Legend of Tomorrow

On the 25th, the Christmas focus battle started at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Before the game, D'Antoni boosted morale in the visiting team's locker room, asking the players to treat this game as a playoff game and go all out to win.

The coaching staff regards the Lakers as an important imaginary opponent in the playoffs. Judging from the current momentum, they will probably break through the first round of the playoffs. Guo Xu also thought so. During training in the morning, he discussed the playing style with Stoudemire, Roy and others, and asked for more targeted attacks.

He compared this Lakers with the previous Rockets in the 2008-09 season and found that the overall strength of the Lakers was stronger.

Both teams also have the wing combination of Battier and Artest. The Lakers also have Joe Johnson, Ellis, and Fisher on the outside. What does the Rockets have? Aaron Brooks, Kyle Lowry, Vaughn Weaver.

Except for Adelman, perhaps no coach will let Brooks, who was a defensive black hole in China, play, let alone arrange two guards in Lowry and Brooks. Adelman is an extreme coach who can completely sacrifice defense for the sake of offense. Later, he also eliminated the black hole combination of George W. Bush and Kevin Martin.

The Rockets are stronger inside, with Yao Ming, Scola, Landry, and Hayes, but the Lakers are not a vegetarian, and their defense is not bad but their offense is slightly inferior.

The establishment of the Suns Dynasty has caused the Western Conference teams to start a signing competition. Many teams have terrifying lineups and the competition in the playoffs has become more intense. The Lakers' lineup has the strength to compete for the championship, and it will be worthy of facing the Celtics' Big Three.

TNT radio station broadcast the Christmas game, and Barkley teased Kobe. I don't know if he regrets and wants to return to the Lakers now. The Lakers worked well last season and reached the second round. Although they were swept by the Suns, they were not useless. Now he has joined a team outside the playoffs.

Kenny Smith said: If Kobe doesn't scold the boss and manager, the Lakers will not trade him. But if he stays in the Lakers, they will have to rebuild. Artest and Bogut have conflicts with him and do not want to continue to cooperate with him.

Kobe is a little unhappy with Davis and Murphy now. I wonder if the Warriors will rebuild and use those two to get people that Kobe likes. Barkley gloated.

The Warriors management will hate these two commentators. Once other teams know the trading intentions, mid-term transactions will become difficult. Other teams will definitely use the reason that Davis and Murphy are overvalued to lower the price.

After the players warmed up, the Suns' five players: Guo Xu, Roy, Anthony Parker, Haslem, and Stoudemire.

Lakers five: Fisher, Joe Johnson, Artest, Odom, Bogut.

Bogut won on a jump ball,

The Lakers attack first.

Fisher passed the ball to Joe Johnson, who faced Roy's single opportunity but failed to do so. He protected the ball to the right side, waited for Fisher to run to the right corner, and then passed the ball to Bogut who was looking for the ball in the low post. He exited the three-point line to form a strong-side triangle.

At this time, it is difficult for the opponent to double-team Bogut, and the triangle offense routine can be played perfectly.

The Lakers welcome Fisher back very much, because his style is particularly suitable for the triangle offense. The task is very simple. He can ensure the shooting rate by opening up the ball and shooting. He performs better than Ellis and Farmar in this regard, so he can become.

Bogut leaned against Stoudemire twice, turned around and jumped up from the baseline. He squeezed the opponent with his generous body and forced a shot, hitting the ball from close range. 0 to 2.

The Suns attacked and the players spread out. Guo Xu and Stoudemire played a pick-and-roll in the middle. The breakthrough on the right attracted Bogut to switch defenses and Fisher to chase and double-team. He brought it to 45 degrees and hit the ball to the center. Stoudemire received it at the free throw line. The ball was released and hit steadily. 2 to 2.

Barkley said: As long as Jason and Amare play pick-and-roll, the Suns' record will be the same. They are so skilled. It always reminds me of Malone and Stockton.

Smith said: And Jason's personal ability is much better than Stockton's. Amare's mid-range shooting percentage has been as high as 50 for two consecutive seasons. This is an enhanced version of the pick-and-roll.

The Lakers' position attack was the same as before. Joe Johnson protected the ball and passed it to Bogut. The latter singled out Stoudemire. This time he entered the penalty area and took the ball and turned to the middle with a feint.

Stoudemire didn't jump up, he just raised his hands to interfere, but it didn't have much effect. Bogut was one size bigger than him. He turned around to face the frame, took a step forward and jumped up with all his strength. He deflected Stoudemire's one-handed dunk and scored. 2 to 4.

This attack was very domineering. When he returned to defense, Bogut clenched his fists and roared, and the home fans gave him warm applause.

Smith said: This season Bogut finally deserves his status as the No. 1 pick. He has excellent low-post footwork and a tough style of play. Most centers cannot guard him alone.

Barkley said: If the Suns allow Stoudemire to face him all the time, he will have an opportunity in one-on-one, which can guarantee his shooting percentage.

Smith smiled: And Bogut can not only attack hard, but he can also occasionally pull out to cover for teammates and can catch the ball and shoot. In the first two seasons, he spent a lot of time practicing shooting.

The two sides played very well last time against Bogut, scoring 22 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and blocks. The arrangement of the Suns coaching staff is to defend alone, and a double team is even worse. Someone will throw a three-pointer when they are separated. The three-point shooting percentage from both points on the strong side is around 40.

Can Bogut take on the offensive role? The answer is yes, he proved his talent during the draft physical test.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Bogut's physical fitness was very good in the first few seasons of his career, but he began to decline after a serious injury in the 2008-09 season. After that, he was injured and missed several games every year and became a glass man. The 2011-12 season was the most serious. He only played 12 games before he was injured and underwent minimally invasive surgery on his left ankle.

Even so, there are still teams willing to gamble on Gut's talent. The Warriors wanted to trade Stephen Curry for Bogut in 2012, but the Bucks' doctor at the time didn't think Curry's ankle would hold up, killing the deal.

Ellis later became a trading chip. The fact that the Warriors were willing to give up their then team boss in order to get Bogut was enough to prove Bogut's value. It's a pity that Bogut suffered frequent injuries after joining the Warriors and became a pure blue-collar player. The team doctor who made the Bucks miss Curry was fired directly.

Now Bogut is at his physical peak, with strong strength and good jumping ability, and he is holding back his energy to play well.

When the Suns attacked, Guo Xu repeated the previous cooperation, dribbling the ball to the right after the pick-and-roll.

Bogut changed defense a little slower this time, and Guo Xu rushed past him with the ball at full speed. Odom retreated to the basket and was a step too late to cover up the defense. Guo Xu easily stepped up to the basket and scored. 4 to 4.

The biggest weakness of the Lakers' defense is Fisher's speed. His overall defense is not bad, he is strong and not afraid of confrontation, and he can also stick to people at the second position. However, his strong body limited his pace, and he was overwhelmed when facing the Scud. He was slow in both lateral movement and pursuit.

Joe Johnson passed the ball to Bogut according to the coach's arrangement. Haslem retreated to the basket to double-team Stoudemire, freeing up Odom on the left. This kind of double-teaming will test the ball carrier's passing awareness. If Bogut can find an open space and pass the ball to the open space, Odom will get an easy shot.

Bogut is not strong enough to pass the ball under the attack of two inside players, but Odom can move. The two have been working together for two years, and Odom knows where to easily be seen by his teammates.

He quickly moved to the center, received Bogut's pass and shot a little ahead of the free throw line. He threw the ball before Haslem came up and scored another one. 4 to 6.