At 52:51, the Mavericks took the lead by one point.
Trail Blazers offense.
Wang Zelin fired the baseline kick and started forward, easily passing Nowitzki.
"Retreat quickly!"
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle shouted.
DeJuan Blair immediately moved sideways and blocked Wang Zelin.
This guy is far different from Wang Zelin in terms of height and tonnage, but the iron blood in his bones does not allow him to retreat.
Therefore, he stood in front of Wang Zelin without any hesitation and struggled to withstand Wang Zelin's impact.
Nowitzki retreated successfully, and the Mavericks set up a second and third defense position to defend the Blazers' interior offense.
Aldridge pulled to the left corner and took German Ambler away, allowing Wang Zelin and Nowitzki to single out.
If Nowitzki plays Wang Zelin in singles, he relies more on skills to break the defense; then when Wang Zelin plays Nowitzki in singles, his style will undergo a huge 180-degree change.
Break the defense with force!
"Dirk, are you ready?"
"what to prepare?"
"Prepare to be ravaged..."
Wang Zelin listened to his words, replied, then bumped, quickly turned around, and dunked under the basket against Nowitzki.
"boom!"
The ball was smoothly dropped into the basket, and Carter in the high post didn't even have time to double attack.
Wang Zelin also scored the first goal in the second half, and Nowitzki continued the confrontation in the first half.
After scoring, Wang Zelin spread his hands towards Nowitzki, as if to say: "You can't do anything to me either!"
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle looked at this situation and signaled that if Wang Zelin continued to play singles in the next round, other players should immediately double-team. At the same time, DeJuan Blair and Nowitzki were also required to switch defenses. Obviously, Nowitzki could not withstand Wang Zelin's bulldozer offense, let alone be responsible for continuing the team's offensive firepower.
Dallas offense.
On the left and right wings in the low post, DeJuan Blair and Nowitzki cut south at the same time, with Aldridge and Wang Zelin following the defense.
Suddenly, DeJuan Blair accelerated and rushed over, blocking Wang Zelin with a fierce look on his face.
"not good!"
Wang Zelin knew something was wrong.
The opponent took the initiative to switch defenses. How could Aldridge guard Nowitzki, who was in great form tonight?
Sure enough, facing Aldridge's defense, Nowitzki no longer had the fierce physical confrontation with Wang Zelin, and naturally played more relaxed and contentedly.
With two consecutive fake shots, Aldridge was directly deceived. Nowitzki saw the right time to take action. Not only did he have a physical confrontation with the former, but he also successfully scored the ball.
Call a foul!
"Beep!!! The Trail Blazers' No. 12 hitter fouled. The Mavericks' No. 41 offense was valid, and one extra free throw was added..."
Cuban, who was in the front row of the audience, suddenly burst out and shouted: "That's it, Dirk! You must kick the butts of Portlanders!"
Don't forget, this is the Rose Garden Arena, the home court of the Trail Blazers. Cuban's move is destined to add fuel to the fire.
"Coward!"
"What else can you do besides talking?"
"Wang, fuck him! As long as you can defeat those bastards in Dallas, I will have a baby with you tonight..."
It started as a small group of fans venting their anger, then a large group of fans, and eventually it turned into a deafening boo from the entire audience at the Mavericks.
As the voice grew louder, there was also Nowitzki's former "soft egg" title.
However, one year after winning the championship, King Nuo's spiritual state, which successfully avenged the Heat, has reached another level, and his performance was not affected by the unreasonable behavior of away fans.
The "weak" sound in the Rose Garden lasted for a long time, and the game barely stopped until the end of the third quarter when the Trail Blazers led the Mavericks 73:70!
the reason is simple.
After the third quarter, Nowitzki led the team and played for 12 minutes, scoring 13 points efficiently on 5 of 8 shots!
Therefore, after three quarters, Nowitzki made a total of 13 of 19 shots and 6 of 6 free throws, scoring 32 points with a very exaggerated efficiency.
You know, Nowitzki is different from Wang Zelin. He is a space-based insider who prefers outside shooting...
By this time, the home fans also realized that the louder they booed would only make the Mavericks No. 41 more motivated. After all, this guy is different from ordinary players, and his personal performance will not be affected in any way by away factors.
Scoring 13 points in a single quarter is the best evidence!
Fortunately...
When the home fans looked at Trail Blazers No. 36, their hearts were full of pride and ecstasy: No matter how brave the Mavericks No. 41 plays, our King will always stand up and respond immediately.
Looking at the statistics column of the players on both sides, people found that Nowitzki's performance in the third quarter was already impressive enough, but Wang Zelin's performance was even better.
In the third quarter, Wang Zelin also played for 12 minutes. He made 5 of 7 shots from the field. He also made multiple fouls in the Mavericks interior. He made 5 of 5 free throws and scored 15 points in a single quarter. He also had 5 rebounds and 1 Second block.
After three quarters, Wang Zelin's score was on par with Nowitzki's, both reaching 32 points. Although the last quarter has not officially started yet, the fans in the stands and the audience in front of the TV are already looking forward to the next game performance.
Because now, everyone knows that tonight's game between the Trail Blazers and the Mavericks can be regarded as a contest between Wang Zelin and Nowitzki, a rare fierce battle between the stars of both sides.
Since the beginning of the new century, starting from the era of the four major shooting guards, the NBA has never lacked a certain competition between stars. However, it is more of a competition between outside players. In comparison, there are very few battles between outstanding inside players, and even fewer classic battles that can be remembered by fans.
Now, in the Rose Garden Arena, the scoring battle between Wang Zelin and Nowitzki is likely to become the most classic tit-for-tat contest between stars in recent years.
At this time, both of their scoring data have reached 32 points, 8 points away from the 40-point threshold, and 18 points away from the 50-point mark...
Don't say 50 points is too difficult.
This is the NBA, anything is possible!
Mavericks bench.
The out-of-breath Nowitzki put his hands on his knees. He was too tired to speak, let alone waste the few minutes of rest between sections. He had to adjust his condition as quickly as possible. There was still a game waiting for him. he.
The head coach Rick Carlisle on the side was hesitant to speak. After several times in a row, he still couldn't say a word.
Up to now, the Mavericks are only 3 points behind their opponents. Based on his understanding of Nowitzki, it is absolutely impossible for the latter to give up the game, even if his energy pool is almost exhausted.
Trail Blazers bench.
Terry Stotts is making final arrangements. He attaches great importance to tonight's game, because the Mavericks are indeed a good grindstone.
The Mavericks are currently hovering on the threshold of the top eight in the Western Conference, but Terry Stotts always believes that the Mavericks' leader Dirk Nowitzki has improved significantly this year, and this Mavericks can be regarded as a team with playoff potential. Team.
What's more, they have reached the last quarter, and both sides have shown 100% of their strength. Both he and Rick Carlisle no longer regard this game simply as a regular season, but as a Full of determination to fight to the last moment.
Since the key to the outcome of tonight's game was to be decided between Wang Zelin and Nowitzki, he decided to simply leave all the offense to Wang Zelin.
But before that, the defensive intensity on the court must be directly raised to the playoff level. It is best for other Mavericks players not to even dare to touch the ball, and leave everything to Nowitzki.
In terms of physical fitness, he believes that the 35-year-old Nowitzki cannot compare to the 20-year-old Wang Zelin.
Subsequently, Terry Stotts replaced Beverley in the No. 1 position and temporarily took Lillard off.
Beep~
The referee's whistle blew and the last quarter of the game began.
The first attack in the final quarter was the Blazers'.
On the sidelines, Rick Carlisle did not continue to sit in the coaching chair, but kept pacing, hinting at his inner uneasiness.
The next round must be defended. If not, not only will the point difference be widened, but the morale of the Blazers players will also rise again.
This is, after all, someone else's home field.
However, the Mavericks' defense disappointed Rick Carlisle. Facing Wang Zelin's singles, the players on the field double-teamed very decisively. I hope Wang Zelin will not be stubborn and make a decision immediately, choosing to pass to an open teammate.
With Batum's two-pointer from the corner, the Trail Blazers led the Mavericks by 5 points at 75:70.
Rick Carlisle immediately frowned.
As a young superstar, Wang Zelin is scary enough in both offense and defense, but he is also quite calm on the court. He can always quickly analyze the most appropriate way to handle the ball, thus helping the Trail Blazers.
Why are there so few common traits in other young players in him?
Rick Carlisle said: This is unreasonable!
Putting it into perspective, if he were Wang Zelin and could perform such an outstanding performance at this age, he would have been crazy to the point of no end.
But then Nowitzki's performance made Rick Carlisle breathe a sigh of relief.
In the next round, it was the Mavericks' turn to attack.
Nowitzki asked for the ball in the low post on the left wing. Although he missed the shot, he caused Wang Zelin's fourth foul of the game.
For the Mavericks, this is great news.
Due to a personal foul on a player who was shooting, Nowitzki got two free throw opportunities.
Wang Zelin shook his head and did not argue with the referee. Instead, he chewed his braces and stood on the right side of the free throw line, waiting for Nowitzki to add the penalty.
The first penalty strike...
en, it seems that Nowitzki made a free throw for the first time in the game.
At this time, if there is a camera to capture it, they will definitely get angry. Wang Zelin on the court and Terry Stotts on the sidelines smiled at the same time almost immediately after the extra penalty.
He is tired!
Dirk is tired!
So the two thought.
He actually missed a crucial extra penalty shot, and Nowitzki shook his hand angrily.
At this time, overwhelming boos sounded in the arena, hitting Nowitzki like an endless wave.
call! call!
The adjustment time for the second penalty is a few seconds longer than the first...
Uh-huh!
The ball goes in.
One of two free throws.
75:71, the score difference between the two teams is still 4 points.
Trail Blazers offense.
Wang Zelin continued to work in the low post, tending to take action when facing Dalembert, and then quickly gave the ball 45 degrees to the right wing before Monta Ellis rushed over to double-team him. Matthews on the corner three-point line.
"Take up defense! Hurry..."
Rick Carlisle yelled angrily from the sidelines.
Mavericks point guard Calderon moved fast enough, but it was too late. Matthews also got the ball very quickly. Before the former pounced on him, he had successfully taken the shot.
"Duang~"
Matthews failed to seize the opportunity. After all, he is not a robot. After playing 31 minutes, everyone will be tired.
The next moment, the four big insiders in the low post on both wings gathered under the basket and rushed for rebounds.
By the way, the nearest outside player is Old Carter.
Wang Zelin suddenly turned around and got back to back with Dalembert, successfully blocking him behind him.
"Snapped!"
At this time, the basketball hit the frame and rebounded. After contacting the backboard, it began to fall outwards. Wang Zelin, who took the lead, caught it with one hand.
The moment he landed, he immediately sidestepped to avoid Dalembert's entanglement, rose up on the spot, raised his right hand, and poured the ball into the basket through Nowitzki and Carter on the left.
"boom!"
Wang Zelin hung one hand on the basket and just watched the basketball hit Carter's bare head.
The latter was caught off guard and had no time to dodge. He was hit on the head by the basketball, and then groaned in pain.
"Oh ho ho ho! Violent back-up dunk!" The home commentator was excited and gushed: "Poor Vince Carter, he shouldn't have suffered, but he had to enter the penalty area! Maybe he I have forgotten that he is no longer a flying UFO. Now the basket is the king's territory, a no-fly zone that cannot be challenged..."
After landing, Wang Zelin ignored the angry Carter, but stared blankly at Nowitzki: "Dirk, it seems you are tired... But for me, the game has just begun! You will definitely lose this game!"
Seeing that Nowitzki remained silent, Wang Zelin shrugged and turned back to defend.
Dallas offense.
Seeing that Nowitzki didn't ask for the ball this time, Monta Ellis was ready to move outside the left-wing three-point line.
Only 11 points were scored tonight. For him who always regards scoring as taking advantage of the bag, it is simply suffering.
Since Dirk won't fight, I'll do it instead.
Immediately afterwards, Monta Ellis moved to the top of the key and took the ball from Calderon. At the moment when the latter's movement attracted the attention of the Trail Blazers players, he bypassed Matthews and entered the wing. When Hughes caught up with him, he suddenly accelerated and headed towards the penalty area.
At this time, the left wing was low, and Aldridge stepped forward to cover.
Monta Ellis made an emergency stop, quickly changed direction and passed Aldridge, and reached the penalty area with the ball.
At this time, the basket was getting closer and closer, and the two points were within easy reach.
Just when Monta Ellis breathed a sigh of relief, Wang Zelin risked a foul and pushed Dalembert away with a slight push. He felt it in time and jumped to block the shot.
"Snapped!"
Monta Ellis' layup was blocked by Wang Zelin on the backboard at the last moment.
"Damn it!"
Looking at Wang Zelin taking off the rebound, he was depressed.
Isn't this guy tired?
No matter how exhausted Nowitzki is, how come this guy is fine at all?
The Trail Blazers came down quickly, and it was Beverley who rushed to the front. After receiving Wang Zelin's long pass at the top of the opposite three-point arc, he faced the unguarded Mavericks penalty area and easily succeeded in a layup.
79:71, the score difference is almost 10 points.
