Legend of Tomorrow

Fisher knew he was finished as soon as he hit the ground. His right foot hurt so much that he couldn't stand.

The referee stopped the game and let the Lakers team doctor enter the court. The team doctor asked Fisher a question and confirmed that he did not sprain his ankle. He immediately accompanied him to the hospital for a detailed examination.

In the next game, Phil Jackson still didn't use Guo Xu, letting Harper and Brian Shaw serve as point guards, and the task of holding the ball and attacking was handed over to Isiah Leder.

Zen Master does what he says, even if Leder performs poorly, he still gives him the ball and lets him waste it as he pleases.

Without Guo Xu, the Lakers will not be able to switch offense and defense quickly. This is not the rhythm that Leder likes. Jackson will use this method to make him see his own strengths. If he is dissatisfied in the future, he will be fired.

The OK combination played too short a time, and the Sonics completed the reversal under the leadership of Payton, and finally won 102-97, giving the Lakers three consecutive losses.

Guo Xu played 8 minutes and only scored 4 points and 2 assists. Even so, he was so excited that he called Megan Fox home and ate snacks and ordered her to clean the room to celebrate.

If Fisher is out for a long time, if the Zen Master doesn't reuse Guo Xu, will it keep letting two 198CM veterans serve as point guards? The Lakers' two-point guard play relies on Kobe's ability to guard point guards, but this approach is not mainstream after all. Guo Xu feels that as long as Fisher does not come back, he may average 30 minutes per game.

The next day, the Lakers officially announced Fisher's injury. He suffered a stress fracture in his right foot and would be out for four to six months due to surgery.

Stress fracture, also known as fatigue fracture or accumulated strain, is a bone injury caused by overuse. The susceptible group is athletes who bear a lot of weight on their feet, such as basketball, football, tennis players, as well as track and field, gymnasts and dancer. Fisher did work hard in the summer, but the cost of improving his strength is reimbursement.

In his previous life, China's number one star Yao Ming was ruined by this kind of injury. Guo Xu was deeply impressed. He had already taken preventive measures. During the time cycle, he worked hard to practice his foot strength. In addition, because he is not heavy, the chance of suffering such an injury in the future is very small.

After the game, the media unanimously believed that the Lakers were in trouble. Last season's starting point guard Harper was about to turn 37, and backup guard Brian Shaw was already 35 years old. The depth at the No. 1 position was extremely weak.

Guo Xu has not played more than 10 minutes in a single game in the preseason. The experts who praised Guo Xu in the summer league have changed their tune, saying that he cannot adapt to NBA-level confrontation.

Many experts concluded that Guo Xu couldn't compete without watching the game video, because he was shorter than Iverson. In fact, a few minutes after Guo Xu and Iverson faced off in the first game of the preseason, the two stood together with similar figures.

The Lakers' last opponent was the Mavericks.

Point guard Steve Nash averaged 8.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game last season. He is clearly going to break out this year and played very well in the preseason.

As a member of the 1996 golden generation, Nash was very unsatisfactory after being selected by the Suns with the 15th overall pick in the first round. He could only play as a substitute and had no ball rights. After Nelson took over the Mavericks, he recruited Nash into the lineup during the shortened season and immediately made him start 40 games in the regular season, with his playing time increased to 31.7 minutes.

Nash's defense is recognized as poor. If he hadn't met a nobleman like Nelson who didn't pay attention to defense, God knows when he would have come forward. Now the general view in the basketball world is that defense wins championships, and not many teams think highly of him.

Guo Xu felt that his one-on-one challenge with Nash was an opportunity, and thought it was time to show off this time. As a result, Phil Jackson talked to him before the game and asked him to continue to be a marginal player, but he just explained the reason.

I made an agreement with Leder to let him hold the ball and attack in the preseason, so you continue to be a substitute today. It's the last battle. I don't want other teams to see your strength clearly. I will give you more opportunities to perform in the regular season. .”

I completely obey the coaching staff's arrangements. Guo Xu readily agreed.

Jackson nodded.

Very satisfied with Guo Xu's attitude.

Among the newcomers who played together in the summer, Guo Xu had the least playing time. Pan Peixi averaged more than 10 minutes per game and also played as a point guard. Jackson felt that anyone with a bad temper would probably want to be traded. Guo Xu's determination was amazing and could be compared with him as a Zen Master.

After the game started, even if the OK combination was on the court, the Lakers quickly fell into a passive position, falling behind 23 to 31 in the first quarter.

Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Christian Laettner are constantly playing pick-and-rolls. Harper is not fast enough to pursue the defense. Nash can break through with the ball and make emergency jump shots. If O'Neal switches to guard, Nash can distribute the ball, and the big man can catch the ball and shoot.

Nash is very fast and can shoot accurately. He controls the rhythm perfectly. Both of the Mavericks' interiors have shooting range, especially Nowitzki. Harper can't stop him even if he switches defenses.

Nowitzki is called a softie by many people, but the 213cm big man likes to float outside and shoot like a shooting guard swingman. Nowitzki will not listen to the expert comments and force the ball to the basket to prove that he can be tough. He will catch the ball in the pick-and-roll outside or shoot a two-step jumper.

Nowitzki is already very good even before he has achieved the Golden Rooster Independence. Once Cobra Grant switches defenders, he will not have time to interfere with the shooting after chasing Nowitzki, and he is not fast enough. O'Neal is even less able to guard Nowitzki. He is too heavy and is only effective when defending near the penalty area.

In addition to the pick-and-roll attack, there is also an opportunity for the Mavericks players to directly pass the ball to Michael Finley for a one-on-one.

Some fans called Finley the farmer version of Jordan. His ball-holding breakthrough skills are a bit rough, and his physical fitness is nothing to say. He can turn around on the spot and make a pull-up jumper like Jordan, and he has a good three-pointer.

Finley and Kobe didn't suffer from the matchup. They played back and forth. After Kobe took a break, Finley had a very obvious advantage against George.

The Lakers eventually lost the game 83-100, ending the preseason with a four-game losing streak.

Guo Xu only played 6 minutes and scored 5 points and 2 assists. Both times he scored single-handedly against Nash. Nash was not good at defense, but performed well on the offensive end, scoring 21 points and 10 assists.

Jackson only let the OK combination play for 20 minutes again. He didn't care about the preseason record. Even so, the two stars still scored the most points for the Lakers. O'Neal had 20 points and 6 rebounds, and Kobe Bryant had 15 points and 4 assists.

In the preseason, the Lakers had 2 wins and 5 losses. Everyone saw the Lakers' weaknesses. As soon as the OK combination came off the court, the entire team's offense was weak and they were like two teams.

Last season, Glenn Rice averaged 31.6 minutes per game and contributed 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Rice is gone this year, and Ryder obviously cannot replace him.

Leder's shooting was too tough, with a shooting percentage of less than 40% in the first six games. Only in the last game did he make 8 of 13 shots, 2 of 4 free throws, and scored 18 points. He has to thank the opposing coach Nelson for his good performance, because the Mavericks have played a double guard formation for a long time. Nash and Howard Eisley, who is 188cm tall and weighs 80kg, were present together.

Let Nash often play shooting guard in the preseason. The old Nelson is such a mad scientist with personality. His defense is nothing but clouds. It is not a surprise that he has never led a team to win a championship in his life.

All teams were given three days of rest. Guo Xu and several teammates went to visit Fisher. He had to go to show the team's unity.

Guo Xu assured Fisher that he would play hard and train hard and would never hold the team back. Fisher, who was sitting in a wheelchair, was so moved on the spot that he cried as if he had been kicked away by a dragon's tail...