Legend of Tomorrow

? The Suns have always been firmly in control of the initiative. Every attack is initiated by Guo Xu. He holds the ball to attack himself or attracts the defense to pass the ball to teammates in better positions.

Because the Suns play a small ball tactic, there is a natural misalignment inside, and rookie Graham is inexperienced. Guo Xu takes fewer shots, making it easier for his teammates to score.

Little General Johnson was forced to replace Graham at 5 minutes and replaced him with Marquis Daniels to strengthen defense. If he didn't substitute, the Mavericks would be defeated in one quarter.

Looking only at body-side data and trial training results, the Mavericks management and coaching staff have high expectations for Graham because his physical fitness is so good and he can shoot mid- and long-range shots.

It's a pity that Graham will show his prototype as soon as he plays a game. He always disappoints people, and this is the case in the preseason.

He doesn't have a strong desire to attack. He likes to stand still and wait for the opportunity to catch the ball and make a move. He doesn't dare to break through with the ball. When he receives the ball, he often looks for teammates to pass it out without any luck. On the defensive end, he drove the coach crazy even more. He couldn't guard anyone one-on-one, especially when he was off the ball. Howard often got rid of him easily with a counter run.

When defending alone, Graham always wants to use his muscles to stop his opponents and likes to grab. If Howard doesn't fight with his muscles, he will be at a loss in the system. When he is guarding a breakthrough, he is easily passed by a simple change of direction. He can easily break into the basket without fouling his opponent.

Golf intelligence is also an important talent. Graham is a player with a simple mind and well-developed limbs, similar to Swift who is not Taylor on the Magic team. In his previous life, he had a top-notch body and was without a ball in 6 seasons.

At this time, the Mavericks management was in pain because Howard was the person they were optimistic about and was cut off by the Suns in 2003.

In his previous life, Howard was of great significance to the Mavericks. Not only did he provide firepower on the offensive end, he was also the best wing defender. Now that the Mavericks don't have him and have amnestyed Michael Finley, their defensive ability on the wing is no longer ranked among the best in the league. The Mavericks can make the playoffs, but they definitely won't get far.

In the second half, the Suns replaced Haslem, who committed two fouls, and replaced him with Varejao, which strengthened the defense of the penalty area. Dampier could not score easily. Howard, who scored 10 points, was replaced at 8 minutes and James Jones was sent in to add a three-point shooting point.

Jones' task was simple, to defend and stand still and wait for opportunities. He performed well and hit a three-pointer.

The Suns led 36-26 in the first quarter. Guo Xu made 3 of 4 shots and 1 of 2 three-pointers, scoring 7 points and 7 assists.

After resting for a while, Howard came out to lead the substitutes.

Partnering with Ariza and Payton on the outside, Varejao and David Lee are on the inside.

Without Nene and Joe Johnson, the Suns' rotation is not as scary as last season. They are no longer the bench gangsters who often beat opponents, but they still have the same team as Devin Harris, Stackhouse, and Van Hoe. The Mavericks bench, led by En, worked hard and maintained their advantage.

After Diop joined, the Mavericks' interior defense has improved, and Dampier can defend the penalty area even if he rests. However, Diop has little effect on the offensive end. The backup swingman Adrian Griffin is also a blue-collar player. The Mavericks rotation has two people who can leave the field. It is difficult to score with excellent defense.

As soon as Guo Xu, Marion, and Haslem returned, the Suns' run-and-gun tactics began to show off again.

Diop or Dampier suffered a loss in speed. Little General Johnson made a wrong adjustment at this time. He replaced the big man and let Nowitzki and Van Horn partner inside to compete with the Suns in offense.

Van Horn's condition has deteriorated year by year. He has not played a full season with any team since 2003. Even the Knicks, who have a bunch of bad contracts, look down on him.

The Little General wants him to come up and strengthen the offense, but Van Horn's current scoring ability is no better than Dampier's, and his shooting percentage is very low. He can't beat Marion at the 4th position, and it's easier for Haslem to defend Nowitzki than to defend Dampier.

In turn, Van Horn was a defensive black hole, unable to keep up with Marion's speed, who scored consecutively on fast breaks.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Van Horn, the second-place finisher in the same class as Duncan, retired in 2006, while Duncan was still struggling like a rookie. The gap was huge. And compared with many people in the same class, Van Horn's career is quite short. With his current defense, not many teams want him after he becomes a free agent in the summer and earns a minimum salary.

The Mavericks coaching staff is very depressed. Van Horn is a black hole when he plays, and the boss is dissatisfied when he doesn't play. Because Van Horn is the Mavericks' highest-paid player, taking home $15.69 million this season, while Nowitzki's annual salary is only $13.84 million. In addition to the amnesty captain Finley's salary also had to be paid, the Mavericks' total salary this season reached 98.46 million, but they still couldn't beat the Suns.

The Suns led by 15 points 62 to 47 at midfield. Guo Xu scored a double-double in 18 minutes with 11 points and 12 assists.

Zhang Lili commented: Guo Xu will definitely get a double-double today, with more assists than points.

Xu Jicheng said: He can really help his teammates become stronger. It's okay even if three important players are missing. Today Howard looks like an All-Star again, and other players can also score.

Zhang Lili said: Guo Xu made 4 of 5 shots and 2 of 2 free throws. His offensive efficiency is really high. He can pass the ball when his teammates have the opportunity, and he can also play when there are single opportunities.

In the second half, the Little General rested the two big men and sent out a smaller lineup to attack the Suns. He believed that this would better prevent run-and-gun attacks.

But with Terry and Harris on the court together, how could the Mavericks beat the Suns in a positional battle? Guo Xu has an advantage against Terry, and Howard has an advantage against Harris. Haslem and Marion can reduce the scoring efficiency of Nowitzki and Stackhouse to a certain extent.

Seeing that the Mavericks were not double-teaming, Guo Xu began to take more shots. His style of play was simple. When the opponent was far away, he would step back and shoot a jump shot when the opponent was far away. When the opponent was close, he would change directions and break through.

Terry seemed to defend well every time, but in fact he couldn't do it if he couldn't cover it. Guo Xu hit three three-pointers in a single quarter, made two fouls on a misplaced breakthrough and made four free throws, and also had a two-handed dunk in a counterattack. , scored 15 points and 2 assists in a single quarter.

The difference between the two sides widened to 29 points, and the third quarter entered garbage time.

The Mavericks fans who watched the live broadcast were a little bit devastated. The Mavericks are definitely out of luck this season. The Suns have lost with such a bad team. How can they win the championship?

In the final quarter, Guo Xu continued to play, and D'Antoni sent Bell, Ariza, Jones, and David Lee.

The purpose of the Suns' arrangement is to let Guo Xu take the young substitutes to practice so that they can play a better role in the team. Marion played 30 minutes and scored 24 points and 8 rebounds before taking a rest, feeling a little unfinished.

Guo Xu played 5 and a half minutes in the final quarter and then took a rest. The Suns led by 36 points.

He played a total of 35.5 minutes and scored 31 points, 3 rebounds, 17 assists and 1 steal. He shot over 70% from the field, 50% from the three-point range, and made all free throws.

The Suns beat the Mavericks 124-91 at the end and got off to a good start.

Five players on the team scored in double figures. Marion and Howard scored 20+. All 11 players on the rotation scored. Kukoc did not get a chance to play and was guarding the water fountain on the sidelines.

The newly joined Josh Powell was not included in the 12-man roster. He did not participate in the Suns' preseason games and training camps. He lacked a tacit understanding with his teammates, so he is currently the most marginalized person on the team.

Although he did not get a chance to play, Powell was particularly enthusiastic about cheering for his teammates on the sidelines. The Suns' performance in the opening game exceeded his expectations.

He now firmly believes that the Suns have a chance to defend the championship...