Chapter 732 [There’s No Way to Defend Against It]

In Guo Xu's previous life, Odom was a very unlucky person. As one of the most comprehensive players in the league, when his statistics were good, he had no record, and when he had records, his statistics became worse. Coupled with the abundance of talents in the Western Conference, he has never been selected as an All-Star.

If he were playing in the Eastern Conference, it would not be difficult for Odom to be selected as an All-Star. The Eastern Conference was once so scarce that even Rasheed Wallace, who averaged 12.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and shot 43.2% from the field, was selected to the All-Stars.

In the first 20 games of this season, Odom played to a very high level. "Zen Master" Phil Jackson commented that this will be the season in which he becomes an All-Star player. Now that his All-Star status is on the line, he has to rest for at least two to four weeks due to a knee injury. He can feel that the injury is serious.

With the support of his teammates, Odom returned to the locker room, and Luke Walton came on as a substitute.

Before his injury, Odom averaged 17.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, shooting 49.4% from the field and 36.6% from three-point range. He is an indispensable member of the Lakers.

Kobe frowned and became very depressed. The Lakers, who played with the strongest lineup, were lagging behind. Can they still win if Odom can't play this game?

He has almost never won against the Suns led by Guo Xu in recent years, and he has a psychological shadow. His mentality has been affected, and he plans to take more responsibility on the offensive end and take more shots. Odom is out, he should take more shots.

The game continues, the Suns have the ball.

Guo Xu passed the ball to Roy just after passing midfield. This time Roy was caught up by Artest.

Guo Xu did not move forward and raised his hands to ask for the ball. Roy did not try to force a breakthrough and passed the ball back.

Guo Xu held the ball with his right hand, gestured to his teammates with a finger with his left hand, and then suddenly made a pull-up jumper two meters outside the three-point line. His offense was very confusing. No one from the Lakers ran so far to double-team. Parker lowered his center of gravity and prepared to defend the pick-and-roll. Unexpectedly, he could even fake a signal.

Guo Xu has the ability to shoot from a position far away from the three-point line. Everyone knows it, but they still don't want to guard very far outside. Once he stands too far outside, he will easily pass by him. When the time comes, he will break through the position for a pull-up jumper. Closer to the basket. Moreover, the formation is too far outside, and Guo Xu will have obvious gaps when he distributes the ball.

Unfortunately, it is not a good idea to let Guo Xu take long-range shots. Last season, Guo Xu's long-range three-point shooting rate reached 40%. This time he was well prepared and scored. 12 to 2.

After scoring the goal, Guo Xu opened his arms and enjoyed the cheers of the fans.

"Zen Master" Jackson requested a timeout. This kind of ultra-long-range three-pointer is very morale-boosting, and the Lakers must find a way to suppress the Suns' momentum.

Smith said: "How to defend Jason is a big problem in the league. He often makes incredible passes. His data is not as good as last season because he played for a shorter time and took fewer shots, not because of a decline in strength. He can still do it without double-teaming. Get high marks.”

Barkley said: "He was double-teamed and sent out assists. The Suns' formation was very wide."

After the timeout, Ellis came on the court. He couldn't guard him anyway, so he tried to catch someone who was fast. Ellis' athletic ability is better than Parker's. Parker is a free agent after this season and the Lakers will not renew his contract.

The coaching staff found that Parker did pretty well against ordinary players, but he couldn't bring out his full strength against stars. He has a cowardly mentality and is afraid of facing off against stars. Such a person is very useful in embarrassing the playoffs.

The Suns have not made any substitutions. D'Antoni believes they can cope with any situation. It doesn't matter if they can't defend well. Defense is not the focus. The Suns can just go to the blue-collar defense when the opponent feels good, just like they did when they won the championship in 2005.

The game continued. Kobe feinted after receiving the ball from outside the three-point line. Bell did not take the feint and lowered his center of gravity to keep one step away.

After Kobe stepped forward, he made a three-pointer from the right side and hit the ball under Bell's interference.

Marion grabbed the rebound and passed it to Guo Xu. Guo Xu took it to the frontcourt and passed it to Roy who was running on the screen.

Roy caught the ball and got rid of Artest. Bogut followed Stoudemire and failed to change defense in time. Roy watched Roy hit a jumper from the left corner, 14 to 2, and Guo Xu made the third assist.

When returning to defense, Guo Xu and Roy high-fived in celebration.

Coach Roy's usual tactics are to run without the ball from the side and catch the ball in a familiar position. If the big man switches defense, he can break through with the ball and find an opening for himself or pass the ball to an inside teammate. Stoudemire will cut through. .

Guo Xu has taken fewer shots this year, mainly to help Roy get familiar with this routine and prepare a good offensive attack. As long as the opponent's center is led out of the penalty area, Stoudemire has a 70% chance of catching the ball and entering the penalty area to easily score.

When the Lakers attacked, Kobe received the ball in the familiar low post and beat Bell, attracting Marion to help defend and double-team, but did not pass the ball. He turned towards the baseline and made a fadeaway jumper. Stoudemire took the rebound out of the penalty area and Marion picked it up. .

Guo Xu quickly advanced and passed to Roy who was following on the left. Roy singled out Artest and forced a breakthrough. He pulled the ball in front of the free throw line, took a small step to the left, and then took a big step to the right to change direction. , took another step with his left foot and passed Artest to pick up the basket and score. 16 to 2.

Smith shouted: "Roy scored again. He is the most eye-catching rookie this year. He is not afraid to face Artest, who has won the best defensive player award."

Barkley smiled: "He joined the Suns as soon as he entered the league and has never lost a game in his career."

Roy really has never lost, and the Suns also won all preseason games. Playing in this environment, he has grown faster than joining the Trail Blazers, and his self-confidence has become stronger and stronger.

The reason why his statistics are slightly lower than his previous life is because he doesn't have enough playing time, but his strength is actually stronger, because he always plays one-on-one with Guo Xu in the team and has learned a lot.

The fans gave Roy a warm applause, and he smiled very happily when he returned to defense.

During the training camp, Roy coached the European step breakthrough, and it was the kind of European step that stole a step. If the layup was consistent, the referee would not be able to blow the step. The key is to pull the ball while taking the first step. Guo Xu told Roy this technique during training and thought it was very suitable for him to use.

Players rely on dribbling rhythm to break through, reducing changes in direction when moving forward at full speed, which can protect their knees to a certain extent.

The Lakers' offense was a bit chaotic. Ellis gave the ball to Artest. According to the coach's arrangement, he should have lobbed the ball to Bogut in the low post. Artest didn't do that. He chose to force a breakthrough with the ball, but when he failed, he made a pull-up jump shot from the left.

Artest is relatively confident in catching the ball and shooting, and his offense with the ball is at the blacksmith level, and he is rarely accurate. Roy's physical fitness is not a vegetarian, he is very strong and will not be easily squeezed away.

Bogut failed again in his attempt to grab an offensive rebound, and the Scarlet man helped Marion get the rebound.

The Suns' position battle changed the routine. Stoudemire pulled out the three-point line and played a pick-and-roll with Guo Xu, instead of going to the side to cover without the ball. Roy beat Artest and the other two, and the opponent has almost adapted to the rhythm, so Bogut has to do something else.

As expected, Bogut was a little confused. He stood within the three-point line and switched defenders and was not active in long-range shots. Guo Xu took a step laterally and made an emergency stop jumper from outside the three-point line on the right. There was no one in front of him to interfere. Ellis bypassed the screen and jumped too slowly to catch up, and failed to cover it.

Guo Xu didn't practice shooting today, but he had a convulsion in his hand and hit another three-pointer. 19 to 2.

Barkley said: "The Lakers are going to be unlucky today. Jason can't be guarded if he is accurate, and double-teaming is useless."

Smith laughed: "Bogut feels uncomfortable every time he plays against the Suns. Amare was not here last season, and he was not facing the strongest Suns. I don't know how he feels now. The Suns definitely need more than one person to double-team. "