On May 12, Beijing time, the Mavericks defeated the Thunder 105-101 at home, leading 2-1 with a big score, and after winning 2 consecutive victories, the Mavericks have completely gained the upper hand, as long as they win G4, there is a high probability that they will complete the following grams. In this game, the two teams did not decide the winner until the last minute, Irving scored a key goal to save the Mavericks again, and scored 22 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in the whole game. The Thunder's Alexander scored 31 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, which is still too young, and the Thunder only have one superstar, while the Mavericks have two players who can decide the victory in a life and death moment, which is the biggest advantage. After the end of this game, four indisputable facts were also produced, two incredible.
Four indisputable facts
First, Irving is currently the best key player in the league, he hit a key shot with 1 minute left in the game, helping the Mavericks to gain a 5-point advantage to stabilize the situation, worthy of being a European fairy, and has decided the trend of the game at a critical moment in two consecutive games. Irving scored 22 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, with a plus/minus of +11, and the 32-year-old Irving is like Kobe Bryant back then, with extremely mature personal ability and mental quality.
Second, whoever can control the rebounding ball will get the final victory. In this game, the Mavericks grabbed 48 rebounds, the Thunder only had 41, and the gap was relatively large for offensive rebounds, with the Mavericks having 15 and the Thunder only 6. So far in the series, whoever can have the upper hand in offensive rebounds can win the game, Thunder G1 won the Mavericks 5 offensive rebounds, G2 lost 4, and G3 lost 9, so the big score came to 1-2. There are also CBA semifinals between Guangdong and Liaoning, which can also prove this truth, and those who win rebounds win the world.
Third, the Mavericks are already a championship-level team, although few people are optimistic about the Mavericks before the playoffs begin, but it is undeniable that with the Suns, Clippers, Lakers and other Western favorites out, the Mavericks are already one of the favorites for the championship and have a good chance of reaching the Western Conference finals. The Mavericks have the advantage of having the best guard combination in the league, and as long as the shooters can shoot the ball and the post players protect the rebounds, the game will go in favor of the Mavericks.
Fourth, the Clippers were eliminated 2-4 in the first round, and even if Leonard was not injured, there was a high probability that he would not be able to beat this Mavericks. The Clippers' problems are too obvious, the superstar players are inconsistent, Harden is a ghost, so is George, and Zubac on the inside is relatively poor. The Mavericks have a clear division of labor, and at the critical moment, the tactical execution is in place, and the victory or defeat is decided by the superstar.
Two incredible
First, the Mavericks' Washington broke out again, scoring 27 points and 6 rebounds on 5-of-12 three-pointers, and was also the team's scoring champion in this game, he scored 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-of-11 three-pointers in the last game, and went on a rampage for two consecutive games, adding up to 12 three-pointers, which is staggering. Without a doubt, Washington is the best role player in the playoffs so far.
Second, Alexander of the Thunder contributed 31 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks, and he also became the first guard in NBA history to score at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in a single game in the playoffs. Alexander is actually the star who is most like Kobe, with no weaknesses on the offensive end and aggressive defense, but unfortunately there is no superstar-level top around him at his peak, and it is difficult to compete for a championship.