Legend of Tomorrow

Eisley dribbled the ball to the right and wanted to lob Kobe. However, he encountered the embarrassment of Parker in the regular season. Guo Xu retreated a little and Bell double-teamed Kobe without the ball.

If you take a few more pictures of this kind of scene, you can brag about it for a lifetime. This is a symbol of our team's dominance, but your teammates will definitely not pass the ball.

Eisley decided to break through with the ball, and took a step with Guo Xu to move laterally to block the breakthrough route. It was difficult for him to pass the ball to Kobe.

This is a star veteran with more than 10 years of NBA experience bullying a rookie. Ellis didn't know how to deal with it, so he stopped to face Guo Xu and forced a mid-range shot.

Jackson was very helpless on the sidelines. This was not the game he wanted to see. He might as well let Butler play, so that his shooting percentage could be higher.

The Suns counterattacked. Guo Xu received the ball and quickly advanced to the frontcourt, dribbling the ball towards Ellis. Just as he was about to collide with him, Ellis felt that his vision was accurate and he could reach the basketball with his hand.

However, as soon as he stretched out his hand, Guo Xu's hand shot back faster than his. His left hand was given to his right, and he turned to the right and succeeded in passing. Ellis pounced on nothing, and it was too late to turn around and pursue the defense.

Guo Xu took off with both feet and dunked the basketball with one hand. 16 to 4.

When there is no one around to defend him, he will also perform dunk performances, which is very morale-boosting.

When the Lakers attacked, Guo Xu used the same defensive method and took two steps away. Ellis was excited and shot a three-pointer from the open space. He was determined.

Guo Xu continues to show people with his actions how huge the gap is between the MVP guard and the first-year rookie guard.

Ellis came on quickly, had a fast offensive and defensive rhythm, and came off the court quickly. He only played 3 minutes and 16 seconds before Guo Xu was fouled twice by Guo Xu and was guarding the water fountain.

When Guo Xu broke through, he took the ball and hit Ellis' hand. If he couldn't avoid it, he would be in trouble. Ellis now even has problems with defensive movements, he likes to reach out too much.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Ellis was not a good defender at the end of his career. When he was playing for the Mavericks, someone commented: When Ellis defends, he reminds me of an ADHD kid chasing a butterfly. He is just super invincible and wants to catch that butterfly.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Ellis' defense was really unflattering. It was better when the Warriors had Baron Davis guarding the 2nd position. His partnership with Stephen Curry was a tragedy. How bad is the Warriors' perimeter defense? They allowed the league's famous blacksmith Brandon Jennings to score 55 points in his rookie season.

As for Ellis’ high-end defensive WS,

That's simply too low to watch. Among all guards during the Warriors era, he was only slightly better than Nash.

Zen Master Jackson knew that Parker couldn't guard Guo Xu, but finding a butterfly catcher with good physical fitness to try to limit Guo Xu with speed would not produce good results.

There is no other way, the Lakers can only replace Parker, otherwise they will have to have Vujacic as a guest point guard, and they can't keep up with the speed.

The swingman's defense against Guo Xu was all misplaced, including Kobe. After Kobe gained muscle, his lateral movement speed was no longer as good as his ability to defend point guards in the past few years of his career. His breakthrough relied on the rhythm of dribbling and the integration of man and ball.

The Suns also changed two people, Howard and Varejao came off, and Ariza and David Lee came on.

With a lead of more than one, the Suns coaching staff wants to train the new players and work hard on offense. This is a problem that D'Antoni cannot change. No matter how good Varejao's defense is, he still likes David Lee.

At this time, the Suns' defense in the penalty area had obvious weaknesses. It lacked height and could not interfere with the big man's shooting. However, Bogut was still blocked. He only took two shots in the first quarter, hitting one and scoring 2 points.

He spent most of the time standing still watching his teammates perform, and had to stand far away from the basket to avoid taking away the boss's spot.

Guo Xu actively plays fast breaks, plays pick-and-rolls with David Lee in positional battles, and others pull away, always creating easy shooting opportunities.

In the first quarter, the Suns led 36 to 18 by 18 points. Under the leadership of Guo Xu, they combined internal and external factors to achieve more success.

The Lakers couldn't shoot well from outside and relied entirely on mid-range shots and low-post attacks. Their one-on-one efficiency was not high. Kobe scored 10 points, and the others totaled 8 points, without scoring a single three-pointer.

Guo Xu's 17 points and 6 assists in a single quarter revitalized the team. If he didn't double-team, he would play alone, and if he attracted double-teams, he would distribute the ball. It was simple and effective.

In the second quarter, when Zen Master Jackson thought the Lakers could get a chance to breathe, the Suns coaching staff came up with a new trick.

Guo Xu continues to play as a substitute, and the other four are Blake, James Jones, Kukoc, and David Lee.

The Suns also played this way during the regular season, but less frequently, because this lineup was too offensive-oriented and had poor defense. But this lineup moves the ball very well, the formation is as wide as possible, and the offense is particularly smooth. When five players can shoot, it is difficult for the opponent to double-team Guo Xu.

The Lakers' employment is traceable. In the first quarter, they let Butler rest for a while, staggered the playing time with Kobe, and were responsible for leading the bench offense in the second quarter. The other four are Vujacic, Devin George, Brian Cook, and Vitali Potapenko.

Jackson asked Ellis to continue to sit on the bench. Butler was responsible for organizing and at least not messing around. Vujacic's guest point guard has poor athletic ability. The advantage is that he shoots well and can help his teammates open up space.

Vitali is an insider added by the Lakers in the mid-term. This meat shield center was waived by the SuperSonics and joined the Lakers freely. He is 208cm tall and weighs 127kg. The reason for his dismissal was that he moved too slowly and his physical fitness declined after multiple injuries.

As a blue-collar defender who defends the penalty area, Vitali has average height and wingspan, lacks the ability to block shots, and can only fight against people. This season he played 24 games with the SuperSonics, averaging 3.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.1 blocks in 13.4 minutes per game.

Second-round pick Ronny Turiaf has much better physical fitness, lacks game experience, and is a defensive black hole on the field. The coaching staff is afraid to use him. When encountering a pick-and-roll, he didn't know where to stand, so he knew how to defend the penalty area. On the offensive end, Turiaf has no shooting range and can only cut through the air after covering.

As soon as Guo Xu came on the field, Jackson knew something was wrong. The substitution adjustment turned into a mistake. There was no one on the field who could keep up with Guo Xu's speed.

Sure enough, Guo Xu began to show his strength, covering the ball and shooting, forcing a breakthrough during the counterattack, attracting double teams and assisting his teammates. Soon it was an 11-2 wave, and the point difference widened to 27 points.

The Lakers replaced Vitali, George, and Vujacic, and replaced them with Bogut, Kobe, and Ellis, but they couldn't withstand the Suns' attack.

Bogut's defensive area is also near the penalty area. After the Suns' formation is spread out, he will have room to defend the pick-and-roll if he does not go out. Cook's defense in the penalty area is very poor and his confrontation is terrible. He is a space-based insider who relies on shooting and his confrontation is average. Bogut was led out, and Guo Xu passed to David Lee as an opportunity.

David Lee is not a simple scorer like Stoudemire. He has a high football IQ. He had excellent passing vision in college and can distribute the ball from the inside after attracting defense.

Veteran Kukoc has rich experience and outstanding shooting ability. The Suns do not need him to enter the penalty area, so they can catch the ball and shoot from the outside. Kukoc played at a good pace and hit a three-pointer, which attracted the Lakers to switch positions and then distributed the ball. He assisted Jones and also hit a three-pointer.

Blake and Guo Xu were also able to shoot from the outside. After the Suns hit five three-pointers in a row, they beat the Lakers in a wave.

The Lakers can't defend or attack. Kobe can get singles opportunities when shooting from mid-to-long range, and he will be double-teamed in the low post. At least three people from the Suns shrink and surround the penalty area, making it impossible for Kobe to break into the basket.

With Vujacic and Cook away, Kobe passed the ball to his teammates and missed three-pointers again and again. His mood became worse and worse...