This is the gift the Nuggets gave to Wei Guo: they invited singer Bon Jovi.

He sang his hit song...

It has to be said that the Nuggets are good at creating hype and know how to save money. With Wei Guo's global influence, they can invite any band or singer to perform at his farewell game, saving on advertising fees.

But this kind of behavior is also touching!

This wasn't the only gift the Nuggets gave Wei Guo. After the concert, a Nuggets legend personally presented Wei Guo with the Nuggets' most sincere gift: the basketball hoop from tonight's game! Taking the hoop off the backboard and giving it to Wei Guo was a way of telling him that he had conquered the team and the city.

......

A week after returning to Los Angeles, the first round of the Western Conference playoffs ended.

The result was somewhat unexpected...

It's normal for the Spurs to eliminate the Warriors and the Suns to eliminate the Mavericks... But the Rockets, with Yao and McGrady healthy, were leading 2-0 but were then swept by the Jazz in four straight games, ultimately losing 4-2, leaving Chinese fans deeply disappointed.

McGrady seems to be cursed; he can't get past the first round of the playoffs!

Fortunately, Yao Ming met Wei Guo in his rookie season. Even if he never made it past the first round again, at least he got a championship ring.

In that case...

The second round playoff matchups are: Spurs vs. Suns, Lakers vs. Jazz.

The Jazz are also a tough nut to crack. Salt Lake City fans hate Wei Guo to the extreme, or rather... they hate the Rockets to the extreme. When Wei Guo was with the Rockets, he was angered by Malone elbowing Yao Ming, and Wei Guo was brutally beaten by the Jazz, destroying the last championship dream of the two Utah veterans.

This is tantamount to destroying the faith of Salt Lake City fans...

The Jazz's ability to come back from a 2-0 deficit to win four straight games is something no one would believe is unrelated to a season from a few years ago.

......

Authentic barbecue in Los Angeles.

"How did the Rockets get eliminated!"

Gentry gulped down a beer. "I have absolutely no desire to play jazz!"

Cummings, munching on some skewers, muttered, "It doesn't matter who I beat, I'll get swept anyway..."

Gentry had already planned his playoff journey: the Nuggets in the first round, the Rockets in the second round, the Suns in the Western Conference, and the Cavaliers in the Finals—a nostalgic trip, in a way.

These six years...

Gentry coached six teams: the Rockets, Nets, Suns, Knicks, Trail Blazers, and Lakers. The Knicks, Trail Blazers, and Nets failed to make the playoffs. Apart from the Lakers, only the Rockets and Suns made the playoffs. It must have been a wonderful experience to meet his former team in the playoffs.

Wei Guo is a god in Houston and Phoenix, so there's no home or away game.

As for the Finals, why play against the Cavaliers?

Because Gentry likes James, when he met Wei Guo on the plane, Wei Guo was accompanied by two teenagers, one named James and the other named Curry.

That summer...

The three practiced basketball on the grassland. Gentry taught James and Curry a lot of valuable tips, and he also treated them as his disciples. Curry still needs another year before entering the league, but James has already made a name for himself in the league.

Great idea!

However, the Celtics are very strong this year. The Cavaliers will face the Celtics in the second round, and it will be extremely difficult for them to get past the Celtics.

......

Two days later, Sloan led his troops to Los Angeles.

Sloan often said that one or two people cannot decide the outcome of a game. Basketball is a team sport. There are no invincible individuals, only invincible teams. These words were somewhat directed at Wei Guo.

certainly...

Sloan also said that the current Jazz team is the strongest team he has ever coached, no less powerful than the Utah Jazz duo of yesteryear.

This team is a counter to the Rockets. Yao Ming's fans would probably tremble at the sight of the dark blue Jazz jerseys... But against the Lakers, the Jazz might only have a slight advantage at point guard. They would be completely outmatched by the Lakers at every other position. Sloan never thought he could beat the Lakers in this series. Stealing one or two wins would be enough to make the Jazz go down in history.

Starting lineup for this match:

Lakers: Paul, Kobe, Wei Guo, Gasol, Bynum

Jazz: Deron Williams, Brewer, Kirilenko, Boozer, Okur

With ten players on the field, the difference in skill level is obvious...

Apart from Deron Williams, Brewer and Kirilenko all looked rather thin on the Jazz's perimeter. Okur and Bynum didn't look like tough guys standing together either. The two were preparing for the jump ball.

"Beep!!!"

The whistle blew, and the game began.

Rising from the ground...

Bynum easily passed the ball to Wei Guo.

He dribbled to the frontcourt, blew past Kirilenko in one step, and went for a layup... Brewer turned to block Wei Guo, but the moment they made contact, Wei Guo knocked his feet off the ground and sent him crashing out of bounds.

"Ouch~ Ouch~ Ouch~"

Brewer lay on the ground making painful noises.

"Beep!!!"

The referee blew the whistle!

Brewer only heard the whistle and didn't look closely at the referee's gesture, but anyway... someone committed a foul.

Wei Guo reached out to help Brewer up, saying, "How come you're so thin? You'll fall over at the slightest touch."

"snort..."

Brewer turned his head away from Wei Guo.

The referee had already called an offensive foul on Wei Guo, so of course he had to act like it was a bit... Even when Boozer and Okur reached out, Brewer was still lying on the ground groaning.

This finally angered the referee, and the whistle blew again, "Blue number 8, technical foul!"

"What?!"

Brewer jumped up, yelling, "Where did this technical foul come from?!"

Boozer retorted angrily, "I already called a blocking foul on you, and you're still lying on the ground groaning... Who else should I give a technical foul to if not you?!"

"You just called a foul on my end?!"

Brewer was completely stunned; he thought he had called a technical foul on Wei Guo.

......

That's the end of the little episode; Brewer is just a second-year rookie.

Minor character...

They didn't have the courage to challenge the referee and could only watch helplessly as Wei Guo scored the penalty.

3-0!!!

The Lakers scored first.

Cummings said with his head down, "Everyone says the Jazz are a tough team, but this starting lineup doesn't look strong at all. Two-meter tall guys probably weigh less than two hundred pounds."

Kirilenko is even thinner...

One of the benchwarmer players complained, "He's almost 2.1 meters tall, but weighs less than 200 pounds... How can such a small body fight a bear?"

Kirilenko was born into a nation of warriors, and his people are all fierce warriors who can fight tigers in the south and dragons in the north. However, although Kirilenko is tall, he is too thin, which makes him less physically strong.

As expected...

Just now, Kirilenko was criticized for trying to lay up against Wei Guo, but not only did he fail to move him, he also got blocked by Wei Guo.