Start by Maxing Out the Attack Talent, Kobe Is Jealous

In the 2001 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Wei Guo with the 58th overall pick in the second round, from Georgetown University. With that statement, Wei Guo became the second Chinese pla...

Chapter 24 Mutombo's Joy

The Cavaliers have the worst record in the Eastern Conference, but after winning against the Raptors in their last game, the 76ers have risen to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Nobody thought the Cavaliers could steal a win from the 76ers; everyone was only paying attention to the game because of the assist leaderboard.

Miller leads the assist charts with 10.6 assists.

Wei Guo ranked second on the assist list with 10.1 assists.

Miller is arguably the Cavaliers' star player, but fans would love to see Wei Guo surpass Miller and top the assist charts. This seems unlikely, not because Wei Guo lacks the ability, but because Mutombo is injured and Wei Guo has stepped up to the center position.

......

Starting lineup for this match:

76ers: Iverson, Jones, Coleman, Harpring, Weiguo

Cavaliers: Miller, Murray, Parsons, Ilgauskas, Hill

Miller's full name is Andre Miller, the Cavaliers' starting point guard. Hill's full name is Teyron Hill. He and Ilgauskas guard the Cavaliers' interior and are the two men who will be matched up against Wei Guo tonight.

Russell heard that Wei Guo was going to play center, so he came to the game again.

......

"Beep!!!"

The match began with the referee's whistle.

Wei Guo passed the ball to Iverson and ran up the court. In the previous game, Wei Guo and Iverson tried to run a pick-and-roll.

But each player has their own unique characteristics.

Iverson is not Stockton, and Weiguo is better than Malone. Their pick-and-roll combination can be one of the tactics, but it should never be used as a regular tactic.

Iverson dribbled the ball up the court, broke through and passed to Coleman, who missed a mid-range shot!

The basketball bounced a bit far, Murray got the rebound, passed the ball to Miller, and Miller dribbled the ball up the court.

Ilgauskas received a pass from Miller and executed a hook shot over Wei Guo!

"Smack!"

Wei Guo slapped the basketball away.

With the 'Dikenbe Mutombo Star Card', Wei Guo has a deeper understanding of defense, especially in blocking shots... Wei Guo's static and dynamic talents, combined with Mutombo's blocking skills, make him an enhanced version of Mutombo.

Bosen got the ball!

He faked out Coleman in the mid-range and pulled up for a jump shot near the three-second zone.

"Smack!"

Wei Guo stepped forward and slapped Bosen's shot away again.

"well..."

Wei Guo sighed inwardly.

Mutombo finally experienced the joy, but then he started to blame himself. If it weren't for the time he wagged his index finger at the entire Mavericks team, which led to the league banning that gesture, he would be doubly happy wagging his index finger now.

"That's right, that's more like it!"

Russell, sitting on the sidelines, was very satisfied with Wei Guo's performance at the start of the game, saying, "Dominating the paint is the key to dominating the game."

I was stunned by Wei Guo's block right from the start...

The 76ers were on offense. Iverson passed the ball to Wei Guo, who received it and immediately slammed it home with a dunk!

2-0!!!

Clearly... Wei Guo prefers this physical style of play, and his previous reliance on three-pointers was out of necessity.

......

The first quarter lasted three minutes.

11:2!!

The Cavaliers were down by 9 points, and head coach Lucas called a timeout.

Lucas said, "Wei Guo is stronger, faster, and has a better jumping ability than Mutombo."

This gives Wei Guo a larger defensive range than Mutombo, so he shouldn't blindly attack the basket when on offense.

"Pass the ball around the perimeter to create shooting opportunities; if we make those mid-range and long-range shots, we have a chance to win."

Lucas was frustrated. After Mutombo got injured, it seemed like the 76ers were even harder to beat.

The 76ers' current roster is like the Lakers': Iverson is Kobe, and Weiguo is Shaq.

"4 blocks!!!"

Cummings, clutching the stat sheet, said excitedly, "We've only played three minutes, and Wei has already got four blocks. Cavaliers, tremble!"

......

The timeout ends, and the Cavaliers launch an attack.

Miller dribbled repeatedly but couldn't shake off Iverson's defense, so he had to pass the ball to Murray. After Murray received the ball, Coleman came to help defend.

After several passes from the Cavaliers, Person finally found a shooting opportunity.

"Whoosh!!!"

Bosen made a mid-range shot.

11:4!!

The Cavaliers began to close the gap.

Iverson dribbled the ball up the court, isolated against Miller, and made a fadeaway jumper!

The game is gradually getting back on track...

When the Cavaliers were on offense, Ilgauskas tried to move to the perimeter as much as possible, trying to draw Wei Guo out and create opportunities for his teammates to attack the basket.

But Wei Guo didn't buy into that at all. He always gave Ilgauskas a step, because Wei Guo knew that most of Ilgauskas' offensive moves were under the basket. Even if he gave Ilgauskas an open shot, he might not be able to make the shot.

This is perhaps Ilgauskas's happiness...

Wei Guo doesn't get to enjoy this. Whenever he gets the ball, whether inside or outside the three-point line, he is subjected to relentless, dog-like defense from the opponent.

......

31:23!!

At the end of the first quarter, the 76ers led by 8 points.

Wei Guo played for 9 minutes in the first quarter, making all three of his dunks for 6 points. Although his score wasn't high, Wei Guo's stats were impressive.

6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 blocks.

Few players can put up such impressive stats in the first quarter.

Cummings walked up behind Wei Guo, handed him a drink, and said, "Brother Wei, I feel like you have a chance to get four pairs today."

"Four pairs???"

Wei Guo's eyes lit up; this sounded pretty cool.

Looking across the entire league, quadruple-doubles have only happened a handful of times. If he were to get a quadruple-double in his rookie season, wouldn't his father be ready to slaughter pigs and sheep to celebrate when he heard the news at home?

Thinking about this...

Wei Guocai realized that he hadn't contacted his father for over a week. He would have to call his father after the match tonight and ask him to bring some beef and mutton over.

The beef and mutton here in the US are never as good as the ones back home.

Iverson was also looking at the statistics sheet. "I've already got 6 blocks. As long as I get double-digit blocks, I'll have a 4-double tonight."

The national team lacked offensive drive in the first quarter.

He grabbed two offensive rebounds and passed the ball to his teammates on the perimeter. With Wei Guo drawing attention inside, his teammates easily got open shots.

actually...

Given Wei Guo's current level, pairing him with four shooters would be enough to get him into the finals.

......

The second quarter began, and Wei Guo remained on the sidelines to rest.

On the court, he has to defend, organize the offense, and engage in physical battles with Ilgauskas under the basket, which takes a toll on his stamina.

Although Wei Guo's physical strength is not a problem...

However, the team still had a lead of nearly ten points, so Wei Guo was in no hurry to go on the field.