To measure a player's ability, you need to look at the difference between having him on the team and not having him.

Before this season, Wei Guo had won four consecutive MVP awards, four consecutive Finals MVP awards, and four consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards, making him the undisputed number one player in the league.

But...

Defend the country and be loyal to four teams.

Before Wei Guo joined the first 76ers team, the team had already reached the NBA Finals. Wei Guo simply helped the team win the championship.

Before Wei Guo joined the second Rockets team, the Rockets were only ranked ninth in the Western Conference. However, that year not only did Wei Guo join, but Yao Ming, the number one draft pick, also joined. Overall, this year can demonstrate Wei Guo's ability to lead the team.

The third Nets team, before Wei Guo joined, had also reached the Finals.

The third team is the Suns. This team is also worth mentioning. Before Wei Guo joined, the team's record was indeed at the bottom of the league. However, this season, after Wei Guo left, under Nash's leadership, the team's record is still ranked second in the Western Conference, making them a team with championship potential.

The Knicks are the only exception!

You could say that having Weiguo and not having Weiguo make them two completely different teams.

Without Wei Guo, the Knicks would have the worst record in the league. Even with Marbury still playing, they would still be last. But... a weak team managed to get the third-best record in the East thanks to Wei Guo's leadership.

only...

This team is different from the previous four teams.

The first four teams all seemed invincible, but this team didn't instill any fear in its opponents. It's fair to say that... it's normal for the Knicks not to win the championship. If they did, Weiguo's status as a god would be further elevated!

As seen in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Pistons maintained their advantage throughout.

7 games...

With 3 games scoring 50+ points, 3 games scoring 60+ points, and 1 game scoring 70+ points, and averaging 23.7 rebounds per game, Wei Guo barely managed to beat the Pistons.

......

Their opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals is the Heat.

The Heat swept their opponents in the last two rounds and had a week of rest before facing the Knicks.

The Heat wanted revenge. Logically, since they lost to the Suns in last year's Finals, the Suns should have been their target for revenge. However, not a single player on the team cared about the Suns. For them, whichever team Wei Guo was on was their target for revenge.

so...

The Heat's target this year is the Knicks.

Judging from the strength of the teams in the East and West, the championship this year will most likely come from an Eastern Conference team. In other words, as long as the Heat make it to the Finals, no matter whether their opponent is the Spurs, Suns, or Mavericks, they will be the ones to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

In fact...

The Western Conference Finals roster has been released.

The Mavericks defeated the Spurs 4-3, and the Suns defeated the Clippers 4-3. The Western Conference champion will be decided between the Mavericks and the Suns.

......

After the Knicks narrowly defeated the Pistons, Gentry realized the team's lack of strength... Since competitive sports don't allow doping, they need some inspirational words.

That night...

The Knicks players will never forget it.

David Lee later recalled that after Gentry finished telling several fables, his teammates burst into tears, as if their souls had been cleansed.

In short...

Gentry's final words, "I understand applause," made David Lee stand up excitedly, clapping until his hands were red.

After last season ended, the Heat re-signed Wade and gave Miller a one-year veteran contract. O'Neal and Kidd's contracts had not yet expired.

so...

The Heat have largely retained their roster from last year's Finals.

Throughout the entire Eastern Conference Finals, the starting lineups for both teams remained unchanged:

Knicks: Francis, Barnes, Jalen Rose, David Lee, Wei Guo

Miami Heat: Kidd, Wade, Posey, Haslem, O'Neal

The Knicks' bench features Crawford, Eddy Curry, Hardaway, and Frye... while the Heat's bench boasts Mourning, Miller, and Walker... the difference in their bench strength is actually not that significant.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, at the Heat's home court.

The Knicks got off to a good start, with Wei Guo winning the jump ball and the Knicks taking the lead in the attack. Francis then scored on consecutive drives to the basket.

Then...

Francis used Wei Guo's screens to repeatedly penetrate the paint and score!

Barnes' defense was also fierce; he completely limited Kidd and could even help his teammates with defense.

The Knicks took a double-digit lead in the first quarter.

Everything goes smoothly...

For the next three quarters, the Knicks maintained their lead until the very end of the game.

O'Neal has lost his dominance in the paint and is no longer a match for Wei Guo. His ability to limit Wei Guo is even worse than that of Ben Wallace. This was the easiest game for Wei Guo.

In this game, six Knicks players scored in double figures: Francis, David Lee, Jalen Rose, Crawford, Hardaway, and Wei Guo. Wei Guo shot 17-for-21, scoring 41 points, grabbing 23 rebounds, and dishing out 11 assists for a triple-double.

final...

109:91!!

The Knicks defeated the Heat by 18 points to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, at the Heat's home court.

The morale of the first game, boosted by Gentry's motivational speech, not only didn't dissipate but actually rose even higher.

The Knicks won their second away game.

2-0!!!

The team took a commanding lead, a result that surprised everyone.

The Knicks and Pistons had such a tough time, yet they managed to take a 2-0 lead against the stronger Heat. Fans who watched the games knew even better that the Knicks' victory was inevitable. In both games, Wei Guo played the full 48 minutes, forcing the Heat to double-team him, and he always managed to pass the ball out when double-teamed.

The Knicks have many guards, but none of them have exceptional passing and playmaking abilities.

Francis, Hardaway, Crawford, and Spud Robinson are decent scorers, but their playmaking abilities are not on par with top point guards like Kidd and Nash, and they are also inferior to this year's rookies Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Gentry's strategy is to have Wei Guo play as the point guard.

The concept of a playmaker/center is quite common in football, but rarely mentioned in basketball...

Despite being a center, he had to take on the responsibility of orchestrating the team's offense. The first playmaking center in history should be Wilt Chamberlain. Towards the end of his career, he began to reduce his shot attempts and instead used himself as the central axis to attract double teams from opponents, pass the ball to his teammates, and help them score. That season, Chamberlain averaged 8.6 assists per game and was named the assist leader.

Wei Guo has also won the assist title twice, but he played point guard one season and point center this season.

The third Eastern Conference Finals game, played at the Knicks' home court.

The Heat began their comeback...

While Gentry's motivational speeches may be nutritious, the gap in ability cannot ultimately be bridged by motivational speeches.

They managed to keep the score stable in the first quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, Miller, who came off the bench, hit three consecutive three-pointers, instantly widening the score gap. With Kidd orchestrating the offense, the Heat's offense flowed incredibly smoothly. Whenever Wei Guo went out to help defend, O'Neal could score in the paint.

Two quarters have passed!

The Heat have taken a 17-point lead.

The atmosphere at the New York home arena is different from that in other cities. This is one of the oldest teams in the league, and it's in a metropolis like New York. The fans are very proud. Before the first half was even over, all sorts of greetings were being given to the Heat: "Fuck Miller... Fuck Kidd... Fuck Wade..." and similar sounds filled the entire arena.

Many superstar athletes like to show off at Madison Square Garden; it gives them a great sense of accomplishment.

The second half of the game.

Trailing by 17 points, the Knicks were almost powerless to turn the tide. The double-teaming by Haslem and O'Neal made it difficult for Wei Guo to even receive the ball.

As physical strength declines, accuracy begins to decrease.

Wei Guo had to shoot the ball himself, but every time he scored, the Heat responded with a basket, and the Knicks couldn't catch up. They held on like this until the fourth quarter, until the end of the game, when the Knicks lost their home game.

Once you lose a game, your morale is gone.

Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Knicks at home.

The Heat easily defeated the Knicks, tying the series at 2-2!

Angry New York fans vented their emotions outside the arena, sending greetings only to the Heat players, excluding any of their own.

New York fans still show their utmost enthusiasm for their own players...

Wei Guo is a hero of this city. Whether or not he can bring the Knicks a championship trophy, which they have been waiting for for fifty years, it does not change the fact that the Knicks have never had a top star like Wei Guo in their history. Before Wei Guo, the Knicks had Ewing as their star player.

Ewing and Weiguo are not in the same league.

Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, at the Heat's home court.

This year's Eastern Conference Finals were quite bizarre...

In all the years of NBA history, no series has ever been like this year's Eastern Conference Finals, where after the first four games, neither team managed to win a single home game.

Wei Guo played four games without contributing much.

In the fifth game, he completely exploded. As long as the basketball was in his hands, he could always put the ball in the basket. Many times, Wei Guo received the inbound pass, quickly dribbled to the frontcourt, and before his teammates were in position, he quickly shot a three-pointer!

key...

Wei Guo wins every time he votes!

This left Van Gundy completely baffled as to what position Wei Guo was playing. Anyone with even a basic understanding of basketball would say that Wei Guo was just playing blindly!

In other words, Gentry, no head coach could tolerate Wei Guo's style of play... After Brown was signed by the Knicks, he took the initiative to approach Gentry and offered to be Gentry's assistant coach, which was to recruit Wei Guo. That was the real reason... If he were the head coach, even if he had absolute trust in Wei Guo, he would be so angry that he would have a heart attack if Wei Guo played like that.

23 of 31 field goals made, 11 of 17 three-pointers made, 67 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists – these are Wei Guo's stats. He completely disrupted the rhythm of the game.

final...

The chaotic match ended with a score of 127-110.

The Knicks defeated the Heat by 17 points on the road, winning Game 5 of the series.

Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Knicks at home.

The psychological advantage gained from winning Game 5 was enormous, and with Gentry's encouragement, the Knicks were fully engaged.

The advantage of veterans Francis and Hardaway, who had played in the Finals, was also evident in Game 6... They played exceptionally well. Francis scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Hardaway scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, combining for 31 points. Together with Wei Guo's 69 points, the three of them scored 100 points, helping the team defeat the Heat and advance to the Finals.

......

The Knicks have made it to the NBA Finals again after several years.

The revelry has begun...

Even though they haven't won the championship yet.

The last time this team reached the NBA Finals was in the 1990s, when they also created many miracles, miraculously making it to the Finals as the eighth seed, only to be defeated by the powerful Spurs.

That was already a great season...

Sweeping the Hawks in the second round and miraculously eliminating the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, reaching the NBA Finals was already a huge achievement.

This year is different. The Eastern Conference teams are all tough opponents. In the first round, they faced the Wizards' Big Three, in the second round they played the Pistons' Big Five, and in the Eastern Conference Finals they encountered the powerful Heat. However, the Knicks persevered. Although they did not sweep their opponents in any round, they were the ultimate winners. Their opponents in the Finals are even stronger.

But the fans aren't worried... because they have Weiguo.

...

Wei Guo desperately wanted to face the Suns in the Finals.

But things didn't go as he wished...

The Suns had an incredibly tough season. Wei Guo and Cummings left the team, and Stoudemire played three games before missing the entire season due to injury. The Suns cobbled together a playoff starting lineup of Nash, Marion, Bell, Diaw, and Jones. Despite this lineup, they finished second in the Western Conference and made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

This is why some people say that Wei Guo's leadership ability has been exaggerated. Even without him and Stoudemire, the Suns are still so strong. Many fans say that this season's MVP should be awarded to Nash.

The Knicks' opponent in the NBA Finals is the Dallas Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki.

The Pistons are tough to beat, and the Heat are tough to beat too!

Because both teams are tall and physically imposing...

Dealing with the Mavericks wasn't so difficult. As long as Nowitzki was contained, the Mavericks would lose half the battle. The Finals only went to five games, and under Wei Guo's defense, Nowitzki averaged only 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, which was arguably his worst series performance. The Mavericks also had a decent player, Terry, but Terry was shut down by Barnes.

Barnes' defensive tackles were aggressive, even a bit dirty... and he liked to trash talk. When Terry matched up against him, there were constant minor clashes, and they almost came to blows in three out of five games.

final...

The Knicks defeated the Mavericks 4-1 to win the 2005-06 NBA championship.

Wei Guo was named the Finals MVP!

New York City has won its third championship trophy in fifty years, and the fans' jubilation needs no further explanation... Some even went so far as to dig up their ancestors' graves to join in the city's celebration.