In the blink of an eye, it was time for the competition to begin.
After the two teams finished their warm-up, they returned to the locker room to change into their jerseys and appeared on the field again.
The high-profile match between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns was about to begin.
Xue Feng also learned that the Suns had been rebuilt after the departure of " Son of the Wind " Nash in the previous two seasons to pursue his dream of winning the championship.
Their current lineup was younger and more energetic than the Suns during Steve Nash's time.
Although their current record was not as good as it had been during Nash's time, it could be said that they were a team that could not be underestimated in the Western Conference.
And with the hard work of a group of young people full of fighting spirit, the Suns 'current results were not bad. Their current team's record was ranked in the top eight in the Western Conference.
The current record of the regular season for the Los Angeles Clippers was second to last in the Western Conference. For the Los Angeles Clippers, this could be considered a tough battle.
Before the game officially began, the managers of both teams had already confirmed their starting lineups.
The away team's lineup was:
Point guard, Goran Dragic;
The shooting guard, Eric Bledsoe;
Small Forward, PJ Tucker;
Power Forward, Markief Morris;
Center forward, Marcus Morris.
The most noticeable members of this lineup were the Morris brothers. They were now playing for the same team and formed the " brothers inside."
The cooperation between the two " towers " was quite tacit and played a big role in the Suns 'offensive and defensive system.
The starting lineup of the Los Angeles Clippers was as follows:
Point guard, Steve Black;
Shooting guard, Kobe Bryant;
Small Forward, Xue Feng;
Power forward, Pau Gasol;
Center forward, Jordan Hill.
Xue Feng relied on his wonderful performance in the fourth quarter of the previous game to successfully win D'Antoni's trust and get the chance to start.
Xue Feng, who was the small forward, was playing against PJ Tucker in this game. He had some understanding of Tucker.
Tucker's career could be said to be bumpy. After he was selected in the draft in 2005, he only played in the NBA for a year before leaving the NBA to play in other leagues.
It wasn't until 2012, the previous season, that he received a contract from the Suns and a chance to return to the NBA.
The Suns valued his defensive ability the most.
His role in the Suns was to limit the opponent's scorers.
He could rebound, defend against inside players, and switch to outside players.
With his strong defensive ability, even if his offensive ability was slightly lacking, he could still gain the trust of the head coach of the Suns.
This was also a test for Xue Feng. The defense he faced in this game was definitely much stronger than the previous game.
Whether he could score under the defense of Tucker was also a big highlight.
At the same time, Xue Feng also felt lucky because Tucker's offensive ability was not strong, which made him not need to spend too much effort on the defensive end. His weakness of insufficient defensive ability would not be overly magnified.
He could put more energy into the offense.
This match between him and Tucker was destined to be a showdown between spear and shield.
......
After the starting players were confirmed, the game officially began.
"Beep!"
A whistle sounded on the field, and the referee signaled for the two-handed center forward to jump ball in the midfield.
Morris and Hill stood on either side of the field, and the referee who stood between them threw the ball into the air.
The two of them jumped up high at the same time and stretched out their long arms, trying to hit the basketball into their backcourt.
"Pa!"
Morris jumped a little higher. His palm touched the ball first and returned the racket to the Suns 'backcourt.
The basketball was in the hands of the Suns guard, Dragic. He pushed the ball to the front court and began to organize the team's offense.
Xue Feng had been keeping an eye on Tucker, and Tucker didn't seem to have any intention of going forward to receive the ball.
Instead, he took two steps to the left of the three-point line. He was now pulling away for his teammates.
After Dragic moved the ball to the front court, he immediately called for a pick-and-roll. At this time, Marcus Morris came to the three-point line to play a pick-and-roll for him.
He used this cover to change direction and speed up to pass Blake.
At this time, Dragic had already entered the paint, and the Los Angeles Clippers center, Hill, immediately stepped forward to defend.
At this time, Marcus, who had completed the cover, was cutting into the inside line. At the same time, he was in an empty position.
Under Hill's defense, Dragic directly lobbed the ball to Marcus, who was cutting into the air inside.
After receiving the ball, the latter continued to rush to the paint and then ended the attack with a layup, helping the Suns get two points first.
As soon as the game started, the pick-and-roll cooperation between the Suns 'point guard and center showed enough power to easily crack the Los Angeles defense.
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