Capítulo 174: Chapter 174: Is It This Hard to Beat the Pelicans?
The first quarter of the game was seven minutes in.
19:15!!!
The Suns were only leading the Pelicans by 4 points, without a significant score advantage.
"Timeout!"
However, the Pelicans requested a timeout.
The Pelicans' head coach planned to substitute Rivers for Gordon and Smith for Anderson.
As for the Suns, Kidd did not make any substitutions. Originally, there were few available players, so the lineup remained Wade Dong, Tucker, Gortat, Green, and Middleton.
"If you don't extend the lead to 20 points, you can't rest, East Brother."
Kidd laid out the tactics and emphasized this point.
"I'm fucking..."
Wade Dong had already noticed that Kidd's motivational speeches were for others, not for him.
After the timeout, Wade Dong shouted to his teammates, "All of you, give me some fucking energy! I still want to clock out after the third quarter!"
"Yes, East Brother."
The other teammates shivered and became more aggressive on defense.
The Pelicans' strategy was to let Davis dominate in the paint, which was their advantage. Since Wade Dong was playing the point guard position, his primary task was to connect the team, so the Pelicans adopted a double-team strategy against Wade Dong on defense. The Suns lost Nash and Bynum, so if they could limit Wade Dong, the Pelicans still had a chance to win the game.
But Kidd's best strategy was to win without a strategy!
It seemed like he didn't set any tactics, but he had already given the best strategy, which was to let Wade Dong solve the problem. Kidd had long realized that in terms of coaching the team, Wade Dong was even better than him.
If Wade Dong retired and became a coach one day, he would be one of the best coaches in the world.
Under Wade Dong's command, Tucker defended against Davis's attack. After a defensive rebound, Wade Dong dribbled past two defenders and threw the ball high into the air.
"Boom!!!"
Gortat completed the alley-oop.
21:15!!!
The Pelicans' timeout not only didn't narrow the score gap but also allowed the Suns to score first.
The Pelicans' head coach noticed that Wade Dong's dribbling was too good, and his first step was too fast. Relying on Rivers and Henry alone, they couldn't defend against Wade Dong.
So, the Pelicans' head coach shouted, "Davis, come out and help defend Wade Dong. Don't let him easily break through!"
"Got it!"
Davis moved to the three-point line, spread his arms wide, and his tall and strong body was like a wall blocking Wade Dong, indeed affecting Wade Dong's passing vision.
Wade Dong dribbled back a step and then passed the ball to Green.
Green received the ball near the free-throw line, passed it to Middleton, and Middleton took a mid-range shot.
"Boom!!!"
This tactic was very successful, but unfortunately, Middleton missed the shot.
"Executing the tactics well is good. Don't be bothered by one or two missed shots."
Wade Dong saw that Middleton was a bit disappointed and patted his back to comfort him.
Anderson grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Rivers... Rivers dribbled to the frontcourt.
However, facing Wade Dong's defense, Rivers did the same as Gordon. He didn't even dare to dribble much. As soon as Wade Dong defended him, he immediately passed the ball out.
Wade Dong thought, "The Pelicans are called a weak team for a reason. The players don't even dare to play..."
Davis had strong individual abilities, but he was not suitable to be the team's leader. He didn't have the aura of a team leader. This aura was related to individual abilities but was not the main factor. For example, when Wade Dong joined the Suns, it only took four games for all the players to be convinced. That's what a team leader is.
For example, in this game, Rivers and Gordon didn't even have the courage to take on Wade Dong one-on-one. If it were the Suns, no matter which player it was, even if they were facing Kobe or James, if they showed any fear, they would be scolded by Wade Dong.
The first quarter ended.
29:21!!!
The Pelicans were down by 8 points.
...
The second quarter began, with McGrady replacing Middleton and Frye replacing Gortat.
McGrady had been coming off the bench all season. This was an agreement between him and the team. Before the playoffs, the team would continue to protect this veteran.
"Swish!!!"
"Swish!!!"
"Swish!!!"
As soon as McGrady came on, he hit three consecutive jump shots.
The lead was extended to 14 points, and it looked like the game would be decided in the second quarter. The Pelicans' head coach called another timeout.
This was already the Pelicans' third timeout of the game.
But this timeout didn't seem to be very effective...
Five minutes later, the Pelicans were down by 21 points. McGrady played 7 minutes in the second quarter, making 6 out of 7 shots, scoring 12 points, and successfully clocked out to rest.
"So fucking handsome!"
Wade Dong high-fived McGrady, and then both of them went to the bench to rest.
Middleton replaced McGrady, and Varick replaced Wade Dong. With such a lead, Wade Dong could rest until at least the third quarter.
However, as soon as Wade Dong and McGrady left the court, the Suns' lineup became: Gortat, Green, Tucker, Middleton, and Varick. This lineup was even weaker than the Pelicans, with the rookie Green and Middleton paired with the benchwarmer Varick, making it a second-tier team.
The Pelicans seized this opportunity to start catching up.
The first half ended.
57:51!!!
The Pelicans had cut the lead to just 6 points.
...
In the Suns' locker room, Wade Dong pointed at each of his teammates and pretended to be angry, "What are you guys doing? Is it this hard to beat the Pelicans?"
"And you two, Green, Middleton!"
Wade Dong then lectured Green and Middleton, "As fellow rookies, Davis scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the first half. You two combined only scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Don't you want to compete for Rookie of the Year?"
"Rookie of the Year?"
Green widened his eyes, "East Brother, are you joking with me? I've never thought about that..."
Middleton said, "I think this year's Rookie of the Year should be Lillard from the Trail Blazers."
"Look at you two."
Wade Dong had a look of disappointment, "You're also first-round picks. What's so special about Davis and Lillard? I think the Rookie of the Year should be one of you two."
"East Brother, stop teasing us."
Middleton sighed. He started to miss Bynum, Dragic, Dudley, and Morris.
Because the team had Wade Dong and Nash, he hadn't realized how important these four were before. Now, thinking about it, the team couldn't function well without them. In the 5 minutes Wade Dong was off the court, they lost by 14 points.
In previous games, even when Wade Dong and Nash were resting, the Suns could still maintain the lead and even extend it most of the time.
"That... East Brother."
Kidd walked over and stopped Wade Dong, "Let me say a few words."
Kidd felt that Wade Dong wasn't good at comforting people. Giving motivational speeches was his forte, so he talked for three minutes, and Green and Middleton regained their confident smiles.
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