Legend of Tomorrow

In the second half, the Suns players, who had a very relaxed mentality, continued to focus on running and gunning, supplemented by pick-and-roll positions, and competed offensively with the Timberwolves.

Guo Xu was mainly responsible for launching counterattacks from the backcourt in this quarter, reducing his shots. He only took 4 shots and scored 2 goals, scored 5 points, and sent 7 assists, including two beautiful long passes from the backcourt.

Marion scored two three-pointers, two mid-range shots, and scored 10 points in a single quarter.

Stoudemire attracted Garnett's defense, and Nene showed off his strength again. Facing Trent's defense, he made 3 of 4 shots and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 10 points in a single quarter.

In order to prevent Guo Xu's breakthrough, the Timberwolves' interior line must assist in defense, otherwise Hudson will be overpowered and want to commit suicide. In order to enhance mobility, heavy interior linemen Nesterovich or Mark Jackson cannot be used.

Trent is a power forward with a height of only 203cm. He cannot guard Nene with his weight and strength alone. Nene made an air cut to catch the ball and then swayed twice. His shots near the penalty area had a high hit rate. He mainly practiced this when he was in Brazil. The mid-range shot was still poor, but it was enough.

Garnett went to defend Nene, and Guo Xu started a pick-and-roll with Stoudemire. Stoudemire charged again. He couldn't rush forward and beat Trent alone with Nene. The two often sparred together and made obvious progress.

In just three quarters, Guo Xu scored 26 points and 21 assists. He was about to score another 30+20 points. The Suns led 102 to 83 by 19 points.

In the Christmas game, Guo Xu saved his strength against his old club, the Lakers, but he was not polite against the Timberwolves. He continued to play in the final quarter and made a request directly to the coach.

Mike, arrange a double-back and double-cover tactic. I already have enough assists. If I want to get 40+20, I will shoot it myself whenever I have the chance.

The most enjoyable thing about him becoming the boss of the team is that he can make such demands. When he was with the Lakers, he was not qualified to make such demands. He only made one unlimited shot in the 67+10 game against the Hawks, and that was under the premise that Kobe was absent.

D'Antoni is not the kind of coach who requires players to be selfless. He likes to be a fan on the sidelines after arranging the offense. He likes to watch players play super statistics and watch them score soaring points.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Nash has always been selfless because of his personal character, not because of D'Antoni's requirements. Harden can play casually in D'Antoni's offensive system, and he can continue to shoot even if his touch is poor.

D'Antoni agreed without thinking, smiling and saying: No problem, you take the bold shot. If they narrow the point difference, we will change tactics. You have to be careful not to get injured.

Don't worry, I will focus on shooting.

Guo Xu is not Iverson,

When he can pull up and shoot a jump shot, he won't rush into the crowd. His layups are always misplaced and completely pass the opponent's inside line. If the opponent catches up, he will definitely choose to pass the ball and let his teammates hit the basket.

There are many supermen in the team, and if he insists on showing toughness at the No. 1 position, that's just sick.

The Timberwolves let Hudson rest in the final quarter, and veteran Stritland came on. Coach Sanders knew something bad was going to happen when he saw Guo Xu playing again.

Sure enough, after the Timberwolves missed the shot, the Suns immediately counterattacked. Guo Xu continuously chased from the outside and shot three-pointers. He had no tactics and threw it when he had the chance. Strickland was far away and couldn't cover it. If he was close, he would be blocked. Pass.

Guo Xu made 2 of 4 three-pointers, broke through once to attract defensive points, assisted Stoudemire to score a dunk, and was held back on another breakthrough, making two free throws. After he scored 8 points and 1 assist, Sanders requested a timeout.

Many home fans of the Timberwolves have switched sides. They applauded Guo Xu after he scored. The Suns played much better than the Timberwolves.

Xu Jicheng commented: Guo Xu was unstoppable today. He would adjust his style of play at any time. When the Timberwolves defended the pass, he would shoot it himself. If he was prevented from scoring, he would distribute the ball. He could perform in any way.

Zhang Lijia smiled and said: His style of play is much better than that of a player who is simply good at scoring, because you can't guess what he will do next. I think he is not only the number one point guard in the NBA, but also the number one attacker. , I can’t think of any current player who has a better offense than him.”

Xu Jicheng agreed: He is really good. He is also the core of the team. Garnett cannot compare with him.

After the timeout, Guo Xu continued to play.

As soon as he caught the ball, Timberwolves players double-teamed him from outside the three-point line. As a result, this kind of defense failed in the first round. Guo Xu dribbled the ball to the center circle and opened up, and Alston made an open three-pointer.

The street ball king has poor offensive options, but it's not because he doesn't have a basket. He usually coaches three-pointers in the team, so he still has a certain degree of confidence in openings.

Hudson was completely dumbfounded. He was so badly exposed this time that his mentality collapsed when facing Guo Xu. Guo Xu let him take two steps and shot casually, and his three-pointer missed the basket.

The Suns chased and counterattacked. Guo Xu first sprinted forward, then stopped and moved laterally, receiving a pass from Alston in the middle.

He feinted outside the three-point line and took a small step forward. Guo Xu immediately took the ball and changed direction to break through. As soon as Hudson reached out, Guo Xu deliberately hit his arm with the ball, and the referee blew the whistle.

Guo Xu not only practiced dribbling skills in the team, but also practiced touching porcelain. This move has a high chance of getting to the free throw line and can cause damage.

He practiced when he was with the Lakers, but he didn't have a whistle in his rookie season. Last season, he was slightly better, averaging only 4.6 free throws per game, because he had to share the ball with his teammates. Guo Xu averaged 7.3 free throws per game this season, a career high.

He steadily made two free throws, his 36th point.

Kendall singled out Alston and took advantage of his height advantage to make a pull-up jump shot that missed the basket. His touch was gone. Stoudemire grabbed the rebound and quickly counterattacked with a pass. Alston quickly dribbled the ball across half court and passed it to Guo Xu.

This time, Hudson's defense was even worse. He chose to stay close. Logically speaking, being close is a positive sign of defense, but the premise is that the players can adapt to physical confrontation. Hudson's strength was too weak. Guo Xu caught the ball and pushed him, turned around and passed the ball. He drove to the basket on the right side, glanced behind him, hit the board high and shot to the basket.

Garnett, who was returning to defense in the middle, flew up. He took off with all his strength and failed to cover the basketball. Guo Xu's arc was too high. The ball hit the board very lightly and bounced twice on the rim before falling into the basket. This is his 38th personal point.

Since Guo Xu was shooting off the boards, the height of the ball would certainly not exceed the top edge of the backboard, but Garnett couldn't cover it, which disappointed the fans.

There is a very famous legend in the NBA. Garnett just entered the league and said during training with the Timberwolves that he could touch the backboard. Then his teammates laughed: Boy, everyone here can touch the backboard. ! Then the young and frivolous Garnett added: I'm talking about the top edge of the backboard. Immediately afterwards, he took off quickly and touched the top edge of the backboard ten times.

This story sounds very enjoyable, but unfortunately, it is false. Garnett himself has refuted the rumor.

There are real monsters in the NBA who can touch the top edge of the backboard. It's not Garnett, but Warcraft Dwight Howard, who is still in high school.

During the physical test, Howard broke O'Neal's touch record that had been held for more than 10 years. When he participated in the 2007 Dunk Contest, he put a big head on the backboard, about 20cm from the top edge of the backboard. At that time, he completed an alley-oop dunk. If he directly ran up and touched the height, he should be able to go higher.

Next, Guo Xu was severely guarded and was forced to pass the ball several times. All three shots missed the basket. But the opportunity finally appeared. The Timberwolves missed a shot. Guo Xu counterattacked with the ball, forced a breakthrough and hit Hudson's arm with a European step. The ball fell to the ground, and the referee called a foul again.

Guo Xu made two free throws and was replaced 4 and a half minutes early. His data was fixed at 40 points and 23 assists, setting another historical record!

( = )