Chương 191: Chapter 191: Three Quarters and Clock Out
Post-game press conference.
The entire Suns team attended the press conference.
Ever since Wade Dong joined the Suns, breaking historical records has become a common occurrence.
This game, where the Suns broke the record for the largest margin of victory, was less talked about than the fluidity of their offense.
Or rather, Nash and Curry are truly incompatible.
In the first three games, there were some hiccups, but when the two were separated in this game, the Suns exploded with incredible energy, whether it was the starters or the bench, they seemed unbeatable.
This was a resounding victory, and the Suns defeated the Warriors, with Curry and Thompson using this game to prove to the Warriors that trading them was a foolish decision.
There are 25 games left in the regular season.
The Suns' upcoming schedule:
March 5th, home game against the Trail Blazers. ✭
March 6th, away game against the Magic.
March 9th, away game against the Cavaliers.
March 11th, home game against the Thunder.
March 13th, away game against the Rockets.
...
April 29th, home game against the Grizzlies.
May 1st, away game against the Clippers.
May 3rd, home game against the Jazz.
May 5th, away game against the Kings.
The playoffs will begin in mid-May.
The "Death Lineup" has completely unlocked the Suns' potential, and the depth of their bench is unmatched in the league. After all, there aren't many teams that would dare to put two-time scoring champion McGrady and two-time MVP Nash on the bench at the same time.
...
On March 5th, the Suns hosted the Trail Blazers at home.
The Trail Blazers' record this season is only 11th in the West, making them a weak team that poses little threat to the Suns.
However, this team has Lillard, who, along with Middleton and Green, are rookies from last year and have performed exceptionally well this season. The Rookie of the Year award is essentially between Davis and Lillard.
Moreover, Lillard, being a rookie, is full of youthful arrogance. He once said in the media that although he might be weaker than Paul George as a rookie, he could outplay Nash.
**Pre-game.**
Wade Dong asked Green, "If you were to go up against Lillard, would you be nervous?"
"Not nervous!"
Green shook his head firmly.
"Good, there's no reason to be nervous. You're both starters," Wade Dong smiled and then asked, "Do you have the confidence to defend Lillard?"
"Yes!"
"Do you have the confidence to outplay Lillard?"
"Yes!"
"Do you have the confidence to win Rookie of the Year?"
"Yes!"
Wade Dong's questions came faster and faster, and Green's "Yes" became more and more determined. By the end, Green was flushed with excitement.
"Come on, man~"
Wade Dong laughed and patted Green's head, "Train well, you and Lillard still have a big gap."
Green: ￣へ￣
Green already knew he shouldn't have listened to Wade Dong's pep talk.
Kidd's pep talks are delicious and nutritious, but Wade Dong's often turn out to be poisonous.
After encouraging Green, Wade Dong went to encourage Middleton.
As the players took the court and the game was about to start, Green and Middleton still had sullen expressions, poisoned by Wade Dong's pep talk.
...
Before the game started, Lillard walked up to Wade Dong and said, "I know you're good, but I will be the future number one in the league!"
"You've got spirit, kid~"
Anyone with the heart to become a superstar has a competitive nature. Wade Dong gave a thumbs up, "You're my idol."
Lillard, "???"
Wade Dong hadn't called anyone his "idol" in a long time. When he said those words, the Suns players knew Lillard was in trouble.
The game began, and the players prepared for the jump ball.
Wade Dong and Hickson stood in the center circle.
"Oh wow~~~"
Fans watching on TV laughed at the sight.
It wasn't excitement, but laughter... The jump ball is usually the domain of centers, and no one had ever seen a player who usually plays the shooting guard position, and is under two meters tall, jump for the ball.
Has Kidd gone mad, assigning Wade Dong to jump for the ball?
But thinking about it, it made sense. The Suns' "Death Lineup" has the tallest player at just over two meters, which is not much different from Wade Dong's height. Having Wade Dong jump for the ball wasn't entirely inappropriate.
However, not using the tall center Gortat was a bit of a waste.
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew the whistle, and the ball was tossed into the air.
Before the ball reached its highest point, Wade Dong and Hickson could not touch it; otherwise, it would be a violation.
So, both players kept their eyes on the ball.
"Now!"
Wade Dong saw the ball about to reach its highest point and quickly jumped. Hickson was a bit slower to jump and didn't have the same explosiveness. He tried to use his height and reach to tap the ball to Lillard.
But he was too slow.
Wade Dong touched the ball just as it started to descend and tapped it to Curry.
"Wow~~~"
Fans watching on TV were instantly thrilled. No one expected the 1.98-meter-tall Wade Dong to win the jump ball against the nearly 2.2-meter-tall center Hickson.
Curry dribbled the ball without crossing the half-court line, and Thompson was already in position.
Curry quickly passed the ball to Thompson, who caught the pass and immediately shot a three-pointer.
"Swish!!!"
The ball went through the net.
The quick transition from defense to offense and the precise three-pointer—this is what makes the "Death Lineup" so terrifying.
3:0!!!
The Trail Blazers attacked.
Lillard had the ball.
Middleton said to Wade Dong, "Bro, I'll defend him!"
"Okay!"
Wade Dong and Middleton switched defensive positions.
Wade Dong defended the inside, while Middleton took on defending Lillard. It seemed that Wade Dong's poisonous pep talk had some effect; at least Middleton was stimulated and proactively requested to defend Lillard.
Lillard's playing style is characterized by explosive power and strong offense. Of course, what people talk about most is his big heart... As a rookie, he has already made two game-winning shots in the few victories they've had.
Some experts even commented that Lillard's game-winning shots are the most similar to Wade Dong's.
Both are so confident...
Lillard faced Middleton, made a simple crossover, and used his explosiveness to break through Middleton's defense and drive into the paint.
Green immediately came to help on defense.
"G~"
"Beep!!!"
Lillard's layup didn't go in, but the referee's whistle blew, indicating a defensive foul on Green.
"Where did I foul?!"
Green spread his hands, questioning the referee!
"Don't argue with the referee."
Wade Dong chased away Green and said, "You defended well, defense needs to be tough like this."
Green said, "Thank you, Brother Dong."
"You're welcome~"
Wade Dong waved his hand, "But you and Lillard still have a gap."
Green, "???"
...
"Swish!!!"
"Swish!!!"
Lillard made both free throws, looking at Green with disdain.
Green was a bit annoyed.
Thompson passed the ball from the baseline to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong dribbled the ball past the half-court line, and Lillard came to defend him, saying, "Don't let a rookie defend me, they can't stop me."
"Idol, you're also a rookie."
Wade Dong said and then made a quick crossover, shooting a three-pointer from just inside the line.
"You can't stop me either..."
The ball was still in the air when Wade Dong said this and turned to run back on defense.
"Swish!!!"
Behind Wade Dong, the ball went through the net.
"Holy crap! That's so cool!"
"So flashy~~~"
The Suns' bench erupted. This shot was so cool. The ball hadn't even started to fall, and Wade Dong had already turned to run back on defense, as if he knew the shot would go in. This showed incredible confidence.
The league has had someone this flashy before, but... there was no after.
Curry followed up and laughed at Wade Dong, "Brother Dong, I can make that shot too."
"Hahaha..."
Wade Dong winked at Curry, "There's nothing to brag about, if you can make my next shot, that would be impressive."
The overall attitude of the Suns was quite relaxed. Facing the Trail Blazers, the Suns' starters felt that this game wasn't even as intense as their internal scrimmages.
Although the Trail Blazers have Lillard and Aldridge.
The Trail Blazers attacked, and this time Aldridge made a mid-range shot.
6:4!!!
The quality of both teams' offenses was quite high at the start.
The Suns attacked, and Wade Dong dribbled the ball past the half-court line before passing it to Curry.
Curry dribbled past Lillard and saw Wade Dong running towards the inside, making a high pass into the air.
"Alley-oop!"
The Suns' bench players instantly stood up.
This pass was perfectly timed. Wade Dong caught the ball at the highest point of his jump and then slammed it into the basket over Hickson.
"Boom!!!"
The basket seemed to shake.
After landing, Wade Dong laughed at Curry, "Can you make that shot?"
Curry: (〃'▽'〃)
Five minutes into the first quarter, Gortat and Tucker replaced Green and Middleton, and the Suns maintained a six-point lead.
As the first quarter came to an end, both teams switched to their bench players.
Now, the Suns' strategy is that as long as the starting lineup can maintain the lead, when the bench players come in, they will start to extend the lead.
...
**Second quarter begins.**
The Suns' lineup is: Nash, McGrady, Gortat, Tucker, Thompson.
The Trail Blazers' lineup is: Matthews, Hickson, Batum, Babbit, Batum.
This lineup matchup gave Trail Blazers coach Stotts the feeling that it was impossible to win. It's an unwritten rule to play the bench in the first half of the second quarter, but the Suns sent out a starting lineup.
So, the first five minutes of the second quarter went like this:
Matthews missed a shot, Gortat grabbed the rebound and passed it to Nash.
Nash dribbled the ball outside the three-point line, and Tucker set a screen for Thompson. When Thompson got open, he comfortably received Nash's pass.
Three-pointer!
If the Trail Blazers don't double-team Nash, he can score or pass more easily.
If there's no good scoring opportunity, pass the ball to McGrady for a one-on-one.
On defense, Gortat and Tucker form a strong interior defense, while McGrady and Thompson are also solid on the perimeter.
...
With seven minutes left in the second quarter.
47:32!!!
The Suns extended their lead to 15 points with their "bench lineup."
Then Wade Dong and Curry came on, and Nash and McGrady went to rest...
Since the lineup change, Nash's playing time has been reduced, but the players who sacrificed the most were actually Gortat and Tucker. They went from starters to bench players, which inevitably affected their stats, and since both players are still young, their stats will affect their future contracts.
On the other hand, Nash is likely to retire after his contract ends, so his performance won't affect his contract situation.
Curry and Wade Dong came on to finish the game.
Being down by 15 points, the Trail Blazers still had a chance to come back, but with Curry and Wade Dong on the court, Middleton continued to defend Lillard.
Lillard successfully scored on Middleton and shouted at the Suns players, "Other than Wade Dong, no one on the Suns can stop me!"
Middleton, "???"
Before the game, Lillard had talked tough to Wade Dong, expecting a showdown between stars.
When the Suns played the Lakers, Wade Dong defended Kobe.
When the Suns played the Heat, Wade Dong defended James.
When the Suns played the Thunder, Wade Dong defended Durant.
Everyone knows that Wade Dong usually defends the opponent's star player. Lillard had been looking forward to a matchup with Wade Dong since he entered the league.
Although Middleton had already been beaten by Lillard, Wade Dong was still calmly defending the paint, picking up rebounds... This made Lillard feel ignored.
Wade Dong got the ball again.
But as Wade Dong received the inbound pass, Lillard stuck to him tightly.
"Um..."
Facing Lillard's aggressive defense, Wade Dong helplessly said, "It's only the second quarter, defending like this will drain your energy."
Lillard said, "I won't let you score again."
"Alright then..."
Wade Dong helplessly spun around and then made a quick stop-and-go, shaking off Lillard.
"Swish!!!"
With his toes on the three-point line, Wade Dong shot and the ball went through the net.
After scoring, Wade Dong said to Lillard, "The future is yours... but the current number one in the league is..."
**Half-time.**
61:42!!!
The Suns lead the Trail Blazers by 19 points.
...
After changing their tactics, the Suns' chemistry has been particularly good.
Nine minutes into the third quarter, the game entered garbage time. Since ending their two-game losing streak, this was the second time Wade Dong clocked out after three quarters.
"Beep!!!"
As the game ended.
Wade Dong looked at the game stats during the post-game interview:
Wade Dong: 31 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks.
Curry: 27 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks.
Thompson: 29 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 steals, 1 block.
Lillard: 29 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks.
Aldridge: 21 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
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