NBA's strongest prince

Chapter 101 The Gap Between Strong Teams
The Suns want to win the Supersonics, and the Supersonics have the same idea. The first and third places in the Western Conference are really different.Not to mention that there are still Mavericks catching up behind, if there is a chance to change the ranking, there is a better chance of going further in the playoffs.

There are more defensive teams in the West that can compete for the playoffs, but the strengths of each team are still different.

Also consider the restraint of the lineup. Maybe if the Timberwolves become the eighth in the West, they would prefer the Suns instead of the Spurs in the West.

Of course, there are also offensive teams like the Kings in the West, and those who don't adapt to it probably don't want to run into them.

In this case, for dark horses in the eyes of the outside world, such as the Suns and Supersonics, the home court can be said to be very important.

The Sonics are only strong in three-pointers, and their inside line is not as strong as the Suns, so what the Suns have to do is to limit the opponent's three-pointers.

At the beginning of the game, the Suns took a defensive attitude.

This is where Russell is most proud. Now the Suns not only have offense.

The same is true for him facing Ridnour. He blocked the three-pointer well, and the Supersonics couldn't get in at all.

Compared with the Suns, they are really just dark horses, because their team has more weak links.

Defending the Suns, no one dares to just block three-pointers. The Suns are very capable of hitting the basket.

The Sonics can't do it. They will be difficult without three points. This is the case with the main lineup, and the same with the bench lineup.

Therefore, the sun is much more flexible when it comes up.

Their offensive three-pointer is just a means, and they will kill more inside in the first quarter.

Stoudemire and Marion both caused a lot of trouble for the Sonics.

However, they also created more space on the perimeter, with Russell and Joe Johnson both finding [-]-point opportunities.

Ray Allen's performance over the Sonics is also very strong. Ray Allen and Lewis are indeed at the All-Star level now, but the Supersonics are undoubtedly the weakest among the top four in the Western Conference.

If they meet in the playoffs, Russell is 100% sure to kill his opponent.

With the Supersonics' style of play, their three-point burst can at most win a game against the strong teams in the West.

At least this is the case for the Suns. The Suns' style of play can be said to be more restrained against the Supersonics.

After the Suns main lineup had the upper hand on the field, the bench lineup did not lose to the opponent.

The Sonics' Daniels and Radmanovich are undoubtedly stronger, but the Suns have more talent off the bench.

After more than half a season of tempering, it can be said that everyone on the Suns bench has combat effectiveness, and there are no mascots like many teams.

Especially Barbosa, Varejao and Martin, these three main rotations are already very good.

In weak teams, they also have the strength to start.

Horry, Ariza, Barnes, Moore, Battelle and House, these people also often have brilliant performances.

The Suns' current combat effectiveness is stronger than at the beginning of the season.

Or the record looks similar, but now they have been targeted and studied by many teams, and they can still secure the No. [-] throne in the Western Conference. It is impossible without enough hard power.

The Suns don't do anything else with the Sonics, just try to prevent the opponent's three-pointer, and it doesn't matter if the opponent steals a few inside.

In this case, the Suns can still rely on the two All-Stars to score, but they can't match the efficiency of the Suns at all. They really have nothing to do.

The sun can limit the supersonic speed, but the supersonic speed cannot do the same.

When they can't defend inside, Joe Johnson is not easy to handle.

As for limiting the scoring of Russell and Iguodala, it really doesn't make much sense.

Russell's passing has been listed as one of the most undefensible stunts in the league. The Supersonics are just a balanced offense and defense, not a strong defensive team. Of course, they can only do it in a hurry.

At the end of the second quarter, the Suns played double guards, continued to speed up, and finally extended their lead to double digits.

During the intermission, McMillan was very helpless. In order to keep up with the speed of the Suns, they only had one inside player on the field most of the time, but it was useless.

It is definitely better to put two insiders to protect the penalty area, but they also need to score.

The Supersonics' adjustments in the second half were more aimed at the inside line, because their defense would collapse if the inside line couldn't handle it.

What about outside lines?It can only be hard work, and the defensive end moves as fast as possible.

This is the advantage of the Supersonics. If their players do not move fast, they will not have the current strength on both offensive and defensive ends. In fact, if Russell's passing is not too weird, they will not be so hard.

The average offensive team doesn't have many chances in front of the Sonics.

The top four in the West are not just able to stay there casually.

On the Sun's side, continue to limit the opponent's three-pointers, and the offensive end is to speed up the coordination.

They all won the Pistons, so there is no need to say a lot.

Russell doesn't think about scoring now, and concentrates on passing the threatening ball.

The Sonics were almost on the defensive in many cases, and Russell made an unexpected pass and scored directly.

This kind is the most shocking, just like superstars can't guard against it.

But super players at least have a defensive focus, and Russell's pass really can't be seen through.

Any of the other four could have received his pass without warning.

And Russell's shooting is not bad, and he can't let it go completely.

Ridnour, who is facing up, is under a lot of pressure. He didn't feel this way at all last time.

The influence of status in the arena, the three-pointer, the All-Star MVP, will the opponent dare to let go?

In the third quarter, both sides played well, and the supersonic's all-out restriction on the inside also played a role.

In any case, the Suns' pick-and-roll tactics Stoudemire is the most important point.

But Joe Johnson was in good shape today, and the Suns didn't seize the lead.

The advantage of having more stars is that the east side is not bright and the west side is bright, so it doesn't make much sense to lock up one or two players in the sun.

But the Sonics can only do so much. After all, their lineup is a little worse, and they will suffer from the top teams.

At the end of the quarter, they had no choice but to force a three-pointer.

Ray Allen and Lewis do have this ability, but the hit rate cannot be guaranteed at all.

Their strength is three-pointers, so they can only bet on three-pointers, and the Suns' defense will not be disturbed.

The more you miss the three-point bet, the more you want to gamble, because it is a bet, and nine out of ten bets lose, but there is no way.

Falling behind more and more, only a three-point burst has a chance.

The Suns' defense did not give the opponent any chance, and finally forced the Sonics to use the fifth position. Lewis went to the fifth position, and all five positions could shoot from outside the three-point line.

However, their defense couldn't stand it anymore. Lewis couldn't stop anyone from the Suns' team going in and hitting the basket.

Therefore, the ending is doomed in advance, and the Suns are leading more and more.

They didn't give up yet, allowing Russell, who didn't score much, to make up some data at the free throw line.

(End of this chapter)