Legend of Tomorrow

After receiving the ball, Parker took a step outside the three-point line and was caught by Guo Xu, making it difficult for him to make any moves.

Not only did Guo Xu not give Parker an easy shot, he also planned to disrupt his dribbling rhythm. This pressing defense may cause the ball holder to make mistakes, leading to a quick counterattack.

Guo Xu was very focused and energetic today. On the defensive end, he is like a top student who has been pretending to sleep in class all semester, but secretly listened to the lectures. Now that the final exam is finally here, it's time to show off his real skills.

When Parker has space to make moves in front of the frame, he occasionally makes beautiful breakthroughs. Once he is close to him, he can only look for his teammates. His passing awareness is not good, so he passes it to Butler nearby.

Butler lobbed the ball to Kobe in the low post on the right side, and Bell defended. At this time, Parker ran to the bottom corner, and the three Lakers players formed a triangle.

This is a typical tactic of the Lakers. Back then, O'Neal attracted double-teams in the low post, and when he was separated, it was an easy shooting opportunity. When encountering an opponent's zone defense, the defender in the corner can catch the ball and get a chance to hit the big man in a misplaced position.

If O'Neal is not double-teamed, he will be killed. His shooting rate in the penalty area is over 75%, and at his peak, 79.2%. However, his short-range two-point shooting rate near the penalty area line has only been around 40%-45% for many seasons, and his shooting range is extremely short. , which caused each team to find a human shield or double-team him to keep him outside the penalty area.

Kobe obviously does not have O'Neal's dominance in the low post. The opponent can choose to double-team or not. The Peter Pan who has worked hard to practice strength cannot crush his opponent like the Shark.

Kobe leaned against Bell twice, shook his right shoulder, turned towards the baseline and forced a breakthrough. At this time, Varejao double-teamed and blocked the basket. Not only did Kobe have no room to shoot, he couldn't even find space to pass the ball.

He squeezed the ball into the gap between the two and passed it to Bogut on the left. Varejao had no time to turn around and defend his man. Because Bogut lacked shooting range, he did not take action immediately after receiving the ball. He took a step forward and threw a close range shot, which missed due to the interference of Varejao, who was not inferior to him in height and weight.

Guo Xu follows Parker on the outside, ready for a fast break at any time. He is very confident in the defense of his teammates. Varejao can withstand even against Duncan, let alone White Duncan who has become a parallel import?

Many people from both teams gathered under the basket. Haslem pushed the ball out. Howard picked up the rebound and immediately passed it to Guo Xu.

2 on 2 in the frontcourt, Guo Xu slowed down one meter outside the three-point line on the right side, holding the ball with his right hand and moving closer with his left hand. Parker quickly stopped and took a big step out to interfere with the shot. He was afraid of being shot. Guo Xu's shooting from this distance is a conventional weapon and happens in every game.

However, this time Guo Xu used a fake move to pray to Buddha. He changed direction with his right hand and passed Parker in the middle. He made a sudden stop just in front of the three-point line.

Jump shot.

He was sure of this kind of ball, and it hit the net hollowly. 3 to 0.

The Lakers attacked, and Parker was forced by Guo Xu after halftime and passed to Kobe.

Kobe dribbled the ball to attack, and played a pick-and-roll with Odom in the middle. Haslem switched defenses very quickly and kept one step away to prevent breakthroughs and interfere with shots. Kobe dribbled to the corner on the right, and Bell caught up and released Odom.

Kobe's ball went to the center, Odom's open jumper missed the basket, and Varejao grabbed the rebound.

By this time, each team had no secrets left. The two teams played four regular season games in the same district. Suns scouts had already collected comprehensive information on the Lakers players. The strengths and weaknesses of each player could be used. data to analyze.

NBA team scouts may not necessarily have accurate vision when drafting, because the NCAA's defensive intensity, skills and tactics cannot be compared with the NBA, and players with good statistics may not be able to adapt to the NBA. But when it comes to collecting NBA player information, scouts are very professional.

Now that the Internet is developed, the NBA data website will collect statistics on players' shooting positions, shooting percentages, shooting hot spots, etc., which saves scouts a lot of work.

Odom's long-range mid-range shooting rate this season is only 40%, averaging 0.7 hits in 1.8 shots per game, accounting for 14.7% of the shots. It's not a big deal to let him shoot in the high post. 40% is not much of a threat even if he shoots more. Odom's shooting percentage dropped to 33.8% when he got closer to the free throw line and mid-range shots on both sides, which is nothing to worry about.

This is why Odom can't become an All-Star. He is very comprehensive, but he has no unique skills. If he had the mid-range shooting ability of Bosh and David West, it would be great.

In the Suns' position battle, Guo Xu played a pick-and-roll with Varejao outside the three-point line in the middle, lowered his center of gravity, changed direction, and rushed to the right weak side at full speed with the ball.

This move is uncomfortable for every team to encounter. Varejao lacks the range and can leave the outside, but Guo Xu will not consider passing it to him. Guo Xu is weak and no one will double-team in front of him. It is enough that Parker will chase him. Ignore it, because you can’t look back when you move forward.

Odom's change of defense was a little slow, but Guo Xu used his speed to force past him. He drove to the basket to attract Bogut to cover the defense without passing the ball. He hit the board high and picked the basket to avoid the block, and the ball fell into the basket. 5 to 0.

When the Lakers attacked, Kobe received the ball and decided to play singles. The coach asked him to attract double-teams and distribute the ball, but the opponent did not double-team at all.

Kobe stepped on the right side, and Bell kept his distance, lowered his center of gravity, and blocked the breakthrough route, allowing him to shoot away from the basket. Kobe's one-step jumper inside the three-point line missed due to interference, and Haslem grabbed the rebound.

The Suns counterattacked. Guo Xu saw that the Lakers players were back on defense, waved his teammates to pull away, and singled out Parker.

The Lakers didn't dare to give him a one-on-one opportunity. Butler came up and formed a double-team. Guo Xu took a step and distributed the ball. Howard received the ball from the left corner and made an easy mid-range shot. 7 to 0.

The coaching staff wants to help Guo Xu reach an average of 40+ per game. Howard does not have much ball rights, but his scoring efficiency is very high and can be compared with the league's top swingmen. He finally averaged 16.8 points per game and shot 47.8% from the field.

The Lakers attacked, and Kobe held the ball and beat Bell in isolation, and finally made a low-post fadeaway jumper from the right side. 7 to 2.

When the Suns attacked, Guo Xu attracted double-teams from outside the three-point line and handed it to Howard. The latter took a step from the left and made an emergency stop jumper, making an easy hit. 9 to 2.

Jackson shook his head on the sidelines. Guo Xu was playing singles in the middle, and the strong-side players double-teamed him. Howard was the second scoring point. He could make mid-range shots after catching the ball, attracting big men to cover and break through. It is even more difficult for weak-side players to double-team Guo Xu, who is prone to three-point opportunities from the corner.

The Lakers don't dare to let Guo Xu play in singles yet. He is so good in singles that he can guarantee a hit rate in every position. During the regular season, he was able to attract double-teams from beyond the three-point line. He scored 20+ shots in several games. Three-point shots accounted for half of the total shots. At the end of the day, his overall shooting rate was still 49.4%.

This is the role of a superstar. Currently, no player can achieve what Guo Xu does. In the future, Curry's shooting accuracy will be comparable to his, and his ability to score points will also be inferior.

Kobe's ability to attract double-teams is much inferior to Guo Xu's. The Suns rely on Bell alone for mid-to-long-range defense, with no one to help defend. Before the game, Jackson's plan to arrange for Kobe to attract double teams and distribute the ball was not easy to implement.

The triangle offense can help Kobe create one-on-one opportunities, but it also falls into the Suns' defensive rhythm. The Suns mark man-to-man, with the purpose of allowing Kobe to play in isolation.

Kobe once again chose to break through with the ball, and was double-teamed at the basket. He failed to find an opening and passed it to Bogut, and passed it to Butler. The latter singled out Howard and forced a breakthrough, but failed, and then divided it with Odom to organize.

Odom hit the ball high, looking for Kobe who was running to the left, and Bell followed him.

Going full circle, it's still a singles game. The difference is who is playing the singles game. Kobe could have lobbed the ball to Bogut on the left, but he didn't do so. The person who annoyed Kobe the most was Bogut, and there was no tacit understanding between the two.

With almost 24 seconds left, Kobe Bryant hit Bell's mid-range shot again. Varejao got stuck and Haslem grabbed the rebound...