บท 67: Chapter 67: Star Showdown
Barnes stopped talking, and Wade Dong cleaned his ears, muttering, "Finally, some peace."
The first quarter ended!
30-33!
The Lakers were down by three points to the Suns.
Wade Dong was the most efficient player for the Suns, scoring 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the first quarter.
Just as no one on the Suns could stop Kobe, no one on the Lakers could stop Wade Dong.
Wade Dong's first game in the league was against the Lakers, where he scored 37 points in a single quarter, setting an NBA record.
However, that game wasn't decided until the final second. One reason was that Wade Dong didn't enter the game until the fourth quarter. Another reason was that when Wade Dong first entered the game, the Lakers didn't take him seriously and didn't defend him aggressively.
This time, the Suns wouldn't wait until the fourth quarter to put Wade Dong in, and they also had the added strength of Iverson.
The second quarter began, and Gentry made some adjustments to the lineup.
Iverson, who had rested for a minute and a half in the first quarter, returned to the court, while Nash remained on the bench.
This was another tactic for the Suns: the Golden Duo!
Before the playoffs started, Wade Dong had discussed with Gentry that he wouldn't rest unless the game was in garbage time, and he truly didn't need to rest.
The offensive power of the Golden Duo was too strong, and the Lakers were struggling to keep up.
Especially Barnes, who, after being benched in the first quarter and talking to Fisher, adopted a gambling defense against Wade Dong when he returned to the court. This defense gave Wade Dong many scoring opportunities, and the lead widened.
Kobe immediately took off his warm-up jacket and demanded to be put back in the game.
After entering the game, Kobe pointed at Barnes's nose and shouted, "If you can play, play. If you can't, get out!"
Barnes was scared of Kobe, and this reprimand calmed him down.
Four minutes into the second quarter, the Suns switched to their full starting lineup, and Wade Dong returned to the power forward position.
...
Commentator: "The Suns' lineup changes are making it difficult for the Lakers to adapt."
Analyst: "This tactic is very unscientific. Treating Wade Dong as two players is the most taxing on his stamina."
Commentator: "There's no denying that Wade Dong is most effective at the power forward position."
Analyst: "Iverson and Wade Dong's positions overlap. The Suns need a near-All-Star level power forward to allow Wade Dong to return to his familiar shooting guard position."
Commentator: "That's true. Wade Dong is best at the shooting guard position, and he's making sacrifices for the team."
Analyst: "The most anticipated matchup is seeing Kobe and Wade Dong go head-to-head."
...
With three minutes left in the second quarter, the Suns made another lineup change.
Iverson went to the bench to rest, and Wade Dong switched to the shooting guard position. There's no denying that this style of play is extremely taxing on stamina. If it weren't for the "stamina pill," Wade Dong wouldn't dare play like this.
After switching to the shooting guard position, Wade Dong faced off directly against Kobe!
The fans watching the live broadcast were also excited, as star matchups are what they love to see!
In the first quarter, Iverson and Kobe had a few head-to-head confrontations, but Iverson's peak was long gone. His high-level play in the playoffs was due to his determination to win a championship.
However, against Kobe, Iverson struggled.
Kobe dribbled the ball and signaled his teammates to spread out, indicating he wanted to go one-on-one with Wade Dong.
"Haha..."
The best way to respond to a challenge is to face it head-on. Wade Dong also signaled his teammates not to help on defense.
Kobe slightly bent his knees, dribbling the ball from his left hand to his right, and then back to his left, while Wade Dong spread his arms, his eyes fixed on the ball!
Cross, accelerate, drive!
Kobe took a step forward, but Wade Dong stayed with him, so Kobe had to resort to a post-up move, faking twice with his shoulders before turning and shooting a fadeaway jumper!
This move was already anticipated by Wade Dong!
Wade Dong also jumped, his fingertips touching the ball.
"Clank!!!"
The ball hit the rim and bounced out.
...
"Blocked!!!"
The fans watching the live broadcast shouted excitedly!
...
Nash grabbed the rebound and immediately passed the ball to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong dribbled to the three-point line, and the Suns players automatically cleared out, giving him space. In the game, star matchups are the most exciting.
Facing Kobe's defense, Wade Dong chose his signature crossover!
Iverson once said in a game against the Spurs that the best crossover in the league belonged to him and Wade Dong, but Wade Dong's was even stronger.
Wade Dong dribbled past Kobe from the baseline and drove straight to the basket!
As he approached the rim, Wade Dong didn't slow down and jumped straight up. Kobe chased him, and Gasol also jumped to try and block Wade Dong.
However, Wade Dong slid from one side of the rim to the other in mid-air, avoiding Kobe and Gasol's block, and slammed the ball into the hoop in front of the entire crowd!
"Boom!!!"
This was Kobe's signature dunk move, now replicated by Wade Dong.
...
"Great shot!!!"
The fans watching the live broadcast shouted excitedly again!
...
Kobe wasn't about to back down and immediately faced Wade Dong again, pulling up for a three-pointer!
"Swish!!!"
The ball went straight through the net!
A chase-down three-pointer? Wade Dong was also good at that, and he immediately responded in kind.
Just like that, Wade Dong and Kobe went back and forth for four possessions!
The fans were thrilled.
In those four possessions, Kobe scored eight points, and Wade Dong scored ten. From this duel, Wade Dong had a slight edge over Kobe.
But the fans knew that Wade Dong hadn't shown his full strength, because Wade Dong could also play the power forward position, which Kobe couldn't.
At halftime, the score was 57-65, with the Lakers trailing the Suns by eight points.
...
In the Suns' locker room, the players were still talking about the second quarter duel between Wade Dong and Kobe.
"Kobe has a strong competitive spirit. Losing to Wade Dong must be hard for him to accept."
"Losing to others might be hard to accept, but losing to Wade Dong is something he has to accept."
"No one in the league can match Wade Dong one-on-one. Wade Dong has even played against ball boys."
Dudley joked.
The first few comments were fine, but the last one made Wade Dong feel a bit uncomfortable, and he told Dudley to shut up.
Gentry was most concerned about the constant lineup changes affecting Wade Dong's stamina, but seeing Wade Dong's condition, it seemed he wasn't bothered by it.
So, during the halftime break, Gentry discussed the tactics for the second half with the team.
Currently, the Suns' lineup, compared to other teams, had the weakest link in the coaching staff. However, Gentry didn't mind, as he had Wade Dong, Nash, and Iverson on his team, who could solve many problems for him on the court.
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