Capítulo 25: Chapter 25: The Dunk
"Great shot!!!!"
Yu Jia shouted loudly in the broadcast booth, "Nash and Gortat's cooperation is not as good as this!"
Zhang Coach: "Wade Dong could have chosen to score himself with this ball. With his scoring ability, Dwight Howard couldn't stop him."
The Suns' bench also erupted. Lopez jumped up, vigorously waving his towel.
Gentry smiled as he watched this scene.
However, when he turned to look at the Rockets' coach, McHale, Gentry felt he needed to maintain his composure.
So, he didn't stand up but instead sat on the bench with his arms crossed, looking calm and collected.
Wade Dong's previous pass, the passing route, and his timing were all top-notch!
It seemed that in the first three games, Wade Dong had few assists because Nash was there, and he only needed to be a good scorer.
Dragic was also stunned. Wade Dong could pass the ball?
On the Rockets' side, Scola scored two points under the basket.
The ball returned to the Suns. Wade Dong dribbled to the front court. Reed was already in position in the corner. Wade Dong drew the defense and made a long pass to Reed.
"Wow."
Reed was stunned when he caught the ball.
This pass was too comfortable.
A top-notch point guard not only passes the ball but also creates opportunities for teammates to receive the ball in the most comfortable way.
Nash was the best at this, and now there was Wade Dong, who was a top-tier talent!
This was not just a simple Nash passing package; it was a Nash passing package plus!
Reed, after catching the ball, did not hesitate to shoot a three-pointer.
"Swish!!!!"
The ball went straight through the net.
2:5!!!
In the next five minutes, Wade Dong only took two shots, making one and scoring two points.
But his teammates always received his passes comfortably when they were open!
"Not good!"
With six minutes left in the first quarter, McHale had to call a timeout.
11:19!!!
The Suns had taken an 8-point lead. The key was that the Suns' 19 points included only 2 points from Wade Dong, but he already had 6 assists.
...
In the Chinese broadcast booth.
Yu Jia: "Coach Zhang, you were wrong. Wade Dong not only knows how to pass the ball; he is a master of passing."
Zhang Coach: "I've watched some of Wade Dong's CUBA game footage these days. He is a completely different player now."
Yu Jia: "This kind of player who rises to the occasion can bring us so many surprises."
Zhang Coach: "Yes, Wade Dong is the pride of China. I am really looking forward to the Suns making the playoffs this year."
Yu Jia: "There will definitely be no problem."
...
Falling behind by eight points at the start was not because the Rockets were weak.
After all, the Suns were missing Nash. The reason they were caught off guard was because of a major problem with their pre-game tactics.
McHale was certain that the Suns did not have a good point guard, so he instructed his players to focus on preventing Wade Dong from scoring easily. However, he did not expect Wade Dong's passing to be even harder to defend.
In fact, Wade Dong did not score much, only two points in five minutes, which was the least he had scored in the opening minutes of his four games. But Wade Dong's organizational skills were too good, especially his passing ability. He was a top-notch point guard.
Wade Dong activated the entire team with his passing.
"Wade Dong has just entered the NBA, and people are not familiar with his style of play, which is normal. But it doesn't matter. Basketball is a team sport. Wade Dong is now playing the point guard position, so we just need to treat him like Nash."
...
McHale finished arranging his tactics, and the timeout was over. The game continued.
McHale's tactical arrangement was not wrong. Nash's most frightening aspect was his ability to bring out the best in his teammates. But his scoring ability was also not to be underestimated. Wade Dong, no matter how strong he was, in McHale's eyes, was just a more versatile and stronger defender than Nash.
The timeout ended!
The Rockets organized their offense, passing the ball around, and it ended up in Martin's hands. Martin shot and scored.
13:19!
The Rockets closed the gap by two points.
Wade Dong organized the offense again. He dribbled to the front court, and Battier came up to defend.
Wade Dong made a big crossover move, passing Battier. He drove to the basket, and Dwight Howard was already in position under the basket, ready to block Wade Dong's shot.
"Watch out for Wade Dong's passing!"
McHale shouted from the sideline.
"Hmph..."
Wade Dong remained calm. After driving to the basket, he jumped straight up like a helicopter taking off!
"Boom!!!!"
Wade Dong dunked the ball over Dwight Howard, slamming it into the basket!
"Top Ten Play! Top Ten Play!"
Yu Jia shouted in the broadcast booth, "Too powerful! This dunk will definitely be a candidate for the Top Ten Plays of the Year!"
Zhang Coach was also stunned. This kind of dunk in the NBA could only be done by top-tier stars. Wade Dong, in his first three games, seemed more like a shooter.
But this dunk proved that Wade Dong was not just a shooter.
"Not bad..."
Wade Dong shook his head as he returned to defense, as if he was not very satisfied with this play. It seemed that when he had enough talent points, he would need to exchange for a Carter dunk package!
However, this dunk completely crushed the Rockets' momentum to come back.
...
At halftime.
47:59!!!
The Suns led by twelve points.
These were Wade Dong's stats for the first half: 13 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.
Back in the locker room, the teammates were so excited they wanted to hug Wade Dong.
"The game is not over yet."
Wade Dong pushed his teammates away, "In the second half, the Rockets will definitely start to fight back. We cannot be complacent. We must win this game."
"Come on! Come on! Come on!"
The teammates cheered each other on.
Gentry watched this scene and was filled with emotion. Wade Dong had only played four games and already had the aura of a team leader.
Winning without arrogance and losing without despair described Wade Dong perfectly. Before the game ended, Wade Dong was always so calm. Now that Nash was out, the entire team revolved around Wade Dong.
If it were ten days ago, and the Suns were without Nash, the game would basically be a loss.
"In the second half, the strategy still revolves around Wade Dong..."
Gentry held the tactical board and arranged the tactics for the players. Seeing Wade Dong with a towel over his head, not saying a word, Gentry asked with concern, "Wade Dong, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Wade Dong waved his hand, "Coach, you continue with the tactics."
Because Nash was out, Wade Dong did not rest for a single minute in the first half. Moreover, he dominated both offense and defense, truly carrying the team on his shoulders.
Although Wade Dong's stamina was top-notch, in the NBA, he was not the only one with top-notch stamina.
Carrying the team like this and playing the entire game would consume a lot of stamina. Therefore, Wade Dong was taking every opportunity to recover his stamina.
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