Kapitel 82: Chapter 82: Foul Trouble
Gortat and Bosh jumped for the tip-off.
Gortat tipped the ball to Nash.
Nash dribbled to the three-point line and shot a three-pointer.
"Swish!!!"
Nash's offensive desire was strong tonight. Right at the start of the game, he made a three-pointer.
3:0!
The Suns took an early 3-point lead.
However, the Heat were not to be outdone. James immediately responded with a three-pointer.
This game was intense, with frequent body contact between players. Just 5 minutes into the first quarter, the Suns had already committed four fouls, two of which were by Gortat. Gortat was forced to sit out.
The Heat also had three fouls.
Chinese fans were not happy, as the referees' calls seemed biased towards the Heat. Almost every time a Suns player touched a Heat player, a foul was called.
Besides Gortat, Wade Dong and Iverson each had one foul.
This put the Suns at a disadvantage, especially for Wade Dong and Iverson. If either of them committed another foul, they would have to sit out.
Gortat was already out, and Lopez came in. Lopez's defensive ability was weaker than Gortat's, which further weakened the Suns' interior defense.
Fortunately, the Suns' big three—Wade Dong, Nash, and Iverson—had strong offensive power. With two minutes left in the first quarter, the Suns were still leading by four points.
27:23!
The Suns led the Heat by four points.
The Heat were on offense. Wade made a Eurostep layup, but the perimeter defense was already broken. Wade Dong came to help on defense and blocked Wade's layup.
"Beep!!!"
At this moment, the referee's whistle sounded, indicating a defensive foul on Wade Dong.
"This is a defensive foul?!"
Wade Dong spread his hands and shouted at the referee, "Are you stupid?"
"Huh?!"
The referee was taken aback. Wade Dong spoke in Chinese, which the referee didn't understand, but he sensed it wasn't something nice. He glared at Wade Dong and asked, "What did you just say?"
"I said,"
Wade Dong paused and then asked, word by word, "Are you stupid?"
The referee sternly said, "Please speak English!"
"If you don't understand, forget it."
Wade Dong sneered, "You're just illiterate."
Coach Gentry also jumped up and argued loudly. Just now, Wade Dong's block on Wade was clean, with no body contact. It was a clear block, so how could it be called a defensive foul?
However, Gentry's argument was futile, as the referee did not change his call.
"Boo~~~"
The entire US Airways Center was filled with boos from the fans. This was a clear mistake by the referee, bordering on a bad call.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Wade made both free throws, and the Heat were now only two points behind the Suns.
Because he was one foul away from fouling out, Wade Dong had to sit out for the rest of the first quarter.
The biggest impact on the Suns from Wade Dong sitting out was not on offense, but on defense. Although Gortat was back on the court, his and Lopez's defense against James was weak.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was:
27:31!
The Suns were down by four points to the Heat.
...
At the start of the second quarter, Wade Dong still couldn't play and could only cheer for his teammates from the bench.
However, because Gortat had two fouls, James and Wade took advantage of this and frequently attacked the basket. Two minutes into the second quarter...
"Beep!!!"
The referee's whistle sounded again, indicating a defensive foul on Gortat.
This call was correct, but Gortat now had his third personal foul.
Wade Dong couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up from the bench. He needed to take Gortat out.
At this point, the Suns were down by 11 points to the Heat...
Throughout the playoffs, Wade Dong had barely rested in the first three quarters. Today, with Wade Dong off the court, everyone realized a problem: without Wade Dong, the Suns were still a second-tier team. They relied on Nash leading a group of role players, along with the aging Iverson. This Suns team was still lacking something.
Iverson could explode, largely because Wade Dong drew the main defensive pressure, allowing Iverson not to face the high-intensity defense he did in his youth.
After Wade Dong came back on the court, the Suns changed their strategy. Iverson sat out to rest, and Wade Dong and Nash started playing on the perimeter, with Frye and Lopez forming a twin tower in the paint.
This allowed Wade Dong to unleash his offensive power and reduced his fouls. If Wade Dong had three fouls in the first half, the Suns would have a tough game.
The Suns were down by 11 points to the Heat. As soon as Wade Dong came back on the court, he took on the offensive responsibility.
First, he received a pass from Nash and made a three-pointer from the three-point line.
Then, facing Wade's defense, Wade Dong made two consecutive back-to-the-basket shots and scored again.
The third time, Wade Dong dribbled the ball up the court and, just outside the three-point line, shot a three-pointer over Wade's defense and scored.
After coming back on the court, Wade Dong scored 8 points in a row, bringing the Suns to within 5 points of the Heat. (11-8=5? Don't always say the author's math is bad. Why did they close the gap to 5 points? Everyone guess.)
Wade Dong at the shooting guard position was much more terrifying than at the power forward position. His offensive ability was fully unleashed.
Although the Suns had a hard time limiting the Heat's big three, with three minutes left in the second quarter, the Suns had regained the lead.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The US Airways Center was filled with deafening "MVP" chants, all for Wade Dong. In the 7 minutes he played in the second quarter, Wade Dong scored 19 points, almost all of them against the Heat's double-team defense.
"Everyone, stay calm. Let's score again and extend the lead."
Nash dribbled the ball while signaling a tactical hand gesture.
Wade Dong moved without the ball to the 45-degree angle. Nash immediately passed the ball to Wade Dong. After receiving the pass, Wade Dong faked out Wade and drove to the basket.
At this moment, Bosh rushed over and appeared in Wade Dong's path.
"Bang!!!"
Wade Dong couldn't dodge in time and collided with Bosh.
In the moment of the collision, Wade Dong threw the ball towards the basket in a very awkward posture.
The ball hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.
"2+1!!!"
Fans watching the live broadcast cheered excitedly.
This shot had a bit of luck, but it was this bit of luck that made it a good shot, what is commonly known as a "lucky shot."
"Beep!!!"
At this moment, the referee's whistle sounded again.
This whistle was not surprising, as Bosh had committed a defensive foul. When Wade Dong collided with Bosh, Bosh hadn't even landed properly and couldn't stand steadily.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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