บท 242: Chapter 242: Curry's Envy
Suns vs. Clippers, Game 2 of the second round of the playoffs, begins!
Both teams' starting lineups remained unchanged from the first game.
Gortat and Jordan jumped for the tip-off.
Jordan tapped the ball to Paul, and the game officially started.
Paul dribbled to the frontcourt and passed to Griffin, who backed down Green and drove to the basket for a dunk.
Bang!!!
Griffin dunked the ball over Green.
This was the strength of the All-NBA Second Team. Tonight wasn't just Wade Dong's night, as Griffin and Paul also made it to the All-NBA Second Team.
Green rubbed his chest and ran to the frontcourt.
In terms of static talent, there was still a significant gap between Green and Griffin.
Curry dribbled to the frontcourt, and Wade Dong ran a backdoor cut. Gortat set a screen for Wade Dong, blocking Butler who was defending him.
At the bottom corner of the three-point line, Wade Dong found an open spot.
Curry didn't hesitate and passed the ball to Wade Dong. Wade Dong caught the ball, and Crawford rushed to defend, but Wade Dong easily faked him out.
Swish!!!
A clean three-pointer swished through the net.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The fans in the arena cheered again.
"Get back on defense!"
Wade Dong waved his hand, signaling the Suns players to quickly get into position in the frontcourt.
Paul dribbled to the frontcourt and patiently organized the offense. After several passes, the ball returned to Paul.
Paul made a mid-range shot.
Both teams played patiently, and the score went back and forth.
The only difference was that the two coaches, Gentry and Lue, had different approaches. Gentry sat on the bench with his thermos, while Lue stood on the sidelines.
Seven minutes into the game.
Facing West's defense, Wade Dong took another step back and made a three-pointer.
The score was now 21:17!!!
The Clippers were down by 4 points, and Lue called a timeout.
In the seven minutes Wade Dong had played, he made 5 out of 7 shots, including 4 out of 4 three-pointers, for a total of 14 points.
...
During the timeout, Gentry also made adjustments to the lineup.
Nash replaced Curry, Thompson replaced McGrady, and Tucker replaced Green.
Only Wade Dong and Gortat remained from the starting lineup.
Gentry said, "Don't hold the ball, run the play, and pass more to Brother Dong!"
"Okay!"
Tucker and the others nodded, understanding the simple and clear tactic.
...
After the timeout, Barnes replaced Crawford. Although Barnes' defense against Wade Dong in the previous game wasn't effective, Lue still chose to trust him.
Not just the Clippers, but almost no player in the league could defend Wade Dong one-on-one, so Lue didn't want to put too much pressure on Barnes. As long as he didn't let Wade Dong make all three shots and score 20 points like in the previous game, it was fine.
Lue had gotten used to Gentry's tactical arrangements, which often relied heavily on Wade Dong.
As long as they didn't establish a lead of more than 20 points, Gentry wouldn't let Wade Dong come off the court.
Nash dribbled and signaled Gortat to set a screen for him. After getting past Paul, Nash turned around and passed the ball back to Gortat.
When Gortat received the ball, there was no one defending him.
According to Gentry's tactic, Gortat should first look for Wade Dong and try to pass the ball to him.
However, Gortat didn't dare to do that... He could ignore Gentry's instructions, but not Wade Dong's.
If he hesitated when he was open, he would be scolded by Brother Dong.
So Gortat took a mid-range shot.
G~~~
The ball hit the rim, and Griffin grabbed the rebound.
Gortat cautiously glanced at Wade Dong and, seeing no displeasure on his face, breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "I can't even make that shot!"
After Griffin grabbed the rebound, he passed it to Paul!
Paul dribbled to the frontcourt, with Wade Dong chasing after him. At this moment, Barnes and Griffin also rushed over.
...
In the Chinese live broadcast room.
Seeing this, Yu Jia said, "It's a 3-on-1 situation!"
Coach Zhang commented, "Wade Dong is too close to Paul, so Paul will likely pass the ball."
Yu Jia smiled, "Is he trying to make a fool of the MVP?"
...
Paul saw Wade Dong following him closely, so when he reached the basket, he jumped and faked a layup, but the ball was tapped to Griffin.
Wade Dong wasn't fooled by Paul's fake, and when Paul passed the ball, he immediately shifted his attention to Griffin. As Griffin received the pass and prepared to shoot, Wade Dong also jumped!
Whoosh~~~
But Griffin passed the ball to Barnes.
Barnes caught the ball and adjusted his position before going for a layup. It was during this adjustment that Wade Dong landed and jumped again.
Slap!!!
Wade Dong swatted the ball out of bounds.
...
In the Chinese live broadcast room.
Yu Jia shouted, "Defensive Player of the Year!"
Coach Zhang commented, "This is the ability of the Defensive Player of the Year. If it were any other player in a 3-on-1 situation, they would have been made a fool of!"
"Great block!"
"Wow!"
"He defended three players!"
The fans watching the game went crazy.
A scene that was supposed to make a fool of Wade Dong was turned into a 1-on-3 defense, and Wade Dong even managed to block the shot.
...
This play also stunned Paul for a moment.
As the Defensive Player of the Year, Wade Dong's defense was indeed terrifying.
Their 3-on-1 strategy was correct, as Paul had Wade Dong right behind him, so he dared not go for the layup, as he knew Wade Dong would block him.
So Paul passed the ball to Griffin, and the only mistake he made was that Griffin didn't have a good shot attempt...
Passing to Barnes was the right decision, but the only mistake was that Barnes didn't shoot immediately after catching the ball and instead adjusted his position.
That moment of hesitation gave Wade Dong the chance to land and jump again.
The Clippers inbounded the ball, and the Suns players also returned to their positions.
Paul was also affected by Wade Dong's defense and missed his shot after inbounding the ball. Gortat positioned himself well and grabbed the defensive rebound, which Wade Dong then collected.
Four minutes passed in an instant, and the first quarter ended.
The score was 29:23!!!
The Suns led the Clippers by 6 points, and Wade Dong made 7 out of 9 shots in the first quarter, including 6 out of 6 three-pointers, for a total of 20 points.
...
After glancing at the technical statistics, Gentry smiled and said to Wade Dong, "Brother Dong, the record for most three-pointers made in a game is 13, and the record for most three-pointers made in a playoff game is 12. You made 6 three-pointers in the first quarter, so you have a chance to break both records."
"Is that so?"
Wade Dong raised his eyebrows, "Do I look like someone who cares about records?"
"Yes!"
Not just Gentry, but all the Suns players nodded vigorously.
Curry, feeling envious, said, "When it comes to three-pointers, Brother Dong has always been my idol. I'm working hard to catch up with him, and I hope that one day, I can also have my own historical record."
"Wait until I retire!"
Wade Dong patted Curry on the shoulder and encouraged him, "I don't think you'll have a chance before I retire."
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