Joe Johnson and Richardson set off off-ball screens for Wei Guo.
Wei Guo received the basketball with great difficulty...
A quick dribble past Horry sent him flying. Horry instinctively reached out and grabbed Wei Guo's wrist, but Wei Guo had already released the shot.
"Whoosh!!!"
The crisp sound of rinsing the net rang out from behind Horry.
Horry turned around, watching the basketball land on the floor, his face filled with despair. "How the hell... could that have gone in?!"
"79 points."
Although Wei Guo had not yet started his free throws, Cummings changed Wei Guo's score to 79 points.
Little boy Andrew, did you see... how hard Uncle Weiguo worked tonight for your wish?
108:108!!
The Suns tied the score.
......
Before the game, Popovich read a short fable and immediately shared it with the players.
This short story is called: Burning the Boats.
It is said that a great general of China was driven to the brink of defeat by the enemy during a war. He then destroyed the boats used to cross the river, smashed the cooking pots, and even burned down his house. He told himself that there was no way out and that he could only win the war.
final...
With no way to retreat, the soldiers fought like ten men, their battle cries shaking the heavens. After nine fierce battles, they finally defeated the enemy.
When Popovich first read this story, he was deeply moved. He felt that the Spurs were like the Chu army, and he was like the general surnamed Xiang. Only by burning their boats could they defeat the even stronger Suns.
......
As their stamina declines, they resort to more and more subtle defensive tactics.
Apart from Muhammad, the Spurs' other four key players – Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, and Bowen – all returned to the court.
in...
Substitute player Robinson fouled out of the game.
He committed two fouls while defending Wei Guo in the second quarter, and then committed six consecutive fouls against him in the fourth quarter.
There were only 3 minutes left in the game.
127:131!!
The Spurs lead by 4 points.
From the third minute to the eighth minute, Wei Guo only scored three points from open play, with the rest coming from free throws.
Even so...
Wei Guo has already scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, bringing his total score to an astonishing 92 points!
This is the highest score in the league playoffs!
Including the regular season...
Only Chamberlain's 100 points and Wei Guo's 100 points are higher than 92 points.
There are only 3 minutes left in the game!
If Wei Guo is given eight free throw opportunities, he can score over 100 points... According to the Spurs' fourth-quarter defensive strategy, Wei Guo may get more than eight free throw opportunities in those three minutes.
Spurs bench.
Popovich encouraged them, saying, "We are the Chu army, and the Suns are the Qin army... We have gone all out, so victory will surely be ours."
"So cultured."
Cummings, who had been eavesdropping, slipped back to the Suns' bench, saying, "I've even heard the story of burning one's boats."
......
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
With only 3 minutes and 6 seconds left in the game...
The Suns are on offense.
Wei Guo received the pass on the outside, but before he could shoot, he was fouled by Horry.
"Beep!!!"
The referee's whistle blew.
Wei Guo steps to the free-throw line...
Wei Guo's face remained expressionless; he was used to it... Ever since he faked out Horry and scored a '3+1', the Spurs would foul him whenever he got the ball, preferring to send him to the free-throw line rather than let him shoot.
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
Wei Guo made both free throws.
129:131!!
The Suns are down by 2 points.
Several Spurs bench players quietly gave Horry a thumbs up. It has to be Horry... Even though he committed a foul, it turned 3 points into 2, so worth it!
The Spurs are on offense.
Duncan received a pass from his teammate, and Wei Guo came up to defend him closely. "Tim, how many points did you score tonight?"
"Um???"
Duncan turned his head away, without answering Wei Guo's question.
He noticed that Wei Guo wasn't focused on defense while speaking, so he turned around and prepared to score with a bank shot.
Tonight, all the spotlight is on Duncan and Wei Guo. Duncan's dominance in the paint is largely due to Wei Guo's lack of defensive effort. This is their first real matchup, but... after Duncan jumped, Wei Guo closed in and jumped with his right hand raised.
This height...
Duncan had no doubt that if he took a shot, it would be blocked by Wei Guo.
It turned out that it wasn't Wei Guo who was distracted, but rather that he himself had been careless... In those fractions of a second, Duncan heard Ginobili's voice behind him, and without any hesitation, he flicked the ball behind him with his backhand.
No way to pass!
This play is destined to become one of Duncan's top ten assists of his career.
Ginobili received the pass, adjusted his posture, and launched a three-pointer from the corner.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
129:134!!
The Spurs lead by 5 points.
The commentator excitedly shouted, "Three! A brilliant pass from Duncan!"
"Ginobili!"
"Ginobili!"
"Ginobili!"
The audience chanted Ginobili's name.
With 2 minutes and 31 seconds left in the game, leading by 5 points... the dawn of hope for the Spurs seemed to have broken through the clouds.
......
The Spurs seem to have found a way to deal with Wei Guo: constant fouls.
This time...
Popovich is betting on offense, not defense.
As soon as Wei Guo received the ball, Horry rushed over and hugged him... This shameless playing style forced the Spurs to their knees. Wei Guo's shooting touch was just too good tonight, and they couldn't think of any other way to punish him except by fouling him.
Popovich scrapped the three-man double-team tactic after Joe Johnson hit a three-pointer.
Horry has accumulated four fouls, and Wei Guo goes to the free throw line.
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
Wei Guo made both free throws.
131:134!!
The Suns are still down by 3 points.
This is Wei Guo's 96th point of the game, just 4 points away from 100. No one is worried that Wei Guo will not score more than 100 points tonight; what they are worried about is whether the Suns can win the game tonight.
"Press and defend!"
Gentry shouted, "Wei, get inside! We can't let the Spurs score anymore!"
Ginobili dribbled the ball, faked a pass near the free-throw line to deceive Richardson, and then scored with a fadeaway jumper!
131:136!!
The Spurs still lead by 5 points.
......
"Phoenix Suns request a timeout!"
......
Gentry called a timeout, and the commentator deliberately shouted it out, also in response to the comment at the American West Arena: "San Antonio Spurs request a timeout."
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