out for a long time. Missing the game meant that the fans were not impressed with him.
But if you take a closer look at Gobert's stats, you will find that he is absolutely well deserved. With Gobert on the inside, the Mavericks have a 100.6 defensive efficiency this season, which ranks first in the league. And in those games when he wasn't there, the Mavericks' defensive efficiency instantly fell to fifth in the league! It can be seen that Gobert plays a pivotal role in the Mavericks! If it weren't for Gobert, Carlisle wouldn't have done anything to replace defense with offense.
But the fans don't care about that, they certainly want the bigger name and better looking players to win the award. In this regard, Yiyang said that he could not understand.
"Someone would question you? I really don't know how long it's been since these guys watched a game. Flipping through the news on his mobile phone, Yiyang complained in the audience.
On the basketball court, Gobert was doing free throw training while talking to Yiyang.
"It's not that they haven't watched for too long, it's that I haven't played for too long." Gobert looked calm, as if what Yiyang said had nothing to do with him.
Yes, when all is counted, Gobert has been injured for almost three months this season. And the length of a season's regular season, from mid-October last year to mid-April this year, is only 6 months. That is, he didn't appear in front of the fans almost half the time. This kind of attendance rate is really not high. When I got injured, the regular season wasn't over yet. And when he can come back now, he has already reached the Western Conference Finals! The time span of this is so large that it is needless to say.
"How do you feel? On the Warriors and Rockets' side, it should be over soon. As soon as you came back, you had the toughest match, and there was no time for you to make the transition. ”
"It's all OK, you just need to find the feeling of the game. I'm happy to be back in time, last season's nightmare, this season won't be repeated. ”
"Brush." With that, Gobert completed today's free-throw practice assignment. The revenge of being eliminated by the Warriors last season is time to take revenge.
Yiyang extinguished the screen of his mobile phone and also went on the court to practice shooting. Whether Gobert is qualified enough to be nominated for the Best Defensive Player nomination, you should know when it comes to the Western Conference Finals!
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The Mavericks swept the Trail Blazers to reach the Western Conference Finals, but they were happy. But the Western Conference semifinals between the Warriors and the Rockets can really only be described as miserable.
Originally, the Rockets led the Warriors 3-2, and everyone thought that the Warriors would not be able to reach the Western Conference Finals again. James. Harden and Chris. Paul, will have the opportunity to pursue their championship dreams.
However, in the fifth game, Paul unexpectedly left the field injured. This result was not expected by anyone.
You can see the unwillingness and grievance on the face of that No. 3 defender. Fighting until now, they are all about to win, why at this time, injuries are coming to the door!
In the history of the NBA, there are some stars who have unlimited scenery. And some stars can only be choked by fate and be a tragic hero. Now Chris. Paul, it's definitely enough pathos.
In such a close high-level matchup, the main player is injured, which is almost a fatal thing. In addition to Paul's injury, the Rockets' own deadly three-point shooting tactics also suddenly failed.
Paul's leg and a section of the Rockets' game asked for James. Harden's life. In the end, the Warriors completed a shocking reversal and eliminated the Rockets in the tie-break with a total score of 4-3.
This also means that the theme of this year's Western Conference Finals is still the showdown between the Warriors and the Mavericks, Curry and Yiyang!
"I'm glad we were able to get out, even in the toughest of times, I never doubted our goal! Now, we have done it! It was thrilling, but we were the last to qualify! After the tiebreaker with the Rockets, "Big Mouth" Drummond. Green looked particularly excited in front of the reporters' cameras.
"We're definitely going to be able to keep winning, because it's been a bumpy road and it's been a lot more than a smooth one. We are ready for a tough battle and are ready to go to war at any time! Durant also looked extremely confident when he was about to face Yiyang and Mavericks. This kind of self-confidence was absolutely impossible to see when he was still in the Thunder before. But in Oakland, Durant has confident capital!
"We all know that Chris. Paul's absence was a turning point in the series. But instead of getting no one hurt, the Dallas Mavericks are going to welcome Rudy. Goebel's dedication. By the way, Gobert just got nominated for the Defensive Player of the Season award, do you think his comeback will be an obstacle for you to qualify for the Finals? Seeing that Durant was so excited, the reporter poured cold water on him, hoping to get some exciting answers.
"Obstruction? No, the Mavericks also had Rudy in the Western Conference Finals last season, but he couldn't stop us either. Rudy is a good defender, but that doesn't mean we're going to lose. ”
Durant's answer was actually quite polite. Compared to Drummond. Green, Durant's words don't matter at all.
"Rudy. Goebel? You're talking about the underdog who lost to me in the Player of the Year award last year? It doesn't matter, I'm going to win him this season. His comeback will not disrupt our plans, and our plan is to win the championship! By the way, he was only nominated, and he hasn't won the award yet. We're going to figure out how to get his defense done, like we did last year." "Before Drummond and Gobert were in the top position, they were already talking about it. That's his style, and the Warriors have that confidence in all their parts!
A huge sense of joy enveloped the Warriors' players as they survived the battle. Unlike the Mavericks, who easily reached the Western Conference Finals with a wave of 8-0, the Warriors, who have experienced more obstacles, are now even more excited!
They have survived so many hardships, and there is no reason to fall on the defeated generals of last year's men!
Yiyang, who was watching the TV, shook his head, Rudy has only been away for a while, have you all forgotten the despair when he was shrouded in the basket? From the fans to the opponents, there is such a problem!
But it doesn't matter, a few more days...... People will remember it all!
Yiyang rubbed his hands, his eyes staring at Green who was showing off his might in front of the camera.
Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green...... At the beginning, this lineup was formed by the Warriors and Durant in order to fight against Yiyang. Last season, they did succeed in "resisting".
But this year, it's time to settle the old accounts together!