Come back from the intermission.

The Trail Blazers sent out a combination of Payton, Liu Xiu, Outlaw, Randolph, and Kwame Brown.

The Mavericks sent out a combination of Terry, Daniels, Stackhouse, Nowitzki, and Ratliff.

After the start of the third quarter, the Mavericks took the lead with a 10-4 run thanks to Stackhouse's fierce attack, bringing the score to 66-59, leading the Trail Blazers by 7 points.

Stackhouse continued his form in the last few minutes of the first half!

But the good times did not last long. Stackhouse's offensive continuity has been poor, otherwise he would not have been sold back and forth by the Pistons and Wizards. His way to solve the problem of poor offensive continuity is to shoot crazy shots and let the scoring data show

It looks better. In three of the past five seasons, his shooting percentage was less than 40%.

In the Mavericks, Stackhouse changed this bad habit and stopped throwing the ball when he was not in good condition, instead handing over the ball.

But at this time, Stackhouse remained on the court and was just a spot-up shooter, and a very inaccurate spot-up shooter at that.

The task assigned by the young general to Terry and Nowitzki was to contain them, so the offensive burden at this time fell on Daniels.

But it was very difficult for Daniels to beat Liu Xiu!

A strong physique is the core of Daniels' aggressive style of play on both offense and defense. His sharp breakthroughs and rough defense all rely on physical fitness.

As for skills, it can be seen from his 30% shooting rate on mid-range shots and 20% shooting rate on three-pointers. His skills are sufficient.

Unfortunately for Daniels, Liu Xiu, who is guarding him tonight, is one of the strongest players in the NBA!

Relying on Liu Xiu's effective defense against Daniels, the Trail Blazers responded with a 7-4 wave against the Mavericks, chasing the score to 66-70, stopping the Mavericks and entering the official timeout.

The score was dangerous, and the young general did not dare to replace the main players. During the timeout, he only replaced Daniels with Finley.

Using Finley to beat Liu Xiu, the little general made a good adjustment. After returning from the timeout, the Mavericks really stabilized the situation, and the score was temporarily controlled by the crisis of overtaking.

However, the way to stabilize the situation is completely different from what the young general expected!

It wasn't Finley who relied on it, but Terry and Nowitzki, who he originally planned to be mainly responsible for containing in the third quarter, saving energy on the offensive end for the final quarter!

Terry was infected with the power of the West Coast by Liu Xiu, but Nowitzki knew very well that Finley or Stackhouse alone could not withstand the Blazers' counterattack. If they really failed, they might not reach fourth place.

They collapsed.

Outlaws and Kwame Brown can restrict Terry and Nowitzki, but they are just restrictions. Terry scored 11 points in the first half and Nowitzki scored 8 points.

The pillars of the Mavericks' outside and inside lines. It seemed that Stackhouse was supporting the Mavericks' offense in the second half of the second quarter, but in fact it was the two of them who relied on them.

The young general had an ominous premonition, and the premonition would come true earlier than he expected!

At the end of the third quarter, Terry hit two irons in a row, and Nowitzki also hit one. The irons seemed to be contagious. Finley, who was connecting in the corner, also hit one. In two minutes, the Mavericks did not score a point.

Yes, and was beaten by the Trail Blazers three times!

As the little flying squirrel counterattacked, Liu Xiu followed up with an alley-oop tomahawk dunk. After three quarters, the Trail Blazers overtook the Mavericks by 1 point, 81 to 80, entering the final quarter!

…

A sudden change of form!

Not just the score, but the whole pattern of the game.

In the first half, no matter what kind of impact Liu Xiu led the team, the Mavericks responded, and the Trail Blazers were so arrogant. The Mavericks still steadily suppressed the Trail Blazers, 16 consecutive games.

His temperament is fully demonstrated in defeating a super strong team.

But in the third quarter, although the Mavericks led for a long time, they suddenly felt exhausted.

The reason for this situation is quite simple - physical crisis!

What everyone sees is the Mavericks' crazy winning streak. Nowitzki has averaged 32+ points per game in the past month, raising his season average to 26+...

Not many people noticed that during this period, Nowitzki averaged 41 minutes per game and Terry averaged 38 minutes per game, and they mainly played in singles.

In fact, there are many times when it is not necessary to play for such a long time. Like tonight, if we play before the winning streak starts and in the early stages of the winning streak, Nowitzki and Terry averaged 36 minutes and 32 minutes per game respectively, which is quite a lot.

The time is just to stagger the playing time, lead the teams separately, and maintain the continuity of strength.

But in the past two weeks, the two of them can only rest for three or four minutes in each game. In the 16-game winning streak, both of them have average playing time for a long time. But if you only look at the last 7 games, Nowitzki averages 16 minutes of playing time per game.

45 minutes, Terry averaged 42 minutes per game.

The idiom of worrying about gains and losses is vividly displayed in the little general!

In the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers took the lead.

Liu Xiu took advantage of McDyess's cover on the wing, went around the baseline to catch the ball and rushed forward. Ratliff, who was guarding the pick-and-roll, couldn't keep up. Liu Xiu went straight to the basket and smashed the ball into the basket through Nowitzki!

The offense and defense transitioned, and the Mavericks attacked. Kwame Brown, who played all the first three quarters, was replaced at the beginning of the last quarter to rest. Nowitzki wanted to hit McDyess in return.

Nowitzki's technique of pulling horizontally and then taking a step to get up and take off was perfect, but the shot was not only short, but also very biased. Even if the force was enough, the goal would not be scored!

The opportunity Liu Xiu had been waiting for for a long time finally came!

Rahim grabbed the defensive rebound to advance the counterattack, and passed it to Liu Xiu in progress. Liu Xiu caught the ball and made an emergency stop. Josh Howard, who was chasing him, flew away. Liu Xiu leaned forward, went straight to the basket and made a layup.

85 to 80, the Trail Blazers' lead expanded to 5 points!

The warden sounded the horn for the prison team to charge!

…

During the break, the TV commentators were describing how the Mavericks would rally and defeat the Trail Blazers in the final quarter.

But after the start of the final quarter, the Mavericks collapsed. Liu Xiu scored 10 points in the half and led the team to a 19-11 half-quarter score. When the official timeout entered, the Trail Blazers led the Mavericks by 9 points, 100-91.

After the official timeout came back, Liu Xiu hit two consecutive three-pointers from the sideline around the pile. Then, using the threat of three-pointers, he suddenly ran back to the basket under the wing screen to catch the ball and hit a layup, creating a wave of 8 on his own.

Scored 3, stopping the Mavericks again!

At the last 7 minutes and 55 seconds of the game, the score between the two teams was 108 to 94, and the Trail Blazers' lead expanded to 14 points!

Liu Xiu scored 16 points in the first half, 6 points in the third quarter, 10 points in the first half of the final quarter, and then scored 8 points in 1 minute and 13 seconds in the second half... 40+ points in a single game!

As the game went on, the Mavericks couldn't make any shots and couldn't defend well.

The Timberwolves played the Mavericks the day before yesterday, and it was a similar situation. That night, the Timberwolves trailed by 23 points at halftime, but in the second half, the Timberwolves scored 52 to 32. If the Timberwolves did not have a key ball strategy at the last moment, Cassel's singles match

Josh Howard, who is half a head taller than him, had his three-point shot blocked. It is really possible for the Timberwolves to complete a huge comeback.

The Trail Blazers are about the same, with a score of 53 to 38 so far in the second half. Although it is not as severe as the 20-point difference at halftime, the Trail Blazers are not as far behind as the Timberwolves in the first half!

The Mavericks' situation actually didn't only occur when they played the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves. The 14-game winning streak and the 15-game winning streak were also anticlimactic. Of course, it wasn't as obvious as these two games. The degree is getting deeper...

After returning from the timeout, Liu Xiu wanted to rush again. He had already scored 40 points. Of course he wanted to win 50+ points in a single game... It was a pity that the Mavericks did not give him face. The Mavericks could not defend normally. Ratliff was tired and Dampier defended.

The coverage area was small, but they chose to flank Liu Xiu in advance.

It wasn't a tactical arrangement, it was a spontaneous attack by the Mavericks players. They didn't want to be in multiple backgrounds. The 16-game winning streak was ended. This incident was enough for them to make headlines.

Liu Xiu threw the ball 5 times and scored 5 points. During this period, he was tied with the Mavericks, and the Mavericks only scored 5 points.

At 10 minutes and 46 seconds, Randolph forced the ball to Liu Xiu, who was running around the three-point line from the outside. The Mavericks broke the ball out of bounds. Maurice Cheeks regained the tactical board at the last moment of the game and replaced Liu Xiu.

The rabbit bites when it gets anxious. The Mavericks, who lost more than ten points in a single quarter, have already lost. It would be bad if they do something.

Maurice Cheeks likes Liu Xiu's words to high school students who are outlaws - as a man, you should not be afraid of trouble, but as a man, you should not stand by the wall knowing that it may collapse.

Liu Xiu, who scored 45 points, returned to the bench to chat and laugh with Randolph, who was replaced at the same time. Maurice Cheeks expected this.

At this time, if he stayed on the court, he would naturally be replaced and Liu Xiu wouldn't think anything of it.

Because it really can’t be brushed...

With more than 1 minute left and a 14-point deficit, Maurice Cheeks thought about tonight's game. Even if he was as bold as him and coached in person, he would not arrange for the players to play like this. The tactics were simply incredible.

It's a desperate move. If the Mavericks don't go as expected, then the Trail Blazers will be doomed.

But in hindsight, Maurice Cheeks felt that Liu Xiu's vision was too vicious, and the general's tactical adjustments and personnel adjustments would definitely go in this direction... As long as the Blazers can maintain the continuity of their offensive firepower, no matter what,

Give the little general a chance to breathe.

Under this situation, only the West Coast style of play arranged by Liu Xiu could have made it possible for the Mavericks, who were in such good shape, to hold on to the score in the first half. If they played according to the normal style of play, they would probably be ten points behind at halftime.

It is normal for points to come. In that case, even if the Mavericks' state fluctuates in the second half, the Trail Blazers' final victory will not be as easy as it is now.

Liu Xiu's series of adjustments are risky, but the Trail Blazers have been in good shape in the last few games. Although they are not as perverted as the Mavericks, they can fight regardless and hold on to the score. As long as they hold on to the score, they will win.

The comeback is a matter of course, and they are not afraid that the little general will not follow the rhythm they want.

Because the little general is afraid of losing!

Very afraid of losing!

The more you win, the more you fear losing!

Maurice Cheeks doesn't think Liu Xiu will be better than Xiaojun as a coach. Xiaojun is indeed a talented coach. Look at the Mavericks' lineup, Terry, Daniels, Finley, Josh Howard, Harris.

, Nowitzki, Stackhouse, seven singles players with the ball, can they play this lineup well? Anyway, Maurice Cheeks feels that he does not have that ability, but others can do it in the first year of coaching.

Well done.

But tonight, the young general was indeed manipulated by the general!

…

In the last minute or so, the Mavericks still refused to give up, but failed to make any waves. Warden's surge that touched God only had 13 points. When the Trail Blazers established the victory, the point difference was 14 points, which was very stable.
To be continued...