Legend of Tomorrow

Even in the face of strict defense, Guo Xu still had a way to take action, but his shooting rate dropped in the second half, and he only made one three-pointer on 1 of 4 shots. He also misplaced Horry, who came on the bench, and caused a foul, and made two free throws.

Guo Xu scored 27 points, 4 assists and 2 steals in a single quarter, leading the Suns to a 40-29 lead over the Lakers.

O'Neal scored the most, with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Kobe also scored 8 points and 2 assists, but their combined statistics were not as good as Guo Xu's.

At this time, both Bass and Bass began to feel uncomfortable.

Obviously the Lakers have two superstars, but the Suns only have one All-Star in Guo Xu. Why can't they win? They really made the wrong choice when they didn't free up salary space to retain Guo Xu.

Buss remembers clearly that after winning the championship in 2001, Zen Master Jackson and Kupchak visited him together and proposed to trade Kobe for Gasol, DeMar Johnson and future draft picks.

Gasol became the Rookie of the Year in 2002, showing his comprehensive skills. Although the Grizzlies did not make the playoffs, his strength was recognized by people.

Looking at the Lakers' starting power forward Samaki Walker, they will definitely not renew his contract after this season. This power forward, who was said to be able to shoot when he first arrived, shot only 42% from the field this season and was also inaccurate in open mid-range shots. He averaged 4.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Medvedenko can make mid-range shots, but his defense is extremely poor. He has no speed when playing the 4th position, no rebounds when playing center, and no blocks. Everything is useless.

Madsen is a pure blue-collar player. Playing on the court means less personal offense. After the pick-and-roll, the outside can be left open.

Veteran Horry's shooting percentage has also dropped significantly. Without Guo Xu to play the pick-and-roll, it will be difficult for him to get easy shots.

Kobe continued to play in the second quarter, and his teammates were Kareem Rush, Horry, George, and Medvedenko.

The Suns' five are Alston, Joe Johnson, Jacobsen, Marion, and Stoudemire.

The Lakers relied on Kobe's isolation and no tactics, while the Suns focused on quick counterattacks, supplemented by positional pick-and-rolls.

Alston is steady with the ball, Joe Johnson can play both in isolation and in organization, and Stoudemire has also begun to perform against the bench.

Kobe scored the first goal of both sides in a single, and then the Lakers fell into a scoring drought. Kobe was frequently double-teamed near the penalty area, and his teammates took turns to hit the ball after passing the ball. If O'Neal doesn't play, Kobe can't lead the Lakers alone.

The Suns players are very fast;

With constant fast breaks, Brian Shaw could not prevent Alston's breakthrough. Kobe could deal with Joe Johnson alone, but could not help defend.

Phil Jackson called a timeout after the Suns went 14-4 and fell behind by 21 points before halftime. Zen Master couldn't meditate on the sidelines anymore. Thinking of the 76ers' fate a few days ago, he felt a little sad. Panic.

The Lakers made substitution adjustments, and the main players such as Fisher, Fox, and O'Neal returned. The Suns also replaced Guo Xu, Kirisek, and Nene, and replaced Joe Johnson, Jacobsen, and Marion.

Zhang Lili discovered something strange. There is a problem with this substitution. Alston didn't come off the game. Are the Suns going to play two guards? Who is responsible for guarding Kobe?

Xu Jicheng said: Maybe the coach feels that he is too far ahead and doesn't want to defend anymore and wants to speed up the counterattack. The 76ers like to let Iverson play shooting guard. It seems that Guo Xu will try it today.

The commentator guessed the truth. D'Antoni really thought so. With two defenders responsible for dribbling the ball forward, the Suns' counterattack would be sharper. At the same time, he also sent two rookie insiders to prepare for double screens to help Guo Xu create in position battles. Opportunity to take action.

The Lakers attacked. O'Neal caught the ball in the low post and attracted a double team. He passed the ball out of the perimeter. Horry missed a mid-range shot in one step inside the three-point line. Stoudemire immediately pounced after double-teaming O'Neal. He was too fast and couldn't cover it. It was enough to scare Hori.

Nene grabbed the backcourt rebound and passed it to Alston to launch a counterattack. Alston dribbled the ball from his hip and passed Fisher, forming a 3-on-2 frontcourt. Horry defends Stoudemire, Kobe and Guo Xu, and no one cares about Alston.

Alston chose to shoot a three-pointer and scored without being defended. 57 to 33.

Even if this kind of shot does not make it into the coaching staff, Alston will not be blamed, because it is the right choice. If he does not shoot at all, he will not be able to help his teammates attract defense. He has performed well from beyond the three-point line this season, shooting 36.4% from the field.

Chasing three-pointers is a very important part of D'Antoni's offensive system. Players can throw it whenever they have the opportunity, no matter what rebound it is.

When the Lakers attacked, Kobe and O'Neal played a pick-and-roll, which attracted Stoudemire to change defense and then gave O'Neal a cutback. O'Neal dunked the ball with one hand and scored. Guo Xu ignored him after being blocked. Once O'Neal unexpectedly failed to score, he launched a fast break. There was no point in misaligned defense. 57 to 35.

Alston dribbled the ball to the left side in the positional battle. Guo Xu stood up from the bottom corner and ran back to the outside at full speed. Stoudemire at the free throw line and Nene at the corner covered him, and there was a closed door Blocked Kobe and Horry.

Guo Xu ran out of the three-point line, received a pass from Alston in the middle, and it was completely empty. He half-turned and shot a jump shot, and the ball hit the net!

60 to 35, Guo Xu scored his 30th individual point.

When the Lakers attacked, O'Neal acted as a pivot in the low post, attracting the defense to pass to Fox, who was cutting from the baseline, and the latter got rid of Kirisek and scored a layup. 60 to 37.

When the Suns attacked, Guo Xu continued to play without the ball. He first ran to the left corner, and then slipped the baseline to the right corner. Kobe followed closely. But when he moved up the line, Kobe couldn't keep up. Stoudemire and Nene came up with another double screen to close the door, blocking two people at once. Even if O'Neal wanted to defend, he had to go around.

Kobe was a step too slow to catch up and block the shot. Guo Xu caught the ball at 70 degrees on the right side and shot a three-pointer, and he hit it again!

63 to 35, personal 33rd point.

Zhang Liangli said excitedly: The two rookie insiders of the Suns are not only good at cutting, catching and shooting, but they are also good at screens. The Suns suddenly used double screens to help Guo Xu block two three-point opportunities. He grasped them all. ”

Xu Jicheng said: Guo Xu can attack with the ball, and he can also play without the ball. Kobe can't guard him either. The Lakers will lose miserably today.

Reggie Miller used the elevator tactic with the Pacers in the 1990s, but at that time, every team focused on inside offense, and few teams played like this.

The key point of the tactic is that the offensive pitcher should be good at running without the ball and get in quickly, and then the two covering big players close like two elevator doors, blocking the defensive players out, thus providing a good opportunity for the pitcher. Creating opportunities to catch the ball and shoot the ball, once successful, will greatly improve the shooting rate.

Although this tactic is very practical, it also has obvious shortcomings: first, it must have players who are good at running and shooting accurately; second, it completely gives up rebounding; third, it may be called an illegal screen.

In this era, the league's standards for screen penalties are relatively loose. When a player plays from behind, it is fine for the defender to put his hands on the opponent's back or waist. It is more common for players to move when covering and have physical contact. As long as you reserve a distance in advance and try not to move suddenly sideways, the referee will generally not call the call.

Taiyang had practiced this move during training, and when he suddenly used it, he was able to catch his opponent off guard. But it will definitely not work once it is used too many times, because newcomers are particularly prone to being called for screen fouls.

When the Suns players used the door to block Guo Xu for the third time, the referee called an illegal screen and the ball was given to the Lakers.

But Guo Xu scored two goals in a row, which was enough.

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