The game between the Mavericks and the Lakers is a focus of attention from the outside world, but for the Mavericks, it is just a small episode in the season.
The Mavericks' record this season has been very stable, even during the period when Poole was causing trouble.
To put it bluntly, this Mavericks team has one thing in common with the Bulls team of that year: stability.
The iron triangle of Xu Yong, Butler and Adams back then, and the iron triangle of Xu Yong, Jokic and DeRozan now, these are the best team-building models.
Before the All-Stars, the Mavericks were the team with the best record in the league, and after the All-Stars Game, their winning streak continued.
When the time came to March, a topic that had been mentioned several times in the past two months was brought up again: whether the NBA's historical regular season record would be broken.
Because of the epidemic, the Mavericks missed this record for two consecutive years, but now, in the first full season in nearly three years, they really have this opportunity.
The key now is what the Mavericks choose.
After all, before this, the Bulls and Warriors had already done textbook examples of both positive and negative sides. The former gave up breaking records to retain enough physical strength for the playoffs and eventually won the championship, while the latter forced for 73 wins and finally won the 73rd Western Conference runner-up.
The Mavericks then made their choice with action.
Although the Mavericks' opponents played very hard, the Mavericks also tried their best to win.
As the season came to the last few games, the outside world was already focusing on the Mavericks' remaining games, because breaking the record was becoming more and more possible.
Finally, when it came to early April, when the Mavericks won the final game against the Celtics, their final record was set at 74 wins.
The Warriors' regular season record came to an end after just three seasons.
Moreover, this is different from the NBA's history of starting the scoring mode and relying on scoring to create news. This was achieved after the league abolished the [vertical jump rule].
"After the league entered 2015, two true super teams emerged in the league. The standard we define them by is not their lineup, but their record. The biggest thing the Bulls and Mavericks have in common is that they both have Xu."
When the new record was created, Barkley gave the most accurate summary of the record on the TNT show.
Such a summary also triggered widespread discussion among fans. Is it more of an achievement to complete two consecutive dynasties in one team like Jordan, or is it more difficult to complete dynasties in two teams like Xu Yong?
There are many different opinions.
But at the same time, some people pointed out that Xu Yong has not yet done this.
The Mavericks chose to go all out to break records in the regular season like the Warriors, which inevitably means that they consumed too much energy in the regular season and will suffer from physical problems and injuries in the playoffs.
With this in mind, the teams that made it to the playoffs in the Western Conference are all eager to try.
In fact, it's not just in the West. In the East, Antetokounmpo, who led his team to regain the top spot in the Eastern Conference this season, is also eager.
The 73-win Warriors finished second in the Western Conference, and now who wouldn’t want to do the same thing against the Mavericks?
The season comes to an end, and the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs officially begin.
The Mavericks' first-round opponent is the Lakers.
What, why the Lakers?
The subjective factor is that James could not carry the team alone and others did not give him enough support.
The objective factors are mainly because Davis suffered an injury and he played somewhat intermittently this year.
As for VanVleet, his one-on-one ability is not up to Irving's level, and he does not deserve to have the ball. A point guard without the ball wants to perform well, just like asking a chef to cook without giving him seasoning.
Moreover, James led a group of rookies and missed the playoffs before. This year, despite injuries to core players and poor performance of teammates, he led the team to the playoffs, and in the Western Conference, which is already quite good.
Because of the past disputes between Xu Yong and James, and because of the grudges in the regular season, putting aside their strength, the encounter between these two teams will definitely be the matchup with the most traffic in the first round.
Then before the first round started, Poole did a big job for everyone.
"If it weren't for injuries, we would never have fallen to this position. We have the strength to be in the top four in the Western Conference, and we will win the final victory."
Is Poole really stupid?
After hearing his remarks, Xu Yong felt that this might not be true.
In history, Poole was able to get a big contract with the Warriors largely because he behaved abnormally well after being beaten by Green, playing the role of a pitiful, weak and helpless victim.
Nowadays, there is a saying that red and black are also black. If it weren't for the repeated clamor after he joined the Lakers, how many people would pay attention to Poole who was kicked out.
Another similar representative player is Green.
Of course, Xu Yong also welcomed Poole's behavior.
After all, such words can greatly stimulate the Mavericks players' desire to play.
This is indeed the case.
The Mavericks put in their absolute effort from the beginning of Game 1, leaving the Lakers defenseless.
Poole's remarks are not entirely unreasonable. If Davis, the main player, could maintain full attendance, the Lakers would not have fallen to this position.
Now that they are in this position, they will indeed be more competitive than other teams in the lower half.
But what he overlooked is that Davis' condition was a problem because he was not present in every game. In addition, he was afraid of getting injured again and was hesitant, so his performance was limited.
After losing G1, the classic happened again.
"The Lakers will not lose, they will win the game 4-1."
"The Lakers will not lose, they will complete the comeback 4-2."
"The Lakers will not lose, they will make a big comeback 4-3."
"The Lakers will not lose, they will come back 5-4!"
…
The matchup between the Mavericks and the Lakers in this first round is mainly an entertainment game.
Of course the fans were happy to watch it. After all, who doesn’t like to watch funny people? Especially in the last game, James was beaten so badly on the bench.
Although there is an element of acting involved, it is something that must be done in order to continue to win the support of fans.
Without fans, losing a game is a small matter, but losing money is a big deal.
Just after the Mavericks finished the first round, the league announced the winner of the season's MVP.
There was no suspense at all. With the team's record-breaking record and his outstanding averages of 33.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, Xu Yong was once again elected the regular season MVP of the 2021-2022 season.
It is worth mentioning that this is the third consecutive season that Xu Yong has won this honor since his comeback.
He achieved the three consecutive MVPs that were interrupted during his time with the Bulls, but he did it in Dallas.
This result really proves the saying: If the East is dark, the West will be bright.
After a first round with full traffic but basically no suspense, the Mavericks faced the Grizzlies, their opponent they had faced two years ago, in the second round.
What Xu Yong said before also came true. After only two seasons, the Grizzlies had grown rapidly. This season they directly finished fourth in the Western Conference and even eliminated the Clippers to advance to the division semifinals.
Compared with the Lakers, the Grizzlies put much more pressure on the Mavericks in the second round.
Although the Grizzlies also have a core player who basically relies on breakthroughs to score, he does not have such great demands for the ball. The Grizzlies are essentially a team team, coupled with their continued defensive team culture. After accumulating a certain amount of experience, their strength is quite good.
The Grizzlies lost the first game regrettably, but in the second game they were in high spirits and tied the score, which vividly demonstrated what it means to be young and vigorous.
And after this game, the previous argument appeared again.
"Look, the Mavericks are going to repeat the same mistakes as the Warriors. They over-consume in the regular season, and can't even get a little more intensity in the playoffs!"
"You can't even beat the Grizzlies, and you still want a dynasty? This is simply a ready-made peach, whoever picks it up will be lucky!"
"How did the Lakers lose in the first round? Bad luck?"
…
In Game 3 of the series, the Mavericks and the Grizzlies moved to Memphis to continue their competition.
The atmosphere at the Grizzlies' home court was also quite warm.
After all, they have snatched the home-court advantage from the Mavericks, and now they have the next two home games. The situation is very good. How can the fans not be excited?
Of course, it is inevitable that some people were overly excited. For example, some fans at the scene held up a sign that read "Xu, we don't need you at all."
This logo seems confusing at first glance, and only veteran fans can understand it immediately.
Because of the involvement of the draft that year, the Grizzlies selected Xu Yong and then sent him to the Bulls. After that, Xu Yong was very successful in the Bulls, while the Grizzlies were always at the bottom of the Western Conference. The Grizzlies were ridiculed for many years just like the Hornets who sent Kobe away in the past.
Now they have finally risen, and they have the opportunity to eliminate Xu Yong's team and go down in history. How can this not make people excited?
It was this sign that Xu Yong saw the first time he entered the stadium.
He didn't say anything, but his expression has been serious since then.
Most of the Mavericks teammates didn't know what was going on and thought that Xu Yong was out because the series situation was not optimistic.
But one person spotted the problem.
On the Mavericks, Jokic has two biggest advantages, one is his weight, and the other is his carefulness.
Back in Chicago, he was the only one who could flatter someone without sounding like flattery.
So as soon as the game started, Jokic fell directly to the top of the arc and outside the three-point line, and then directed his teammates to create opportunities for Xu Yong.
This is probably the kind of tacit understanding that can be understood with just a glance.
In this game, Jokic finally made 16 assists, 11 of which were given to Xu Yong.
Jokic's historic passing ability, coupled with his spatial ability, made Xu Yong's mouth full of oil.
Of course, on the other hand, Jokic's assist rate is so high because the person he passes the ball to is Xu Yong.
After all, if it is James who receives the ball, then the probability that you will get a second-hand assist will not be included in the technical statistics.
The Grizzlies used Williamson to defend Xu Yong in a mismatch tonight. After all, Williamson could match up with Xu Yong in terms of confrontation, but he had a night of growth tonight. His confrontation was useless in front of Xu Yong because most of the time he simply couldn't keep up with Xu Yong's pace.
51 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, these are the data Xu Yong handed in tonight.
Under his leadership, the Mavericks made a run in the final quarter and successfully won Game 3.
Then in Game 4, when the Grizzlies summed up their experience and began to adjust their defensive strategy and double-team Xu Yong, Xu Yong again delivered a triple-double of 33 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, lost focus on the defensive end and suffered a major defeat.
In two games with completely different styles, Xu Yong still played with ease facing the Grizzlies' level of defensive intensity.
Of course, the Mavericks don't show any signs of fatigue as the outside world says.
It's clear that the Mavericks are not the same team as the Warriors, or even the same team as the Bulls back then.
The difference with the former is that the Mavericks are stronger than the 73-win Warriors, and the difference with the latter is that the Mavericks did not suffer any major injuries this year.
So it is true that breaking the record has worn out the Mavericks' team's resources, but the extent of that wear and tear is far less than what the outside world says.
On the contrary, after losing G3 and G4 in succession, the Grizzlies' youthful vigor suddenly disappeared.
4-1, the Mavericks successfully eliminated the Grizzlies and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
This time their opponent in the Western Conference Finals is the Warriors.
Curry missed most of the games last season due to injury, but he led the team to a comeback in the new season. Inspired by him, the Warriors were in high spirits and eliminated the Jazz and Thunder in succession to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
The strength and morale of this Warriors team are far better than last season, but when they faced the Mavericks, they still failed to change the result.
The reason is simple. Since Xu Yong joined the Mavericks, the Mavericks have restrained the Warriors in terms of lineup configuration and playing style.
As for morale, the Mavericks' morale is no lower than that of the Warriors.
Of course, Curry's form this season is indeed good enough, which allowed the Warriors to snatch two victories from the Mavericks.
4-2, the Warriors ended the season in a decent way.
Although, at the end of Game 6, Curry stood in the center circle for a long time, because he was exhausted and couldn't move, or because he was powerless about the outcome in front of him, or, after giving his all, he knew that he, like those stars who were notified by Jordan, would never have the chance to touch the trophy again.
In the finals, the Mavericks met the Raptors again.
This year, the Raptors' road to promotion was much smoother than two years ago, thanks to the further improvement of Antetokounmpo's strength and Leonard's good attendance rate this season. The Raptors have a dominant position in the Eastern Conference. Even the Bulls were easily defeated by them 4-2 in the divisional semifinals.
This also makes the finals much more intense than two years ago.
The Raptors immediately captured Dallas and took a 1-0 lead.
But before the fans could bring up their previous opinions again, Jokic and DeRozan exploded one after another, and the Mavericks won two games in a row to change the score to 2-1.
However, in Game 4, Antetokounmpo also broke out and made a tip-in at the last moment, changing the score to 2-2 and forcing the Mavericks to the decisive battle.
"I think we can really do it!" Antetokounmpo said excitedly during the post-match interview.
His mind is now full of what Xu Yong had said to him before: the future is his, and his future is now!
Dallas, the king of mountains.
Just when everyone thought that tonight's game would be more intense than ever, Xu Yong told everyone with his actions at the beginning: It's impossible, absolutely impossible.
In the previous matches between the two teams, including this finals, Leonard was always able to bring considerable restrictions to Xu Yong, but tonight, Leonard's defense was ineffective against Xu Yong from the start, and Xu Yong's desire to play was unprecedentedly strong.
Did something happen, like the remarks made by Green or Poole before, which irritated Xu Yong?
Actually, not.
Just as Xu Yong said at the beginning of the season, when the dynasty is within reach, it no longer requires external conditions to stimulate.
What's more, this was the agreement between him and Ross.
When Leonard could no longer limit Xu Yong, the Raptors' defensive resources were mobilized, and Jokic and DeRozan's previous state began to take effect.
The result is that the Raptors' defense, like the Grizzlies before them, began to collapse.
Xu Yong only scored 48 points in the end, but under his leadership, the Mavericks scored 126 points.
The Mavericks thus got the match point.
G6 Toronto.
The Raptors were forced into a desperate situation, and the Raptors fought a desperate battle.
The score difference between the two sides from the beginning to the end never exceeded 5 points. Even with 27 seconds left in the game, the Mavericks were only leading by one point.
On the Mavericks' last attack, all the Canadian fans in the stadium were shouting for defense.
At this time, because Leonard's defense was not effective, Antetokounmpo switched to Xu Yong.
Xu Yong swayed, lowered his center of gravity, broke through and changed direction, pulled back, and shook off Antetokounmpo for a mid-range jump shot. After seeing Antetokounmpo rushing towards him, he caught the ball with one hand, turned around and completely shook off the opponent, then made his signature turn and faded away shot.
The basketball traced a perfect parabola.
“Swish!”
Hollow into the net.
Xu Yong scored the winning goal against the Raptors.
There was an uproar at the scene, and the fans held their heads in disbelief.
Antetokounmpo also looked painful.
After landing, Xu Yong looked at Antetokounmpo and said with a smile: "I told you that the future is yours, but I forgot to say that now it is mine."