If I were Yi Di in the NBA

Chapter 345 The Old Guy's Efforts
At the end of April, the NBA playoffs reignited.

Oklahoma fans, with enthusiasm and hope that their team may become another dynasty in the league.

This kind of achievement has not been achieved by many teams in big markets, and they are very proud.

In front of those big city guys in the future, they can also puff their chests out.

We're the champions, we're the league's three-peat, what an achievement that is.

Thunder's home arena, the atmosphere of basketball is very strong.

Lopez actually had plans to come back before, but the team finally decided to let him continue to rest, there is no need to take risks.

The main reason is that the team's current combat effectiveness is very good, and Lopez needs to be integrated when he comes back. It is better to wait until next season is fully healthy before starting.

However, it is not known whether the team will choose to keep Lopez in the end.

The Thunder now have different options, and there will be people from the outside world poaching them.

But that's all for the future. For now, the team is still focused on the playoffs.

The Mavericks also had injuries before, but in the playoffs, they have almost adjusted.

Both teams will show their real strength, and only the stronger team can continue to go on.

Yi Jian said before the game that he has great respect for the veterans of the Mavericks, but he will still take the victory without mercy. This is his attitude towards the playoffs.

The Mavericks still started the playoffs at the beginning of the season, with West at the second position and Carter on the bench.

The Mavericks still like to play this game, hoarding firepower on the bench.

Originally they planned to go further this season, but they didn't expect that Odom in exchange was completely useless and could not play at all, so they still maintained two firepower on the outside bench, Terry and Carter.

The Thunder's starting lineup was only confirmed in the middle of the season. Because of injuries, the team did not choose the starting lineup at the beginning like other seasons.

Needless to say, Jordan at position [-], Green here, Sefolosha failed to regain the starting lineup after recovering from injury, this is fate, and then their lineup still has three All-Stars.

The thickness of the Thunder's lineup is really stronger than the outside world imagined.

Some of their current substitutes can start in other teams.

The two teams are also considered familiar. There were not so many temptations at the beginning of the game, and it was directly the intensity of the playoffs.

Nowitzki was guarded by Yi Jian, and he felt that he no longer had the strength of last season.

Players who are getting older are getting weaker every year.

Of course, it's not too exaggerated. If Nowitzki regains his touch, he can still return to the level of a superstar to a certain extent.

However, the Thunder defended Nowitzki to death, but the Mavericks' offense had another surprise.

Marion hit a [-] that felt like he hadn't seen it in years.

Although it is a bit exaggerated, Marion really doesn't shoot three-pointers now, but this time he made a decisive shot.

It seems that they also re-conducted the three-point training in private. The Mavericks also knew that they could not be the Thunder's opponent under normal circumstances, so they prepared some strange moves.

After all, Marion used to be good for three-pointers when he was in the Suns. Although he can't recover his shooting percentage at that time, he can still be a surprise player sometimes.

And Kidd also hit a three-pointer. The Mavericks relied on some seemingly unexpected scores. With Nowitzki being defended, the offense was still playing well.

Sure enough, any team making the playoffs.

Even if they ranked eighth to enter, they had made a lot of preparations.

As a team aiming to hit three consecutive championships, the Thunder can't be too careless.

"Cheer up." Yi Jian communicated with his teammates, "Defend normally, try not to give three points."

The Mavericks took more outside shots, but the Thunder's defense can actually keep up with them all.

Anyway, their No. [-] position is blue-collar, and Yi Jian stared at the most troublesome one, so defending the Mavericks won't be particularly troublesome.

During the rotation period, the Mavericks' bench lineup still played a role.

Terry is still strong, and this kind of sixth-man player is used to playing as soon as he comes up.

Carter is also okay, quite satisfactory.

Carter is not a typical sixth-man player, but he has a lot of experience.

From a star to an ordinary player, Carter was fairly successful.

Many stars are embarrassed, and Carter is obviously not a big problem.

However, the Mavericks' rotation defense is still poor.

The Thunder's bench lineup also scored, but not as fast as Terry entered the state.

The Thunder's bench actually doesn't have a particularly typical sixth-man type.

In addition, Yi Jian is too comprehensive, and the team has other stars, which still reduces their opportunities to play.

So, none of them played particularly consistently.

But every time someone plays, this is the depth of the Thunder lineup.

Compared with the Mavericks, the Thunder has another advantage, that is, they are young and have good physical strength.

The main lineup of the Mavericks is really a bit old. Under high-intensity confrontation, the physical strength is too high, and it is difficult to play with skills and experience.

It is more worthwhile for the Thunder to take turns to adjust their physical strength before the preseason.

In order to ensure the playoffs, the team is a little cunning, and the fans will agree.

Because the team can bring results that satisfy the fans every time, they are not trying to save effort.

"Nowitzki, it's really not easy."

Coming up after a break, Nowitzki felt much better.

In the past, it was relying on the unexpected performance of the players to help the team. Now, the Thunder's defense is more important. It is difficult for accidents to happen. Nowitzki will continue to lead the team forward.

The Mavericks players waited for Nowitzki's state, and their previous performance was relatively perfect.

It's just that Nowitzki may be able to adjust every time he is given a chance, but it is difficult for others to continue to support Nowitzki at this time.

In particular, it wasn't Terry who stood up before the Mavericks.

The Mavericks' lineup is still missing a decisive star.

If Nowitzki had a better partner, the Mavericks should be different.

It's a pity that there are only so many ruthless characters in the entire alliance without ifs.

When Nowitzki was at his peak, the Mavericks did miss a lot of opportunities.

"Let's work harder." The Mavericks' old guys are gritting their teeth and insisting.

In the first half, they hope that the team can end with a lead, so that they have a chance to win the away game.

Otherwise, if the Thunder continue to increase their intensity in the second half, they may not be able to withstand it.

The weak will try their best to seize the advantage when the opponent is not fully up, and then defend steadily to let the opponent make mistakes.

It's just that it's not easy to do this.

Yi Jian and Durant, even Lowry, will not watch the Mavericks get what they want.

"Hit a three-pointer, Yi Jian holds the ball and hits a three-pointer against Nowitzki's defense, and the fans in the audience are all excited."

"Hit the buzzer, and it's Yi Jian again. Entering the playoffs, Yi Jian is even more aggressive."

"At the end of the first half, it was the home team Thunder that took the lead into the intermission."

(End of this chapter)