There were only 4 minutes and 27 seconds left in the first quarter.
17:19!!
The intense defense kept both teams from scoring high, but the 76ers started to close the gap after Wei Guo hit a three-pointer.
Jordan was resting after two seasons away from the court. At 38, he was no longer young. He might still be able to score 30+ or 40+ points in a single game, but his stamina was no longer sufficient for him to play the entire game.
Wizards head coach Collins came up with a surprising idea: he brought Kwame Brown off the bench to defend Weiguo.
Both are this year's rookies...
The difference is that Kwame was the number one draft pick, while Weiguo was a second-round pick, and was selected by the 76ers in the last round. One before the other... Kwame will defend Weiguo very seriously. Which NBA player isn't arrogant? Kwame can't accept being dominated by Weiguo.
The Wizards are on offense.
Kwame received a pass from his teammate in the mid-range, but his shot was interfered with by Jabari!
"bang~~~"
The ball bounced off the rim, and Mutombo grabbed the defensive rebound!
Wei Guo dribbles the ball up the court...
When defending, Kwame gave Wei Guo a step of space. Seeing this, Collins didn't say anything... Perhaps Kwame was confident that with his height, even if he gave Wei Guo a step of space, he could still interfere with Wei Guo's shot.
Number one draft pick vs. number one draft pick!!!
The audience all stood up. This was the Wizards' home court. Although Wei Guo scored 50+ points in the last game, they still hoped that Kwamenon could stop Wei Guo!
Jordan shook the towel off his head...
He hoped Kwame could stop Wei Guo. If Kwame couldn't even stop a last-place pick, wouldn't that prove his judgment of people was wrong?
"You're the top scorer..."
Wei Guo rubbed his teeth and said, "He earns more than three million more than me in a year."
Do rich kids not like money? We're both rookies... so why does Kwame earn more than me?
"This is what I deserve!"
Kwame replied to Wei Guo.
Wei Guo was very unhappy... Facing Kwame's defense, Wei Guo first dribbled between his legs, then flicked his right shoulder, and the basketball returned to Wei Guo's left hand!
Kwame has lost his defensive focus...
Wei Guo certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass. With another flick of his left shoulder, he performed another front-to-back change of direction, causing Kua Mei to stumble and fall to the ground!
"Whoosh!!!"
Wei Guo dribbled past Kwame, stretched out his long arm, and put the ball into the basket!
"Hi..."
The home crowd shook their heads, their faces filled with disappointment!
Both are tall, yet one top draft pick was actually outmaneuvered by the last draft pick!
19:19!!
The 76ers tied the score!
......
The 76ers' bench erupted!
"Awesome, bro~~~"
These were all people who enjoyed watching the excitement and making things worse. Iverson even disregarded his knee injury and twisted his knee on the sidelines!
......
Collins said to Jordan, "A 2.16-meter tall guy with guard skills is really hard to defend!"
Kwame Brown was Jordan's handpicked number one draft pick!
Even as the team's head coach, Collins dared not complain about Jordan. Putting aside the fact that Jordan is the god of basketball, the fact that he is a minority owner of the Wizards is something Collins cannot complain about.
The Wizards missed their shot!
White grabbed the rebound and passed it to Hamilton, who made a mid-range shot!
19:21!!
With 3 minutes and 49 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Wei Guo's scoring spree began...
First, a three-pointer from close range...
Then, Wei Guo used a crossover dribble to shake off Kwame, drove to the basket, and facing two Wizards big men, fired a powerful shot into the hoop...
Offense and defense transition, Wei Guo scores with a dunk...
In three minutes, Kwame failed to score a single point against Wei Guo, while Wei Guo scored 13 consecutive points.
33:25!!
The 76ers entered the second quarter with an 8-point lead.
......
Wei Guo played the entire first quarter, scoring 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting!
Under Kwame's defense, Wei Guo made all eight of his shots, and Kwame had no way to stop Wei Guo from scoring.
"His 50+ point performance in the last game was no accident!"
Collins thought to himself, "Wei Guo has the ability to win the scoring title!"
One Iverson...
Now we have another one defending the country...
The 76ers are even stronger than last season!
"Don't cry!"
Jordan glared at Kwame and said, "A big man with athleticism and a consistent shot is indeed difficult to defend, but Weiguo's weaknesses are also obvious. He is afraid of physical contact... and he doesn't have footwork under the basket. If you keep putting physical contact on him, Weiguo will make mistakes."
As expected of the God of Basketball, he saw through Wei Guo's weaknesses in just one quarter.
......
"Isn't doing this a bit excessive?"
When Wei Guo saw Kwame sitting on the bench wiping away tears, he felt guilty.
"Excessive?!"
Iverson's expression was exaggerated. "Bro, making your opponent cry on the court is a really cool thing, okay?"
"Is that so?"
"Yes!"
Mutombo scratched his head, "Kwame was completely shut down by Wei Guo... Actually, you can't entirely blame Kwame for those last three minutes. Wei Guo was so accurate, and his teammates didn't come up to help defend!"
......
Wei Guo returned to the court six minutes into the second quarter!
The Wizards changed their defensive strategy, and regardless of whether Wei Guo was a rookie, they began to double-team him without restraint, treating him like a superstar.
Meanwhile, the Wizards, led by Jordan, began to close the gap!
51:56!!
The first half ended with the Wizards leading by 5 points!
Jordan was on fire, scoring 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting in the second quarter, while Wei Guo's performance in the second quarter was mediocre, scoring only three points on 1-of-7 shooting.
First half statistics...
Jordan: 32 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Wei Guo: 26 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
"God!"
"God!"
"God!"
The Wizards' home arena erupted. It's hard to believe that a 38-year-old scored 32 points in the first half, and that a rookie brought out the best in Jordan.
......
Away game locker room.
Brown said, "Being down by 5 points is not a problem; the second half is the key to the game!"
"Weiguo, that ball in the second quarter..."
Jabari was annoyed. "You already had a shooting opportunity, you shouldn't have passed the ball to me!"
"Wei Guo made the right choice!"
Brown said, "It's a tactical play. It's not your fault if you miss. Nobody can guarantee that every open shot will go in."
Iverson said, "I just hope that when the game gets to the crucial moments, Weiguo doesn't choose to pass the ball."
"Passing the ball at a crucial moment?"
Wei Guo put on a stern face, "Am I the kind of person who shifts blame to my teammates?"
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Despite being down by 5 points, the atmosphere in the locker room was still very good.
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