new lord of the rings

Chapter 490 Fight against the Big Three of Thunder!
On the match day, nearly [-] fans had poured into Phoenix's home court, and the entire stadium was packed. Fans waved various slogans to cheer for the home team. A certain fan specially made slogans for idols, and in the stands Waving enthusiastically, the atmosphere in the entire arena is already very enthusiastic before the game starts.

It’s no wonder that the Sun’s home fans are so enthusiastic. In the eyes of the Sun’s fans, the Thunder’s lineup this season is very scary. Three superstars at their peak have teamed up, and all three of them are top ten players in the league. The Golden State Warriors do not have such a scary formation. The Golden State Warriors Curry and Durant in the previous life were in the top ten in the league, but Klay Thompson was not enough.

Compared with the Thunder, the Sun's lineup is much worse. Not to mention the strength, but the reputation. The only one who can compete with the Thunder giant is Zhang Xin. Rondo and Gasol were only top stars in the league at their peak, not enough to be superstars, let alone they are old now.

Other rookies like Devin Booker and Buddy Hield are just beneficiaries of the system supported by Zhang Xin. Fans believe that without Zhang Xin, they may not be able to lead the team alone. But mediocre, so Suns fans are not so optimistic about this round of the series.

The opinion of some expert media is similar to that of the fans. They are used to watching superstars, so they inevitably neglect role players. In their view, the three superstars, even Zhang Xin, are hard to match. After all, you can guard against one person, and the others What about superstars?
"The game is about to start. This round of the series can be called a great battle. Zhang Xin fought against the Big Three of the Thunder. Four of the league's top ten superstars appeared in the same game. This kind of grand occasion is really rare, and even more rare is , they are not two-on-two, but three-on-one, the pundit media is pessimistic about the game from the beginning, they think the sun may lose in the playoffs in a year when they have the best record in regular season history , it is difficult for the Suns to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder who played so-so in the regular season.

However, it is still unknown who will win the battle. Last season, the Suns broke all kinds of impossibilities and reached the peak all the way. At the beginning, the experts and media were not too optimistic, but Zhang Xin has always been a miracle-maker. The Thunder fell into the hands of Zhang Xin. Can the addition of Paul George this season win the Suns?
I don't think so. Last season's trip to the Finals improved the Sun's talented youngsters unimaginably. This season's best record in history is the most obvious manifestation. " Wang Meng explained.

The Thunder's Adams and the Sun's Gasol are already preparing for the mid-circle jump ball. The Thunder's presence is Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Steven Adams, and Andre Robertson.The Suns players are Zhang Xin, Pau Gasol, Rajon Rondo, Devin Booker, and PJ Tucker.

Relying on his youth and speed, Adams overwhelmed Gasol and pulled the basketball down first. Westbrook controlled the ball and dribbled across the frontcourt.

There is a basis for experts to be optimistic about the Thunder. Now the Suns' defensive matchup is:
Zhang Xin defends Durant, Gasol defends Adams, Tucker defends Paul George, Devin Booker defends Robertson, and Rondo defends Westbrook.

The other defensive matchups are not a big problem. The main thing is that Tucker defends George and Rondo defends Westbrook. Let’s not talk about Westbrook, but let’s talk about Tucker and Paul George. Playing power forward or even center forward in a small lineup, but his height is only 198cm and weight 118kg, while Paul George is 206cm tall, 8cm taller than Tucker. In the field of basketball, 8cm means distance, Especially for a star like Paul George who is good at using his body, he has an advantage over you physically, technically, and mentally. How can he defend against it?
As for the match between Westbrook and Rondo, Rondo is only 185cm tall and weighs 84kg, while Westbrook is 191cm tall and weighs 91kg. Both height and weight have an advantage over Rondo, and Westbrook’s impact Strength is not comparable to Rondo.

These two matchups made experts not optimistic about the Suns, and the Suns' weaknesses were indeed exposed when they fought.

Westbrook handed the ball to Paul George, but he turned to the basket, turned around and blocked Rondo, and used his strength and weight to hold down Rondo. Paul George lobbed the ball to Westbrook for a back single!
Zhang Xin's eyes froze: Did the short-handed handover happen just at the beginning?

"Hey! As soon as Lei Ting came up, he directly played back singles, and directly pinched Sun's flaws. He didn't mean to test it at all. I guess this is Lei Ting telling Zhang Xin: I won't try again. I just came here today to do it. Today is a life-and-death situation! Coach Donovan's determination is very decisive. I guess the matchup between Westbrook and Rondo should be a key point today.

Rondo is a key hub for the Suns. With Rondo around, Zhang Xin can concentrate on attacking and playing off the ball, tearing up the defense for his teammates, and at the same time save his energy. Once Rondo is off the court, Zhang Xin has to take charge The important task of holding the ball, of course, Zhang Xin is more powerful in holding the ball, but the consumption of Zhang Xin is also greater. For a single-core team, this is not a good idea. "Wang Meng analyzed.

"Oh? Teacher Wang, what do you mean?" Yang Yi asked.

"Let's imagine that if Westbrook succeeds in backing Rondo, then the Thunder is likely to use this style of play to consume Rondo. Whether it is forcing Rondo to foul or forcing Rondo to consume more energy, for the Thunder It is a more favorable choice." Wang Meng said.

"It's true. If Rondo fouls too much and is forced to leave the field, it can disrupt the Suns' rotation, which can make the Suns make mistakes. If Rondo doesn't foul, then he may not be able to prevent Westbrook's back. There is a gap between people's height and weight." Yang Yi agrees with Wang Meng.

Rondo resisted Westbrook desperately. With his golf quotient, he certainly understood that Westbrook was specifically targeting him for misalignment. As for the purpose, it was clear at a glance.

Coach Donovan stood with folded arms on the sidelines, stroking the clean-shaven stubble with the index finger and thumb of his right hand, the corners of his mouth were curved upwards, and the assistant coach next to him could vaguely hear him whispering: it is better to cut off one than to hurt five fingers, China The proverbs are indeed full of philosophy.

(End of this chapter)