In the East, the game between the Bulls and the Heat will still be held one day later.

The first day featured games between the Pacers and Wizards, and between the Thunder and Spurs.

There was not much suspense in the game between the Pacers and the Wizards. Although the Wizards were upset, their strength and experience were much weaker than the Pacers.

The game between Thunder and Spurs was very intense, and Xu Yong also watched the live broadcast of the game.

The Spurs have been able to remain competitive this season and, as he knows from history, have developed a tactic called the Hammer Tactics.

To put it simply, this tactic is an advanced version of the pick-and-roll tactic, with Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll as the core, or using outside shooters to open up space, or using pick-and-roll to create three-point opportunities for outside shooters, and then using Duncan as the center to create defensive counterattack opportunities through high-speed assist rotation.

The Spurs' good performance is also related to the outstanding performance of their shooters this season. Mills, Danny Green and Belinelli all have three-point shooting percentages above 40%, and even Parker, who is not good at three-pointers, has reached 37.3%.

Of course, the two influence each other.

In a sense, it is the prototype of the Warriors' small ball tactics.

However, without Leonard, a defensive monster, the Spurs cannot form an outside defensive network with Green, which will make their offense more dependent on positional warfare, which is equivalent to limiting the upper limit of this tactic and cannot achieve the shocking effect in history.

But this was enough for them to fight back and forth with the Thunder.

At the end of the game, the Thunder's talent became the deciding factor. Durant first hit a jump shot against Richard Jefferson in the final moments, and then turned around and made a fade away shot under the double-team of Jefferson and Green to kill the game.

After watching this game, in addition to the skills, Xu Yong could feel that Durant's fighting spirit on the court was at its peak.

A Durant like this might really make it to the finals again, and even win the championship.

It seems that he has to go all out.

The next day, the Bulls set off for Miami to start their divisional semifinal match against the Heat.

Xu Yong changed his playing style from the first round and started with a singles game.

He receives the ball with his back to the basket, plays one-on-one, turns around and fakes a fadeaway, then lowers his center of gravity and turns around to break through to the basket.

At this time, Hibbert squeezed past Adams and stood in front of Xu Yong. He was heavy, so it was not easy for Adams to strangle him.

Seeing this, Xu Yong changed direction without slowing down and jumped sideways, then slammed the ball into the basket with his left hand through Hibbert.

His opening was so violent that there was an uproar at the scene.

After Xu Yong landed, he rarely punched and roared, and with his roar, the emotions on the faces of the other Bulls players changed.

It was obvious that Xu Yong did this on purpose.

Whether in terms of season ranking or first-round performance, the Bulls are not as strong as the Heat this year. They are the real underdogs and need to perform exceptionally well to win.

Especially since the Bulls have many young players and the opponent is the defending champion who is still as strong as ever, they will be instinctively timid.

Therefore, Xu Yong used this method of [killing the generals in front of the battle] to boost morale.

What's more unexpected is that this wave killed two people with one blow, completing a double kill.

However, this accident was largely due to the [vertical jump rule], as Hibbert obviously did not dare to jump.

This can be considered as James's change of direction to assist the Bulls.

Xu Yong greatly boosted the morale of the Bulls at the start, and the Bulls fought back and forth with the Heat from the start.

And the Bulls continued this momentum.

Young teams lack experience in the playoffs, but they are also full of energy and can easily explode once their momentum is high.

And with Xu Yong as their backbone, they will not encounter a scoring shortage.

The two sides fought fiercely until the last moment. Xu Yong scored the winning goal despite Granger's defense and won an exciting game.

"Every one of them, every muscle was hard as rock tonight," Barkley exclaimed in the commentary booth.

This kind of underdog victory, and the young team doing it in the most positive way, on the road, was so exciting.

And it was not just Xu Yong who played well in this game. West had 21 points and 7 rebounds, Butler had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, and Adams had 8 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Coupled with Xu Yong's 31 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, the Bulls can be said to have played their entire team.

Such a Bulls team is admirable and even frightening, considering that they have a top-paid player like Rose lying on their bench.

After two days of rest, the game between the Heat and the Bulls continued in Miami.

After losing the first game, the situation for the Heat suddenly became serious. They showed significantly higher intensity in G2 than in G1.

However, the Bulls' performance did not weaken at all compared to G1.

The result was that although they were behind, the Bulls never allowed the Heat to widen the score.

When they entered the fourth quarter with a stalemate, they launched a crazy scoring campaign under the leadership of Xu Yong and even tied the score at one point.

However, the problems of the young team were also exposed at the most critical moment. When the Heat began to double-team Xu Yong, the others suddenly lost power.

This also led to their eventual loss to G2.

With a score of 1-1, the two sides moved to Chicago to continue the series.

Then, the Bulls lost Game 3 in the same way.

Strength and performance can be compensated by morale, but things like competition experience are difficult to form without enough games.

Especially the playoffs are not like the regular season. The playoffs themselves are a test of success rate and tolerance.

With a big score of 1 to 2 and obvious weaknesses, the Bulls were thought to not have many chances.

However, in Game 4, the Bulls shocked everyone again.

They did not evolve suddenly or become mature in two days, but this time, after falling behind by 13 points after three quarters, they launched a death charge in the last quarter and successfully completed the reversal, tying the score to 2-2.

The Bulls gave everyone a little youth shock.

The two sides entered into the battle of Tianwang Mountain.

The intensity of the decisive battle was beyond imagination. Granger sprained his ankle in the second quarter, but miraculously returned in the second half.

Butler of the Bulls encountered the same situation, but after kicking the floor twice, he didn't even leave the court.

Just like the previous four games, the two teams fought fiercely until the very last moment. This time, Wade became the savior of the Heat. He used a breakthrough jump shot to win the decisive game for the Heat.

"This is an NBA Finals-level confrontation." Barkley sighed again.

After five games, the score difference between the two sides never reached double digits, and three of the games went until the last second, the intensity of the game was unimaginable.

The Bulls need to defend their home court and try to drag the game into a seventh game.

The United Center was packed to capacity, with the aisles packed with fans.

And Jordan also appeared on the sidelines.

The Bulls, playing at home, started the game with great momentum, and Xu Yong's desire to attack was particularly strong tonight.

After three quarters, the two sides were tied and Xu Yong's personal score had reached 35 points.

This was a classic Xu Yong style match.

The two sides once again entered the final countdown stage, and the Bulls had a chance to equalize the game.

However, in this round, Butler made a fatal mistake and his pass was intercepted by Wade.

Wade stole the ball and dribbled to avoid the foul, and the Heat finally defeated the Bulls with a big score of 4-2 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

When the game ended, the fans at the scene held their heads in disbelief, and Butler sat on the bench with red eyes.

He didn't hide from the defeat by lowering his head and covering himself with a towel, but you could definitely feel his mood.

Both sides shook hands after the game and returned to the locker room.

Just when returning to the player tunnel, Butler broke down.

He leaned against the wall and began to cry.

After seeing this, Xu Yong walked over to him and touched his head hard.

Butler knew it was Xu Yong without looking up. He didn't know when this became the unique way of communication between the two of them.

"It's me, it's my fault." Butler didn't look up, but his voice was choked.

In last year's Eastern Conference Finals, after losing to the Heat, he asked Xu Yong if they would win back, and Xu Yong gave him a positive answer.

Xu Yong scored 47 points tonight and tried his best to do what he promised, but in the end, it was his mistakes that ruined the victory of the game.

In this semi-final, everyone else played very hard, but in the end it was all his fault.

"Jimmy, it's your fault, but stand up for it like a man."

Xu Yong's words were very calm. After hearing them, Butler stopped crying and looked up at Xu Yong with red eyes.

"This is not the end of the world. If we lose, we can just win again next year." Xu Yong said as he punched Butler's chest hard.

Although he was also very frustrated at the moment, because this was the first time he scored so many points and still lost.

But it was at this moment that he truly accepted failure.

If they lose despite giving their all, but can still stand up again, then they can never be defeated.

Butler looked at Xu Yong, his eyes still red, but he nodded firmly.

Back in the locker room, Xu Yong saw that everyone else was also feeling depressed.

Although we lost the game by the same score as last year, it is really not easy to accept such a narrow defeat.

If a tough guy like Butler had a mental breakdown, you can imagine how others feel.

Xu Yong knew that he had to say something at this time.

After coughing lightly, he said:

“It’s frustrating not to achieve our goals this year, and it’s frustrating for me, but it doesn’t mean we have no hope, but we still have a long way to go.

They (the Heat) won fairly and we lost to a respectable opponent. I know it hurts, but nothing can make us depressed. Our performance at least proves that we are on the right path.

Hold your head high, keep working hard as always, and make yourself stronger this summer. This is the direction we are striving for.

We have to work together, fight for each other, stick together like a family, and then next season, win everything we lost and win that damn championship! "

As Xu Yong continued his speech, other people gradually looked up and stood up, and finally they all clasped their hands together.

They shouted the slogan for the last and most determined time of the season.

"Go Bulls!"

Thibodeau just walked to the door of the locker room at this time.

He had originally prepared a long speech to boost the team's morale, but after seeing the situation in front of him, he knew it was unnecessary because Xu Yong had already done that.

He called Xu Yong out and prepared to go to the press conference with him.

"Coach, I'm going too." Butler took the initiative to speak.

Thibodeau was stunned for a moment.

Butler actually played well tonight, scoring 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, second only to Xu Yong.

If it weren't for the final mistake, he would have been the second biggest contributor to the team's victory.

However, it was precisely because of that mistake that he did not plan to ask Butler to go with him, because if he went, he could foresee that he would be targeted by reporters.

However, looking at Butler's determined eyes, he finally nodded.

When Butler appeared at the venue, the reporters on the scene were suddenly shocked.

If Butler hadn't shown up, the questions they could ask would have been limited, but with Butler, there were more questions and more news material after the game.

"Yes, it was my fault. I was facing the right side of the court and D.wade was lurking behind me on the left. I didn't see him and it was me who stopped the team."

Faced with reporters' questions, Butler frankly admitted the problem.

"But I will win it back. I promise that if that happens again, I will never make the same mistake and I will help the team win the game."

Then, without waiting for the reporter to ask further questions, he immediately added in a firm tone.

Such a reaction also made the reporters below look at him with admiration. In just a short while, Butler was able to adjust his mood and make such an irreversible promise.

"No team will want to face us next year." At this time, Xu Yong picked up the microphone and added in an extremely affirmative tone.

This moment attracted surprised glances from the reporters below, and the spotlights on the scene flashed to record this moment.

Xu Yong's words were a challenge to the entire league.

If someone else said this, it would definitely seem arrogant.

But when it came out of Xu Yong's mouth, it made people unable to help but imagine.

After all, it is shocking that the Bulls were able to play like this against the Heat this season despite suffering injuries and having many young players.

The Bulls next season is indeed worth looking forward to.

After the press conference, public opinion on social media reached a peak.

“There are not so many successes in the world. Failure is the main theme of life. How to face failure is the biggest issue in life.”

"Like Michael said, trash talking only makes sense when you're behind, and similarly, only when the team is losing can you see who the real tough guys are."

"Haha, you're still a tough guy even after losing!" Comment from "King Brownie's loyal royal guard."

"Tsk, then we have to mention the 'your life is not going as planned' statement made by a certain king after the Heat lost in 2011." Comment from "KBfnas".

“2＞0, thank you.” Comment from “KBforever”.

"So LeBron is the loser all along, and Xu is the winner. I am now looking forward to the Bulls' games next season."

"Haha, just wait and see, LeBron will definitely win his championship this season, and he will be the greatest player in history!" Comment from "King Bronny's Loyal Royal Guard."

"So, even if LeBron wins the championship, what's the problem? Is 1 greater than 2?"

"One championship is better than Xu Yong, two championships are better than Jordan, if we can get three championships, we will be the strongest in the universe, that's what it means, right?"

"Don't worry, LeBron can't win the championship. How can he beat the Heat? With his mouth?"

"Why bother with them? They've been so popular that I thought LeBron and Xu were players of the same level. The Chosen One who has been without a championship for ten years is a rare sight."

…

The day after the series with the Heat ended, Butler and Adams started training with Xu Yong in the training hall.

Their summer has begun.

Xu Yong does not plan to enrich his arsenal this summer, but to practice shooting again, especially three-pointers.

With Butler diluting the ball, this is what he has to do.

Of course, the stability of existing technology is also very important. What he has to do now is to ensure the success rate of his attack as much as possible.

Butler needs to enrich his arsenal. After reaching a certain level of breakthrough, he needs a stable means of shooting and scoring.

He chose a step-back jump shot.

This is also a very smart choice, because for a player with his talent, the prerequisite for his skills to be fully utilized is to have shooting space before shooting.

His civilian breakthrough is based on this idea, and the same goes for the step-back jump shot.

The reason why he chose this was because he was inspired by his match with Pierce.

Although the two were at loggerheads during the game, Pierce was indeed a good reference for him.

Adams is working on his defensive skills. He struggled against Lopez in the first round, and he must learn how to defend this type of player.

While training, Battier came to the training hall.

He came to see Xu Yong.

"I'm ready to retire." Because of Yao Ming, Battier had a very good relationship with Xu Yong after joining the Bulls.

When hearing this, Xu Yong couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

Battier is the only player besides him and Hinrich to have won two consecutive championships.

"What are your plans for the future?" Xu Yong asked with concern.

"I will stay and join the team's operations department." Battier said with a smile. This was the reason why he came to find Xu Yong.

Left the team, but not completely.

Xu Yong was also very happy when he heard this, and gave Battier a big hug with a smile.

There are many aspects of operations that he is responsible for, including drafting and signing, which is a very good start for Battier's career.

Of course, having a former teammate in management is also a good thing for Xu Yong.

…

With the Heat's victory, the Eastern Conference Finals matchups were determined: Heat vs. Pacers.

Similar to last season, this is another revenge battle for James.

In the Western Conference, the divisional finals matchups were announced a day later, with the Thunder and Mavericks facing off for the second consecutive season.

However, in the divisional semifinals, the Thunder encountered a situation. The team's starting power forward Ibaka suffered a strain of the plantar muscle in his left calf in the last game against the Spurs and was reimbursed for the season.

Ibaka's injury has a fatal impact on the Thunder. You know, he is the team's inside rim protector and restricted area sweeper, a standard inside big man.

Xu Yong felt a little complicated when he learned the news.

Injuries can often really change the outcome of a match, or even directly change the course of history.

Take the Bulls for example, if Yao Ming's injury hadn't accelerated so quickly, they would have had a chance to complete their first dynasty after the Jordan era.

Moreover, Ibaka's injury has happened in history as far as he is concerned, so it cannot be considered that Durant's flag has taken effect.

But looking back, the choice of [Injury Immunity] he made at the time helped him no less than any other system.

The Eastern Conference Finals kicked off first, with the Pacers hosting the Heat at home.

On the day of the game, the stadium was packed.

Although the Pacers have not yet achieved any results, the successive joining of superstars such as James, Howard, and Paul has greatly expanded the basketball market in Indiana.

However, the final result of the game did not satisfy them.

The Heat showed excellent competitive form from the start, with Wade and Bosh firing from inside and outside the paint, establishing an early lead.

In contrast, the Pacers' performance fluctuated greatly. They once overtook the score in the second quarter, but their overall performance in the second half was average.

This is obviously related to their previous games. The Heat played with the Bulls in the semi-finals with sparks and played in good form. On the contrary, the Pacers played too easily in the first two rounds and couldn't get into good form all of a sudden.

The situation improved in G2. James and Paul frequently used pick-and-roll to break through the basket. Hibbert was restricted by the [vertical jump rule], and the restrictions on them were significantly reduced compared to last season. In this way, they successfully scored a goal and the score was tied at 1-1.

At this time in the Western Conference, the Mavericks successively conquered the Thunder's home court and were already leading 2-0.

Without Ibaka, Nowitzki's performance was obviously much more comfortable.

However, this was not the decisive factor in the first two games.

The presence of Tony Allen and Carlisle's lineup are the deciding factors in these two games.

After the poor defensive results last year, Carlisle did not arrange Leonard to defend Durant this year. Instead, Tony Allen did the defense, and Leonard went to face Harden.

As a result, this adjustment had a miraculous effect. Durant's efficiency in defense by Allen was greatly reduced, and Harden was also embarrassed by Leonard's death entanglement.

Carlisle seized the weaknesses of the Thunder's dual cores and took a two-pronged approach at the same time, which can be called a master-level operation.

So after two games, there is still some suspense in the Eastern Conference, but in the Western Conference, it seems that the outcome has already been decided because of Ibaka's injury.

However, it was in this context that an "accident" occurred.

Ibaka, who was previously announced by the Thunder to be out for the season, unexpectedly returned just nine days later!

This is a medical miracle.

However, this is not an intellectual injury, but Ibaka was forced to return after taking a closed injection.

This is comparable to Willis Reed's comeback in New York, which made Thunder fans excited and boosted the morale of the Thunder team.

The Thunder played out the same playoff matchup between the Jazz and the Rockets that year. After losing two home games, they then conquered the Mavericks' two home games in succession.

Durant broke through Allen's defense in these two games, scored 75 points, and played completely crazy.

After four games, the two sides were tied 2-2, and the suspense of the Western Conference Finals returned again.

Just when the Western Conference Finals was in full swing, an "accident" occurred in the Eastern Conference.

After returning to their home court in Miami, the Heat had a big explosion in Game 3, defeating the Pacers 116-90 and changing the score to 2-1.

In addition to Wade and Bosh, the Heat also had a breakout performance from Granger, who has performed well this season. He made 6 of 8 shots from beyond the three-point line, scored 27 points, and blew away James.

And this situation continued in Game 4. Granger's hot hand gave the Heat a lot of space, and Wade broke through the Pacers' inside line like a fish in water.

At this time, the [vertical jump rule] actually hurt the Pacers because Bynum's protection of the restricted area was significantly reduced.

At the end of the third quarter, the Heat led the Pacers by 12 points and had a good chance of winning two games in a row.

After that, with a big score of 3 to 1, the Heat had one foot in the door of the finals.

However, an unexpected situation occurred in the fourth quarter. First, James traveled at a different time to help the Pacers narrow the gap to single digits. Then Spoelstra sent Granger on the court. Granger hit a three-pointer to stabilize the situation and also defended James.

Then, the real [accident] happened. When Granger shot a three-pointer on the offensive end, James tripped him.gif.

Granger had already sprained his ankle during the match against the Bulls, and when James stepped on him, he curled up in agony, unable to get up.

This situation also triggered a conflict on the court. Bosh reacted quickly and knocked James to the ground, performing the Dinosaur Ride.

Even though he was experienced and held down Bosh's hands, he was still punched by Bosh.

In the end, the two sides were pulled apart. James looked terrified and extremely embarrassed. He obviously did not expect Bosh to be so cruel.

The referee finally gave James a first-degree malicious offense and Bosh was ejected from the game for a second-degree malicious offense.

The departure of Granger and Bosh fundamentally changed the situation on the court. The Pacers frantically chased points and reversed the game in the end, changing the score to 2-2.

After the game, social media exploded, and the criticism of James reached its highest level ever.

This time, Nike couldn't suppress it even if it wanted to.

"This is a disgrace to basketball, relying on rules, referees, and foot-tapping to win!"

"Even if this Pacers team wins the championship, they will wear the championship ring on their feet, not their hands."

"In terms of breaking my perception of the lower limit of superstars, LeBron is the undisputed GOAT in basketball."

"I'm sorry, but he doesn't deserve to be a superstar!"

"Before, I only regarded him as an entertaining player, but now it's really disgusting. The Heat will make up for it in the next game!"

"Stop playing basketball. Let the Dragon King fight LeBron in the octagon. The winner will advance."

Xu Yong did not watch the game. He saw the news after the training.

After seeing it, he had two main feelings.

The moment that was supposed to come finally came, and Granger still couldn't escape James's step.

Second, he figured it out. Next time they meet James' team, if James has a tendency to trip him, he will send someone to strike first. If it succeeds, that would be the best, but if it fails, it will also be a deterrent.

If you want to play well, play well. If you don't want to play well, then don't play well. This guy won't learn his lesson just by making a fuss.

…

A week later, the Eastern and Western Conference finals were all over.

In the East, Granger's season-ending injury directly changed the course of the series. The Pacers won two games in a row amid a chorus of criticism, eliminating the Heat 4-2 and advancing to the finals.

This is also the first time that James has reached the finals since 2007 and since forming a super team in 2010.

In the West, Nowitzki had a big outbreak in the last two games of the series. Just like in 2011, he once again defeated the combination of Ibaka and Gasol.

In the first two rounds, and even in the first four games of the Western Conference Finals, his performance was mediocre, making people think that he was really old.

However, after the last two games, everyone realized that he was holding back on a big fight.

This is also reasonable. After all, he is level 35 and will soon be level 36. Even if his playing style is biased towards shooting, he will need to accumulate energy for burst.

However, the Mavericks received bad news before reaching the finals. Nash was ruled out for the season due to a back injury.

You say the Mavericks were lucky, but this year they faced the Thunder who had Ibaka injured. If they hadn't started with a 2-0 lead, they might not have won with Durant in this state.

But if you say they are lucky enough, Nash is injured again, which is exactly the same as their experience in 2011.

In the end, the real bargain may be their finals opponent, the Pacers.

Finals, Pacers vs. Mavericks.

With numerous injuries and accidents, the opponents for this year's finals have finally been determined.

After this result came out, James was collectively shocked.

"Haslem said 'You're never going to make it out of the East,' who's never going to make it out of the East now?"

"Don't talk about stepping on the feet or not. Wasn't the Spurs the same back then? I didn't see you criticizing the Spurs. History books are written by the victors!"

"+1. The Bulls won their first championship by defeating the depleted Mavericks. Please don't bring this up when we won this year!"

"Go! Go! Go! The first championship in the Pacers' history, the first championship for LeBron, heading towards the first person in history!"

…

Xu Yong has already started laughing.

The core player was seriously injured and was ruled out for the season. For James and the Mavericks, this year's finals matchup is too familiar to him.

No, not only is it familiar, but there are too many elements.

For example, the presence of Paul and the intrusion of Leonard.

If he were asked to choose a finals matchup that he would most like to watch besides himself, it would have to be these two teams.

So he decided to pay full attention to this round of the finals.

Of course he's not the only one.

In Game 1 of the finals, Xu Yong, Butler and Adams prepared French fries, squid rings, melon seeds, peanuts and drinks in advance, and then waited for the show.

During the warm-up, the camera was focused on players from both sides. The Mavericks players were very serious, while the Pacers players were very relaxed, especially Paul and James, who were grinning from ear to ear.

These reactions were expected.

The Mavericks have been in a "low health" state for two consecutive times in the finals, so it is impossible for them to be in a good mood.

As for the Pacers, if nothing unexpected happens, they had already opened champagne once when they learned that Nash was injured.

"Does Dallas have a chance?" Adams couldn't help but ask.

Butler didn't say anything at this time. He didn't experience the finals with the Mavericks that year, so he didn't have much say in this regard.

"Yes, I think Leonard is the one in this league who is most like me, besides Jimmy." Xu Yong said something with a slightly fishy flavor.

Butler's mouth curled up at this time. His senior ranked him before Leonard!

Then he nodded. The person whom he regarded as his lifelong enemy must be strong.

"Then I hope the Mavericks win. The way they (the Pacers) got to the finals was so disgraceful," Adams said.

It's easy to imagine how disliked James and the Pacers are now, as Adams could say something like this.

Xu Yong and Butler didn't say anything at this time, not because they disagreed, but, who wouldn't think so?

The game started quickly, and the Pacers were beaten 10-2 by the Mavericks at the beginning.

The state before the game reflected the mentality of the two teams, and the Pacers obviously underestimated their opponents.

And apart from his condition, James played extremely uncomfortably. He was intercepted by Leonard repeatedly, no, he was robbed twice.

Originally, he thought he wouldn't have to face Xu Yong, his nemesis, this year. However, he never expected that even without Xu Yong, he still had Leonard!

And in terms of defense alone, Leonard made him more uncomfortable than Xu Yong.

However, the Mavericks did not have any advantage in the score because Vogel also made an adjustment. He asked James to defend Nowitzki.

After James was repeatedly intercepted on the offensive end and was afraid to play, he could only focus on the defensive end in order to improve his stats.

It turns out that when he defends seriously, it is still effective against the 35-year-old Nowitzki.

Of course, more importantly, Nash's absence has had a huge impact on the Mavericks.

You have to know that after the Mavericks got Nash, most of their tactics revolve around him. To use a very vivid metaphor, Nash is the engine of the Mavericks.

Now that the engine is gone, the impact can be imagined.

Of course, the Mavericks' fighting spirit is unquestionable. They fought with the Pacers until the final quarter and finally lost.

"Does Dallas still have a chance?" Adams couldn't help but ask again after the game.

The talent gap between the two teams is even greater than that between the Bulls and Mavericks.

The Mavericks give people the feeling that Leonard's independent offensive ability is not enough, Nowitzki is old and his form has declined after his outbreak in the Western Conference Finals, and Terry is gone, so no one can score points on the offensive end.

"Yes, but not much." Butler gave a rational analysis.

"You can't underestimate the heart of a champion, especially when the person with this heart has been sharpening his sword for 16 years." Xu Yong's answer was a bit emotional.

Although rationally he felt the same as Butler, and the impact of Caron Butler's absence back then and Nash's absence now were indeed incomparable, he always felt that this round of finals should not end so soon.

Two days later, the Pacers won another game at home and took a 2-0 lead.

The Pacers fans were furious, as they only had two games left to win the first championship in the team's history.

Of course, at this time, the outside world's criticism of them also reached a peak.

Because most fans don't want to see such a team win the championship.

It was in this context that the two teams moved to Dallas to compete in the next two games.

It is worth mentioning that this year is also the first season of the NBA Finals reformulation, with the finals changed from the original 2-3-2 to 2-2-1-1-1.

After arriving in Dallas, the Pacers held an open training session. James did not accept interviews from reporters. It was Paul who came out to be interviewed.

Paul played well in the first two games, averaging 27.5 points and 8.5 assists per game. Allen has to defend Korver, and West is facing Paul, so he shouldn't be too comfortable.

If he continues at this pace, he won't have to fight for it this time, and this year's FMVP will definitely be his.

"We don't care about the outside noise, that's part of the game, and we only care about the game now."

"If they really regard us as enemies, then we don't mind becoming the public enemy of the alliance."

He was quite relaxed in front of the reporters.

That night, Xu Yong, Butler and Adams sat together again to watch the live broadcast.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both teams came on the court. At this time, the Mavericks made an adjustment and Carlisle put Kidd in the starting lineup.

Kidd is 41 years old this year, and he is so old that his teeth are almost falling out.

This action made Paul couldn't help but cover his mouth and laugh on the bench.

Of course, once the game really started, he couldn't laugh anymore.

Because old Kidd can still play!

Although he no longer has any other offensive means except shooting three-pointers, and can basically only retreat on the defensive end, his experience, his confrontation, and his organization are still there.

When it comes to the phrase "getting more powerful as you get older", Kidd definitely deserves a share of the credit. [Note 20]

But this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that James played very confusingly in this game.

Although Leonard's presence itself made it difficult for him to perform, the way he played was... familiar.

When Xu Yong saw this, he couldn't help but nod his head. This was just what he wanted.

Speaking of which, even Wade doesn't indulge James, so how could he indulge Paul?

Paul won the FMVP. Does this championship belong to Paul or him?

The camera turned to Paul, who looked confused at this time. He probably didn't expect such a situation to happen.

But we can only say that this is the cycle of fate. Two years ago, he had his eyes on the FMVP, and this season, James also had his eyes on the FMVP.

The collapse of a dynasty mostly stems from within, and the Pacers lost Game 3 because of this farce.

Butler and Adams watched Game 3 with confused looks on their faces. They didn't even understand what happened.

Of course, even if the Pacers lose G3, they will still lead 2-1.

In G4, Paul made a change and began to create opportunities for James.

It can be seen that he and James had "effective" communication between these two games.

However, their changes came a little too late!

After taking a breather in G3, the Mavericks' morale picked up again, and then Nowitzki's CD cooled down and began to explode.

The Pacers' biggest weakness is the power forward position. In the previous regular season against the Bulls, West was able to make things difficult for them. In the first two games of the finals, they also relied on James to hold the team.

Now, Nowitzki starts to play and James can't stand it!

Nowitzki was like a god descending from heaven, shooting from inside and outside, and making James extremely excited.

"Dirk stood up, and I seemed to see every golden hair on his head stand up. Dallas launched their charge!" Barkley shouted excitedly in the commentary booth.

Their stance is too obvious because they did not want to see the birth of a stepping-down champion from the very beginning.

After three games of silence, their emotions finally began to erupt.

Amid such commentary, the Pacers' defensive system built by Vogel began to collapse like the Indians' dam.

Moreover, after Nowitzki's offense tied down the defense, Leonard also became active and Jamison couldn't limit him either.

106 to 102, driven by Nowitzki's 34 points in a single game, the Mavericks defeated the Pacers again at home, completely reversing the situation of the series.

After losing two games in a row, they won two games in a row.

This scene is very similar to 2011, because the Mavericks were done this by the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, so they "learned" how to play in this situation.

The Pacers began to panic.

After returning to their home court, they played very hesitantly at the beginning. As a result, the away Mavericks were in high spirits, played better and better, and their lead became bigger and bigger.

In the end, the Dallas team won a 115-92 away game, and after falling behind 0-2, they reversed the score to 3-2 and got the match point!

After this game, almost all the fans became fans of this Mavericks team.

And Dallas' momentum is unstoppable.

G6, Dallas home court.

The Pacers played very hard at the beginning, and James and Paul gave up other ideas. They had all lost the championship for one reason or another, and after being pushed to the edge of the cliff, they woke up.

At the end of the first half, the Pacers led the Mavericks by 12 points, 58 to 46.

A Game 7 seemed inevitable.

But in the second half, Leonard tried his best to lock down James, causing him to start swearing 2.0.

Moreover, Nowitzki has exploded again.

This time, the Germans had no CDs!

"Dirk hit a 20-foot mid-range jumper. Oh my god, he hit it with LeBron and Antoine double-teaming him!"

"A beautiful turn, a sudden stop and a fade away, Dirk fell down, it was a 2+1! He stood up, he's fine!"

"Dirk's chase-down three-pointer, will there be another one? Hit! The Mavericks took the lead!"

Along with Barkley's excited commentary in the commentary booth, Nowitzki is no longer the German tank, but has become the sword that has been sharpened for sixteen years as Xu Yong said, sharp and unstoppable!

All the Dallas fans in the stadium stood up, and too many of them were in tears.

119 to 111.

When the final score on the field was determined, the entire American Airlines Center was in a frenzy.

Even Butler and Adams in front of the TV were shouting excitedly.

Xu Yong also felt that the wind in the room was a bit strong.

Although he knew this was possible, he was still shocked and moved when it actually happened.

A player's career only lasts sixteen years.

Nowitzki was elected the final FMVP with an average of 26.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

He gave a personal acceptance speech.

"Rick (Carlisle) just reminded me that this is my 16th season, and I realized how old I am, but in the end, because of a group of outstanding teammates, I did it, yes, we did it! I want to say, never give up, this is what I want to say, basketball, never give up, Dallas, this.is.for.you!"