On April 17, the first battle between the Suns vs Rockets will be held in Phoenix.

The Suns finalized the final 13-man roster in the playoffs, and veteran Tom Gugliotta was excluded. There were too many inside players and he was not needed. The coaching staff brought James Jones, who was a marginal man all season, and was preparing to let him play for a while during garbage time to accumulate experience.

Gugliotta decided to retire after the end of this season. He had no objection to the coaching staff arrangements. He had long been unable to play, so there was no need to show his face in the playoffs.

As the team's highest-paid player in recent years, he has been cheating on the Suns very miserably. Local fans often say that if he gives his contract to any second-rate star, the Suns will be invincible this season.

Before the game started, basketball experts from major media predicted the outcome and were optimistic about the Suns' advancement.

A few people who are optimistic about the Rockets winning one or two games said that the Rockets' key to winning is coach Jeff Van Gundy, who is more experienced than Mike D'Antoni and has won wide praise when he was in the Knicks. The gap in ability between the two head coaches will surely become the key to determining victory or defeat.

"Van Gundy, who has experience in the finals, has tapped the Rockets' potential to the greatest extent. He said in an interview that he had thought of a way to deal with the Suns' running and bombing tactics." Houston media praised Van Gundy. "He made everyone find their own job, and the task of the players is to do their job well."

In the NBA, whether judging players or coaches, the most intuitive criterion is whether the record is good or bad. Van Gundy has reached the finals, while D'Antoni has only entered the Western Conference Finals, which is that simple.

As a result, after the game started, the Rockets failed to defend against running and bombing, nor did they defend Guo Xu, and were abused.

The Suns sent two towers at the beginning, with Sir Nene partnering with the inside, Marion small forward and Bale's point guard, strengthening the defense.

The Suns are mainly in positional battles and do not attack the basket. Sir and Nene provide cover for their teammates in the middle and on both sides respectively. Guo Xu holds the ball and looks for a misplaced single opportunity, breaks through or passes the ball to Bale, who runs, who catches the ball and takes action.

The Suns' main tactic is to use mobility to withdraw Yao Ming and Kato from the penalty area. They take action if they don't prevent them from coming out of the outside world and have the chance to attack the basket with two super-quality inside empty cuts.

Nene, who joined the Suns, maintained his condition very well and had not suffered any major injuries. He averaged no more than 25 minutes per game, and his chances of becoming a Glassman in the future have been greatly reduced. Needless to say, Xiao Si is recognized as one of the fastest inside players in the league.

The Suns led the way in the first quarter, and Joe Johnson took the substitute in the second quarter, and was responsible for the organization with Blake. The offense was also organized. Howard, Nene and Haslem performed well on the defensive end.

In the last ten games of the regular season, D'Antoni always asked Joe Johnson to be the sixth man, so that he could better exert his attack power and be responsible for singles with the ball. Blake only dribbled the ball and passed the ball through the half, waiting for the ball to catch and shoot and defend, and the pressure was greatly reduced.

The Suns led 28 points in the third quarter and entered garbage time, and they all got off work early.

The young substitutes Diop, Jones, Howard, and Blake were on the court to exercise. The only veteran who played was Kukoc. His task was to help his teammates create opportunities, and he could also play the inside support tactics to help Blake share the pressure on the organization.

The playoff swinger Kirisek was abandoned. He knew everything and was not good at anything. He would definitely leave after the season ended. The coaching staff needed time to train new players, and it was impossible to help substitutes with no potential to brush data. As for what contract he could sign in the future, it depends on the agent's ability.

After sending a meat shield, the Suns strengthened their defense against the penalty area, and the Rockets' offense was a mess.

Originally, Rockets' substitute point guard Muchi Norris made a good breakthrough and could attack the pick-and-roll with the ball, but in the mid-term, the Rockets traded it to the Knicks for the retired veteran Mark Jackson.

Van Gundy ordered Jackson, believing that this veteran who was playing was better than Norris and organized the offense with rich experience. However, this is impossible. How can a defender who cannot break through and passes the ball in half lead the teammates? What's more, he hasn't had three points yet?

As early as the 1990s, Van Gundy had a deep friendship with Jackson when he was an assistant coach in the Knicks, laying a good foundation for the two to become commentary partners in ESPN in the future. The price of friendship was that the Rockets didn't even have a qualified substitute point guard.

The final score was 108 to 71, and the Suns beat 37 points.

Guo Xu played for 30 minutes, scoring 33 points, 2 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals, and six players in the Suns scored in double digits.

Francis, Mobri and Jim Jackson made a crazily shot, and the two shots were less than 40%. Yao Mingkong had an advantage but could not receive the ball. He only made 9 shots in 37 minutes, hitting 4, plus two free throws, and scored 10 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists.

After the game, the reporter asked Guo Xu to comment on the Rockets. Guo Xu said his heart this time. "I feel that the Rockets' tactics are very weird. Yes, I think of such an adjective. Every time I play the Rockets, I see Kato and Yao Ming appear together. Their positions overlap on the defensive end, and the offensive end... I won't mention it, it's too offensive. In short, the Rockets don't have individual attacks. Please guess who it is."

He said this because he couldn't stand the American media always clamoring that Kato was tough in defense and protecting Yao Ming. Just because Kato was the center of the United States, he was clamoring as a representative of "toughness", but he was clearly a burden on the offensive end.

Guo Xu dares to defend against the lever when he is misplaced. This guy has no skills. He can hit his feet with a frame dribble. Guo Xu can wait for an opportunity to intercept the ball, so he doesn't have to worry about him breaking through. He has no range and can be blanked at the periphery. The only way to score is to hit the basket after pick-and-roll, and he also catches the ball at a low position and turns around and wipes it into the basket with his back against the opponent.

Kato is Diop, who has a slightly stronger offensive desire. He can only play some role when defending O'Neal and Duncan, and can withstand people and not be afraid of strong attacks at low posts. The problem is that Yao Ming also defends like this, because Kato is there, Yao Ming often has to defend against pick-and-roll.

After the game, Guo Xu's words won the approval and support of many Chinese fans. Of course, they hope that Yao Ming will get more ball rights. If Kato leaves, he may have more rebounds.

The second battle continued in Phoenix City. Guo Xu's words did not change Van Gundy's idea. He firmly believed that sending the double towers was the best way to deal with the Suns. The difference was to let Kato defend against the pick-and-roll instead.

The Rockets' way of losing is exactly the same as when they are on the court. The Suns keep playing pick-and-roll and wings without the cover. Guo Xu stops to jump shots and breaks through with the ball with ease. Teammates shoot when they receive the ball or fight one-on-one in counterattacks, and their shooting percentage is also guaranteed.

This time, Kato only played 16 minutes and left the court with 6 fouls, scoring 2 points and 2 rebounds. He was "hard" and could not prevent Guo Xu's breakthrough, nor did he prevent Xiao Si's mid-range shot. No one on the Suns attacked the penalty area with his back and allowed him to show his strengths.

The Suns beat the Rockets with a three-pointer alone, making 15 of 33 shots in the game, and the Rockets made 3 of 10 three-pointers.

The final game was 116-84, and the Suns won 32 points, leading 2-0 in the total score.

Guo Xu deliberately broke through Kato's point, and even pseudo-fans saw that there was something wrong with the Rockets' arrangement. As a result, when the Rockets returned to the third game at home, Van Gundy was still sent to the double towers and did not adjust the lineup.

He is just such a rigid coach, and no one can change his ideas.

He frowned most of the time on the sidelines, stood watching the ball, and his expression was like a gambler who lost his eyes.

I don’t believe that I can’t win even if I put a big shot. Big! Big! Big! Big!

At the end of the game, Van Gundy was in a daze and his eyes were confused.
Chapter completed!