Chương 545: Chapter 545: Don’t Tweet Recklessly When Nothing's Wrong
"The ball rolled around the rim five or six times before dropping into the basket."
"Blake, remember next time, don't foul me blindly; it really doesn't help," Wade Dong reminded Blake as he walked to the free-throw line.
Before shooting, Wade didn't prepare much; he simply grabbed the ball with one hand and casually tossed it toward the hoop.
"Swish!!!"
The basketball went through cleanly.
"Sigh... I got fooled by Dong again!"
Gentry sighed from the sidelines. This was exactly what Wade meant when he warned Blake; even if that three-pointer had missed, giving Wade three free throws would still net him three points.
43:25!!!
With Wade's "3+1", the Trail Blazers were now down by 18 points.
In the previous game, the Suns won thanks to Wade's sudden return, which caught the Trail Blazers off guard. However, in this game, they were already leading by 18 points at the start of the second quarter, showcasing the clear disparity in strength between the two teams.
Down 3-0, the Trail Blazers had almost lost all hope of a comeback; they were merely fighting to win a game or two.
If they fell behind by 30 points in the first half, even if Wade disappeared again in the second half, there would be no chance for a comeback—essentially conceding defeat.
"Timeout!"
Stotts called another timeout to make adjustments to his lineup.
"Aldridge and Lillard, you two replace Blake and Frazier; Frye and Gortat are also coming on!"
This was a significant substitution adjustment.
Lillard, Matthews, Aldridge, Frye, and Gortat took to the court. Frye's entry added height to the Trail Blazers' lineup.
The Trail Blazers attacked.
Matthews received a pass from mid-range and handed it off to Gortat.
Gortat went one-on-one against Green but noticed Frye was open beyond the three-point line and passed it to him; Frye was a very reliable three-point shooter!
However... as soon as Frye received the ball,
Thompson suddenly appeared in front of him, interfering with Frye's shot attempt.
"G~~~"
The ball hit the rim and bounced off; Whiteside grabbed the rebound!
"This isn't the first time..."
Stotts squinted his eyes. "The Suns always manage to rotate in time—not just their switching speed but someone has seen through my tactical arrangements."
"Gentry..."
Stotts turned to look at Gentry.
The old man holding a thermos with a kind expression seemed to grow larger in Stotts' mind until he became like a natural disaster.
The Suns launched a fast break.
Wade Dong maneuvered past both Matthews and Lillard before taking a mid-range fadeaway jumper.
"Swish!!!"
The basketball went through cleanly.
45:25!!!
The Trail Blazers were now down by 20 points; fans were anxious watching their team struggle on court.
Aldridge went one-on-one against Durant while Green helped defend, disrupting Aldridge's shot attempt as Whiteside secured another defensive rebound.
"Dong!"
Whiteside shouted as he flung the ball forward.
"What the hell~!"
Wade cursed as he sprinted after Whiteside's throw with explosive speed akin to a 100-meter dash.
As he saw the basketball nearing out-of-bounds, Wade leaped with all his might, managing to catch it just outside of bounds. In mid-air, he adjusted his body and threw it toward the basket from behind it.
The shot had an incredibly high arc that seemed almost vertical.
"Swish!!!"
The basketball sailed over the backboard and fell into the hoop!
"Wow~~~ Whiteside!"
"Nice shot~~~ Dong!"
On the Suns' bench, some cheered for Wade while others booed Whiteside for his risky pass.
Wade strolled back downcourt and pointed at Whiteside's chest. "You fool! If you can't pass properly, don't try these flashy plays with me!"
"I see you often make those full-court assists that land perfectly in their hands," Whiteside replied quietly. "I thought such passes were easy; I thought I could do it too..."
"As a professional player, don't you know how simple or difficult such passes are?"
Green scoffed but added with amusement, "But your lousy pass turned into one of Dong's top plays!"
...
The Trail Blazers had completely lost their momentum. With eleven minutes into the third quarter, all five starters for the Suns remained on court.
63:33!!!
With Wade hitting another three-pointer, the Suns led by 30 points.
Wade fulfilled his promise; they indeed led by 30 points at halftime with just 17 seconds left in this half for one last attack from the Trail Blazers.
It was clear that this team had lost its spirit.
Some bench players were even discussing which fishing rod was better...
Lillard controlled the ball while managing time.
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
With just one second left, Lillard launched an extremely long three-pointer.
"G~~~"
The basketball hit off the rim as halftime came to an end.
...
As soon as the game ended, Wade quickly headed toward the players' tunnel with Feng Yuxiu following closely behind. The vehicle arranged by Luo Qingyan was already waiting outside the arena to take them to the airport at any moment.
"Coach Gentry, I'm heading back to China."
When Gentry entered the locker room, Wade had already changed clothes and was buttoning up his shirt while saying, "With a 30-point lead, you guys shouldn't get overturned, right?"
"Of course not!"
Gentry replied confidently with a grin.
Once Wade left, everyone finally couldn't contain their curiosity and gathered around Gentry asking, "Ever since he sprained his ankle, Dong has been acting unusually."
"You noticed that too?"
"Yeah... It feels strange that he wants to rush back home tonight!"
"You think it could be...?"
While most Americans couldn't figure it out, Yi Nan speculated: "Is Dong's wife about to give birth?"
"Very likely!!!"
Gentry nodded vigorously. "Only something like this would make Dong so anxious."
Durant asked curiously: "If it's such an important matter about his wife giving birth, why doesn't he share it with us? We would all be happy for him."
"Dong has his reasons for not saying anything."
Gentry stroked his chin thoughtfully and analyzed: "It must stem from his love for his child; Dong doesn't want to publicize this news."
"What great fatherly love!"
Gentry remarked. "Since Dong isn't saying anything, we shouldn't speculate either—let's help keep his secret."
"Especially you two!"
Gentry paused before pointing at McCollum and Durant. "Don't go tweeting about everything!"
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