The Heat were also going all out; they had to win this game.

Trailing 3-2 might still offer a chance, but trailing 3-1 makes the hope of turning the game around very slim.

High pressure generates high efficiency...

The Heat were highly efficient on both offense and defense, while the Suns committed numerous turnovers in the first quarter, with more than half of those turnovers allowing the Heat to score on fast breaks.

The first quarter has ended.

29:21!!

The Suns are down by 8 points.

Aside from Wei Guo's dunk over O'Neal at the start of the game, the Suns didn't have any standout performances in the first quarter. Wei Guo was also helping his teammates find their rhythm, and he didn't take many shots in the first quarter, scoring only 9 points.

The Phoenix Suns' bench.

D'Antoni pulled Wei Guo aside and said, "Wei, this won't do... You need to be a little more selfish when you play."

"It hasn't reached that point yet."

Wei Guo shook his head. "You can't win the championship by relying on one person. Let's help everyone find their rhythm first. If it really doesn't work... I'll step in."

Initially, D'Antoni scoffed at Gentry's tactics of giving the ball to Wei Guo, but after reaching the Finals, he found that he relied on Wei Guo even more than Gentry.

For example, right now...

The first quarter had just ended, and Gentry was helping the players find their weaknesses, but D'Antoni was thinking, why bother with all that? Just give the ball to Wei Guo.

......

The second quarter begins.

Kidd and Wade led Mourning, Damon Jones, and Eddie Jones onto the court.

It's not that Shaq is no longer good...

However, judging from the first three games, the Heat's most consistent performers are Kidd and Wade. Wade didn't score much in the last game because he was constantly matched up against Wei Guo. Even if he didn't score, just keeping Wei Guo occupied made him the Heat's biggest contributor. O'Neal dominating Stoudemire doesn't prove anything; it would be problematic if he were dominated by Stoudemire.

Last year's finals.

The Lakers and Nets faced off... The Lakers were swept by the Nets.

After the season ended, Wei Guo gave an interview to reporters, and he bluntly pointed out O'Neal's shortcomings. He said that O'Neal's biggest problem was laziness, that he relied too much on his talent and lacked self-discipline. Compared to their first match, O'Neal's performance had declined significantly. Wei Guo said that if O'Neal were to get serious, he could go toe-to-toe with him.

Wei Guo never encountered a peak Jordan.

When he said that O'Neal could go toe-to-toe with him, it was already the highest praise for O'Neal.

O'Neal seemed to have taken Wei Guo's advice to heart and didn't sit idle during the offseason. He was in good form at the beginning of the season, but after Kidd and Miller joined, the Heat went on a winning streak and even defeated the Suns. O'Neal seemed to get a little cocky... He stopped training hard and even though he played games every day, O'Neal's physique was still going out of shape, and he got fatter and fatter as he gained weight.

If O'Neal can maintain the form he had in the summer of 2001... the Suns really can't beat the Heat.

Heat on offense!

Kidd drove past his opponent and passed the ball behind his back to Damon Jones outside the three-point line, who then launched a three-pointer over Richardson.

"bang~~~"

The basketball bounced off the rim.

Wei Guo grabbed the rebound in the backcourt...

Although Damon Jones missed a three-pointer, we still have to praise Kidd. In such an intense Finals series, he remained very steady and was able to deliver the ball accurately to his teammates.

The Suns are on offense.

Wei Guo dribbled past Wade at the three-point line, used a crossover step to shake him off, and drove to the basket.

Facing the help defense from Mourning and Eddie Jones, Wei Guo bent his body and squeezed between the two, switching hands in mid-air to avoid their block.

"Whoosh!!!"

With a flick of his left hand, he sent the ball into the basket.

29:23!!

The Suns are down by 6 points.

All of Wei Guo's actions within the penalty area were completed in the air, which relied entirely on his individual skill.

Eddie Jones stamped his foot in exasperation, "Even Jordan wasn't this hard to defend!"

"No..."

Mourning replied, "When I guarded the basket, even Jordan wouldn't dare to foul me carelessly."

This statement sounds a bit boastful, a bad habit that Mo Ning picked up from Wei Guo. However... Wei Guo never boasts, so it sounds like Mo Ning is bragging when he says it.

......

Three minutes into the second quarter, the Heat executed an excellent play.

Wade ran from the paint to the three-point line to receive a pass from Kidd. After drawing Wade's defense, he passed the ball back to Kidd, who then passed it to Damon Jones. Damon Jones moved the ball around, and it ended up in Eddie Jones' hands.

This attack...

After four smooth passes, Van Gundy nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

Eddie Jones takes a three-point shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

36:29!!

The Heat lead by 7 points.

The Heat rely heavily on their three bench players: Mourning, Damon, and Eddie. Wei Guo has consistently played the full 48 minutes, but the Heat have almost never fallen behind when the bench is on the court. In the last game, it was thanks to the performances of Damon and Eddie that the Heat managed to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

If it weren't for Joe John's block, the Heat would have been leading 2-1.

The Suns' starters have had most of their rest time, and Nash and Stoudemire have returned to the court one after another, ready to catch up.

actually...

They played even better in those few minutes than in the first quarter.

The Suns had their starters on the court for most of the first quarter, committing 7 turnovers in that quarter. But in those few minutes, they didn't commit a single turnover. No wonder D'Antoni wanted Wei Guo to play a little more selfishly. Look at the second quarter, the substitutes would go for Wei Guo whenever they got the ball, and what was the result?

Very efficient!

Five minutes into the second quarter, the starting lineup was on the court.

38:33!!

The Suns are down by 5 points.

Look... Wei Guo, with three substitutes—Barbosa, Richardson, and Lampe—has managed to close the gap to 3 points during this period.

Suns on offense!

Nash dribbled past midcourt, exchanged a glance with Wei Guo, and tossed the ball over the rim.

Wei Guo turned and squeezed past O'Neal under the basket!

Pulling onions out of dry land!!!

"Bang!!!"

Catch the basketball in mid-air and unleash a powerful dunk.

38:35!!

The Suns are down by 3 points.

Gentry laughed, "Scoring like that is so straightforward and simple, what a pity... what a pity."

With just a glance, Wei Guo understood where Nash would pass the ball. He only needed to get rid of his opponent and complete an alley-oop to score. The scoring method was very simple... but unfortunately, it could only be used once because this tactic had a lot of flaws. All he had to do was stick close to Nash and not give him any space to pass the ball.

On the basketball court, there is no tactic that can simplify complex situations while remaining flawless.