Fisher's mistake seemed to be the beginning of a nightmare for the Lakers.
Then...
Kobe missed a shot against Wei Guo, Yao Ming grabbed the defensive rebound, Francis had the ball and passed it to Wei Guo while moving.
Wei Guo takes a three-point shot.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went through the net cleanly.
then...
The Lakers made a mistake in their play, and Wei Guo stole the ball and dribbled it to the frontcourt, shooting from two steps away from the three-point line.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball swished through the net once again.
Immediately afterwards...
Kobe passed the ball to Horry, whose shot was blocked by Wei Guo. Francis then passed the ball to Wei Guo, who dribbled past three players and pulled up for a jump shot near the free-throw line!
"Whoosh!!!"
That voice was like a sharp sword, piercing the heart of the Lakers.
63:53!!
The Rockets scored 10 points in the first three minutes, forcing a timeout.
......
"Pause! Pause! Pause!"
The Zen Master immediately signaled the referee to stop the game. If they let the pace continue, the Lakers would surrender before the fourth quarter.
"Careless dribbling, haphazard shooting... Is this how you play the game?"
"This is only the second round of the playoffs. At the beginning of the season, weren't they all shouting that they wanted to win the championship?"
"If you don't want to fight, then get out of here! I'm surrendering to Gentry right now, let's end this match as soon as possible!"
The Zen Master was unusually furious, and he even sprayed saliva on the players' faces while speaking. However, his words made the players feel guilty and lower their heads. They had indeed played very poorly in those three minutes!
After the Zen Master finished speaking, Kobe looked up and said, "Coach, I want to win!"
"If you want to win, then show me a winning attitude."
The Zen Master looked at all the players and said, "I'm not just talking about Kobe, I'm talking about all of you."
The Rockets' bench.
Wei Guo said, "After the timeout, the Lakers will launch a counterattack. As long as we can suppress this counterattack, or even just maintain this score advantage, we will win this game!"
What should we do?
Francis and the others looked at Wei Guo, even Gentry looked serious.
Wei Guo said, "The full-court press will put pressure on them. We need to defend their most competitive player. If O'Neal has the ball, Lao Mao, you go help Yao Ming on defense. Don't worry about fouls!"
"I understand, Brother Wei."
Mobley nodded.
Wei Guo simply told Mobley not to worry about fouling; the real meaning was self-evident.
Mobley has only committed one foul so far, making him the Rockets' starting player with the fewest fouls, while Yao Ming has already accumulated three fouls. He will definitely have some concerns when defending O'Neal.
........
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
Francis stayed in the backfield, and as soon as Fisher received the ball, Francis pressed forward to intercept it.
Are you a mad dog?
Fisher cursed and nearly lost his dribble.
Fortunately, Horry caught up in time after taking the baseline pass and received Fisher's pass. However, before Horry could get a firm grip on the ball, Thomas suddenly slapped it away from Horry's hands.
The Rockets' regular starting lineup consists of five players: Francis, Mobley, Wei Guo, Thomas, and Yao Ming.
Thomas is a power forward, and although he doesn't have a high profile, he's still a decent player.
actually...
The Rockets' previous owner considered trading away Francis, Mobley, and Thomas mid-season... but before he could make a move, the team was acquired by a mysterious Chinese billionaire.
This mysterious Chinese tycoon also wields considerable influence in the United States. When he proposed to acquire the Rockets, the former owner didn't dare to refuse at all.
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew his whistle and called a defensive foul on Thomas.
"Did I commit a foul?"
Thomas ran up to the referee and exclaimed, "What a clean steal!"
“I saw you hit Horry’s wrist.”
"I missed!"
"You hit it..."
"I missed!"
"you..."
When Thomas pressured the referee, Wei Guo pulled him away and secretly patted Thomas's butt, saying, "Well done, little guy!"
This is the effect that Wei Guo wanted.
Thomas committed a foul while stealing the ball, and the referee's call wasn't too problematic. However, this defensive attitude can intimidate opponents, and Thomas's pressure on the referee was also a show for the Lakers players.
The Zen master crossed his arms over his chest!
The Rockets are leading the series 3-1, but their role players are playing better defensively than the Lakers' role players.
........
The Lakers inbounded the ball, and it finally landed in Kobe's hands.
Wei Guo's defense put too much pressure on Kobe...
Wei Guo was taller and faster than him, and seemed to be able to see through all his moves. Kobe could only turn his back to him, force his way to the basket, make a shooting fake, and then turn around to find a shooting space.
*Smack!!!*
Wei Guo blocked Kobe's layup.
"brother..."
After receiving the ball, Wei Guo said, "I'd better practice my footwork under the basket during the offseason."
Kobe, "???"
Kobe's talent was explosive during this period, but it wasn't until five or six years later, when he learned the Dream Shake from Hakeem Olajuwon, that his footwork under the basket became almost unstoppable.
Francis dribbles the ball up the court.
He waited until Wei Guo and Yao Ming were in position before starting to organize the attack. Wei Guo held the ball and attracted the defense, then made a backhand bounce pass.
The basketball fell into Yao Ming's hands.
"Whoosh!!!"
Yao Ming easily received the ball and scored a layup.
65:53!!
The Rockets are leading by 12 points.
"Continue with the full press!"
Gentry shouted, "Put pressure on the Lakers!"
As Wei Guo just said, we need to apply full-court press and keep putting pressure on the Lakers. If we can hold on until the third quarter, the Lakers will have no hope of winning.
Gentry thinks...
Wei Ge's words make a lot of sense, and this tactic is really fantastic.
........
Maintaining a constant high-pressure press is physically demanding and can easily lead to missed opportunities and mistakes.
But...
This imposing aura instilled fear in their opponents.
The fans thoroughly enjoyed the game, finally seeing a spirit in the Rockets – the spirit of a champion!
Having two championship players on a team makes all the difference. No wonder some people say that having won a championship once is an extremely valuable experience, and the Rockets' Wei Guo and Cummings have that experience.
and...
Cummings, who had been coasting through the regular season and acting as a statistician, was required to play more than ten minutes in every game during the playoffs.
From Cummings' perspective, winning a championship without lifting a finger is certainly desirable, but when the team needs him, Cummings will not hesitate to put in the hard work.
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