Wei Guo taught Stoudemire many techniques for defending O'Neal.
I still remember how excited I was when I first drew the 'Shaquille O'Neal card'. But as I drew more and more cards and my skills became more and more comprehensive, I rarely use O'Neal's offensive tactics on the court now. But that doesn't mean I've forgotten those skills.
It can be said that...
Wei Guo knows O'Neal better than O'Neal does.
Before the Finals began, Wei Guo pulled Stoudemire aside for two days of individual training. He simply imitated O'Neal's offense, and Stoudemire suffered greatly.
This also made Stoudemire disheartened, feeling that the gap between him and O'Neal was too big, which led to the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy in the last game. Just yesterday, Gentry suddenly told Stoudemire a secret: when Wei Guo practiced on him, he was imitating O'Neal in his prime. Now O'Neal only has 70% of his former strength.
It's normal that you can't defend Wei Guo, but it's not a problem to defend O'Neal with all your might.
......
Five minutes into the first quarter, the first official timeout was called.
In basketball games, there are many timeouts. Not only do players and head coaches call timeouts, but there are also official timeouts at certain times. These timeouts serve a significant purpose: they allow commercial breaks to be inserted during live television broadcasts.
15:13!!
The Suns lead by 2 points.
O'Neal was in excellent form tonight. In the first five minutes, he had already scored 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block, showing signs of returning to his peak form.
Suns' bench!
Stoudemire asked, "Old Kim...didn't you say O'Neal was only 70% of Wesley's ability?"
"yes!"
Gentry glanced at the stat sheet. "You made two great defensive plays just now. If it were Wei, you wouldn't have been able to stop a single ball."
The game was played at a very fast pace.
The two teams had already gone back and forth 17 times in five minutes, with each attack lasting less than 9 seconds on average.
These 17 round trips...
O'Neal took a total of 5 shots, making 2 of them, and scored 7 points including free throws.
Stoudemire also picked up two fouls, so he couldn't play the whole first quarter. In the last few minutes, Marion would have to be brought in to defend him, or substitute player Lampe would have to come on and foul O'Neal. In any case, Stoudemire only agreed not to use the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy anymore, but the other players did not agree.
Of course... that's a last resort!
The Suns aren't really pushed to that point. If O'Neal were to dominate the game, the player guarding him would be Wei Guo.
Playing Wei Guo at position 3 is the best choice...
The current Heat's star player is Dwyane Wade. Let's assume that the Heat win the championship this year, then Wade will most likely be the Finals MVP.
......
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
Stoudemire sat back on the bench...
O'Neal even gave Stoudemire a few provocative looks, which infuriated Stoudemire, who wished he could immediately go on the court and give O'Neal a good whack. O'Neal made 3 of 4 free throws, a 75% success rate, which seemed unreal... Stoudemire believed that it wouldn't be long before O'Neal's free throw shooting returned to normal.
The Suns are on offense.
Wei Guo has the ball and goes one-on-one against Wade.
McGrady often used a crossover dribble to get past Wade, followed by a pull-up jumper.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
but...
McGrady's shooting percentage wasn't that high.
17:13!!
The Suns are leading by 4 points.
Van Gundy sighed, "A 2.16-meter tall guy who can jump high and is good at shooting... he's really too difficult to defend."
Mourning has entered the game!
Miller is on the court!
Next, the player primarily defending Wei Guo is Mourning, with O'Neal and Wade providing help defense... This is Van Gundy's defensive strategy. When Wei Guo is one-on-one against Mourning, if he drives to the basket, O'Neal will provide help defense; if he retreats to the three-point line, Wade will provide help defense.
That's exactly what the Heat did in one of the Finals games.
The effect is very good...
Although Wei Guo scored a high number of points, he did so with all his might. Ultimately, the Heat won the game, proving that Van Gundy's tactics were successful.
The Heat are on offense.
O'Neal cut to the basket, received a pass from Kidd, and found Marion alone under the basket. O'Neal took a step and bumped into Marion.
Marion lost his footing and fell off the field.
"Beep!!!"
The referee's whistle blew.
The referee, with his left palm facing right and his right fist clenched and aimed at his left palm, shouted, "Charging!"
"Charging?!"
O'Neal jumped up and shouted, "Where did I charge someone with the ball?"
The difference between a charging foul and a blocking foul lies in whether the defensive player has positioned themselves in advance or obstructed the offensive player's path of attack. More importantly, it depends on whether the player makes any unnecessary movements with their hands or body.
Marion is in position...
When O'Neal cut to the basket, there was a noticeable elbow support motion.
The referee's call was correct, so he ignored O'Neal and simply let the Suns inbound the ball.
Pressuring the referees was useless... O'Neal ran back to the backcourt dejectedly. Times have changed. In O'Neal's era, he could enjoy star refereeing, but now the league belongs to Wei Guo. Star refereeing is only for Wei Guo, although Wei Guo doesn't need star refereeing at all.
The Suns are on offense.
Wei Guo made a cut around the baseline, drawing the opponent's defensive attention, and Nash unleashed a long-range shot, taking a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
20:13!!
The Suns lead by 7 points.
After the timeout, the Suns scored two consecutive baskets, which was not good... Van Gundy pondered for a moment and called a timeout.
......
"Heat calls a timeout!"
......
Van Gundy called an emergency timeout. In the previous game, the Heat were down by 10 points in the first quarter and ultimately couldn't hold on until the third quarter.
Holding a tactical board in his hand...
Van Gundy patiently laid out an offensive tactic for the players.
Let's pause and come back.
Kidd is holding the ball near the three-point line, and Nash is pressing him... This kind of ball-handling situation is prone to turnovers, and even players in lower leagues know that they must press him in this situation.
Kidd hadn't intended to collect the ball; it was just a second before he was about to pass that Miller wasn't in position, forcing him to retrieve it.
Seeing that a mistake was about to occur, Van Gundy was sweating profusely. His tactical setup had been rendered useless... Miller was also a veteran, so why didn't he follow the tactical positioning he had laid out?
Fortunately...
Wade circled behind Kidd, took the ball from Kidd's hands, and the 24-second shot clock was about to expire. Joe Johnson pounced on him, and Wade took a big fadeaway jumper and shot.
The basketball traced a high parabola in the air!
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