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

Guo Xu is now carrying three fouls, with averaging 4 fouls since the start of the game. He is the Lakers' number one foul machine and ranks second in the league, second only to the Nets No. 1 pick Kenyon Martin, who averages 4.5 fouls per game.

Jackson didn't think that Guo Xu's foul was wrong, so he praised him on the sidelines. "You did a good job in the defensive end, and continued to maintain this attitude when you came on the court. You could not defend yourself and then fouled hard."

In fact, the number of fouls is an important reference data for a player's defensive enthusiasm and defensive success rate. This is especially true for center and point guard, which are the most likely to be misplaced by opponents.

If a newcomer makes many fouls, the defensive success rate is not scary. If he is passed, he is easily squeezed away by someone misplaced and has no action. If such a person has average offense, it is better to sit off the court.

Jackson attaches great importance to defense. He gave the rookie inside Mark Madson the chance to play, and the other three were Harper, Lydel and Grant.

Shuai Tang arranged for Coral to lead four small players, which can not only fight in position, but also counterattack quickly. The Rockets scored an 8-0 wave under the leadership of substitute point guard Muchi Norris.

Harper made two fouls after only two minutes and was replaced by Fox. He was not good at defending a small defender like Norris. Jackson did not immediately replace Guo Xu, allowing Kobe to defend Norris at home. The inside line also adjusted, and Horry replaced Madson.

In order to create a misalignment opportunity, Kobe has a height advantage in both single-handed Norris and Mobri. Mobri defends Kobe from the main defense and passes the ball to Ledel, so he is also misaligned when he singles.

Kobe and Ledel started scoring, Fox also assisted Horry to make a three-pointer, and the Lakers added a 7-0 wave to overtake the score.

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

Jackson did not arrange a triangle offense to give O'Neal a lob to the low post, but instead allowed O'Neal to play pick-and-roll with Guo Xu in the middle, Fox attracted defense from outside the three-point line on the weak side, Horry gave Kobe no-ball cover on the right, and removed the inside, allowing Kobe to hit the basket, or catch the ball at a low post and play back singles.

When playing pick-and-roll in the middle, the Rockets center must switch to defender, otherwise Guo Xu will easily get a mobile phone outside, and Olajuwon is defending outside, so Guo Xu will break through with the ball.

Olajuwon's physical strength has dropped very much and he can't keep up with the defender. Guo Xu only needs a change of direction to force his way by relying on speed. Taylor and Horry are more positioned outside, and the Rockets do not protect the penalty area enough.

Guo Xu scored two consecutive layups, and once passed the ball to O'Neal, who was cut in the air, dunked with both hands.

The Rockets replaced the 201cm inside line, Thomas strengthened his defense against the pick-and-roll, hoping to use the "shark-cutting tactic" to limit O'Neal's empty cut. At this time, Guo Xu attracted the defense after the pick-and-roll and started to pass the ball again, and handed it to Kobe to the main attack.

Kobe scored a basketball through an empty cut through the ball without the ball, and then hit Mobley two from the low post, scoring 6 points in a row. The Lakers played 19-4 and was forced to call two timeouts, but still couldn't reverse the disadvantage.

The game continued, Guo Xu broke away from Frances with O'Neal's pick-and-roll from the outside and made a three-pointer from the left; the Rockets replaced veteran Walter Williams and couldn't defend Kobe alone, and he was hit by two more with his back.

In the NBA, almost every star has his own signature skills, such as Garnett's iron-blooded jump shot, Marion's hot yam shot, Harden's hitting cart, Starkhouse's squat free throw, Kidd's free throw first kiss to the basket, then missed the shot, etc...

Kobe's signature technique is his back-to-back singles and a picturesque backward. In Guo Xu's previous life, his technique was the strongest among NBA defenders, and became a signature in 2002.

At this time, Kobe was also good at back-on attacking. People taller than him were not as quick as him, and he often could break through with just one turn. People shorter than him and faster speed did not have his height and jumping power. He dribbled left and right on his back, and could choose the direction at will, turning back and jumping back.

The most terrifying thing about Kobe is not his technical movements, but his shooting range. Unlike the traditional low-post offense, he can take action at any position within the three-point line without blind spots. Defending Kobe, no matter how long or any detail, the opponent cannot take it lightly.

Kobe is no longer completely limited by single defense this season. He can easily score 30 points without double-teaming.

The Rockets couldn't defend themselves, and there was a problem with the offensive end. The guards couldn't break through. The players could only pass back and forth from the outside, and finally shot from mid to long distances in case of interference.

"Big Dream" Olajuwon played soybean on the offensive end, and the defensive end became a colander. He was old after all. It was very difficult to switch defenses when he met a fast-moving small defender. He was not strong enough to resist O'Neal at a low post. Rockets boss Alexander saw that Olajuwon had lost his dominance, so he 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 for 31 minutes, made 7 of 13 shots, made 4 of 8 three-pointers, scored 18 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, and performed well.

O'Neal was in a sluggish state, with five fouls, 7 of 15 shots, 2 of 5 free throws, 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, scoring 37 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.

The Rockets scored in double digits with six players, and Norris, who scored the most, only had 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Francis was silent, played for 40 minutes, made 3 of 11 shots, 0 of 4 three-pointers, 4 of 5 free throws, and only scored 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. The poor shooting of the guards is a big disadvantage. Once the breakthrough is limited, Boss Fur's performance will be discounted.

After the game, Jackson announced that tomorrow's holiday would be available to help the players recover their strength and specifically reminded O'Neal not to go out and fool around.

O'Neal said repeatedly that he had no dominance in the inside in recent games, and Kobe took the opportunity to take action again, which gave him a little sense of crisis. He had to use his actions to prove who is the boss of the Lakers.

The Lakers ended their losing streak, and the media didn't say much good things. At the press conference, a reporter pointed the finger at O'Neal.

O'Neal's good game is not news, but his performance is not good for several consecutive games. Many people think that he is not in good condition because of his poor training, and say that he is fully capable of doing better.

O'Neal was disdainful of this. He admitted many times in interviews that he didn't like training. Guo Xu felt that O'Pang was actually very smart. He attracted a lot of attention in this way and made fans imagine him stronger. He would be invincible if he didn't work hard. If he worked hard, he wouldn't be against the will of heaven?

In fact, this is not the case. O'Pang couldn't train hard, and the coaching staff did not force him to practice hard, as it would shorten his career. He knew what he should practice, and he still worked very hard on the skills he should practice.

For example, O'Neal's low-post turn and small hooks are outstanding in the center. It is said that his inside footsteps and skills were trained on skateboarding back then, which is why other heavyweight insiders cannot dominate the penalty area.
Chapter completed!