Chapter 964 [War of attrition without the ball, top-notch back-up man]
D'Antoni took the lead in applauding on the sidelines, very satisfied with the performance of Thompson, a new disciple. He likes players who are willing to work hard to defend and can shoot three-pointers the most.
When the Suns attacked, Guo Xuyun went to the frontcourt and waited for his teammates to start running, and organized himself one meter outside the three-point line.
Thompson led Kobe to run around the circle, and his position was erratic. Kobe met Gasol, Jr. at the bottom line, and he was slow to catch up without the ball. Guo Xu saw the opportunity and passed the ball to the right. Thompson received the ball and hit a three-pointer with a jump shot of 45 degrees. 6 to 0.
This time Kobe made a slight interference and ineffective. The audience who followed the game were all shocked. Unexpectedly, a newcomer would perform so vigorously at the opening, making three-pointers in a row.
Thompson clapped Guo Xu when he returned to defense and smiled very happily. He vowed to make the lottery teams who missed him regret it. The Suns' offensive system is very suitable for him to play, and he is confident that he will become an important member of the team.
The Warriors attacked, Curry and Brand played pick-and-roll, Ibaka changed defense for a while, and Guo Xu quickly caught the ball. Brand failed to get the phone when receiving the ball in the middle, and Ibaka was the top-notch insider and quickly returned to the position.
Brand made a pass to Rollden, who was on the left, who did not attack strongly against Roy and transferred to Bynum, who was asked for the ball at the low post on the left.
The "Little Shark" pushed Gasol two times and couldn't squeeze it away. He turned around in the middle and hooked his hand rhythm was not very good. He was a bit far away from the basket. He had a strong body, amazing explosive power, and a terrible arm span. There were not many people in the league who could withstand him, and Gasol happened to be one.
Roy grabbed the backcourt rebound and quickly advanced with a pass to Guo Xu.
Thompson ran through the fast break through the half, Kobe followed up, and Guo Xu took him to the frontcourt and saw that he had 2-for-3, he gave up the strong attack, stabilized the rhythm and waited for his teammates to land on the position.
Thompson took Kobe to walk around again, not considering conserving his physical strength at all, and intends to explode in the first half. This way, the gap in strength between the character players and the stars can be reduced.
Thompson has to share his playing time with Richardson, Roy, and Barnes. Even if Jimmy Butler doesn't play for a minute, his playing time will be difficult for him to exceed 25 minutes.
The task the coach assigned to Thompson was to take Kobe to run and fight the war of attrition. If Kobe went to defend Roy, Roy would take Kobe to run and would not stand still.
The physical strength of players in the shrinking season is very important, making the young man lose his energy by dragging the 33-year-old Kobe, and the Suns will undoubtedly win.
Kobe is known for his endurance, but his physical fitness began to decline after 2008. Tigers also doze. Kobe has always dealt with people with weaker outside lines on the defensive end, such as against the Celtics and defending Rondo, against the Lakers and Bathir, he has to save his energy and play on the offensive end.
Today, "Little General" Johnson asked Kobe to defend Thompson, which was not a good idea, and he couldn't rest on the defensive end.
The Warriors attacked, and after passing it a few times, they didn't have a chance to play singles again. Kobe beat Thompson to break through the frame and attracted Gasol Jr. to make up for double-teams. Kara Jr. blocked the breakthrough route, and Kobe scored the ball to Bynum who was pulling to the free throw line.
Bynum was released from the air and aimed at the jump shot and made a blacksmith. The jump shot was not the specialty of the "Little Shark". From playing for the Magic to now, he rarely made mid-range shots. You can tell that he can't play like this based on the nickname.
In the Suns position battle, Kobe went to switch to Roy.
Guo Xu dribbled the ball through the half-time to observe the position, immediately gave his teammates a secret code, stretched out two fingers, and played the 2nd position. At the same time, the two insiders gave him cover. Today his goal was very clear, and he organized to help his teammates perform.
Roy first ran to the left bottom line with Ibaka's offensive routine in the middle, and then ran to the right bottom corner by sliding the bottom line to the right bottom corner. Gasol helped him block it.
Guo Xu seized the opportunity to pass the ball to the right corner. Bynum did not switch defense. Kobe was blocked and slowed down. Roy made a jump shot and missed the basket with a three-pointer, and Bynum grabbed the rebound.
Kobe felt something was wrong. He figured out the opponent's tactics. Whoever he defended would take him to run without the ball. If he went to defend Guo Xu now, Guo Xu would definitely run too, and changed to the Roy organization.
This is an open conspiracy and cannot be broken.
The Suns will also strengthen their defense, making it difficult for the Warriors to score near the basket.
Curry relied on cover to catch the ball, and Ibaka defended the ball from outside, so he could not take action easily. Curry gave Brand, who was cut by the empty cut, and Gasol, Jr., retreated to the penalty area to make up for defense.
Brand transferred to Bynum at close range, and Gasol Jr. played his advantage. He was not afraid of confrontation at the basket. He turned around with one defense and two defense, and could also rely on his height and wingspan to prevent Bynum's shot, which had some interference and did not lose his position.
Bynum made a close cricket, but the Warriors' offense was very difficult. 6 to 2.
The Suns' offense is much easier. One routine can't be finished. Two super three-pointers are pulled apart from the outside, and Roy leads Kobe to run. This time Kobe catches up. Roy doesn't play hard when he gets the ball, so he passes it to find Guo Xu.
Roy continued to run and took Kobe to the left. After unknowingly, a weak side formed on the right side. Guo Xu continued to dribble from behind and dribble from behind. He passed Curry, and the horn position stopped and jumped to the ball. 8 to 2.
A little weight will not make Guo Xu lose his dribbling skills. He is 183cm tall and 170 kilograms of weight cannot be called a fat man, at most he is slightly over the standard. Lowry, who is also 183cm tall and weighs 93 kilograms, is still very flexible.
Kobe received the ball from the outside and played singles as Thompson. He knew that he would be double-teamed by Gasol Jr. at the basket. He chose a mid-range single. He shook twice and jumped against the defense and then missed the ball.
Barkley said: "I missed it again. Thompson defended Kobe three times today. He is such a good player, and his offense and defense are excellent. If it weren't for marijuana, he wouldn't have fallen out of the lottery."
O'Neal smiled and said, "I know this kid. His father taught him to play basketball very early and his basic skills are very solid."
Clay's father is a former Lakers star, Mitchell Thompson, the No. 1 pick in the NBA in 1978. He has won two NBA championships in his career and served as a live commentator for the Lakers.
Mitchell has three sons, Clay is the second, and the eldest, Maichar is also a basketball player. He played for the Cavaliers for a short time. The third son, Tracy, played baseball. He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in 2009.
The second generation of stars born in a sports family is more likely to succeed. As long as they want to go this path, their basic skills will not be bad under the guidance of their parents. Clay has received careful guidance from many celebrities since he was a child, including the "glider" Drexler, Kobe, and O'Neal who also played game consoles with him when he was a primary school student.
The only bad thing about Thompson is that after he joined the Suns, Guo Xu felt that he was old and officially upgraded to an uncle this season.
In the first quarter, the Suns controlled the situation firmly and easily suppressed the Lakers, leading 31-20.
Guo Xu made 2 of 3 shots, scoring 5 points and 7 assists; Thompson scored the most, making 3 three-pointers, scoring 11 points; Roy also scored 5 points and 2 assists.
Kobe made 2 of 6 shots, 2 of 3 free throws, scored 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Bynum performed well in the first quarter, and Brand created opportunities for him several times. He made 4 of 7 shots and scored 8 points.
Curry couldn't receive the pass, and he only made one shot from the outside line and didn't score a single point, and sent three assists. If Curry couldn't play beautiful data today, it would be inevitable to be criticized after the game. He has become the top scapegoat in the league.
As a point guard, Curry has been accustomed to passing the ball in the past two years and waiting for opportunities on the outside. The offensive system of "Little General" Johnson has always allowed famous people to play singles, and so on.
Chapter completed!