Legend of Tomorrow

Mike Brown had just called a timeout and could not immediately call a second one. The Nets were left to see James' performance.

James broke through with the ball and squeezed Tucker to the basket, attracting Nurkic to defend and then passed the ball to Howard. Howard took action immediately without taking a step. This time, he did not disappoint. He scored two points from close range on the right side. . 19 to 6.

When the Lakers attacked, the Nets began to double-team Guo Xu resolutely. If others could make a shot, just make it. Guo Xu could not be allowed to score any more. None of them wanted to see Guo Xu break his personal single-game historical scoring record in the finals.

Elgin Baylor's 61 points in 1961-62 is an NBA historical record. Guo Xu has already broken the single-game scoring record in the playoffs, but not in the finals.

It's not that Guo Xu doesn't have the ability, but that he doesn't have the time. While playing for the Suns, Guo Xu's opponent in the finals was the Cavaliers led by James five times, and most games ended in the third quarter.

Brown is a coach who is good at setting up defensive systems. Players rotate defensively very quickly. Guo Xu cannot directly provide assists every time he passes the ball. Fortunately, Carter and Horford moved the ball quickly. They moved from the right side to the left corner several times, and Tucker missed the jumper.

Howard grabbed the rebound and passed it to Beverley. James and JR Smith quickly came down to launch a counterattack.

As a result, Beverly was forced into the backcourt by Guo Xu as soon as he made a move and did not leave the three-point line. He was unable to advance quickly with the ball, nor was he able to quickly pass the ball to his teammates in the right position, which delayed his opportunity.

When Beverley joined the Nets, many people were optimistic about him and thought it was a good deal for the Nets to sign him. In fact, his strength was only worth the money. The point guard who averaged the most 3.4 assists per game in four seasons of his career is obviously flawed.

Guo Xu got close to him and asked Beverley to dribble the ball back and then move laterally. After being blocked for two seconds, the chance to counterattack was gone.

Beverley relied on the width of the court to dribble the ball across half court, thinking that it was a success since the ball was not broken. Little did he know that James had already greeted his mother in his heart. Beverly's legs are so thin that he is not qualified to play brother basketball with him.

It is not that easy for James to get a one-on-one opportunity in a positional battle. He can do it from the outside, but he will definitely be double-teamed near the penalty area. Nurkic became the main defensive force today. He had nothing to do near the penalty area and let Howard go many times.

Howard is not a big threat with the ball. As long as Tucker and Nurkic turn around quickly enough, they can foul and send him free throws.

In the first quarter, the Lakers only used this defensive method. Except for James and Howard, the other Nets players did little. James scored 7 points in a single quarter while being double-teamed, and made 1 of 2 three-pointers. Howard scored 6 points and made 2 of 6 free throws.

Howard's performance at the free throw line in this year's playoffs was terrible.

He averaged 2.8 free throws in 7.6 attempts per game, with a shooting percentage of 36.8%. His free throw shooting percentage of 48.9% in the regular season was a personal record low. No one knows what happened to him, and he suddenly couldn't shoot at all.

The Raptors used shark-cutting tactics to win two games. In the two games won by the Nets, the score was very close, and the winner was not decided until the last minute. The Nets only won 56 games in the regular season, one more than the Raptors.

All signs indicate that the Nets' ability to advance to the Finals depends on weak competition in the Eastern Conference. The overall strength of this Nets is much worse than the Big Three Cavaliers in the parallel world, but the Lakers are stronger than the Warriors who won 73 games and were the runner-up in the parallel world in 2016.

Guo Xu scored 19 points and 5 assists in a single quarter, leading the Lakers team to flourish, leading 38-22.

In the second quarter, Guo Xu did not rest and brought substitutes. The other four players were Booker, Carter, Robertson, and Boozer, forming a five-small lineup.

The Nets usually have a lineup with one big team and four small players. The five players in the rotation are Jared Jack, Wade, Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young, and Thomas Robinson.

Looking at the reputation of the players, the Nets are not even a little bit better than the Lakers. Wade used to be the star of the Heat, and Thaddeus Young was the top scorer in a single season with the 76ers. They laid off Italian midfielder Bargnani in the mid-term, and the fringe players are all at the level of Wayne Ellington.

But with Guo Xu in the Lakers, the Nets' luxurious bench lineup can't beat them. The tactic is very simple. The three players spread out, Guo Xu and Boozer play a pick-and-roll, he breaks through with the ball, and Boozer makes a mid-range shot or an air cut.

Guo Xu attracted a double team to score the ball, and his teammates had the opportunity to take a direct shot. If there is no direct chance to take a shot, protect the ball and wait for Guo Xu to pass the ball to create a singles opportunity for him.

Boozer is good at playing pick-and-rolls, and he also has rich experience in the finals. In key games, Tyronn Lue benched young players and cornerstones, giving Boozer a chance to perform.

Boozer is not a black hole on the defensive end. He can just sit near the penalty area and wait for opponents and rebounds. Nets backup big man Thomas Robinson has neither the range nor the post-up skills.

As a quality player, Thomas Robinson is a typical example of wasted talent. His true shooting percentage of 45.3% in the regular season was so poor that it was alarming. He is a restricted free agent after this season, but the Nets will definitely not renew his contract. He can become an important rotation only because the Nets lack good inside substitutes and need him to protect the frame.

Boozer played an important role as a substitute. He caught a ball and scored on a mid-range shot. He also made two free throws during an air cut and made two free throws. The offensive end gave Guo Xu support.

Guo Xu can always attract double teams. He breaks through the 33-year-old Jack just for fun. When he counterattacks, he quickly catches the ball and Wade can't catch up.

Jack is a heavy defender with a height of 191cm and a weight of 91kg. Speed ​​is his weakness, and he is strong in offense and weak in defense.

Wade weighs 100 kilograms and is a heavy defender. His speed has been declining in the past two years and he has begun to develop in the direction of playing with rhythm. On the surface, his statistics are quite comprehensive, but in fact, his efficiency is not good at all. He only averaged 0.1 three-pointers per game in the regular season, which is a tragedy.

The hidden dangers of Pat Riley letting Wade undergo devil training began to emerge. He and Guo Xu are both 34 years old, only two months younger, but they give people the impression of premature aging, which is a common problem among Riley's stars.

If Guo Xu breaks out of his contract this summer, everyone will think that 40 million a year is too little for him. And with Wade's market situation this summer, it is estimated that no team will be willing to pay him a high salary.

The fundamental reason for Wade's decline is of course his too desperate style of play. Wade Slam is very similar to the legendary Seven Injury Fist. It is not so much that it is too lethal, but that it is too violent. It kills one thousand enemies but only damages eight hundred. At the same time, the devilish training culture pursued by Heat godfather Riley is also an important reason for Wade's physical and mental exhaustion.

Since taking charge of the Heat in 1995, Riley's most impressive thing is his frequent shuffles and continuous changes of dressing. Those stars who came to Riley's command either immediately reached the peak of their personal careers (Mourning), or quickly found the second spring of their careers (O'Neal), but this situation could not last long, and the stars quickly became very Injury means illness, and his career suffers a heavy blow.

Mourning, a strong man, suffered from bizarre glomerular necrosis in his fourth year with the Heat; Wade suffered frequent injuries in his fourth year in his career; Hardaway suffered injuries to both knees in his fourth year with the Heat; O'Neal They broke up with Riley in the middle of the Heat's fourth season... In addition to the fact that these people's style of play relies too much on the body, Riley's devilish training is also a problem.

In terms of devil training, Riley has been told many strange stories. He once locked the 39-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a super-high-temperature sauna for 1.5 hours, and once made the magician do 300 boring back-and-forth runs. It was obvious that this man was sick.

When Wade hit three irons in a row under Robertson's defense, everyone knew he would never return to his peak...