บท 252: Chapter 252: Tucker Defends Harden
Brooks couldn't sit still any longer.
Not only did he put Durant back in, but he also sent Westbrook and Jackson back on the court.
The Thunder brought back their entire starting lineup!
They had done this in the series against the Spurs and Lakers as well.
The Thunder had a deep bench, but Brooks, despite saying he wanted to give his starters more rest, couldn't afford to keep them on the bench.
After Durant came back in, he easily drove past Middleton and attacked the basket, dunking over Gortat and drawing a foul.
Durant posterized Gortat and drew a foul!
Seeing this, Wade Dong walked towards the technical box. He wouldn't allow anyone to bully his brother's teammates.
As Durant walked to the free-throw line, Wade Dong also substituted Middleton out.
Brooks saw this and gave Gentry a disdainful look.
Wade Dong wanted to play, and Gentry didn't even ask him? Did this coach have no sense of face?
"Swish!"
Durant made the free throw.
Suns led 33-27!
The Suns inbounded the ball from the baseline, and Nash dribbled up the court before passing to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong signaled for Gortat to set a screen.
Durant was blocked by Gortat, and after Wade Dong went past Durant, he quickly dribbled to the basket, with Durant, Harden, and Ibaka all converging on him.
However, after setting the screen, Gortat didn't look for an open position to receive the pass. Brother Dong's eyes had already told him where to go, so Gortat cut to the basket on the other side of Wade Dong.
Wade Dong was like a magnet, drawing Durant and the others with him.
"Swish!"
At the corner, Wade Dong, with his back to Ibaka, flicked his wrist, threading the pass between Ibaka's legs to Gortat.
"Wow!"
Many fans watching on TV exclaimed in excitement at the pass.
Wade Dong had his back to the basket, and there was Ibaka between him and Gortat, yet he managed to make a precise pass through Ibaka's legs to Gortat without even looking.
"Clang!"
Gortat received the pass and finished with a powerful dunk.
"Damn!"
After landing, Gortat punched the air and roared.
The frustration from being posterized earlier was released.
Suns led 35-27!
After the Thunder inbounded the ball, Westbrook dribbled straight towards the Suns' basket.
Wade Dong signaled for Tucker to switch onto him, and as expected, Westbrook had no intention of passing. He took off for a jump shot just inside the free-throw line.
Westbrook's body was in a contorted, backward-leaning position.
His eyes were locked on the basket.
At that moment, the Suns' player in the paint was Wade Dong.
"Gulp!"
Many fans couldn't help but swallow nervously.
Was Westbrook about to posterize Wade Dong?
Or would Wade Dong block Westbrook's shot?
This all happened in an instant. Wade Dong jumped and swatted the ball with one hand.
"Swish!"
The ball was swatted away by Wade Dong, and Westbrook fell to the ground.
The referee put the whistle in his mouth but hesitated before blowing it. Wade Dong didn't commit a foul; it was a clean block.
Westbrook fell because he lost the physical battle against Wade Dong.
This left Westbrook in awe. Compared to many muscular players in the NBA, Wade Dong seemed rather slender, so where did he get such strength?
The ball bounced off the floor, and Nash, with his quick reflexes, grabbed it and ran to the frontcourt with Wade Dong.
Durant wanted to catch up, but he was slower than Wade Dong.
Before Nash even reached the three-point line, Wade Dong was already under the basket, so he lobbed the ball into the air.
"Clang!"
Wade Dong caught the ball in mid-air, turned 180 degrees, and finished with a reverse slam.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Durant had only posterized Gortat once, and the Suns responded with two dunks.
Suns led 37-27!
The lead had grown to 10 points.
Curry, sitting on the bench, watched in amazement. These offensive moves of Brother Dong were not something he could replicate.
For instance, that alley-oop reverse slam was something he couldn't pull off in a real game.
At that moment, Curry made a silent vow to practice his three-point shooting. He remembered what Coach Gentry had told him: a great player doesn't need to know many moves. If he could perfect his three-point shot, he could become a superstar.
As for being as versatile as Brother Dong, Curry didn't even dare to think about it.
Five minutes into the second quarter, Curry substituted Nash, and Gortat replaced Whiteside.
As soon as Curry came in, he received a pass from Wade Dong and hit a three-pointer over Westbrook.
"Swish!"
The ball went through the net.
Suns led 46-35!
This three-pointer extended the lead to over 3 points.
"Three-pointer!"
The DJ's voice echoed throughout the arena.
Curry made the three-point sign with his fingers and ran back on defense.
Harden tried to isolate himself, but Tucker was still defending him, which made Harden very uncomfortable. Tucker was already a tough defender, and he seemed to know all of Harden's moves!
This puzzled Harden. He wasn't close with Tucker, so how did Tucker know him so well?
Harden dribbled between his legs repeatedly, trying to force his way into the paint while leaning on Tucker.
However, Tucker stayed close to Harden, and when Harden lifted his arm, Tucker knew he was trying to draw a foul, so he didn't budge.
Harden failed to draw the foul!
Harden had no choice but to force up a shot, which missed.
Gortat boxed out Ibaka, and Wade Dong easily grabbed the rebound.
This was the treatment a team's leader should receive. Wade Dong's rebounding instincts were among the best in the league, as he could always predict where the ball would go.
As long as he positioned himself correctly.
Gortat would always help Wade Dong by blocking the opposing team's big men, allowing Wade Dong to grab the rebound effortlessly.
...
"Brother Dong, I did a good job defending, right?"
Tucker proudly sought praise from Wade Dong.
"Very good!"
Wade Dong smiled. "You didn't let down my training."
Only the Suns' coaching staff and players knew that after sweeping the Clippers, while waiting for the Thunder and Spurs series to end, which took about a week, Wade Dong gave Tucker some intensive training. He repeatedly used Harden's signature moves to practice against Tucker, helping Tucker quickly familiarize himself with Harden's offensive repertoire.
This intensive training was highly effective.
Now, Tucker felt very comfortable defending Harden, as Harden was much easier to guard compared to Brother Dong.
The same thing happened in last year's playoffs.
Wade Dong had once used Griffin's moves to train the Suns' big men, which greatly improved Gortat's skills. That was why, even without Wade Dong in the first game against the Clippers due to his suspension, the Suns still managed to win.
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