Cummings's practice of racking up points during garbage time has had a certain impact.
The debate among netizens is raging...
Some say the Mavericks have given up, but Cummings is cheating by racking up points on the court, which is unsportsmanlike. Others say the game isn't over yet, the Mavericks are still scoring, and the Suns are just passing the ball to Cummings, so it doesn't count as cheating.
21 points isn't much!
The mistake was that Cummings scored his career-high playoff points during garbage time.
The Mavericks even reported the incident to the league after the game, but the league ignored it, saying that the Mavericks were simply outmatched and couldn't stop Cummings from scoring.
In short...
Cummings was thrust into the spotlight.
Mavericks head coach Johnson felt increasingly familiar with Cummings, but he just couldn't connect Cummings with the limping arena cleaner... After the season ended, the Grizzlies head coach, who was out fishing at sea, also felt a sense of familiarity with Cummings after learning about this, but of course... he also couldn't connect Cummings with the arena cleaner.
......
Two days later, the Suns arrived in Dallas.
Dallas fans didn't seem to welcome the Suns. There were fans loitering outside their hotel. It's not a very safe country, and if public figures like players can handle guns, what more can fans do?
Cummings didn't dare go out for a late-night snack... Wei Guo and Gentry did come out, but they didn't dare go too far from the hotel. They found a Chinese restaurant near the hotel, had a drink, and then went back to the hotel to rest.
The following day, the Suns arrived at American Airlines Arena.
The atmosphere at the scene became even more eerie...
During the players' warm-up, some spectators booed Cummings. Cummings' career playoff high score was well-deserved, but it wasn't easy either.
Nowitzki and Nash have a good relationship; they even chatted and laughed during the previous two games. But tonight, Nowitzki clearly didn't want to talk to any of the Suns players—it seems like they have a grudge.
......
Starting lineup for this match:
Dallas Mavericks: Terry, Finley, Josh, Nowitzki, Dampier
Suns: Nash, Joe Johnson, Wei Guo, Marion, Stoudemire
......
Still feeling that a high level of confidence is reliable, the Mavericks have put Dampier back in the starting lineup.
Stackhouse's starters were thrashed by the Suns, leading head coach Johnson to believe that protecting the rim was the first priority for any hope of winning.
"Beep!!!"
The whistle blew, and the game began.
Wei Guo and Dampier jumped for the ball, Nash signaled Marion to move to the three-point line for a pick-and-roll, and then took a three-point shot.
"bang~~~"
The basketball bounced away!
Before Wei Guo could even position himself under the basket, Josh grabbed the rebound, and the Mavericks players quickly ran up the frontcourt.
Victory is certain!
Victory is certain!
Victory is certain!
The audience began cheering for the home team.
Terry receives the ball at the top of the key, Nowitzki receives the ball in front of him, and facing Wei Guo's defense, Nowitzki first makes a shooting fake.
"He won't be fooled by me..."
Nowitzki knew this very well. Seeing that Wei Guo wasn't fooled by the fake, Nowitzki dribbled the ball towards Wei Guo, then jumped on one foot and released a one-legged jump shot!
Leaning against Wei Guo provided him with contact, preventing Wei Guo from blocking his shot.
Nowitzki played that shot with tremendous force!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
2-0!!!
"Nice!!!"
Head coach Johnson excitedly pumped his fist, "Dirk, you were amazing!"
"Dirk!"
"Dirk!"
"Dirk!"
The fans chanted Nowitzki's name.
The one-on-one scoring by Wei Guo sent Nowitzki's adrenaline soaring; it was so exhilarating... Everyone knows that Wei Guo's defense is top-notch in the league. Standing at 2.16 meters tall, he is more agile than most guards. Coupled with his top-notch defensive awareness and dynamic talent, Wei Guo can easily defend positions 1 through 5.
Wei Guo is known as the nightmare of superstar players.
Generally speaking...
Teams that encounter Wei Guo will avoid attacking him directly. Even Kobe and Shaq would not blindly try to take on Wei Guo one-on-one.
"Dirk, you're awesome!"
Wei Guo laughed, "But if you keep playing like this tonight, your score won't exceed 20."
This is not a provocation, it's the truth.
Nowitzki isn't stupid; he certainly wouldn't keep playing one-on-one against Wei Guo. His aggressive play on the first basket was simply a way of telling the Suns that this is the Mavericks' home court.
Suns on offense!
Wei Guo facilitated from the low post and passed the ball to Joe Johnson beyond the three-point line!
Joe Johnson's three-point shooting percentage ranks second on the Suns, even higher than Nash's. This was another open three-pointer, but he missed.
Josh grabbed the defensive rebound again!
D'Antoni said worriedly, "Old Jin, he doesn't seem to be playing very well tonight."
"Still too young..."
Gentry said, "The boos from the crowd affected him. It was outrageous that Johnson missed that wide-open three-pointer."
The Mavericks launched a counterattack, and Finley scored with a layup.
4-0!!!
This start... is a bit like the game the Suns lost in the regular season.
......
Five minutes into the game, the first official timeout was called.
17:11!!
The Mavericks lead by 6 points.
Gentry reassured the players, "The boos from the crowd are for Cummings, don't let this atmosphere affect you."
Cummings, "???"
He really thanked Lao Jin. The audience's eyes could have killed him. If Lao Jin hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have known that the boos were directed at him.
Joe Johnson took the blame, saying, "It's my fault for not playing well tonight. Wei Ge passed me the ball three times and I missed all three shots!"
At the start of the game, the players were full of energy, and Terry's defensive pressure was very strong!
Several offensive plays involved Nash dribbling the ball across half-court and then passing it to Wei Guo. Wei Guo would inevitably be double-teamed by the opponents, which would leave one player open. Johnson was the one left open, and Wei Guo passed him the ball three times in a row, but he failed to make any of the three open three-pointers.
"Hey buddy..."
Wei Guo patted Johnson on the shoulder and said, "I will continue to pass you the ball. I want you to be decisive when you receive the ball and shoot. Can you do that?"
"able!"
Johnson nodded vigorously.
Wei Guo was very satisfied and patted Joe Johnson on the shoulder again, "Okay, then you take a break and let Richardson play first."
Johnson, "???"
Richardson, "???"
"I think Brother Wei is right!"
Gentry chimed in, "Joe, you need to get into form first so you can turn Wei's brilliant pass into an assist."
Having confidence is a good thing, but we must also recognize reality.
After Johnson missed his first open three-pointer, his mentality was clearly affected, and Finley was willing to leave Johnson wide open after that.
Johnson lived up to Finley's expectations...
After missing his first open three-pointer, he missed two more open three-pointers in a row.
His mentality was already unbalanced, and Wei Guo's words of comfort had some effect, but Gentry still needed to provide Johnson with some psychological treatment, so it was very necessary to have Richardson replace Johnson.
When it comes to how the Suns should play their tactics and how to adjust their personnel, D'Antoni's say only ranks third, Gentry second, and Wei Guo is the one with the most say. In some games, when Wei Guo is sitting on the sidelines, he will also use a whiteboard to explain tactics to the substitute players.
even...
When it comes to crucial shots, the one who grabs the tactical board is always Wei Guo.
......
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
The Suns have too many scoring options, so Johnson's absence won't have a significant impact on the team.
Mindset is really important...
Joe Johnson is still too young; the boos from over ten thousand spectators affected his shooting.
The Suns are on offense.
Wei Guo positioned himself near the free-throw line, and Nash's glance was enough for him to understand what play to make. After receiving the pass from Nash, Wei Guo held the ball to draw the defense, and then sent the ball back to Nash with a reverse bounce.
Nash drove to the basket...
Nowitzki, Dampier, and Josh instantly collapsed under the basket, trying to corner Nash. But Nash was no pushover. He broke through from the left side of the basket, circled the three of them, paused, and then made a nimble turn, leaving himself alone facing the basket. The rest was easy.
"Whoosh!!!"
Nash raised his hand and put the basketball into the hoop.
17:13!!
The Suns are still down by 4 points.
In a league full of tall players, Nash's physical attributes can only be described as average. Many fans even thought that Nash couldn't dunk, but this should not be taken into account.
During team practice, the Suns also held 1-on-1 one-on-one matches.
Gentry paid for it out of his own pocket...
The first place prize is 10,000, the second place prize is 3,000, the third place prize is 2,000, the fourth place prize is 1,000, and the fifth place prize is 500.
Although the prize money wasn't much, everyone played very seriously.
The result of the one-on-one match was unexpected...
The player who took home the $3,000 bonus was not Stoudemire but Nash, and the player who took home the $2,000 bonus was Joe Johnson. Stoudemire ranked fourth, and the player who ranked fifth was Marion. Stoudemire and Marion ranked second and third in scoring on the team, respectively, but they lost to Joe Johnson and Nash in one-on-one situations.
In terms of one-on-one ball handling, Nash was second only to Wei Guo on the Suns.
On the field...
The Mavericks are organizing their offense.
Finley received the ball in the mid-range, and after a series of spin moves, he attempted a fadeaway jumper, but missed. The shot was powerful, bounced off the rim, and landed in Nowitzki's hands on the perimeter. Nowitzki then took a shot.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
19:13!!
The Mavericks played well tonight, displaying strong offensive and defensive aggression, while the Suns were somewhat on the back foot.
Victory is certain!
Victory is certain!
Victory is certain!
The atmosphere at the American Airlines Center was lively, with cheers from the audience never ceasing.
"Whoa~~~"
"Coo coo~~~"
"Chirp chirp~~~"
When the Suns are on offense, the audience will make strange noises to mentally distract them.
Wei Guo received a pass from Marion, and Finley and Josh immediately came up to double-team him. With Nowitzki standing behind Wei Guo, the three of them formed an equilateral triangle, trapping Wei Guo in the middle.
After Wei Guo jumped, he passed the ball to Stoudemire.
Stoudemire took a powerful stride, but Dampier blocked his way. If Stoudemire bumped into him, he would be committing a foul. He could only twist his body in mid-air, grab the ball with his right hand, and circle behind Dampier before flicking it towards the basket.
"Gurgle~~~"
The basketball spun around the rim once and then slid out.
Josh grabbed the defensive rebound.
......
"Xiao Si's skills are far inferior to Wei Ge's."
"If it were Wei Ge (Wei Ge) who made that shot, he would have scored."
“Brother Wei can fly over Dampier’s head.”
"Wei Ge hasn't activated his God mode yet. When facing double teams, he still mainly passes the ball, so other players have to score."
"Will we not lose tonight?"
"No, Brother Wei will step in at the crucial moment."
......
Fans watched the live broadcast and discussed the game, showing a blind confidence in Weiguo.
like...
As long as Wei Guo is in the game, we won't lose.
The Suns have already created too many miracles. Their opponent shouldn't be in the second round of the playoffs. Next door... the Spurs and SuperSonics are playing their second-round series. The Spurs are also leading 2-0. Although the SuperSonics have Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, it won't be easy for them to beat the Spurs in this series.
After defeating the Mavericks, there's still the Spurs. Without Wei Guo, the Suns might not even be a match for the Spurs.
Moreover...
After the Spurs, there's the Heat. With Kidd, Wade, Miller, and O'Neal, the Heat's roster is just as luxurious as the '0K combination' of yesteryear. They have no rivals in the East.
The Suns' first quarter has ended.
27:32!!
The Mavericks lead by 5 points.
Falling behind at the start... This is the second time this has happened. In the first playoff game against the Mavericks, the Suns also fell behind at the start. As for the second game, the Mavericks changed their lineup, replacing Dampier with Stackhouse in the starting lineup. If Cummings hadn't overheard their tactics, there might have been a pleasant surprise.
In short...
The Suns are not a monolithic team either; the Mavericks' head coach always felt they had a chance to beat the Suns.
......
tNt live stream room.
Johnson and Barkley are commentating on the Heat's game.
Barkley said, "Kidd and Miller have completely integrated into the Heat's system, and this team has no weaknesses."
Johnson: "If the Heat face the Suns in the Finals, what are their chances of winning?"
Barkley, "Perfect!"
Barkley's confident and even somewhat gritted-teeth statement clearly shows how deep his resentment towards the Suns is. His favorite player has always been Wei Guo, and Barkley is a die-hard fan of whichever team Wei Guo plays for. However, the day before yesterday, Cummings scored 21 points in garbage time, causing Barkley to lose $200,000.
From that day on...
Barkley became a staunch critic of the Suns.
During his commentary on the Heat's game tonight, Barkley kept praising the Heat, even predicting that if the Suns and Heat met in the Finals, the Heat would sweep the Suns 4-0 and lift the championship trophy. This prediction was somewhat influenced by personal feelings.
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