Wei Guo's one-on-one efficiency is extremely high, and the Heat can only limit him by fouling.

The effect was poor; the fouls could only disrupt Weiguo's offensive rhythm, but could not prevent Weiguo from scoring.

Fortunately...

The Heat's offensive rhythm was not disrupted, and they were able to score after the transition, keeping the score very close.

Van Gundy isn't afraid of Wei Guo scoring; so what if he scores a lot? In this year's Western Conference Finals, when Wei Guo scored 108 points, the game went down to the wire. As long as the Heat score more than the Suns, the Heat will be the winner.

......

Six minutes into the third quarter, another timeout was called.

69:73!!

The Heat are down by 4 points.

Van Gundy said, "When the Suns play like this, our opportunity comes... When only Wei Guo is on offense, the other players can't concentrate, and they will have problems on defense."

"We have to find a way to restrict the State of Wei."

Miller, panting, said, "Wei Guo hasn't missed a single shot in the second half so far."

There's a rule in statistics that if a shot is fouled and doesn't go in, the shot won't be counted as a shot attempt. That's why Miller said Weiguo didn't miss a single shot in the second half.

In other words...

The Suns shot 100% from the field in the second half.

This is absolutely terrifying!!!

If the Heat's offense hadn't been so efficient, they wouldn't have been able to keep the score so close.

Mourning retorted, "How do you stop Wei Guo when he's gone mad? Double-team him with four players?! That's a manga... That kind of thing only happens in games like Shohoku vs. Hainan. If we do that, any one of Nash, Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, or Marion can take the game."

Comics cannot reflect reality, and neither can novels.

There's a scene in Slam Dunk where, in order to limit Maki Shinichi's performance, the Shohoku team adopted a defensive strategy of having Rukawa Kaede, Miyagi Ryota, Mitsui Hisashi, and Akagi Takenori double-team him.

The author understands basketball...

Maki Shinichi is the player with the most perfect combination of strength and speed, even surpassing the talent monster Sakuragi Hanamichi in this aspect. His style of attacking the inside is difficult to defend with just one or two players. At this time, double-teaming is needed to limit Maki Shinichi's scoring. This kind of one-dimensional style of play is easy to predict, so adopting a double-teaming strategy is entirely feasible.

Most importantly, apart from Jin Soichiro, the other three players on the Hainan team lack long-range shooting ability.

Rukawa and three other players formed a diagonal formation inside the penalty area, surrounding Maki Shinichi. The other Hainan players were also squeezed out of the penalty area. Maki Shinichi's close-range passes were very difficult, and Jin Soichiro was marked by the talented Sakuragi, so this tactic was very effective.

certainly...

Comics are similar to novels.

The author describes it this way simply to highlight Maki Shinichi's strength, thereby showcasing the tenacity of the Shohoku team.

Why is this tactic ineffective against Weiguo? Because Weiguo's offensive methods are not so simple. Xiangbei can double-team the Heat in the paint, but the Heat can't start double-teaming them from beyond the three-point line.

Besides...

Nash, Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, and Marion are all formidable opponents. If you leave them completely open, they'll definitely teach the Heat a lesson.

......

The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.

The Heat are on offense.

Miller shook off Joe John's defense, received a pass from Kidd, jumped up and slammed the ball into O'Neal's hands. O'Neal, with Stoudemire on his back, slammed the ball down with one hand for a score.

71:73!!

The Heat are down by 2 points.

Even though the ball went in, Van Gundy still looked gloomy.

All coaches in the league oppose the jump pass method because when a player jumps, they must make a decision in a very short time: who to pass the ball to. If they haven't thought it through, they may make a mistake. Even if they do pass the ball, the defender can anticipate the basketball's trajectory and defend accordingly.

The reason there was no mistake on that play was mainly due to O'Neal's powerful individual ability.

The Suns are on offense.

Unable to anticipate a strategy that could counter Wei Guo's tactics, the Heat had no choice but to continue with their zone defense.

Wei Guo shook off Mourning, circled to the three-point line and received a pass from Nash. He used a simple triple threat to trick the defender into shifting his weight, and then took a three-point shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went through the net cleanly.

71:76!!

The Heat are down by 5 points.

Everything seemed to be going in the direction Gentry had predicted... If they could take a double-digit lead before the end of the third quarter, the game would become incredibly easy.

There are 5 minutes and 20 seconds left in the third quarter.

People from the US don't understand, but 520 is a very auspicious number in China...it represents love.

In the final 5 minutes and 20 seconds of the third quarter, both the Heat and the Suns wanted to score 5 more points. The Heat wanted to tie the game with 5 points, while the Suns wanted to extend their lead to double digits with 5 points.

Heat on offense!

Wade received the ball on a back cut, which was a good shooting opportunity, but Wade paused for a moment.

He's waiting... waiting for Weiguo to reinforce the defense...

At this distance, Wade wasn't 100% confident about a mid-range shot; his teammates were still moving... The best opportunity wasn't now, and he was very threatening with the ball; Wei Guo would definitely come over.

"Watch out for the basket!"

Wei Guo gave a brief instruction and stepped forward to block Wade's offensive path.

The two were about half a meter apart!

With Wei Guo positioned to Wade's right, which is Wade's usual driving route, there's only a half-meter distance, eliminating Wade's opportunities to shoot or drive.

This is also the effect Wade wanted...

Mourning moved to the basket and received a pass from Wei Guo, creating a situation where he was outmatched. He first engaged in physical contact, pushed past Marion, and easily put the ball into the basket.

73:76!!

The Heat pulled back two points.

The Heat have many similar offensive plays, and no matter how wide Wei Guo's defensive range is, he can't defend five players at once.

However... Wei Guo has three points!

In the next three offensive possessions, Wei Guo used his teammates' screens to shoot three-pointers from the outside, making all three attempts!

In those two minutes, the Heat scored two goals.

77:85!!

The Suns lead by 8 points.

......

"Heat calls a timeout!"

......

Let me explain the NbA's suspension rules.

The NBA has 20-second timeouts and 100-second timeouts. Each team has one short timeout in each half and seven long timeouts.

Long timeouts are mandatory. There must be two long timeouts in each quarter. That is, if there is no long timeout in a quarter, the scorer will force a long timeout when there is a dead ball in the sixth minute. This long timeout will be credited to the home team. When there is a dead ball in the ninth minute, another long timeout will be forced. This long timeout will be credited to the away team.

The number of long timeouts in the fourth quarter cannot exceed 4, and the number of long timeouts in the last two minutes cannot exceed 3.

Timeouts are crucial in basketball games.

Coaches can use timeouts to adjust tactics and substitute players, especially when the opponent is on a scoring streak. Head coaches usually use timeouts to interrupt the opponent's scoring momentum.

This often happens with the Suns' opponents...

Similarly, players can also take timeouts to rest, drink water, and even replenish their energy.

Few head coaches call two timeouts in the third quarter because timeout opportunities are precious. When the score is close, try to leave four long timeout opportunities in the fourth quarter. After Van Gundy called this timeout, the Heat only had three long timeout opportunities left in the fourth quarter.

"2 minutes and 7 seconds left."

Van Gundy stared at the clock. "We must keep this gap close. Even if we can't catch up, we can't let the Suns extend their lead to double digits."

Everyone knows that two-digit numbers are a hurdle.

Once the Suns take a double-digit lead, it will be extremely difficult for the Heat to catch up in just one quarter unless the Suns make a series of mistakes.

The Heat have a few good three-point shooters, such as Reggie Miller, Damon Jones, and Eddie Jones, but they still can't compare to the Suns.

Reggie Miller is a great three-point shooter with a career three-point percentage close to 40%, but this season his three-point percentage is only a possible 36%. Eddie Jones' three-point percentage has been hovering around 36%, while Damon Jones is doing well, with a three-point percentage as high as 43% this season.

Take a look at the Suns...

Take this season for example: Nash's three-point shooting percentage is 43%, Joe Johnson's is 47%, and Wei Guo's is 56%.

That's the difference!

The Suns are far more likely than the Heat to close the gap with a barrage of three-pointers.

...

The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.

The Heat are on offense.

Damon Jones' three-point attempt from the corner was disrupted by Joe Johnson, and the rebound was grabbed by Wei Guo after the shot missed.

The Heat quickly retreated on defense...

Wei Guo leisurely dribbled the ball up the court, and Mourning and Kidd double-teamed him. Wei Guo calmly passed the ball to Nash.

Nash is out of the running!

"Whoosh!!!"

He calmly sank the open three-pointer.

77:88!!

The difference has reached double digits.

Van Gundy slapped his thigh in frustration. How could he have forgotten... Wei Guo was a point guard by trade and had even won the assist title twice!

Given Wei Guo's vision and overall perspective, how could he not pass the ball to Nash when he let him go so easily?

Wei Guo kept scoring in the third quarter, partly because of his strong offensive desire and partly because his teammates didn't have many good scoring opportunities... On the court, Wei Guo always makes the right choice.

This was a defensive blunder.

They failed to execute a zone defense effectively, and after Wei Guo passed the ball out, they couldn't provide timely help defense on Nash, giving Nash an open three-point opportunity.

The Heat still have a chance!

The third quarter wasn't over yet; there were still 1 minute and 31 seconds left. Even if they couldn't catch up, they had to keep the point difference to a minimum.

Gentry yelled, "Don't let anyone slip through! Marion, you stick with Wade... let him shoot, but don't let him drive!"

This was said intentionally for Wade's benefit, a very common provocation tactic. "Let him shoot but not drive" means he has no shooting ability. Star players have strong pride. If someone said that to Wei Guo, Wei Guo would definitely shoot him over the head. However... Wade remained calm. After receiving the pass from Kidd, he lobbed the ball to O'Neal in the paint.

Marion and Stoudemire double-teamed O'Neal in the paint.

Wade cuts to the basket... passing Stoudemire, O'Neal hands the ball to Wade, and when Wade receives the ball, all he can see is the basket. He jumps and goes for a layup!

Wei Guo followed!

*Smack!!!*

He slammed the ball against the backboard with one hand, another resounding block.

Wade was completely flustered. After squeezing past Stoudemire, there were four players in the paint. How did Wade manage to get there in such a crowded paint and even slam the ball onto the backboard?

"Stop standing there, get back on defense!"

Van Gundy urged, "That was a clean block; the referee can't call a foul."

Time is running out...

The Heat must defend this play.

......

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

The audience was also shouting loudly, cheering for the players.

......

If the Heat can't score on offense and can't stop the ball on defense, they're in real danger.

To encircle and defend the country, or to press closely throughout!

Wei Guo didn't pass the ball to Nash. Under pressure from Mourning and Miller, he dribbled the ball across half-court... He first observed his teammates' positions, and could deduce their running routes from their positioning.

This tacit understanding was developed after eight months of team training and nearly a hundred official matches.

Mourning and Miller exchanged glances. They had the same idea: if they blocked Wei Guo's passing lanes and prevented him from passing, another Suns player would be left wide open. They couldn't see who was left open, so it was better to force Wei Guo to shoot under their combined defense.

Wei Guo saw through Mo Ning and the other man's thoughts at a glance...

Since that's the case, let them see what an attack ceiling is like!

Crotch + Back!

With two feints, Mourning and Miller shifted their weight. Miller reached out and grabbed, giving Wei Guo an opportunity. Wei Guo turned and stepped back to the right while Mourning pounced. Wei Guo had a chance to draw a foul from Mourning, but since he was a former teammate, he decided to give him some face. So, after Mourning missed and landed, Wei Guo jumped and took a three-point shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

77:91!!

The Suns lead by 14 points.

Van Gundy called a timeout, but the timeout didn't allow the Heat to close the gap. Instead, the Suns' defense prevented the Heat from making two shots.

Not only that...

The Suns seized the opportunity, hitting two consecutive three-pointers to extend their lead.

......

"Are we really going to lose?"

Van Gundy is in great pain...

That last play, Wei Guo's dribbling was incredibly smooth. Looking across the entire league, you can't find a single player who could make a similar move under such intense defense. It's hard to imagine... that this was the dribbling move of a 2.16-meter tall player.

This goal left a deep impression on Van Gundy.

A few years later, a young player emerged in the league. Van Gundy saw a resemblance in Wei Guo's dribbling skills in this young player. By the way, this young player's name was Irving.

The third quarter has ended.

79:95!!

The Suns lead by 16 points.

Van Gundy wanted to use a timeout to disrupt the Suns' offensive rhythm, but after the timeout, the Suns' offensive rhythm was not interrupted, and they even scored 10 points in a row, widening the gap.