Legend of Tomorrow

The Kings attacked, and Rondo passed the ball across half court to Harden.

Guo Xu could have left Rondo free to help Booker double-team Harden, but he did not do so and stood aside to watch the excitement quietly.

Playing against stars is the best training for newcomers. If Booker improves his defensive ability this season, the Lakers' overall offense will be stronger when entering the playoffs. If he can't play in a defensive black hole for too long, he will have to reuse blue-collar Andre Robertson in the playoffs.

Harden's eyes were sleepy, but his movements were not slow at all. He dribbled the ball under his right hip and stepped back. After a simple change, he faced Booker for a jump shot and returned a three-pointer. 3 to 3.

Harden's best style of play is similar to Guo Xu's, using changes in the rhythm of dribbling to attract defenders to move forward or retreat. If the opponent advances, he can change direction and pass. If the opponent retreats, it will be difficult to block Harden's step-back shot.

The Lakers attacked and the players all spread out.

Guo Xu dribbled the ball continuously, but Rondo didn't get caught. He observed the weak side, changed direction and forced a sudden attack to the right, and Rondo followed up.

Both of them are very fast. Guo Xu dribbles the ball behind his right hand at a 45-degree angle to his left hand for an emergency stop, and then dribbles the ball under his hip with his left hand and passes it to his right hand. His technical connection was just right. After Rondo made an emergency stop and just took a small step forward, he was completely shaken away by the second movement.

Guo Xu took another step back and scored on the mid-range shot, 5-3.

Rondo moved laterally and had no time to take off, so he could only stretch out his hand. No matter how long his arms were, this kind of interference would be useless to Guo Xu.

When the Kings attacked, Guo Xu retreated to the three-point line and put Rondo two meters away without even bothering to raise his head. This is a headache for him today. As long as Rondo is on the court, it will be difficult to defeat the Kings. It depends on the defensive performance of his teammates.

In the past five seasons, Rondo has always ranked in the top three in the league in assists, in the top ten in steals, and in rebounding data among point guards. It seems that he is one of the top players in the league.

The fact is, over the past three seasons, Rondo's teams have scored two points more per 100 possessions when he's not on the court.

What's even more amazing is that Rondo has a high turnover rate on the premise that he will never be double-teamed and is rarely even defended. He averaged 3.4 times per game last season and averaged 3.9 times per game in the 2012-13 season when he made the most mistakes.

What is this concept? The season in which Guo Xu made the most mistakes averaged 3.2 per game. In the same playing time, Curry, Kobe, James and others who are responsible for holding the ball and attacking the ball did not make as many mistakes as Rondo.

Not to mention he can't compare with a solid defender like Paul.

Harden was playing in singles, and like Guo Xu, he started by dribbling under his crotch. Booker moved his center of gravity forward a little this time. Harden changed direction and broke through with the ball, deliberately hitting Booker's hand and throwing the ball. Free throw line.

He made two free throws, 5-5.

The Lakers attacked, and Rondo began to get close to him after halftime. He knew that Guo Xu had the ability to shoot three-pointers from far away. Guo Xu passed the ball to Horford and started running without the ball.

Rondo has a very strong physical fitness and is known as one of the best point guards in physical condition. He has a long wingspan, huge hands, terrifying speed and amazing jumping. But today, Rondo's body is at a disadvantage, and Guo Xu can hit hard directly and is much stronger than him.

When Rondo first entered the league, he was only 77 kilograms. He was as thin as Iverson. He looked like a dry chicken at first glance. His offense was poor and he suffered on the defensive end. If he stays like this, Rondo won't be much better if not a defensive black hole.

However, he worked hard. In the third season of his career, he exercised and increased his weight to 84 kilograms, becoming a player known for his defense. He made his first All-Defensive team, and from that point on, he wasn't afraid to go up against any point guard.

Not being afraid doesn't mean you can guard against it. Guo Xu deliberately made close contact with Rondo while running, then suddenly changed direction and hit him, staggered away from the defense, and cut to the basket from the bottom corner.

Horford hit the ground and passed the ball at just the right time. Guo Xu caught the ball and threw it in one step. Hibbert had no time to take off after covering the ball, and the ball flew to the basket and hit the ball.

7 to 5, Guo Xu scored 7 points in a row.

The referee held his whistle in his mouth but did not blow it. Guo Xu and Rondo were about the same size. If a star foul was called in this kind of off-ball confrontation, everyone would think he was blowing a black whistle. In this case, if the defender gets rid of him, he can only blame himself for not being strong enough.

The Kings attacked, and Rondo wanted to retaliate. He gritted his teeth and chose an open jumper for a three-pointer. He felt good today and scored on his first shot. 7 to 8.

The home fans gave Rondo applause, and Guo Xu also clapped twice with a smile on his face.

Yu Jia laughed and said: Guo Xu applauded his opponent again. He was so confident that he didn't defend at the beginning. This is like a superstar encouraging newcomers. His status is high.

Zhang Liji smiled and said: He is now. I don't care how many points you score. Anyway, I will score more points than you and win the game with offense.

Yu Jia said: Because of Guo Xu, the Lakers are now very strong and look like a strong team competing for the championship.

Guo Xu first passed the ball to Horford, then ran up the line from the right corner. Nurkic pulled out to block Rondo.

Guo Xu received a pass from Horford and quickly shot a three-pointer at 70 degrees with perfect rhythm. Rondo was a little slow in pursuing the defense. Hibbert did not switch out and the ball went in again. 10 to 8.

The Kings home fans also gave Guo Xu applause. He made 4 of 4 shots in the opening game and scored 10 points in a row.

The Kings attacked, and after Rondo was left open, he did not have the confidence to shoot the second ball in a row and passed it to Harden.

This time Harden changed his Eurostep and hit Booker, threw the ball, took one of Booker's arms, turned around and fell down.

The referee called a defensive foul. Booker excused himself innocently, but the referee ignored the rookie. Watching the video replay on the big screen in the stadium, Harden's actions were so fake that they were very funny.

Harden is Silver's highly praised outside star. He averaged more than 10 free throws per game in the regular season for three consecutive seasons, and it was worse in the playoffs. His breakthrough has reached a level where defenders can put their hands behind their backs, and you may be fouled if you reach out.

Tyronn Lue replaced Booker and replaced him with Seth Curry. He could always understand the boss's intentions. No matter which team he played for or which star he worked with, he knew how to pass the ball to the core better.

Guo Xu doesn't guard Rondo. He is afraid that the Kings will lose too quickly. In this case, Seth should be used. He shoots well and defends poorly. He mainly defends Harden and is just a loser.

Clarkson sighed secretly on the sidelines. This day is really impossible. Last season, he was often the team's first choice for substitutions. Now he is not even the Lakers' sixth man, let alone competing for the best sixth man.

Moreover, Josh Richardson was included in the lineup this time. It seems that the coaching staff thinks it is easy to beat the Kings and is considering letting him play in the garbage time to practice.

Harden made two free throws, 10-10.

Guo Xu missed a three-pointer from long distance after halftime. The Kings counterattacked and Harden also made a three-pointer. Seth failed to block it and the ball also went wide. Nurkic got the rebound and gave it to Seth, who dribbled the ball across half court and passed it to Guo Xu.

Guo Xu was the fastest. He rushed to the three-point line on a single fast break. He took a step after catching the ball and leaned on Rondo on his shoulder to force a layup. 12 to 10.

He practiced playing against Stephen Curry like this in a time loop. He could squeeze the opponent so much that he couldn't jump. He will now incorporate some of the essence of Bajiquan into basketball games, using punch, help, squeeze and lean on defenders. How can a person like Rondo, who relies on instinct for physical confrontation, be able to resist him one-on-one?

Now the only point guard in the league who can withstand Guo Xu's strong attack is probably Lowry, a little steel cannon. Heavy point guards who are too tall will not be able to do it. If they are too slow and have no chance to fight, they will be shaken off.

The Kings' head coach is George Karl, and he doesn't want to call a timeout...