Chapter 109 [Destroy in One Wave, Refuse to Lose in a Row]

In the final quarter, Kobe continued to play, and Guo Xu and O'Neal sat on the bench together.

Guo Xu currently has three fouls and has averaged 4 fouls per game since the start of the season. He is the Lakers' top foul machine and ranks second in the league, second only to Nets No. 1 draft pick Kenyon Martin, who averages 4.5 fouls per game.

Jackson didn't think it was wrong for Guo Xu to commit too many fouls and praised him on the sidelines. "You did a good job on the defensive end. Continue to maintain this attitude when you play again. When you see that you can't defend, you will foul hard."

In fact, the number of fouls is an important reference data for a player's defensive enthusiasm and defensive success rate, especially for centers and point guards. These two positions are most likely to be misplaced by opponents.

The rookie fouls a lot, and the defensive success rate is not terrible. It is really bad if he is passed by, misplaced and easily squeezed away without any action. If this kind of person has average offensive ability, it is better to sit off the court.

Jackson attaches great importance to defense. He gave newcomer Mark Madsen a chance to play. The other three are Harper, Leder and Grant.

Tang Shuai arranged for Koller to lead four small players, who can not only play pick-and-roll in positional battles, but also quickly counterattack. The Rockets, led by backup point guard Mookie Norris, went on an 8-0 lead to take the lead.

Harper only played two minutes when he fouled twice and was replaced by Fox. He is not good at guarding small defenders like Norris. Jackson did not immediately replace Guo Xu and asked Kobe to defend Norris. The inside line also adjusted, and Horry replaced Madsen.

This is to create a misplacement opportunity. No matter whether Kobe singles out Norris or Mobley, he has a height advantage. Mobley defends Kobe and passes the ball to Ryder. Letting him single out Norris is also a misplacement.

Kobe and Leder started to score. Fox also assisted Horry to hit a three-pointer. The Lakers responded with a 7-0 wave and took the lead.

Then, Guo Xu and O'Neal appeared together, Kobe continued to play, and the other two were Horry and Fox. The Lakers deployed their strongest offensive lineup.

Jackson did not arrange the triangle offense to drop the ball to O'Neal in the low post, but let O'Neal and Guo Xu play a pick-and-roll in the middle. Attack the basket, or catch the ball in the low post and post up.

When playing a pick-and-roll in the middle, the Rockets center must switch to a guard, otherwise Guo Xu will easily get a chance to make a call from the outside. When Olajuwon defends outside, Guo Xu will break through with the ball.

Olajuwon's physical strength has dropped so badly that he can't keep up with the guards. Guo Xu only needs to change direction to force a pass with speed. Taylor and Horry are relatively outside, and the Rockets can't protect the penalty area enough.

Guo Xu made two consecutive breakthrough layups, and once passed the ball to O'Neal, who was cutting through the air for a two-handed dunk.

The Rockets replaced the 201cm insider Thomas to strengthen the defense against the pick-and-roll, and wanted to use the "shark-cutting tactic" to limit O'Neal's air cuts.

Kobe passed the ball-free screen and cut through the air to catch the ball and score the basketball. He also caught the ball in the low post and beat Mobley twice with his back, scoring 6 points in a row. The Lakers beat Tang Shuai 19-4 and were forced to call two timeouts, but still could not reverse the disadvantage.

The game continued, Guo Xu used O'Neal's pick-and-roll to get rid of Francis from the outside, and made a three-pointer from the left side; the Rockets replaced veteran Walter Williams in the low post and couldn't defend Kobe alone, and was hit twice by the back.

In the NBA, almost every star has his own signature skills, such as Garnett's iron-blooded jumper, Marion's hot yam throwing shot, Harden's porcelain touch, Stackhouse's squatting free throw, Kidd blew a kiss toward the basket when he made a free throw, then missed the shot and so on...

Kobe's signature skill is his post-up play and his picturesque fadeaway. In Guo Xu's previous life, his skill was the strongest among NBA guards, and it became a signature in 2002.

At this time, Kobe was also good at attacking with his back. People taller than him were not as agile as him, and he could often break through with just one turn.

And people who are shorter and faster than him don't have his height and jumping ability. He dribbles with his back and sways left and right, and can turn around and fall back to make jump shots at will.

The scariest thing about Kobe is not his technical moves, but his shooting range. Unlike the traditional low-post offense, he can shoot from any position within the three-point line without dead ends. When defending Kobe, opponents cannot take it lightly at any moment or detail.

This season, Kobe can no longer be completely restricted by one-on-one defense. He can easily score 30 points without double-teaming.

The Rockets couldn't defend, and there were also problems on the offensive end. The guards couldn't break through, and the players could only pass back and forth on the perimeter, and finally shot mid-to-long distances when there was interference.

"Big Dream" Olajuwon played soy sauce on the offensive end, and became a colander on the defensive end. He is old after all, and it is very difficult to change defenses when encountering fast small guards, and he is not strong enough to resist O'Neal in the low post. Seeing that Olajuwon had lost his dominance, Rockets owner Alexander began to consider sending him away last year and was unwilling to give him a high salary.

In the end, the Lakers won 109-95.

Guo Xu played 31 minutes, made 7 of 13 shots, 4 of 8 three-pointers, scored 18 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, and performed well.

O'Neal was in a sluggish state, fouled five times, made 7 of 15 shots, 2 of 5 free throws, and scored 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 blocks.

Kobe made 12 of 29 shots, 1 of 1 three-pointers, 12 of 15 free throws, and scored 37 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.

Six Rockets players scored in double figures, and Norris, the top scorer, only had 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Francis was misfired, playing 40 minutes, making 3 of 11 shots, 0 of 4 three-pointers, 4 of 5 free throws, and only had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. The guard's poor shooting is a major shortcoming. Once he is restricted from breaking through, Fu's performance will be compromised.

After the game, Jackson announced that he would have a day off tomorrow to allow the players to regain their strength, and specifically told O'Neal not to go out and fool around.

O'Neal repeatedly claimed that in the last few games he had no dominance in the paint, and Kobe took the opportunity to make wild shots, which gave him a little sense of crisis. He had to use actions to prove who is the boss of the Lakers.

The Lakers ended their losing streak, and the media didn't say many good things. Some reporters pointed the finger at O'Neal at the press conference.

It is not news that O'Neal played well, but it is news that he performed poorly in several consecutive games. Many people think that he is not in good condition because of his lack of training, saying that he is fully capable of doing better.

O'Neal dismissed this and admitted many times in interviews that he didn't like training. Guo Xu thinks that Ao Pang is actually very smart. He used this method to earn a lot of attention, making fans imagine that he is stronger. He is invincible if he doesn't work hard. If he works hard, he can't go against the sky?

This is not the case. It is impossible for O'Pang to train hard, and the coaching staff did not force him to train hard, which would shorten his career. He knows what he should practice, and he works very hard on the techniques he should practice.

For example, O'Neal's low-post turn, small hook and other skills are outstanding among centers. It is said that his inside footsteps and skills were practiced on a skateboard back then, which is why other heavyweight insiders cannot rule the penalty area.

Guo Xu received unanimous praise in the interview, and the topic still revolves around his height and pick, because his starting point is low, as long as he scores in double figures, he is worthy of praise.