At halftime, the Jazz trailed by 13 points.
Stockton quietly left...
Having played in professional leagues for over twenty years, how could Stockton not see that the Lakers had complete control of the game and the Jazz had no hope of winning? He invited Gentry and Cummings to dinner that night, treating them to a late-night snack... If the fans saw him leaving with Gentry, they would burn his jersey.
If we don't leave now... when will we ever get another chance?
Let's order food early. If the game ends early, we can play a couple of rounds of Guandan before eating.
......
The atmosphere in the home team's locker room was somber.
Boozer's face clearly showed his disappointment. He sighed and said, "I've never been afraid of any center, but I really can't defend Wei Guo in the low post."
"This isn't your fault..."
Sloan comforted him, "Looking at the entire league, even if Chamberlain were reborn, it would be difficult for him to contain Wei Guo in a low position."
"Fortunately, he retired after the finals, otherwise I would have wanted to retire early. Just thinking about having to face off against Wei Guo twice every season makes my heart tremble."
Boozer resigned himself to his fate. In the first round, he held his own against Yao Ming, but he was completely outmatched by Wei Guo.
Harpring could see that Boozer was in terrible form... He was terrified of Wei Guo, but the Jazz couldn't give up so easily. Harpring gritted his teeth, stood up, and said, "I'll guard Wei Guo in the second half!"
"you?!"
Sloan looked at Halprin, his eyes full of praise, "I believe in you!"
Given the Jazz's situation, anyone who dares to stand up and say they're defending the nation is a hero of the team, and that determination is stronger than anything else!
......
Halftime is over, the game continues!
A small number of audience members have already left...
The Jazz's fate was sealed; the second half was going to be a massacre. Unable to bear watching the bloodshed, I chose to leave early.
Halprin is still on the field!
Besides him, the other four were all starters for the Jazz in this game. Brewer only played 7 minutes in the first quarter and did not play again after being replaced by Harpring. In this kind of tough game, the veterans have to come... The Nets of that year played very well in the regular season, but were invincible in the playoffs.
Why?
There are so many veterans... Mourning, Stockton, Hill... These guys saved up their energy during the regular season and are saving it for the playoffs!
Jazz on offense!
Deron Williams passed the ball to Boozer, cut around the baseline to the basket, received the pass from Boozer, and took a step and jumped.
"Bang!!!"
Gasol couldn't react in time...and was dunked on by Deron Williams.
"This kid... he's gone too far!"
Gentry clenched his fist and roared, "Go up the intensity! Let's teach this kid a lesson!"
The Jazz were already out of contention, and the Lakers' defense loosened up a bit. At that moment... Deron Williams actually dunked over Pau Gasol, which would be unbearable for anyone.
Lakers on offense!
Kobe cut to the basket, received a pass from Wei Guo, and jumped over Okur. Okur, who is 2.1 meters tall, is not so easy to dunk on, unless it is Kobe.
"Bang!!!"
Kobe dunked on Okur.
Fighting dunks with dunks – that's the Lakers' style!
This alliance...
The Lakers are allowed to bully others, but not others are allowed to bully the Lakers.
64:51!!
The Lakers are now leading by 13 points.
During halftime, Wei Guo made a bet with his teammates... who would defend him in the second half. Some said Okur, some said Boozer, and a few outrageous people said Deron, but only Wei Guo said Harprin!
As for the reason...
Wei Guo did not explain, but simply asked who was willing to make a bet with him.
......
The Jazz's two attacks failed, and Wei Guo needs to get into position in the low post!
Boozer retreated to the outside...
Halprin's chest pressed against Wei Guo's back, his right hand raised high and his left hand outstretched... This posture was somewhat ambiguous, but it was the best way to defend Wei Guo.
"Really? The guy who plays single-defense is Harprin."
"I don't understand..."
"How could they let Harprin defend Guo alone? With that mismatch, Wei Ge could just turn around and dunk!"
"Is this a sign of surrender...?"
"No one has gone to surround them yet; Bozer and Oku are really hiding far away."
Those who spoke out all lost a thousand dollars to Wei Guo because they participated in the bet. At the moment when Harprin stood up to Wei Guo under the basket, Wei Guo had already won.
Gentry suddenly laughed... a strange laugh!
Cummings noticed this expression and asked, "Old Jin, what are you laughing at?"
"I understand Brother Wei now..."
Gentry explained:
"Why was Wei Ge so certain that Harpring would be marking him in the second half? Because Boozer and Okur had lost confidence... They didn't even have the courage to stand next to Wei Ge anymore."
Only veterans can step up at times like this! Have you seen the movie I recommended before? It's the Chinese film about football...
There's a classic line in it, "I don't know if I can hold on," and now I want to say that to Halprin, wondering if he can hold on.
Harpring is not Ben Wallace, not Tim Duncan, and not Shaquille O'Neal!
He just has a tough playing style...
He couldn't stop Wei Guo with just his belief. Wei Guo didn't use his body to fight him either. He turned around and faked a shot, then turned around and shot a fadeaway jumper!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
66:51!!
The Lakers lead by 15 points.
......
tNt live stream room.
Johnson: "Weiguo didn't physically overpower Harpring; he was letting him win."
Barkley said, "Using physicality can easily drive your opponent to despair..."
Johnson: "The game is over. Neither Okur nor Boozer, those two big men, dare to defend Guo."
Barkley: "Times have changed... In our day, we wouldn't back down even if we were beaten to death."
......
Halprin may have courage, but that doesn't mean he could defend against Wei Guo!
Without using the body...
This was the last bit of face Wei Guo left for his former teammates.
As the game progressed, more and more fans left, many of them grumbling and cursing, clearly frustrated by the team's poor performance.
The Jazz finally gave up!
With three minutes left in the third quarter, Sloan substituted all the starters, including Harprin... Although he couldn't stop Wei Guo and allowed him to score eight points under the basket, Sloan still praised the veteran.
The atmosphere at the scene was very somber!
Everyone knows... this series is over.
......
In the last quarter, there were only a few official timeouts; Sloan didn't call another timeout, and Gentry certainly didn't.
"Beep!!!"
The whistle blew, and the game ended.
129:91!!
The Lakers defeated the Jazz by 38 points on the road, taking a 3-0 lead in the series.
......
Match statistics:
Wei Guo: 37 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Kobe: 33 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Harpring: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks
Boozer: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
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