Ah
A week later, the Celtics defeated the Pistons 4-2 to advance to the NBA Finals.
The feud between these two powerhouse clubs... it's time for a resolution this year.
Gentry's idea was simple: in their first Finals meeting, the Celtics swept the Lakers 4-0, and this year the Lakers swept the Celtics 4-0, bringing this rivalry to a perfect end.
The Celtics won't give up easily...
The previous generation of players managed to win a Game 7 against the Lakers, who had a Big Three, despite being underestimated by outsiders. This year's Lakers can't even be called a Big Three yet; only Wei Guo and Kobe can be considered Big Threes. Gasol and third-year Paul are not even worth considering by the Celtics' Big Three.
Limiting Wei Guo doesn't mean there's no chance of winning.
How awesome Chamberlain was...
Warriors, 76ers, Lakers – he's never won against the Celtics in the Finals many times. All he did was break all of Chamberlain's records in the league, with more impressive stats, greater talent, more well-rounded skills, more flashy moves, and more trades... that's all!
Don't overthink it!
If you think about it more, you'll realize that Chamberlain and Wei Guo are not even in the same league.
The Celtics' head coach was also giving the players a mental pep talk before the game, telling them to think more about the team's honors and the team's predecessors, and less about how difficult it would be to beat Wei Guo.
......
On June 5, 2008, the Celtics arrived in Los Angeles, and the NBA Finals officially began!
......
Starting lineup for this match:
Lakers: Paul, Kobe, Wei Guo, Bynum, Gasol
Celtics: Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins
......
The players didn't exchange any pleasantries before the game; once they entered the stadium, they started warming up seriously on the sidelines!
Gentry sat on the bench with a thermos in his hand, drawing a disdainful look from Celtics head coach Rivers. "Drinking hot water from a thermos on a hot day? He must be seriously ill!"
On the field...
Kobe and Wei Guo are going to have a three-point shooting contest, quick catch-and-shoot, and they've already made over twenty in a row. It seems like both of them are in great form tonight.
After Kobe and Weiguo finished warming up, Cummings took to the court and shot thirty three-pointers in a row, making all thirty... The Lakers have quite a few players who can shoot three-pointers. Vujacic and Walton both have good three-point shooting percentages, and there's also Paul... His mid-range shot is unstoppable, and his three-point shot isn't bad either!
Only the Lakers understand...
The team has organized seven three-point contests, with the same rules as the All-Star Game. Wei Guo won six championships and one runner-up. The only time he lost was to Cummings, who won one championship, three runner-up, and three third-place finishes. In other words, Cummings' worst result was third place.
A feel for the ball is also a talent; Cummings must have had exceptional skills to have been able to play for the national team for seven years.
......
Lakers legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerome West, and Shaquille O'Neal were all present at the game.
besides...
Many of Wei Guo's friends also came to the game, including Iverson, Nash, and Hill. Wei Guo's wife and Kobe's wife sat in the front row. The two didn't seem to have much in common, just exchanged simple greetings, and their attention was on the court.
Garnett and Weiguo stood in the center circle, ready for the jump ball.
If it weren't the Finals, Wei would let Bynum or Gasol jump ball; winning or losing the jump ball wouldn't matter, as long as the game was won. But in the Finals, you have to dominate your opponent in every aspect.
Standing in front of Wei Guo, Garnett suddenly said, "Before you entered the league, they called me a talent monster."
"You call this talent?"
Wei Guo complained.
"Beep!!!"
The whistle blew, and the game began.
Wei Guo lightly jumped and tipped the ball to Gasol. Paul walked over, took the basketball from Gasol, and dribbled it to the frontcourt... Wei Guo had analyzed that the strategy against the Celtics was to play a defensive game and minimize turnovers. The Lakers had speed and agility, giving them an advantage in defensive play compared to the Celtics.
Paul dribbles at the top of the key, directing his teammates to move.
Rondo and Ray Allen went up to defend, but Ray Allen focused half of his attention on Wei Guo... Wei Guo is the only player in the league with a field goal percentage of over 40% in any shooting area, and also the only player in the league with a field goal percentage of over 50% in any shooting area.
Bynum and Gasol positioned themselves in the low post to draw the defense.
Kobe and Wei Guo moved around the three-point line. Kobe used his body to block Pierce to ask for the ball. After receiving the pass from Paul, he put on a one-on-one posture to confuse his opponent!
Wei took the opportunity to seize...
Kobe jumped and slammed the ball toward Wei Guo.
Wei Guo received the pass and stepped to the basket. After gathering the ball, he faked a shot, fooling Perkins. After being pushed down by Perkins, Wei Guo dodged to the right, threw the basketball away, and shouted, "Holy shit!!!"
Although I don't understand what "wocao" means, the referees are very familiar with this interjection. Not only Wei Guo, but Yao Ming also often makes similar sounds, which means that a foul is about to be committed. If a foul is not called, they may then greet the referees with tomatoes.
"Beep!!!"
The referee called a defensive foul on Perkins!
"Fuck!"
Rivers cursed, "You treacherous villain!"
With Wei Guo's ability, he could have easily received the ball and dunked over Perkins, but Wei Guo just wouldn't... Not only did he not dunk, but he also tried to draw a foul by creating a time difference. Isn't that because the Celtics have too few players available? The Celtics have also made great sacrifices in order to form the Big Three.
The bench isn't deep enough...
If Perkins is plagued by foul trouble, the only player who can replace him is veteran PJ Brown, but this soon-to-retire veteran only averages 2 points and 3 rebounds per game.
Gentry laughed and said, "Wei is doing it on purpose... he wants Perkins to leave the game early. Wei is one of the league's top masters at drawing fouls."
"Of course, you have to talk about tactics when playing a game," Cummings agreed.
Wei Guo steps to the free-throw line...
Kobe and Paul both came over and gave him a high-five, knowing full well what was going on... Perkins was slow to react, and Wei Guo was deliberately drawing fouls to force Perkins off the court early.
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
Both free throws went in!
2-0!!!
The Lakers scored first.
......
The Celtics were on offense. Rondo drove and passed the ball to Pierce. Before Pierce could shoot, Kobe clung to him. Pierce held the ball close and tried to find space to attack by using his body to contest the shot.
Kobe was not intimidated at all...
The two were locked in a fierce battle. Ray Allen stood outside the three-point line yelling for Pierce to pass the ball, but Pierce refused... He started backing down Kobe, squeezed into the paint, blew the ball, turned, and laid it off!
Interfered with by Bynum...
No!
Gasol grabbed the defensive rebound, held the ball close to his body, and waited until the others started running up the court before passing the ball to Paul.
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