Legend of Tomorrow

Guo Xu took a break in the second quarter, and Joe Johnson and Stoudemire were responsible for leading the substitutes. The other three were Alston, Jacobsen, and Haslem.

Iverson continued to play, but still couldn't break into the basket. The Suns adopted a 122 zone defense strategy, and Alston defended alone on the outside. As soon as Iverson broke through, four players shrank to the four corners of the penalty area, blocking the penalty area.

No matter which side Iverson walks, he will be double-teamed near the penalty area. Larry Brown's request for him to break into the basket for a layup or a pass is encouraging him to dive into the crowd. He can challenge one-on-one to his heart's content from the outside, and can easily shoot from mid- to long-range, but he is unable to shoot accurately from this distance, which makes the situation very embarrassing.

This is currently the most popular defensive tactic in the NBA. Its advantage is that it can maintain defense against outside players and effectively limit breakthroughs through some double-teams. Its fatal weakness lies in the high post and the two bottom corners.

This kind of zone defense will be very ugly when faced with a team that is good at shooting three-pointers from the front and the corner, but the Suns don't need to worry about this at all against the 76ers, because 76ers coach Larry Brown is particularly good at defending three-pointers.

According to Brown's request, the 76ers management team was looking for a group of players who had no shooting range and were good at physical confrontation and defense.

Rookie John Salmons was the one who suffered the most. He often shot three-pointers in college, and his main method of scoring was jump shots. As a result, he was selected by the Spurs with the 26th pick in the first round and then traded to the 76ers. Brown asked him to switch to cutting inside, where he could score layups, draw fouls, or block shots.

So Salmons was forced to transform, playing only 8 minutes per game, and often causing opponents to block shots when facing zone defenses...

The Suns' offensive performance was average in this quarter, and they led 67-47 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Todd McCulloch and Coleman of the 76ers were on the court together for 4 minutes. Iverson got rid of Guo Xu after the pick-and-roll and rushed into the crowd again and again. After missing the shot, he gave Guo Xu a lot A misplaced opportunity to chase down a three-pointer.

Guo Xu went crazy in a single quarter, making 7 of 11 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 24 points and 2 assists.

Once a mismatch occurs, Todd and Coleman cannot keep up with Guo Xu's speed and can only use fouls to prevent him from breaking through. Once Guo Xu breaks away from the big man and grabs the shot, he will be open. Iverson cannot quickly return to defense after shooting near the penalty area.

The defensive end performed poorly, and Iverson was also trapped in zone defense on the offensive end. He made 1 of 8 shots in a single quarter, 1 of 2 three-pointers, no free throws, and only scored 3 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.

The Suns penalty area was full of people, and they were flying guys like Nene and Stoudemire. Iverson twisted his body into happy twists on several difficult shots. It was so difficult that he could even go to the Chinese Spring Festival Gala. Damn if he could score. The only thing he proved was that he was tougher than Guo Xu.

Guo Xu did not take a forced shot when faced with a double-team throughout the game.

The Suns led 103 to 69 by 34 points in the third quarter, and the game entered garbage time.

In the last quarter, Guo Xu actually came out in garbage time to brush up the statistics, which was surprising. He played for 2 minutes, assisted Haslem in the mid-range shot after the pick-and-roll, and collected 10 assists before leaving the game.

He played a total of 32 minutes, making 15 of 22 shots, 8 of 13 three-pointers, 7 of 8 free throws, scoring 45 points, 10 assists, and only 2 turnovers.

Iverson was also replaced after playing 5 minutes in the final quarter. He played 41 minutes and made 9 of 24 shots, 1 of 7 three-pointers, 7 of 9 free throws, 26 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers. .

In the contest between the two substitutes, the Suns still had the upper hand, beating the 76ers by 48 points 127-79.

Zhang Lili commented: The 76ers' defense has dropped a lot compared to 2001. They cannot guard the penalty area and do not press enough on the outside.

Xu Jicheng said: Guo Xu's playing time was relatively short. If he had played more, he would have been 50+10 today. Iverson really couldn't guard him alone. He was so miserable.

Before the players returned to the locker room, Guo Xu and Iverson shook hands on the court. Zhang Lili suddenly discovered a secret and said in surprise: The two of them stood together. Guo Xu at 180cm was obviously taller than Iverson at 183cm. ah.

Xu Jicheng smiled and said: Guo Xu was only 19 years old when he first entered the league, and he must have grown taller. And Iverson falsely reported his height back then. Many people said that he was only 178cm barefoot.

Guo Xu has indeed grown 3cm taller in the past few years. He can measure 183cm or 184cm when wearing shoes. However, he is already 21 years old and his height is basically established. He still has no advantage at the No. 1 position. He doesn't plan to update his height data. 180cm is a good round number.

At the press conference, no reporter asked the question of which of the two defenders was stronger. After this game, the final conclusion can be made. Every time the two faced off, Iverson took the lead in the number of shots taken, and the hit rate was doubled. This time, his statistics were even worse than Guo Xu's.

The reporter interviewed Guo Xu and asked: The Suns' winning rate is now back to 50%. What do you predict will be the final result?

It's hard to say. It depends on many factors. We have to fight hard in every game.

The reporter asked: Why do you think the Suns beat the 76ers?

Isn't it obvious that he is strong?

The reporter asked: Coach Larry Brown believes that taking too many three-pointers will harm the team. He previously criticized the media that you took more three-pointers than the entire 76ers team. What do you think?

Guo Xu smiled and said: What can I say about this? There are many people who like me, and there are many people who hate me. No one can satisfy everyone. For example, if the manager asks me: We plan to invite Larry Brown to come Are you willing to be the head coach of the Suns? I definitely say no.

There was a burst of laughter in the venue. This was another big news. Guo Xu made it clear that he disliked Brown.

The reporter asked: The outside world says that you make your teammates better. What do you think?

They are very good in their own right. I'm just helping them use their strengths. If they can't run fast or jump high, I will be double-teamed when I go on a fast break. We are complementary to each other.

The reporter asked: How do you evaluate the Suns now?

We are the best team. Although we are relatively young, I firmly believe that the Suns will win the championship in the future, and this day should not be too far away.

Regardless of whether they can succeed or not, Guo Xu will shout first. The Suns are a young team. It is normal to fail to win. There is no pressure. As long as he reaches the second round, his record will be the same as when Kidd led the team.

The reporter asked: How do you evaluate the Lakers? After you left, the Lakers' current situation is not very good.

Due to Shacklebolt's injury, the Lakers had a poor start. I believe they will come from behind. With Shacklebolt and Kobe in the Lakers' lineup, they are not weak. I am looking forward to the Christmas game.

After the game, Guo Xu became the focus of the media again and made headlines in sports news.

Now no one is saying that Guo Xu is hugging the thighs. He led a group of newcomers to brutally abuse the 76ers, making Philadelphia fans despair. Others have proposed firing Larry Brown, thinking he is the most overrated head coach in the NBA.

The conflict between Iverson and Brown began to intensify. In this game, he couldn't break in. He shot a lot of three-pointers from the outside and only scored one. He didn't listen to Brown's instructions and said there was something wrong with Brown's tactics.

Brown called the manager to ask for Iverson to be traded, and Iverson also called to ask Brown to get out. The two have long had conflicts. Iverson has always lacked due respect for Brown, and Brown is not the kind of coach who is good at coaxing stars.

Brown's ideal model is the Pistons' five-tiger basketball style. Iverson obviously can't play like that, and the 76ers don't have the five-tiger style.

Brown has been in Philadelphia for six seasons, the longest team he has coached in his life, and this fate is coming to an end.