Don t congratulate me before I win the championship

"During the playoffs, I always meet some acquaintances. When I meet for the first time, I will say congratulations to me. I really don't want them to tell me this before the end of the series. I think we can't be considered a success before winning four games."

This is Caruso's post-match interview after the finals G2 ended. Caruso, who just scored 20 points and created his career high in the finals, did not have a look of excitement on his face, because he knew better than anyone else that winning the championship was four wins.

If G1's Caruso's defense is suffocating, then G2's Caruso once again refreshed some fans' perceptions of him with a three-pointer. Caruso made 6 of 11 shots, 4 of 8 three-pointers, and scored 20 points, increasing his playoff three-point shooting percentage to 41.6%.

In the playoffs that 19-20 season, Caruso had only 28% three-point shooting percentage. With his desperate defense and counterattack, he won the opportunity to be on the court at the same time as James. He became a surprise player in the finals and a catalyst for the Lakers' defense. He averaged 1.1 steals per game in that playoffs.

Compared with the 20-year championship season, Caruso has less playing time this year, but Caruso averaged a terrifying 1.7 steals, not to mention his three-point improvement. Caruso is almost the ceiling of a 3D player now, and what he does on the court is far beyond the scope of a 3D player.

He is a leader on and off the court. He is not the kind of veteran who demonstrates his status by shouting. His actions are greater than anything else, and he becomes the Thunder's opinion leader in silence. Your age will not become your capital, but your championship experience, everything you give on the court, and your defensive skills will allow you to win the team status you deserve.

The average age of this Thunder team player is only 24.2 years old, so Caruso, 31, has become the oldest person in the team. During the finals, Brother Demonic had an interesting interview. He asked the Thunder what they were doing when the Thunder played the finals for the first time in 2012.

Most of the interviews by others were playing or playing AAU games. They were only in their early 10s at that time, and Caruso said seriously: "In 2012, it should be my freshman summer vacation at Texas A&M University. I was completing summer courses and training at the same time." After the interview, the Demon Fairy Brother said in surprise: "He went to college in 2012!"

That's right. When my current teammate was a little kid in 2012, Caruso was already a college student. His father worked as an administrator in the Sports Department of Texas A&M University for 30 years, but Caruso has long proved that it is definitely not about his relationship to be able to get here.

He always tries his best every night to defend the opponent's strongest player, falls to the ground and fights for the floor, and is full of fighting spirit and squirts with his opponents. In his first year of college, he broke the Southeastern League's freshman steal record.

In the NCAA Championship in the last year of college, Texas A&M University completed a miraculous reversal comparable to the "McDie Moment". In the last 44 seconds of regular time, A&M University was still 12 points behind. Then they tied the huge gap for the rest of the time, dragging the game into overtime.

During this period, they caused four mistakes from their opponents, and Caruso kept directing his teammates' running while keeping on guard. In the last ten seconds, Caruso scored a key 2+1.

The first overtime was Caruso's layup in the last 5.9 seconds, sending the game into the second overtime. In the second overtime, A&M University finally completed the overtake and advanced.

The favorite James, who was eating melons during the Crazy Three, said after the game, "If I were from the University of Northern Iowa, I would never play again." At that time, he would not have thought that this player who led the team to complete the reversal would become his right-hand assistant to win the championship in four years.

Chapter from Caruso University in 2016, running for election and then losing the election, which is normal. He was 22 years old at that time and averaged less than 10 points per game. He was spotted by the Thunder and gave a training camp spot, but was cut at the last moment of confirming the lineup. When he signed with the Thunder Development League team, the gears of fate began to turn.

The head coach of that development league team is named Mark Dagnott. So when the Thunder trade got Caruso last summer, the following 16-year picture began to circulate. At that time, Dagenot was full of energy, and at that time, Caruso had hair on his head.

This is not the first time that Dagnot and Caruso met, and when Dagnot was still working as Donovan's assistant coach at the University of Florida, he was impressed by Caruso. It was a game where the University of Florida beat Texas A&M University with a big score. Caruso still tried his best during garbage time, making Daignott doubt whether Caruso knew the score gap.

The first contract signed by Caruso and the Thunder was US$13,000 in annual salary plus signing bonus; eight years later, Caruso and the Thunder signed by US$81 million in four years.

In his first season in the Development League, Caruso still used his signature defense to influence the entire team, but his scoring performance was not impressive. When his teammates were called up by the NBA again and again, Caruso did not get even a chance to go to the NBA. Years later Presti admitted his mistake to Caruso, and that was his mistake.

In 2017, Caruso was spotted by the Lakers and won a two-way NBA contract, which received some sporadic playing time. In 2018, Caruso and the Lakers renewed their two-way contract and became teammates with James. Caruso then entered the fans' vision..

In 2019, Caruso finally got a guarantee contract. Although it was only 2 years and 5.5 million, for Caruso, he has been looking forward to this contract for three years. From 219 to 21, this contract also became one of the most cost-effective contracts in the NBA. In the offseason in 21, the Lakers chose Tucker and let Caruso go when they chose one of the two, which led to the story of Caruso and the Thunder reuniting. Whenever Caruso makes a highlight, the Lakers management's stupid behavior in 21 years will be taken out and whipped the corpse.

In this year's playoffs, Caruso of 31 entangled Jokic in the tiebreak battle, which was the best defensive performance of the season. Jokic only made 9 moves and made 5 mistakes. In the first life and death moment facing the Thunder season, Degenut took out the trump card of Caruso.

Caruso is a player who really plays from "nothing". He was born in a small way and is inconspicuous in the Development League. The only thing he could control at that time was to become the hardest-working person in the team.

Not everything will succeed, but no effort will be wasted. The meaning of hard work is that when you think back in the future, you will face it calmly. At that time, you have tried your best.