In the 2001 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Wei Guo with the 58th overall pick in the second round, from Georgetown University. With that statement, Wei Guo became the second Chinese pla...
After the third quarter, the Suns trailed by 9 points.
D'Antoni wanted to encourage his players but didn't know how to start. This was different from the Jazz. The Jazz and Weiguo had always been rivals. They knew the gap in strength, but they kept fighting until they were down 3-0 before giving up on the series. The Suns, on the other hand, would give up after losing one game. In fact, their biggest hope was to win one game.
Only after being teammates with him did I realize how unstoppable the combination of Wei Guo and Gentry was...
Take the Suns back then, for example. In games where they were behind in the first half but rallied in the third quarter, the Suns always came out on top and won.
tonight?
How could there be any exceptions!
......
The Suns started trying three-pointers in the fourth quarter, which was their best way to close the gap.
First, Bell...
Then Barbosa...
Next up is Stoudemire...
Yes, even Stoudemire has started trying to shoot three-pointers. It's probably because he's completely left open outside the three-point line. He's a professional player, and he takes about ten three-point attempts in the regular season. He might even make one by chance. So he's gambling on luck. What if he makes it?
Fortunately...
When it comes to three-pointers, skill far outweighs luck.
Finally, there's Nash...
Kobe guarded Nash the entire game, and he didn't relax at all, even in the fourth quarter. Nash's shots were more difficult than others, and his three-point shooting percentage was not optimistic.
Wei Guo continued his relentless offensive. His first opponent in the league should be Shaquille O'Neal. I still remember how excited I was when I drew the [Shaq O'Neal Star Card]. Back then, O'Neal could be called the best player in the league. He defeated O'Neal in the Finals to win his first championship trophy.
Wei Guo has a wish... to force Shaquille O'Neal to retire before he retires!
D'Antoni did not fulfill Wei Guo's wishes and could not stand by and watch O'Neal be tormented by Wei Guo. After falling behind by 15 points, he substituted O'Neal and Hill.
It's not simply about taking care of veterans...
Trailing by such a large margin, using a run-and-gun offense to speed up the pace might allow them to catch up. Continuing to play a positional game will only allow them to watch as Wei Guo (O'Neal) dominates.
......
D'Antoni used a timeout to substitute O'Neal and Hill, and at the same time explained the comeback strategy!
For the Lakers...
Wei Guo picked up the tactical board and told his teammates how to counter the Suns' next run-and-gun offense.
......
Timeout over, game resumes!
Stoudemire quickly inbounded the ball from the baseline. Nash dribbled past midcourt, then dribbled behind his back and turned to get past Kobe. He quickly advanced the ball and passed it to Bell!
Before Bell could even receive the basketball, Vujacic was right there beside him!
They didn't give Bell any space to shoot...
The Suns were forced into a half-court game. After a few passes, Stoudemire received the ball at the free-throw line, faced the basket, took a step, and then jumped high with the ball!
*Smack!!!*
Wei Guo suddenly appeared from the side and blocked Stoudemire's dunk!
The two didn't even have any physical contact...
Wei Guo's ability to predict the future is terrifying!
Kobe got the ball, dribbled it across the frontcourt but didn't rush to attack. Instead, he waited for Wei Guo and the others to get into position. The Suns wanted to play a run-and-gun offense, but the Lakers tried to slow down the pace of the game as much as possible. In short, they still had a lead of more than ten points. There wasn't much time left in the game, and it was the Suns, not the Lakers, who were in a hurry.
Patiently passing the ball around, Odom finally took a mid-range shot!
"bang~~~"
The basketball bounced off the rim!
Wei Guo sprinted back to the backfield...
Stoudemire grabbed the defensive rebound and passed the ball to Nash. Barbosa was already waiting in the frontcourt. Nash tried to make a long pass to Barbosa, but Barbosa ran alongside, waving his hands and muttering, "No...no..."
I didn't have time to think about it carefully!
Before the basketball even reached Barbosa's hands, Wei Guo intercepted it from the middle!
For run-and-gun tactics...
Wei Guo's understanding is no worse than D'Antoni's. Just a second before Odom shoots, he can predict every step of the way just by looking at the positions of a few Suns players: Barbosa fast break... Stoudemire grabs the rebound... Nash passes the ball... Barbosa catches the ball... fast break layup for a score!
The trajectory could be predicted, so Wei Guo easily intercepted the ball!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
D'Antoni kept stamping his feet, his face full of helplessness.
......
Although there were still five minutes left, the outcome of the match was already decided.
"Beep!!!"
The whistle blew, and the game ended.
136:119!!
The Lakers narrowly defeated the Suns by 17 points at home.
This was a high-scoring battle, with O'Neal dominating the first half and Wei Guo dominating the second half, while Nash and Kobe also had impressive performances.
......
Match statistics:
Wei Guo: 51 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 7 blocks
O'Neal: 33 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 3 blocks
Kobe: 36 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Stoudemire: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
Paul: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 17 assists, 5 steals, 1 block
Nash: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks
......
The Lakers used an eleven-man rotation tonight, with Gasol and Bynum playing less than 10 minutes each. This was an adjustment made by Gentry based on the roster.
O'Neal played too well in the first half...
With Gasol and Bynum on the court, they were simply outmatched. Making an adjustment on the perimeter, letting Wei Guo play center, and limiting O'Neal's performance was key to winning this game.
......
The Suns have given up on the series after losing just one game.
In the next three games, both sides played a relaxed, friendly style of basketball... the kind of politeness where they would apologize after committing a foul, and there was no "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic.
certainly...
From the fans' perspective, the game was still full of passion, but the outcome was not in suspense.
Just a week later, the Lakers swept the Suns to advance to the NBA Finals. This was the closest many Lakers players had ever come to the championship, and Kobe was about to lift his second championship trophy. Their opponent would be either the Celtics or the Pistons, and considering the strength of both teams, the Celtics would most likely be their opponent.
If the Suns were to face the Celtics, the matchup would be about even.
However, the Lakers face a completely different challenge than the Suns and the Celtics. The Suns are a team that excels in offense but not defense, and most of their players have played alongside Wei Guo, creating a sense of intimidation and causing the Suns to give up on the series after just one loss.
The Celtics are different...
The purpose of forming the Big Three is to win the championship. Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen, three of the team's star players, if they just get together to drink tea, chat, and smoke in the corner, wouldn't that be a joke?