Legend of Tomorrow

The Lakers' starting five: Brian Shaw, Kobe Bryant, Fox, Grant, O'Neal.

SuperSonics starting lineup: Payton, Emmanuel Davis, Rashard Lewis, Jelani McCoy, Patrick Ewing.

After the game started, Payton and Kobe faced off.

The task of guarding Brian Shaw is relatively simple. It is handed over to Emmanuel, who is 193cm tall and weighs 88kg. This is a pseudo-starter. He is 32 years old and entered the NBA without the draft. His physical fitness is average and his only specialty is catching and shooting.

Last season, Emmanuel only played 13 minutes per game for the SuperSonics, contributing 4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He shot 36.4% from the field and 30.1% from the three-point range. It is very impressive for the SuperSonics coach to dare to reuse such a fringe player. Be bold.

The SuperSonics just changed coaches over the weekend. Paul Westphal led the team to a 6-9 start and was fired. He was replaced by 36-year-old young assistant coach Nate McMillan, a guard who had just retired from the SuperSonics for three years.

McMillan's arrangement of the lineup in this way is based on the idea of ​​​​Tianji Horse Racing. Payton and Ewing will not be too ugly in the starting lineup. The strength of the lineup in the second quarter is not much worse than the starting lineup. The Lakers rely on the depth of the lineup to compete.

Payton's offense in the first quarter was average. He made 2 of 7 shots from the field under Kobe's defense and scored 4 points and 3 assists. Kobe also did not perform well offensively against Payton's defense, making 2 of 6 shots and 0 of 2 three-pointers and scoring 4 points. 1 rebound and 2 assists.

Ewing's condition declined seriously and he was no longer able to compete with O'Neal. He only played 3 minutes and committed two fouls before going off the court. Vin Baker, who came off the bench, performed surprisingly well, pulling out to play pick-and-roll, making 4 of 6 shots and scoring 8 points and 4 points. Backboard.

The performer who performed even better was the youngster Lewis. He made 3 of 3 shots against Fox's defense and 1 of 1 three-pointers. He scored 7 points and 2 rebounds in 8 minutes.

Under Payton's organization and scheduling, the Sonics blossomed in many ways, leading 34 to 20 in the first quarter. Only O'Neal scored 10 points for the Lakers and performed well.

Guo Xu replaced Brian Shaw in the last 3 minutes. Under Payton's defense, he missed one shot and failed to score a point. In these three minutes, Kobe failed to score against substitute Reuben Patterson, and it was difficult to catch the ball.

In the second quarter, the OK combination took a break. Guo Xu led the substitutes and had the ball. He mainly used pick-and-roll tactics and had a chance to perform. The other four are Leder, George, Horry, and Greg Foster.

The five Sonics are Shamond Williams, Brent Barry, Desmond Mason, Vin Baker, and Ewing.

This bench lineup looks very strong. Both insiders are well-known former All-Stars. They can pull out mid-range shots and clear the penalty area. Shamond and Barry have stable three-point shooting.

Even Mason, the 17th pick in this year's first round, is not simple. He is 196cm tall, weighs 100kg and is very strong. His shooting is poor, but he has top-notch physical fitness no less than Jason Richardson, and is a key training target for the Sonics.

The SuperSonics took the lead, and Shamond passed the ball to Barry after half-court, and he ran away.

Shamond, who is 185cm tall and weighs 91kg, was the fifth pick in the second round of 1998. As a point guard, he has average organizational skills. His advantage is that he is good at catching and shooting, and occasionally he can play from behind, just like a small man.

Barry and Vin Baker played a pick-and-roll, Horry switched defenses, and Barry passed the ball to Vin Baker, who faced Leder and made a jump shot with a crooked neck. 20 to 36.

The score difference widened to 16 points. SuperSonics fans applauded vigorously. It was not easy to lead the Lakers by a big score. The darkest time for the team after the coaching change seemed to have passed.

When the Lakers attack, Horry is in the right corner, Leder is at 70 degrees on the right, and George is in the left corner. All three are stationed, and Guo Xu and Foster in the middle are playing pick-and-roll.

He dribbled the ball to the right to get rid of Shamond, used his speed to get past the aging Ewing, and got to the basket for a three-step layup.

22 to 36,

Guo Xu opened with ease.

SuperSonics offense, Wen Baker singled out Horry and scored with a low turn and throw on the left, 22 to 38.

When the Lakers attacked, Guo Xu played a pick-and-roll with Foster again, broke through from the left, easily passed Ewing with a change of direction, and made another layup.

24 to 38, Guo Xu scored his fourth personal point.

The physically strong Shamond has average speed and is always half a beat behind when going around screens to pursue defenses. Ewing seems to be slow to react when defending pick-and-rolls. Both of his knees are almost useless and his lateral speed is extremely slow. He is a complete defensive black hole. .

McMillan really wanted to replace Ewing immediately, but the game had just begun and the substitution would hurt the star's self-esteem too much. Moreover, Ewing's annual salary this season is 14 million U.S. dollars, which is 2 million higher than Payton. With such a high value, can he be regarded as a mascot?

Payton was watching his teammates' defense from the sidelines with a look of despair. Even if he went out to face Guo Xu, he was in no mood to talk trash. Guo Xu played very well, but his teammates were rubbish...

When the SuperSonics were attacking, Ewing passed the ball with his back to the right and wanted to return one. He leaned on Foster twice and turned around to shoot a jump shot. I followed my left hand with my right hand in slow motion and replayed it in slow motion with my right hand and left hand. The ball went wide due to severe interference. basket.

Ewing's shot was no longer a jump shot. He just raised his feet. The bunny hop mid-range shot no longer existed. The rebound was grabbed by George and passed to Guo Xu.

Guo Xu stabilized the rhythm and slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. He played a pick-and-roll with Foster again in the middle. This time it became Wen Baker's pick-and-roll switch. He did not save the ball and waited for Guo Xu to break out in the right corner. Chase around the screen from the inside.

Guo Xu saw no one in front of him after moving sideways, and immediately stepped back with his right foot to shoot a three-pointer, and made a hollow hit without anyone interfering.

27 to 38, personal 7th point.

The commentator Joe McDonnell of the Los Angeles Sports Station shouted: Three-pointers! Jason Guo scored 7 points in the second quarter and led the team to continue to narrow the gap.

Partner Charlie Parsley said: Although Jason's performance is not very stable, when he feels good, he is like an All-Star. If he keeps playing like this, I think he will not only be the best rookie, but also the best sixth man this season. he.

Joe smiled and said: The statistics of the sixth man of each team this year are not very impressive, but Jason's role in the Lakers is too obvious. In the history of the NBA, there has never been a situation where the best rookie has also won the best sixth man. Happened, if he wins two awards this season, it will set a new historical record.

This is possible. Guo Xu's only competitors are Tim Thomas of the Bucks, Glenn Rice of the Knicks, and Aaron McGee of the 76ers. Those three scored less than Guo Xu, all in the early 10s, and their shooting percentage was much lower than Guo Xu's.

In the key data competition, only McGee's 5 assists per game are better than Guo Xu's. From all aspects, Guo Xu has a better chance of winning the award.

The Sonics players passed back and forth and there was no open opportunity. As the 24 seconds were approaching, Vin Baker singled out Horry and missed a jumper with a crooked neck. The rebound was grabbed by Leder.

In the Lakers' position battle, Guo Xu and Foster played a pick-and-roll and faced Vin Baker again. Shamond had failed to interfere with the shot just now and did not dare to go around the screen to pursue the defense on the inside. He was firmly blocked by Foster. .

Guo Xu did not make any fake moves. He lowered his center of gravity and relied on speed to break through Wen Baker. He reached the basket and attracted Ewing to cover up the defense. He then distributed the ball to the right corner.

Horry got a big open space, aimed at a three-point shot and scored!

30 to 38, Guo Xu sent an assist and led the team to a 10 to 4 wave. McMillan requested a timeout.