Capítulo 443: Chapter 443: Gentry's Foul Strategy
The second quarter begins.
The Heat bench James and Paul, giving James a rare moment to catch his breath.
In the first three games, James, like Wade Dong, played the full 48 minutes in each game.
In this high-intensity Finals, Wade Dong is still in good form, but James shows signs of fatigue right from the start of this game. This fatigue is more mental than physical.
He has plenty of energy, but he can't seem to focus.
James starts the first quarter with 7 points from 3 shots, but also commits 3 turnovers.
Carter, Yi Nan, Whiteside, Carter, and Wade Dong are on the court for the Suns. All the starters except Wade Dong are resting on the bench.
The Suns are on offense.
Wade Dong drives with the ball, and Bosh and Anthony come up to double-team him. Wade Dong shakes his wrist, and the ball goes through Bosh's legs into Whiteside's hands.
"Clang!!!"
Whiteside slams it home!
The score is 39:30!!!
The Suns are now leading by 9 points.
The Heat inbound the ball from the baseline, and Wade brings it up the court with a Euro step move. However, Whiteside is well-positioned under the basket, ready to block Wade's shot. When Wade gets to the basket, he dishes the ball to Jones.
"G~~~"
Jones adjusts and takes a shot, but it clangs off the rim!
Whiteside grabs the defensive rebound and passes it to Wade Dong, who drives to the frontcourt. He's one step away from the three-point line and pulls up for a three-pointer.
"Swoosh!!!"
The ball swishes through the net.
After scoring, Wade Dong looks at Jones and says, "This is how a three-point shooter should play."
Perhaps it's the pressure of playing alongside the Heat's Big Five, but the Heat's bench players, including Jones, Beasley, and Haslem, haven't been performing up to their usual standards in this Finals.
The score is now 42:30!!!
In an instant, the Suns' lead grows to 12 points.
James and Paul immediately return to the court!
...
Seeing this, Kobe comments, "Overall, the Heat's strength isn't greater than the Suns. Their bench players aren't performing up to their potential."
Duncan adds, "They're on the court for such short periods that they don't have time to adjust before they're subbed out. How can they perform?"
"Hmm... that's true."
Nash nods in agreement.
The group of them sit together, enjoying the game and chatting.
...
With James and Paul back, the Heat's rhythm returns to normal.
Anthony hits a mid-range jumper, and then Paul sinks two consecutive three-pointers, reducing the deficit to within 10 points.
Six minutes into the second quarter, Curry, Thompson, McGrady, and Green are all back on the court.
The score is 49:43!!!
The Suns' lead is down to 6 points.
Gentry shouts from the sidelines, "Switches must be quick! If you can't defend, foul!"
Spoelstra: "???"
Gentry's instructions are loud and clear, but Spoelstra hates that Gentry is such a rogue. However, he dares not let the Heat's Big Five play this way. These five players combined can barely hold their own against the Suns, and if one or two of them foul out, the Heat are done for.
On the court,
Wade drives to the basket and is fouled by Thompson again as he goes up for the layup.
"G~~~"
"Swoosh!!!"
He makes one of the two free throws. This time, Wade's offense earns him a foul from Thompson, but he only scores 1 point.
The score is 49:44!!!
The foul strategy is effective.
Gentry's instruction is to foul if they can't defend, and the Heat's Big Five have a high field goal percentage when attacking the basket. If the defense is already struggling, the field goal percentage will be even higher.
Moreover, these fouls are very disruptive to the players' mentality.
Wade drives to the basket four times and is fouled three times. Before Thompson, Tucker and Whiteside each have one foul. Wade's mentality is about to explode!
It's not just Wade; Anthony and Bosh are also repeatedly fouled by the Suns.
Several Suns players already have 2 fouls, but Gentry isn't worried. The Suns have plenty of players to use, and he feels he has countless tactical options to deal with any situation.
"Clap!"
Wade Dong takes a mid-range shot and is fouled by Anthony!
This foul is a bit aggressive, and Wade Dong glances at Anthony with a sneer, "Even you can't stay calm?"
"Your teammates are treating me like this!"
Anthony hums, "I just wanted to let you experience what it's like to be fouled."
"Oh..."
Wade Dong responds and steps up to the free-throw line, making both shots.
The score is 51:44!!!
Fouls against Wade Dong are ineffective. As a reincarnator, having lived two lives, his mentality is far more mature than most players.
The game becomes more intense.
The first half ends.
The score is 63:57!!!
The Suns lead by 6 points.
Although both teams seem to be scoring well, the Heat have had 47 free throw attempts in the first half, making 29 of them. Perhaps it's the Suns' aggressive defense that has disrupted the Heat's mentality, as their free throw percentage in the first half is only 61%.
...
In the Suns' locker room,
Warrick looks at the stats and reminds each player, "Green, Whiteside, you two already have 4 fouls. Tucker and McGrady each have 3 fouls. The players with 2 fouls are Thompson, Carter, Yi Nan, and McCollum..."
"McCollum?!"
Hearing this name, Gentry looks at McCollum and asks curiously, "Did you play in the first half?"
"Coach..."
McCollum's face is serious, "I played less than a minute in the second quarter and was subbed out after two consecutive fouls."
Gentry thinks for a moment and then says, "The time was too short. I might have been drinking tea then. It was Coach Kerr who subbed you out, not me."
"???"
Currently, on the Suns, Wade Dong has no fouls, and Curry has only one foul. These two are the Suns' foundation.
"What about the Heat?"
Wade Dong asks, and Warrick has the stats sheet, so Wade Dong doesn't bother to take it from him.
"Anthony has 3 fouls, Bosh, Wade, and James each have 2 fouls, and Paul has 1 foul."
The Heat still dare not play as aggressively as the Suns, and they are more cautious with their fouls.
"Then let's do it..."
Gentry says, "In the second half, we need to defend even more aggressively. Don't be afraid of fouling. I'll give you a thousand dollars if you foul out!"
Gentry's approach is unique, pushing his players to play with blood and guts.
The Lakers' owner once set up a reward system where players would receive a thousand dollars for every offensive foul they drew from their opponents. This reward also made the Lakers' defense more active.
After all, drawing offensive fouls can be risky.
When a two-meter-tall opponent charges at you, you stand still and let them crash into you... If your body isn't strong enough, you'll fly with one hit!
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