Legend of Tomorrow

Guo Xu continued to play in the third quarter, and the other four players were Blake, Ariza, Haslem, and David Lee.

D'Antoni arranged extreme tactics. The role players tried not to take any action. They were only responsible for defending and helping Guo Xu create shooting opportunities. They screened and passed the ball to him for shooting, and then actively fought for offensive rebounds. If they couldn't get it, they would return to defense.

Since no one else is needed to shoot, Josh Howard, who has a strong desire for offense, is on the bench.

This arrangement is very targeted. The Raptors currently have one of the worst statistics in the league, and that is the protection of rebounds. The Raptors' overall backcourt rebounding is extremely poor, which is also an important reason for their poor record.

The Raptors average 37.8 rebounds per game, ranking last in the league.

Bosh, who grabs the most rebounds, averages 9.5 per game, 3 of which are offensive rebounds. The second-ranked player is swingman Peterson, who averages 4.9 per game. The others are not good at grabbing rebounds. Last season, the Raptors were terrible in rebounding. Marshall, who ranked second, had 6.6. If Villanueva was here, he could grab more than 6, but now they don't have these two.

As for the tactic of blocking positions on the defensive end and getting rebounds, the Raptors don't have it at all, even if Sam Mitchell doesn't arrange it. If they were on the Thunder team in the future, these useless teammates would have been warned by Turtle Fist.

After the start of this quarter, the following scene occurred on the court.

Raptors generals: You defend alone on the outside first, and when he catches the ball, we will help defend.

Guo Xu: Swish, swish, swish.

Raptors generals: He just has a good touch. He will always get cold and double-team him!

Guo Xu: Swish, swish, swish.

Raptors general: He has begun to tire. Everyone has physical limits. Naturally, the shooting rate will be lower when physical strength decreases.

Guo Xu: Swish, swish, swish.

Raptors general: Fuck, we are already 60, but our performance is not bad, as long as we win the game, not only can he not widen the points gap, but no matter how good one person is, he can't fight against a whole group, we Let him cut in vain.

Guo Xu: Swish, swish, swish.

Raptors generals: You are paralyzed. You are already 70. Do you dare to let your teammates shoot a few shots?

Guo Xu: Swish, swish, swish.

Raptors generals: ...

miracly,

In this quarter, Mitchell definitely did not arrange to double-team Guo Xu without the ball like coaches of other teams. He always allowed him to comfortably receive the basketball and make moves, either sudden or shooting. After he found his rhythm, it was too late to double-team him.

The Raptors defended like this in the game when Kobe Bryant scored 81 points. Kobe didn't feel pressure at all when he caught the ball. As long as he made consistent movements and shot fast enough, he could break the double team. Kobe, who is not good at shooting three-pointers, made 7 of 13 shots from outside. Almost all of his shots were easy pull-ups without anyone close to him.

As long as it is difficult for Guo Xu to catch the ball through double-teaming without the ball, he will definitely be restricted. Even if there is a screen, teammates will easily make mistakes when they want to pass to him. The Spurs and Grizzlies won this way. They defended 3 and 4 in other positions, deliberately letting Payton, Varejao, Ariza and others take shots.

After playing like this for a while, Guo Xu couldn't find a familiar offensive rhythm, so he could only attack in counterattacks. After a few wave shots, his hand gradually cooled down.

With the help of Mitchell, Guo Xu scored another 28 points in a single quarter, hit 4 three-pointers, and had no assists. He scored a total of 75 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in three quarters, and the Suns led 96 to 83.

A 13-point lead is not much. Guo Xu will continue to play in the final quarter. The Raptors players feel flustered when they see him now.

In fact, Raptors players have already used dirty tricks. They hit hard when they fouled. Rose also chased Guo Xu to step on the ball when he was helping to defend. But Guo Xu mainly shot quickly and did not jump high. He stepped on Rose's foot when he landed. Once, I just stumbled and was not injured.

Barkley said: I don't know what the audience in front of the TV thinks. Now as long as I see Jason catching the ball, I feel like I am going to score. No one can stop him.

Smith sighed: I think he is going for 100 points again today.

As the final quarter continued, the Raptors took the lead and James hit a three-point jumper from the center, his sixth three-pointer of the game. 96 to 86.

He has scored a career-high 38 points and is very efficient offensively, shooting 68.2% from the field and 15 of 22 from the field. But he couldn't be happy at all. Today he really saw the gap between himself and the superstar.

In the past, James always had the illusion that as long as he had a lot of ball rights like Iverson, he would be able to produce luxurious statistics and even have a higher shooting percentage. He just didn't meet a coach who appreciated him, and he was born at the wrong time.

Facing Guo Xu, James found himself like a clown. The real star is not someone like Iverson who scores high points but loses, but someone who makes you feel powerless.

James knew very well that Guo Xu did not defend seriously. The scary thing was that he felt that even if Guo Xu failed to defend the whole game, three minutes of seriousness would be enough to seal the victory. This guy is not a human being, he is a devil who likes to play with people.

The Suns sent David Lee and Varejao to form the twin towers to cover Guo Xu.

The Raptors fielded a small lineup, with center Bosh, power forward Marvin, and the other three players being Peterson, Calderon, and James.

The two small guards on the outside double-teamed Guo Xu without the ball. Even if Payton could score easily, they would not let Guo Xu shoot.

Guo Xu caught the ball and immediately returned it to Payton, and then started running along the baseline. At 45 degrees, David Lee and Varejao closed the door to block the opponent. Bosh chased out, and Calderon also chased Guo Xu from the side to form a double-team.

This will cause defensive loopholes, but everyone in the Raptors believes that this is the most appropriate defensive method, because Guo Xu will definitely not pass the ball, he will definitely force the shot!

Guo Xu feinted with the ball and changed direction to the right and entered the three-point line. He hit the ground and passed the ball to the basket between Bosh and Calderon. Varejao easily dunked the ball with both hands and scored. 98 to 86.

Raptors generals: ...

When the Raptors attacked, James passed to Calderon, and Payton took two steps to prevent the breakthrough. At this time, Calderon could not kill time to slow down the offensive rhythm, otherwise the easy scoring opportunity might be gone.

He chose to shoot a three-point jumper and hit 60 degrees from the left side. 98 to 89.

When the Suns attacked, David Lee and Varejao provided double screens for Guo Xu from outside the three-point line to help him catch the ball.

Guo Xu held the ball and rushed to the right, attracting double-teams from Marvin and James. He stopped and half-turned and passed the ball to the middle. David Lee cut the ball and scored easily for a layup.

100 to 89, Guo Xu’s fifth assist.

Raptors generals: ...

Mitchell shook his head dully on the sidelines. His expression seemed to say: I said you are not very particular. You don't play according to the routine. When attacking, you have to shoot.

The Raptors attacked, and after several passes, Rose hit a jump shot, David Lee grabbed the rebound, and Guo Xu received the ball to launch a counterattack.

Calderon returned to defense at full speed, letting go of Payton and James to double-team. Guo Xu passed the ball to the other side while running, and Payton easily made the basketball.

102 to 89, Guo Xu’s 6th assist.

Mitchell pinched his waist and watched the game on the sidelines, completely confused.

No, I'll figure it out myself.

What the heck, this guy started passing the ball!

Mitchell wanted to ask Guo Xu: No, you won't continue shooting?

Guo Xu might answer: Yes, I'm afraid it will be disrupted.

Bosh hit a mid-range shot in a pick-and-roll attack, 102 to 91.

When the Suns attacked, Guo Xu slipped to the baseline again, ran from the right to the left corner and received a pass from Payton. Bosh and Calderon double-teamed again, and Guo Xu changed direction and passed the ball to the basket with one step. . Varejao met James in a mismatch, easily turned around under the basket, and scored with a one-handed dunk.

104 to 91, Guo Xu’s 7th assist.

Mitchell was forced to request a timeout...