When Jordan made up for Pence, everyone thought Pence would hit one.
Even Jordan, who made up the ball in time, felt that the ball should be unstoppable.
Step-back shots, dribbling behind the back and pulling away from the defense, back-to-the-crotch, turn-over pull-up jump shots... these were all Pence's most iconic mid-range scoring methods back then.
Pence chose to divide the bottom line, which was beyond everyone's expectations.
Hearing the surprised voices from his teammates and opponents, Pence smiled and retreated, accepting people's strange looks calmly.
Team doctor Thomas Carter told him that if he didn't want to use crutches after retirement, he had to learn to use his height, wingspan, vision, and brain to play, and he could no longer overdraw his already riddled knees and ankles.
He chose to accept it and took the initiative to adjust his playing style.
During the transition between offense and defense, when Li Ao was serving the ball, he heard his senior brother sigh, "Jordan is still the god of basketball, and Hardaway is no longer a penny."
He thinks there is no problem with this statement. The way Penny played just now is indeed not Penny.
But this does not mean that Penny has become weaker. Li Ao looks at it from his professional perspective and thinks that playing Penny like this may be the right choice in terms of efficiency.
Bibby advanced to the frontcourt, and it was Marbury who guarded him. He was unable to assist in defense and lacked team defensive awareness, but his single defense has always been good.
Li Ao was followed by Marion and had no chance of singles. It was difficult to run, catch and shoot.
Odom is an advantageous matchup against Bo Outlaw, but when Odom attacks in this lineup, it will be awkward and difficult to execute.
He continued to pass the ball to Jordan, and Jordan took a step and turned around to break through.
Pence anticipated Jordan's movements and followed closely. The confrontation was not fierce, but the slight advantage in size still made Jordan feel it.
At this time, Jordan saw Odom move to the baseline after being screened without the ball on the left side. He decisively released the ball and passed the alley-oop pass on the left side of the basket... "Bang"...
Odom didn't make the alley-oop into the basket! The ball hit the backboard and bounced to the left side of the three-second zone!
Li Ao had quick eyes and quick hands. He squeezed out Bo Outero who was changing defense to grab the ball. He took off with two steps and hit a layup in the confrontation with Gugliotta who came in!
Jordan's passing error turned into an assist. When he retreated, he happily patted Li Ao on the back. After returning to the backcourt, he sprayed Odom with a few words. He didn't see such a good alley-oop scoring opportunity.
Odom responded with an apologetic but wise smile.
When the Suns attacked, Marbury broke through and scored. Beau Outlaw flanked the screen and then cut in to catch the ball and throw. O'Neal protected the defensive rebound.
The Suns players actively retreated. Li Ao was blocked from going down quickly, so he stopped and ran forward slowly.
The opponent is not O'Neal, so there is no need to create movement for the opponent.
However, the Suns' offense in the first two rounds made Li Ao wary.
He felt that it shouldn't be the case. Their team shouldn't be so behind.
However, after a few more rounds, at 4 minutes and 38 seconds in the first quarter, Marion slid from the baseline to the right corner, caught the ball in a 38-style push and hit a three-pointer. 9-8, the Suns took the lead by 1 point. Stop the Clippers!
In this short half of the quarter, the Suns' offensive coordination was very good!
With Marbury's sudden scoring and Pence's high-post support, the Suns' dual-core offense played in perfect harmony.
Marion is very active in off-ball screening on the wing, cutting in, and running back from the baseline for long shots. In the third year of his career, the hacker's three-pointer, although not always accurate in his life, has been developed. .
Bo Outlaw is very active in screening, cutting, running back, defending, and rushing.
Although Gugliotta is no longer as brave as he once was. Li Ao's player evaluation report only has a comprehensive evaluation of 69, but he is rich in experience and can grasp the timing of positional moves such as emptying the basket and blocking people on the bottom line very well, at least on the offensive end. Don't hold back.
The tactics are executed smoothly, the movement is in place, the passing is also very good, and the finishing success rate is also good... Such a Suns team left Li Ao with a question mark.
After entering the timeout and returning to the bench, Li Ao complained to Jordan: "We are a bit behind! I have watched the video clips of the previous 6 games. Their cooperation is obviously so poor, and they are not active at all in retreating. They counterattack in every game." Even though the opponent scored more than 20 points, why did he suddenly become enlightened tonight... Wait, Michael, this may be your problem!"
Jordan (へ╬): "Damn it, Vaco, can you really blame me for everything?"
"Look, of the five starters on the opposite side, four are players who entered the NBA during your six championships, and most of the substitutes are also the same. They were not active enough in previous games because they did not have a common goal. Tonight, their goals are all thinking To defeat the God of Basketball, even the 38-year-old God of Basketball, so we must work together... Is there something wrong with my analysis? Have I wronged you?"
Jordan: (_)
So convincing! He couldn't refute this view!
His rich experience tells him that Spider-Man's analysis should be correct.
The opposite Suns, compared with last season, can actually be regarded as two teams.
Four members of the starting lineup were changed, and most of the substitute lineup was also changed.
So in fact, there is no such situation as 'everyone can't adapt to the cooperation after changing the core point guard'. Colangelo Jr. still has something.
However, the new team needs an opportunity to play together as a team.
It's different from a group of 'carefree' young people from the Clippers who can get together and roar for a goal and then charge forward together.
Most of the players on the Suns are veterans who have been playing for five, six, or seven or eight years. They don't have that much passion, and the players are too narrow-minded.
Suns head coach Scott Skiles is less than 40 years old, has neither the qualifications nor the ability to conquer his players, nor does he have the courage and skill of the Trail Blazers' Maurice Cheeks.
It is difficult for such a team to find an opportunity to unite, and they may not even find that opportunity after a season. This is a very common thing in the NBA. In the future, the Big Four will have to rely on their star player to rupture his Achilles tendon to enter the season. Postgame.
But opportunities may appear suddenly.
United as one to deal with the God of Basketball, even the God of Basketball thinks this is a good opportunity.
Jordan forcibly changed the topic: "What happened to Lamar today? He failed to seize several opportunities and made an inexplicable mistake."
Li Ao was just about to say this when he responded: "He has an old problem and is easily distracted. Just don't pass the ball to him next. Instruct him to rush for offensive rebounds, flank pick-and-rolls, and fast breaks."
"Is this appropriate? Lamar is our core inside player!"
"You are the god of basketball, he dare not have an opinion."
When Li Ao said this, Jordan, as the master of leverage, couldn't find a suitable leverage point for a while.
He could retort and say, "I'm not a ball tyrant," but he couldn't say it, because he was really a ball lord before he retired last time, and he was the number one player in the world.
(End of chapter)
