Chapter 932 [Prove courage, home slaughter]
The Trail Blazers attacked, Gordon and Ade played pick-and-roll and attracted Ibaka to replace the defense and split the ball into the middle. This time, Roy saw that he could not catch up with the defender, so he replaced the defense in the middle and faced Ade.
Ade made a step in the frame near the free throw line, and made a straight jump shot. 15 to 4.
Ade is a power forward destined to be an All-Star. He can be both inside and outside. Once the defender is misaligned, it will be difficult to defend him. His jump shot is very high.
When the Suns attacked, Guo Xu took him to the frontcourt without looking for cover, and waved his teammates to pull away and challenge Gordon in the middle.
He dribbled the ball under his right crotch and gave it to his left hand, changing direction to the right, but Gordon was not shaken away.
Guo Xu held the ball with his right hand and pulled open the space without any haste. He dribbled the ball under his crotch and changed direction to the right. With the same action, Guo Xu suddenly accelerated the speed after Gordon moved horizontally. He dribbled the ball behind his right hand and changed direction to the left hand, broke through Gordon's sideways, and drove straight into the penalty area in the middle.
Ade made up for defense at the basket, Guo Xu passed the ball to the right bottom line, and Ibaka made an open mid-range shot. 17-4.
In just two rounds, Guo Xu declared that Gordon's single defense was invalid. If he couldn't shake it at once, he would shake it a few more times, which would always create a mobile phone opportunity. In terms of dribbling, no one in the league is more powerful than Guo Xu, and the ball is like sticking to his hands.
On the surface, he is 29 years old this year, but in fact he is similar to a 40-year-old veteran in dribbling proficiency and practice shooting.
How can a person who is at his peak in his technology, consciousness, and body be blocked by a third-grade round face?
It’s not that McMillan overestimated his disciples, but that the Trail Blazers have no better defensive players on the outside, and 3D player Matthews has joined the Cavaliers.
Next, the Trail Blazers began to resolutely double-team Guo Xu. Gasol Jr. could not let go at a low post, so he could only go up. Guo Xu would not hesitate at all when encountering this situation. He passed the ball with the opportunity and Roy received the ball and took the action.
In order to defend Roy, the Trail Blazers must speed up the turn of the ball, and Jeff lets Richardson go to make up for the defense. Roy and Guo Xu play similarly, and they pass the ball when they attract defense. The ball is very fast, and Richardson also throws the ball when he catches the ball.
The Suns made 10 three-pointers in a single quarter, and scored 30 points in this item alone, leading 44 to 20.
Guo Xu made 5 of 6 shots, 3 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 15 points and 5 assists.
Roy made 4 of 5 shots, 3 of 4 three-pointers, scoring 11 points and 4 assists.
Richardson made 3 of 5 three-pointers, and his shots were on the outside, scoring 9 points.
Dragic, who came on as a substitute in the last three minutes, also made a three-pointer. The Trail Blazers tied up Guo Xu with one pair. The ball was easy to get a gap when it was running, and it entered garbage time in one quarter.
The Trail Blazers mainly rely on Ade and Gordon to score. The center and point guard lack range, and Jeff Green is also a blacksmith.
Last season, Jeff averaged 15+6 per game, looking very good, shooting percentage was only 45.3%, and his performance was unstable. Today is his iron-shot day. He has the third most ball in the team, with few free throws, low efficiency, and his real shooting percentage is only 53%.
The Suns sent all substitutes in the next quarter, Dragic, Gerard Green, Grant Hill, Haslem, and O'Neal.
Soon the score difference widened to 35 points, and the Trail Blazers' rotation lineup was beaten.
Cousins became the protagonist on the court again. He challenged O'Neal again and again, scored 4 points on 2 of 6 shots, and was extremely inefficient. Perhaps in order to show his toughness, he also played O'Neal two from the low post.
McMillan was a little speechless about this newcomer. You can't even beat Gasol, the little fat guy, so you can't beat Big Fat guy?
This is not only the low ball quotient, but also the IQ is a problem.
When he was a rookie, he was not aware of the thinking of God. Perhaps he just wanted to prove his courage.
O'Neal did not play Cousins at a low post, but instead played like Gasol Jr., pulling out to cover the defender and helping Dragic break through with the ball. O'Neal only scored one goal, cut the ball from the pick-and-roll and received the ball, and dunked it with both hands.
It would be even more uncomfortable if O'Neal didn't attack the Trail Blazers. Cousins couldn't play his strength advantage on the defensive end. If he switched to Dragic, he would be passed by a little slower.
The Trail Blazers' substitute point guard is Patrick Mills, and even if he catches up and defends his body, he is at a disadvantage.
Mills, who was 183cm, was so badly abused by Guo Xu when he represented Australia in the 2008 Olympic Games, which led to his mentality problems. He was one year late to participate in the draft. After two years of experience in college, he was selected as the fourth pick in the second round this year.
If Cousins would go out to cover Mills and let the defender catch the ball and shoot, the Suns would not be able to defend against it, O'Neal was too slow to defend against the pick-and-roll, but Cousins was undercover again.
Guo Xu and other main players came back to play for half a quarter and led by 40 points at the end of the half.
Guo Xu played for 18 minutes, scored 27 points, 7 assists and 1 steal, and went to be the audience with several players in the second half.
Barkley commented: "If the Trail Blazers want to rise, they need a superstar to lead them. Aldridge is not good enough. He doesn't seem to have many ways to play against Ibaka today."
Ade can score but his shooting percentage is average. Ibaka has height and wingspan, and his strength is slightly inferior. He will not become a weakness when facing power forwards who mainly shoot like Ade. He only reduces Ade's shooting percentage to within 50% to win, because Ade does not shoot three-pointers and only scores two points.
"The Trail Blazers' lineup looks very potential, but that doesn't mean they can play well. If they want to make the playoffs, I guess they have to practice together for two years," Smith said.
The second half of the match was shocking, and both sides sent substitutes. O'Neal scored 10 points in a short while, made 4 of 5 shots and 2 of 4 free throws.
Cambie was unable to score a point in O'Neal's defense, and did not dare to play in the penalty area, so she was released when she went out to cover. This season, Cambie's lies as a super defensive player had long been exposed, and O'Neal was about to retire, so he was also easy to play one-on-one.
Who can the Cambi counter-attack area with a height of 211cm and a weight of 100 kg? Yi Jianlian can even beat him.
After O'Neal got off the court, Cousins came on the court to exercise, but he still couldn't get any advantage when he faced Gott. His shooting choice was very poor, and Gottt worked hard to defend himself, giving Cousins a big hat.
On the offensive end, Gotat cooperated with his teammates, and he didn't play hard in the pick-and-roll gap, and his shooting percentage was very high. His teammates attracted double team members. When he was released, he also made a mid-range shot.
Except for Peterson and Whiteside who were not on the roster, the others in the Suns made their appearances.
In the last quarter, D'Antoni tried to let Jeremy Lin and Dragic partner with a double-back combination, with the small forwards being Gerald Green, power forward Haslem and center Gotat.
Kobayashi also played his specialty. He was very fast and good at random battles. The other people could also make fast attacks. The Suns made a lot of mistakes, but it was better than the Trail Blazers who lacked the backbone to attack.
Kobayashi is just a rookie now, but has an advantage against short guard Mills. He is being abused by his teammates every day in the team training. In the official game, he can't feel the pressure. It's not that he is weak, but that his teammates are too strong.
The final game was 147 to 90, and the Suns massacred the Trail Blazers by 57 points.
Barkley smiled and said, "It's just one game that shows how strong the Suns are. It's definitely not easy for other teams to stop them from building a dynasty with three consecutive championships."
Smith lamented: "If Roy hadn't been reimbursed in 2008 and Jason was injured in his finger, I really don't know how many consecutive championships the solar energy won. As long as Jason is there, they seem to be invincible."
Chapter completed!