Legend of Tomorrow

This wave of offense by the Lakers ignited the atmosphere at home, and many fans stood up and applauded.

When returning to defense, Kobe shouted at Guo Xu: Give me the ball, I can score!

Guo Xu has the confidence to single out veteran Stockton, and Kobe also has the confidence to single out his opponent. Jazz substitute David Benoit is 32 years old, 203cm tall and 100kg in weight. He entered the NBA without the draft and has average strength. In 1998, due to the league lockout, he went abroad to play for two years. He just returned this season and joined the Jazz with a minimum salary.

The Jazz attacked, and Benoit was entangled by Kobe after receiving the ball. He passed the ball and found Stockton with obvious intentions. Guo Xu also defended like a candy, reaching out to steal successfully!

Guo Xu rushed forward and used his speed to get rid of Stockton's fast break. He attracted Marshall's defense in front of the three-point line and threw the ball high toward the basket. George on the left cut in with one finger in the sky.

George flew up, dunked the ball with both hands, pulled the basket and kicked his legs high, and landed after being cushioned.

29 to 31, Guo Xu had his third assist.

The Lakers were so excited that Sloan requested a timeout.

When they came off the court, the Lakers players high-fived each other to celebrate. The veterans became very enthusiastic towards Guo Xu, especially Harper who handed Guo Xu a towel.

Harper knows that he should retire after this season. Guo Xu is much better than him on the offensive end and can perform well on the court. On the defensive end, Guo Xu is also better than him on the point guard and will not be easily broken by his opponent. Height suffers.

Jackson briefly emphasized the offensive and defensive tactics without making any substitutions.

Sloan replaced Marshall with Postman Malone to add a stable scoring point.

Malone is worthy of being the league's top iron man. He played full attendance last season, averaging 35.9 minutes per game, scoring 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and shooting 50.9% from the field. He is 37 years old this year and is still the core of the team.

Malone singled out George when he came on the court, turned around and hit a shot, helping the team stabilize the situation. 29 to 33.

When the Lakers attacked, Guo Xu ignored Kobe's request for the ball and chose to play a pick-and-roll with O'Neal. After attracting Malone to switch defense, he distributed the ball to the center. O'Neal easily squeezed out Stockton's cut, caught the ball and went to the basket, and pushed Ostertag up.

Ostertag's thug fouled and sent him to the free throw line. He committed two fouls in just a few minutes.

O'Neal made one of two free throws, 30 to 33. Taking advantage of the dead ball, the Lakers replaced George and replaced him with Grant to face Malone. George's guest appearance at the 4th position to defend Malone would not work.

The Jazz also replaced Ostertag. Now O'Neal will be much easier in the low post. Jackson simply doesn't let O'Neal rest in this quarter. He has obvious advantages.

Danny Manning, who just came on the court, is 208cm tall and weighs 104kg. His body is not even strong for a power forward, so Malone has to be used to defend O'Neal. If O'Neal can draw a foul and knock Malone down, the Lakers will definitely win.

So the Lakers' offensive focus shifted to the low post, and Guo Xu began to wait for opportunities outside the three-point line again. In the second half, he only made one three-point shot, which missed the basket.

On the defensive end, Guo Xu performed brilliantly, but Stockton did not score any more points. After the ball was distributed, it was difficult to receive a return pass. Guo Xu kept pestering him and pursued the defense very quickly.

The Jazz only scored 16 points in this quarter, and the Lakers led 42-40 at halftime.

Jackson was satisfied with Guo Xu's performance in the first half and did not let him sit on the bench in the third quarter. He continued to play with the OK team.

When Harper and Fox are feeling terrible, and Robert Horry and Fisher are out due to injuries, and Guo Xu does not play, the Lakers lack a stable three-point shooting point from the outside and cannot open up space. Today he Became an indispensable person for the Lakers.

Fisher, who had undergone surgery and was recuperating at home, was so angry when watching the game that he wanted to smash the TV. He felt that the glory should belong to him, and he was the most suitable person to replace Harper. Guo Xu was really lucky.

The Jazz's response method is to defend Guo Xu and Kobe alone.

While double-teaming O'Neal in the low post, he allowed two other role players to shoot, and the offensive end targeted Guo Xu in a pick-and-roll.

Stockton's role has come into play. Even though he is a white man with a height of only 185cm, he has been selected to the best defensive team many times. He predicts accurately when preventing breakthroughs and will use small moves to make up for his own shortcomings when defending closely.

It was difficult for Guo Xu to get rid of him when he was targeted. The best way for him to deal with Stockton was to run without the ball and rely on speed and endurance to drag down his opponent. However, the tactics arranged by Jackson were to let him stand on one side. This gave him gave Stockton a chance to breathe.

What disgusted Guo Xu the most was Stockton's little moves, including pulling and pulling, Tai Chi pushing his hands, and using his legs to pin his legs. The referee would always turn a blind eye. During the offense, Stockton made two mid-range shots. They both pushed him to gain space during the emergency stop, but the referee still did not call it.

Rookies often suffer when facing off against stars, because NBA whistles are not so fair.

NBA rules are detailed and clear, and referees are extremely professional. However, the legal principles are nothing more than human feelings. Referees will incorporate some subjective factors into the law enforcement, which not only takes care of the emotions of the fans at the scene, but is also conducive to NBA marketing.

Stockton has a great reputation, and referees are willing to give him some preferential treatment and don't want to see him suppressed by rookies. Corresponding to the star whistle is the rookie whistle. NBA rookies are often targeted by referees when they first come to the NBA.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Yao Minggui suffered from this disadvantage when he first entered the league as the No. 1 pick. He was often troubled by fouls. It is not surprising that Guo Xu, the last pick, suffered a disadvantage on defense.

The home whistle will be reflected in O'Neal and Kobe, not Guo Xu.

Then there is the balance whistle. If the referee realizes that there is a problem with the call he just made, he will usually find a balance for the losing team at the other end of the court and call an unnecessary foul to make up for his fault. Players who are called for a whistle usually just raise their hands to signal in a symbolic way, reluctantly accepting the fact that they are unlucky.

Stockton played Guo Xu, and the balance whistle appeared on Kobe. He was sent to the free throw line in two not fierce confrontations.

In this quarter, O'Neal was double-teamed and guarded. Kobe stepped up to ensure the Lakers' offensive firepower. He made 4 of 10 shots in a single quarter, 7 of 7 free throws, and scored 15 points.

Guo Xu only took two shots in this quarter, and both of them missed the basket, which felt cold. His only data was that he sent an assist and passed it to Kobe who cut through the air for a layup to score 2+1. He was replaced by Harper in the last 4 minutes, and the latter did not perform well. He committed two fouls after coming on the court.

The worst performer in this quarter was Leder, who made 0 of 3 shots in 7 minutes and 0 of 2 three-pointers, all of which were open and missed opportunities.

The Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a 67-61 lead, which was not a big advantage. Grant had committed 5 fouls, and O'Neal and Guo Xu had committed 4 fouls, all because of the pick-and-roll of Malone and Stockton. These two are particularly good at creating mismatches.

Guo Xu had no choice but to foul Malone. Otherwise, when Malone made an air cut to the basket, it would be too late for him to foul.

Sloan is the best coach in the league at pick-and-roll offense. He only knows pick-and-roll and never uses other tactics. This is the Jazz's way of winning, and it's also the reason why they can't win a championship. They keep doing this back and forth, and it's easy for opponents to figure out their routines.

Guo Xu was temporarily resting on the bench due to foul trouble, and it was impossible to perform as brilliantly as he did on the field.

Harper was in a sluggish state and had not scored a point before. Zen Master Jackson was forced to replace another veteran Brian Shaw as a guest point guard, and the two sides entered a stalemate.