Chương 397: Chapter 397: 34-Game Winning Streak
Alvin Gentry's words held some truth. If teams employed the Pelicans' strategy of leaving Draymond Green open during the playoffs, the Suns would indeed be at a disadvantage.
Weaker teams might not pose a significant threat, but against the Lakers or the Five-Star Heat, even the slightest weakness could be fatal.
The second half of the game commenced.
With Green being targeted, Gentry decided to keep him on the bench. It wasn't that he didn't want Green to regain his confidence on the court, but rather that he feared Green's continued misses in the second half might shatter his mentality even before the playoffs began.
In truth, Green's mentality was already on the verge of collapse. Before the game, he had made bold statements about the Pelicans, but he never expected to be proven wrong so quickly.
Or, to be precise, he had slapped himself in the face.
The Suns initiated their offense.
After Durant replaced Green, the Pelicans' defense became more passive.
Even the most foolish coach wouldn't treat Durant the same way as Green. If they dared to give Durant the same freedom as they did to Green in the first half, Coach Gentry would show them what true despair felt like.
Wade Dong dribbled the ball into the frontcourt and passed it to Durant, while he positioned himself beyond the three-point line to draw the Pelicans' defense.
Durant, guarded by Roberts, executed a large-scale front-body crossover and took a mid-range jump shot.
Swish!
Durant's unstoppable one-on-one move resulted in a clean basket.
Score: 59-41!
The Pelicans' offense began with Holiday receiving the inbound pass and quickly dribbling up the court.
However, no team in the league could match the Suns' speed in transition defense. By the time Holiday reached the three-point line, the Suns' defense was already set.
The fast break turned into a half-court offense.
Holiday passed the ball to Davis and then cut to the baseline, while the Suns swiftly adjusted their defense.
After a few passes, the play became a one-on-one between Holiday and Wade Dong under the basket. With the 24-second shot clock ticking down, Holiday tried to force his way inside, but Wade Dong was there to meet him with a powerful block!
"Smack!"
The ball was swatted away, marking Wade Dong's fourth block of the game.
Durant grabbed the rebound and raced towards the frontcourt for a one-handed slam, extending the lead to 61-41!
Once again, the Suns pulled ahead by more than 20 points.
As the third quarter progressed, the Suns widened the gap to 30 points in just over six minutes, with Wade Dong adding two more blocks to his tally.
"Timeout!"
At this point, there was no need to keep the starters on the court, so Gentry called a timeout.
In came E'Nan, Tucker, Whiteside, McCollum, and Barton.
Before Wade Dong left the court, Davis had not managed to secure a single block.
This was partly due to the Pelicans' defensive strategy. In the first half, they left Green open, allowing him to take 17 shots on his own, which also meant the Suns rarely attacked the paint for points. In the second half, with Wade Dong on the court, the offensive focal points were Wade Dong and Durant, making it nearly impossible for Davis to block their shots.
As the game slipped away from the Pelicans, their head coach, Monty, asked Davis, "Do you want to stay on the court?"
Davis hesitated.
He was torn.
If he came out now, his chances of winning the block title were slim. But with the game already in garbage time, it didn't feel right to stay on the court either.
He was starting to resent Wade Dong...
You already have so many honors, why compete with a second-year rookie for the block title? What's the harm in letting him have it? Would a top player like Wade Dong even care about a minor title like that?
In the end, Davis chose not to play during garbage time.
The fourth quarter began.
"What's he doing?"
Davis was perplexed to see Wade Dong back on the court.
However, after taking a single three-point shot, Wade Dong immediately returned to the bench.
"Is he playing games now?"
Davis would soon understand why Wade Dong took that three-pointer. Before the shot, he had only scored 17 points in the third quarter, but with that attempt, he maintained his streak of consecutive 20+ point games.
The final whistle blew, signaling the end of the game.
"Woohoo!"
The arena erupted in cheers from the fans both inside and outside the stadium.
The Suns had achieved a 34-game winning streak!
They broke the Lakers' record of 33 consecutive wins, setting a new league record. The 33-game streak was now a thing of the past.
Game Stats:
- Wade Dong: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 6 blocks
- Durant: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
- Curry: 6 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
- Green: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
- Davis: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
The Suns' leading scorer was E'Nan, who finished the game with 27 points and 13 rebounds, showcasing his prowess in garbage time.
After the game, a retired player who ranked among the top ten in history commented, "A team like this has disrupted the league's balance. If specific regulations targeting the Suns aren't implemented, the NBA will lose its competitiveness."
Numerous other players shared their opinions:
- "After this season, many players will likely choose to retire. The Suns' dominance has left other teams hopeless."
- "We can't find any weaknesses in this team. Even the Celtics, Lakers, and Bulls dynasties of the past couldn't compete with the Suns of today."
- "I suggest we just hand the championship to the Suns. Why bother playing? Is there any team that can challenge them?"
Wade Dong held the record for the most quadruple-doubles in history. He had broken records for most assists, blocks, steals, and points in a single game, and even scored 82 points in one game, achieving a quintuple-double. However, these individual achievements weren't enough to demoralize other players, as they were earned by Wade Dong alone.
But when the Suns broke the historical winning streak record, the league realized it wasn't just about individual strength; it was about team dominance.
In essence, they believed that having Wade Dong, Durant, and Curry on the same team was unfair.
And to make matters worse, this imbalanced lineup was further supported by players like Thompson, Green, Whiteside, Tucker, and the visibly improving McCollum.
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