The Celtics' bench, with players surrounding Rivers.

Rivers looked at these kids and saw how much they craved victory. Even if they couldn't win the championship, they wanted to beat the Lakers at least once and break their playoff myth, which would be enough to make them famous for all time.

Just like eight years ago...

The Lakers swept their opponents all the way to the Finals, and in the end, Iverson single-handedly defeated the OK combination. Although they only won that one game, Iverson was hailed as a legend.

Replace O'Neal with Wei Guo, and add near-superstars like Gasol and Paul. The bench also has Bynum, Vujacic, Farmar, and a host of bench players. The Lakers of that year are not even in the same league as this year's Lakers. If they can beat this year's Lakers, even just one game, the whole team will be hailed as legends!

Rivers seemed to have made up his mind: "Our opponent isn't the Lakers, but Wei Guo alone. I have to take the gamble!"

"coach..."

Garnett chimed in, "Just tell us how to defend!"

Rivers said, "The Lakers need to make a three-pointer to tie the game. You know better than I how high Wei Guo's game-winning percentage is, so what we need to do is not let Wei Guo receive the ball!"

Rondo said, "To prevent Wei Guo from receiving the ball, you need at least three people to double-team him."

"Three-man encirclement isn't enough!"

Rivers shook his head and said firmly, "We need four men to surround them!"

"Four people surrounding you???"

The Celtics players were stunned.

They watched a lot of Wei Guo's game footage. Most of the time, the game-winning shots were double-teamed by two players, triple-teamed was rare, and quad-teamed was practically nonexistent. If Wei Guo was double-teamed by four players, at least three Lakers players would be completely left open. This was essentially gambling that those three players would miss their open shots.

certainly...

The Lakers need to shoot three-pointers.

In such a tense moment, many people would miss free throws, let alone three-pointers. Rivers' approach was risky, but it had its reasons. In short, he couldn't let Wei Guo receive the ball.

The Lakers' bench, with players and coaches surrounding Wei Guo.

Wei Guo said, "The Celtics will definitely surround me, at least three, possibly four..."

"Then throw the ball as high as possible!"

Cummings laughed, "No one can jump higher than Wei. As long as you catch the ball, you're sure to throw that damn basketball into the basket."

"That's very risky..."

Wei Guo shook his head. "If two players double-team me, pass the ball to me as much as possible. If three players double-team me, look for an opportunity. If four players double-team me, pass the ball to Kobe!"

"Brother Wei...you?"

Gentry was surprised. Wei had changed. In the past, Wei would only set up one tactic in crucial moments, a tactic that would allow him to receive the ball.

I remember one match...

When it came down to the buzzer, Wei guessed that the opposing team would triple-team him. His tactic was to have his teammates set a screen, and he used his speed to run to the backcourt to shake off his opponents, receive the ball, and shoot a three-pointer from the backcourt.

I remember one match...

It was the decisive moment. Wei Ge's tactic was to find the baseline, which disrupted the opponent's defensive setup. He ran to the midcourt, caught the basketball in the air, and threw it out before landing, making a three-pointer from midcourt.

In short!

Wei Ge always manages to see through the opponent's defensive tactics and then find a way to break them!

Wei Guo laughed and said, "I've played in the professional league for seven years, and I'm always the one who steps up in crucial moments. Tonight... I choose to trust my teammates!"

......

"This city will forgive me, won't it..."

Rivers prayed in despair, "I really can't think of a better defensive strategy."

......

The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.

Cummings, Paul, and Kobe accompanied Wei Guo onto the court!

At such a crucial moment, sending in Cummings was perfectly reasonable, and Rivers had already guessed it... This benchwarmer has played a lot of games in his career, but his three-point shooting percentage is close to 60%. He can be said to be the best three-point shooter on the team besides Wei Guo and Kobe.

It seems...

Wei Guo figured out Rivers' tactics!

Let's just see through it all. With 2.7 seconds left, both sides are basically playing their cards face-up. It all comes down to whether they can sink that open three-pointer. If time were a little faster, the Celtics might have a fraction of a second left to win the game.

Gasol stands at the center line, ready to inbound the ball!

Gasol has good playmaking ability and is tall, making him the most suitable player for inbounding the ball.

The most classic moment in Finals history has occurred...

Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett, and PJ Brown guarded the perimeter of the three-point line, while Rondo stood in front of Gasol, leaving Kobe, Cummings, and Paul completely open!

"If I had three more players, I could definitely win this game," Rivers thought to himself.

It's just wishful thinking. Eight against five, even if Wei Guo and Kobe were on the same team, we wouldn't dare say we could win.

"Beep!!!"

The referee blew his whistle and handed the ball to Gasol.

Gasol held the basketball high, still thinking about how to pass it to Wei Guo, but Wei Guo couldn't break through the encirclement of Garnett and his four teammates. If he charged in recklessly, he would be called for a foul, and the Celtics would gain possession of the ball.

Paul and Cummings stood at the top of the key and the corner respectively, their best positions, waiting to receive the pass and shoot an open three-pointer. To be honest... even with an open three-pointer, before they even received the ball, both of them were sweating with nervousness. Cummings even secretly rubbed his palms on the sole of his shoe a couple of times.

Gentry yelled, "Give the ball to Paul!"

This is misleading the opponent. When Gasol heard this, he flicked the ball to Kobe!

Rondo immediately abandoned his defense on Gasol and rushed towards Kobe... This was also Rivers' tactic. 2.7 seconds is both short and long, enough for two more passes on the court. Even if other players receive the ball, Garnett and the other three cannot relax their double-teaming of Wei Guo. Until the end of the game, the four of them must surround Wei Guo and not leave him for even a moment!

Rondo is the fastest, so he might be able to help out and disrupt the opponent's shot!

When Kobe received the ball, he noticed Rondo following him. He paused for about a second, waiting for Rondo to come closer, before making a shooting motion!

Rondo lunged forward!

Garnett yelled, "That's a feint!"

As expected...

Kobe was just waiting for a moment. When Rondo pounced on him, he leaned against Rondo and then jumped up to throw the ball toward the basket.

Rivers angrily cursed, "Rondo, I fucking xxxxxx, I'm going to xxxxxx, I'm fucking xxxxxx..."

Even if you miss a shot after drawing a foul, you still get three free throw opportunities. Kobe made 15 of 17 free throws tonight, an absurdly high free throw percentage. Sending him to the free throw line is like giving him a free three-pointer.