While New York was still celebrating, Wei Guo had quietly left.
To accomplish one's task and then leave without a trace, concealing one's merits and fame... This was the style of doing things in the State of Wei.
He not only left the city with a championship trophy, but also a house... Shortly after the Finals, Wei Guo bought a house in New York where he had lived for a year, and it appeared at auction.
This event was publicized beforehand...
Wei Guo underestimated the fervor of New York fans. As expected of the largest city in the United States, there are plenty of fans who are foolish and rich.
Wei Guo spent 70 million to buy this villa. The starting price of this villa at the auction house was 50 million, and each bid could not be less than 1 million. In the end, it was bought by a female fan for 930 million, a tenfold increase. Even real estate speculators could not earn this price difference.
......
In the 2006-07 season, Wei Guo brought Gentry and Cummings to the Portland Trail Blazers.
When the mysterious Chinese tycoon bought the team, it caused an uproar. Nobody believed that Wei Guo would continue to challenge himself.
Although they acquired Aldridge with the first overall pick, the team finished last in the Western Conference last season. Moreover, after Wei Guo joined the Trail Blazers, the team did not make any major trades and basically maintained the original roster from last season, only adding the number one pick Aldridge, five-time champion Cummings, and the league's best player Wei Guo.
Having played in the league for almost six years, Wei Guo is considered a veteran. After joining the Trail Blazers, many of his teammates have been in the league for even less time than him.
Previously, he was considered the leader of the team based on his skills; now, he's considered the leader based on his seniority... However, the young players on the Trail Blazers are all very talented. Wei Guo likes talented young players because they can be developed. Although every player has a ceiling, Wei Guo has his own player cards and knows where these players' ceilings are.
With a little training, the time it takes them to reach the peak of their careers can be shortened.
Take this team for example. Zach Randolph, Brandon Roy, and LaMarcus Aldridge are all very talented young players who have made rapid progress under Wei Guo's guidance. Zach Randolph, in particular, has almost become a dominant force in the paint. In return, they have also provided a lot of help to Wei Guo.
at least...
In the 2006-07 season, Wei Guo did not have such a difficult time.
After the regular season ended, the Trail Blazers had a record of 69 wins and 13 losses, ranking first in the Western Conference.
Here are some statistics from the Weiguo regular season:
Starting lineup: 82
Time: 43.3
Score: 53.1
Rebounds: 21.7
Assists: 12.6
Steals: 3.1
Blocks: 5.7
Another season where he won five individual titles, Wei Guo's presence left all the players in the league in despair.
Nowitzki had the best season of his career, averaging 25 points and 9 rebounds per game, leading the Mavericks to a record 68 wins. Nowitzki should have been the regular season MVP, but with Wei Guo on the team... Nowitzki's statistics were far behind Wei Guo's in every aspect, and even his team's record was inferior.
Therefore... the regular season MVP is still Wei Guo.
Nowitzki didn't cry!
Like Duncan, Garnett, and Nash, these three also had their MVP award stolen by Wei Guo, and they didn't cry. So why should Nowitzki cry? Fortunately, Nowitzki made it into the All-NBA Team, joining Nash, Kobe, Duncan, and Wei Guo.
Needless to say, the regular season honors were all swept by Wei Guo again!
Let's talk about the playoffs.
The top eight teams in the Western Conference this year are the Trail Blazers, Mavericks, Suns, Spurs, Rockets, Jazz, Nuggets, and Lakers.
therefore...
The Trail Blazers' playoff bracket has been released.
In the first round, they will face the Lakers; in the second round, they will face the winner of the Spurs vs. Rockets matchup; in the Western Conference Finals, they will face the winner of the Mavericks vs. Suns matchup (the Jazz and Nuggets are unlikely to be opponents of these two teams, and the probability of a "black seven" upset is very low); it's hard to say who their opponent will be in the finals.
......
In the first round of the playoffs, they will face the Lakers, who are ranked eighth in the Western Conference.
Since Shaquille O'Neal left the team, the Lakers' roster has remained largely unchanged. Without any superstars joining, they are still relying on Kobe Bryant to carry the team.
Fortunately...
The team has been continuously strengthening its squad, and in recent years it has successively added some players with good abilities.
Odom and Kwame Brown joined the Lakers around this time, and the team signed two good players, Bynum and Farmar, through the draft. Smush Parker also improved, finally helping the Lakers make it to the playoffs.
They'll face the formidable Trail Blazers in the first round!
First round playoff starting lineups:
Trail Blazers: Jarrett Jack, Roy, Randolph, Aldridge, Weiguo
Lakers: Farmar, Kobe, Walton, Odom, Kwame Brown
Kwame Brown and Wei Guo entered the league in the same year, one being the number one draft pick and the other the last pick. However, their status in the league is now vastly different. Nevertheless, Kwame Brown is still grateful to Wei Guo, who helped him shed the label of the worst number one draft pick. In 2006, when Bogut was drafted from the Manor, he was dunked on by Wei Guo three times in a row in a game against the Trail Blazers. From then on, Bogut lost his confidence in basketball.
Bogut already has psychological trauma...
Whenever a player jumps to dunk, Bogut always feels like that person is going to fly over his head, and he instinctively covers his head to avoid it. The team spent a lot of money to hire a psychologist for Bogut, but it didn't help much. The doctor's advice was to let Bogut change his environment and stop playing basketball.
Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, at the Trail Blazers' home court.
The Trail Blazers' strength lies in their interior defense. With O'Neal and Kwame Brown, they can't defend Wei Guo, let alone Randolph!
Gentry's tactics were clear... I'll attack wherever you're weak.
The Trail Blazers' inside offense relied heavily on Randolph and Aldridge's low-post isolation plays. Before Wei Guo could even make an impact, the Trail Blazers had already built a double-digit lead... The Lakers' strongest point is Kobe, and if that point is given to Wei Guo, Kobe basically won't have a chance to shine. To win, they'll have to rely on the role players.
The Zen Master was well aware of this, and the pre-game tactics he devised also included making Odom the team's main scoring threat.
but...
Randolph is a tough guy, and with Aldridge's help defense, it was difficult for Odom to perform. With two scoring options shut down, Kobe couldn't contain Weiguo either. Plus, the Trail Blazers had Roy on the perimeter, who was also a strong scoring option. The Lakers suffered a crushing defeat in the first game.
116:86!!
The Lakers lost by 30 points in the first game.
Three Trail Blazers players scored 20+ points: Wei Guo with 37 points, Randolph with 29 points, and Roy with 21 points. On the other hand, for the Lakers, Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 23 points on 11-of-27 shooting.
besides...
Wei Guo also added 17 rebounds and 13 assists, easily achieving a triple-double.
Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs, at the Trail Blazers' home court.
At the start of the game, Parker and Walton made consecutive shots, and the Lakers' offense was open from every angle. Kwame Brown was also able to score in the paint, grabbing 5 rebounds in the first quarter.
The Trail Blazers were once behind...
Starting in the third quarter, Wei Guo began to take over the team's offense, constantly drawing fouls under the basket. This caused Kwame Brown a lot of trouble, as he picked up three fouls in less than five minutes. On another occasion, when Wei Guo made a layup, Kwame Brown turned his body to block Wei Guo and was knocked away by Wei Guo, resulting in a blocking foul.
With Kwame Brown off the court, the Lakers' interior defense is even weaker.
The Trail Blazers quickly caught up and extended their lead. No team with a superstar scorer wants to face Wei Guo. Wei Guo loves to nod off superstar scorers; he is a nightmare for them.
This alliance...
No player has ever scored more than 30 points and maintained a shooting percentage of over 50% after being called upon.
Some players have scored high points against Wei Guo, but the one guarding him was definitely not Wei Guo. For example, Duncan scored his career-high points against the Suns, but in that game, Wei Guo was focused on scoring and didn't even bother to defend.
By the fourth quarter, the Lakers had no chance to turn the tide.
107:91!!
The Trail Blazers defeated the Lakers again, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.
There is a significant gap in strength between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers. If the Lakers can steal one or two wins in this series, that would be considered a victory. Nobody thinks the Lakers can beat the Trail Blazers.
Back to home ground.
The Lakers still failed to win a game and were ultimately swept 4-0.
Kobe is almost used to it. Ever since Shaq was traded, the Lakers have been hovering on the edge of the playoffs. Even when they occasionally make it to the playoffs, they are eliminated in the first round. The team must strengthen its roster!
I remember in the summer of 2005, Kobe invited Gasol, Artest, and Iverson to a small gathering. The four of them discussed forming a team to compete for the championship. However, the Heat were defeated by the Suns that year, which was a cold shower for them.
Players cannot interfere with the team's management, even if they are league superstars, unless they buy the team outright like Wei Guo did, so the matter was left unresolved.
......
After the first round of the competition, Kobe invited Wei Guo to his home.
Britney had a concert in Los Angeles the day after the game, so Wei Guo stayed in Los Angeles for a day while the rest of the Trail Blazers players flew back to Portland to prepare for the Western Conference semifinals.
That night in Los Angeles...
Kobe prepared authentic Inner Mongolian lamb and grassland white meat for Weiguo. The copper stove was filled with charcoal, and a steaming hot pot was ready.
The weather in May gradually gets warmer.
The air conditioning was on full blast inside, and eating hot pot and singing songs had a unique charm. Wei Guo hadn't had authentic hometown lamb in a long time, so he couldn't help but drink a few more glasses. Kobe complained that he had had a very difficult few seasons.
How difficult is it to lead a team to victory on your own?
Wei Guo is the most qualified to speak on this. Last season was... Wei Guo dragged the Knicks all the way to the Finals and finally won the championship. Wei Guo doesn't even want to recall that season. In 82 regular season games, Wei Guo had 2 quintuple-doubles, 7 quadruple-doubles, and 59 triple-doubles. You can see how difficult that was from the data.
"Maybe..."
Kobe took a big gulp of liquor and said, "I'm out of the running for the championship."
How disheartening this statement is! Kobe only won one championship. Back then, the league was dominated by Shaq, and Kobe could only be considered the Lakers' second option. If it weren't for Wei Guo's emergence, Kobe and Shaq might have won two or three more championships together.
"Are you that hungry for the championship?"
Don't you yearn for it?
"It doesn't matter..."
"You already have five championship rings, so you can certainly say that."
"Isn't this something anyone can do?"
Wei Guo raised an eyebrow and made a joke.
"Hahaha..."
Kobe laughed and said, "This X, I give you full marks."
This is Wei Guo's sixth season in the professional league, and also his penultimate season. Wei Guo didn't hide it from Kobe, saying, "I'll retire next summer and give this league back to you guys."
Are you really going to retire?
Kobe couldn't tell whether he was excited or disappointed. "With your form, you could play for another 10 years or so."
Wei Guo said, "Life is only a few decades long, and youth is even shorter... I've won all the honors I could. It's important to challenge myself in other fields. After retiring... maybe I'll go back to playing football?"
"I also like playing football. How about we have a match right now?"
"Let's do it another day..."
"oh..."
Kobe nodded and continued, "You said years ago that you would retire in the summer of 2008. I always thought you were joking. Now that you've said it to my face, I have mixed feelings. You suddenly entered the league and defeated everyone... and now you're leaving quietly, not giving anyone a chance to defeat you."
I gave you a chance, but you were useless...
Wei Guo kept these words to himself. Kobe had just lost the game and was in a bad mood. It would be inappropriate to make such a joke, especially since Kobe had prepared such a lavish hot pot for him.
......
"Glug...glug...glug..."
......
The hot pot was bubbling, and after a moment of silence, Kobe said, "Let's eat. I practiced how to use chopsticks specifically to treat you to this hot pot meal."
Hot pot is so delicious, why don't people in the US eat it?
So what if he doesn't know how to use chopsticks...
Just like a certain large country that prefers to eat with their hands, thinking that no utensil is as convenient as their hands, hot pot is the perfect solution to this dissatisfaction.
If you win the championship this year, which team will you join next year?
Kobe picked up a piece of mutton with his chopsticks, dipped it in sesame sauce, and put it in his mouth, casually asking a question.
Wei Guo smiled and said, "Lakers...would you like to join us?"
"You're not kidding?"
"No joke!"
Wei Guo's expression was very serious. Kobe didn't know whether to be surprised or happy. If Wei Guo really came to the Lakers, he would definitely be able to get a second championship ring, still as the second option.
Wei Guo said, "These past two seasons have been a bit tiring... In my last season, I want to play more easily."
"If you join the Lakers, you won't cut me, will you?"
Kobe tentatively asked if it was possible for him to do the same thing to Wei Guo when the Knicks waived their star player Marbury after Wei Guo joined the team last year.
"That's why I was thinking of joining the Lakers – I wanted to team up with you."
Wei Guo continued, "I've also thought of two other players, and I'll try to bring them to the team this summer."
Kobe asked, "Which two people?"
Wei Guo said, "Pau Gasol of the Grizzlies, and Chris Paul of the Hornets."
......
Two days later, the league broke the news that a mysterious Chinese tycoon had bought the Los Angeles Lakers.
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