The Suns changed the starting lineup and strengthened their defense at the beginning.

In the regular season, Haslem performed well against Malone on the defensive end. He was slightly shorter than Malone and was not afraid of confrontation. On the offensive end, both Haslem and Sir could open up the mid-range shots, helping to create breakthrough space on the outside.

Diop, who is most suitable for defending O'Neal, did not play. After studying the Lakers' playing style, the coaching staff found that at a certain period of time O'Neal and Kobe would stagger their playing time, one person rested and one person took the substitute. That was the best time for Diop to play and defend alone.

If the Lakers keep O'Neal and Kobe on the court and increase their playing time, then it would be better to let Diop defend a wave in the second quarter or the second half. The Suns will first compete with the Lakers to attack, consuming some of O'Neal's physical strength.

D'Antoni has this kind of personality, and he will not be able to defend if he can fight for offense. If Marion hadn't played the power forward as a guest player against Malone, he wouldn't have let Haslem start.

The Lakers' playing style is traceable. As long as no one is injured, the starting lineup will always be on F4 together. George is the only variable in the starting lineup. He started 48 games in the regular season and shared his playing time with Rush and Fox.

Due to injuries to the foot, neck and back, Fox is no longer able to do it, and the Lakers' small forward position has a fatal flaw.

Fox only played 38 games in the regular season, scoring 4.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 22.3 minutes, shooting percentage of 39.2%, and three-point shooting percentage of 24.6%. His defensive movement speed became very slow and he was easily overwhelmed by his opponent. In the last round of the series, he became a team on the edge.

O'Neal won the jump ball and the game began.

Payton was brought to the frontcourt by Guo Xu, who passed the ball to Kobe, and Bale also adopted a close-fitting strategy.

Even the best offensive team is a must-have someone to take on the heavy responsibility of the outside defense. At that time, this person from the Suns was Bale.

Bale's defense is not a blow, and it is no exaggeration to say that he is one of the best outside defenders in the league.

In Guo Xu's previous life, taking the 2006 Suns and Lakers series, Kobe, who averaged 35.4 points per game in the regular season, scored only 24.2 points in Bale's six playoff games defense. In the game when Bale was suspended for the throat lock, Kobe opened fire and scored 50 points with 20 of 35 shots.

In the subsequent 2006-07 season, Bale was selected for the league's best defensive team. His trick was constantly entangled, making it difficult for the opponent to catch the ball, and it was difficult for him to turn around after receiving the ball. Now Bale is defending like this, but he has not been recognized yet.

Jackson talked to Kobe before the game and asked him to pass the ball to O'Neal, and the Suns' start was probably a small ball tactic.

Kobe was not lucky in the position and gave George one step to the first, who could pass the ball to O'Neal on the wing. Marion defended himself, but not the shot. George's basket was very average. Sir O'Neal defended the ball around the front, and George passed the ball with a back-loop and went straight out of the baseline.

Zhang Heli said: "This kind of mistake is very harmful to morale. George's passing is too bad. He has not been trained for several years."

Xu Jicheng smiled and said, "The Lakers gave up Guo Xu in 2002 and chose to renew their contract with George Middle School. Now they must regret it."

The Suns attacked, the players pulled away, and Guo Xu took the ball to play Payton in the middle. When he saw this posture, Phil Jackson was a little panicked.

As the first coach to coach Guo Xu and understand his personality traits, Jackson knew very well that if Guo Xu had an advantage in one-on-one fight, he might not be able to fight. Helping stars create one-on-one opportunities is a typical routine for triangular offense, and it is difficult for opponents to double-team.

Guo Xu dribbled the ball under his crotch to his left hand, and suddenly started to break out on the left. He relied on speed to get rid of Payton and entered the basket. O'Neal made up for defense. Guo Xu passed the ball with the opportunity. Xiao Si received the ball 50 degrees from the right and made a mid-range shot with an open shot. He easily hit the open position. 2 to 0.

The Lakers attacked, Kobe gave O'Neal a lob to the low post, O'Neal moved a step behind his back, Marion let go of the bottom line, George retreated and double-teamed, and took the ball in the lower three ways.

O'Neal immediately divided the ball into the bottom corner, and George made an open three-pointer. 2-3.

Fisher plays as a substitute, and George has to take charge of three-pointers. Although he plays unstable, he can also make a few shots occasionally.

Payton's bottom corner three-pointer is unreliable, so he can't find any feeling in the triangular offensive system, and the data is declining. What is difficult for the Lakers coaching staff to deal with is that in order to take care of Payton's self-esteem, he has to start.

The Suns player pulled open again, Guo Xu fought one-on-one in the middle, dribbled the ball under his crotch to his left hand, and swayed his left shoulder to the right to change direction. Payton hurriedly moved horizontally to follow, Guo Xu took the ball to the ox horn position and stopped urgently, dribbled the ball behind his right hand and gave it to his left hand, took the left foot and took the step and took a quick move.

Payton's defensive consciousness is still there, but his footsteps are not keeping up. Not to mention the fastest defender in the league like Guo Xu, he suffered a loss in the regular season against Billups and was defeated by Billups, who is also a heavy guard. Therefore, Jackson often let him play with Fisher and play as a shooting guard.

Guo Xu's move also added a little backward, which almost didn't interfere. The ball was hollowed into the net. 4 to 3.

The Lakers attacked, Marion did not double-team O'Neal anymore, and Bale could not let Kobe go back and double-team. O'Neal pushed Sir back and turned to the bottom line and threw the ball, playing cricket. 4-5.

Although the ball was scored, it is an indisputable fact that O'Neal's condition has declined. At the age of 32, he is overweight and can no longer strive to squeeze out his opponent and dunk every round like he did when he was young.

Guo Xu passed the ball through half the game, and Xiao Si suddenly pulled out to cover Payton. Guo Xu didn't even play the secret code, and unexpectedly.

He and Stan agreed before playing, and played pick-and-roll in the third round. If he always fights one-on-one, it will make Malone and O'Neal easier on the defensive end, so that they will focus more on offensive end.

Guo Xu dribbled the ball to the right and made a quick stop and jumped for a three-pointer. O'Neal failed to switch defense in time, and the ball entered the net hollow. 7 to 5.

Zhang Heli sighed: "Guo Xu is the nemesis of the high center forward. It is too difficult for a big man to change defense. In the last round, Yao Ming, Kato, and Taylor were all convinced by him. There was no good way except for fouls. It would be impossible not to change defense. He could get rid of the defender and make a direct shot."

Xu Jicheng added: "His shooting ability is the most terrifying. He hit more than 300 three-pointers in the regular season for two consecutive seasons, and is the only player in NBA history to do this. I don't know when the second one will appear."

While the two were chatting, O'Neal fought against Sir Si alone, turned around in the middle and swayed behind. Sir Si did not take any fake moves. O'Neal stepped forward and forced a throw shot and made another 7-7.

D'Antoni cheered up two hands for Sir Jersey on the sidelines. Although he couldn't defend himself, he still made progress on the defensive end. He was not flying at a glance like he did last season. He knew that raising his hands to interfere with the shooting, which was good. The inside line could generally be limited.

When training in the Suns, the coaching staff often praised Nene, Haslem and Diop for their defense. Sir Jr. is not a fool like Swift. He likes to jump after seeing him for too many times. He also understands that trying not to jump alone is the right choice.

When the Suns attacked, Guo Xu and Xiao Si played pick-and-roll, dribbled the ball and pulled it away on the right side. Xiao Si stood in the middle and had no time to cut.

Payton did not chase after defending this time, and chased S. and rushed in, which was a dunk. However, Guo Xu had the opportunity to fight O'Neal one-on-one. He took a step towards O'Neal and dribbled the ball under his crotch and changed his right hand to the right side successfully.

Before Malone could make up for defense, O'Neal turned around and saw Guo Xu make a layup, 9-7.
Chapter completed!