If we compare the Lakers to a super battleship.
What is the Detroit Pistons?
Without Anthony, the Pistons' starting lineup would be Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed, and Ben Wallace; these five could be called the Pistons' "Fab Five".
Without superstars like Kobe and Shaq, and arguably... these five are far inferior to Malone and Payton, but Wei Guo believes the Pistons' roster is stronger than the Lakers'.
Wei Guo wasn't the only one who thought this way...
Scott once said that if the Spurs hadn't made it to the NBA Finals from the West, then the Eastern Conference champions would have been the NBA champions this year.
That's amazing!
Wei Guo's strongest playoff opponent in the last two seasons has not been in the finals.
......
Five minutes into the second quarter, Wei Guo walked toward the scorer's table.
Starting from the first quarter, Wei Guo rested for a full eight minutes, which is a long rest period, while Kobe and O'Neal only rested for a total of 3 minutes.
When Wei Guo returned to the field, it relieved not only the pressure on the players but also on the coach. Scott was relieved and sat back on the bench, no longer standing on the sidelines.
"Brother Wei, let's catch up!"
After high-fiving Wei Guo, Kidds returned to the field.
Nets on offense!
Tyronn Lue dribbled the ball up the court, and Wei Guo stepped up to set a screen. Lue moved towards the basket, while Wei Guo retreated to the three-point line.
It was like playing a game of tag, with Ma Long as the mother hen. No matter how Wei Guo tried to move left or right, Ma Long would always spread his arms and block Wei Guo's way, not giving Wei Guo a chance to receive the ball.
Tyronn Lue didn't dare to go for a layup because Shaquille O'Neal was still under the basket.
He passed the ball to Jefferson on the weak side, who then passed it to Kenyon, who took a mid-range shot.
Wei Guo understood...
Kenyon's finishing ability is not strong, especially for mid-to-long-range shots. After Kenyon takes the shot, he pushes past Malone.
"bang~~~"
Kenyon's shot bounced off the rim!
"Bang!!!"
Wei Guo grabbed the rebound, turned around, and dunked the ball into the basket with a powerful leap.
27:33!!
The Nets are still down by 6 points.
"Defend the country~~~"
The commentator shouted Wei Guo's name loudly.
Wei Guo has this kind of magic; as soon as he steps onto the court, the fans feel instantly at ease, as if the Nets will soon catch up in the score.
The Lakers are also under a lot of offensive pressure.
The Zen Master had previously mentioned that someone close to Wei Guo was very knowledgeable about the triangle offense. He couldn't figure out who this person was, but it always involved three people: Gentry, Cummings, and Wei Guo himself!
I remember last season...
During the Lakers-Rockets game, Phil Jackson had this feeling that his tactics were always being countered!
The Zen Master always felt that there was a tactical mastermind hidden beside Wei Guo. This tactical mastermind might not be Gentry, but Cummings, which also explains why Wei Guo wanted to bring Cummings with him when he transferred.
Payton has the ball on the left, forming a triangle formation with Kobe and Shaq!
Kobe drives in...
Payton passed the ball to O'Neal, who posted up against Mourning in the low post and then made a small floater!
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle, and Mourning committed a defensive foul.
O'Neal stepped up to the free-throw line.
Lakers fans must be furious now. The Nets are capable of containing Shaq, yet they still resort to such a despicable "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic.
Mourning pointed to the free-throw line, then to the basket, and said to O'Neal, "Your free throws are terrible. I suggest you jump from the free-throw line and dunk the ball. That way, your shooting percentage will be higher."
"Fuck you!"
O'Neal scoffed, "If anyone can jump from the free-throw line and dunk the ball, I'll eat this basketball."
This requirement...
Mo Ning immediately looked to Wei Guo for help, "Brother Wei, can you satisfy him?"
"I haven't tried it."
Wei Guo remained expressionless.
"bang~~~"
O'Neal missed his first free throw.
"bang~~~"
O'Neal missed his second free throw.
Wei Guo grabbed the defensive rebound.
......
With the Nets trailing by only 6 points, Wei Guo dribbled the ball across midcourt and, using Kenyon's screen, drove straight to the basket.
One move and the sky is ablaze!
Wei Guo jumped a step away from the basket, about to dunk the ball over O'Neal, when O'Neal turned to block Wei Guo. It was a very subtle blocking foul!
If O'Neal were to face Wei Guo head-on, he would be dunked on by Wei Guo.
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle and called a foul on O'Neal.
O'Neal didn't argue with the referee. After turning to the side, his shoulder hit Wei Guo's waist, causing Wei Guo to lose his balance and almost fall. Naturally, the dunk was knocked away.
Wei Guo stepped up to the free-throw line.
As if by some strange twist of fate, O'Neal suddenly asked, "Can you score a free throw by dunking?"
"Um?!"
Wei Guo looked at O'Neal with a mischievous grin, "Dude, is your memory that bad?"
Shaquille O'Neal has a famous moment from a game between the 76ers and the Lakers. O'Neal tricked Wei Guo into facing away from the basket and making both free throws. This incident is brought up by the host every time O'Neal appears on a TV show, and it is definitely a dark chapter in O'Neal's history.
Only two years have passed...
Have you forgotten the pain once the wound has healed?
If he had a running start, Wei Guo could easily dunk from the free-throw line, but free throws don't allow him to run up; even taking a few steps back is the limit.
The distance from the free throw line to the basket is 4.2 meters.
Wei Guo's standing reach is less than three meters. He has not measured his standing long jump, but it should not exceed three and a half meters (in this respect, he is not as good as the readers of this book, I believe many readers can reach three and a half meters in the standing long jump).
"I'll give it a try..."
This time, Wei Guo didn't overestimate himself. He first gestured the distance between the free throw line and the basket, then took a big step back.
The referee was dumbfounded.
Because he saw Wei Guo step forward with his left foot, but his toes did not go beyond the free throw line, and then his whole body suddenly rose up, like a helicopter!
Wei Guo's right foot seemed to kick off again in the air...
Wei Guo didn't jump very high this time, but he stretched his arms out very far, and just as he landed, he dunked the ball into the basket.
This was Wei Guo's most difficult dunk, yet it sent the arena into a frenzy.
"God, what am I seeing?"
"Using a dunk to get free throws?!"
"Mom, I want to die on this ball."
The audience went wild... Wei Guo's matches always bring surprises to the audience, but none of them have been as big as this one.
O'Neal's mouth was agape, unable to close it. He had just said it casually, and Wei Guo had actually done it.
"Brother Wei!"
"Brother Wei!"
"Brother Wei!"
His teammates came up and gave Wei Guo a high-five.
The referee looked at the two assistant referees with some confusion, and the technical staff looked at the referee with confusion again. How should this goal be scored?
Dunking from the free-throw line is one thing, but dunking during a free throw?
There's a long-standing legend in the league that Wilt Chamberlain could score free throws by dunking, but no one has been able to verify this claim.
One is the lack of video footage...
Secondly, Chamberlain has passed away, and none of his teammates have come forward to comment...
It was just a rumor that spread, but Wei Guo really did it tonight, in the finals. Although Wei Guo took a step back, which was a kind of stepping stone, and the dunk was also a bit of a stretch, it's something that no one else can do.
If Wei Guo were to take this dunk to a dunk contest, it would be a perfect score dunk.
"How about it?"
Wei Guo shrugged at O'Neal, "You can try dunking like that, it really can improve your shooting percentage."
O'Neal turned his face away!
He dared not speak to Wei Guo, and even less did he want to speak to Mo Ning. He was worried that Mo Ning would bring up the oath he had just made and then make him eat the basketball.
Wei Guo's second penalty is in!
This was a very ordinary free throw, just like the free throws that Wei Guo made in the regular season.
......
With Wei Guo on the court, the Nets' offense became even more threatening.
Kobe and Shaq's desire to win was also ignited, especially Kobe, who scored 11 points on 3 of 5 three-pointers in the second half of the second quarter, allowing the Lakers to maintain their lead before halftime.
45:51!!
The Lakers led by 6 points at halftime.
Trailing in the first half left the Nets players frustrated. The statistics shouldn't be like this; the Nets were down by 6 points at halftime simply because Wei Guo rested for eight minutes. This seems to be a denial of the other players' abilities.
Back in the locker room.
Gentry placed a pot of mung bean soup on the table, saying, "Everyone, have some mung bean soup. It's good for cooling down and relieving summer heat."
The finals were in June, and even at night, the air was still hot and dry. After a bowl of refreshing mung bean soup, the players instantly felt refreshed.
"Old Jin, who did you learn this trick from?"
Mourning was particularly curious about what Gentry couldn't do.
Everyone was anxious and frustrated because they were behind in the first half, but Gentry's bowl of mung bean soup made everyone feel refreshed. These players have been training since they were young, and it is no exaggeration to say that they have trained hard in the coldest winter and hottest summer. Why didn't they think of drinking a bowl of mung bean soup to cool down and relieve the heat after training in the summer?
"Do I need to learn this from anyone?"
Gentry rolled his eyes. "Chinese culture is profound and extensive; you know far too little about it."
This remark made Wei Guo roll his eyes again. Could a bowl of mung bean soup represent Chinese culture?
but...
After drinking that bowl of mung bean soup, it was even more effective than Old Jin's chicken soup for the soul. At least all the players calmed down and listened to Scott analyze the tactics for the second half.
The Nets not only want to win the championship this year, but also sweep the Lakers!
Sweeping the Lakers also helped the team. Wei Guo always felt that the Lakers' roster had many problems, but because they had two superstars, Shaq and Kobe, the two of them dragged the Lakers into the Finals.
Away game locker room.
There were still arguments between the players, even though they had a lead in the first half.
Kobe criticized several players for making basic mistakes in the first half, believing that without those mistakes, the Lakers would have been leading by double digits.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant also had disagreements...
It was all just a minor argument. After the Zen Master said a few words, the argument in the locker room stopped, since they were still leading in the first half.
......
The second half of the game has begun.
The cheerleaders left the field... and the players returned!
Lakers on offense!
O'Neal posts up, Kenyon helps Mourning on defense, O'Neal passes the ball to Payton on the perimeter, and Payton shoots a three-pointer!
"It was too rushed..."
The Zen master exclaimed bitterly, "This is a terrible offensive choice!"
Just as expected!
Payton threw a ridiculous airball, and the ball landed directly in Kenyon's hands. Kenyon grinned from ear to ear. He quickly passed the ball to Stockton, who dribbled up the court!
Wei Guo ran around the strong side...
Stockton made a long bounce pass, and the basketball ended up in Wei Guo's hands.
"Bang!!!"
Wei Guo received the ball, took a step to dodge the defense, and then slammed the ball down with one hand to score!
47:51!!
The Zen Master had already warned the players that a six-point lead was not a significant advantage!
Weiguo might have been a bit relaxed during the regular season, but this is the finals, and Weiguo will definitely give it their all.
O'Neal has to admit one thing: Wei Guo is better than him.
same...
Kobe also had to admit one thing: Wei Guo was better than him.
In some ways, Kobe and Shaq were lucky; they already had two championship rings during the gap between Jordan's retirement and Shaq's entry into the league!
Wei Guo was also a scoundrel.
Given his abilities, others should be looking to team up with him, but Wei Guo changes teams every season. When he joined the Nets last summer, many team owners criticized him for being cunning.
There was a popular saying at the time: "We were already the Eastern Conference champions before you joined us."
This means that before Wei Guo joined, the Nets had already played in the Finals, but lost to Wei Guo's Rockets. It can be said that the Nets were a strong team in their own right. When Wei Guo joined, the Nets only lost Kidd, and the Eastern Conference champion roster was basically intact!
Not only that...
The Nets have also recruited three talented players: Stockton, Hill, and Mourning!
Hill and Mourning both returned midway through the season and displayed incredible fighting spirit, further strengthening the Nets' roster.
Before the Finals began, the Nets' chances of winning the championship had risen to 81%, a probability close to that of the Rockets last year, and the Nets' opponent was still the Lakers.
......
After the start of the third quarter, the Lakers missed several shots in a row!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wei Guo led his team on a 12-0 run, turning a 6-point deficit into a 6-point lead.
The Zen master called for a pause!
"Knowing that Stockton was going to pass the ball to Wei Guo, why didn't you block Stockton's passing lane?"
"Wei Guo can always get past you in one step, Ma Long!!!"
"Joint defense, flanking maneuvers! If one person can't stop him, if two people can't stop him, can't three people stop Weiguo?!"
“(Mute) (Mute) (Mute)”
The Zen Master practically roared these words; he wasn't giving tactical instructions, he was just berating the players.
......
Timeout over, Lakers on offense!
Kobe had the ball in the mid-range and was backing down Wei Guo when Malone pulled away to get a shot off. Kobe then passed the ball to Malone.
A pass from Kobe?
Malone received the ball with surprise, but still shot it toward the basket!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
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