The moment of truth has arrived, when bayonets are drawn and the battle is about to end.

......

There are only 7 minutes and 39 seconds left in the game.

87:81!!

The Lakers are down by 6 points.

Both teams are eager for a win in the first game. The Rockets want to hold onto their home court advantage, while the Lakers are hoping to steal a victory from Houston and gain home-court advantage, which would make the series much clearer.

Lakers on offense.

O'Neal scored a layup against Wei Guo under the basket.

Then...

Wei Guo responded to O'Neal with a basket in the same manner.

Although their offensive methods seem similar, Wei Guo is actually at a slight disadvantage. Wei Guo is strong but lighter than O'Neal, so he needs to use more power than O'Neal to complete the same play.

Kobe's offense was completely unleashed.

The point difference remained around 10 points until there were 2 minutes and 7 seconds left in the game.

Time is running out for the Lakers.

The Zen master called for a pause again!

"We need to speed up the pace of our attack, and each attack must be completed within 10 seconds."

The Zen Master, holding his whiteboard, instructed, "O'Neal, position yourself near the free-throw line. Kobe, move to the weak side and attack immediately upon receiving the pass..."

This is the triangular attack tactic that made the Zen master famous.

This tactic isn't that mysterious, but it's difficult for other teams to imitate because it requires two strong offensive players, one of whom needs to have one of the league's top offensive abilities.

This tactic was very successful when I was with the Bulls!

This tactic is also very successful with the Lakers now!

main reason...

The Bulls had Jordan, the Lakers had Kobe.

.........

The timeout is over, the game continues!

Kobe made a reverse cut, received a pass from Fisher, and pulled up for a jump shot!

"Be careful of the guards..."

Just as the Zen Master was about to remind Kobe, Kobe's shot was blocked by Wei Guo.

"These tactics, wow..."

After blocking Kobe's shot, Wei Guo got the basketball back, but what he was thinking was that his understanding of the triangle offense was on par with Phil Jackson's.

because...

Before this series began, Wei Guo had just drawn the 'Phil Jackson player card'.

Wei Guo dribbled the ball up the court, Kobe caught up with him, but Wei Guo made a sudden stop at the three-point line, raised his hand to shake off Kobe, and then took a three-point shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

Wei Guo slowly ran back to the backcourt to prepare for defense. From blocking Kobe to completing the three-point shot, Yao Ming stood in place and hardly moved.

106:93!!

Phil Jackson's timeout allowed the Rockets to widen the score gap once again!

That's how this match was...

Every time the Zen Master called a pause, Wei Guo would catch him off guard upon returning to the starting position, as if Wei Guo had been eavesdropping on his tactics from behind.

With only 1 minute and 51 seconds left in the game, the Lakers are down by 13 points!

The outcome was already predetermined...

Kobe continued to try to catch up, but no one on the Lakers could stop Wei Guo from scoring.

"Beep!!!"

With the whistle blowing, the game came to an end.

113:101!!

The Lakers lost to the Rockets by 12 points on the road.

In the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, Kobe scored 8 points in a row, but Wei Guo scored 10 points in a row.

Match statistics:

Wei Guo: 46 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks

Yao Ming: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 2 blocks

O'Neal: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 steals, 3 blocks

Kobe: 53 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

The 'ok' duo combined for 70 points, which looks impressive, but that was largely due to Kobe's performance. Fans who watched the game know how frustrated O'Neal was throughout the match.

The reason O'Neal didn't score many points was because he didn't take many shots.

The entire second half...

O'Neal was constantly guarded by Wei Guo, and only had 6 shot attempts in total. He took 17 shots in the game and scored exactly 17 points.

........

Shaquille O'Neal was sullen after losing the game and putting up terrible stats.

"Shaq, look at the mess this has made..."

Wei Guo walked over to O'Neal, put his arm around O'Neal's shoulder, patted O'Neal's chest and explained, "Brother, I really didn't mean it."

O'Neal, forcing a smile, said, "I'm not playing well tonight, I'll deal with you in the next game!"

Wei Guo laughed and said, "Let's not. In the post-game interview and press conference, you can explain to the media that it was a joke to ask Lao Jin to arrange for Wei Guo to play the 5 position, and that you never want to face Wei Guo again."

Why did I say that?

O'Neal asked back with a stern face.

Wei Guo laughed and said, "If you admit your mistake, I won't bully you in the next match."

O'Neal: (╥╯^╰╥)

O'Neal did not publicly concede defeat in the post-game interview and press conference. Besides the superstar's stubbornness, there was another major reason: he did not want to affect the team's morale.

but...

Several players overheard O'Neal and Wei Guo's conversation, which then spread throughout the league.

Years later, the retired O'Neal joined tNT and became a proud basketball commentator. His conversation with Wei Guo is still often mentioned, mainly as a way to tease O'Neal.

........

The second round of the playoffs was even more brutal.

There are a total of eight teams in the East and West, and none of them can sweep their opponents.

The same applies to the Rockets; after winning the first game, both O'Neal and Kobe had breakout performances in the second game.

Kobe played 46 minutes, hitting several difficult shots under Wei Guo's defense... He ultimately scored 41 points on 13-of-27 shooting, along with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.

O'Neal played 45 minutes, shooting 12-for-19 from the field and 17-for-25 from the free-throw line, scoring 41 points, along with 19 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 5 blocks.

In this game, Wei Guo scored 61 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but was unable to lead his team to victory.

After arriving at the away game, Wei Guo scored 60+ points in two consecutive games, leading the team to two consecutive away wins, making the score 3-1 in the second round of the playoffs!

A series of matches.

He scored 60+ points in three consecutive games, a feat achieved by only Wei Guo in the league.

Compared to this record, Wei Guo was even more eager to win the game.

Wei Guo is good friends with Kobe and Shaq, and with the sun shining brightly and the breeze gentle lately, he hopes his two friends will pick up their fishing rods soon and enjoy their holiday leisure.

The main problem is that Kobe and Shaq didn't perform well enough.

If the two of them play their best and don't have a meltdown in the second game, they could go home and go fishing now.

........

On May 11, 2003, the sun was shining brightly.

Before the start of Game 5, Gentry did some quick calculations and realized that Kobe and Shaq could start living the leisurely life of fishermen the next day.