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...
Wei Guo's acting was exaggerated, but Rashid's foul was real!
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle, and Rashid committed his fifth foul!
Rashid roared at Wei Guo, "You treacherous man, you don't deserve to play basketball!"
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle again, issuing Rashid a technical foul.
Rashid was completely stunned. Although he was known for his frequent technical fouls and was often called for them by the referee for yelling, this technical foul came too suddenly, and he was not prepared at all.
Several Pistons players ran over and argued with the referee.
What they didn't know was...
Rashid's words just now crossed the line for the referee. Wei Guo is the best player in the league. If Wei Guo is not worthy of playing basketball, then who in this league is worthy of playing basketball?
Wei Guo was also puzzled.
An extra free throw opportunity was inexplicably added.
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
First, he committed three fouls and made all three free throws.
"Whoosh!!!"
It was another technical foul free throw, and Wei Guo made it.
67:69!!
The Nets are only down by 2 points.
Brown substituted Rasheed again. The Pistons only had one offensive opportunity. Rasheed was not very effective on the court, and with five fouls already, he would be out if he picked up another foul.
"Defend against this shot!"
Wei Guo said, "Then I'll tie the score."
......
The Pistons understood the importance of this offensive play, and they played with great patience.
Hamilton and Prince had no scoring opportunities!
With 7 seconds left on the 24-second shot clock, Wei Guo had been observing the Pistons players' movements. He guessed that Billups would pass the ball to Anthony, who would then finish the attack.
so...
Wei Guo began moving towards Anthony's direction!
"Whoosh~~~"
Anthony receives the ball, and Jefferson uses his body to block Anthony!
Anthony drove to the basket close to the baseline.
Extremely dangerous...
Anthony dribbled without stepping out of bounds, and after finding space, he jumped and shot.
*Smack!!!*
Wei Guo suddenly appeared and swatted the basketball out of bounds.
This defensive play relied on Wei Guo's analysis of the Pistons' offensive tactics. After the ball flew out of bounds, the Pistons only had 2.7 seconds left to attack, which was far too little for them!
Prince took a three-point shot as soon as he received the pass.
"bang~~~"
The basketball bounced off the rim!
Wei Guo grabbed the defensive rebound. The Nets had 15 seconds left on the shot clock. Instead of passing the ball to Tyronn Lue, Wei Guo dribbled up the court, mentally calculating the time.
A butterfly dribbling through flowers!
Wei Guo cut between Hamilton and Prince and then used a crossover step to make a layup.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the hoop!
With only one second left on the shot clock, Brown didn't need to waste a timeout opportunity for that one second. The Pistons inbounded the ball from the baseline, and Hamilton threw the net out of bounds after receiving it!
Um...
The basketball hit the backboard.
......
The Nets were dominated for three quarters, but in the last minute of the third quarter, thanks to Wei Guo's four free throws and a layup, the Nets finally tied the score.
"Don't panic..."
Brown said, "The Nets have only tied the game, and I don't want that to affect your mentality."
The Brooklyn Nets' bench.
Gentry also encouraged the players, saying that the Nets have not lost a single playoff game yet, and that winning the championship with a perfect playoff record is wishful thinking; no team can do that. However, the Nets do not want to lose the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Pistons.
Wei Guo covered his head with a towel!
He is confident about this game... His teammates are not bad, and Kenyon's few defensive fouls are due to his good defensive attitude, so it's not his fault.
......
The fourth quarter begins.
Brown guessed that Wei Guo would not rest, with only 12 minutes left... Wei Guo would do everything he could to win the game.
Nets on offense!
Hamilton was still marking Wei Guo closely, with Wei Guo facing Hamilton sideways to prevent Hamilton from stealing the ball!
Wei Guo's dribbling skills are top-notch, but that doesn't mean he has no weaknesses. His height of 2.16 meters makes him taller than other guards when dribbling, and he can sometimes lose the ball to smaller, faster, and more agile guards.
Kiddles was hiding in the corner of the three-point line...
Wei Guo drove past Hamilton, squeezed to the basket, and passed the ball to Kiddles.
Kiddles takes the shot!
The arc was slightly off, but fortunately Wei Guo was right under the basket. After Kiddles missed his shot, he grabbed the offensive rebound and put the ball in.
71:69!!
The Nets have taken the lead!
The audience didn't want Wei Guo to pass the ball; they wanted him to attack, because Wei Guo was the Nets' most reliable scorer.
Wei Guo did not disappoint the audience...
During Rasheed's absence, the Pistons thought Wei Guo would increase his offense under the basket, but Wei Guo's actions surprised the Pistons. Wei Guo started shooting three-pointers!
"Siri~~~"
"Siri~~~"
"Siri~~~"
The commentator's voice echoed throughout the stadium!
Wei Guo's shooting touch wasn't good at the start of the game, and it took him three quarters to find his rhythm. In the fourth quarter, the audience finally saw the scene they had been waiting for: Wei Guo's three-pointers started falling!
"Fuck..."
Brown cursed under his breath.
The Pistons were falling further and further behind, and Okur had moved up to the top of the key to defend Wei Guo, but he couldn't stop Wei Guo from scoring.
Two weeks ago...
Wei Guo made 19 three-pointers in a single game.
......
With three minutes remaining in the game, Rashid, who had just returned to the field, was fouled by Wei Guo in just one round.
This was the turning point of the game...
After Rasheed fouled out, the Pistons gave up the game.
......
"Beep!!!"
The final whistle blew.
97:85!!
The Nets won the first game with some difficulty.
Match statistics:
Wei Guo: 46 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Hill: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Anthony: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
Billups: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks
......
The Pistons played very well, but Lady Luck was on the Nets' side. Wei Guo's 6-for-9 three-point shooting in the final quarter was the key to sealing the victory.
They were able to dominate the Nets for three quarters, and it's not just the Pistons who are limited to them!
Brown substituted his starters in the final moments of the game, saying that the Pistons still had a lot of opportunities.
Rashid was very unhappy...
After the match, he watched Wei Guo walk slowly toward the players' tunnel with his hands in his shorts. This sight left a deep impression on Rashid. Years later, he would still remember Wei Guo's words to him: "I don't know what an opponent is."