Two days later, the Rockets defeated the Jazz again on the road.
First round of the playoffs.
The Rockets defeated the Jazz 4-0.
The Jazz were swept, and this could very well be Stockton's last season in his career. Stockton was very frustrated with the result.
but...
After the match, Stockton received a text message:
If you play another season, I'd like to team up with you next season and give you a championship trophy. --- Wei Guo
This was a text message that Wei Guo sent to Stockton. Stockton thought about it for two days but didn't reply to Wei Guo.
Although Wei Guo is only a second-year rookie, he is already the undisputed number one player in the league. What he lacks now is the accumulation of honors. If Wei Guo can maintain this level of performance, surpassing Jordan will not be a problem for him.
only...
Stockton has two things to do.
First of all, he wants to finish his career with the Jazz, and the possibility of Wei Guo joining the Jazz is extremely slim.
The second thing is that Wei Guo only signed a one-year contract with the Rockets, and it's uncertain which team he will go to next year. Can Stockton go with Wei Guo directly?
Stockton didn't tell anyone about receiving the text message from Wei Guo.
........
After the first round of the playoffs, the various honors for the 2002-03 season were announced.
First, let's talk about the regular season MVP. Wei Guo once again beat Duncan to win the 2002-03 regular season MVP.
Without Wei Guo...
Duncan won the regular season MVP last season, and he will win it again this season.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".
If Duncan knew that these might have been the two years he was closest to winning the regular season MVP, but it was all taken away by Wei Guo, would he hate Wei Guo to death?
Speaking of the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), Wei Guo once again beat Ben Wallace to win the 2002-03 season's Defensive Player of the Year award, a result that left Wallace quite helpless.
Two consecutive MVPs!
Two consecutive DPOYs!
Moreover, they obtained them simultaneously; only Wei Guo in the alliance accomplished this.
I won't go into the minor honors.
Besides MVP and DPOY, another very high honor in the league is being named to the All-NBA Team.
2002-03 Best XI:
First team: O'Neal, Duncan, Wei Guo, Kobe, McGrady
Second lineup: Ben Wallace, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd
Third unit: Jermaine O'Neal, Webber, Pierce, Marbury, Nash
It's worth mentioning that Yao Ming's growth with the Rockets was very rapid. After being elbowed by Malone, it was as if he had unlocked his full potential. In his rookie season, he averaged 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds, narrowly defeating Stoudemire to win Rookie of the Year.
certainly...
Gentry also won the Coach of the Year award for the first time, officially entering the ranks of renowned coaches.
........
The first round of the playoffs was brutal, and the Rockets only finished the first round after a week of rest.
west:
Rockets 4-0 Jazz
Spurs 4-2 Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings 4-3 Minnesota Timberwolves
Lakers 4-3 Mavericks
Four teams went to a Game 7, and of the higher-ranked teams, only the Mavericks lost to the Lakers; the other higher-ranked teams all won.
east:
Pistons 4:3 Magic
76ers 4-2 Pelicans
Nets 4-2 Bucks
Celtics 4-2 Pacers
The playoff bracket for the second round has also been released.
west:
Rockets vs. Lakers, Spurs vs. Kings
east:
Pistons vs. 76ers, Nets vs. Celtics
........
The Rockets have faced the Mavericks and Lakers four times in the regular season, with a record of 3-1 in each game, winning three and losing one.
If it were up to Wei Guo, he would prefer to play against the Mavericks. The Mavericks have a trident of Nowitzki, Nash, and Finley, which would be very interesting to play against. Moreover, Wei Guo has always been curious about how Nash got his gold card, even though Nash was selected to the All-NBA Third Team this season.
But...
McGrady was selected to the All-NBA First Team, but even McGrady failed to receive a gold card.
Shaquille O'Neal's dominance under the basket was not as strong as it had been in the previous two years. In their last regular season game against the Lakers, even Yao Ming could go toe-to-toe with O'Neal under the basket.
Moreover, the Lakers are a team that Wei Guo has defeated, and there's no point in playing against a team that has already lost.
These were just some of the complaints Wei Guo made while drinking with Gentry at home. The real reason he didn't want to face the Lakers was that the Lakers were more difficult to deal with than the Mavericks.
........
The Lakers won the first round and only rested for two days before heading to Houston.
The second round of the playoffs has already begun...
Before the game, O'Neal made some tough remarks, saying that he hoped Gentry would let Wei Guo play the center position so that he could give Wei Guo some competition.
The players are warming up, and O'Neal is practicing free throws.
Wei Guo strolled over to O'Neal and asked, "I heard you're going to put me to the test?"
"Oh my~ Isn't this Brother Wei?"
O'Neal turned around and laughed, "I'm just afraid you won't dare to play center."
Wei Guo retorted, "I can play from position 1 to position 5, can you do that?"
O'Neal, "..."
After a moment's thought, O'Neal said, "I heard what you just said, but I didn't understand what you meant. Could you say it again?"
"Whoosh!!!"
Kobe Bryant hit a three-pointer.
He walked over to Wei Guo and said, "I've watched the recording of your game against the Jazz. Your defense was excellent."
"Sorry, I didn't watch your first-round playoff game."
Wei Guo raised an eyebrow and joked, "Who's your opponent in the first round of the playoffs?"
"Hahaha..."
Kobe patted Weiguo on the arm and said, "Stop fooling around. See you on the court later."
actually...
Kobe wasn't the kind of player with a particularly good reputation; many people even said that Kobe was aloof and difficult to get along with.
However, Wei Guo and Kobe had a good relationship. Once, after a game in Los Angeles, Kobe even invited Wei Guo to dinner, which is why Wei Guo could joke around with Kobe so casually.
For the Lakers...
The Rockets are strong, but not as unstoppable as the 76ers last season.
Last season, Wei Guo had Iverson, Mutombo, Coleman, Harpring, Cummings... (Hmm? Cummings?)
Allen Iverson was the MVP, and once single-handedly led his team to a victory against the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
Mutombo is the best defensive player, Coleman is a veteran but has a lot of playoff experience, and Harpring is now the Jazz's second-leading scorer, which shows his strength.
But...
Who are Wei's current allies?
Yao Ming, Steve Francis, Mobley...
These three players are quite capable, but they don't even have playoff experience.
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