NBA's strongest prince

Chapter 183 The Shark Is Old
After the schedule around the New Year is settled, the Suns no longer care about the winning streak.

Before the All-Stars, the Suns' strategy is to pay attention to the player's status and not to get injured first.

After all, during the previous period, the team has already determined the style of play for the new season, so there will be no major problems.

On January 1th, they sat at home to usher in a challenge from the 4ers.

This season, the combination of Iverson and Webber did not bring more victories to the 76ers.

After the team changed coaches, the lineup got worse and worse.

They didn't try their best to replenish players in the summer, they just tinkered and made a scrapped Mashburn contract, which seemed to focus on the future.

Iverson didn't have much patience either. This season he just scored, so his popularity is not bad.

His mentality is actually similar to that of Kobe, but the Lakers are still working hard, which is different from the 76ers' management who is a little disheartened.

However, it would be interesting that two guys who scored with all their strength failed to score against Russell.

Russell's status in the arena and fans' popularity are just like this.

The start of this game was the soaring points of Russell and Iverson.

Russell can play superstars who are shorter than himself, which is also very exciting.

Soon, everyone discovered that Russell is indeed able to score more than Iverson now.

The reason is the three parties. Iverson's scoring method is mainly to kill inside, and he can't shoot from the three-point line like Russell.

But Russell's shooting percentage from the three-point line is still high, approaching 50%, ranking first in the league.

"It's really amazing. How many people has Russo already competed with this season?"

"I thought Iverson's scoring ability was gone, but I didn't expect Kobe and Russell to exist this season."

"Russell's shooting is too incomprehensible now. He just pulls out a screen, and sometimes he doesn't even need a screen."

"The key is that he has a long attack distance, and he can start shooting before the three-point line, which is really unimaginable."

"It's too good, Russell's three-pointer is too good, how could he be so accurate."

"Iverson couldn't keep up with his soaring points. It feels like his youth is coming to an end."

Russell was slightly better in scoring, and the Suns naturally got the chance to lead.

When the rotation period came, the Suns slapped their opponents again, and the 76ers didn't dare to let Iverson rest.

With Iverson's efforts, the 76ers did not fall behind much in the first half.

It's a pity that Iverson was inaccurate for a while in the third quarter, and the Suns quickly led to double digits, and the 76ers collapsed as soon as they said it.

No way, Iverson now feels that he doesn't know how to lead the team to win.

This is a matter of player style. Iverson needs teammates with good defense, role players who can shoot three-pointers, or All-Stars of the same level. The 76ers management has been unable to do so.

Now that Iverson is getting older, his team is losing patience on both sides.

The 76ers this season are obviously incompetent in the East, and there is nothing to say about defeating such an opponent.

Next, the Suns will face the strong ones in a row, playing back-to-back battles against the Heat and Spurs.

However, the Heat's Wade was unexpectedly absent, and the team's strength can be said to have dropped a lot.

O'Neal is more popular than Wade in the hearts of fans, but now the Heat is indeed Wade's team. The 34-year-old O'Neal has dropped significantly. Now he is an ordinary All-Star and no longer has the deterrence of a superstar.

The Heat are the most active team in the summer, and they are indeed a duck to water in the free market.

Sun has no connections with other people, so he can only pick up the leaks.

Without a guard, he traded Jason Williams from the Grizzlies and signed Payton.

Payton is still willing to follow O'Neal. Although Russell wants Mourning most in the summer, the Suns will not refuse if Payton is willing to come. Then Payton and Mourning both went to the Heat.

The Heat did not have a substitute last season, and now the organization and substitute issues have been resolved. In addition to the two veterans, they also got Walker from the Celtics, and the Grizzlies also sent Posey, a relatively excellent role player.

The Celtics' behavior of capitalizing on the enemy is understandable. After all, they don't want Walker, and they will make big moves in the future.

But the Grizzlies are really incomprehensible. It's a pity that Gasol is now a father and a mother.

Anyway, the Heat are comfortable. This season's lineup is very good and has all aspects. It is nothing to give O'Neal a premium contract in pursuit of the championship.

The only unstable thing about the team is injuries. If it weren't for frequent minor problems, their regular season ranking would not be behind the Pistons.

But the Heat are not fast because there are more veterans. Without Wade's impact and personal ability, their strength will drop a lot, and O'Neal is no longer C.

At the start of the game, Varejao confronted O'Neal regardless of physical strength.

O'Neal can't keep up with the speed, and he can't put on a posture if he wants to play singles, because he will double-team the Suns with the ball in the low post.

If he catches the ball and does it, O'Neal no longer has the explosive power he had before, and the gap is obvious compared to last season. Varejao can completely withstand the first two seconds.

After a meal, it turned out that O'Neal scored more points than Varejo.

What is the reason, the reason is that Russell completely suppressed Payton, and Joe Johnson slammed Kapono who replaced Wade.

Payton was originally the best defensive No. 38 position, but there is really no way to do it when he is old. The [-]-year-old Payton is completely unable to move laterally, and Russell can get rid of it easily.

Russell and Joe Johnson showed their prowess. When Varejao came up to cover, the Heat's defensive attention was about to expand outside, and then Varejao made a few small runs, basically picking up points.

Russell scored and assisted in double figures in a single quarter, stunned fans and opponents.

"It's unbelievable. Russell knows the ball is in his hands. Whether it's a shot or a pass, the Suns will score. It's really difficult for the Heat without Wade."

"Has O'Neal dropped to this level? He can't even beat Varejao. He just signed a big contract. It will be difficult for the Heat if they don't win the championship this season."

"Hey, let alone the Suns, the Heat can still beat the Pistons."

"O'Neal is just recharging his energy now, and he will still be a big shark in the playoffs."

Fans compete daily, but the Suns easily scored in double figures during the game.

After Varejao got tired of resisting two fouls, the Suns used a small lineup, and O'Neal couldn't keep up with the speed at all.

The Suns playing O'Neal like this is basically useless, unless he is in a deep position and the Heat can pass the ball in, and he must act quickly after receiving the ball, otherwise the Suns will foul, and O'Neal's free throws will not work as usual.

The key is that O'Neal can't defend. He doesn't have the flexibility of his peak period, and he can't stand it if he wants to consume some speed. The Suns throw down a few three-pointers, and Riley can only let O'Neal go down to rest first.

There is no way, it is too miserable for O'Neill to stay on the court, and he was slipped and beaten.

Without Wade and O'Neal, the Heat actually gave up halfway.

(End of this chapter)