Regardless, the Pistons remain a top contender for the championship.

Eastern Conference Finals...

The Pistons are tied 2-2 with the Heat, a team the Suns weren't even sure they could beat. It's hard to say which team will ultimately advance to the Finals.

As for the Western Conference, the Suns' advancement to the NBA Finals is a foregone conclusion.

......

In a conference room at a hotel in San Antonio, players and coaches were arguing heatedly.

After Game 3, the Suns will face the issue of Stoudemire's suspension. If they sweep the Spurs, Stoudemire will also miss Game 1 of the Finals.

The league's four-game suspension is disgusting; it's not a three-game or five-game suspension.

A three-game suspension would be most suitable, allowing Stoudemire to sweep the Spurs and return for the Finals. He's been holding back his pent-up frustration for over a week, and he's sure to dominate on the Finals stage. A five-game suspension would also work, as the Suns wouldn't include Stoudemire in their plans.

These four games, in particular, have put the Suns in a very difficult position.

Wei Guo didn't participate in this discussion, and no one informed him... Everyone knew that if Wei Guo heard some people's thoughts, he would definitely say gently, "Go to hell, as long as there are five people, we can fight, what's there to be afraid of?"

But...

Wei Guoqiang does not mean that others are strong.

D'Antoni is a conservative, and he advocates throwing the fourth game to ensure that Stoudemire can smoothly enter the Finals.

......

"If Brother Wei knew we were discussing this, he'd kick our asses."

"It's not like we're throwing the game... we just don't need to exert ourselves too much, to avoid getting injured, since the finals are coming up soon."

"I object!"

"Our goal is the championship, not just winning a single game. We also need to be strategic in our playing style."

"Losing one game could mean losing two, so don't underestimate the Spurs."

"I agree with Nash's point of view. In the last game, Wei scored 108 points and still narrowly defeated the Spurs. Who can guarantee that the Spurs won't come back!"

There is an old Chinese saying: "When a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength."

There is an old Chinese saying: "Why use an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken?"

"You guys are going too far off track. If you ask me, I'd say just call Brother Wei and ask for his opinion."

......

After Joe Johnson said that, everyone fell silent.

After last night's game, Stoudemire also came to San Antonio. Although he was suspended and could not appear on the court, he still wanted to give his teammates the most affectionate farewell, which was to stay with them.

Right now...

Stoudemire sat to the side, having not uttered a word since the start of the discussion. Now that everyone was silent, Stoudemire felt even less comfortable saying anything.

"Cough cough..."

D'Antoni cleared his throat. "Um... young Cummings, you know why we didn't invite Wei to our discussion."

If we include Wei Guo, then there's no need for further discussion.

Now, let's discuss and agree on a result, and then tell Wei Guo in a tactful way that this is everyone's opinion, but the final decision still rests with Brother Wei. Wei Guo wouldn't want to offend everyone.

Ultimately... it's not advocating for people to fix matches.

Try to win as much as possible but don't force it. If the Spurs lose one more game, they'll be going home to fish. The Spurs will definitely give it their all in the last game. After what Kimura Takumi did to Wei Guo, who dares to say it won't happen a second time?

Cummings rolled his eyes. "You still want to lose on purpose, don't you?"

"I didn't say that."

Despite being pressured, D'Antoni remained calm. "What I mean is, the last game will be tough. We'll try to win but not force it. Even if we lose, it's okay... It just ensures that Stoudemire can return for Game 1 of the Finals."

The atmosphere within the Suns team is very good, and there haven't been many arguments so far.

Gentry's left eyelid kept twitching. He casually tore off a small piece of paper, moistened it with saliva, and stuck it to his eyelid. "There's no point in saying all this. Let's just call Brother Wei."

The discussion didn't yield any results...

I might as well just ask Weiguo directly, but how do I make this call, and who should make it?

D'Antoni looked around, glanced at someone and they turned their face away, sighed and said, "I'll make this call."

When someone takes the lead in this year, everyone is happy to see it.

actually...

Wei Guo was also at the hotel.

No one dared to come to his door, so it was safer to call. The phone rang twice before being answered, and Wei Guo's lazy voice came through, "What's up?"

"Brother Wei..."

D'Antoni organized his thoughts, "We just had a small meeting to discuss tactics for the next game."

"Um..."

"We believe the Spurs will give it their all in the next game."

"Um..."

"We're going to play in the Finals, there's no need to go head-to-head with the Spurs. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered."

"Um..."

“Stoudemire is suspended for four games. If this series ends in five games, he can return for one game in the Finals.”

"Uh-huh???"

D'Antoni spoke cautiously, but Wei Guo understood his implication and angrily retorted, "Stop talking nonsense to me! If a game can be finished in four games, we will never have a fifth!"

"Beep...beep...beep..."

Wei Guo hung up the phone, and DeAntoni smiled broadly.

"Hahaha..."

The meeting room erupted in laughter.

D'Antoni touched his nose. "That temper is too fiery."

"Ouch~"

Gentry stretched and said, "I think this discussion was unnecessary. You haven't even said anything about deliberately losing the game, and you've already been scolded by Wei. If you told Wei what you just said to us, Wei would come down and kick your butt even if he was wearing a bathrobe."

D'Antoni couldn't sit still any longer and instinctively reached out to touch his butt.

The discussion has now concluded...

To comfort the heartbroken D'Antoni, Gentry treated him to hot pot at noon, and the two shared a drink.

......

The following evening, at the Att Center.

The last game was sold out...

However, many seats were empty at this game...

Tickets were sold out long ago. It's likely that some fans who bought tickets couldn't bear to see the Spurs get swept at home, so they didn't come.

Starting lineup for this match:

Spurs: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Duncan, Muhammad

Suns: Nash, Richardson, Joe Johnson, Marion, Weiguo

Before the game, Wei Guo was chatting and laughing with D'Antoni, seemingly unaffected by D'Antoni's earlier intention to deliberately lose. D'Antoni was well aware of this. Wei Guo may have a bad temper, but he was not petty. If Wei Guo got angry and was scolded by him, Wei Guo would forgive him.