NBA’s aging star system

On November 11, the day after the game between the Lakers and the Pistons, Su Tian met Lakers firefighter Marc Gasol at the Lakers' training.

"Hey Su! Nice to meet you! I can't believe I still have hope of chasing a championship." Marc Gasol said with a smile.

"Mark, I'm glad you can join the Lakers. I believe your arrival will definitely help the Lakers." Su Tian also welcomed the arrival of Marc Gasol.

On the first day Gasol reported to the Lakers, Walton arranged Gasol into the Lakers' training, hoping to quickly integrate Gasol into the team.

However, because Gasol's role is not heavy and he does not play much playing time, it is relatively easy to integrate. He only needs to do a good job of defense and rebounding.

On the offensive end, Gasol does not need to make any special contributions, and the Lakers do not expect Gasol to return to his peak form. As long as he can make an open three-pointer, it is enough to be happy.

On November 11, the Lakers faced the Spurs at home, and the newly arrived Marc Gasol was arranged to play by Walton.

The starting lineup is Su Tian, ​​Dort, Johnson, George, and Marc Gasol.

The Spurs are still in decline, and Popovich is waiting for his next "Duncan".

Marc Gasol's performance in his first game with the Lakers was pretty decent. He played 20 minutes and scored 5 points and 4 rebounds.

However, there was obviously not much room for performance in this game, because the Lakers directly defeated the Spurs solely relying on Su Tian's performance.

On November 11, the Lakers played away against the Suns. After the Suns upgraded during the offseason, they brought Durant to Phoenix. The team's offensive ability has increased by more than one level.

The Lakers' starting lineup is still Su Tian, ​​Dort, Johnson, George, and Gasol.

The Suns' starting lineup is Paul, Booker, Okogie, Durant, and Ayton.

The Suns' main offensive method is still based on shooting. Ayton inside is not a strong center. Gasol's defensive strength can still withstand it.

Soon the game started, the Suns took the first right of attack, and Paul advanced to the frontcourt with the ball.

The Suns' first attack was to find easy shooting opportunities for Booker and Durant, but they failed to get a suitable opportunity through consecutive tactical moves.

Whether it is Dort or George, they are all defensive heroes, and their performance against Booker and Durant is still very good.

Seeing that the two of them had no chance, Paul had no choice but to pass the ball to Ayton at the basket, and let Ayton have a try with Gasol alone.

"I didn't expect the Lakers' defense to be so good. Neither Booker nor Durant had a suitable shot." Kenny Smith said.

"Of course, you have to know that the Lakers are missing Anthony Davis, but they can still win consecutive games because of Su Tian's offense and the team's efficient defense!" Barkley said.

There is no doubt that the Lakers' defense this season is one of the best in the league. However, after missing a thick eyebrow due to injury, the defensive power inside suddenly became empty, which led to the illusion that the Lakers' defense was average.

And now after adding Marc Gasol, the team's defense immediately became three-dimensional again.

After Ayton got the ball, he tried to post up Gasol, but after a series of singles, he didn't expect that he couldn't stand it at all. Seeing that time was about to end, Ayton had to turn around and take a hook shot.

boom--

The basketball was played directly. Gasol turned around to collect the rebound and quickly passed the ball to George.

George received the ball and turned around to initiate a fast break. He was blocked by Durant and immediately passed the ball to Su Tian again.

Su Tian received the ball and was immediately double-teamed by Paul and Booker, so Su Tian passed a long pass to Dort who was running in front for a fast break.

Dort received the ball and made an easy layup.

2-0

"It seems that Mark's defense is still very good. The Suns were defeated in the first round."

"In terms of defensive ability, Mark's defense is still up to par, but now that he is older, his pace will be slower."

The Suns attacked again. This time Paul came to the frontcourt with the ball and had no choice but to directly reach out and call Ayton to step forward to cooperate with the pick-and-roll. If he wanted to pull Gasol out of the penalty area, he only needed to pull Gasol out of the penalty area and then hit him. It's easier to fight this slowly.

Paul's strategy is still very correct, but Paul seems to have forgotten that he is in front of the best defensive player.

Paul used the pick and roll to hold the ball and drive towards the basket, but Su Tian moved quickly, and Gasol in the inside did not come out completely. Instead, he reached the free throw line for a delay. This time was enough for Su Tian to bypass the pick and roll and chase again. On to Paul.

If it was a situation where Curry's three-point deterrent was particularly strong, Curry would be able to shoot directly, but Paul is not.

So the Suns' pick-and-roll tactics failed. Just when Paul had nothing to do, Booker finally took the opportunity to run away, so Paul immediately passed the ball to him.

Booker caught the ball and shot a three-pointer directly.

Swah——

The three-pointer hit directly.

2-3

After the ball was transferred, Su Tian came to the frontcourt with the ball, faced Paul's defense, and signaled everyone to spread out.

After his teammates were all separated, Su Tian held the ball and directly hit the inside against Paul's defense.

Paul has many defensive skills, but he is powerless against Su Tian's tough style of play, especially now that he is older.

Su Tian resisted the defense all the way to the basket, and Ayton on the baseline could only come to help defend against the double-team, but Su Tian made a quick throw and scored before Ayton's defense arrived.

After Su Tian hit the ball, Ayton originally wanted to serve directly, but Paul stepped forward and held Ayton back.

"Be more decisive when double-teaming next time! Don't give him a chance to score easily!"

After hearing this, Ayton just nodded and said no more.

But in fact, Ayton has already begun to complain in his heart.

"It's obvious that you failed to defend yourself, and now you're blaming me? It's really just relying on your old skills and showing off, right?"

The Suns attacked again. This time Durant took the initiative to ask for the ball. Paul immediately passed the ball to him. After Durant received the ball, he started to play George alone with the ball.

George and Durant are old enemies and acquaintances, but neither of them holds back.

Durant first made a drastic change of direction, shaking George's defensive focus, and then rushed in with an explosion.

Although George's physical function has declined due to slacking off during the offseason, Durant's explosive power has also declined significantly due to the impact of previous injuries. The two are evenly matched at this time.

So Durant didn't completely get rid of George's defense. When he came to the free throw line and was forced to stop, he directly stopped and shot a jumper.

Swah——

A direct hit from mid-range.

Durant's stick singles are still very easy to use, and the effect can be said to be immediate.

Of course, this is when you have enough physical strength.

In the next few rounds, the two teams tried their best to make moves, but the Lakers' defense was obviously better than the Suns', and the point difference between the two teams gradually widened.