Legend of Tomorrow

Before the start of this year's NBA Finals, the major media were surprisingly quiet. They didn't know how to hype up this unsolved finals.

In previous years, ESPN would hire a team of experts to analyze the lineups of the two teams and predict the outcome of the game. This event is gone this year. Everyone knows that the Lakers will win the championship, so why do experts need to predict it?

On the Internet, the media did not launch relevant voting, and everyone would vote for the Lakers to win the championship. How can a team with 56 wins in the regular season beat a team with 100 wins?

Only two people on the 76ers have experience in the finals, Millsap and Gallinari. They were not the core of the team when they entered the finals, and were just role players.

The only suspense in the game is whether the Lakers can maintain their unbeatable record, and the media will not use this as a gimmick to promote. This will only make the fans feel that there is a big gap in strength between the two sides, and they will be even more lazy to watch the game. They can just pay attention to the news after the game.

On June 1, the first battle between the two sides started at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The result was as expected. The Lakers took the lead at the beginning and easily beat the 76ers.

The Lakers' lineup is very targeted. The starting lineup is Guo Xu, Booker, Durant, Tucker, and Horford.

Adams came off the bench, because the 76ers' inside players rarely attack the basket. They like to pull out to support the offense and help the defenders break through, and win the ball by combining inside and outside.

It was more difficult for Adams to face Jokic in the regular season. Jokic can shoot and cut, so he has to send someone with high mobility to guard him. Horford is the most suitable. Jokic is a technical player and lacks explosive power. Horford can withstand low-post attacks.

Horford and Tucker are much better at preventing pick-and-rolls than Adams. Kemba Walker, Will Barton, and Russell are not so easy to break through when looking for cover.

On the offensive end, all five Lakers starters can shoot three-pointers, and the formation is very open. No matter who double-teams Guo Xu on the 76ers, there will be an opening. If they don't double-team, Guo Xu can single out Walker in positional battles and counterattacks.

Walker is 185cm tall and weighs 83kg. He is a strong offensive and defensive player. He has very good physical fitness, fast speed, and can shoot suddenly. On the defensive end, he always runs tirelessly and is full of fighting spirit.

Among point guards, Walker's defensive ability is above average, and he performed very well against Lillard, Wall, and Bledsoe. But his fighting spirit alone is not enough to defend Guo Xu. Guo Xu is stronger, shoots more accurately, and has many unreasonable goals in one-on-ones.

Walker's close-fitting effect is poor.

Guo Xu could knock him away and force a breakthrough. Although the two were about the same weight, Guo Xu's strength was clearly superior. He would dribble the ball towards Walker, opening the way with his elbow or dribbling from behind to change direction. Walker would be unable to stop him from breaking through if he stepped back slightly.

If Walker is far away from Guo Xu and mainly defends against breakthroughs, Guo Xu can make a three-pointer by dribbling under the crotch outside the three-point line and stepping back to face people.

Walker can also use these techniques, but they are not very powerful when used against Guo Xu, or in other words, there is no power at all.

He couldn't push Guo Xu away with his concealed elbow. Guo Xu was not afraid of pain and would keep his center of gravity. He had developed a habit in fighting practice. If Walker increases the intensity of his elbow strikes, the referee will blow the whistle if Guo Xu stumbles.

The first player in the league can elbow an ordinary star like Walker, but Walker's elbow on Guo Xu is a foul. Don't underestimate this kind of star whistle. Use small moves in breakthroughs. If you add up, the star may average 5-10 more points per game.

It is much more difficult for people without whistles to break through. Kobe's shooting percentage is getting lower and lower. His age is only one aspect, and the other is that the league does not support him. There is a huge gap between Kobe who clears the way with his elbow and Kobe who makes a foul with his elbow. At most, he only has 70% strength left.

Walker can also shoot against Guo Xu. The two are about the same height. As long as they grasp the rhythm well, it will be difficult to block the opponent's shot. But Walker's hitting rate is far behind, and he is a poor man's version of Guo Xu.

When two people go head-to-head, the 76ers will definitely suffer. Walker's organizational skills are not as good as Guo Xu's. He is a scoring-oriented point guard with average passing awareness, similar to Lillard.

Guo Xu used two styles of one-on-one in the middle and one-on-one on the side to attract double teams and then distribute the ball. The 76ers could not defend well throughout the game.

Last season, Carter and Guo Xu were able to sweep the Nets when they were responsible for catching and shooting from one side. Now it is Durant who has no weaknesses. His open shots are more accurate, he can play in isolation when someone is guarding him, and his mid-range shooting percentage in the playoffs has remained steady at around 50%.

The 76ers strictly guard against the two stars, which will inevitably leave room for role players. Tucker and Booker both have high catch-and-shoot percentages.

Horford is characterized by his stable performance, similar statistics in every game, and reasonable playing style. He can break out and shoot and looks like a big small forward.

Of course, outsiders say that the Lakers have been invincible in the past two seasons because Horford is a super giant, which is overestimating him. His main offensive ability is lacking and he has no unique skills. If he is the boss and leads the team, he will definitely not be able to lead the team.

In the first game, the Lakers beat the Lakers 135-104 by 31 points. Guo Xu scored a huge double-double with 30 points and 21 assists.

Guo Xu didn't take many shots, his shooting percentage exceeded 70%, and he made 10 free throws, all of which were amazingly efficient. He broke through and provided assists again and again, and six members of the Lakers team scored in double figures.

In the second game, the 76ers and Lakers fought hard offensively, man-to-man on the defensive end, and planned to win by offensive efficiency. This was a dream.

After three quarters, everyone in the 76ers regretted it. Guo Xu scored 61 points, 4 assists, and hit 10 three-pointers. The 76ers also failed to limit the Lakers' overall offense. The two stars took turns playing singles to ensure offensive efficiency. The Lakers led by 25 points.

Walker and Russell at No. 1 were taken turns being abused by Guo Xu. The young coach did not consider letting the Spanish veteran Rodriguez play. The Spanish veteran Rodriguez was even more difficult to guard when he played and could only be a pure marginal player.

In the final quarter, Guo Xu played for more than 4 minutes, scoring 70 points and 5 assists before taking a break, setting a personal single-game scoring record in the NBA Finals. The Lakers defeated the 76ers 131-107, leading the total score 2-0.

After the game, no one said that Guo Xu had improved his statistics. Elgin Baylor didn't rest at all when he set a single-game scoring record, and the Lakers have never won a championship under his leadership.

The 76ers could not make up for the gap in strength between the two sides when they returned home. In the regular season, they struggled with the Lakers in one game, and they played very well, but now they can't find that state.

It was just a regular season game. Young players dared to perform without pressure and did not need to consider the consequences of losing. It's the finals now, and they are all burdened with the mentality of wanting to win but afraid of losing.

It is easy for young players to have mental problems and not be able to display their normal strength. They didn't know how to adjust, and everyone, including Jokic, was affected.

They read the news online and knew one thing. Once the 76ers are swept, they will be recorded in history together with the Lakers. 100 years from now, some people will say, The Lakers swept the 76ers and won the championship in 2017.

If you think about it this way, it seems that reaching the finals is not a good thing. As Kobe said, the runner-up is the biggest loser.

Guo Xu will not be polite to the 76ers. He played in the finals as easily as usual, giving full play to his skills without any psychological pressure. He has won too many championships. It’s just one more honor. Why should he be nervous?

Durant tried his best. He had waited for the finals for too long. He entered the league in 2007. This is the 10th season of his career. After ten years of hard work, it is time to win the championship.

The two superstars led the team and continued to defeat a team composed of ordinary stars. In the third game, the Lakers won by 52 points.

In the fourth game, the 76ers players felt desperate. Their shooting percentage was not high and they were unable to create any threat to the Lakers. They were defeated by 43 points and were swept.

The game where we lost by 24 points was the smallest point difference between the two sides. There was such a disparity in strength...