Legend of Tomorrow

Guo Xu's performance in the second half was poor. He made 8 of 20 shots, 2 of 8 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws. He scored 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Stoudemire scored a team-high 27 points and 8 rebounds; Marion had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.

The worst performer was Joe Johnson, who made 3 of 13 shots, 1 of 5 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He only scored 9 points and 3 assists, which greatly disappointed Suns fans.

On the Timberwolves side, the Three-Headed Monster scored 63 points, and Szczerbiak also scored 11 points.

After the game, the Timberwolves Three-Headed Monster attended the press conference and expressed their confidence to defeat the Suns and advance to the finals.

Cassel scored 20 points and 6 assists. His statistics were not inferior to Guo Xu's, and he proved his strength on the offensive end. This guy plays really disgustingly. He always moves to the weak side after pick-and-rolls. If he doesn't attract the inside to switch defenses, Guo Xu is difficult to defend and can't cover when he takes the ball behind the back. His ability to resist interference when shooting is also good.

Cassel was very happy after winning. He said in an interview: Didn't Jason want to see my expression after the game? Now he can see it.

After speaking, Cassel showed a stiff smile, and the reporters all shrank their necks.

When Garnett was happy, he mocked Guo Xu. We are a group of fighters and will never lose to players who go to shoot little girls' music videos or go to college concerts during the playoffs. We love basketball more than Jason Guo.

Sprewell also said: We have a way to deal with the Suns. We can break through their defense in the regular season. They just rely on run-and-gun tactics to easily win against weak teams. Once the rhythm slows down, problems will arise. , they are not as powerful as imagined.”

When it was the Sun's turn to be interviewed, the reporter told Guo Xu what Garnett and others said. Guo Xu shook his head and said with a smile: What they said makes sense, but I am speechless.

If you lose, you lose. There is no need to find an excuse, but you have to win four games in the playoffs to advance. He is not worried about the next games.

The reporter asked: Do you regret filming the MV?

What is there to regret? I should just do what I made an appointment with my friends. And even if I go back to Phoenix, I will stay at home for two days to rest. I will definitely not practice immediately. We have been resting for a full week.

The reporter asked: Ms. Foxx filmed Avril Lavigne's MV with you, and today we watched the game in the front row at home. Some media broke the news that you go to the same community. Are you living together?

Let's just talk about the basketball game.

We’ll talk about relationships after the season is over. Guo Xu smiled awkwardly.

Originally, he wanted to admit it if someone asked, but since he lost today, it was better to continue to hide it.

If she admits that she has a girlfriend at this juncture, the media will definitely portray Meghan as Su Daji. As the saying goes, the word sex has a knife in its head, and some fans would also say that Megan prevented Guo Xu from dying.

In fact, it was because the rest time was too long that the Suns players had problems with their condition. Too much is not enough.

Such a long break can make players feel a little weird, with occasional lapses in concentration. They're used to being relaxed, and there isn't a lot of room for error in the playoffs.

During the training, Marion said that this was a bit like the offseason. Their training intensity had not been high. They would just practice casually and then go home to rest and wait for the game to start.

The Suns' low training intensity is directly related to their geographical location. The weather in Phoenix is ​​too hot. It's only May, and the daytime temperature is already above 30 degrees. Under such conditions, no one is willing to train with high intensity, and D'Antoni pursues fast-paced offense and defense transitions. Ensuring physical strength is the key. Positional warfare is left to Guo Xu to solve the problem, and there are not many tactics.

In terms of tactics, the Timberwolves really restrained the Suns. They were able to limit fast breaks and force their opponents to play positions. When Madsen and Garnett play together, the Timberwolves are also very fast inside.

After the game, many people on the Internet changed their tune. More and more people are optimistic that the Timberwolves will advance to the finals and win the championship.

Some experts analyze the lineup and believe that the depth of the Timberwolves' lineup is better than that of the Suns. It is true that the three-headed monster has just formed a team, but they all have rich playoff experience, and the two of them have experience in the finals.

In 1999, Sprewell played in the Finals as the core of the Knicks, but lost to the Spurs.

Cassell was drafted by the Rockets with the 24th pick in the first round of 1993. As soon as he entered the league, he was lucky enough to win two consecutive championships with the Rockets.

Although Garnett has never passed the first round of the playoffs before, his abilities have now reached the peak of his career. If Guo Xu hadn't topped the three statistical rankings this year, his performance would have been enough to win the MVP.

The Suns players performed well in the regular season, but they are too young. The core players are all young people. There is only one veteran, Kukoc, who has been reduced to a marginal player with little chance to play. Run and gun is an extreme tactic, and it won't work once the opponent is also good at running.

Basketball experts are mostly hindsights. Before the start of the series, the Suns were gaining momentum and swept the promotion in the first two rounds. No one mentioned the experience of young players. As soon as the Suns lost, they began to analyze the Suns' weaknesses and look for them. The reason for losing.

To put it bluntly, neither side has an overwhelming advantage, and the side with better team luck and better player status wins.

The second battle continues in Phoenix.

Guo Xu, Joe Johnson, Bell and others practiced shooting in the morning. The coaching staff believes that as long as they are not strong outside the three-point line, they can successfully defeat the Timberwolves.

In the cheers of Suns fans, the home team performed very well in the opening game. Although Guo Xu was strictly guarded against double-teaming and it was difficult to get an easy shot, he attracted double-teams and frequently assisted his teammates with the ball. He only scored a goal in the first half. With 10 assists, he also scored 13 points and is expected to score a double-double.

The Suns led 65 to 47 by 18 points at halftime.

In the positional battle, the Timberwolves were relatively successful in defending Guo Xu, but in the counterattack, he singled out Cassel, making it difficult for his teammates to double-team him.

The Timberwolves' tactics are to slow down the offensive and defensive rhythm and grind the position; the Suns try to increase the rhythm and have the players run at full speed.

It is difficult to defend the Timberwolves when they send a high forward. Haslem is the main defender of Garnett. During the counterattack, as long as Stoudemire runs up and encounters Johnson or Olavokandi, even if he cannot get rid of it directly, he can catch the ball and hit the basket. Advantage.

In the third quarter, both sides' defense was excellent, and the players' shooting percentage dropped. The single quarter was tied at 20, and the Suns took the lead entering the final quarter.

The Suns maintained their advantage in the first half of the last quarter, but the situation changed suddenly in the second half.

Sprewell suddenly had a fit and hit three three-pointers in a row. He also scored 2+1 on a breakaway layup. He scored 12 points on sudden shots, helping the Timberwolves catch up with the point difference.

Garnett and Cassell's mid-range shots helped the Timberwolves complete the reversal in the last 15 seconds.

The Suns were only one point behind. After the timeout, D'Antoni arranged a singles strategy and sent Bell, Joe Johnson, Marion, Stoudemire and Guo Xu to partner.

This is the Suns' strongest offensive lineup that can open up space. Guo Xu attracts double-teams and can distribute the ball to help his teammates create mobile opportunities.

As a result, as soon as the inbound ball was released, the Timberwolves double-teamed Guo Xu. He passed the ball to Joe Johnson, who attracted a defensive rotation outside the three-point line and then passed to Marion. Marion missed the mid-range shot from the left baseline. basket.

Trailing by one point, the Suns had no choice but to resort to foul tactics. Garnett made two free throws, widening the point difference to three points.

After that, Guo Xu was double-teamed again and passed the ball to the open Kukoc. Although the veteran has rich experience, he has played too little time this year. He did not seize the opportunity when he was in danger, and missed the open jumper.

101 to 104, the Suns lost again...Legends of Tomorrow