Why did Wei Guo choose to retire?

He played for 7 seasons...

He won 7 MVPs and 7 DPOYs.

It's like participating in a 100-meter sprint. Running it in under 10 seconds makes you a top sprinter, and everyone strives to do so. But you... easily run it in under 9 seconds. That's not even in the same league. Participating in this sport would actually ruin it.

Wei Guo is destroying this alliance!

If he plays for 20 seasons, the only way for him to win a championship in those 20 years is to be selected by Wei Guo, which will dampen the enthusiasm of all athletes!

The dust has settled...

Wei Guo has only three series left in this league. After these three series are over, Wei Guo will leave the league with his seventh Finals MVP trophy. Of course... it can't be said that this year's Finals MVP will definitely be Wei Guo. With the Lakers' roster, they can win the championship without Wei Guo playing a role.

Who will win the Finals MVP... that's hard to say.

......

Two days later, the Lakers once again won a big home game against the Jazz.

2-0!

The best player in this game was Ariza, who is also the Lakers' leading scorer.

With a star-studded Lakers team, Ariza really didn't stand out much... Midway through the season, the Lakers and Magic made a small trade, and Wei Guo got Ariza. It wasn't just because he thought highly of Ariza, but mainly because he was cheap, practically a freebie. Ariza had his rookie season with the Knicks, where he won a championship ring with Wei Guo.

This player is 2.03 meters tall, can run and jump, has a long arm span, and is a natural defensive player.

In fact...

Ariza's defense is indeed good, and his defensive awareness is also good. He can limit opponents in both one-on-one defense and help defense.

However, his weaknesses are also obvious. He has good offensive ability but poor ball-handling skills and lacks the ability to create scoring opportunities on his own. Fortunately, he has a good three-point shooting percentage and good counter-attack awareness. He can run out of the three-point line and score when he receives a pass from his teammates. And the Lakers have no shortage of players who can handle the ball and pass.

Seven minutes into the first quarter, Gentry substituted Ariza for Odom.

After going on stage...

Ariza received a pass from Paul and sank a three-pointer!

Ariza was unstoppable, his shooting just took off, and Gentry increased his playing time. He ultimately made 9 of 13 shots, scoring a whopping 27 points and becoming the Lakers' leading scorer of the game.

......

Even when down 0-2, the Jazz remained calm.

This script looks familiar...

They were down 0-2 in the first round of the playoffs, but eventually won four straight games to eliminate the Rockets and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

The home team Jazz and the away team Jazz are two different teams!

This is also Wei Guo's last visit to Salt Lake City. He still has two away games here. In seven seasons, he has played more than a dozen games here. Wei Guo still cannot adapt to the high-altitude climate of Salt Lake City. It's not that he lacks oxygen, but he just feels uncomfortable!

The fans are still like this...

Even knowing this was Wei Guo's last time playing in Salt Lake City, the crowd still booed him. Wei Guo still couldn't win over the fans. If he wins big again tonight, the fans' attitude will completely change in the next game.

Starting lineup for this match:

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

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

If the five-man lineup works well, there's no need to create trouble for yourself... Gentry simply benched Paul and let Weiguo start at point guard. This setup... let's see how Sloan responds.

Have you ever seen a point guard jump the ball at the start of a game?

Very few, right...

In this Lakers game, Wei Guo and Okur jumped for the ball. As the whistle blew, Wei Guo passed the ball to Kobe, then walked to Kobe's side and took the basketball from Kobe's hands, as if some kind of solemn ceremony was taking place.

The Jazz quickly got back on defense!

Kobe and his three teammates ran up the court. Wei Guo dribbled to the three-point line and directed Gasol and Odom to move around the court. He then threw the ball over the basket.

"Bang!!!"

Bynum followed up and scored with an alley-oop dunk!

While it may seem like only Wei Guo and Bynum's cooperation was involved, the movement of the three Kobes and Bynum to draw the defense was also very important. Even someone as picky as Sloan had to give a thumbs up and say, "Great tactic."

The Jazz are on offense.

The first offensive possession is crucial. If it goes in, it's a winning start; if it doesn't... it'll be like the previous two games, where the Lakers are down by more than ten points in the first quarter.

"Beat la!!!"

"Beat la!!!"

"Beat la!!!"

The shouts grew louder and louder, reflecting the pressure the away fans were putting on the Lakers.

Boozer set a screen for Deron Williams beyond the three-point line. Williams drove into the paint but couldn't find a shooting space, so he had to circle out again... The player guarding him was Kobe Bryant. This was a defensive pressure that Williams had never experienced before. Generally speaking, most point guards guard him, and the only good defenders are a few like Billups.

Kobe was a member of the All-Defensive First Team!

The success rate in singles is extremely low...

Deron Williams could only pass the ball, which was more like passing the buck than organizing the offense. Okur, who received the ball, also didn't have a good chance to score!

Sloan yelled, "Boozer, get into position under the basket! Don't just stand there like an idiot!"

The stronger the opponent's defense, the more aggressively you need to move around in order to find offensive opportunities. If Deron is shut down, does that mean the others won't pass the ball?

Boozer squeezed under the basket to box out Gasol...

Kirilenko was hiding in the corner, and Okur immediately passed the ball to Kirilenko, who caught the ball and shot!

*Smack!!!*

Wei Guo suddenly appeared from behind Kirilenko and blocked his shot with a slap!

Kirilenko was completely stunned!

This is the playoffs...

Wei Guo is so irresponsible, hiding in the audience seats, and no one has reminded him yet.

After making a clean block, Wei Guo picked at his ear and walked up to Sloan. "Don't talk about tactics so loudly, I heard you all."

Wei Guo saw through it again!!!

Sloan loudly reminded Boozer to box out under the basket, but he was actually telling Kirilenko to run to the corner to receive the ball. How could Wei Guo have guessed this tactic... Sloan seriously suspected that there was a spy in the team.

Kobe gets the ball and goes on a fast break; Deron Williams tries to catch up and foul, but he's a step too slow.

We could only watch helplessly as Kobe dunked and scored!

4-0!!!

The Lakers started with a four-point lead.

......

"The Jazz are calling a timeout!"

......

Less than a minute into the game, Sloan called a timeout!

Looking at the entire league, this is quite explosive... If there were any other options, Sloan wouldn't have used up a timeout so quickly, simply because he knew very well that once the Lakers gained a double-digit lead in the first quarter, it would be extremely difficult for the Jazz to turn the game around.

"Tighten up the defense and force them to shoot from the outside. Boozer and Okur, you two big men, watch the rebounds!"

"......"

"On offense, move around more...minimize dribbling time as much as possible...pass the ball more...take the shot whenever you have the chance!"