Legend of Tomorrow

? The second game of the Suns VS Lakers continues in Phoenix.

Phil Jackson made targeted arrangements. The players reduced the rhythm of offense and defense transitions, ensured the speed of returning to defense, and kept grinding the position, making it impossible for the Suns to play a smooth running and gun attack. They used zone defense and rotated the defense to double-team Guo Xu, allowing others to shoot.

The fewer offensive rounds will indeed lead to fewer points for the Suns. But the Suns' defense was not bad either. They adopted a similar strategy to guard against OK combinations near the penalty area and let others shoot. The Lakers scored fewer points.

An obvious weakness of the Lakers is the lack of three-point shooting points. When George and Payton are completely misfired from beyond the three-point line, the Lakers can only rely on Fisher and Kobe to shoot three-pointers. However, Fisher didn't play much time, and Kobe preferred to play behind the ball with the ball near the penalty area.

When O'Neal and Kobe Bryant competed for position in the low post, it was quite intense. It was a collision of muscles and a competition for the soul.

Malone wisely went out to cover for his teammates, waited for opportunities in the high post to catch the ball and shoot, and completely gave up on attacking the penalty area.

The two Lakers fighting for position and the Suns' defenders just made up a table of mahjong. If Malone goes to the low post, he will be playing at a high level...

In the second half, Diop did a good job of defending O'Neal alone when he came on the court. Kobe was constantly pestered by the three major swingmen, and they all shot at people. The Lakers' offensive efficiency was too low.

No one is perfect, and Guo Xu, who cheated and leveled up three times in the time loop, is no exception.

He became a blacksmith this time, making 5 of 15 shots, 1 of 7 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals. Fortunately, Guo Xu can adjust and reduce his shots. He will not become an undercover player even if he hits the iron 10 times. If his shots are not accurate, he will focus on breakthroughs, attracting defensive points and assisting teammates.

If players hit the iron and take too many shots, it will be difficult to win. Kobe played 47 minutes in this game, making 11 of 27 shots, 0 of 4 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, 24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 turnovers.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Kobe left a famous quote when evaluating Deron Williams. Compared with 0-for-9 shots, I would rather make 0-for-30 shots. Stop shooting if you don't make 9 shots, which means you are defeated by yourself. And I will keep shooting until I make the shot. I won't at any time. Losing confidence in yourself.”

Since 2002, Kobe's fearless mentality has become more and more obvious. Today he once again defeated himself, his teammates and the Lakers, and lost to the Suns.

O'Neal made 5 of 9 shots and 2 of 6 free throws. He only had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. The league's recognized No. 1 killer in the low post was actually defended for less than 10 shots.

O'Neal tried to pass the ball with his back, but he couldn't pass it.

Time and time again, I watched Kobe carry the ball to the other side of the low post, turn around and shoot a fadeaway jumper, and then he could grab the rebound.

Zen Master Phil Jackson didn't even call timeouts, letting the players adjust on the court. He knew he couldn't control Kobe, and it would be useless to call him, because the other party wouldn't listen.

People with a 40% shooting rate and people with a 60% shooting rate compete for the ball. Is this caused by low golf IQ? Kobe didn't even talk to Malone or O'Neal in the locker room. He just didn't want to pass the ball and wanted to prove that he could win by relying on his personal ability.

Both the media and the fans said that Kobe was not as good as Guo Xu when evaluating the players of the two teams, which deeply stimulated him. Kobe's desire to get better data than Guo Xu in this game is as important as leading the team to win independently.

In the end, the Suns defeated the Lakers 93-78, leading the total score 2-0.

Although they lost even more miserably on the court, the Lakers players still worked hard and the group of people played together fairly well. After this loss, everyone on the Lakers was too lazy to speak except Kobe, who had an unparalleled desire to win.

At the press conference, O'Neal's way of answering questions became like Joe Johnson's, jumping out word by word. Payton and Malone were also perfunctory in their interviews.

Phil Jackson bluntly said that someone on the team was too selfish, preventing the team from cooperating, and said that the Suns were the better team.

The series is still in progress, and it hurts the coach's morale to say such things, but Jackson has no worries. He has seen through that it is impossible for the Lakers to eliminate the Suns. Even if the players feel bad, the Suns players can play according to the tactics arranged by the coach and will not mess around. The division of labor on the court has always been clear.

How can a team like the Lakers, with its players fighting on their own and relying solely on one-on-one scoring, beat the Suns as a united team?

In Guo Xu's previous life, the Lakers lost to the Pistons like this. Even if the Eagle County Incident did not happen, Kobe's character would not change. He wanted to be the boss and the strongest player in the NBA. He's more independent and wants to take on more tasks because he doesn't have to fly to Colorado for court appearances and has more energy.

What you envy is what you want.

What you say you are jealous of is what you want but can't get.

Jealousy led Kobe down the wrong path step by step...

Of course, the media will not say anything good about Kobe when reporting on the game. Some people on the Internet have put forward the theory that Kobe is a cancer. No matter how you look at it, Kobe doesn't look like the core, and Jordan looks lonely, but he can win.

The popularity of this series has dropped a bit. Fans don't think the Lakers can reverse the situation and advance. People online began to discuss how the Lakers will break up in the summer.

After this game, the NBA regular season awards were announced, and the most talked about award was naturally the MVP.

Guo Xu defeated Garnett and successfully retained the title. He set three new records for the title this season and became the first player in NBA history to be unanimously elected as the MVP.

With the best record in the league, the best statistics, and the terrifying age of less than 23 years old, everyone feels that it is unreasonable not to vote for Guo Xu. It is abnormal for anyone else to get a vote, even if that person is playing at the peak of his career. Garnett of data.

Guo Xu's performance is comparable to that of several NBA legends. Even if he retires after this season, his honors will be enough to be elected to the Hall of Fame. It would be impossible for him to wait for the start of the home game to accept the award and simply say a few words of reflection. Even if he wanted to do so, the Suns management and media would not agree.

Before heading to Los Angeles, Guo Xu held a grand press conference at the American Airlines Arena, displayed the MVP trophy and accepted interviews from reporters from all sides.

Guo Xu talked about his feelings and said: I know many people find this unbelievable, but I was mentally prepared to receive the award after playing the regular season. I just didn't expect that it would be unanimously approved. All the players who have won the MVP award in the past have All are legends, all are household names, and I’m happy that I’m one of them now.”

His opening remarks made big news. He won the MVP for consecutive years at the age of 22 and bluntly said I am a legend. This has never happened in NBA history.

What Guo Xu said is true, otherwise reporters from all over the world would not have rushed to Phoenix to interview him today. In the first four seasons of his career, he deserved the adjective legend more than anyone else.

Next, Guo Xu thanked his teammates, coaches, management, family, friends, and everyone related to him.

He also thanked his sponsors and said that he would be happy when he made more money, and he would perform better when he was happy.

He also thanked God for giving him super talent and was lucky enough to not suffer a major injury in four seasons.

I think we're absolutely in the right direction right now, heading towards being remembered as one of the greatest teams in history, and we're only one championship away from being perfect this season, and then we're going to compete for a championship. . My mood is exciting because my career has just begun, and this will definitely not be my last MVP trophy.