Legend of Tomorrow

? Suns starting lineup: Guo Xu, Josh Howard, Joe Johnson, Marion, Stoudemire.

Timberwolves starting lineup: Cassell, Sprewell, Szczerbiak, Garnett, Olavokandi.

Timberwolves veteran Earvin Johnson is 37 years old. His physical fitness has repeatedly declined and he can no longer start.

The Suns arranged small-ball tactics as soon as they came up and did not send in the twin towers. This lineup is currently D'Antoni's favorite. Howard's physical fitness is far better than Bell's, and he is more suitable for fast breaks. He can also hold the ball in singles, but he is only inferior to Bell in three-point and single defense.

D'Antoni wants to focus on developing Howard and let him start occasionally.

Stoudemire went straight back to defense without jumping the ball, and the game began.

The Timberwolves players passed the ball several times. Only Guo Xu followed Cassel, and the other four defended the area.

This is the most suitable defensive system for the Suns' lineup. There are many swingmen, all of whom are about two meters tall. Stoudemire is 208cm tall and has strong mobility and looks like a swingman. The Suns players are not afraid of mismatches. They only double-team the ball holder who breaks through near the penalty area. At other times, the defense area is nearby to interfere with shooting.

This kind of defense saves effort and has a good defensive effect, forcing the opponent to shoot farther from the basket. Three-point shooting will be a major trend in the league in the future, not only because of the magic ball theory, but also because after allowing zone defense, it will be easier for each team to defend the penalty area, and it is easier to be double-teamed when shooting in the low post.

Szczerbiak singled out Joe Johnson, leaned back and turned to shoot, but failed to get out of the space and missed due to interference. The rebound was knocked out by Stoudemire. Marion grabbed the rebound and passed it to Guo Xu, who immediately started Fast break.

Cassell panicked as soon as he saw Guo Xu holding the ball. Just as he had this feeling, Guo Xu rushed in front of him with the ball, leaving him no time to be timid.

The most powerful thing about fast players is that they are good at forcing breakthroughs. When the opponent stands in a position suitable for interfering with shooting, they will dribble the ball towards the opponent and suddenly change direction when they are about to collide with someone who is tall or slow to move laterally. This style of play gives you a headache.

Guo Xu practiced this kind of bayonet-style breakthrough in the first time loop. After years of training, he has become better and better at grasping the distance. He does not need to think. When the distance is reached, he will see the opponent's position and change direction. Rely on muscle memory.

His dribbling height is no more than knee-high, and a person of Cassel's height would have to bend down significantly if he wants to gamble and steal. Cassel was passed, and he turned around to pursue the defense, and the distance became farther and farther.

Garnett made up the defense,

Guo Xu passed the ball from behind with his right hand to the left while running. Marion caught the ball and dunked the basketball with both hands. 2 to 0.

The Timberwolves attacked, Cassel singled out Guo Xu, leaned back and turned around to hit a shot, and returned the favor. 2 to 2.

In the Sun Position battle, the person who mainly defended Guo Xu became Sprewell. Guo Xuxian played a pick-and-roll with Stoudemire in the middle, broke through to the weak side, attracted Garnett to switch to the side, and passed the ball high to the right basket.

Howard pushed past Cassel and slid to the baseline, jumped up, and scored with both hands. 4 to 2.

Beautiful, two dunks from the Suns in the opening game. This one may be selected as one of the top five goals. Zhang Lijia shouted.

Xu Jicheng said: Cassell's defense against Howard is misplaced, and his defense against Joe Johnson is not good either. There is a gap in height and strength.

The Timberwolves played a pick-and-roll and Guo Xu pursued the defense. Garnett took the ball in the middle and faced Stoudemire to pass the ball. Szczerbiak cut from the left, caught the ball and forced a layup. 4 to 4.

When the Suns attacked, Guo Xu played a pick-and-roll with Stoudemire again. He moved a step laterally and passed the ball to Marion who ran 50 degrees to the left. The latter caught the ball and quickly hit the mid-range shot. Olawokandi stood near the penalty area and was far away. Far away, only a slight disturbance.

6 to 4, Guo Xu’s third assist.

Guo Xu mainly passes the ball in small-ball tactics. He can assist his teammates by attracting Garnett's defense, because a meat shield center like Olawokandi has poor mobility and will be misplaced against Marion. His positioning The outside hacker can break through with the ball.

It's a pity that Marion's three-point ability is not good enough, and he has made relatively few shots this season. If he could make three-pointers more accurately, the Suns' positional offense would be impeccable and the formation would be fully stretched.

The Timberwolves attacked, and the Madman forced a breakthrough for a layup. Marion grabbed the rebound and passed it to Guo Xu.

Cassel chose to gamble and steal near the midfield. Guo Xu took the lead and flicked the ball over Cassel's head with one hand, then turned to chase.

He turned around faster than Cassel and started faster. He picked up the basketball and went for a fast break. The referee would not call a dribbling violation for this kind of ball. Garnett followed Marion and didn't cover the ball. He knew he would dunk if he did.

Guo Xu made a sudden stop on the right side and shot a three-pointer. He shot easily from the open position and the basketball went hollow into the net. 9 to 4.

When the Timberwolves attacked, Garnett went out to organize and passed the ball inside to Olavokandi. The latter singled out Marion with his back, went to the basket and turned around and missed the hook. Stoudemire retreated and grabbed the rebound.

Garnett couldn't hold back his anger when he saw this scene. He really wanted to sneak up and punch his teammates. This is his inside partner, a guy who has never averaged less than 45% shooting per game in a single season. He looks like a tough guy, but is actually a softie. Sugar Man is not as strong as Kwame Brown, and he is currently the hottest No. 1 pick in the NBA.

In the Suns' position battle, Guo Xu still did the same thing, playing pick-and-roll and going to the weak side, hitting the ground and passing the ball to Howard who cut to the low post.

Howard's strength has improved significantly this season. He has learned a few tricks from veteran Payton and is better at using his body. He received the pass with his back turned at a 45-degree angle, and immediately turned to the baseline to shoot. Cassel suffered from height and jumping, and could not cover it. Olavokandi stood far away on the left and had no time to cover.

Howard made no fake moves, took the shot very easily, and the ball hit the net hollowly.

11 to 4, Guo Xu’s fourth assist.

The home fans applauded, and Howard and Guo Xu clapped their hands when they returned to defense.

Zhang Liyi sighed: This is the dominance of a top point guard. Guo Xu does not rush or shoot. He just passes the ball and assists, which helps the young people in the team to gain confidence. If Howard continues to play like this, I feel that he will become a star in the future. In fact, he was just a late first-round pick.

Xu Jicheng smiled and said: Guo Xu has a trait that no one can compare with, that is, he can make his teammates stronger. While he scores luxurious statistics, he does not steal the statistics of his teammates. Some people have very beautiful statistics, and their teammates are watching him play. , and then lose with a high score.”

Coach Sanders stood on the sidelines watching the game, not knowing what to do. The defensive tactics he arranged before the game were useless. Guo Xu's playing style changed too much.

Before the game, he wanted to lure Guo Xu to take more shots and strictly prevent him from breaking through. As long as he can't break in and mainly shoots from the outside, it will be difficult for others to perform. If his shooting percentage is not high, the Timberwolves may win. If Guo Xu has a good sense of rhythm when breaking through and passing the ball, people on the outside will have an easy chance to shoot, which will be difficult to play.

Now Guo Xu breaks through against Cassel in the counterattack, and directly passes the ball in the positional battle, allowing the person with the advantage to play in singles. This is really fatal.

Cassel singled out Guo Xu, turned and hit the mid-range shot under interference, and Howard grabbed the backcourt rebound. He was very active today and cherished the opportunity to start.

In the Suns' position battle, Guo Xu and Stoudemire played a pick-and-roll, glanced at the baseline, turned around and passed the ball to the center. This time Howard had no time to cut, so Guo Xu attracted Garnett to switch defense and retreat deeper.

Garnett was scared and was ready to return to the basket to help block shots at any time. Stoudemire did not cut open from the high post, received the ball and met Sprewell's mid-range shot, and made a steady hit.

13 to 4, Guo Xu’s fifth assist.

Hesitation is the most taboo thing for players when defending. The Madman hesitated to pursue the defense. He neither caught up with Guo Xu nor followed Stoudemire.

The Suns scored consecutively in the opening game, and the Timberwolves were blindsided...