Chapter 97 [Star whistle, rookie whistle, home whistle]
This wave of offense from the Lakers ignited the home atmosphere, and many fans stood up and applauded.
When returning to defense, Kobe shouted at Guo Xu: "Give me the ball, I can score!"
Guo Xu is confident of fighting veteran Stockton alone, and Kobe is confident of fighting against his opponents alone. Jazz substitute David Bennott is 32 years old, 203cm tall, 100 kilograms, and has an average strength in the NBA in non-draft picks. He went abroad for two years due to the league suspension. He just returned to join the Jazz with a basic salary this season.
The Jazz attacked, Bennott was entangled by Kobe after receiving the ball. He passed the ball and then looked for Stockton with obvious intentions. Guo Xu also had a candy defense and successfully reached out to steal!
Guo Xu rushed forward and relied on speed to get rid of Stockton to get off the fast break. He attracted Marshall to make up for defense in front of the three-point line, threw the ball high towards the basket, and George on the left cut in with one finger.
George flew up, caught the ball with his empty hands, pulled the basket and kicked it high, and then hit the ground after buffering.
29 to 31, Guo Xu made the third assist.
The Lakers were in high spirits, and Sloan requested a pause.
When the game ended, Lakers players celebrating each other with high-highs. The veterans became very enthusiastic about Guo Xu, especially Harper handed Guo Xu a towel.
Harper knew that he should retire after playing this season. Guo Xu was much better than him on the offensive end and could perform when he was on the court. Guo Xu also did better against the point guard on the defensive end and would not be easily broken by his opponent, but he was at a loss for height.
Jackson briefly emphasized the offensive and defensive tactics, but no substitutions were made.
Sloan replaced Marshall with "postman" Malone, adding a stable scoring point.
Ma Long deserves to be the league's number one Iron Man. He played all the games last season, averaged 35.9 minutes per game, scored 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, with a shooting percentage of 50.9%. He is 37 years old this year and is still the team's number one core.
Malone played against George one after the court, turned around and shot, helping the team stabilize the situation. 29 to 33.
When the Lakers attacked, Guo Xu ignored Kobe's goal and chose to play pick-and-roll with O'Neal. After attracting Malone to replace the defense, he divided the ball into the middle. O'Neal easily squeezed out Stockton and cut, received the ball into the basket, and pushed Ostag to the point.
Ostertag's foul was sent to the free throw line again, and two fouls were in just a few minutes.
O'Neal made one of two free throws, 30-33. Taking advantage of the dead ball, the Lakers replaced George and replaced Grant against Malone. George played the No. 4 position to defend Malone.
The Jazz also replaced Osttarger, and now O'Neal will become much easier at the low post. Jackson simply stopped O'Neal from resting in this quarter, and he had a clear advantage.
Danny Manning, who just played, is 208cm tall and weighs 104 kilograms. She is not strong in playing as a power forward. She has to let Malone attack when she defends O'Neal. If O'Neal can make a foul and beat Malone, the Lakers will definitely win.
So the Lakers' offensive center of gravity shifted to the low post, and Guo Xu began to wait for opportunities outside the three-point line. He only made one three-pointer in the second half and missed the basket.
Guo Xu performed well on the defensive end, and Stockton did not score any more. It was difficult to receive a return pass after passing the ball. Guo Xu kept pestering him and chased him very quickly.
In this quarter, the Jazz team scored only 16 points, and the Lakers took the lead 42-40 in the first half.
Jackson was satisfied with Guo Xu's performance in the first half and did not let him sit on the bench in the third quarter. He continued to play and partnered with the OK combination.
When Harper and Fox were very bad, Robert Horry and Fisher were absent due to injury, Guo Xu did not play, and the Lakers lacked a stable three-point shooting point on the outside and could not open up the space. Today he became an indispensable person for the Lakers.
Fisher, who had already undergone surgery and was so angry that he wanted to smash the TV when watching the game live broadcast. He felt that glory should belong to him, and he was the most suitable person to replace Harper. Guo Xu was really lucky.
The Jazz's response method is to defend Guo Xu and Kobe alone. While double-teaming O'Neal at low post, they also put two other role players in the shooting, and target Guo Xu's pick-and-roll on the offensive end.
Stockton's role was played out. Although he was a white man who was only 185cm tall and had been selected into the best defensive lineup many times, his predictions were very accurate when defending against breakthroughs, and he would also use small moves to make up for his own shortcomings when defending closely.
It is difficult to get rid of Guo Xu's target. The best way he wants to deal with Stockton is to run without the ball, and drag his opponent to death with speed and endurance. Jackson arranged the tactics to make him stand on one side, which gave Stockton a chance to breathe.
What made Guo Xu most disgusted was Stockton's small movements, pulling and pulling, Tai Chi pushing hands, using his legs to block his legs, and the referee would never look at him. During the attack, Stockton made two mid-range shots, and pushed him first during the emergency stop to gain space, and the referee would not blow.
Rookies often suffer when facing stars because the NBA's whistle is not so fair.
The rules of the NBA are detailed and clear, and the referees are extremely professional, but the law is nothing more than human nature. The referees will mix some subjective factors in law enforcement, which not only takes care of the emotions of the fans on the scene, but also helps the NBA market promotion.
Stockton is very famous, and the referees are happy to give him some preferential treatment and don’t want to see him suppressed by rookies. Corresponding to the star whistle is the rookie whistle. NBA rookies are newcomers and are often "targeted" by referees.
In Guo Xu's previous life, Yao Minggui suffered a lot of losses when he first entered the league and was often troubled by fouls. It is not surprising that Guo Xu, the last rookie, suffered losses when defending.
The home whistle will be reflected in O'Neal and Kobe, and nothing is wrong with Guo Xu.
Then there is the balance whistle. If the referee realizes that there is something wrong with his yell just now, he will usually find a balance for the party who is at a loss at the other end of the court and make up for his mistakes. The player who is being looked for is usually just symbolically spread his hands and has no choice but to accept the fact that he is unlucky.
Stockton beat Guo Xu, and the balance whistle was reflected in Kobe. He was sent to the free throw line when he had not been fierce in two unhard confrontations.
In this quarter, O'Neal was double-teamed and strictly guarded. Kobe stood up to ensure the Lakers' offensive firepower, making 4 of 10 shots in a single quarter, 7 of 7 free throws, and scoring 15 points.
Guo Xu only made two attempts in this quarter and all missed the basket, which made him feel cold. His only data was to send an assist, passing it to Kobe, who was cut off, and made a layup of 2+1. He was replaced by Harper in the last 4 minutes, and the latter did not perform much, and contributed two fouls after appearing.
The worst performance in this quarter was Liddle, who played 0 of 3 shots in 7 minutes and 0 of 2 three-pointers, all of which were missing opportunities.
The Lakers led 67 to 61 and entered the fourth quarter, with little advantage. Grant has already 5 fouls, while O'Neal and Guo Xu have fouled 4, all because of the pick-and-roll of Malone and Stockton. These two are particularly good at creating misalignment.
Guo Xu had no other way to face Ma Long, so he could only foul. Otherwise, when Ma Long cuts to the basket, it would be too late for him to foul.
Sloan is the best coach in the league who is good at pick-and-roll offense. He only knows pick-and-roll and never plays other tactics. This is the Jazz's way to win and it is also the reason why they can't win the championship. It's like this back and forth, so the opponents can easily figure out their routines.
Guo Xu temporarily rested on the bench due to foul trouble, and it was impossible to play the highlight of the game.
Chapter completed!