The fact that the coach of the Dream Team never called a timeout once during the group stage or the finals has been a topic of much discussion.

The playoffs are much tougher than the Olympics. Although the Lakers have been dominating their opponents, this is not like the Olympics. Some national teams are really weak. In this league, there are no easy opponents. There are no weak teams in the league. The upset of the eighth seed into the finals has happened here before.

Gentry intends to emulate the former Dream Team coach and also wants to avoid calling a timeout.

He did just that. From the first round to the second round to the Western Conference Finals to the NBA Finals, he was about to take a 3-0 lead over the Celtics when Gentry called a timeout. Cummings felt it was a pity; calling a timeout ruined his prestige.

Gentry explained, "Nothing matters compared to winning. If we lose this game, I'll become a laughing stock if I don't call a timeout."

"Wei-ge is here..."

Cummings muttered, "Wei will definitely lead the team to victory."

This shows absolute trust in Wei Guo. Gentry also trusts Wei Guo, but he still called a timeout just to be on the safe side. In the past seven years, there have been many times when the team was down by 5 points with two minutes left. Wei Guo is not 100% capable of leading the team to a comeback. In addition, Gentry's tactics were to make Kobe the offensive core.

......

After rearranging their offensive tactics, the game resumed.

Garnett and Pierce exchanged glances. Rivers said that in the last two minutes, Gentry only trusted Wei Guo. The help defense had to be quick, and Wei Guo had to be double-teamed. Wei Guo absolutely could not be allowed to shoot, because his shooting percentage was too high in the crucial moments!

Paul dribbled the ball past half-court!

Wei Guo ran to the three-point line to receive the ball, but Pierce and Garnett double-teamed him, giving him no space to receive the ball at all. The physical contact was too strong, affecting Wei Guo's movements. Paul dribbled for 7 seconds and could only pass the ball to Kobe. With Wei Guo double-teamed and Kobe there, it was not Paul's turn to go one-on-one.

Facing Ray Allen's defense, Kobe used a series of crossover steps to dribble past Ray Allen, then stopped abruptly and jumped!

All eyes turned to Kobe...

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wei Guo broke free from Garnett's encirclement and circled behind Kobe. Kobe jumped and flicked the ball behind his head with a backhand. Garnett roared and charged towards Wei Guo!

It's too late!!!

When Wei Guo jumped, he made a shooting motion with his hands empty. When the basketball came into his hands, he simply flicked it, and the basketball flew towards the basket.

"No entry!"

"No entry!"

"No entry!"

The audience chanted incantations and made the sign of the cross on their chests, praying to God.

This time...

The Western gods sided with the Eastern dragon.

"Whoosh!!!"

A crisp swish sound came as the basketball swished through the net.

83:85!!

The Lakers are down by 2 points.

With 1 minute and 59 seconds left in the game, the Celtics had to hold onto their lead. Garnett and Pierce were both nearing their limits, and they dared not gamble on overtime. Wei Guo had never lost in overtime, and there was only one player in the league's top ten overtime scorers, and that was Wei Guo. In the five minutes of overtime, Wei Guo averaged 13.7 points.

......

The Celtics were on offense, and Rivers, with only one timeout left, dared not call it.

The Lakers also started pressing full-court!

After Rondo passed the ball to Garnett, he stepped back to the three-point line. Garnett failed to score against Wei Guo in a one-on-one situation and tried to pass the ball, but Ray Allen and Pierce were entangled by Kobe and Odom, so he could only pass the ball back to Rondo.

Paul was careless... he let Rondo off the hook.

Rondo's three-point shooting was terrible, with only a 20% success rate. But he is a guard after all, and three-pointers are a must-practice skill. But when he got a shot opportunity, all he could hear were the shouts of his three older brothers: "Shoot!"

then...

Rondo takes a three-pointer!

The shot was a bit too powerful and a bit too lucky. It bounced off the backboard and went into the basket. It was a lucky shot, and a lucky shot deserves extra points.

83:88!!

The Celtics maintain their 5-point lead.

Rivers danced with excitement, exclaiming, "That was fantastic!"

Gentry said with a wry smile, "They really had some luck tonight, otherwise they would have lost long ago."

Many basketball players have a bad habit: they think winning is due to skill, while losing is due to the opponent's good ball handling. Gentry is no exception; he believes the Celtics have only managed to stay in the game because of good luck.

With only 1 minute and 43 seconds left in the game, Gentry was no longer worried about the team's offense. In the last two minutes, no matter how many people double-teamed him, Wei Guo's shooting percentage was over 80%. As long as the ball was given to Wei Guo, he was confident that he could help the team score. The main thing was defense; they had to stop the opponent from scoring.

The Celtics' last defensive play was a failure.

Rivers had already said he would double-team Wei Guo, but Garnett still let his guard down, allowing Kobe and Wei Guo to connect, with Kobe assisting Wei Guo to sink a three-pointer.

This time...

Garnett and Pierce were focused on the player, not the ball, and double-teamed Wei Guo, preventing him from receiving the ball. Kobe faced little defensive pressure, drove to the basket, and scored easily.

85:88!!

The Lakers are down by 3 points.

Rivers shouted, "Good defense, just don't let Weiguo get the ball."

No matter who scores, it's a point, but once the basketball is in Wei Guo's hands, Rivers' heart races and his blood pressure spikes... Wei Guo on the court is simply a devil.

......

With time running out, the Celtics launched another attack.

Wei Guo clapped his hands. "Cheer up! We have to defend this ball!"

"yes!"

The teammate responded loudly.

With three All-Defensive Team players—Wei Guo, Kobe, and Paul—and Wei Guo being a defensive tactical mastermind, the Lakers' defensive efficiency is the best in the league. It's no exaggeration to say they completely overwhelm the Celtics. According to Gentry, the Celtics' continued lead is due to God's blessing!

Paul's relentless pressure on Rondo put a lot of strain on him.

Both are point guards and are about the same height. Although they each have their strengths, in terms of overall ability, Rondo is still inferior to Paul. In fact, when the Celtics' five starters are matched up against the Lakers' five starters, there is a significant difference in at least four positions.

Perkins vs. Gasol: Loss.

Garnett vs. Wei Guo: Loss.

Ray Allen vs. Kobe Bryant: Loss.

Rondo vs. Paul: Loss.

Pierce was slightly better than Odom, but the Lakers' zone defense meant that Kobe was always the one guarding Pierce, and their physical battles were a highlight of this year's Finals.

Pierce received the ball at midcourt, Rondo passed it to Pierce and made a run, Kobe stood beyond the three-point line, giving him two steps of shooting distance. If it were the first quarter, Pierce might have gone back to try a super long three-pointer, but this was the most crucial moment, and every offensive play could determine the outcome.