The Suns have always firmly controlled the initiative. Guo Xu is the starting point for every attack. He holds the ball and attacks himself or attracts defense to pass the ball to teammates with better positions.

Because the Suns play small ball tactics, there are natural misalignments in the interior, and the rookie Graham lacks experience, Guo Xu has reduced his shots and teammates are more likely to score.

"Little General" Johnson was forced to replace Graham in 5 minutes, replaced Marquez Daniels to strengthen his defense, and the Mavericks would have to be beaten in one quarter without substitution.

Only looking at the body side data and the trial results, the Mavericks' management and coaching staff were full of expectations for Graham because his physical fitness was so good and he could shoot mid- and long distances.

Unfortunately, Graham will show his prototype as soon as he appears on the game. He always disappoints, and this is the case in the preseason.

He has a weak desire to attack. He likes to stand and wait for the ball to take it out of his phone. He dares not take the ball to break through. When he receives the ball, he often asks his teammates to pass it out after he is not lucky. He makes the coach even more crazy on the defensive end. He can't defend against one on one, especially when he is not a bad defense. Howard often gets rid of it easily with just a back-run.

When defending alone, Graham always wants to use muscles to stop his opponents. He likes to grab them. If Howard doesn't compete with him for muscles, he will be at a loss in the system. When he breaks through the face frame, he is easily moved by a simple change of direction. If he doesn't foul, his opponent will easily break into the basket.

Ball merchandising is also an important talent. Graham is a simple-minded and well-developed player, similar to Swift, who is not Taylor in the Magic. He had a top-notch body in his previous life and had no ball to play in 6 seasons.

At this time, the Mavericks' management was in pain because Howard was their optimistic person and was intercepted by the sun in 2003.

Howard was of great significance to the Mavericks in his previous life. He was not only providing firepower on the offensive end, but also the best wing defensive player. Now the Mavericks have no one to pardon Michael Finley, and their wing defensive ability is no longer ranked in the league. The Mavericks can make the playoffs, but they definitely can't go far.

In the second half, the Suns replaced Haslem, who was two fouls, replaced Vallejo, and strengthened his defense against the penalty area. Danpier could not easily score. Howard, who scored 10 points, was replaced in 8 minutes and sent James Jones to add a three-point shooting point.

Jones's task was very simple, defending and setting up opportunities. He performed well and made a three-pointer.

The Suns led 36-26 in the first quarter, Guo Xu made 3 of 4 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and scored 7 points and 7 assists.

Howard, who had a break for a while, appeared on the bench and partnered with Ariza and Payton on the outside, while Valejo and David Lee on the inside.

Without Nene, Joe Johnson's Suns rotation lineup is not as terrifying as last season. He is no longer the "bench bandit" who often beat opponents, but they still compete with the Mavericks' substitutes led by Devin Harris, Starkhouse and Van Horn, and maintain their advantage.

After Diop joined, the Mavericks' inside defense improved, and Danpier was able to defend the penalty area even after resting. However, Diop had no effect on the offensive end, and the substitute swinger Adrian Griffin is also a blue-collar worker. The Mavericks' rotation lineup has two people who can short it, and it is difficult to score excellent defense.

As soon as Guo Xu, Marion and Haslem came back, the Suns' running and bombing tactics began to show their power again.

Diop or Danpier suffers in speed. "Little General" Johnson made a wrong adjustment at this time. He replaced the big man, allowing Nowitzki and Van Horn to partner with the inside to fight against the Suns.

Van Horn's form is getting worse every year. After 2003, he has never played a full season with any team. Even the Knicks, who have a bunch of bad contracts, look down on him.

The "Little General" wants him to come up and strengthen his offense, but Van Horn is no better than Dampier's scoring ability now, and his shooting percentage is very low. He can't play Marion at the 4th position, and Haslem's defense is easier than Dampier's defense.

On the other hand, Van Horn is a defensive black hole and cannot keep up with Marion's speed, who scored consecutively with fast breaks.

In Guo Xu's previous life, Van Horn, the second-place winner in the same class as Duncan, retired in 2006, but Duncan still struggled like a rookie, with a huge gap. Moreover, compared with many people in the same class, Van Horn's career was quite short. With his current defense, there were not many teams who wanted him after becoming a libero in the summer and getting a basic salary.

The Mavericks' coaching staff is very depressed. Van Horn is a black hole when he plays, and the boss is dissatisfied if he doesn't play. Because Van Horn is the highest salary of the Mavericks, he will receive $15.69 million this season, and Nowitzki's annual salary is only 13.84 million. In addition, the pardoned captain Finley has to pay. The Mavericks' total salary this season has reached 98.46 million, but they still can't beat the Suns.

Midfielder Suns led by 15 points 62 to 47. Guo Xu scored 11 points and 12 assists in the double-double in 18 minutes.

Zhang Heli commented: "Guo Xu will definitely win a big double-double today, with more assists than scores."

Xu Jicheng said: "He can really help his teammates become stronger. It's okay to lose three important players. Today Howard looks like an All-Star again, and other players can score points."

Zhang Heli said: "Guo Xu made 4 of 5 shots and 2 of 2 free throws. His offensive efficiency is really high. His teammates can pass the ball when they have the chance, and he can also play alone."

In the second half, the "Little General" gave the two big men a rest and sent a small lineup to fight the Suns to attack. He believed that this would be better to defend against running and bombing.

But Terry and Harris are on the court together, how can the Mavericks be able to compete with the Suns in the field? Guo Xu has an advantage in the fight against Terry, and Howard has an advantage in the fight against Harris. Haslem and Marion can reduce Nowitzki and Starkhouse's scoring efficiency to a certain extent.

Seeing that the Mavericks were not tied up, Guo Xu began to make more moves. His playing style was simple. When the opponent was far away, he would take a step and jump shot when he shook the space. When the opponent was close, he would change direction and break through.

Terry seemed to be very defensive every time, but in fact, it wouldn't work if he couldn't cover it. Guo Xu made three three-pointers in a single quarter, broke through misalignedly and made two fouls and four free throws. He also had a two-hand dunk in a counterattack, scoring 15 points and 2 assists in a single quarter.

The gap between the two sides widened to 29 points, and garbage time entered in three quarters.

The Mavericks fans who watched the live broadcast were a little disappointed. The Mavericks must be out of luck this season. Even the Suns lost to this virtue even if they lost to the severity of the Suns. How could they win the championship?

In the last quarter, Guo Xu continued to play, and D'Antoni sent Bell, Ariza, Jones, and David Lee.

The Suns arranged this way to let Guo Xu lead the young substitutes to practice so that they can better play a role in the team. Marion played for 30 minutes, scored 24 points and 8 rebounds and went off the court to rest, but he was still unsatisfied.

Guo Xu played 5 and a half minutes in the last quarter and then got off the court, with the Suns leading by 36 points.

He played in total for 35.5 minutes, scoring luxurious data of 31 points, 3 rebounds, 17 assists and 1 steal, with a shooting percentage of more than 70%, a three-point shooting percentage of 50%, and a free throw.

The Suns beat the Mavericks 124 to 91 in the final game and made a good start.

Five players in the team scored in double digits, Marion and Howard scored 20+, and 11 players who played in the rotation scored. Kukochi did not get a chance to play and guarded the water dispenser on the sidelines.

The newly joined Josh Powell did not make the 12-man roster, he did not participate in the Suns preseason and training camp, and lacked tacit understanding with his teammates, so he is the most marginal player on the team for the time being.

Although he did not get a chance to play, Powell cheered for his teammates on the sidelines, and the Suns' performance in the opening game was beyond his expectations.
Chapter completed!