章 243: Chapter 243: Gentry's Role
The second quarter begins.
Paul and Griffin are resting on the bench, and when they see Wade Dong still on the court, Coach Lue's eyes turn green.
Swish!!!
As soon as Wade Dong comes on the court, he makes a three-pointer.
Having just won the MVP, Wade Dong is in high spirits, and with his girlfriend, parents, father-in-law, and mother-in-law all sitting courtside, Wade Dong is very motivated to perform well tonight.
He has made seven out of seven three-pointers!
Not counting the Olympic final, the last time Wade Dong performed this crazily was against the Lakers, when he scored 82 points and made 13 three-pointers, tying the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a game.
Speaking of that game, although Wade Dong scored a lot of points, his shooting percentage was lower than this game.
"This... shooting touch!"
After making seven three-pointers, Wade Dong dramatically looked at his palm.
...
Li Zhen, sitting courtside, happily said to his wife, "Playing basketball isn't that hard. You just need to put the ball into the basket. I think I can do it too."
"Forget it."
Han Ru smiled and said, "You can't even win a stuffed doll in a ring-toss game, and you want to put the basketball into the basket."
This was a funny incident from Li Zhen and Han Ru's younger days.
It had been almost thirty years since then. When they were dating, there was a stall near the park where you could win a stuffed doll by throwing rings. Han Ru had her eyes on one particular doll.
One ring for one cent.
Li Zhen took out ten yuan and bought a hundred rings, boasting that he would win all the dolls and the stall owner could close up shop.
Then, he threw all one hundred rings, but not a single one went over the doll.
Ten yuan was a considerable amount of money back then, and the stall owner couldn't bear to watch anymore, so he gave the doll to Han Ru.
"This isn't ring-tossing, it's a ring trap," Han Ru said.
Even though Han Ru eventually got the doll, Li Zhen still felt a bit disappointed.
...
Three minutes into the second quarter, Griffin and Paul returned to the court.
Wade Dong's hot shooting touch couldn't guarantee a 100% three-point shooting percentage for the entire game.
As the Clippers increased their defensive intensity, Griffin and Butler were double-teaming Wade Dong, making it difficult for him to shoot.
The latter half of the second quarter was mostly like this...
Wade Dong, facing the double-team of Griffin and Butler, called for the ball.
The Suns players tried to pass the ball to Wade Dong several times, but they turned the ball over.
The intensity of the playoffs is much higher than the regular season, and no one wants to give up any game.
Wade Dong couldn't get the ball.
With three minutes left in the second quarter, Coach Gentry called a timeout.
Wade Dong stood on the sidelines and said, "We still have the lead, so don't keep trying to pass the ball to me. Be bold and take your shots, especially Curry. Get your three-pointers going."
"Okay."
Curry nodded in agreement.
Wade Dong continued, "Only when you guys start scoring will the pressure on me be reduced."
"We're all capable shooters."
In the end, Coach Gentry encouraged them and then turned to Wade Dong with a smile, "You can't be the only one shooting."
"Go to hell!"
Wade Dong glared at Coach Gentry and walked back onto the court.
...
After the timeout, McGrady received a pass from Curry and dribbled twice before facing Paul's defense. McGrady faked a shoulder move and then pulled up for a jump shot.
However, Paul's hands were quick, and he stole the ball from McGrady as he was about to shoot.
Paul, being the second-ranked player in steals this season, had excellent defensive skills. After stealing the ball from McGrady, Paul went for a fast break and made a layup.
The score was now 39:36!!!
The difference was only two points.
McGrady's moves were much slower than in his prime, or else Paul wouldn't have been able to steal the ball from him.
Besides McGrady, Nash's performance had also declined...
Green and Middleton had played well in the regular season, but the intensity of the playoffs was making them uncomfortable. After all, they were still rookies.
At this moment, the only person who could step up to help the team, besides Wade Dong, was Curry.
The Suns inbounded the ball.
Wade Dong slowly dribbled to the frontcourt, and as soon as he crossed half-court, Griffin and Butler started double-teaming him.
Whoosh~~~
Wade Dong passed the ball to Curry.
Curry dribbled once and faced Paul's defense, taking a three-pointer!
Swish!!!
The ball swished through the net!
This was Curry's first three-pointer of the game, and after making it, he pounded his chest and shouted, "Damn it!!!"
The score was now 42:36!!!
At this moment, Coach Lue could only pray in his heart that Curry's three-pointers wouldn't start falling.
Once Curry's three-pointers started falling, the game would become much more difficult.
Griffin received an assist from Paul and made a dunk!
Then Wade Dong dribbled past half-court and passed the ball to Curry again. Curry made two behind-the-back dribbles to get past Paul and then drove to the basket against Jordan's defense, making a layup.
Swish!!!
The ball swished through the net again!
The score was now 42:38!!!
With this kind of play, the Clippers wouldn't dare to double-team Wade Dong!
Wade Dong also started his solo performance.
Beep!!!
The first half ended.
The Suns led the Clippers by 13 points, 59:46!!!
Wade Dong played for 24 minutes in the first half, making 11 out of 15 shots and 8 out of 10 three-pointers, scoring 34 points.
Besides Wade Dong, there was one other Suns player in double digits, and that was Curry, who made 4 out of 9 shots for 13 points.
In the previous game, Wade Dong scored 62 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and if he hadn't cooled down in this game, he would have been on his way to another 60+ point performance.
...
In the Suns' locker room.
Coach Gentry was encouraging Green and Middleton, who were feeling down because of their poor performance in the playoffs.
This was the Suns' culture.
Coach Gentry never scolded his players. His job was to encourage and motivate them, especially when they were feeling down or after being scolded by Wade Dong.
Of course, both the veteran and rookie players respected Coach Gentry.
No matter what the outside world said, in the Suns players' hearts, Coach Gentry was the most suitable coach for the team.
Once Green and Middleton's spirits were lifted, Coach Gentry walked to the tactics board to explain the tactics for the second half.
...
Wade Dong was lying in the corner, listening to Coach Gentry's tactics, when suddenly, the system's voice sounded in his mind.
[Mission: Score 70 points in tonight's game, or face the soft daka punishment...]
"Damn it..."
Wade Dong was taken aback, as he had almost forgotten about the system!
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