In the opening jump ball, Stoudemire still lost to Tyson Chandler very easily.
Tony Allen actually doesn't have much effect against Stevenson. Stevenson is strong on defense and has no offensive power.
However, Tony Allen's role is to let Danny Green face Marion.
In the last game, Gallinari's defense against Shawn Marion was a mess. Shawn Marion took advantage of the needless cut, which made the Knicks very embarrassed.
Gallinari has not been able to do much about this move until now, and Marion can always get rid of it without the ball.
Danny Green will be much better against Marion. After all, he has the experience of guarding Wade, and it will not be difficult to follow Marion.
Moreover, with Danny Green at the third position, once Marion defends Lian Dao and Danny Green moves without the ball from the outside, opportunities will be more likely to appear on the offensive end.
The reason why the Thunder were defeated was not actually a defeat on offense, but a defeat on defense. There were not many people in the Thunder lineup who were good at single defense and assist defense, and Thunder star Durant was not good at defending without the ball.
Very limited.
But the Knicks are just the opposite. Their outside line is known as an "irresistible wall", which is directly put to use at this time.
As the core of the Mavericks' offense, Nowitzki can be said to be the key to the Mavericks' victory.
Nowitzki is a slow-heating player, but once he gets comfortable, his full firepower is quite terrifying.
But faced with Lian Dao's death entanglement and physical pressure, even Nowitzki found it difficult to hit.
Lian Dao stuck to him tightly, not giving him any room to open up. He used his younger body to constantly interfere with Nowitzki's offense at the basket, independent of the Golden Rooster.
The Mavericks still wanted to use Chandler's pick-and-roll to allow Nowitzki to get rid of Lian Dao, but this trick did not work in this game.
Stoudemire was particularly tough on defense today. Although he still couldn't guard Nowitzki, he bought Lian Dao time to get rid of Chandler's pick-and-roll.
Lian Dao's defense is already at the top level in the league, but once he spares no effort to restrict a player on the defensive end, no matter who it is, it will be difficult for him to face Lian Dao's defense.
Under Lian Dao's crazy entanglement, Nowitzki could easily stop the ball. Once he stopped the ball, he would be double-teamed by Stoudemire and Lian Dao.
Nowitzki spent the entire first 9 minutes of the first quarter under Lian Dao's entanglement at all costs.
"Oh, Sickle's defense is so fierce, but he spares no effort on both offense and defense, and the physical consumption increases exponentially!" Even Barkley, who was very confident in Lian Dao's physical ability, couldn't help but worry about Lian Dao.
Towards the end of the first quarter, both teams began to rotate. Gallinari was not substituted, Lian Dao returned to the third position, and Millsap was replaced at the fourth position. Jason Terry was also substituted on the Mavericks side.
Substitution.
The score on the field is now 20:19. Both teams put more energy into the defensive end today, so the scores are not very high.
After seeing the Knicks replacing Millsap, Nowitzki smiled. With his height advantage, Nowitzki thought it would be very easy to deal with a little-known Calami like Millsap.
But as soon as he turned his back to catch the ball, Nowitzki felt a powerful force, which was no weaker than Lian Dao. However, Nowitzki had the support of his height and still didn't care. He continued to hit with his back, turn around, and use one foot.
Take off and shoot.
A smooth attack unfolded, and Nowitzki was full of confidence. He did not believe that Millsap could interfere with him.
It is true that Millsap's height cannot interfere with Nowitzki's shooting, but this does not mean that Nowitzki is safe.
At this moment, Lian Dao came from the side to help defend and smacked the basketball thrown by Nowitzki with his big hand.
Millsap's role is to force Nowitzki to shoot, while Lian Dao will help defend.
The basketball was grabbed by Danny Green and then handed the ball to Holiday.
Lian Dao went on a fast break without the ball. He received a pass from Holiday as soon as he reached the three-point line. Without stopping, he opened his bow and set an arrow. Before Marion could even react, Lian Dao had already completed the shot.
Marion was horrified, but it was too late to brake and return to defense, and he could only watch helplessly as Lian Dao took action.
"brush!"
Lian Dao hit his first three-pointer since the start of the game, and it was a fast-break counterattack in a mobile game.
Lian Dao, who hit a three-pointer, showed no signs of excitement and celebration, and his calm expression made the Dallas Mavericks fans' hair stand on end and goosebumps all over their bodies.
"Revenge will start from here!"
Lian Dao murmured to himself as he returned to defense, and Marion next to him heard it clearly.
Everyone knows that Lian Dao has never been an open-minded person. It can be said that this guy must take revenge when he wants to, and he likes to take revenge on the spot. He didn't have a chance in the last game, so he will definitely take revenge in this one.
Lian Dao's three-pointer also made Shawn Marion wary.
In fact, Lian Dao is very accomplished in three-pointers. However, no one would classify Lian Dao as a shooter.
This is not because Lian Dao has a poor hit rate, but because Lian Dao is too comprehensive and cannot be summarized just as a shooter.
And it is Lian Dao's comprehensive skills that make many people ignore his terrifying three-pointer.
Won the three-point title for two consecutive seasons, hitting 386 three-pointers in a single season.
Once the guy surrendered, Marion shuddered. He didn't dare to think about it anymore, but his expression became more and more serious.
Looking at Lian Dao still yelling to encourage his teammates to strengthen their defense, the overall momentum of the other Knicks players began to turn around.
Kidd couldn't help but swallow his saliva. The Knicks are a growing team. From the leader to everyone else, they are growing rapidly.
Their growth rate is amazing, they have adapted to the rhythm of the game, and their on-field experience is increasing rapidly.
Kidd didn't know if they could escape from danger again in this game.
The Mavericks are attacking, and Marion is still running wildly. He hopes to use his running positions to relieve Nowitzki's pressure on the offensive end, and at the same time consume Liandao's physical energy.
However, Lian Dao is not a fool. D'Antoni decided on a defensive strategy against Marion, giving up defending Marion's outside shooting to a certain extent and turning to the inside to double-team Nowitzki.
No matter how strong Nowitzki is, it will be difficult for him to score easily under the double blockage of Lian Dao and Millsap.
Besides, from Nowitzki's heavy breathing, Lian Dao knew that there was something wrong with Nowitzki's health.
This kind of heavy wheezing is not a wheezing caused by exhaustion, but a wheezing caused by nasal congestion.
Moreover, Nowitzki is sweating like rain now. Even if the Knicks' defense is under great pressure, Nowitzki's physical strength will not be exhausted without finishing a quarter.
It seems that Nowitzki still cannot avoid what happened in history.
It turns out that in the fourth game of the Finals, Nowitzki contracted a cold before the game and had a fever of 38 degrees. Under such circumstances, he ignored the dissuasion of the team doctor and insisted on playing despite the illness.
But unlike history, Nowitzki did not suffer a torn ligament in the fingers of his left hand.
Historically, the Heat took a 2:1 lead and showed a sense of arrogance. They did not believe that Nowitzki could lead the Mavericks to victory despite having a fever.
However, Nowitzki was still fighting desperately despite having a high fever.
Inspired by this spirit, the Mavericks team worked together as one, always clinging to the score. At the last moment of the game, Nowitzki forced a breakthrough layup and scored a key goal under Haslem's tough defense, which sealed the game.
The victory set the tone.
After the game, Wade and James pretended to be Nowitzki's cough in the tunnel, taunting their opponents in this way. This behavior inadvertently stimulated the Mavericks' nerves. In the next two games, the Mavericks held the Heat to the ground.
The friction ultimately shattered the Heat's Big Three's dream of winning the championship.
However, the Knicks did not have a situation like the Heat.
The Mavericks' decisive victory in the last game made everyone in the Knicks determined to take revenge. They did not underestimate the Mavericks from the beginning to the end of this game.
Nowitzki passes the ball to Marion, who is open on the outside.
Marion didn't hesitate at all after getting the basketball and shot the three-pointer directly!
From the perspective of Mavericks fans, this is their chance.
But in the eyes of Knicks players, this is a sign of their defensive success!