The Whip of the God of Basketball

The Orlando Magic strengthened their defense in the second half. This was the only thing Stan Van Gundy could do at halftime. Facing the Suns' small lineup, unless Howard gave wings, they had no way to fundamentally solve the problem. We can only hope that the players will work harder and tougher to lower the Suns' outside shooting percentage.

But the second half, or the entire game, was Jascovicius’s performance time. Today, Leon knew that he was in excellent condition, so he gave him a lot of playing time. Halfway through the second half of the game, He was replaced and the Suns started their small lineup again.

The European king's three-point touch from the outside can be said to be fiery. The Magic's back line allows them to deal with two top three-pointers at the same time, which is really difficult. Needless to say, Nelson, Bogans is strong enough and has good speed, but he can't keep up with his feet, and with him on the court, the Magic's perimeter offense is a bit lame.

Howard played a dominant performance in the paint today. He protected the backcourt rebounds very well and showed his power in the offense. However, the Magic always lagged behind in the score because he only relied on his scoring. There is no way to even out the score difference, and secondly and more importantly, he has no way to bring opportunities to his teammates.

Leon didn't make any targeted arrangements for Howard tonight. He just asked Diaw or Marion to take turns harassing him one-on-one. He didn't double-team or go around, let alone set any defensive traps for him. He could He grabbed offensive rebounds in the paint, then dunked on the basket, and then showed off his well-developed biceps - his arms and biceps are about to surpass David Robinson.

But such a dunk is useless. The Suns' small lineup basically cuts off his connection with the outside. He has no way to create space for his teammates. When Rashard Lewis plays against other traditional teams, his three-point ability is His advantage is that it is difficult for ordinary No. 4 players to follow him that far. But unfortunately, the person facing him today is Marion, and Marion doesn't have to visit Howard. He just stares at Lewis, leaving Lewis with almost no comfortable shooting opportunities on the outside.

At the end of the third quarter, Jaskevicius showed confidence. After he and Diaw picked and rolled, the Magic changed defense. Facing Howard, who was as wide as a door, Jaskevicius dribbled continuously. A step-back fake, then a left-hand breakthrough from the baseline.

Howard would not block this kind of ball, but let him pass, and then followed behind to block the shot. Unexpectedly, Jaskovicius was very cunning. He learned a trick from Nash, dribbling directly from the basket. Sliding down, sliding to the other side, and then turning over for a jump shot!

A 12-foot jump shot from the baseline was the 30th point Jaskevicius scored in this game. After three quarters, his scoring has reached the highest level in his career.

He high-fived Steve Nash after the goal. There is no doubt that he learned a lot from Nash, a smart and similar senior to him. More importantly, he gained a lot from the past in the Phoenix Suns. What he lacks most - confidence and trust.

In terms of ability, he cannot reach the level of Manu Ginobili, but he can help the team in the way he is good at, instead of sitting on the bench in the team with the title of King of Europe. Being shouted around by teammates and not taken seriously.

He feels the value of his existence, playing for a truly strong team in the world's highest level basketball league, becoming a part of it, and working hard for the championship.

At the end of the third quarter, the score between the Suns and the Magic had become 89:75, with the Suns leading the Magic by 14 points. This score is the full-time score that the Boston Celtics used to defeat their opponents in the past, and now they are killing their opponents with efficient offense.

In the fourth quarter, the Magic began their final struggle. They had an 8-0 spurt at the beginning, narrowing the point difference to only 6 points. Leon immediately paused, and this time he changed without hesitation. Joining the five small combinations with high offensive efficiency, and letting Jaskevicius take charge and Nash as an assistant, Nash received an assist from Jaskevicius and hit two consecutive three-pointers in the bottom corner!

This is the 16th three-pointer made by the Suns in this game, which has set a record for three-pointers in a single game this season, and suddenly widened the point difference to 12 points.

Van Gundy had no choice but to call a timeout to rearrange and adjust, but then Leon started to cause trouble. He sent Turiaf to foul Howard and sent Howard to the free throw line. Howard did not disappoint at the free throw line. He missed two free throws and the Suns started to counterattack after getting the ball.

The two guards pushed back and counterattacked very quickly. Marion and Hill flew together on both wings. Although Hill was 35, his speed was not slow at all. He received Nash's precise pass and went straight to the basket for an easy layup. His steps are still so big, he takes one more step than the average player, and his layup is so light, and he easily puts the ball into the basket.

This method has been used several times in a row, and the Magic can't bear it. Turiaf is about to be punished, but he is on the court just for fouls. Without him, the Suns' small lineup is not a magic trick at all. , but if the Magic replace Howard, they really won't be able to play.

But Van Gundy had no choice. At the free throw line, Howard became more and more nervous the more he missed the free throw, and the more nervous he became, the more he missed the free throw. As a result, the Suns chased him and hit him in three consecutive counterattacks, and the point difference was almost 20 points.

Regarding Leon's "shameless" move, Van Gundy really had no choice but to let Howard sit on the bench. As soon as Howard sat on the bench, the Magic's defense was even more ruined. The offensive rebounds could no longer be protected, and Marion kept hitting them. As a result, the game slowly lost suspense.

The score was fixed at 115:101. The Suns won this game at the Magic's home court and won Grant Hill's first victory after joining Phoenix.

After the game, some boos came from the scene. Of course, these boos were not for Hill, but for Fox Leon, because his foul tactics in the fourth quarter were really shameless, but they also made them With victory firmly in your pocket, nothing else matters.

Hill hugged the Magic team one by one on the court, shook hands with Stan Van Gundy, and then was interviewed by reporters on the sidelines. Winning the game made him feel very good. He talked a lot with reporters and it was obvious that it couldn't be better to be able to play, make an impact and win the game.

Then he walked back to the locker room. He almost took the wrong step on the way because he used to go back to the home locker room here, but today he was going to the away game. When he came to the locker room, he found that the coach and teammates were there. They were all sitting together, not taking a shower or going to physical therapy, but waiting for him.

Nash took the lead, and everyone stepped forward to give Hill a hug, which Leon requested, a belated welcome to the veteran's inclusion.

Finally, Leon gave Hill a hug to complete the ceremony. He said to Hill: "Welcome to join the championship team."