Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Making the Opponent Despair
Of course, the reporter wouldn't have a one-on-one with Wade Dong.
He wasn't crazy enough to do that; having a one-on-one with Wade Dong would shatter his basketball dreams.
Besides, he thought Wade Dong was just joking. Even in the NBA, where strong players abound, no one could stop Wade Dong. How could a small reporter like him dare to challenge Wade Dong?
Wade Dong's offer to have a one-on-one was half-serious, half-joking. After the interview, he went home with Li Jiajia.
Of course, if he had been stopped by a reporter before leaving, he wouldn't have minded teaching them a lesson and gaining some talent points in the process.
This game had restored the Suns players' confidence.
But the series wasn't over yet. The Suns hadn't made it to the Finals, and the players wouldn't let their guard down.
...
Two days later, the Suns hosted Game 4 at home.
This game was a bit special. After the fans entered the arena, Wade Dong noticed two Chinese people sitting in the front row.
One man and one woman. The man wore large sunglasses, giving off a carefree vibe. As for the woman, she was very beautiful!
How beautiful? Even Wade Dong had to admit that she was on par with Li Jiajia in terms of looks. Wade Dong didn't know these two people; he only noticed them because they were Chinese.
But Dudley and the others recognized the man and even asked for a photo with him, as if he were a celebrity.
What surprised Wade Dong even more was that before the game started, the man appeared on the big screen in the arena.
Usually, only international superstars received this kind of treatment!
"Superstar!"
"Superstar!"
"Superstar!"
Sure enough, when the man appeared on the big screen, the home crowd went wild, chanting "Superstar."
This person was so popular...
"Beep!!!"
The referee's whistle sounded, and the game began!
The fans' attention finally returned to the court.
In this game, the Lakers applied strong pressure on both offense and defense.
As soon as the game started, Kobe went into scoring mode, and Wade Dong, of course, wasn't going to be outdone. He kept attacking the Lakers' interior, going head-to-head with Kobe!
At halftime, the score was 57:53!
The Suns led the Lakers by 4 points, and both teams returned to their locker rooms for the halftime break.
Dudley looked especially excited and said as soon as he entered the locker room, "I admire two Chinese people the most, and I never thought I'd see both of them today."
"Huh?!"
Wade Dong asked, "You admire those two Chinese people?"
Dudley said, "One is you, and the other is Zhang Yang, who is watching the game today!"
"Who is Zhang Yang?" Wade Dong asked.
"You don't know Zhang Yang?"
Dudley looked at him as if he were an alien, "You're Chinese and you don't know Zhang Yang?"
This Zhang Yang must be the man sitting courtside today. This was the second time Wade Dong had heard this name. The first time was from Li Jiajia, who was reading Zhang Yang's poetry collection. He didn't know if these two "Zhang Yangs" were the same person.
Wade Dong curiously asked, "Is he very famous? It seems strange not to know him..."
"Very famous."
Nash also said, "He's a superstar! He has fans all over the world."
So impressive?
Wade Dong asked again, "Isn't Zhang Yang a poet?"
"Yes."
Nash said, "He has many identities: singer, actor, director, poet, writer... He is at the top in every field."
"Oh."
Wade Dong nodded, sounding very impressive.
But Wade Dong really didn't know him. After all, this was a parallel world, different from his previous life.
Dudley leaned over to Wade Dong, "You two are both Chinese. After the game, help me get Zhang Yang's autograph."
"Focus on the game!"
Wade Dong glared at Dudley, "Don't get distracted!"
...
As the second half began, Wade Dong and Nash frequently used the pick-and-roll.
This was a common tactic for Wade Dong when playing the power forward position, and it was also a very effective strategy.
The Suns were very good at the pick-and-roll. During the "Seven Seconds or Less" era, Nash and Stoudemire's pick-and-roll caused trouble for many teams in the league. When Stoudemire was replaced by Wade Dong, this tactic became even more formidable.
Wade Dong's shooting, explosiveness, and ball-handling were all top-notch.
He was like a slightly shorter Stoudemire with all other attributes maxed out.
Nash dribbled at the top of the key, facing Kobe's defense. Wade Dong came up for the pick-and-roll, immediately getting past Kobe. Kobe chased after Nash, who passed the ball back to Wade Dong.
"Swish!!!"
Wade Dong caught the ball and scored.
Nash dribbled at the top of the key, Wade Dong came up for the pick-and-roll, and Nash drove to the basket. Gasol also came out to help defend Wade Dong, leaving the paint open. Nash drove straight to the basket for an easy layup!
Nash dribbled at the top of the key...
After three consecutive successful pick-and-rolls, Brown had to call a timeout!
Because when the Suns' main players were on the court, the Lakers' defense couldn't focus solely on Nash and Wade Dong. There were also Hill and Iverson, two scoring threats, on the perimeter.
Veterans usually save their energy during the regular season and explode in the playoffs!
Iverson, despite his age, was still a key defensive target for the opposing team whenever he was on the court.
Brown's timeout didn't have much effect!
The Suns' offense was becoming unstoppable...
"BEAT LA!"
"BEAT LA!"
"BEAT LA!"
The home crowd's cheers grew louder and louder.
The third quarter ended.
89:72!
The Suns led the Lakers by 17 points.
As the fourth quarter began, Kobe was on the court. He couldn't afford to rest; if they lost this game, the Lakers would be down 1-3, making a comeback very difficult.
He had to win this game and go back to their home court for a crucial battle!
Against the Suns' relentless offense, Brown didn't have a good counter-strategy. Besides, the Lakers were down by 17 points, and the only way to win this game was for Kobe to attack the Suns' defense.
Compared to offense, defense was the Suns' relative weakness.
Apart from Wade Dong, the Suns didn't have another defensive powerhouse. The reason their defensive efficiency was high was that the players were defending like their lives depended on it, but this kind of defense was very energy-consuming, and the defensive efficiency would decrease in the fourth quarter.
But Wade Dong was also on the court, and he hadn't used his "Stamina Pill" yet. In the last two minutes of the third quarter, when the Suns were already leading by double digits, Wade Dong went to the bench to rest.
In the fourth quarter, Wade Dong and Kobe were both on the court, and Wade Dong was directly guarding Kobe!
This was the most despairing thing for Brown; how could Wade Dong have such good stamina? Just when Kobe needed to score, Wade Dong was there to defend him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone