"I'm not just a three-point shooter!"
After scoring the layup, Ray Allen couldn't resist taunting Thompson.
"Oh, my..."
Thompson was a bit dejected.
But Ray Allen was a senior player, and his breakthrough was clean and smooth, leaving Thompson speechless.
To consider Ray Allen just a three-point shooter was an insult to true fans, who knew that Ray Allen had participated in the Dunk Contest. Although he lost to Kobe in the finals, in the early part of his career, Ray Allen's style of play was very explosive.
In the star-studded class of '96, Ray Allen had earned his place, which was enough to prove his strength. Moreover, Ray Allen was the only player on the Heat's starting lineup with a championship ring.
"Get back on defense, what are you staring at?"
Nash, seeing Thompson's dazed expression, reminded him.
Fortunately, Wade Dong didn't notice Thompson's expression. If it had been Wade Dong, it wouldn't have been a simple reminder; he would have cursed at Thompson.
Nash dribbled to the frontcourt, and Wade Dong set a screen for him, helping Nash get past Chalmers.
Wade Dong rarely set screens for Nash, but the Heat players knew that their screen-and-roll combination was highly damaging. Wade Dong could drive or shoot, and there was no dead angle on offense.
After the screen, James had no choice but to focus his defense on Wade Dong to prevent Nash from passing the ball back to him.
Nash drove to the basket, and Bosh came over to block him.
"Whoosh~"
Nash made a behind-the-back pass, and the ball reached Thompson in the corner three-point position.
Swish!!!
Thompson caught the pass and shot, and the ball swished through the net.
Smooth as silk...
The score was 19-13!
The lead was extended to six points.
After Thompson made the three-pointer, he gestured the three-point sign with both hands and shouted to Ray Allen, "I only shoot threes, but I shoot them accurately!"
"Huh?"
Wade Dong was puzzled, as he hadn't heard Ray Allen's taunt earlier, and now he was seeing Thompson show off after making a three-pointer.
The Heat went on the offensive.
Chalmers passed the ball to James before half-court, and James isolated McGrady, drove to the paint, and then made a no-look pass to Bosh.
"Clap!"
As soon as Bosh received the ball, Wade Dong snatched it from his hands!
This was a clean steal!
"Beep!"
But the referee suddenly blew the whistle, indicating a foul on Wade Dong!
"What the fuck is this, a foul?"
Wade Dong spread his hands and questioned the referee.
But the referee only asked Wade Dong to give him the ball, and the Heat got the ball back.
"Stupid!"
Wade Dong cursed and threw the ball to the referee.
The Heat inbounded the ball and reorganized their offense, and this time, Wade made a mid-range shot.
The score was 19-15!
In the seventh minute of the first quarter, Kerr made a personnel adjustment, and for the next stretch, the Heat kept the score close.
However, Wade Dong had already been called for two fouls in the first quarter.
...
Two minutes into the second quarter.
Wade Dong dribbled past the three-point line, drove to the basket, and James shifted his feet and bumped shoulders with him.
"G~~~"
Wade Dong and James collided, but despite losing his balance, Wade Dong relied on his powerful core strength to make the shot.
"Beep!"
The referee blew the whistle again.
Wade Dong didn't mind at first, as it was a clear blocking foul, and giving him a 2+1 was reasonable.
But...
The referee crossed his arms and waved them, indicating that the basket didn't count, and it was an offensive foul!
"Holy shit!"
Kerr was the first to protest, standing on the sidelines and shouting at the referee, "How can this be an offensive foul?!"
Wade Dong narrowed his eyes and glared at the referee, the same one who had called the foul on him in the first quarter.
This time, he didn't say anything, but those who knew Wade Dong well understood that his silence meant he was truly angry.
"Be careful..."
Before going off the court, Wade Dong walked up to the referee and whispered a reminder.
"Huh?"
The referee was puzzled.
With three fouls in the second quarter, Wade Dong had to go to the bench, and the Suns became more passive.
McGrady replaced Wade Dong.
The Suns' players on the court were Curry, Thompson, McGrady, Middleton, and Whiteside.
"I'm going to sue him!"
Kerr was still furious. In just over a quarter of the game, there had been several unfavorable calls against the Suns.
Especially the two calls against Wade Dong, a clean steal was called a foul, and just now, when James shifted his feet while defending, Wade Dong was called for an offensive foul.
These two obvious wrong calls could determine the outcome of the game!
Yao Ming had suffered from unfair treatment by referees before, but since Wade Dong entered the league, although he didn't enjoy superstar treatment, it was rare to see such blatant black-and-white calls.
Because among the league's referees, there was a saying: Wade Dong is a man protected by the gods; you can't mess with him.
There was an incident in last year's Finals.
When Wade Dong drove to the basket and collided with Bosh, he was called for an offensive foul, but less than five minutes later, the referee named Vincent tripped and fell, breaking his arm.
And now it was happening again...
"Extra strength, enjoy it~"
Wade Dong, sitting on the sidelines, threw two bottles of 'Bad Luck Potion' at the referee.
At this moment, James drove to the basket and wanted to pass the ball to Ray Allen at the 45-degree angle, but Ray Allen misunderstood and ran to the corner.
The ball was about to be a turnover.
The referee happened to be standing behind Ray Allen, and Ray Allen dodged him, but the referee didn't notice and was hit in the face by the ball.
How much force did James put into that pass!
"Bang~~~"
The referee fell to the ground and passed out.
"Damn..."
Wade Dong, seeing this, muttered, "Is he going to time travel?"
But Wade Dong's concern was unnecessary, as the referee quickly regained consciousness, woken up by James.
"Are you okay?"
James looked at the referee with concern.
"Hmm..."
The referee, supported by James, stood up and shook his head, telling James, "I'm fine."
The referee couldn't blame James for this turnover, so he pushed away James's helping hand and tried to walk a few steps.
"Clap!"
But as soon as James let go, the referee lost his balance and fell again.
"Hmm..."
The game was forced to stop.
The audience and players were all surprised by what they were seeing. The referee fell and rolled over, clutching his mouth in pain, and blood dripped from between his fingers. James's pass hadn't hurt him, but this fall knocked out two of his front teeth.
"This potion is really strong!"
Wade Dong muttered, "I should use it less in the future."