Capítulo 399: Chapter 399: Is Nash Suitable to be a Head Coach?
Although Gentry's 'Rubber Band Story' had nothing to do with basketball...
...He did have a point. During the 34-game winning streak, the Suns were under immense pressure. Despite their undeniable talent, the team felt the weight of attempting to break the historical winning streak record.
This kind of pressure, if prolonged, could potentially cause issues. It was a good decision to allow the players to relax.
Therefore, for the game against the Heat, Gentry's instruction was for the players to approach it with a calm mindset. Win if they could, but it was not a big deal if they lost. The real test would be the playoffs, which were set to begin the following week.
...
The first half concluded.
53:41!
The Suns trailed by 12 points.
Given the minimal gap in strength between the two teams, and the Heat's aggressive offense and defense, it was not surprising that the Suns were behind by 12 points, even without intentionally throwing the game.
...
The second half commenced.
Curry stole the ball from Wade and drove to the frontcourt.
"Bam!"
However, as Curry went up for the layup, James caught up from behind and delivered a powerful block!
This single play demonstrated the Heat's determination to win the game.
The Heat had taken control of the game's tempo, and although they didn't extend their lead beyond 20 points, the Suns were unable to close the gap until the end of the fourth quarter.
The final score: 107-93!
The Heat emerged victorious at home against the Suns!
Game stats:
Wade Dong: 39 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.
Durant: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.
James: 27 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks.
...
The Suns' winning streak came to an end, and their longest winning streak was now set at 34 games. Upon hearing this news, the rest of the league breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The Suns and the Heat split their regular-season series, each winning one game.
Despite the loss, many Suns players felt a sense of relief, as if an invisible burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
Honor, it seemed, could also be a burden.
Everyone suddenly felt sympathy for Wade Dong, realizing the weight of the numerous honors he carried on his shoulders.
Unless something unexpected happened, Wade Dong would once again be the season's MVP, First Team All-NBA, and possibly the DPOY.
Given Wade Dong's incredible stats and the Suns' consistent top ranking in the league, it would be unthinkable for him not to receive these honors.
Moreover, Wade Dong was the league's scoring leader, assist leader, steal leader, and block leader, ranking first in four out of five statistical categories. His average rebounds also placed him third in the league, making him the second player after Robertson to average a triple-double for a season. However, this season, in addition to Wade Dong, Westbrook also averaged a triple-double while carrying his team.
The presence of two players averaging a triple-double in a single season was truly astonishing.
...
After the game, the heavy rain in Miami continued unabated.
The Suns headed to their hotel.
The players chatted and laughed along the way, their minds at ease. Seeing his teammates' relaxed attitude, Wade Dong also felt relieved. He was well aware that during the pursuit of the 34-game winning streak, every game had been a nerve-wracking experience, which wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Today, with a calm mindset, if they could beat the Heat, their morale would soar even higher! But even if they lost, it wouldn't matter... It would be an opportunity to adjust their mindset and prepare for the playoffs.
...
On April 15th, the Suns played their final regular-season game, an away game against the Nets.
Before the game even started, Wade Dong noticed that the fans in the arena were holding up various signs.
"Nets welcome Wade Dong!"
"Brother Dong, this is your home too!"
"Next year, we'll meet again!"
Ever since Guo Zifeng's full acquisition of the Nets, his identity as a shareholder in the Wade Dong Group had been exposed by netizens. The happiest of all were the Nets fans, who hoped that through this connection, Guo Zifeng would bring Wade Dong to the Nets. So, when Wade Dong arrived at the Nets' arena, he received a warm welcome usually reserved for the home team.
It was the last game of the regular season, and Guo Zifeng was also present.
When he met Wade Dong, Guo Zifeng said slyly, "Brother Dong, come to the Nets quickly! Let's join forces, you and I, and shock the world with a three-peat!"
"I can lead the Suns to a three-peat this year."
"Perfect! Lead the Suns to a three-peat, and then do the same for the Nets."
"Let's talk about it later..."
Wade Dong waved his hand dismissively, pretending to be concerned, "Zifeng, can you stay away from me? You're the Nets' owner, and I'm a Suns player. This situation is not good for either of us."
Guo Zifeng was also a graduate of Yanjing University, making him Wade Dong's senior. The two had a good relationship and often drank together in Yanjing during the summer. Guo Zifeng had said many times that in his life, he only admired two people: Zhang Yang and Wade Dong.
Wade Dong wanted to get rid of Guo Zifeng, thinking he was disturbing his warm-up, but Guo Zifeng insisted on staying by Wade Dong's side. "About that thing I called you about a few days ago, can you give me some advice?"
"Well..."
Wade Dong hesitated.
Guo Zifeng had indeed called him a couple of days ago, wanting to rebuild the Nets. His first move was to replace the head coach.
Guo Zifeng asked, "What do you think of Nash?"
Wade Dong replied, "Actually, Kidd is pretty good. You don't need to change coaches."
"No, no."
Guo Zifeng waved his hand, "I must build a super battleship, and the commander of this battleship must be exceptional. I think Nash would be a better head coach than Kidd. I've had our team manager talk to Nash, and he seems interested in coaching the Nets."
"I don't really support that."
Wade Dong shook his head, "There are many veteran coaches in the league, like Popovich, Sloan, D'Antoni, Rivers, Thibodeau, Carlisle, Brooks, and Van Gundy... You can try to recruit some of them."
Guo Zifeng said, "They're all old-timers. I don't like them. I want to discover a new head coach to show how awesome I am."
"Haha!"
Wade Dong chuckled.
Those who knew Guo Zifeng's personality understood that while he acted like a big shot in public, he was a total scoundrel among friends. If Wade Dong didn't give him some advice, he would keep pestering Wade Dong and might even disrupt his game.
"Alright then..."
Wade Dong thought for a moment and pointed to the Suns' bench, "If you really want to change coaches, get this guy to coach the Nets."
"What's his name?"
"Find out yourself!"
After saying this, Wade Dong stopped paying attention to Guo Zifeng and began his pre-game warm-up.
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