The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
This match was very close...
"Twists and turns" is not enough to describe it.
The Spurs took the lead first, then the Suns completed a comeback in the third quarter, followed by Kimura Takeru injuring Wei Guo, and Stoudemire brutally beating Kimura Takeru.
Section 4...
Without Weiguo and Stoudemire, the Suns only scored 2 points in 9 minutes.
Another dramatic scene unfolded!
Wei Guo, who was predicted to miss the rest of the season, returned to the court after receiving treatment for more than ten minutes. He then scored 14 points in a row, leading the Suns to close the gap to just 5 points.
With only 27 seconds left in the game, the Suns were down by one point.
This defense was very important...
This attack is very important...
The Suns abandoned zone defense and adopted a man-to-man defensive strategy.
Parker hesitated to pass the ball!
He was waiting for his teammates to make their runs. Popovich had anticipated every step. When Bowen appeared on Parker's left, Parker passed the ball to Bowen.
Ginobili ran to the three-point line and received a pass from Bowen!
Duncan created more offensive space...
For a fleeting moment, there were eight players standing near the three-point line, while only Mohammed and Nash, who had come up to help defend, were left under the basket. It was a classic mismatch. Ginobili swung his right arm, and the basketball ended up in Mohammed's hands!
This offensive tactic is absolutely brilliant!
Even Wei Guo couldn't have imagined it. I have to say... Popovich is a really great head coach.
If Muhammad receives the ball, all he has to do is jump, dunk, and score, thus completing the head coach's tactical plan. Even if the Suns hit a three-pointer on the turn, it will only drag the game into overtime.
......
Popovich calculated every move perfectly, except for Nash.
Nash's defensive ability may be lacking, but his basketball IQ is very high. When Muhammad jumped, Nash decisively chose to foul!
"Ouch~~~"
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle, and Muhammad was stunned.
Cummings laughed loudly, "This guy only makes 50-something percent of his free throws, how many do you think he can make?"
"I guess... he won't make the free throw."
Hunter agreed.
Ginobili stepped forward to comfort him: "Big guy, go ahead and shoot the free throws without any pressure. We're in the lead."
Although he was fouled by Nash, Popovich's tactics still succeeded, only the sure two points turned into unreliable free throws, and now all he can do is pray to God.
Muhammad is under a lot of pressure!
He kept taking deep breaths, simulating a free throw, catching the basketball thrown by the referee and dribbling it again and again.
"We absolutely have to get in!"
"Muhammad, you're the one who saved the team!"
"Keep it up, you can do it!"
Constantly reassuring himself, Muhammad failed to notice the passage of time.
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle once, "Free throw time exceeded!"
Muhammad looked at the referee in confusion. He hadn't even shot yet, so why had the whistle blown?
"Ha ha ha ha..."
The Suns' bench erupted in laughter.
Free throw time expired?!
It's unbelievable that a player would make such a basic mistake...
Because of the tension, no one realized that Muhammad's penalty kick had exceeded the time limit before the referee blew the whistle.
Popovich stomped his foot in frustration, having wasted a scoring opportunity.
Second penalty...
With a heavier psychological burden, Muhammad received the ball from the referee and immediately took a shot!
"That shot missed!"
Wei Guo instantly positioned himself in front of Duncan!
Duncan and Weiguo were tangled up, but when the basketball bounced off the rim, Duncan's left arm was pressing down on Weiguo's elbow, and Ginobili also stepped forward to try to pull Weiguo off... So what? Weiguo, the league's strongest player, still easily grabbed the rebound!
......
The moment Wei Guo grabbed the rebound, there were only 7 seconds left in the game!
Duncan and his teammates remembered Popovich's instructions: absolutely no fouls... If the Spurs fouled Wei Guo directly, sending him to the free-throw line, and Wei Guo made both free throws, the Spurs would still have time to attack, but because they didn't have a timeout, they could only inbound the ball from the baseline. In those 7 seconds, the players would have to do whatever they wanted.
Popovich was also waiting. The Suns still had two timeouts left. Wei Guo was double-teamed by Duncan and two others. In this situation, the best option was to call a timeout.
This might be the only option...
Popovich was also waiting for this timeout. He wanted to use it to devise an offensive strategy and then foul the Suns as soon as they inbounded the ball.
While I was still figuring out how to strategize, the situation on the field suddenly changed!
I didn't see it clearly at all...
Wei Guo dribbled past Duncan and his two teammates like a ghost and then dribbled straight up the court!
"Catch up with him!"
Popovich shouted, "Don't let Wei Guo make a move!"
Five Spurs players surrounded Wei Guo, but Wei Guo remained calm. He was timing it perfectly. From the moment he released the shot to the moment it hit the target, it would take about 2.1 seconds. So as long as he released the shot within 2.1 seconds, it would be a buzzer-beating game-winner!
2.3 seconds!
2.2 seconds!
2.1 seconds!
Right now...
When Parker grabbed Wei Guo's jersey, Wei Guo launched a game-winning three-pointer.
Time seemed to stand still!
This is an incredibly beautiful parabola...
"Beep!!!"
The final whistle blew.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
108:106!!
Wei Guo hit a game-winning three-pointer against the Spurs, leading his team to victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
......
Match statistics:
Wei Guo: 46 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
Nash: 33 points, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks
Duncan: 41 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks
Ginobili: 27 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks
......
Wei Guo's stats weren't particularly impressive; in fact, they were the 9 rebounds and 9 assists that he found most unacceptable.
But...
Fans only remember that Wei Guo returned to the court after receiving treatment for more than ten minutes after his injury, scoring 17 points in a row, including a game-winning shot that led the Suns to a 19-point comeback.
Until the very last moment of the game!
Stoudemire, who had been hiding in the player tunnel, rushed onto the field and, together with his teammates, lifted Wei Guo up and tossed him into the air.
When Wei Guo returned to the field, Stoudemire was right behind him. However, because he had been ejected, Stoudemire could not return to the field. He could only hide in the players' tunnel. Although the angle was not good and he could not see the whole scene, he could still see every goal Wei Guo scored.
This is a great victory...
Stoudemire firmly believes that even without him, his teammates can still make it to the Finals, and then... he can continue to fight alongside Wei Ge.
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