Legend of Tomorrow

The Suns' home victory over the Spurs not only won a victory, but also boosted the morale of the team, and the young players relaxed. They all have a clear concept. It doesn't matter if they don't perform well. They can win if they open up and pass the ball to Guo Xu.

The Spurs' morale inevitably declined, falling behind 2-3. They were already one foot outside the cliff, and even those with the best mentality would be affected.

The next game will test Tony Parker's mentality the most. He has become the biggest backdrop for this year's playoffs. Guo Xu's dunk was selected as the best goal of the day and was discussed by countless fans. This is the second time in Guo Xu's career that he has performed a dunk in a game.

The news reported by the media is not good for the Spurs. Almost everyone is optimistic that the Suns will advance to the finals, because anyone who watched the last game can see that Duncan is tired. He only scored 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

The Spurs relied heavily on Duncan after entering the playoffs. He averaged 37 minutes per game in the first two rounds. In the Western Conference Finals, he averaged 41 minutes per game. He was physically and mentally exhausted.

In the first two rounds, the Spurs' opponents were mainly positional battles, and the transition between offense and defense was not fast. Against the Suns, Duncan played as a center. He had to guard the penalty area, and when the Suns counterattacked, he had to follow the defense.

In Game 6, Duncan was completely lost on the offensive end. He couldn't squeeze Varejao and his shots were inaccurate. He played 38 minutes, making only 8 of 21 shots, a shooting percentage of 38.1%, 8 of 12 free throws, and scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.

The Suns defended Duncan very fiercely, hitting him hard until his touch deteriorated. The coaching staff arranged this before the game started. The capable referee gave the Spurs 50 free throws and sent them to the tiebreaker.

Parker was also guarded by Guo Xu, Ariza, Haslem and others. He made 3 of 15 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, with a shooting percentage of 20%. .

Bowen played 35 minutes, making 0 of 2 shots and scoring no points. His statistics were 0 points and 2 rebounds. He was responsible for defending Howard and had no performance on the offensive end. Howard's efficiency dropped. He played 38 minutes, making 7 of 17 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 17 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks.

The Spurs are out of control, and they can't win just by relying on Ginobili and Finley's shooting. At this point in the fight, both sides were fighting for physical strength and tenacity, and the Suns were victorious.

Under tight double-teaming, Guo Xu's statistics were not as impressive as his last game. He made 14 of 31 shots, 5 of 12 three-pointers, 9 of 10 free throws, and scored 42 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal.

The Suns won 106-90, narrowly eliminating the Spurs and reaching the Finals for the third consecutive year.

At the press conference, everyone in the Suns did not criticize the Spurs.

I didn’t say it was easy to win.

Even if they said it was easy, no one would believe it. Everyone could see that Taiyang was trying his best. You can tell this by watching Guo Xu play the entire game many times. He was double-teamed every game, but he relied on his personal ability to lead the team to victory. Duncan scored points inside and he scored points outside and staged many classic battles.

The scapegoats who were looking forward to the Spurs' promotion were collectively dumbfounded and couldn't figure out why the Suns could advance to the finals with such a bad lineup. The Spurs lineup looks much better than the Suns. Finley and Van Exel have also been selected as All-Stars before.

Pippen didn't even dare to leave the door now. As soon as he went out, reporters would definitely interview him. He didn't dare to call Jordan. Now Jordan was angry. Many people on the Internet said that Guo Xu had surpassed Jordan by reaching the finals because Jordan could only lead the Suns in the second round.

There are also many fans who praise the Spurs. At least this time in the playoffs, no one from the opponent team reduced their numbers because of the Spurs. Their inability to win was directly related to Duncan's plantar fasciitis, and in the end he couldn't hold on.

Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals started one day later than the Western Conference. The Cavaliers won at home and eliminated the Hawks 4-2.

Nash said after the game that he was very disappointed with the result, because the Hawks once led 2-1, and the points difference in the lost games was not big, all within 10 points, but the Cavaliers had the last laugh.

The reason why the Hawks lost was that they relied too much on running and gunning, their rhythm was lost, and their outside shooting was unstable. The Cavaliers' high center forward Big Z Ilgauskas' playing time was shortened in the next four games. The Cavaliers also used small ball tactics to withstand the run and gun.

The Hawks are obviously no match for the Cavaliers when they are on the ground and cannot attack efficiently because they do not have outstanding low-post offensive players and rely entirely on breakthroughs and outside shooting. The pick-and-roll attack cannot break the zone defense.

Boozer and James frequently attacked the basket, and Al Harrington and Josh Smith couldn't guard them.

James's face-to-face offensive ability this year is already at the top of the league. He can rush in when he resists people. It is impossible to stop him without double-teaming. His overall physical fitness ranks among the top five in NBA history. , even the top three.

Josh's body is not bad, but his ball-handling skills are not good. James doesn't just rely on his body. He has excellent breakthrough ability and skilled face-to-frame offensive skills. If you want to guard James, you must at least have a strong man like Artest who is constantly close to him, pushing him away from the basket and forcing him to take long-range shots. Second-year Josh can't do this.

Even if they can withstand James, the Cavaliers still have Boozer. Boozer can beat Harrington in the low post and has a high shooting percentage. On the offensive end, Harrington plays like a kite, shooting from the outside and having a poor low-post shooting percentage.

The reporter asked Nash: Which team do you predict will win the championship this year?

He said: I am optimistic about the Suns. The Cavaliers are very strong, but they lack experience in the finals, and the core James is too young. Jason Guo already holds four championship rings and has never lost in the finals. The Cavaliers are also difficult to guard from the outside. Live him.

Cavaliers players were very low-key in interviews, and James put himself in the position of challenger.

He said: The Suns lineup is weaker than last season, but as long as Jason Guo is here, they will be a championship team. We must do our best to defend him. We are at a disadvantage and must defend well. I hope to win.

Boozer said: Jason and I are an agent. When I first entered the league, I knew how good this person was. I am very happy to meet him in the finals. Maybe there are many people who are not optimistic about the Cavaliers. I feel like we are young, but we are ready to challenge the Suns.

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, nicknamed Bread by people, said: By defeating the Heat and Pistons, we have proven our strength. By defeating the Hawks, we have proven that we have a way to deal with run-and-gun attacks. I believe the Cavaliers have a chance to win the championship!

The next day, Guo Xu was interviewed after training. He was uncharacteristically low-key and did not look down on the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers are very strong. If you look at the player data, you can tell that they have an advantage inside. Their offensive power is even better than that of the Spurs. From outside, the Suns are definitely stronger with me here. I think the outcome is 55-55, and everyone has a chance to win. .

The reporter asked: Don't you think James lacks experience?

I just entered the league and lacked experience against Allen Iverson in the Finals. What was the result? Guo Xu paused deliberately and smiled: I don't think experience is the most important. The key is strength and mentality. The team Overall cooperation, etc., I can’t look down on people who haven’t won a ring just because I’ve already won a championship.”

In fact, Guo Xu knows that the league wants to praise James. If he dismisses him in an interview, he will be working against the league. He is not James. What good does it do him to blackmail James?

During the game, the Suns players just have to go all out, and the coaching staff has already formulated the tactics.

Of course, even if Guo Xu doesn't quarrel with the Cavaliers and predicts the game in a low-key manner, most people are still optimistic about the Suns. Just looking at the regular season record, you know that the Cavaliers are better than the Spurs.