Legend of Tomorrow

On the 15th, the Suns challenged another Texas powerhouse, the Spurs, in back-to-back away games.

The two sides played overtime, and the Suns lost the game 104 to 110.

Rookie players have a common weakness, which is that they don't know how to distribute their physical strength, which will cause them to hit the rookie wall. Yesterday, the Suns' newcomers ran wild all over the court, and their form declined significantly in back-to-back games.

Stoudemire scored 16 points and 10 rebounds, shooting only 40% from the field; Nene had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and a shooting percentage of 60%. He was badly abused by Duncan, and he committed 6 fouls in 26 minutes of play.

Duncan played 51 minutes, making 16 of 25 shots and 6 of 6 free throws. He scored 38 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocks, a near-triple double.

People say that Duncan reached his peak when he debuted. In fact, Stone Buddha has become significantly stronger in the past two years. He led the Spurs to achieve outstanding results with a single core. This season, he averaged 23 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks per game.

David Robinson, one of the Spurs' twin towers, averaged less than 10 points per game this season and will retire after this season.

The Spurs' second-leading scorer is second-year point guard Tony Parker, who averages 15+5 per game and is often scolded by Popovich.

The bald Pampas Vulture Ginobili is just a rookie this year, coming off the bench and averaging 7+2 per game.

Of course, the Spurs also had surprises. Stephen Jackson, who signed a two-year basic salary in 2001, averaged 12 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and performed well on both offense and defense.

In the summer, the Spurs also re-signed swingman Bruce Bowen at a low salary. Although his scoring ability is poor, his accurate three-pointers from the corner and his candy-like defense make the Spurs' perimeter impregnable.

Also playing team basketball, the Spurs focused on defense. They restrained the Suns tactically, but could not guard against Guo Xu, so the strength of the two teams was not very different, and the score was very close.

Guo Xu made 14 of 26 shots, 4 of 10 three-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws. He scored 38 points and 12 assists, almost achieving back-to-back 40+10 games. He completely overwhelmed Spurs second-year rookie Tony Parker, who made only 3 of 18 shots, 2 of 5 three-pointers, 7 of 9 free throws, and only scored 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

Parker is in poor condition, and Popovich must let him play, because his speed can keep up with Guo Xu, and his height can also interfere with shooting. When substitute guard Speedy Claxton comes on, there is nothing he can do against Guo Xu.

Speedy is in the same grade as Guo Xu. He was the No. 20 pick in the first round of 2000. He was injured and reimbursed in his rookie season. At that time, scouts thought he was much better than Guo Xu. However, his shooting percentage was poor with the 76ers last season.

Poor assist ability, defensive black hole. So the 76ers management gave up on him and traded him to the Spurs.

Guo Xu's breakthroughs and shots couldn't be stopped by Speedy. He only played 4 minutes in the game. He couldn't help the team in a tough battle.

Although the Suns suffered their 15th defeat of the season, Guo Xu still ranked third in the MVP rankings, second only to Duncan and Nowitzki. Many people now believe that Guo Xu and Duncan are superstars of the same level. Just the way of leading the team is different.

Duncan is the core on both offense and defense, while Guo Xu has super offensive power and can drive the entire team's offense.

The Suns returned to Phoenix for three days to recuperate, and then began another road trip to the Eastern Conference.

In the game against the Hornets, the two sides staged a fierce battle. The score was tied at 114 in regular time, and then two overtimes were played to determine the outcome. The Suns won 140 to 133.

Six members of the Suns team scored in double figures, and four scored 20+ points. Guo Xu was in a sluggish state, hitting 1 of 8 three-pointers, hitting 15 irons in total, shooting 33.3% from the field, and scored 25 points and 15 assists.

Joe Johnson performed very reliably, scoring 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. In the last 6 seconds of regular time, he faced Baron Davis and hit a valuable equalizing three-pointer.

The Suns' defensive weakness once again emerged. The offense could score, but it couldn't prevent it. Especially when the opponent also counterattacked, the defense missed people in various ways.

The offensive power of the Hornets players is good, with the trident of Baron Davis, David Wesley, and Jamal Marsh on the outside, and the combination of Magloire and P.J. Brown on the inside. The overall standard of the Hornets is that they will have no problem entering the playoffs, but it will be difficult to go far.

One day later, the Suns vs. the Magic, Guo Xu scored 24 points, 17 assists and 5 steals, leading five players in the team to score in double figures, and 4 players to score 20+, winning 117-107.

McGrady scored a game-high 41 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. The Magic's second-highest scorer was Shawn Kemp, who scored 22 points. Relying on McGrady's efforts, the Magic and Suns reached the fourth quarter.

Grant Hill was seriously injured again and the Magic management became a complete laughing stock.

Since letting Shark O'Neal go, the Magic have never had good luck. Except for Tracy McGrady, the high-paying signings are all made of glass, as if they were cursed.

Xu Jicheng joked during the live broadcast of the game: You expect Hill to save the team? Hill is not on the operating table now, but on his way to the operating table.

Somewhat ironic, but true. Hill's big contract also locked up all the Magic's salary space. In 2000, he signed a seven-year, $93 million contract with the Magic, which did not expire until 2007. This is terrible.

After the game, Guo Xu rarely praised his teammates, but conducted some self-examination, saying that including himself, the Suns players were too lax on the defensive end, which was very bad.

We can't go on like this. It's forgivable that players have shortcomings and can't guard, but we have to concentrate. Otherwise, no matter how good our offense is, we won't be able to go far in the playoffs. The newcomers don't know the defensive strength of each team in the playoffs. It will improve and the confrontation will be more intense, but I know this, they must be mentally prepared in advance, and I must lead by example and defend seriously.”

It's not too late for Guo Xu to say this now, the situation is slightly better than when Nash joined in 2004. Once rookies develop the habit of not defending, it will be difficult to change in the future.

In the previous life, the Suns were the pioneers of the small ball era. The team had an offense as smooth as the future Warriors but failed to win the championship. Their weakness is poor defense and some strange personnel changes in the Suns' front office.

Kerr and Gentry, who later coached the Warriors, were the general managers and coaches of the Suns, so they were able to combine the Suns' successful regular season experience with the lessons of their playoff failures to achieve the glory of the Warriors. Guo Xu has seen the future warriors. If you want to succeed, you must attack and defend firmly at the same time.

The Suns currently have no thorns and no cancer. When the boss Guo Xu speaks, the young players will listen.

In the next away game against the Heat, the Suns players were much more active on defense, winning by 28 points and easily defeating their opponent. However, the Sun's good defense is directly related to the Heat's poor overall strength.

Heat's former star center Alonzo Mourning is out for the season due to kidney disease. Outside core Eddie Jones is also missing due to injury. Second-round pick Rasu Butler has become the starter. Malik Ah, who entered the NBA undrafted last season. Lun is also a starter.

The person who benefited the most from the team was No. 10 rookie Caron Butler. He got a lot of shots and unexpectedly became the Heat's second scorer. Without Jones, he is the Heat's first scoring point. He is weak and his shooting percentage is not high. Marion can handle him alone.

The Suns returned to Phoenix with a three-game winning streak. The next four games are all at home, and the schedule is more comfortable.

Guo Xu and Avril Lavigne often chat online and have become friends. The time they agreed to meet has come...

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