Legend of Tomorrow

On the evening of the 30th, the Sun American Airlines Center was packed with seats, and the number of spectators reached the maximum capacity of the arena.

This event was broadcast live across the United States on TNT and China's CCTV5. The Suns won the attention of Chinese fans with their super strength. Guo Xu also received a lot of support. The number of live broadcasts in China is second only to the Rockets.

The Rockets performed well in the opening game yesterday, beating the Nuggets 106-80.

Yao Ming made 8 of 12 shots and 7 of 8 free throws. He scored a team-high 25 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. He completely overwhelmed Nuggets center Marcus Camby, who made 2 of 7 shots and only scored 4 points and 4 rebounds. 2 blocks.

Without Nene, the Nuggets' inside strength has declined significantly. Camby is 211cm tall and weighs only 107kg. He relies on his height, long arms and excellent jumping to help defend and block shots, but his body is not strong enough and his defensive ability in the penalty area is generally prone to injuries.

Once Camby gets into foul trouble or gets injured, the Nuggets don't have a qualified inside man to play center.

When the players were warming up, Barkley said: The biggest highlight today is that the stars are soaring in points. Jason is in great shape at the start of the game. There is a big gap in strength between the Cavaliers and the Suns. I hope they can withstand it and not enter garbage time in the third quarter again.

Kenny Smith said: The Cavaliers don't seem weak if you just look at the lineup, but they don't get along well and lack coordination. The No. 1 pick LeBron James must organize the offense well, and Jason has a lot to learn from.

The starting players of both sides stood on the court, and there was no tense atmosphere.

Guo Xu took the initiative to greet James. I watched the video of your last game. You played very well. You will definitely become a star in the future. Come on.

Thank you. James smiled and then fell silent. He had an inexplicable hostility towards Guo Xu.

Maybe it's because Guo Xu has done too many things. He is handsome and unrestrained. He usually sings, dances and acts in movies, but he can still play basketball well. He even did the opening ceremony so well that it was popular and able to arouse the enthusiasm of the fans. James felt from the bottom of his heart... This kind of guy who pretends to be fake by spreading magnesium powder shouldn't exist.

Suns five: Guo Xu, Laga Bell, Marion, Stoudemire, Nene.

Cavaliers five: James, Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Carlos Boozer, Ilgauskas.

Since the Cavaliers start with a big man lineup, the two inside men can also pull out the mid-range shot, and Nene, who has height and speed, starts.

Barkley was very happy when he saw the lineup. This game is great to watch. James plays point guard.

I wonder if the Suns will let Jason play against him?

Smith laughed and said: The size difference between the two is too big. Jason is a head shorter, but James is also difficult to defend. This is a purely natural mismatch.

The two sides fought for the ball, but Stoudemire didn't even jump and went straight back to defense, which was a very awkward choice. In fact, earning the ball is not very important in NBA games. Each side has two opportunities to attack first in the fourth quarter.

James dribbled the ball to the side, and it turned out that Guo Xu was the main defender. Guo Xu also lowered his center of gravity and looked only 160cm tall.

This height difference makes all Suns fans sweat for Guo Xu. Is there something wrong with the coaching arrangement? Can this be prevented?

D'Antoni has no choice. If Guo Xu doesn't guard James, he will have to guard Davis, a shooting guard who is 198cm tall. Darius, the starting small forward, is 206cm tall, and the gap is even greater.

Guo Xu let James go two steps away to prevent breakthroughs but not shots. He knew that his weight of less than 80 kilograms could not carry James, and he would be asking for trouble if he went up to get close to him.

James is 203cm tall and weighs 111 kilograms from the side. His strength in his rookie season was first-rate in the league. His weakness is his poor shooting and he mainly relies on breakthroughs.

James hesitated for a moment from outside the three-point line and did not shoot. He forced a breakthrough with the ball. Guo Xu followed and retreated. Nene and Marion retreated to the penalty area to help defend.

When James saw that the breakthrough route was blocked, he passed the ball to the senior who has played in the Cavaliers for the longest time, center Big Z.

Big Z pulled up to the high post, received the ball and made a mid-range shot, making a steady two-pointer, 0-2.

Big Z is a very unfortunate player, a talented 221CM center. When he first entered the league, his mobility and wingspan were better than Yao Ming. He struggled with injuries early in his career, missing a total of 217 games in his first four seasons. Frequent injuries and surgeries have ruined him. Now his movement speed has become slower, and his playing time is strictly controlled by the coaching staff. His internal and external statistics are pretty good, but he is not dominant.

When the Suns attacked, James showed his rookie side. Just after halftime, he chose to press Guo Xu, thinking that his high school defensive method would work in the NBA.

Guo Xu's center of gravity is very low, and the height of dribbling the ball is below his knees. It is impossible for a person over two meters tall to break the ball in his hand unless he sneaks up on him from the side or behind. He saw the opportunity and swatted the ball with his left hand through James' crotch, then turned sideways and accelerated away, sprinted two steps and picked up the basketball in front of the three-point line.

Immediately afterwards, he changed direction and accelerated to face the defending Boozer. He swung out half of his body and passed a high ball to Stoudemire. The latter made an air cut from the left and jumped up, and then dunked the ball with one hand. . 2 to 2.

As soon as Stoudemire rushed up, Big Z couldn't do anything to retreat to the basket, and he didn't even have time to take off.

The fans applauded, and the big screen in the stadium showed a slow-motion replay. CCTV5's Zhang Li smiled and said: Guo Xu taught the little champion a lesson at the beginning. It is better not to take big steps when defending against small ones. It is faster than lateral movement. You definitely can’t win if you’re too tall.”

He is a little emperor, not a little champion. Xu Jicheng corrected the mistake with a smile. Since joining the league, Guo Xu has had a lot of crotch-crossing attempts, which has greatly damaged the opponent's confidence.

The Cavaliers attacked. James passed the ball to Davis after halftime. The latter singled out Bell, held the ball and changed direction to make a jump shot. Under severe interference, Nene grabbed the backcourt rebound and started the game with a pass. Fight back.

Guo Xu dribbled the ball forward quickly, and James quickly followed up when he returned to defense, but his teammates couldn't catch up. Stoudemire and Boozer were running two steps apart. Guo Xu hit the ground between the two and passed it to Stoudemire on the right, who scored with a one-handed smash.

4 to 2, Guo Xu’s second assist.

The Cavaliers attacked, and James forced a breakthrough with the ball. He was double-teamed by Stoudemire, Guo Xu, and Marion near the penalty area.

Even James, who is at his peak, must stay away when encountering these three people, just like the three heroes fighting Lu Bu. He took advantage of the situation to distribute the ball, and Darius was left open on the right side. He had a good opportunity to shoot a three-pointer.

Darius was the third overall pick in the 2000 draft. He was once known as the KG II back then. Now everyone just laughs when they hear this statement. The gap is really not that big. Even if he is not injured, it is difficult to score in double figures. .

Three seasons later, Darius is still the kind of neither three nor four player with no clear positioning. He has insufficient confrontation ability as a power forward, average breakthrough skills and shooting ability as a small forward, and he is not good at guarding either position on the defensive end.

In the Suns' position battle, Stoudemire provided Guo Xu with a screen in the middle to block James. Guo Xu broke through to the right, attracting Boozer to switch defense. Stoudemire turned around and cut in the air. James followed Stoudemire and switched defense.

Guo Xu suddenly stopped in the corner and half-turned and passed the ball to the outside center. The ball was not covered on the left side to help Bell completely get rid of it. Davis was not active in pursuing the defense, and Big Z did not switch out.

It is impossible for Big Z to go to the top of the arc to cover the outside line. Then the Cavaliers' defense in the penalty area will be weakened, and faster defenders will be able to pass him with the ball.

Bell received the ball and made a solid three-pointer with an open jump shot, 7-2, Guo Xu's third assist.