Chapter 339 [Luck, Coming From Behind]
.., Legends of Tomorrow
The Suns' next game is an away game against the Spurs, which is even more eye-catching.
Guo Xu and Duncan have both produced luxurious statistics many times this season. In fact, 40+20 is more difficult than scoring 60 points, and 40 points and 20 assists is even harder than 40 points and 20 rebounds.
This game did not disappoint the fans. It was full of twists and turns and was extremely exciting. The Suns defeated the powerful Spurs 104-97 in an away game.
Guo Xu severely defeated Tony Parker. He played 44 minutes and made 12 of 14 shots, 6 of 6 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 35 points, 3 rebounds and 13 assists. Under his leadership, five members of the Suns team scored in double figures.
He had fits for two consecutive games, so accurate that people exclaimed, "Did you make a mistake?" He made 9 of 9 shots in the first three quarters. If he had taken fewer shots in the final quarter, he would have had a perfect shooting percentage, but the team has been unable to open up the score. , he needs to take action.
Second-year player Parker made 6 of 13 shots, 1 of 7 three-pointers, and scored 13 points and 9 assists. The data was not bad, but his performance beyond the three-point line was terrible.
The Spurs' worse performer than Parker was shooting guard Stephen Jackson, who made 1 of 9 three-pointers and 3 of 15 from the field. He scored 12 points and 4 rebounds with free throws.
If they don't double-team, the Suns players can't guard Duncan, just like the Spurs must double-team Guo Xu.
Duncan also played 44 minutes, making 14 of 18 shots and 7 of 9 free throws. He scored 35 points, 21 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks. If the Spurs hadn't made 3 of 26 three-pointers, the Suns would have never won.
If his teammates on the outside hit a few open three-pointers at will, Duncan will not be double-teamed frequently and should be able to post a terrifying triple-double of 40+20+10, which is enough to be recorded in history.
Duncan's skills are all routine inside moves, and his basic skills are very solid. He can play singles on both sides of the frame and with his back, and his scoring efficiency is very high even if his opponents don't double-team him.
O'Neal only served two people, one was Hakeem Olajuwon and the other was Tim Duncan. When teams compete, they basically defend one-on-one. In Guo Xu's previous life, Duncan's peak was longer, and O'Neal's peak was more dazzling. The two were basically equal in strength, and no one could guard against the other.
After a day off, the Suns defeated the Kings 115-84 at home, suppressing two important competitors in the Western Conference.
Marion made 11 of 18 shots, 3 of 5 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.
Guo Xu feels bad.
He made 1 of 6 three-pointers, but also scored 22 points, 8 assists and 3 steals through breakthroughs.
Kings core Chris Webber made 11 of 29 shots and scored 22 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Just looking at the data is pretty good, but looking at the shooting percentage is only 37.9%. He was in poor condition after returning from injury. He was not sure about Stoudemire and Nene in singles. He wanted to abuse them like Duncan, but he ended up losing face.
At his peak, Weber played like a small forward, a point forward like James. He shot more jumpers, often missed his aim, and his scoring efficiency was not very high.
Kings fans gradually dislike Webber because he cannot lead the team to win the championship and always misses the key moments. Some people think that he is a bit overrated and is suspected of brushing up his statistics even when healthy.
Just like the game in 2001 when Weber's career statistics were at their peak, he scored 51 points, 26 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. The statistics were scary. But as long as fans check the number of his shots in that game, they will find that he shot 47 times.
What does it mean to score 51 points on 47 shots in a game? "General" Robinson scored 71 points on 41 shots and was criticized wildly. Kobe Bryant scored 81 points on 46 shots. Moreover, the Kings also lost to the Pacers in overtime in that game. The Kings only scored 2 points in the overtime, and Webb was completely invisible on 0 of 5 shots.
In the game on the same day, the Mavericks lost an upset to the SuperSonics 100-107, with a record of 48-16, only two games ahead of the 46-18 Suns.
Mavericks center LaFrentz has returned and only played a conservative 12 minutes. With no one available inside, the Mavericks also played small ball tactics like the Suns. For a while, the 203cm Najera was the center, and they couldn't guard the inside at all.
After a mid-term trade, the SuperSonics formed a double perimeter team of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Both of them are players with comprehensive skills and can shoot three-pointers, and the Mavericks cannot guard them.
There are 18 games left in the season, and most teams are starting to falter. The top four records in the Western Conference are close, and the records of the 6-10 teams are also close. The competition has become fierce.
The Rockets were the first to withdraw from the playoffs. Coach Tomjanovich was diagnosed with bladder cancer and had to miss the game for treatment. Since then, the Rockets have lost consecutive games.
Larry Smith, the first assistant coach who took over temporarily, did not trust the young Yao Ming and began to reuse Cato. Smith believes that a center should be as strong as O'Neal, capable of making waves in the paint, rather than shooting jumpers.
Of course, Cato's shitty shooting couldn't help open up space for the defender. After losing, Smith continued to treat Cato as his father. Instead, he often scolded Yao Ming in the locker room, saying that his style of play was too soft and he couldn't complete the tactics he arranged.
The fat black man Smith was an excellent center in the NBA back then, nicknamed "The Wicked Man." He has a single mind and knows how to dominate the basket on both offense and defense. In Guo Xu's previous life, he quickly left the NBA and became a coach in the Development League.
Smith not only ruined the Rockets, but also caused internal strife. One time when he accused Yao Ming, Francis stood up and roared: "You know how to blame others! You are the cause of all this! Yao Ming was performing well, and we were performing well, but you messed it up." Come on! Everyone, please follow my instructions from now on and don’t listen to his nonsense!"
It's a pity that players can't really play as Francis says...
In the final stage, the Suns' shortcomings also began to appear. The performance of the new players was very unstable and their ability to withstand pressure was insufficient. Guo Xu, Marion, and Kukoc became the key, helping the team win three thrilling overtime games.
The most exciting thing was the game against the SuperSonics. The two sides were tied in overtime. Guo Xu quickly counterattacked in the last 5 seconds to attract a double team and then shot the ball. Kukoc hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.
As luck would have it, the Suns lost 5 of their last 18 games and ended the regular season with a record of 59 wins and losses, trailing the 60-win Spurs and Mavericks, but gaining the second-best record in the Western Conference.
There are currently only four divisions in the NBA. After the Bobcats joined in 2004, the number of teams became 30 and then it was changed to six divisions.
Teams in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference only play two games in the regular season, and they have to play four games in the same division. If they are in the West and draw opponents from different divisions to play three or four games, the Suns' schedule will benefit.
There are seven teams in the Pacific Division, and the other six are the Lakers, Clippers, Trail Blazers, SuperSonics, Warriors, and Kings.
This area includes the Kings, who are troubled by injuries. All opponents have weakened to varying degrees during the season, and three teams are outside the playoffs. The Suns are relatively lucky as only Kukoc has been injured for two months.
Looking at the Central Division, only the Nuggets are a bad team. The Grizzlies, Jazz, Rockets, Timberwolves, Spurs, and Mavericks are all capable of competing for playoff spots, and they are almost going to lose their brains.
In Guo Xu's previous life, the competition in the Western Conference was not so fierce. The butterfly effect caused the Grizzlies to rise early. They suppressed the Jazz and were not afraid of the Lakers and Trail Blazers.
According to the rules, the Suns are the division champion and are ranked second after winning one more game than the Kings, who are ranked fourth.
The most unlucky team is the Mavericks, which led the record for nearly the entire season and lost to the Spurs in the penultimate game. With the record tied, because the Spurs beat the Mavericks 3-1 in the regular season, they fell to third place.
The Spurs came from behind and ranked first in the league.
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