Chương 10: Chapter 10: Facing Kobe
The fourth quarter had just begun, not even a minute in.
Wade Dong had scored two shots, earning five points and a block.
Brown immediately called a timeout!
Wade Dong walked to the bench, and Nash was the first to rush over and hug him. The teammates were also excited and hugged Wade Dong.
"Wade Dong, go and bring back the lead for us!"
Gentry said, then took out the tactical board, thought for a moment, and put it away. He laid out his strategy, "Pass the ball to Wade Dong!"
It was that same tactic again!
The Suns players almost fell over. In yesterday's scrimmage, Gentry had given the reserves the same tactic.
The timeout ended!
"Wade Dong! Wade Dong! Wade Dong!"
The home crowd began chanting Wade Dong's name. Chasing points was what the fans wanted to see.
After the timeout, the Lakers made substitutions. Sessions was benched, and Hill was also taken out. Fisher and Gasol entered the game.
After the substitutions, Gasol scored under the basket, extending the lead to 13 points.
The Lakers' defense had clearly improved, but they still didn't take Wade Dong seriously. After all, he was just a college player. Speed and height didn't matter; it was just a fluke.
On the Suns' side, Wade Dong moved to the corner. Seeing this, Hill made a long pass to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong caught the ball and, without hesitation, shot a three-pointer.
"Three!"
The announcer's voice echoed through the arena.
"Another three-pointer!"
In just two minutes on the court, Wade Dong had scored eight points, reducing the deficit to ten points!
The Lakers scored two points in the paint.
The deficit hadn't increased much. Gortat found Wade Dong outside the three-point line and passed the ball to him.
"Three!"
Scoring eleven points in a row, the Yanjing University cafeteria erupted. No one could stay calm!
"This is the performance of a superstar!"
Yu Jia exclaimed, "The hope of Chinese basketball has been reignited. I believe Wade Dong will become an NBA superstar."
Everyone was excited, but Wade Dong's performance was just beginning...
Brown had figured out the Suns' strategy. Whenever Wade Dong was open, they passed the ball to him.
The problem was, Wade Dong's shooting was too hot. He always managed to get the ball into the basket!
There were six minutes and forty-five seconds left.
With another three-pointer from Wade Dong, the score became 88:87!
The Suns took the lead by one point. In the fourth quarter, the Suns scored 23 points, with Wade Dong scoring 21 of them.
Kobe finally couldn't sit still any longer!
Brown requested a substitution, and Kobe returned to the game. The Lakers' starters were all back on the court.
The Suns also made adjustments. Nash returned to the game because the Lakers had shifted their defensive focus to Wade Dong. They needed someone to share the offensive burden with Wade Dong.
21 points in a single quarter!
This had already set a record for a player's first game in a single quarter, but there were still six minutes left in the game.
Chinese fans were already anticipating whether Wade Dong could break the NBA single-quarter scoring record!
The current NBA single-quarter scoring record was 33 points, a record that had stood for decades. Only Anthony in 2008 had tied it, but no one had ever broken it.
Wade Dong had only missed one shot so far. With his hot hand, he had a real chance of breaking the NBA single-quarter scoring record.
The NBA's slogan was: "Where amazing happens."
Every fan wanted to witness a miracle, and if it happened with a Chinese player, it would be a gift to Chinese fans.
But this miracle seemed to be happening. With six minutes left in the game, Wade Dong only needed to make four more three-pointers to tie the NBA single-quarter scoring record!
...
After Kobe entered the game, he demanded to guard Wade Dong one-on-one.
For a rookie, being guarded by a star was an honor, especially since Wade Dong was being guarded by Kobe, an NBA superstar.
Nash was a player who needed to be double-teamed.
Even though Wade Dong was on fire in this game, no one dared to leave Nash open.
Nash dribbled the ball, and Gortat set a pick.
After breaking through the defense, the Lakers' attention immediately shifted to Gortat. This was a common tactic for the Suns.
But this time, Nash didn't pass the ball to Gortat. Instead, he passed it directly to Wade Dong outside the three-point line.
As soon as Wade Dong caught the ball, Kobe pounced on him, "Rookie, welcome to the NBA."
"Haha~"
Wade Dong smiled and didn't choose to pass the ball. Instead, he turned his back to Kobe.
Yu Jia shouted, "Is Wade Dong going to take on Kobe one-on-one?"
Kobe had become a top-tier superstar not just because of his offense. His defense was also top-notch in the NBA.
Tonight, except for the first shot, all of Wade Dong's other shots were catch-and-shoot. He hadn't had a one-on-one opportunity yet.
Wade Dong backed up against Kobe, first stepping forward to create contact, then using a shoulder shake to turn around and shoot a fadeaway jumper!
"Swish!"
Even though Kobe tried to block the shot, the ball still went in, grazing Kobe's fingertips!
"Great shot!!!"
In the Yanjing University cafeteria, Li Pei shouted excitedly. Taking on Kobe one-on-one was a dream for many players.
Kobe was stunned. This move was too familiar!
This was his signature move, the fadeaway jumper. Wade Dong had just used his own move to score against him. Wade Dong's rhythm and posture were almost identical to his own. Kobe knew how difficult this move was to defend against.
"Idol, this shot is for you."
Wade Dong said to Kobe and then turned to start defending.
"Interesting kid!"
Kobe also smiled, "You've successfully piqued my interest."
The Lakers attacked, and Kobe found Wade Dong, shouting, "Come and guard me, kid!"
This was a challenge!
Wade Dong didn't say a word and stepped up to guard Kobe. However, Kobe was an NBA superstar. He used the same fadeaway jumper to score against Wade Dong.
"Interesting!"
Nash smiled. He dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and passed it to Wade Dong again.
Yu Jia, "Kobe is taking on Wade Dong."
Zhang, "Compared to Kobe, Wade Dong is still a bit inexperienced."
Zhang's words were immediately proven wrong. Wade Dong used the same fadeaway jumper to score again.
The exact same move!
With Wade Dong and Kobe being the same height, it was as if two Kobes were facing off. This made Kobe feel a bit disoriented.
"Damn!!!"
The Chinese fans watching the live broadcast were going crazy!
They saw an NBA rookie, Wade Dong, going toe-to-toe with Kobe.
92:89!!!
The Suns led by three points. Wade Dong had already scored 25 points in the fourth quarter.
He was only eight points away from the NBA single-quarter scoring record, with five minutes left. The single-quarter scoring record seemed to be within Wade Dong's reach.
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