Legend of Tomorrow

When the Lakers attacked, Guo Xuxian and Horry played a pick-and-roll in the middle. Without getting rid of Francis, he hit the ground and passed to Kobe who was cutting from the side.

Kobe forced a layup, causing a foul on the defending Shanton Anderson, and made two free throws, 28-27.

Joe McDonough praised: Jason and Kobe work well together. Once Horry comes on the court, the Lakers can completely clear the paint. They should play more such cuts.

Charlie Parsley said: If Harper or Brian Shaw were to serve as point guards, the Lakers would definitely not be able to play this kind of coordination. It would be easy for them to catch up with the opponent's defenders in pick-and-rolls, and they would not be able to attract inside defense changes at all. I think Jackson will consider it. It would be good to give Jason more playing time and let him start.

The Rockets attacked, Mobley ran to catch and shoot with Kobe's interference, and Fox grabbed the backcourt rebound.

In the last 14 seconds, the Lakers had enough time to make their final attack. Guo Xu did not steal the spotlight and singled out Francis, who was half a head taller than him. He passed the ball to Kobe after halftime, attracting the defense.

Kobe pressed the clock to the end and faced Anderson's defensive jumper. The Lakers ended the first quarter with a 28-27 lead.

In the second quarter, both sides adjusted their lineups. O'Neal, who had rested for a while, came out to lead the substitutes, while Kobe took a rest.

Last season, Kobe played an average of 38 minutes per game. He often led the bench with O'Neal, and his breaks were usually garbage time or when he was troubled by fouls. Now that Guo Xu is here, Jackson likes to let Kobe Bryant rest for a few minutes in the second quarter to regain his strength, which will help his subsequent performance.

Guo Xu controlled the ball and played pick-and-roll with O'Neal, reducing the number of times O'Neal attacked the basket. O'Neal also had a lot of ease.

The other three are Leder, Fox, and Horry. Their task is to open up space and catch the ball and shoot.

The Rockets played five players: Francis, Mobley, Shanton Anderson, Thomas, and Corral.

The Rockets had the ball. Francis and Thomas played a pick-and-roll to get rid of Guo Xu, attracting Horry to switch defense and distribute the ball to the center. A man of Thomas's physique could not withstand the defender's cut. He caught the ball and rushed to the basket, attracting O'Neal to cover and then passed the ball to Kohler on the right.

Horry retreated to defend and fouled, but Koller was not just a bad guy. He made two free throws, 28-29.

Koller smiled happily when he returned to defense, not knowing that he was in trouble. Even if he is not injured and his body is at its peak, his shortcomings are obvious-slow lateral speed.

O'Neal pulled to cover near the three-point line, and Guo Xu took one step laterally with the ball, then stepped back and shot a three-pointer. Francis couldn't get around O'Neal immediately, and Koller was too far away to change defenses.

Guo Xu made an open shot and scored! 31 to 29, personal 11th point.

When the Rockets attacked, Francis broke through the pick-and-roll and was double-teamed by O'Neal and Guo Xu. The ball was distributed to the center, and Koller was left open. He aimed for a high jump shot and missed. Thomas rushed to grab the offensive rebound and pushed Horry, and was sentenced to an offensive foul.

When the Lakers attacked, Guo Xu made another pick-and-roll jumper and hit a three-pointer. Neither Francis nor Collar could block the shot, but unfortunately he didn't score.

Guo Xu's offensive methods have nothing to do with the triangle offense, and they are not in line with Jackson's basketball concept of ensuring shooting percentage, but Zen Master does not call timeouts, and the old gods are on the sidelines as spectators.

Joe commented: Jason shoots three-pointers whenever he gets a chance after covering the screen. He rarely makes mid-range shots. He is really similar to Van Exel.

Charlie laughed: If the coach lets him shoot casually, I think he will be crazier than Van Exel.

In this era, those who throw three-pointers wildly are all outliers. Last season, Ray Allen, the league's strongest three-pointer, only averaged 5.7 attempts per game, made 2.5 shots, and hit 43.3%. Van E, who was called the madman Kessel averaged only 5.1 three-pointers per game last season. Guo Xu can become the league's No. 1 three-point maniac with a little effort, and he is not far away from earning a nickname.

When the Rockets attacked, Kohler missed his shot and went to the low post to attract the defense.

Francis and Thomas play pick-and-roll on the outside again.

Horry and Guo Xu resolutely double-teamed the defender, but Francis couldn't break through. He was unsure of his shot against the big man and passed the ball to the middle. Horry went to chase the center again and slightly interfered with Thomas' mid-range shot. The ball went wide and Fox grabbed the rebound.

When the Lakers attacked, Guo Xu and O'Neal played a pick-and-roll, and Kohler defended. The Rockets players all saw that as long as they didn't defend, Guo Xu really dared to shoot endlessly. He had done this kind of thing in the opening game.

Guo Xu held the ball and forced a breakthrough, brought it to the baseline, half-turned and passed the ball to the middle. O'Neal squeezed out Francis's air cut, received the ball and made a one-handed dunk. Koler turned around and was too late to prevent O'Pang from fouling.

33 to 29, Guo Xu’s second assist.

O'Neal also performed well after adjusting his playing style. He didn't have to attack in the low post. This was very similar to the Heat's pick-and-roll tactics. At that time, O'Brien had passed his peak period and his athletic ability had declined. He began to often pull out to cover Wade, which was of great tactical use.

In the 2004-2005 season, O'Neal averaged 34 minutes per game, scoring 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 blocks. He ranked second in the regular season MVP selection, losing to Nash by only 34 points, and 34 points was the smallest gap in history. All in all, his cover quality is really high.

When the Rockets attacked, Francis directly held the ball and challenged Guo Xu without looking for a cover. He moved into the three-point line from the left and made a one-step jump shot. He was purely using his height advantage to suppress the opponent, but Guo Xu missed the ball and scored. 33 to 31.

On the offensive end, Guo Xu's good time was very short-lived. The Rockets strengthened their defense against pick-and-rolls. Thomas and Francis double-teamed Guo Xu. It was not so easy for him to shoot or break through. Kohler defended near the penalty area, dealt with O'Neal on the cut, and let other role players take action.

Horry and Leder both failed to live up to their expectations and kept hitting the outside. Only Fox made an open three-pointer.

Five minutes later, Jackson sent Kobe on to replace Leder. Guo Xu became a soy saucer on the offensive end and had to hand over the ball to Kobe as arranged by the coach.

At the end of halftime, the Lakers led by 4 points, Guo Xu scored 11 points and 3 assists.

In the second half, Jackson let Guo Xu rest and sent veteran Harper, who had rested for a whole quarter, to play.

As long as the opponent's inside line has shooting range and the point guard is relatively tall, Jackson will not dare to let Guo Xu play on the court for too long, as it is easy for serious mismatches to occur. The Rockets' starting big men Olajuwon and Taylor can both hit mid-range shots stably.

Guo Xu played in the second half of the game, but the team still played a triangle offense. His task was the same as that of Horry and Fox. He opened up the defense and waited for the opportunity to catch the ball and shoot a three-pointer.

The Rockets knew that Guo Xu was good at shooting, and the defensive players followed closely. He only missed one shot in 6 minutes and did not provide any assists. On the defensive end, his performance was acceptable, and he would not be easily broken through by Francis. He also managed to steal once when double-teamed.

The situation for the Lakers was very unfavorable for a time. O'Neal was in foul trouble and had to take a break after committing 4 fouls.

Big Dream Olajuwon is still an outstanding center and an important part of the Rockets' offensive and defensive system. In the third quarter, he guarded O'Neal for consecutive shots, and used the big dream step in the low post to cause O'Neal to foul. After O'Neal came off the court, he also hit Foster with his feet in the low post.

Olajuwon scored 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in a single quarter. O'Neal made 0 of 2 shots and 0 of 2 free throws. He did not score a point and only had 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Fortunately, someone from the Lakers stood up to ensure firepower. Veteran Grant made 3 of 4 shots and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 9 points and 4 rebounds. Kobe also scored 10 points.