บท 265: Chapter 265: The Coach Takes the Blame for Losses
In the Suns' locker room, Wade Dong was the last to arrive.
On his way through the player's tunnel, a young Huaxia boy sitting by the side clenched his fists and said to Wade Dong, "Uncle Wade Dong, good luck!"
Wade Dong took off his jersey, signed it, and gave it to the boy, which took a little extra time.
"Dong, I'm sorry..."
"Dong, I'm sorry..."
"Dong, I'm sorry..."
After losing a game, everyone was in low spirits. Curry, Thompson, and Whiteside even apologized to Wade Dong, feeling that their performance had let him down.
If just one player had stepped up to help Wade Dong in tonight's game, the Suns would have had a chance to beat the Heat.
"There's no need to apologize."
Wade Dong waved his hand; it was just one loss, and he wasn't going to blame his teammates.
Just then, Kerr entered the locker room, and Wade Dong joked, "The one who should apologize is Coach Kerr..."
"Yes!"
Kerr nodded, "The coach takes the blame for losses, so everyone, adjust your state of mind, and let's win the next game."
Wade Dong and Kerr's lighthearted exchange helped lift the team's spirits.
After losing the first game, aside from his teammates' underperformance, Wade Dong's playing time was also an issue. In this game, the Suns trailed the entire time, but Wade Dong only played for 32 minutes, even less than his regular-season average.
Wade Dong had said before that if Wilt Chamberlain could average 48.5 minutes per game, he could do it too.
But Kerr didn't seem to listen, as the Suns' strength didn't require Wade Dong to play every minute.
...
Post-game Press Conference:
"I think it would be very happy to win the championship at home."
Wade Dong only said this one sentence, implying that he would end the series in Game 5.
...
The next morning, the Heat rented a gym in Phoenix for practice.
Being the Finals, even with a 1-0 lead, the Heat couldn't afford any complacency. They needed to maintain their form and aim to beat the Suns again the next night.
The Suns, on the other hand, also arrived at the gym early. Wade Dong was there before anyone else, including Kerr and the players.
As the players trained, Kerr encouraged them.
The Suns had the talent, but at this point, morale was even more critical!
This was what Kerr did best.
"Dong, good morning!"
"Dong, good morning!"
"Dong, good morning!"
Upon seeing Wade Dong, everyone greeted him and then continued their training.
Wade Dong called Green over and said, "Yesterday, you had three opportunities to defend Wade one-on-one, but he got past you each time."
"Hmm..."
Green hung his head, not daring to speak.
"Wade's first step is very quick, especially his change of direction and spin moves."
Wade Dong analyzed Wade's offensive tendencies and then said, "You guard me."
"Okay!"
Green nodded vigorously, knowing that Dong was about to teach him a lesson.
In the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder, Tucker effectively limited Harden's offense, thanks to Dong's training, which helped Tucker adapt to Harden's offensive rhythm.
"Jack, come here."
Wade Dong called over the training coach to handle the passing.
Then, Wade Dong stood outside the three-second zone, received the pass from Jack, and without any extra moves, spun past Green and finished with a dunk.
"So fast!"
Both Green and Jack were stunned. Wade Dong's move was identical to Wade's first move against Green in the previous game.
But Wade Dong's spin was even faster.
"Again!"
After scoring, Wade Dong had Jack pass him the ball again.
The first time...
The second time...
The third time...
The fourth time...
The fifth time...
...
Wade Dong kept using Wade's moves to attack Green until Green put his hands on his knees, panting heavily, and waved for a break.
"Okay."
Wade Dong nodded and said seriously, "You can't defend my offense, but as long as you adapt to this rhythm and manage to defend against one of my moves, you'll have no problem defending Wade."
"Yes, I'll try!"
After training with Green in the morning, Wade Dong had lunch and a short rest. Then he called Gortat over.
"Bosh's offensive strengths are..."
After explaining Bosh's tendencies, Wade Dong began using Bosh's offensive moves to train Gortat.
...
June 13th, clear skies.
At 8 p.m., Game 2 of the Finals tipped off.
Ten minutes before the game, the starting lineups for both teams were displayed on the big screen.
Suns: Wade Dong, Nash, McDyess, Green, Gortat.
Heat: James, Wade, Ray Allen, Bosh, Kidd.
Kerr had two intentions with this lineup change.
Putting Nash back in the starting lineup as the point guard would free up Wade Dong's scoring ability. Additionally, having Curry, Thompson, and Middleton come off the bench would create a 'Three Musketeers' trio, increasing the bench's offensive firepower.
"Beep!!!"
The referee's whistle signaled the start of the game.
Gortat tapped the ball to Nash, who dribbled up the court and passed it to Wade Dong outside the three-second zone. Wade Dong, with his back to James, spun and drove to the basket, rising for a dunk over Bosh.
"So fast!"
Green exclaimed again.
This spin move was one of Wade's signature scoring moves, and Dong had used it countless times against Green in yesterday's practice.
But seeing that James couldn't stop Dong either, Green felt much better.
The Heat's offense:
Kidd dribbled up the court and passed to Wade, who received the ball and attempted a crossover move to get past Green.
However, Green had gained experience defending Wade Dong the previous day. He kept his front foot in front of Wade's and, when Wade tried to cross him, he moved laterally to stay in front.
"Huh?!"
Wade was taken aback. When did Green develop such strong anticipation?
Wade's crossover didn't work, but he wasn't concerned. He tried a behind-the-back dribble to attack from the weak side.
But Wade Dong was faster and stripped the ball from Wade.
"Bang!!!"
Wade Dong immediately went for a fast-break dunk after the steal.
"So this is how the 'Prophecy Potion' is used..."
Wade Dong muttered to himself as he ran back on defense.
With the 'Prophecy Potion' and his league-leading steal ability, he should be able to get 20-30 steals per game, right?
The NBA's single-game steal record was 11, and Wade Dong had twice recorded 10 steals in a game, but never broken this record.
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