If I can't win the game, I'll just annoy you!

Gentry was right; this was indeed Popovich's idea. He had watched many Rockets games where, with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, no team had ever managed to come back from a ten-point lead to win.

It will be difficult for the Spurs to achieve this...

Besides, this isn't a Game 7, so there's no need to push the players so hard. It would be better to use this opportunity to break Wei Guo's streak of 60+ points.

........

The last five minutes passed quietly.

"Beep!!!"

The game ended with the whistle blowing.

97:83!!

The Rockets narrowly defeated the Spurs by 14 points at home.

Match statistics:

Wei Guo: 51 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks

Yao Ming: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Duncan: 39 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 steals, 3 blocks

Parker: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

This is the first time since Wei Guo joined the Rockets that two teammates have achieved triple-doubles in a game. Of course... throughout the season, Wei Guo has been racking up triple-doubles, but none of his teammates have achieved one.

Francis came closest to a triple-double, scoring 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists in one game. However, Cummings failed to remind Francis, which led to Francis missing out on a triple-double.

........

The Spurs found their rhythm after returning to their home court.

By utilizing a switch-everything defense, the Rockets limited Wei Guo's performance, while the rest of the Rockets players performed poorly. Ultimately, the Rockets lost two consecutive away games, bringing the Western Conference Finals series to 2-2.

This result is not surprising. The US team cannot be defeated, but the Rockets are not so strong as to be invincible.

........

May 21st happens to be Duncan's jersey number.

Popovich also started writing about believing in metaphysics, feeling that the date would bring good luck to the Spurs, so he was full of confidence for the pivotal Game 5.

actually...

Starting from the third game, Popovich put Ginobili in the starting lineup, and the effect was very good. Ginobili scored 20+ points in two consecutive games, which was the key to the Spurs' victory.

This match lineup:

Rockets: Francis, Mobley, Wei Guo, Posey, Yao Ming

Spurs: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Robinson

Mobley is starting again, and Popovich is furious. Gentry is really shameless... Gentry does exactly whatever tactics Popovich arranges.

Is this guy... just a bandwagoner?

However, this tactical arrangement made Popovich feel uneasy. The Rockets had imitated it in the first two games and won both. In the two away games, Popovich changed his tactics and caught Gentry off guard.

Although Wei Guo tried hard to catch up in the fourth quarter, the Spurs' defense also reduced Wei Guo's shooting percentage significantly. Many of the open shots that Wei Guo passed out were missed by his teammates.

"Keep going, everyone! Let's win this crucial battle!"

Before the game started, Popovich had the players put their hands together and shouted, "Go! Go!"

"Beep!!!"

The game began with the sounding of the whistle!

Francis gets the ball, Wei Guo moves to the weak side, Francis breaks through directly, and has another physical confrontation with Robinson in the air, Francis swings his right arm.

Windmill layup!

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball swished through the net!

2-0!!!

The Rockets scored first, and this time the score didn't come from Wei Guo.

*Smack!!!*

Wei Guo and Francis high-fived, and the two quickly returned to defense!

The Spurs were playing a half-court game, and with 5 seconds left on the 24-second shot clock, Robinson got a chance to shoot and took a mid-range shot.

"bang~~~"

The shot seemed sure to go in, but Robinson missed it.

Wei Guo grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Spurs players immediately ran to the backcourt to prepare for defense. By the time Wei Guo dribbled to the vicinity of the three-point line, the Spurs had already set up their defense.

Bowen closely guarded Wei Guo, and when Wei Guo opened up shooting space, Ginobili came over to help, which also created an open shot for Mobley, and Wei Guo jumped up to pass the ball.

Mobley received the ball, broke through the paint, and passed it to Yao Ming. Yao Ming received the ball, made contact with Robinson, and then took a fadeaway jump shot!

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

4-0!!!

Despite scoring, Gentry sighed, "Mobley's scoring methods are too one-dimensional. If he can't improve his shooting, these next few seasons may be the peak of his career."

Gentry was right; it's very comfortable playing alongside Wei Guo, and Wei Guo doesn't mind helping his teammates become stronger.

But because Wei Guo can solve everything...

Therefore, many Rockets players have developed an invincible mentality, which creates an aura in the game that makes opponents afraid.

If Weiguo were to leave one day, many people would be reduced to their original state.

Take the 76ers for example. Iverson was very strong, but after Wei Guo left, the 76ers didn't even make it to the Eastern Conference Finals this year.

Duncan scores under the basket!

Then... Posey received an assist from Wei Guo and scored a layup!

6:2!!!

At the start of the first quarter, three Rockets players scored.

This is just the beginning...

In the following three minutes, Wei Guo scored 7 points with a combination of drives and shots, turning the Spurs' defensive wall into a sieve.

13:5!!!

The Spurs, playing away, trailed by 8 points at the start.

Popovich said, "Your defense makes me angry. In the first two games, you were able to limit Weiguo to only 33 and 37 points in a single game, but just now... I saw Weiguo easily get past you."

"It's my fault for not doing well enough, Coach!"

Bowen took the initiative to deflect responsibility.

The Spurs' defensive strategy against Wei Guo is to prevent both drives and shots. If they could only choose one, preventing drives is more important because once Wei Guo gets past them, he can either attack or shoot.

Popovich said, "I don't want to hear your apology, I just want to see your performance on the court."

"skr~~~"

Bowen responded.

........

The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.

Duncan receives the ball near the free-throw line, moves towards the basket while facing Posey, fakes a turn, jumps and slams the ball down with one hand!

"Bang!!!"

Duncan slammed home a dunk and pumped his fist in excitement, but he didn't notice that Posey was right in front of him.

"Holy crap!!!"

Suddenly punched in the back by Duncan, Percy turned around and pointed at Duncan's nose, "You want to fight?!"

Hehehe...

Duncan chuckled and ruffled Posey's hair. "It was my fault. Does it hurt?"

How could he possibly say that?

Even if it was an accident, he can't smile at me, let alone touch my head. I admit he's better than me, but I'm a veteran after all, and what he did was very disrespectful to a veteran.

I really hate it when he touches my hair... What if I go bald?

I'm bald!!! Who's responsible?!

Percy's inner thoughts were jolted awake by the referee's whistle, and everyone looked at the referee.

The referee pointed at Duncan, made a "T" shape with his hands, and shouted, "Technical foul!"

"A technical foul?!"

No one has any complaints about the referee, but it's unclear why the referee's whistle was blown so slowly.

The whistle wasn't blown when Duncan punched Posey in the back; it was only blown when Duncan apologized to Posey with a smile.

The Rockets' technical foul free throw was taken by Wei Guo.

"Whoosh!!!"

Wei Guo raised his hand, adding another point for the Rockets.

14:7!!

Wei Guo made the technical foul free throw, Yao Ming went to the sideline to inbound the ball, and it was still the Rockets' offense.

Francis circled out to receive the ball, dribbled to a sudden stop, and then made a long pass. Wei Guo was already lurking in the three-point corner. He received the pass from Francis and took a three-point shot!

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball swished through the net!

17:7!!

"Defend the country! Defend the country! Defend the country!"

Popovich slapped his thigh in anger, "Don't you guys even check where Wei Guo is when you're on defense?!"

After winning two games, the Spurs players seemed a bit tired. Their defensive efficiency in this game was noticeably lower than in the previous two games. However, Wei Guo's playing style has always been very open and aggressive, and he rarely plays the "sixth man" style, hiding in the corner of the three-point line.

The Spurs are also making adjustments, with all three of their key players contributing points.

The worst part is...

The Rockets' offensive efficiency was very high, while the Spurs' defensive efficiency in the first quarter was simply too poor.

37:21!!

At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs trailed by 16 points.

Popovich, his beard bristling and eyes wide, exclaimed, "Look at this score! 37 points! The Rockets scored 37 points in just one quarter against your defense! Tell me, how are we supposed to play this game???"

It's no wonder Popovich was angry; he's a very strict coach.

However, the Spurs were riddled with holes in the first quarter. Not only could they not defend Wei Guo, but they also couldn't stop Yao Ming and Francis, who always managed to find scoring opportunities.

This isn't the small-ball era of a few years from now...

The Spurs' ability to hold the Rockets to 37 points in a single quarter is unacceptable.

"I don't want to see this kind of defensive attitude from you again!"

Popovich angrily declared, "In the upcoming games, anyone who doesn't play proper defense is fired!"

"The old man is angry..."

Several Spurs substitutes whispered among themselves.

........

After adjustments, the Spurs prepared to close the gap in the second quarter.

The Rockets' bench players played very well.

Cummings played 3 minutes in the second quarter, dishing out two assists and hitting a three-pointer, leading the team to extend their lead to 20.

Then...

The key players returned to the field.

The Rockets were on offense. Mobley drove to the basket but was blocked by Duncan. When Parker got the ball and dribbled it to the frontcourt, Wei Guo had already caught up.

In a 1v1 situation, most players will attack.

With only Wei Guo blocking Parker's path, Parker chose to slow down and wait for his teammates to arrive before passing the ball to Ginobili and then moving towards the baseline.

"well..."

There was a slight sigh from the Spurs' bench.

What a great opportunity!

If Parker can score against Wei Guo in a one-on-one situation, the team's morale will be boosted instantly.

Ginobili made a bounce pass from beyond the three-point line, and the ball fell into Robinson's hands. Robinson then went one-on-one against Thomas and scored under the basket.

45:27!!

The Spurs are still down by 18 points.

The Rockets were on offense. After several passes, the ball reached Yao Ming. Yao Ming missed a mid-range shot, and Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound.

Ginobili dribbled to the frontcourt and hit a three-pointer!

45:30!!

In 1 minute and 7 seconds, the Spurs scored 5 consecutive points.

The Spurs seemed to have taken control of the game's pace. Francis knew what to do next, and when he dribbled the ball up the court, he tried to pass it to Wei Guo.

Wei Guo had the ball at the top of the arc, and Bowen was sticking to him like glue!

Three threats!

Wei Guo feinted, then unleashed a three-pointer!

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

Gentry laughed and said, "Even if the Spurs score 15 points in a row, I won't be nervous. Can you guess why?"

"Tch~"

Rice scoffed, "As long as Wei is on the field, I'm not worried."

48:30!!

The Spurs only briefly limited the performance of the rest of the Rockets' players; when Wei Guo had the ball, Bowen alone couldn't stop him.

Wei Guo did not perform well in the last two games.

He hasn't scored over 40 points in two consecutive games, and... Wei Guo has taken a lot of shots in these two games. Unless he uses the shooting rune, Wei Guo can't guarantee that he can put every ball into the basket.

The same performance won't happen three times in a row!

In the second quarter, after Wei Guo took over possession of the ball, he once again entered invincible mode.

At halftime, the Rockets were leading by 21 points. In the second half, Wei Guo continued his stellar performance. Popovich sent Duncan to defend Wei Guo on the perimeter. Wei Guo reduced his shots and started attacking the basket. Several of Wei Guo's layups were Ginobili's signature serpentine drives, and the aging Robinson was always a step too slow when he came to help defend.

"When I get back, I will definitely watch the video of this game carefully."

Ginobili made a firm decision. When Wei Guo first used the serpentine breakthrough, Ginobili thought it was a coincidence. However, after several attempts, Ginobili suddenly realized that Wei Guo used this move better than him.

perhaps...

Am I imitating Wei Guo?

...

The score gap widened further, and the Spurs could no longer see any hope of winning Game 5.

Popovich had to give up the game...

Garbage time has arrived, and Cummings is back in action once again!

"Beep!!!"

The game ended with the whistle blowing.

127:91!!

The Rockets defeated the Spurs by 36 points at home, winning the pivotal Game 5.

Match statistics:

Wei Guo: 43 points, 17 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks

Cummings: 7 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Duncan: 41 points, 22 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 6 blocks

Parker: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

The two star players, Wei Guo and Duncan, performed equally well. Wei Guo may have been slightly better than Duncan, but only by a limited margin. The main reason why the Spurs lost this game was due to the performance of other players.

To put it simply, a team's field goal percentage is the percentage of shots made versus shots attempted.

Rockets: 47.1%

Spurs: 41.3%

The Spurs' shooting percentage was nearly six points lower than the Rockets', which explains why the Spurs lost the game.