At the end of the third quarter, the players sat on the bench to recover their strength.

Nash sipped his drink, saying, "The Finals and the playoffs are definitely not the same level of intensity."

"Of course it's different."

Cummings shook his right hand, his three championship rings gleaming.

Such arrogant behavior...

Cummings had been scolded by Wei Guo, but he said that wearing a championship ring would motivate his teammates more, which didn't seem to make any sense. So Wei Guo just kicked Cummings in the butt but didn't stop him.

Watching a game and playing a game are two different things.

Even professional players would find it hard to grasp the intensity of the Finals if they had never played in one. Of all the Suns players, only Wei Guo had ever played in the Finals, while the Heat had a wealth of Finals experience.

Shaquille O'Neal has played in many Finals and has a championship ring. Jason Kidd and Reggie Miller have also played in championships, and they were the star players leading their teams in the Finals... Even Alonzo Mourning won a championship ring with Wei Guo last year, so they are very comfortable with the intensity of the Finals.

The referee's calls were lenient, seemingly encouraging physical contact.

......

The fourth quarter begins.

79:77!!

The Suns lead by 2 points.

Both teams played exceptionally well, and being down by two points is not a big problem for the Heat.

Wei Guo shook off the towel on his body. He would be playing the whole game again tonight. Wei Guo had made mental preparations before the finals started. Even if the game went into garbage time, he would stay on the court and never give his opponent a chance to turn the tide.

not to mention...

The score remains so close.

The Suns are on offense.

When Wei Guo dribbles the ball up the court, he has to step up as the offensive engine when Nash is not on the court. Wei Guo's performance at point guard is somewhat similar to Iverson's, and it is difficult for opponents to predict whether Wei Guo will pass or shoot next.

Wade closely guarded Wei Guo, giving him no space to shoot. Wade is known as the Flash, which refers to his speed. In order to avoid being stolen by Wade, Wei Guo chose to back down Wade and start backing down him from the three-point line. After the contact, he stepped back to the three-point line, pulled up, and seemed to be going to shoot!

Wade pounced on him...

A large hand covered Wei Guo's face, blocking his view of the shot.

"Bang!!!"

Stoudemire scores with a powerful dunk!

81:77!!

The Suns are leading by 4 points.

Wei Guo's every move was a feint. He had been watching Stoudemire's position from the moment he turned his back. When he stepped back to the three-point line, Stoudemire was left wide open under the basket, and Wei Guo immediately slammed the ball into Stoudemire's hands like a cannonball.

Assists +1...

This year's playoffs, or even the entire season, saw Steve Nash's assist numbers in the Finals not high, making it his season with the fewest triple-doubles.

Wei Guo has partnered with many excellent guards, such as Iverson during his time with the 76ers, Francis during his time with the Rockets, and Stockton during his time with the Nets. However, when it comes to point guards, Nash is definitely the strongest teammate Wei Guo has ever played with. Iverson was a shooting guard, Francis's offensive ability was stronger than his playmaking ability, and Stockton was getting old.

Only Nash...

He is in the prime of his career and is a traditional point guard.

Wei Guo even felt that even without him, the Suns' record this season would still rank among the top three in the league under Nash's leadership, and Nash might be selected as this season's MVP.

Heat, go on offense.

Wade went one-on-one against Wei Guo, used a crossover dribble to make a layup, jumped and pulled off a reverse layup in mid-air to avoid Wei Guo's block, and then looked back at the moon!

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

"Nice!!!"

The audience got excited, exclaiming, "That was such a cool shot!"

This isn't the first time Wade has gone one-on-one against Wei Guo. Last year in the playoffs, the Heat faced the Nets, and although they were swept, Wade's performance amazed Wei Guo.

Then...

Kidd returned to the field.

The Heat's offense became more rational, with Eddie Jones and Damon Jones hitting three-pointers, prompting Kidd to dish out consecutive assists, and the Heat took the lead.

The Suns' bench is still not up to par!

One play was particularly clear: Eddie Jones drove from the corner to the basket and passed the ball to Kidd, who then passed it to Damon Jones at the top of the three-point arc.

Richardson helped defend Kidd, leaving Damon Jones completely open!

This kind of opportunity...

Damon Jones raised his hand and swished a three-pointer.

......

Five minutes of the fourth quarter had passed.

89:95!!

The Suns are down by 6 points.

In just five minutes, the Heat scored 18 points, demonstrating extremely high offensive efficiency.

All of the Suns' starters returned to the court.

This game is very important. Taking a 2-1 lead will give them a psychological advantage, which cannot be ignored. It wouldn't matter if they were the defending champions, but for a team like the Suns, most of their players have never played in the Finals before, and they swept their opponents in the playoffs. If they have a psychological disadvantage, it will have a big impact on their mentality.

Just these five minutes...

Richardson missed two open shots in a row. He has a good shooting ability, but he missed two shots in a row because he was nervous.

With Nash and Stoudemire back, the Suns' offense has become even more threatening.

The Heat are on offense.

Wade once again took on Wei Guo one-on-one, dribbling along the baseline to the basket, raising his hand to make a shooting fake, then turning around and unleashing another backhand shot.

The movements were incredibly smooth, and the timing was perfect!

He waited until Wei Guo jumped before turning around to shoot... but Wade greatly underestimated Wei Guo's hang time. Before Wei Guo landed, he slapped him with his backhand, yelling, "Go to hell!"

*Smack!!!*

The basketball was slapped into Marion's hands.

This block was more like a badminton move, a backhand shot... very precise. Wade stood there dumbfounded under the basket, finally realizing he had gotten carried away.

It would be good enough if he could defeat Wei Guo once in a single match...

He kept attacking Wei Guo one-on-one, which was a pure provocation. How could Wei Guo not teach him a lesson?

The Suns' fast break speed far exceeded that of the Heat. When Wade was one-on-one against Weiguo, Joe Johnson was already preparing to run up the court. After Marion got the ball, Joe Johnson quickly ran up the court.

Marion passed to Nash, and Nash passed to Joe Johnson.

"Bang!!!"

Joe Johnson catches the ball and slams it home with one hand!

The Suns completed this offensive play without even dribbling once.

91:95!!

The Suns are still down by 4 points.

During the five minutes Nash was off the court, Wei Guo also tried to organize the game, but his teammates were not up to par, so Wei Guo could only resort to one-on-one play. However, the intensity of the Finals is not the same as that of the regular season. Wei Guo, whose shooting percentage was close to 70% in the regular season, dropped to 66% in the Finals.

It dropped by a full four percentage points...

Especially in the fourth quarter, Wei Guo, who received special attention, saw his shooting percentage drop by two percentage points, leaving him with only 64%.

......

In the next three minutes, Gentry and Van Gundy each called a timeout, and the offense of both sides fell into a stalemate again.

This year's finals also proved Gentry's worth.

Gentry has always been controversial, with most fans feeling that he doesn't have much ability and just relied on Wei Guo to get two championship rings.

Scott was with the Nets, and then D'Antoni came to the Suns.

Most of the time, Scott and D'Antoni stood on the sidelines, while Gentry sat on the bench like an assistant coach. In the Finals, Gentry finally stood up. He called every timeout very timely. Most fans know basketball, and you can tell from the effect of the timeouts that Gentry is quite capable.

......

There are 4 minutes and 31 seconds left in the game.

95:97!!

The Suns are down by 2 points.

Kidd dribbled to the frontcourt, Mourning set a screen for him, and after shaking off Nash, Kidd took a mid-range shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

95:99!!

That's how it went in the fourth quarter. You score a goal, I score a goal, and the score difference remained around 4 points.

Cummings put down the stat sheet and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Go Suns! Go Suns! Go Suns! Go Suns!"

Unfortunately...

Cummings' voice was drowned out by the roars of more than 10,000 audience members.

Nash dribbled the ball up the court and took a three-point shot!

This shot...

Nash was very confident. Wei Guo had already moved to the basket, and even if he missed the shot, Wei Guo would grab the rebound for him.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

98:99!!

The Suns are down by one point.

After hitting a three-pointer, Nash made no celebration and calmly returned to defense.

Time ticked by, and the competition grew increasingly intense.

finally...

With 1 minute and 37 seconds remaining in the game, O'Neal drew a foul from Stoudemire on a drive to the basket.

"Beep!!!"

The referee's whistle blew.

Stoudemire looked dejected...

Including this time, he has accumulated six fouls and can no longer stay on the court.

As O'Neal stepped to the free-throw line, he flashed a victorious smile at Stoudemire. Even past his prime, Shaquille O'Neal was not someone anyone could easily defeat.

"bang~~~"

The first free throw missed.

It doesn't matter...

"Whoosh!!!"

The second free throw was made.

103:106!!

The Heat lead by 3 points.

......

"Suns request a timeout!"

......

Barkley and Johnson are providing commentary on the game.

Johnson: "When Stoudemire leaves the court, will the Heat double-team Wei Guo with impunity?"

Barkley: "It will...but the National Guard will handle these problems."

Johnson said, "The Heat must maintain their rhythm now and absolutely cannot make any mistakes. One mistake could ruin all the effort of the night."

Barkley: "Whatever... the National Guard will intervene."

......

Johnson found commentating on Suns games with Barkley to be the most boring thing.

Timeout over, game resumes!

The Heat started a full-court press... Nash steadily dribbled the ball up the court, Miller came up to double-team him, and together with Kidd, they surrounded Nash.

On the other side...

Mourning also clung to Wei Guo, refusing to let him receive the ball.

On the contrary, Richardson, who replaced Stoudemire, was completely left open, but Nash couldn't pass the ball to Richardson at all. Just when it seemed like the game was about to get deadlocked, Nash suddenly lowered his center of gravity, made a series of behind-the-back dribbles as a feint, and turned to pass between Kidd and Miller.

That dribble was incredibly dangerous!

The slightest carelessness could lead to a mistake; it could be described as an extremely daring act.

Wei Guo just managed to shake off Mourning... Richardson came around and set an off-ball screen for Wei Guo, who received a pass from Nash with no one in front of him.

An opportunity has arisen!!!

"Oops..."

Van Gundy closed his eyes, unable to bear watching what was about to happen.

Wei Guo takes a three-pointer!

With over a hundred player cards, including 41 gold player cards alone, it's safe to say that Wei Guo has done this action hundreds of thousands of times.

It didn't take too long...

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went through the net cleanly.

106:106!!

The Suns tied the score.

Van Gundy didn't call a timeout. Wei Guo's eyes narrowed, and he turned and ran back to the backcourt, shouting, "Get back on defense!"

With 1 minute and 15 seconds remaining in the game, the Heat are on offense.

Wei Guo's attention was entirely focused on Wade...

After several passes, the basketball somehow ended up in Mourning's hands. Mourning was less than half a meter from the three-point line, which is considered a mid-range shot. The other four Heat players on the court, O'Neal, Wade, Miller, and Kidd, all have strong offensive abilities. Even the weakest of them, Kidd, has a decent finishing ability.

Naturally... Mourning was overlooked.

"Mo Ning, stop spacing out!"

Van Gundy yelled, "Shoot it now!"

Marion was boxing out O'Neal under the basket. Wei Guo was still a bit far from the rim. Even if he missed the shot, O'Neal had a great chance to grab the offensive rebound. The opportunity was fleeting.

Mourning still can't pass the ball to O'Neal...

With that passing skill, Wei Guo and Marion could switch positions. At such a crucial moment, under Wei Guo's defense, the probability of O'Neal getting the ball was very low.

"Phew~~~"

Mourning breathed a sigh of relief and took a mid-range shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went through the net cleanly.

106:108!!

The Heat lead by 2 points.

Mourning rarely takes mid-range shots, but he sank one in a crucial moment to give his team a two-point lead. The moment the ball went in, Mourning excitedly showed off his muscles, raising his arm like a gorilla, and yelled, "Awooo!"

......

There are 56 seconds left in the game!

The Suns had two timeouts remaining, and Gentry made a gesture from the sidelines.

The Suns inbound the ball quickly!

Nash dribbled past midcourt and delivered a precise pass to Joe John. Wei Guo feinted and accelerated past Mourning!

The moment he received the pass from Johnson...

Wade pounced on him!

Wei Guo was very experienced. He waited until Wade started to fall before jumping. Wade quickly pulled his hands back and straightened his body in the air, afraid of making physical contact with Wei Guo.

At times like this...

Absolutely no fouls allowed!

Wei Guo's three-point shooting percentage is only 56%, but his free throw percentage is close to 100%. Fouling him is equivalent to giving the Suns 3 points for nothing. If he commits a foul and the ball still goes in, it's even less worthwhile.

Avoid Weiguo and land!

Wade immediately turned to look at the basket, where O'Neal had already positioned himself and was just waiting to grab the rebound.