With the regular season nearing its end, the playoff spots are basically set.

The experienced Spurs have begun to rest players, and will not field Duncan and Parker in the last few games. The Suns only have two games left, both against teams that are among the worst in the league.

The Hawks are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference...

The Jazz are at the bottom of the Western Conference...

Even if Wei Guo and Nash are rested, Cummings' team has a more than 90% chance of winning against these two teams.

Gentry is also considering giving key players a rest. Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut is unnecessary. Key players need rest to ensure they are in top condition for the playoffs.

but...

The decision was vetoed by the Wei Kingdom.

Wei Guo's professionalism is beyond question. Fans don't pay money to watch substitute players play. It's a sham to let the star player rest without a special reason. Gentry's point is also valid. Therefore, the Suns' final decision was to rest Nash, Stoudemire, and Johnson.

Nash has a back injury, so it's reasonable for him to rest for two games.

It was a bit much to let Nash rest alone, so Johnson and Stoudemire also took a rest.

......

After getting up in the morning, Wei Guo drank a glass of milk and ate ten fried eggs.

noon...

Wei Guo ate another bowl of beef noodles and did some warm-up exercises with Britney during his lunch break.

As evening approached, Wei Guo arrived at the stadium by helicopter. His teammates were playing cards in the locker room. After Wei Guo arrived, he replaced Cummings, played a round, and then went to the court to warm up.

The Hawks are also warming up.

The team's star player is Antoine Walker, one of the Celtics' twin stars, who was traded to the Hawks mid-season.

Besides Walker...

The Hawks also have a few good players, Harrington, Tyronn Lue, and Delk, who are all averaging over 10 points per game this season.

Unfortunately, none of the three players will be able to play in this game. Harrington and Tyronn Lue are injured, and Delker has just recovered from injury. However, given the Hawks' record, there is no need for him to play anymore. He should rest and recover for next season.

......

Starting lineup for this match:

Suns: Barbosa, Richardson, Jackson, Marion, Weiguo

Hawks: Diaw, Josh Smith, Ikic, Walker, Willis

......

Cummings didn't play, and he won't play in this game either; he has a very difficult task ahead of him.

Wei Guo is averaging 13.6 rebounds per game, ranking second in the league, just 0.1 rebounds behind Garnett, who is first in the league. If Wei Guo wants to surpass Garnett and top the rebounding list, he needs to get at least 50 rebounds in these two games combined!

25 rebounds per game...

This is not difficult for Wei Guo, and even if he does it, the fans will not say that he is a stat padder.

The rebounding title should belong to Wei Guo!

Willis and Weiguo were very nervous during the jump ball. Before the referee blew the whistle, Willis took the initiative to shake hands with Weiguo, saying, "It is an honor to play against you."

"Beep!!!"

The whistle blew, and the game began.

Wei Guo jumped a step slower than Willis, Willis won the jump ball, and Smith got the basketball.

"ah???"

Willis looked at Wei Guo in surprise, not believing that he could win the jump ball against Wei Guo.

"\\u0027It\\u0027s for you..."

Wei Guo pressed his index finger to his lips and blew Willis a kiss.

Most fans are not familiar with this player. Wei Guo only heard Willis's story from Gentry before the game. He is a very inspiring player. His career did not have many highlights, but he was drafted in the same year as Jordan. He entered the league in the first round of the 1984 draft with the 11th pick. After playing for the Hawks for nine seasons, he played for many teams.

Playing in the era of the four great centers...

Although Willis averaged over ten rebounds per game in several seasons, his presence was overshadowed by the four centers.

The reason why Wei Guo respects Willis is because he has played for twenty seasons and is still active in the league. He is a true evergreen, even more so than his former teammate Mutombo.

For a player like Wei Guo, who retires after seven seasons, the only ones he truly respects are players like Willis, who can play for twenty seasons without getting tired of it.

This small gesture deeply moved Willis, and the two formed a close bond. Willis is also a well-known fashion designer. After retiring, Wei Guo ran several sports brands, and Willis was even recruited by Wei Guo to work for his company. But that's another story.

Back to the game!

Smith dribbled the ball up the court and passed it to Walker at the 45-degree angle of the three-point line.

Walker receives the ball and drives to the basket...

Wei Guo missed a layup under Marion's defense and grabbed the defensive rebound.

Wei Guo dribbled past the frontcourt without intending to pass, then used a crossover to get past Smith, took a jump from the free-throw line, and switched hands in mid-air to avoid Willis and Walker.

"Bang!!!"

He slammed the ball into the basket with a backhand!

2-0!!!

The Hawks made this play so easily because they didn't play serious defense.

Cummings couldn't help but feel a little worried...

If they play like this, the Suns will lead by 30 points at halftime, and there will be no need for Wei Guo to play in the second half. How can he grab rebounds if he doesn't play?

Hawks on offense!

Willis and Smith executed an inside-outside pass, and Smith launched a three-pointer.

"bang~~~"

The basketball hit the top edge of the rim and bounced high into the air.

Willis and Weiguo jumped at the same time. Weiguo touched the basketball first, and with a quick movement of his arm, he protected the basketball in his arms and grabbed a solid rebound.

The Hawks' defensive transition was slow...

Wei Guo made a bounce pass while moving, and Marion caught the ball and scored a layup.

4-0!!!

At the start of the game, the Hawks lost their offensive and defensive rhythm.

Five minutes later...

17:3!!

The Suns lead by 14 points.

The Hawks made 1 of 9 field goals and 1 of 4 free throws, scoring only 3 points, while the Suns made 7 of 13 field goals and scored 17 points.

Gentry frowned. "Are the Hawks giving up right from the start? This isn't fun playing like this..."

"that is!"

Cummings chimed in, "Don't they have any pride?"

While talking, Cummings looked at Wei Guo's stats: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Fortunately... Wei Guo was the one who got most of the rebounds. If he had put in a little more effort, it would have been possible for him to grab more than 20 rebounds in the first half.

Normally speaking...

A game typically generates around 80 or 90 rebounds.

The Suns were all boxing out Wei Guo, and with Wei Guo's top-notch rebounding ability, he basically didn't have to let go of the rebound if he wanted to grab it. The Hawks were also playing too casually, giving up many rebounds that they could have fought for.