Chapter 133 [Point Guard Nemesis, No. 1 Pass]

In the third quarter, the Spurs sent the inside "Twin Towers", the offensive end continued to rely on pick-and-roll, inside support, and the wing cuts and the Lakers fought against each other.

Leading by a big score, Zen Master has reservations about his formation. He let Guo Xu and O'Neal rest, and Kobe, who took a 5-minute rest in the second half of the second quarter, led the attack. The other four were Brian Shaw, Leder, Horry, and Grant.

The Lakers lost their strongest three-pointer and the inside core, and their offensive firepower was significantly weakened.

The Spurs played very smoothly offensively. Whether the Twin Towers evacuated the basket or attacked in the low post, the two insiders of the Lakers couldn't bear it.

O'Neal has trouble guarding power forwards like Malik Rose, but as long as he is on the court, he can cover most of the penalty area, forcing opponents to shoot farther from the basket.

Horry has no such ability. He is 206cm tall and weighs only 100kg. His style is similar to the weakened version of Juwan Howard. He was born as a small forward, has good mobility, and is good at defending against pick-and-rolls. It's almost meaningless to guard the penalty area.

It is even more difficult for Grant to defend Duncan alone. Duncan's offense is unique and he is a well-known star. He uses simple footwork and turns to create shooting space. Both mid-range shots and floaters make it difficult for opponents to block shots. If you want to guard Duncan, you have to be taller and stronger than him.

Brian Shaw's defense against Daniels was okay, but offensively he had poor shooting and was unorganized. Without O'Neal, he no longer had the attribute of being good at lobbing O'Neal, and he passed it to Kobe after half court.

Kobe wished he had the right to take the shot but had no chance of a one-on-one. As soon as he entered the three-point line, he was double-teamed. He chose to force the shot without guaranteeing his hit rate. He chose to split the ball and his teammates were not capable enough.

For nearly 6 minutes, the Spurs kept pressing the Lakers. Jackson didn't call a timeout. He was waiting for Kobe to "come down to earth" like Jordan. Sometimes Kobe is really that strong, but not today.

At 6 minutes and 12 seconds, Duncan singled out Grant and scored under the basket, leading the team to a 20-4 run, narrowing the point difference to single digits, 70-62.

Many fans couldn't stand it any longer and shouted O'Neal's name from the sidelines before Jackson finally requested a timeout. In the past, his reaction was half a beat slow, but today it was a full beat slow.

Horvath lamented: "The Lakers really can't do without O'Neal. Once he takes a rest, the power of the Spurs' twin towers will be revealed. Without him, the Lakers are just another team. I don't think they can even make it to the playoffs."

Woodson agreed and said with a smile: "Maybe Jackson wants O'Neal to rest for a while. He will be very tired if he keeps fighting against the Twin Towers. I think Jackson's personnel mistake was to replace Jason Guo. If he is on the court, he will be very tired from the outside." With two strong attack points, the offense will definitely be better.”

Facts have proved that Kobe cannot lead the team independently, even if his overall strength ranks among the best in the league.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Kobe Bryant was stronger in the three seasons from 2004 to 2007 than he is now. His best result was leading the team to the playoffs and failing to pass the first round. It wasn't until Pau Gasol joined that the Lakers had a new inside axis, and with the support of second-rate star Odom, the Lakers as a whole were running smoothly.

Jackson deployed the trident, and the tactics were the same as in the second quarter. Guo Xu held the ball and distributed the ball. He could single out himself, or he could play a pick-and-roll with Horry in the middle, break through himself or pass the ball to Kobe, and Kobe would attack or pass. Give O'Neal in the low post to help create opportunities for the opponent.

A good partner came out and Kobe was relaxed. Guo Xu played a pick-and-roll and attracted Robinson to switch defense. The ball was passed to the side. Kobe faced Anderson on the right side of the frame. After probing, he broke through the baseline and was blocked. He protected the ball twice with his back, shook his left shoulder, turned around and shot a fadeaway jumper, 50. Hit two points.

72 to 62, Kobe is the team's "point guard nemesis" and "spitting cake king". It is difficult for his point guard teammates to add statistics when paired with him, and it is difficult to even think of 5 assists. But with a simple combination, the Spurs couldn't double-team Kobe.

When the Spurs attacked, Daniels faced Guo Xu with the ball, which seemed like an obvious mismatch.

Faced with Guo Xu’s closeness,

Daniels leaned back, turned around and failed to break through, so he chose to pass the ball to Anderson, who was running on a screen without the ball. The latter caught the ball and shot, but missed due to interference from Horry's defense change. Duncan grabbed the offensive rebound and distributed it for Daniels to organize.

Daniels was closely followed by Guo Xu again, and he protected the ball with his back to observe the movement of his teammates. He took two steps and passed it to Elliott. The latter had no chance under Fox's defense and passed the ball again.

With 24 seconds almost gone, Duncan singled out O'Neal, turned around and missed the shot, and Horry grabbed the rebound.

There are advantages and disadvantages. Daniels defends Guo Xu better, but he mainly relies on catching and shooting offensively. He rarely plays pick-and-rolls and usually passes the ball after passing half the court. He obviously has an overall advantage in physical fitness, but he does not single out Guo Xu, and his playing is too reasonable.

Daniels, who is 193cm tall and weighs 88kg, was selected by the Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick in the first round of 1997. He played for one season before being traded to the Spurs. Because he is not the kind of player the Grizzlies need. He has top physical fitness but does not have the mentality to become a star.

Daniels is completely a pass-first point guard, and his style of play is not that of a combo guard. In his own words, he can get more pleasure from passing than scoring, and he has the heart of a point guard.

To put it bluntly, this is a person who dares not take responsibility. He has defined himself as a role player from the beginning, and his passing first and so on are all excuses. Nash and Kidd are the first passers. How many assists do they average per game?

In Guo Xu's previous life, Daniels started 63 games with the Wizards in the 2007-08 season at his peak, averaging 8.4 points and 4.8 assists in 30.4 minutes per game. Any point guard who ranked first in scoring and second in passing would have more assists than him. many.

When the Lakers attacked, O'Neal made a mistake when attracting the defense to pass the ball to Kobe, and passed it directly to the sideline.

The Spurs attacked, and Duncan supported the ball from the high post and passed to Elliott who was cutting from the baseline. The latter got rid of Fox and scored a layup. 72 to 64.

Guo Xu and Horry played a pick-and-roll in the middle and rushed to the left. Daniels bypassed the screen and caught up. Guo Xu hit the ground and passed to Kobe who ran to the low post on the left.

Kobe caught the ball and leaned against Anderson twice, turned around 45 degrees and scored a jumper with a beautiful posture. 74 to 64.

Woodson said: "The Lakers' cooperation was very tacit. Horry pulled out of the three-point line and gave up one side of the low post to Kobe. He was too sure to single out Anderson near the basket."

Horvath said: "Although Jason does not add assists, his organizational skills are actually not bad, and he can distribute the ball reasonably."

Daniels and Robinson played a pick-and-roll, took a dribble and split the ball. Robinson made a pass to Duncan in the middle.

Duncan singled out O'Neal and turned to the right to shoot. Unfortunately, O'Neal blocked this time and Kobe picked up the rebound.

In the Lakers battle, there was no room for several passes. O'Neal pulled out and made an off-ball screen for Guo Xu, blocking Daniels firmly.

Guo Xu ran along the three-point line from the right corner to 70 degrees, received a pass from Horry in the middle, and shot a three-point jumper. In perfect rhythm, Duncan changed defense slowly and the ball went hollow into the net.

77 to 64, Guo Xu's 27th personal point and seventh three-pointer.

Elliott caught the ball and made a mid-range shot, 77 to 66.

The Lakers attacked, Guo Xu and Horry played a pick-and-roll, passed Robinson in the middle, went to the basket, and gave the ball to O'Neal on the right. The latter jumped up in one step, and across Duncan was a one-handed dunk!

79 to 66, Guo Xu's fourth assist.

Not only did the ball score, the referee also whistled and called a 2+1 defensive foul. O'Neal added a penalty, but Duncan took a break for the fourth foul.