The first game of the Western Conference Finals had skyrocketing ratings.

Although it is still just in the park and there are still only those people on site, the real-time number of viewers displayed online has exploded.

Those numbers are enough to get the adrenaline pumping for both teams.

This time there was no war of words, nor so many open and secret attacks, but only the most primitive and exciting head-on confrontation.

Coincidentally, the Thunder's strategy is the same as the Mavericks', which is based on defense.

Xu Yong locked on Durant at the start of the game, and the Thunder used Robertson and Durant to double-team Xu Yong.

Moreover, on the offensive end, the Mavericks used pick-and-rolls to find Harden as a breakthrough point, and the Thunder also used pick-and-rolls to attack DeRozan, a weak link in defense.

Brooks and Malone are a perfect match.

At this time, it all depends on the performance of the players on the field.

From the beginning of the game, players on both sides showed excellent form, or in other words, they showed their desire for the championship.

When Durant was locked in by Xu Yong, he chose to move more without the ball, using the screens of his teammates to shoot more quickly.

When being double-teamed, Xu Yong also chose to interact more with Jokic. The cooperation between the two was like the relationship between husband and wife, and one look was enough to make it clear.

However, when the game reached the second half of the third quarter, the Thunder suddenly lost momentum, and neither Durant nor Harden could get the ball into the basket.

This is extremely deadly in a high-intensity game. The Mavericks seized the opportunity to launch an 18-0 offensive and entered the final quarter with a 15-point lead.

But just when everyone thought the game was won or lost, one person stepped forward and changed the situation.

Westbrook.

In desperation, Brooks chose to believe in Westbrook, and Westbrook rewarded him with twelve points.

It was also this paragraph that allowed everyone to see the most magical part of the basketball game: **.

Westbrook's recklessness in some key shots can drive people crazy, but his **, the ** that has remained the same for several years or even more than ten years, can drive people crazy.

He pressed the ball frantically on the defensive end and rushed the ball frantically on the offensive end. But more than just rushing the ball, he tried hard and successfully grabbed the offensive rebound for a second attack. His emotion infected every teammate around him.

In just a few minutes, he led the team to a 22-0 offensive, turning the game around in one fell swoop.

Although Xu Yong was substituted in to stop the team's decline, Durant, who had returned from a good rest, was still in full swing, and the Thunder eventually won Game 1.

"Russell is a player with a distinctive style. He has received a lot of doubts about this, but we know what he can bring to the team and his value is far greater than some people think."

In the post-game press conference, Brooks praised Westbrook highly.

"Westbrook is a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, today he turned the sharp side toward us. This is my problem. I haven't found a way to deal with it."

Ma Long took the initiative to take responsibility at the press conference.

"There is no excuse, they were the better team tonight." Xu Yongze said more directly.

You must stand at attention when you are beaten, and you must admit your defeat. No excuses can change the established facts. What is more important is how to win the next game.

After two days of rest, the Western Conference Finals between the Mavericks and the Thunder continued.

The opening situation for both sides was almost unchanged from G1. If there was any change, it was that both teams played more committedly than in G1.

The scores of 1-1 and 2-0 are huge changes in the situation for both sides, and both sides will fight for victory.

With the team being this strong and both head coaches being of good quality, the probability of one side playing more committed than the other is very small.

The game didn't change until the start of the second quarter.

After tasting success in the previous game, Brooks adjusted the rotation lineup and let Westbrook start at the beginning of the second quarter.

Others' performances may diminish from game to game, but Westbrook's performances won't.

However, on the Mavericks side, Xu Yong came on the court at the beginning of the second quarter.

You have to know that because of the tense situation on the court, Xu Yong did not go off the field until there were only dozens of seconds left in the first quarter.

And after coming up, Xu Yong directly defended Westbrook!

This was something Brooks had never expected.

In the first quarter, Xu Yong was facing Durant on the defensive end and double-teamed on the offensive end, which consumed a lot of physical energy.

He started defending Westbrook in the second quarter. Does that mean he is not prepared to play the second half?

He quickly stood up and walked to the sidelines, shouting at Westbrook.

Westbrook also understood what he meant, and when he reached the frontcourt, he took the ball and attacked Xu Yong.

It is impossible to really defend Xu Yong. The best defensive mode is to seize every opportunity to consume him.

However, Westbrook was blocked by Xu Yong in his first attack.

Westbrook didn't believe it, but he didn't gain any advantage during the entire transition period as a substitute.

He would either break through and be interfered with, or be forced to use his zombie jump shot, but would be interfered with and then miss the shot.

Westbrook has a quick change of direction and strong impact ability, and he is likely to dunk once he breaks through.

But his weakness is his unstable shooting. Xu Yong has an absolute advantage in size and can keep up with his pace. As long as he doesn't get dribbled past, it will be very difficult for Westbrook to break through him.

The result was that, with the same rotation, it was the Mavericks who widened the gap this time.

Just as Malone commented after the last game, Westbrook is a double-edged sword on the court. If you don't use him well, the sharp side will point at yourself, and you will be the one who gets hurt.

However, when Westbrook left the court, Brooks did not blame him at all. Instead, he highly recognized his actions.

This is not because Brooks has a preference for Westbrook, or not entirely, he still cares more about the game results.

As long as Xu Yong is consumed, it will be a success.

After the main players of both sides came back, Brooks also adjusted his strategy and started to let Durant and others use pick-and-roll to find Xu Yong.

Malone was certainly not stupid. He adjusted his defensive strategy, letting Xu Yong retreat and letting others attack Durant or Harden.

This defensive strategy is not the best, and the Thunder scored some points with it, but it can effectively reduce Xu Yong's continued consumption on the defensive end.

At the end of the first half, the Mavericks led the Thunder 58-51.

This result is acceptable to both parties.

Then in the second half, Brooks continued to implement his strategy.

But when the fourth quarter started, Xu Yong once again came up to defend Westbrook and played a defensive role, and Brooks finally became restless.

How come Xu Yong hasn't been exhausted yet?

This is how they dealt with Davis before. Because of the epidemic, this strategy was more effective than ever. But this time it failed against Xu Yong.

Xu Yong: Since entering the park, I have been forced to train less, and there is no ball to play at night, so I have too much physical energy but nowhere to use it!

When the game entered the decisive moment, after Xu Yong scored consecutive singles against Durant and Harden on the offensive end, Brooks realized that this tactic was ineffective against Xu Yong.

116 to 106, after losing Game 1, the Mavericks rebounded and tied the score.

At the end of the game, the Mavericks players looked very excited.

It's not just because they won the game tonight, but because they found a winning formula that can beat the Thunder.

Malone also walked towards the technical table with a smile on his face and shook hands with Brooks, then when he turned back he took the initiative to find Xu Yong and gave him a big hug.

This so-called winning mode is to let Xu Yong take on everything alone.

This is not about resisting pressure, but it is something only he can do.

"I didn't feel tired. I even felt that I could continue to play another quarter." At the press conference after the game, when reporters asked Xu Yong about his physical energy consumption, he said with a relaxed look on his face.

At this time, Durant returned to the locker room and gasped: Is this human language?

Xu Yong's words boosted the morale of the Mavericks fans and players, but the Thunder were skeptical, thinking that this was a psychological warfare by Xu Yong and that he might collapse in the locker room after the press conference.

Brooks didn't seem to believe it either. In G3, he stuck to the strategy of the previous game, and then Xu Yong performed it again for Brooks in G3.

Although Westbrook made some adjustments in the details this time, using more pick-and-rolls to initiate offense, the course and outcome of the game did not change.

2 to 1, the Mavericks won two consecutive games to take the lead.

Then in Game 4, Brooks was finally defeated, and the two sides began to compete against each other quarter by quarter, and even round by round.

The strength of both sides was similar, Durant and Xu Yong performed very well, and the game was difficult to determine.

At this time, the second and third stars on both sides became the key to winning the game.

Harden and Jokic played very stably, Westbrook of the Thunder also played well, but DeRozan of the Mavericks performed averagely. His overall competitive state has been average since entering the park.

This also became the weight that determined the balance of victory.

The Thunder eventually beat the Mavericks 106-101, tying the score at 2-2.

The two sides will enter the decisive battle.

At the post-match press conference, another reporter mentioned DeRozan's performance.

"Losing is not one person's fault, it is the whole team's fault. Each of us needs to do better in the next game." Xu Yong chose to defend DeRozan.

After the press conference, Xu Yong went to the training hall for extra training as usual.

But after a while, DeRozan came in.

Xu Yong was happy to see DeRozan coming over, and immediately called him to come and practice with him.

Knowing shame leads to courage. It’s okay if you play badly. The key is that you play badly but don’t know how to work hard. That is the most fatal.

However, after calling DeRozan to train together, Xu Yong discovered that DeRozan was a little absent-minded.

After playing two games, he could already tell that DeRozan was not here for extra practice.

"DeMar, tell me, why did you come to me?" Xu Yong was a little angry. He grabbed the ball with one hand and looked at DeRozan with a frown.

If the opponent was not DeRozan, he would have made the opponent disappear from his sight by now.

"Trade me, trade me in the offseason." DeRozan said gritting his teeth.

Xu Yong was stunned for a moment. He never expected DeRozan to say such words at this time, and the key point was that such words made him feel familiar.

Yes, Rose had this expression and said these words before the last season of the Bulls dynasty.

The only difference is that DeRozan's emotions seem to be more struggling.

Xu Yong put the ball down. He knew DeRozan's experience, and his brows relaxed immediately. He motioned DeRozan to sit down and talk.

"You want to be the best in history, and my presence here will always be a drag on you." After sitting down, DeRozan took a long breath and spoke.

"Do you really think so?" Xu Yong looked at DeRozan. "I still remember your reaction when I first came to Dallas. I could totally feel that you wanted to achieve something with me, such as a championship, such as a dynasty."

DeRozan looked up at Xu Yong, his expression becoming more and more struggled. As a player, who doesn't want to win a championship, and who doesn't want to experience a dynasty!

"I've tried, tried many times, telling myself that I must perform, but...but things never go as I wish." DeRozan turned his head back and held his head with his hands. He would only express his true feelings around a few people.

"Is it because of your mother?" Xu Yong asked after seeing DeRozan's reaction.

When he was in Toronto, DeRozan's condition fluctuated because of running back and forth between the stadium and the hospital. Coupled with a series of subsequent events, he developed depression.

Depression is like a chronic poison. It is not easy to cure it completely.

Especially with the people around you, you must have enough patience.

Seeing DeRozan's silence, Xu Yong knew that what he said was almost right.

"Demar, you have two options now. One is to be a deserter and let your mother see her son as a deserter."

DeRozan held his head with his hands and began to scratch his hair, and his breathing became heavy.

"Or another way is to be a man and muster your courage to ruthlessly crush those doubts from the outside world and make your mother proud of you."

Xu Yong's tone became noticeably stronger when he said the second sentence.

DeRozan's crazy movements stopped and his breathing gradually stabilized.

"I know you are worried about your mother, but I also know that your mother will definitely be waiting in front of the TV to watch your game. What she wants to see is definitely someone who is not afraid of setbacks and difficulties, and someone who will get up again after falling down. Is that right?"

DeRozan looked up.

"Don't say you can't do it. You have already done it before the epidemic came. You just need to do it again."

After saying that, Xu Yong reached out and patted DeRozan on the shoulder.

There was something obviously different in DeRozan's eyes.

"Come on, let's continue training."

Xu Yong stood up after he finished speaking.

DeRozan also stood up at this time.

The training continued, and it was still just the two of them, but the intensity of the confrontation was completely different from before.

After two days of rest, the decisive battle between the Mavericks and the Thunder officially began.

The ratings of this game also broke a new record. In a sense, this was the peak showdown between the two strongest teams of the season.

This game was the same as G4, with both sides still setting up their formations for a head-on confrontation.

But the difference is that Xu Yong attacked extremely fiercely from the beginning, and Robertson tried his best to defend, but he ended up committing two fouls early on.

Xu Yong scored 20 points in the first quarter.

The Mavericks only scored 30 points in that quarter.

When everyone thought that the key to victory in the decisive game would still be the second and third stars of both teams, Xu Yong put in a better performance.

And as the game progressed, DeRozan began to show his changes. He attacked the basket more often and was more committed on the defensive end.

Although that may not have an immediate effect, his body language was clearly different from that in previous games.

The Mavericks, after playing four games against the Thunder, put in an impossible better performance in the decisive game.

This kind of further improvement allowed them to firmly grasp the initiative of the game.

When both sides entered the final quarter, Xu Yong was unstoppable and scored another 20 points in a single quarter, completing the team's game victory.

It’s not that Brooks and the Thunder didn’t try, but their efforts were just like the Warriors’ in the previous round: completely ineffective.

In the whole game, Xu Yong scored 61 points, scored 60+ for the first time in the playoffs after his comeback, and led the team to win the decisive game.

Such performance also impressed the fans online.

There was even a genius who drew a picture before the end of the game and posted it on social media, which attracted a lot of people to repost it.

Xu Yong held the Mavericks flag in one hand and a spear with a blood-stained tip in the other. There were mountains of corpses and a sea of ​​blood under his feet.

Just two days later, Xu Yong's performance declined due to physical exhaustion, but DeRozan finally broke out. He made 12 of 16 shots, got his first 20+ since this year's playoffs, and scored 29 points.

Westbrook's performance was up and down this time, and it was still the third star who influenced the outcome of the game, but this time the situation changed and the balance of victory tilted towards the Mavericks.

4 to 2.

The Mavericks defeated the Thunder and successfully reached the finals in the second season after Xu Yong joined the team, which was also the first full season.

Their opponent is the Raptors, who eliminated the Bulls for the second consecutive year and reached the finals for the second consecutive year.