Chapter 120 [Setting Records, Dominating the Ball]
Guo Xu continued to play in the third quarter. Phil Jackson was a coach who liked to use stars. He felt that Guo Xu was more reliable than Brian Shaw, so he would use them endlessly.
In this quarter, the Lakers mainly play O'Neal. Not only can he score, he can also attract double-teams and assist role players to score consecutively.
Fox suddenly found his offensive feeling, hit two consecutive three-pointers, scored two goals on baseline cuts, and scored 10 points in a single quarter. The difference between the two sides continued to widen.
Guo Xu was severely guarded on the offensive end and did not get a good shot from outside the three-point line. He only missed a three-pointer on a catch-and-shoot jumper and scored 4 points with a breakthrough. On the defensive end, he performed well and prevented Billups' attack.
Billups scored 10 points in the first quarter and couldn't score any points in the second and third quarters. He couldn't get rid of Guo Xu from outside the three-point line. He forced two shots and missed the basket. He couldn't get rid of Guo Xu when he broke through with the ball. He was also defended by big men near the penalty area.
Guo Xu's defensive skills were developed with Cliffs, who is 188cm tall and weighs 93kg. When encountering a strong opponent, Guo Xu knows how to use small moves and the help of teammates to make up for his own shortcomings and make the opponent uncomfortable. When defending, he will deliberately leave gaps to lure opponents into the encirclement.
In addition to scoring, Guo Xu also sent out two assists, cutting the ball to Fox and passing it to Kobe Bryant for a layup during the counterattack. He scored a quasi double-double with 26 points and 8 assists in three quarters.
The Timberwolves trailed by 29 points and were beaten into the Huskies, and the game entered garbage time.
"Wolf King" Garnett only scored 13 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. Almost all of Garnett's assists were passing the ball to the outside teammates who were running in the high position. If the teammates were not shooting correctly, he would be embarrassed.
Sanders replaced all the main players and was defeated early. In his opinion, the Lakers had no tactics other than O'Neal and Guo Xu playing pick-and-rolls in the second quarter. The so-called triangle offense was a one-on-one "blind chicken BD", but the Timberwolves just couldn't defend it.
There is an unspoken rule in the NBA. If the lagging team replaces all the main players first, it is equivalent to raising the white flag and surrendering. The leading team should also replace the main players to rest and train on the bench. If the winning team ignores the unspoken rules and beats the opponent hard, it will look very tasteless. If the opponent's fringe players become "impatient" and hurt someone with a malicious foul, don't blame the opponent for being unkind.
This unspoken rule existed in the 1980s. At that time, the NBA was in its darkest stage of development. Many players smoked and abused sex off the court, and were extremely violent on the court. Each team had several thugs. It is said that Jordan retired for the first time. It's all about gambling scandals. Since the 1990s, Stern has strived to create a cleaner league, but the tradition of the core clocking out of get off work during garbage time and saving face for opponents is still there.
Jackson also adjusted the lineup. The "OK Combination" and veteran Grant acted as spectators on the sidelines. Guo Xu continued to play with the substitutes and had the opportunity to hit a new personal single-game scoring record.
It's not that Jackson deliberately helped Guo Xu to improve the statistics, but if he doesn't play, the Lakers will have no point guard. Kobe can organize when he is here, but the OK team must give priority to rest during garbage time. If the veteran Brian Shaw is allowed to play the point guard, it will be very difficult to dribble the ball across the half court.
Guo Xu naturally takes on the important task of holding the ball and attacking. The other four are Pan Pesi, George, Madsen, and Medvedenko. This is the starting lineup of the Lakers summer league. Although the four are not well-known, they work well together. .
On one side of the Timberwolves is a fringe lineup composed of William Avery, Peeler, Reggie Lester, Sam Mitchell, and Dean Garrett. The core is to average 10 points per game and hit 40% of the shots. Scalp Le.
In his peak season, Peeler averaged only 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the bad team Vancouver Grizzlies. He couldn't drive the team's offense, and he was not at the same level as Guo Xu. Sanders also replaced Billups, so that the offensive end could not be opened at all, and the fiasco was doomed.
After the game started, Guo Xu quickly showed his crazy side to everyone,
Dominate the ball.
tactics? What it is?
Put away your pick-and-rolls, I'm going to one-on-one with William!
Madsen was stuck near the penalty area waiting for an offensive rebound. Medvedenko went to the side to cover for Pampesi without the ball. Pampesi and George were on the side and the baseline to attract the defense. They were all waiting to catch the ball and Guo Xu led it himself. The ball goes to the frontcourt for the main attack.
He singled out William to ensure super high efficiency, making two mid-range shots and one three-pointer; he broke through to attract supplementary defenses and assisted Madsen to score an easy shot at the basket, and attracted side double-teams to assist Pampesi to make a three-pointer. The Timberwolves on the fringe of the 2 dozen were anxious, and their defensive actions became more and more serious.
When the ball was dead, Jackson requested a timeout, replaced Guo Xu and sent Ryder, and let Pampesi play the point guard as a guest. The Lakers led by 39 points and completely entered garbage time.
The "Zen Master" knew that if Guo Xu continued to fight like this, it would probably lead to a conflict.
Guo Xu played 33 minutes, made 12 of 18 shots, 7 of 11 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, scored 33 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals. Both important statistics set new career highs.
Trier made 6 of 15 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, scored 17 points and 6 assists, and the data was completely blown.
Woodson sighed: "Jason looks like a superstar today. Timberwolves' 14th pick in the lottery in 1999, William Avery, played against him like a rookie. He was broken again and again, and the defense was really bad. "
Horvath smiled and said: "If Jackson hadn't replaced Jason, he would definitely have scored 40+10 today. Very few rookies can do this. Today he mainly faced the famous veteran Trill Brandon. , the performance is too eye-catching.”
Sanders finally breathed a sigh of relief when Guo Xu was replaced. As a coach, he never wanted the team to lose by 40 or 50 points.
He had an idea at this time and planned to go back and discuss with team president McHale to see if he could free up salary space and lure Guo Xu to the Timberwolves with a high salary when his contract expires. As a coach who likes to play pick-and-rolls, he feels that point guards like Guo Xu are very suitable for his tactical system, and his defense is better than Trier.
This matter can only be explained. Garnett's annual salary in the 2002-2003 season was as high as US$2,520. With such a person, it will be difficult for the Timberwolves to control the total salary below the salary cap. Even if Trier is traded in exchange for draft picks, they still have to Everyone else has a basic salary to give Guo Xu a high salary. With Trier's current state, who would want such a defensive black hole?
Moreover, even if the Timberwolves offer the maximum salary, Guo Xu will not join. He has no interest in being a teammate with someone as attractive as Garnett. More importantly, the weather in Minnesota is too cold and he can't stand it.
Guo Xu just wants to stay in a big city. He likes excitement, exposure, and enjoying life.
If you go to Minnesota, there will be too many snowy days, and it will be painful for players to train in winter. Staying at home is a blessing. Guo Xu is not the kind of hot-blooded lunatic who claims to be madly in love with basketball, trains desperately, never enjoys pleasure, and does nothing but play basketball. His goal is glory, fame and fortune.
After Guo Xu took a break, the game scene became very ugly. Players from both sides took turns to play, and many fans chose to leave the field early. The highlight of the Lakers was that Madsen played the entire quarter, grabbed 8 rebounds, and was very brave on the defensive end.
At the end of the game 123 to 81, the Lakers slaughtered the Timberwolves by 42 points at home, creating the record for the largest point difference this season.