Chương 255: Chapter 255: Friendship Second, Competition First
The Eastern Conference Finals were more intense.
In the first game, the Heat beat the Bulls 97-95.
In the second game, the Heat won 107-108 against the Bulls.
The Bulls won on the road against the Heat thanks to Rose's game-winning shot.
Wade Dong watched the game footage and was impressed to see that Li Pei had played for six minutes, scoring 2 points, grabbing 1 rebound, and recording 0 assists, 1 steal, and 0 blocks.
This made Wade Dong look at Li Pei with newfound respect.
The environment is crucial for a player's development, and after Wade Dong's previous encouragement, the entire Bulls team took good care of Li Pei. Li Pei's improvement was evident to everyone.
The key was that he gained confidence, and now he dared to take shots when he had the ball!
So far, there have been fewer than ten Chinese players who have played in the NBA, and Li Pei's ability to secure consistent playing time and score points in this league proves his worth.
...
The third game between the Suns and Thunder took place in Oklahoma City.
Thunder fans were eagerly anticipating a victory over the Suns, hoping to advance to the Finals.
The fans knew that this was Durant's last year on his contract, and if the Thunder couldn't win the championship this season, Durant was likely to leave the team.
Similarly, this was also Harden's last year with the Thunder.
"Beat the Suns!"
"Beat the Suns!"
"Beat the Suns!"
Even before the game started, the arena was filled with deafening cheers.
After two consecutive blowout losses, this was the Thunder's last chance. If they lost again and fell behind 3-0, there would be little hope of a comeback.
The Suns had several rookies on their team, including Green, Middleton, Tucker, Whiteside, and even McGrady and Curry could be considered among them.
The Suns only had two players with Conference Finals experience: Wade Dong and Nash, along with a few former Suns players.
Before the game, Gentry encouraged Green and the others, "Don't be affected by the home crowd's noise. The louder they cheer, the more it proves your strength."
"Once you're on the court, play with skill and style."
Gentry added, "Remember, friendship comes second, competition first!"
Wade Dong watched Gentry enthusiastically giving his pre-game pep talk, his mouth full of saliva, and couldn't help but frown. It must have been challenging for Gentry to translate these slogans into English, but he managed to do it in a way that was easy to understand and motivating for the Suns players.
...
The game began.
In this game, Brooks didn't start Harden!
After two consecutive losses, he finally realized that the Thunder's losses weren't due to their starters but their bench.
The key was that Tucker's defense against Harden was exceptional, and putting Harden in the starting lineup wouldn't make much difference.
When Gentry saw that Harden wasn't in the starting lineup, he immediately substituted Green for Tucker after the game started, intending to let Tucker wear down Harden. Gentry didn't bother hiding this tactic.
The first half went something like this.
Whenever Harden was on the court, Tucker was there too. As long as Durant didn't sit, Wade Dong wouldn't either.
It seemed like Gentry didn't have any specific tactics, but as the first half was about to end, the Suns were leading the Thunder by 8 points.
Brooks had a gloomy expression, as he had never seen such a shameless strategy, yet it was surprisingly effective.
Gentry secretly rejoiced, "Brother Dong once said that the strongest tactic is to have no tactic. No tactic can beat a tactic."
With 13 seconds left in the second quarter, the Thunder had the last possession.
Wade Dong dribbled up the court, and Durant and Jackson double-teamed him.
"5!"
"4!"
"3!"
With only two seconds left, Wade Dong pulled up for a jump shot over Durant and Jackson.
"Swish!"
The ball went through the net.
Although Wade Dong didn't take many shots in the first half, he made all seven of his attempts! His hot hand was so scorching that if he rubbed Harden's beard, Harden's beard would turn curly.
Suns led 51-40!
The Suns took an 11-point lead into halftime.
Gentry was very satisfied with his tactical arrangements. If this were a home game, he would have played the song 'How Lonely It Is to Be Invincible' to celebrate.
...
During halftime, Wade Dong looked at the stats sheet and felt a bit worried.
In the first half, the Suns players performed well, shooting at a high 67% clip, while the Thunder were held to just 51%. With such a significant difference in shooting percentage, the Suns only led by 11 points.
If the Suns' shooting cooled down in the second half, the outcome of the game would be uncertain.
Fortunately, Gentry continued to motivate the team in the locker room, and the Suns maintained their overall momentum.
...
The second half began.
Durant, defended by Wade Dong, performed a wide crossover, followed by a mid-range jumper.
"Swish!"
The ball went through the net, one of Durant's signature moves.
Although Wade Dong responded with a drive of his own, Durant hit another three-pointer.
The Reaper had arrived!
When Durant caught fire, Wade Dong couldn't afford to focus on defending the paint.
Harden and Westbrook relentlessly attacked the Suns' interior defense, and Ibaka also caused chaos in the Suns' paint.
The Thunder gradually closed the gap.
"Clang!"
As Durant finished a dunk, the third quarter ended.
Suns led 71-73!
The Thunder outscored the Suns 33-20 in the third quarter and took a 2-point lead.
...
Gentry started to feel uneasy, so he implemented his ultimate tactic, "In the fourth quarter, give the ball to Brother Dong!"
The fourth-quarter lineups:
Suns: Curry, Thompson, Tucker, Wade Dong, and Gortat.
Thunder: Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Jackson, and Ibaka.
The fourth quarter began.
Wade Dong isolated against Durant, using the same wide crossover, followed by a behind-the-back dribble to get past Durant.
He drove to the paint, backed down Ibaka, and finished with a fadeaway jumper.
Suns tied the game at 73!
Then, Westbrook attacked the paint and drew a foul from Gortat, making only one of his two free throws. The Thunder took a one-point lead.
The lead kept changing hands.
Both Gentry and Brooks called timeouts, and with 36 seconds left in the game, the Thunder trailed by 2 points.
Durant had the ball.
"Don't foul!"
Wade Dong reminded his teammates. The Suns were up by 2 points, and if they could stop the Thunder on this possession, the Thunder would be forced to make a move!
The Suns weren't worried about the Thunder's potential foul tactics.
The team with the highest free throw percentage in the league would essentially gift the Suns two points if they sent them to the free-throw line.
"Go ahead and shoot!"
Wade Dong taunted Durant while defending him.
"Clap!"
"Clap!"
Durant did two dribbles between his legs and then flicked his shoulders as if he was about to shoot.
But this move didn't fool Wade Dong.
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