Capítulo 439: Chapter 439: Thompson's Fifth Foul
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Wade Dong stepped up to the free-throw line, bounced the basketball a few times, and took his shot.
Swish!!!
The ball swished through the net.
71:87!!!
A 3+1, and they gained back 4 points.
...
The Heat were on the attack, and Wade Dong's 3+1 cast a shadow over Carmelo Anthony's heart. After receiving a pass from Chris Paul, his mid-range shot missed.
Hassan Whiteside secured the defensive rebound and passed the ball to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong dribbled up the court, passed to Draymond Green, and immediately cut to the basket. Green, ever vigilant, saw at least three defenders in the paint, but he still managed to hand the ball off to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong caught the ball and jumped, executing a huge reverse dunk in mid-air!
Clang!!!
He slammed the ball through the hoop with a backhand.
Top 10 play! Unbelievable! This was a level of athleticism and core strength that even Jordan would struggle to match.
Even in a dunk contest, this dunk would score full marks, but Wade Dong did it in a real game, and there were three defenders rushing towards him under the basket.
The away fans remained silent...
When LeBron James joined the Heat, the fans believed they had the league's best player, but then Wade Dong emerged.
Beep!!!
The referee blew the whistle, and Carmelo Anthony committed another defensive foul. After this foul, Anthony had committed his fourth personal foul, all of them against Wade Dong.
Swish!!!
Wade Dong made another free throw.
74:87!!!
With two successful shots, the Suns were only 13 points behind.
Wade Dong had scored 42 points on 15-for-15 shooting... and these stats didn't even fully convey his dominance.
It's important to understand that, according to league rules, if you are fouled while shooting and the shot doesn't go in, it doesn't count as a field goal attempt.
Let me give you a simple example.
A well-known player might score 52 points on 14-for-18 shooting, which is very efficient. But this player might have taken 23, 24, or 25 shots... some of which were simply drawing fouls to get to the free-throw line.
But Wade Dong didn't have a single free throw...
Up to this point in the game, Wade Dong had only taken 15 shots. Every time he shot, no matter how difficult, he made it, just like the three-pointer where he was fouled by Anthony.
Timeout!
Erik Spoelstra was getting anxious. As soon as Wade Dong made the free throw, he called a timeout.
The Heat had finally seen a glimmer of hope for victory. Tonight, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were shooting poorly, and the Suns had given up a Kevin Durant. If they still lost this game, there would be no point in playing the next one.
...
After the timeout, the Heat rearranged their offensive and defensive tactics.
There was only 1 minute and 37 seconds left in the third quarter, so Spoelstra decided to give Anthony a rest to adjust his condition.
Wade Dong's incredible three-pointer had dealt a blow to Anthony...
The Heat were on the attack, and Udonis Haslem received a pass from James under the basket and scored.
74:89!!!
This was also the first time the Heat's bench had scored in the Finals this year.
"Haslem!"
"Haslem!"
"Haslem!"
The home fans also chanted Haslem's name, and for a moment, he seemed like a savior.
The Heat's bench was weak for two reasons.
First, the starters played too much and took most of the shots.
Second, the bench was truly old, young, and injured.
In the Finals, the bench is also crucial, as they need to step up when the starters are off the court. However, the difference between the Heat's bench and the Suns' bench was just too great.
There was only a little over a minute left in the third quarter.
The Suns had two more offensive opportunities, and the Heat had one.
The Suns inbounded the ball from the baseline.
Wade Dong received the pass, dribbled up the court, and set a pick-and-roll with Yi Nan. Wade Dong then passed to Yi Nan, who missed an open mid-range shot after receiving the pass!
Dwyane Wade grabbed the defensive rebound, and Chris Paul patiently organized the offense. Chris Bosh scored a basket against Whiteside in the low post, and the Heat scored again!
74:91!!!
There were only 19 seconds left in the third quarter.
Wade Dong dribbled up the court and started to run down the clock... He needed to make this shot to increase their lead and leave the Heat with as little time as possible for a final shot.
"6!"
"5!"
With less than 5 seconds left on the clock...
Facing the double-team defense of Wade and James, Wade Dong used a crossover, a highly deceptive move that even top players like Wade and James couldn't resist, causing them to shift their weight to the left.
"1!"
In the final second, Wade Dong took a highly difficult fadeaway three-pointer.
Swish!!!
The ball swished through the net again.
77:91!!!
With 16-for-16 shooting, Wade Dong scored 45 points in three quarters, and his determination kept the lead at 14 points.
...
The fourth quarter began, and this was the most critical period.
The Heat, with a 14-point lead, still dared not rest their starters, and the Big Five all stayed on the court.
On the Suns' side, Curry, Thompson, Wade Dong, Green, and McCollum were on the court!
This was Alvin Gentry's tactical arrangement, continuing to use small-ball tactics to catch up... The Suns' inside game was still lacking, and Yi Nan had only scored once when Paul was out of position, but Yi Nan couldn't move him.
The Heat were on the attack, and Bosh easily scored a jump shot under the basket.
Then, Thompson received a pass from Wade Dong, faked a move past Anthony, and drove to the basket. James shifted his body to block Thompson's path.
Bang!!!
Thompson and James collided and both fell to the ground.
Beep!!!
The referee blew the whistle, clenching his left fist in his right palm, indicating a charge.
"F**k!"
Gentry immediately jumped up and down on the sidelines, shouting at the referee, "That's a clear blocking foul! Are you f**king blind?!"
When Thompson drove to the basket, James made a clear sidestep, so the foul should have been called on James for blocking, not on Thompson for charging.
...
In the Huaxia live broadcast room.
Yu Jia, "From my angle, it should have been a blocking foul by James."
Zhang, the commentator, "Hmm... James did make a clear sidestep. It shouldn't have been an offensive foul."
...
Gentry, rarely seen complaining to the referee!
Unfortunately, it was of no use. In this era, there was no 'challenge' rule, and at most, referees would apologize for their mistakes after the game. But it was rare for referees to change their decisions during the game.
Thompson also had a foul in the third quarter.
After this charge... Thompson committed his fifth personal foul, and Gentry had to sub out Thompson again.
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