Kapitel 184: Chapter 184: Wade Dong Doesn't Pass the Ball
After the timeout, the Knicks brought back their starting lineup.
Anthony and the others had only rested for two minutes before being forced back onto the court.
"Indeed, the Suns are still a strong team."
Knicks head coach Woodson stood on the sidelines, admiring the Suns. He especially envied Coach Kidd, who had a full-level player to rely on.
No matter how bad Coach Kidd's tactics were, Wade Dong would always bail him out.
Seeing Wade Dong pull up from the three-point line and score over Smith and Felton, Woodson almost drooled.
If only Smith and Felton could be replaced with Wade Dong.
Wade Dong, Anthony, Stoudemire, and Chandler—with this lineup, the Knicks would be the champions this year.
But Woodson knew that Wade Dong was a "non-tradable" asset for the Suns.
Admiration aside, this year's Knicks were also strong. Stoudemire and Chandler frequently attacked the paint, and the erratic Smith was also on fire.
Anthony struggled against Wade Dong's defense but at least managed to draw his attention.
Gradually, the weaknesses of the Suns' lineup became apparent. Nash and McGrady were veterans who couldn't play freely, and Gortat and Frye had limited offensive moves. Essentially, the offense and defense relied solely on Wade Dong.
The Knicks started to close the gap.
However, Coach Kidd remained calm and didn't adjust the lineup.
This left the fans confused. They couldn't tell if Coach Kidd was confident or clueless.
In the ninth minute of the second quarter, Coach Kidd finally made substitutions.
He brought in Tucker, Curry, and Thompson, leaving Wade Dong and Nash on the court, essentially reverting to the starting lineup.
This substitution was not well-received.
It was back to Wade Dong's solo mode, and Woodson saw through Coach Kidd's tactics, confidently instructing his players to double-team Wade Dong.
The first half ended.
61:59!!!
The Suns led the Knicks by 2 points going into the second half.
...
In the Suns' locker room, Wade Dong finally couldn't hold back. After returning to the locker room, he asked directly, "Coach Kidd, what are you thinking?"
"I have a very powerful tactical system in mind," Coach Kidd said mysteriously. "But it's not mature yet. I'm still figuring it out."
Wade Dong frowned, "Even if it's not mature, you should at least share it."
"Can't share, can't share," Coach Kidd shook his head vigorously. "Sharing it would make it less powerful."
"Damn it!"
Wade Dong, rarely losing his temper, kicked the locker.
Coach Kidd looked at the dented locker and told his assistant, "Contact the Knicks later. I'll pay for the locker."
Wade Dong was speechless at Coach Kidd's shamelessness.
Coach Kidd claimed to have a brilliant idea, but in the last three games, the Suns' tactics were non-existent. Every timeout, Coach Kidd's instructions were simple and seemed amateurish.
It was as if he had changed since he started blowing his hair.
This time, during the halftime break, Wade Dong lost his temper with Coach Kidd. The other players didn't dare to speak, and Coach Kidd continued to talk about tactics, not knowing if anyone was listening.
...
The second half began.
Before the players took the court, Coach Kidd said, "If the tactics don't work, just give the ball to Wade Dong. Let him figure it out."
"Damn it," Wade Dong thought, wanting to dunk Coach Kidd's head into the drink bucket.
Actually, when Sar and Coach Kidd discussed trading with the Warriors, Wade Dong already had ideas for the new lineup. He hadn't mentioned it, only to save face for Coach Kidd.
But with Coach Kidd's current approach, the team was falling apart. Curry and Thompson were losing confidence.
In the second half, Wade Dong didn't care much about the team's tactics.
He couldn't accept a third consecutive loss.
As soon as he received the ball from Nash, Wade Dong drove to the basket, scored despite Chandler's defense, and then scored again with a pull-up jumper over Anthony.
"Not bad..."
Coach Kidd, watching Wade Dong's performance, smiled. "Wade Dong is the ultimate form of my 'Death Lineup'."
Anthony wasn't about to be outdone.
After Wade Dong scored twice, Anthony received the ball at the 45-degree angle, took two steps, spun around, and dunked over Wade Dong and Gortat.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The home crowd cheered for Anthony's strong response.
Wade Dong then hit another three-pointer from the three-point line.
Early in the third quarter, Wade Dong had scored 15 points on 9 shots.
The scales of victory began to tip in the Suns' favor...
Woodson shouted from the sidelines, "Keep an eye on Wade Dong! Don't let him get the ball!"
Since the All-Star Game, Wade Dong had been focused on defense, especially steals and blocks. His "stat padding" was an open secret in the league, which is why he led three statistical categories.
The player stats leaderboards include five main categories: points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.
Wade Dong led the points, blocks, and steals categories, largely due to his constant "stat padding" after the All-Star Game.
But it had been over a month since Wade Dong had gone into full offensive mode like tonight.
Wade Dong drove to the basket again, and Smith came to help defend. Wade Dong noticed Curry was open in the corner and glanced in that direction.
"Not good, Wade Dong is going to pass!"
Smith noticed Wade Dong's glance and immediately turned to defend Curry.
But Wade Dong didn't pass. As Smith turned, Wade Dong easily scored with a reverse layup.
Wade Dong had fooled Smith with just a glance.
"Smith, are you an idiot?"
Woodson cursed, "Wade Dong doesn't pass the ball!"
Smith, scolded by his coach, muttered, "Before the game, you said to watch out for Wade Dong's passes. Now you're saying he doesn't pass..."
Wade Dong's greatest offensive strength was his court vision and passing ability, which rivaled any point guard in the league. So, when Wade Dong attacked, defenders had to guess whether he would pass or shoot.
That split-second hesitation could cost them the best chance to defend against Wade Dong.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein