Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, 2004-05 season.
Suns vs. Spurs
With 2 minutes and 27 seconds remaining in the game, the Suns were down by 11 points.
......
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
During the suspension...
The entire Suns team surrounded Wei Guo. Cummings curiously poked Wei Guo's left elbow, and it seemed that he was really fine.
Wei Guo never wears protective gear when playing basketball, yet he rarely gets injured. Even if he occasionally twists his ankle, he recovers in two or three minutes. But this time, the injury was really serious, and many people were worried that Wei Guo would miss the rest of the season. But unexpectedly... in just over ten minutes, Wei Guo was back on the court.
Gentry didn't devise any tactics either.
With only two minutes left, passing the ball to Wei Guo is the best tactic. The rest of the team has only one task: to defend desperately and prevent the Spurs from scoring.
"Don't be afraid of fouls; the more aggressive you are, the more your opponents will be afraid."
"Keep it up, you guys are the best!"
These are the two sentences Gentry gave the players before they went on the field.
The Spurs are on offense...
Ginobili bypassed Joe Johnson, received a pass from Parker, and took a mid-range shot.
"bang~~~"
The ball hit the top edge of the rim.
Wei Guo grabbed the defensive rebound, dribbled behind his back to get past two defenders, and jumped to shoot when he was just one step away from the three-point line!
The audience all stood up...
"Whoosh!!!"
With everyone watching, the basketball swished through the net.
"Eek!!!"
The crowd cheered!
96:104!!
The Suns are only down by 8 points.
Two minutes left...
Bowen walked to the baseline to inbound the ball and passed it to Ginobili. This was Popovich's idea; the Spurs wanted to run down the clock and increase their scoring percentage.
We can no longer rely on defense...
Wei Guo has played four seasons in the league. Anyone who knows him knows that Wei Guo's shooting percentage is more accurate in situations like these. As long as he is given the opportunity, even if five people are double-teaming him, Wei Guo can still put that damn ball into the basket.
Wei Guo patted Richardson on the shoulder, "Go and double-team Manu with Johnson, don't let him waste time."
Wei Ge's words were like a royal decree. Richardson abandoned his defense against Bowen, forced himself to Ginobili's side, and stretched out his big hand to steal the ball. Ginobili dribbled and took a step back!
Joe Johnson and Richardson on the left and right!
The two combined to corner Ginobili... Sweat beaded on Ginobili's forehead. The referee wouldn't call this level of defensive intensity, but it was too difficult to shake off Joe Johnson and Richardson. He could only hold the ball tightly in his arms!
Richardson reached for the ball...
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle and called a jump ball!
"He nudged me with his elbow!"
Ginobili looked pained. "That was a foul!"
The referee ignored Ginobili, walked over, took the basketball, and his silent expression told Ginobili that the protest was invalid!
Wei Guo walked over and slapped Richardson's fat buttocks. "Well done, buddy!"
In terms of both height and jumping ability, Richardson was no less than Ginobili. Wei Guo confidently walked to the frontcourt, and when the basketball was tossed into the air, Richardson slapped the ball towards Wei Guo.
Wei Guo received the ball, flicked his wrist, and faked out Duncan.
"Whoosh!!!"
Another long-range three-pointer!
99:104!!
After Wei Guo returned, he scored 14 points in two minutes.
During this period of time...
The Spurs failed to score a single point.
With 1 minute and 39 seconds left in the game, the Suns are only down by 5 points!
......
Popovich called another timeout; he was furious.
The Suns aren't good at defense, but their kids played like a pile of dog shit, failing to score a single point in two minutes.
He gave the players a severe dressing-down... and then the timeout was over.
I just hope...
The Spurs managed to hold onto their narrow advantage and secure a victory.
He knew very well that even if Wei Guo returned, Stoudemire would be suspended and would beat Kimura Takeru badly. Even if Kimura Takeru was at fault first, as long as the league was put under a little pressure, Stoudemire would not be able to play in this series. Therefore, the result of this game was very important. As long as he could win, Popovich was confident that he could end this series in five games.
......
The Spurs are also a strong team.
The main reason for the two minutes without scoring was that Wei Guo's sudden return threw them off balance. After two timeouts, the players recovered.
Duncan and Ginobili executed a pass and cut!
Ginobili received a pass from Duncan and scored on a layup, ending the Spurs' scoring drought.
There's a saying in the league: "In good times, the sports car shines; in bad times, the Buddha is in a bad situation; in dire straits, the demon blade slays all demons." This perfectly describes the Spurs' GDP duo.
99:106!!
The Spurs finally scored, and Popovich breathed a sigh of relief.
......
The commentator said, "Time is running out for the Suns... Whether the strong comeback of Wei Guo can lead the team to a comeback depends on this minute."
......
Wei Guo was triple-teamed, while Nash was left wide open at the three-point line!
No need for Wei Guo's indication...
Nash decisively launched a three-pointer.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
102:106!!
The Suns are only down by 4 points.
Gentry laughed... Popovich cried...
It all depends on how the mastermind Gregg Popovich sets up his tactics. If he dares to leave Nash completely open, Nash's three-pointers can be deadly.
immediately...
Parker lost the ball, and Richardson dove to the ground and grabbed it.
Wei Guo followed up to ask for the ball, but Bowen and Ginobili sandwiched him. Parker tried to take the ball from Richardson's arms, but was called for a foul by the referee.
The Suns have not yet committed enough fouls and have enough free throws... They're inbounding the ball!
Another triple-team!
Shorting Nash again!
Nash received the ball and took another open three-pointer.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
105:106!!
With 27 seconds left in the game, the Suns were down by one point.
......
"San Antonio Spurs request a timeout!"
......
The commentators seemed to be deliberately stirring up trouble, adding the city name before the team's name.
Popovich only has one last timeout opportunity.
This timeout is crucial. It's uncertain whether Gentry will call a timeout, so Popovich needs to devise not only offensive and defensive strategies but also defensive tactics.
"Blah blah blah..."
After a detailed explanation of the tactics, there was very little time left in the timeout.
Popovich paused for 3.6 seconds, then emphasized again: "If the offense doesn't work, focus on defense and never foul easily!"
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