Chapter 304 [The Transaction Is Useless and the Flaws Are Exposed]

The next day, local media in Phoenix reported on the party, which did not attract much attention nationwide.

Guo Xu thought it didn't matter. He just wanted to interact with the local Chinese and didn't want to gain high exposure through this matter. He didn't want to be a cold idol for others to worship, so he chose to perform a talk show.

Entering 2003, the Suns challenged the 76ers away on January 2.

Since he didn't practice during the holidays, Guo Xu had a problem with his touch, and his shooting was terrible. He played 37 minutes, making only 4 of 13 shots, 1 of 7 three-pointers, 6 of 6 free throws, and scored 15 points, 4 rebounds and 11 assists.

Fortunately, the offense of his teammates was very reliable. Stoudemire had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Marion had 24 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Joe Johnson had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, and all three of them shot over 50%. .

The Suns won 101-78, winning 11 consecutive games and scoring over 100 points in every game.

Before Christmas, the Nuggets, Rockets and 76ers reached a three-way deal, swingman James Posey was sent to the Rockets, power forward Kenny Thomas was sent to the 76ers, Mark Bryant and Art Lang Was traded to the Nuggets.

In addition, the Nuggets will receive a future first-round pick from the 76ers and a second-round pick from the Rockets.

Obviously, the Nuggets are preparing to completely rebuild. Their goal this season is to make a mess and strive to select a high-ranking rookie as the core in the summer of 2003, which is recognized as a big year in the draft.

Posey is the Nuggets' second-leading scorer, averaging 14 points per game and playing good defense. His addition will definitely enhance the Rockets' strength and strengthen their weakest wing.

????The 76ers got a short power forward who has a mid-range shot on the offensive end and can defend the pick-and-roll and protect rebounds on the defensive end. They only gave away a first-round pick to poach Thomas, making a lot of money. As for the two players sent away, no one on the 76ers will feel bad, that is, the Nuggets help clean up the junk contracts.

Thomas lived up to expectations and performed well in every game. He played his best in this game, scoring 20 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. It's a pity that the 76ers performed poorly overall, with only 4 players scoring in double figures.

It was difficult for Iverson to get rid of Guo Xu's entanglement. After the pick-and-roll, Marion switched defense. He made 4 of 17 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 3 of 5 free throws, and scored 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.

The 76ers were swept by the Suns in the regular season, and Philadelphia fans were a little discouraged. After the trade, the 76ers still couldn't beat the Suns. Even if they were lucky enough to break through in the Eastern Conference this year, they wouldn't be able to win the championship.

January 4,

The Suns' winning streak was ended, losing to the Lakers 100-109 at home.

The "OK Group" knew their shame and then became brave. This performance was extremely brave and avenged the Christmas incident.

O'Neal made 15 of 19 shots and 6 of 13 free throws. He scored 36 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks, completely beating Stoudemire and Nene. Both newcomers were knocked over by O'Neal in the penalty area, and then watched each other dunk.

Kobe made 13 of 29 shots, 1 of 5 three-pointers, 4 of 6 free throws, and scored 31 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. Although his performance was average in the first half, he regained his touch in the second half and scored 10 points in the final quarter, including a key three-pointer.

"Zen Master" Phil Jackson's formation is also crucial. In this game, he left O'Neal alone to guard the penalty area, reducing the playing time of Horry, Medvedenko, and Samakhi Walker, leaving Fox, George, and Ryan-Bowen's three-man forward partnership ensures the speed of returning to defense and reduces the efficiency of the Suns' run-and-gun offense.

Once they can't run away, the Suns' running and gunning becomes wasteful shooting. Young players are not very good at adjusting their playing styles, and their shooting percentages are generally not high. Guo Xu scored 32 points and 7 assists. Five players on the team scored in double figures. Except for him, no one scored more than 15 points.

D'Antoni has exposed his shortcomings of poor on-the-spot response. His tactics are like Cheng Yaojin's three-point axe. Once he is defended, it is up to the players to play freely. He lacks changes on both offense and defense.

In addition, D'Antoni's tactical shooting accounts for a large proportion, and Stoudemire and Nene's attack efficiency is not high. Once a player's outside touch is not good, bad things will happen and it will be difficult to break the zone defense. In Guo Xu's previous life, D'Antoni did not get rid of this problem when he coached the Rockets.

Stoudemire was hit hard and lost his passion. He made 4 of 11 shots, 2 of 4 free throws, 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 turnovers. He was severely taught by his idol.

Stoudemire's weaknesses were also revealed, and his performance against the Lakers was not ideal twice. He is not afraid of being an all-around insider with high mobility, average strength, and is good at interfering with shots, covering up defense, and assisting in defense. He hates tall centers that stay close to the penalty area to defend, get stuck in cutting routes, and do not switch defenders.

Because he ranked first on the rookie list and performed well in many consecutive games, Stoudemire was very proud and felt that he was about to become a superstar. Now he has been poured cold water on him. Facing O'Neal, he can only pull out and shoot. He can't hit the basket at all, and the mid-range shot is not stable. His 10 points were all gained during counterattacks, and there was nothing he could do about positional warfare.

D'Antoni taught Stoudemire a lesson, asking him to practice mid-range shots more often and in the summer after the season. He must be confident in shooting at least three points. He couldn't let go of three-pointers, so he just practiced one point in the middle.

In the next game against the Jazz, Stoudemire once again exposed his flaws and played very poorly, scoring only 13 points and 4 rebounds.

Old-school coach Jerry Sloan also likes to have a big man stay close to the penalty area when arranging defense. Stoudemire's air cut after the pick-and-roll and hitting the human shield will not be so powerful.

The weaknesses of this defensive method are also very obvious. Once the Suns' inside players are pulled out to play pick-and-rolls, there is not enough pressure on defenders to break through and shoot from the outside.

Jazz center Ostertag is most afraid of defenders like Guo Xu. He is slower than O'Neal and cannot guard him at all. Guo Xu shot from outside the three-point line and played 40 minutes. He made 12 of 21 shots, 5 of 10 three-pointers, and 6 of 7 free throws. He scored 35 points and 10 assists.

Marion also had a clear advantage over Karl Malone with his mobility. He could get out of the fast break with his speed. He made 10 of 15 shots, 4 of 6 three-pointers, and 1 of 2 free throws. He scored 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Even though the rest of the Suns didn't perform well, Joe Johnson made 2 of 8 shots and Kirisek made 1 of 6 shots, the Suns still won the game with difficulty 103-99.

The Jazz suffer neither inside nor on the wings, but their biggest weakness is the No. 1 position. The 41-year-old veteran Stockton is about to retire and is no match for Guo Xu. He played 29 minutes and made 2 of 8 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 3 of 4 free throws, and scored 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists.

Guo Xu's college teammate Martin Cliffs did not play, after suffering a serious knee injury that ended the season.

Some things are destined. Cliffs, who is 188cm tall and weighs 95kg, has never been able to practice shooting well. He relies too much on breakthroughs when playing. Moreover, he must engage in fierce physical confrontation and does not use quick changes of direction to pass his opponents.

Cliffs' style of play was very dominant in the NCAA. When he entered the NBA, he lost his speed advantage and relied on strength to rush to the basket against people. Naturally, he was easily injured and his knees had to bear a lot of pressure. He finally broke in and had to challenge a group of tall men inside.

To make up for Cliffs' vacancy, the Jazz traded for veteran point guard Mark Jackson.

Joining the Jazz is an important opportunity for Cliffs. He failed to seize the opportunity to become Stockton's successor. If he does not recover well after his injury, he will be on the road of being a marginalized person again, and step by step he will be reduced to nothing. The ball is playable.

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