One Guard

Only three minutes into the second quarter, Terry Stotts noticed that Lillard was sweating profusely. Thanks to Yiyang's tough defense, Lillard consumed a lot of energy on the offensive end. However, this physical strength was not converted into points.

In just a few minutes, the score difference widened to double digits. Under the leadership of Yiyang, the Mavericks still played smoothly offensively, while the Trail Blazers completely failed.

Stotts knows very well what kind of player Yiyang is. If he is determined to lock down Lillard today, it is impossible for Lillard to get as many opportunities as he did in the first quarter.

What the Trail Blazers have to do now is to shift the focus of their offense.

"LaMarcus, be more decisive in your shots! Don't hesitate. If you hesitate, the opportunity will be gone." Stotts walked up to Aldridge with the tactical board. The second overall pick in 2006 became the Trail Blazers' life-saving straw. .

Aldridge has performed well so far in this game. He has scored 6 points and has marked Nowitzki very well. The only problem is that Aldridge's shots are not very decisive.

Many times, opportunities have clearly appeared, but as long as Aldridge thinks the position is not good, he is likely to pass the ball even if it is open.

Ade has not had this problem for a day or two. He just usually hits Lillard against other teams. It is understandable that Aldridge passes a few more balls. But today when the Blazers' offense relies on him, it's obviously not possible to take shots that are not decisive enough.

Aldridge nodded silently, knowing that he must shoulder greater responsibilities. He doesn't care at all about the Mavericks' 18-game winning streak. The only thing this guy cares about is whether the Trail Blazers can escape unscathed.

The team is now ten points behind. The only good thing is that the game has only entered the second quarter and the Trail Blazers still have time to get the score back.

The timeout ended quickly, and when Drexler saw Lillard play again, the No. 0 guard seemed to have lost the energy he had at the beginning. Yiyang's iron-blooded defense has worn away that sharpness.

The game restarted, and the fans in the American Airlines Center Arena followed the drumbeats given by the on-site DJ and shouted the word "defense" rhythmically.

Yiyang opened his arms and the fans shouted, making Lillard feel even more pressured. This time, Lillard did not break through with the ball, but handed the ball to Batum early.

French forward Batum is averaging 13 points per game this season and is an indispensable and important offensive point for the Trail Blazers. Facing this kind of guy, Iguodala naturally cannot let him easily get shooting space.

After Kabuto came out to catch the basketball, Batum just turned around and the strong Iguodala was already in front of him.

The Mavericks' defense brought a huge sense of pressure not only to Lillard, but also to all outside players.

Fortunately, Aldridge had already reached his position leaning on Nowitzki. Batum didn't have to contend with Iguodala. He steadily lifted the ball into the penalty area. This was considered a mission accomplished.

At this time, the Trail Blazers' formation opened up, and Aldridge played singles with Dirk in the low post.

Ade turned around with the ball and faced the frame, and made several triple-threat moves. Seeing Nowitzki's hesitation, Ade decisively shot!

Sure enough, Nowitzki's defense was not as fast as Adelaide imagined. The basketball passed over the German's long arms and plummeted into the net!

"LaMarcus Aldridge's shooting is really solid! It seems that Coach Stotts has changed a main offensive point." The moment Ade scored, Drexler waved his arm fiercely. Although it is a pity that he can no longer see the offensive battle between Yiyang and Lillard, but now, as long as the Trail Blazers do not lose, the legendary guard is satisfied.

After the goal, the big man wearing the black No. 12 jersey did not celebrate as exaggeratedly as Lillard did. He just turned around silently and returned to his defensive position.

The combination of Aldridge and Lillard is completely the intersection of ice and fire.

One is calm and stable, the other passionate. These two types of players can often complement each other on the court, but today, Lillard accidentally misfired.

Repeated encounters on the offensive end actually affected Lillard's mood on defense. Yiyang could clearly feel that Lillard's defense against him was not as strict as before. Now, the No. 0 defender is in a very frustrated mood.

After handing the ball to Iguodala, Yiyang walked slowly to the left corner. Subsequently, Nowitzki received the basketball with his back in the mid-range position, and it seemed as if he was going to hit Aldridge.

At this moment, Yiyang, who was originally staying in the corner, suddenly cut into the basket along the baseline. Lillard's reaction was half a beat too slow, and he was thrown away by Yiyang.

Nowitzki understood it and passed the ball at just the right time. After Yiyang received the ball, he didn't even need to dribble it and just threw it directly.

While Lillard was still worrying about his offense, Yiyang got it here without any effort. Once his mentality collapsed, Lillard's defense also collapsed.

The 10-point gap remained, Stotts yelled on the sidelines, and the Trail Blazers also tried many offensive tactics. But in front of the trident composed of Yiyang, Iguodala and Tony Allen, any tactics are in vain.

No matter how you run or pick and roll. When I look up after receiving the basketball, I can always see the "affable" smiles of those three guys.

Aldridge became the Blazers' only offensive point. Relying on Ade's two-point and two-point shots, there was no way to close the double-digit score.

Until the end of the half, the Trail Blazers still had not narrowed the point difference to single digits. Aldridge scored 12 points in a single quarter, and his scoring efficiency was higher than Lillard in the first quarter. But his excellent score of 18 points in the half still could not get the team out of the quagmire.

It's hard to keep your spirits high when you're on the court and you're killing everyone, only to find out later that your team is still losing miserably.

Aldridge is in such a state now. He has obviously beaten the legendary German to submission, but the Trail Blazers' plan to chase points has not made any progress.

The Blazers' outside players must bear the main responsibility for the collective misfire.

Lillard was gasping for air at halftime, and he knew Aldridge needed his help now. But throughout the first half, he was tightly clamped by Yiyang.

Yiyang's defense is not as simple as forcing Lillard to pass the ball, but almost "peeling" Lillard out of the game. When attacking, Lillard can be said to be completely useless.

But the stubborn Lillard will not give up. If Yiyang faced such a situation, he would not give up either. Lillard and Yiyang are very similar, even the spirit of not knowing how to let go is exactly the same.

Most of the time, staying the course will give you unexpected results. But sometimes, unnecessary persistence will push a player into the abyss.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Lillard used a crisp chasing three-pointer to sound the clarion call for the Trail Blazers to counterattack!

Drexler, who was originally sleepy, suddenly straightened his back. Is Lillard resurrected? Will the point guard war continue again?

However, this was just a three-pointer from Lillard.

In the next attack, Yiyang's defense once again gave Lillard a feeling of despair. In the stands, even Reggie Miller shook his head, unable to stand it.

"Are you taking it too seriously? What that guy is showing now is completely playoff-level defense! For that kid Damien, playoff-level defense is no joke." Miller has even begun to sympathize with Lillard.

"Although Damien may not be able to save anything in this game, believe me, this kind of defense will only be good for his entire career." Drexler leaned back on his seat again. Go ahead, that guy Yiyang is not going to give Lillard any chance to create a miracle today. But, these setbacks are all Lillard must experience. Who hasn't been beaten by a star when he was young?

If Yiyang could hear Drexler's thoughts, he would definitely answer: I have never been beaten by anyone.

Lillard's persistence allowed him to continue to work hard. Even if he occasionally scores two goals, the impact on the entire battle will be minimal. Aldridge's shooting is still solid, but in this era only one star can't win the game. What's more, Aldridge's scoring is still within the normal range, and he has not performed the miracle of scoring 70 or 80 points in a single game.

By the end of the third quarter, the 15-point deficit was almost a death sentence for Stotts. If you want to recover 15 points under the Mavericks' defense, unless the Mavericks players have collective diarrhea in the fourth quarter.

Of course, this can't happen. Therefore, it is no longer possible for the Trail Blazers to win the game.

In the eighth minute of the fourth quarter, Stotts had replaced all the main players. Instead of wasting energy on meaningless struggles here, it is better to let the main players rest and save some precious physical energy for the long season ahead.

In this way, this originally high-profile point guard battle ended early after only 8 minutes. With the remaining 40 minutes, Miller and Drexler both marveled at Yiyang's defense. In the end, the Mavericks also defeated the Trail Blazers, who had recently won 4 consecutive victories, with a score of 107 to 91 at home, winning 18 consecutive games and easily breaking the eight-year-old longest streak in team history. Winning streak!

"He is indeed a great player. In less than four seasons, he has already left his name in the history of the Mavericks. 18 consecutive wins, which became a new record for the Mavericks' winning streak. Moreover, This number is likely to continue to rise." What Reggie Miller said was not flattery. The Trail Blazers are one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference this season. Their previous record of 30 wins and only 9 losses was due to this. Best proof.

However, even such a powerful team in the Western Conference was only beaten by 16 points in Dallas.

"I'm in a bad mood, Reggie. If I had known better, I wouldn't have come to Dallas to watch the game." Drexler smiled bitterly. He was originally going to watch the point guard battle. As a result, the battle ended in an anticlimactic manner within 8 minutes, and the Trail Blazers lost in the end.

"You gotta get used to it, Clyde. No team is safe in Dallas!"

Yiyang was named the best player of the game by TNT, ESPN, CBS and many other TV stations. Yiyang did not score much today, only scoring 26 points, but he sent 14 assists, allowing his teammates to help him score. hands.

Comparing Aldridge, who scored 30 points but lost the game, with Lillard, who scored only 14 points and shot only 26% from the field, Yiyang's performance was indeed impeccable.

After celebrating the victory with his teammates, Yiyang turned around and was about to find Lillard. But after looking around the stadium, I found that the No. 0 defender had disappeared.

Lillard seemed to have lost his soul at this time, like a walking zombie, moving slowly in the player tunnel.

As he was about to arrive at the visiting team's locker room, two reporters stopped Lillard. When Lillard looked up and faced the camera, the reporters were startled.

Don't worry, Lillard didn't really turn into a zombie. The reporters were surprised because Lillard's face was full of frustration. This sullen look and downcast eyes were completely inconsistent with Lillard's usually passionate and public character.

He is like a child who failed in the interview and is confused about his future. It looked like he was on the verge of collapse.

"Dam... Damien, what do you think of the defense against you today?" Seeing his appearance, the reporters even couldn't bear to ask Lillard this question.

Lillard raised his head, his downcast eyes still there. Just looking back at the scene of being defended by Yiyang in his mind, he felt out of breath.

"All I can say is, this is a defense I've never seen at any point in my career."

Facing the camera, Lillard said weakly.