Legend of Tomorrow

Suns starting lineup: Guo Xu, Joe Johnson, Marion, Stoudemire, Nene.

Mavericks starting lineup: Nash, Adrian Griffin, Finley, Nowitzki, LaFrentz.

Nene won easily with a jump ball and accurately passed the ball to Guo Xu. Guo Xu missed the ball in the midfield and directly passed it to the frontcourt with both hands.

Marion cut away from Finley at full speed on the right side, took the ball and leaped up in two steps, then dunked the ball in with one hand. 2 to 0.

Zhang Lijia sighed: It was too fast. Guo Xu launched a fast break just after the kick-off and scored in less than three seconds.

Xu Jicheng said: LaFrentz is not in good health. He can't jump high and can't quickly return to the basket to protect the penalty area. Nowitzki also didn't react.

The Mavericks attacked, Nash and LaFrentz played a pick-and-roll in the middle, Nene and Guo Xu double-teamed Nash, the latter passed the ball to the center, and LaFrentz hit a high jumper. 2 to 2.

When the Suns attacked, Guo Xu and Stoudemire played a pick-and-roll in the middle. After attracting Nowitzki to switch defenses and Nash to pursue the defense, they passed the ball to the middle. Stoudemire returned an open shot. 4 to 2.

After several passes by the Mavericks players, Adrian missed a layup on a baseline cut. Nowitzki grabbed the offensive rebound and easily put the layup in the penalty area. 4 to 4.

After Guo Xu hit the pick-and-roll, he broke through and separated from the outside. Joe Johnson relied on no-ball cover and ran to catch the ball without shooting. He took a step to attract LaFrentz's defense and then distributed to Nene, who was cutting from the side. Griffin pulled and fouled. Nene One of two free throws. 5 to 4.

The Mavericks cooperated in the position battle. Nash relied on LaFrentz to cover his movement without the ball, and received a pass from Finley and hit a three-pointer from the left. 5 to 7.

Although the coaching staff of both teams emphasized the need for solid defense before the game, they failed to defend their opponents.

Guo Xu soon began to show his advantages. Regardless of positional battles or counterattacks, he could directly challenge Nash with the ball, and double-teaming would create gaps. After the pick-and-roll, it was difficult for the Mavericks to keep up with his speed if the two inside players were misaligned.

The Mavericks' weakness in guarding the pick-and-roll has always been a weakness of the Mavericks. Otherwise, in Guo Xu's previous life, the Mavericks would have won the championship in 2006. As a result, the defense was turned into a sieve by Wade alone.

Both are nicknamed The Flash. Although Guo Xu's overall physical fitness is not as good as Wade's at the peak, his shooting is much better than Wade's. Both of them have their own strengths and can tear apart the Mavericks' defense.

He made 5 of 8 shots in the first quarter, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 3 of 3 free throws, and scored 14 points, 3 assists, and 1 steal; Nash made 3 of 6 shots and 1 of 3 three-pointers.

Scored 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

On the defensive end, Guo Xu's performance is also better than Nash. If his teammates don't cover, Nash can't get rid of Guo Xu based on his personal ability. Almost all of his shots are emergency stop jumpers after the pick-and-roll, using Stoudemire and Nene to switch defenses half a beat later. Time difference.

In the No. 4 position competition, Nowitzki completely suppressed Stoudemire. Stoudemire only played less than 5 minutes before he fouled twice and took a break. He scored 2 points and 1 rebound.

The Suns led 30 to 23 in the first quarter.

The Mavericks had the upper hand in the second quarter. Finley and Van Exel performed well as substitutes. Substitute swingman Lagar Bell not only limited Jacobson, but also scored 4 points himself.

The score was tight after both teams returned from the starting lineup, with the Mavericks leading by one point at the end of the first half.

Bell was a recruiting target of the Suns last summer, but he chose the Mavericks, who seemed to be stronger.

Bell now regrets that Nelson did not give him a chance to perform at all. He just asked him to be a blue-collar responsible for outside defense. 4 points was already considered a super performance. He averaged 15 minutes per game this season and only had 3 points and 2 rebounds.

In the third quarter, Guo Xu showed off his strength and scored 16 points and 3 assists on sudden shots. He scored a total of 35 points, 2 rebounds and 8 assists. His data was again at 4,010. He must have continued to play in the final quarter, because the two teams were tied at 87.

Nash is also in good condition today, his shooting percentage is not inferior to Guo Xu, and he may score 30 in a single game, but he did not put much pressure on Guo Xu on the defensive end, and his words before the game were in vain.

No matter how abnormal the opponent's point guard is in terms of physical fitness and offensive ability, Nash will always stay close to him without hesitation, try his best to block breakthroughs and interfere with shooting. His attitude is worthy of recognition.

Nash is underestimated on the defensive end. He can guard some defenders and is always very active and energetic. At his peak, his defensive level can reach the league average at the 1st position.

It's a pity that Nash's efforts were of no use to Guo Xu. Guo Xu could force a layup in a one-on-one challenge, but he couldn't block it when he turned around and shot. When encountering a pick-and-roll, Nash is even less likely to stop the two beasts of the Suns from cutting inside, and can only pursue defense.

The defensive weaknesses of Guo Xu and Nash are basically the same. They are short and can't block shots. They are better than Nash in confrontation, but they can't help when they are misplaced and unable to cut or shoot inside. Guo Xu's advantage is that he is faster than Nash in chasing defenders, which can reduce the opponent's mismatched attack opportunities.

In this regard, he is very similar to the future Mad Dog Beverley. Regardless of whether he can prevent the opponent from shooting, he can at least keep his position and constantly interfere around him.

The points difference between the two sides has never been widened. The Mavericks' three powerful offensive points are difficult to defend in a one-on-one challenge. The Suns mainly rely on Guo Xu to attack with the ball.

Marion reduced Finley's shooting percentage, and Nowitzki and Nash's shooting percentages were both very high. Coach Nelson did not make a mistake in this game by letting Nash and Van Exel play as two defenders on the outside for a long time. Griffin is a strong blue-collar outside player and did a good job guarding Joe Johnson.

The score remained deadlocked until the last three minutes. When the stars came to duel, the difference in strength at position 1 became even more obvious.

The tactic arranged by the Suns is for Guo Xu to challenge Nash alone, and the others wait for opportunities to catch the ball. Guo Xu does not need to pass the ball as long as he does not encounter double teams. The Mavericks' tactic was for Nowitzki to single out Nene, attract double-teams and then pass the ball.

In three rounds, Guo Xu hit two mid-range shots and a three-pointer. Nelson directly replaced Nash and replaced Van Exel as the main defender.

Nowitzki was frustrated when he singled out Nene and made 0 of 2 shots. He attracted Joe Johnson to double-team and then split the ball. Griffin's open mid-range shot also missed the basket.

It is not surprising that Nene became the only remaining rookie in the NBA's 2002 class in 2018. He moves very fast and is strong enough to withstand Nowitzki. He is not like Stoudemire who likes to jump around. He is good at personal defense and interfering with shooting, and does not pursue blocking data.

Nowitzki is about the same height as Nene, and his shooting percentage was affected by interference. At this time, he had not yet mastered the unique skill of Golden Rooster Independence. He mostly attacked from behind the frame and had obvious weaknesses.

Nowitzki played a pick-and-roll in the next round. Van Exel diverted the ball away from Nene. Nowitzki faced Guo Xu and scored in the mid-range shot.

Guo Xu immediately retaliated, playing a pick-and-roll with Nene, changing directions and passing LaFrentz, attracting Nowitzki to defend and then score the ball, assisting Marion for an easy layup.

The Mavericks made an offensive error. Griffin's pass was intercepted by Marion. Hacker succeeded in a fast break dunk, widening the point difference to 11 points and sealing the victory.

The Suns finally won 116-106, proving their strength by defeating the league's top spot.

Guo Xu played 44 minutes, making 17 of 30 shots, 6 of 12 three-pointers, 7 of 8 free throws, scoring 47 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists and 1 steal.

Nash played 41 minutes and hit the ground running in the final quarter. He made a total of 10 of 25 shots, 5 of 12 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, and scored 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

Nash intended to compete with Guo Xu in this game and took many shots. As a result, Guo Xu won completely.

Nash is not good at playing like this. He wants to perform too much, which leads to poor offensive connection of the Mavericks. Although five players scored in double figures, most of them were singles with the ball.

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