Chương 175: Chapter 175: I Will Sue You for Slander
The Suns have 29 regular-season games left, and many people believe the Suns can break the 72-win record held by the Bulls.
The reason is that out of the next 29 games, at least 15 are against teams ranked in the bottom seven of the Eastern and Western Conferences.
For example, the Pelicans with Davis and the Trail Blazers with Lillard, both of whom currently have poor records. Additionally, the Suns have not played against the Trail Blazers this season, and tonight's game against the Pelicans is their first meeting of the season.
Out of these 29 games, 7 are against the Pelicans and the Trail Blazers.
"East Brother, we can do it!"
After being fed a lot of motivational speeches, Middleton and Green regained their confidence.
"That's the spirit!"
Wade Dong praised them and added, "In the second half, you guys need to blow out the Pelicans, and I'll cheer you on from the sidelines!"
"From the sidelines?"
Middleton asked in confusion, "East Brother, you're not playing?"
"I believe in you guys."
Wade Dong patted Middleton's shoulder to encourage him.
Middleton, "..."
Green, "..."
Upon hearing that Wade Dong didn't want to play in the second half, their newly gained confidence from the motivational speeches waned.
After all, they were rookies, and their mentality was not yet mature.
...
Of course, Wade Dong was just joking with them.
As the second half began, Wade Dong returned to the court.
Although he intended to test Green and Middleton, Wade Dong would never easily give up a game.
If the Pelicans had a breakout performance and the Suns lost, Wade Dong could accept it. But if he himself didn't want to play and it caused the team to lose, not only would he not forgive himself, but the fans wouldn't forgive him either.
The second half began.
"Run the plays, run the plays!"
Wade Dong extended his index finger, signaling his teammates to run the plays.
Kobe has a signature move where he spreads his thumb and index finger like the Nike swoosh and then raises both hands to the sides, indicating he's going to take the shot.
Wade Dong's signature move is to press his thumb against his curled middle, ring, and little fingers, extending only his index finger, which also means he's going to take the shot.
Understanding Wade Dong's signal, his teammates immediately spread out, giving Wade Dong space to drive.
Wade Dong made a crossover move on Davis and then drove to the basket for a layup.
"Swish!!!"
The ball went through the hoop.
The second shot...
The third shot...
The fourth shot...
The fifth shot...
Five consecutive shots, Wade Dong drove past Davis and finished with either a pull-up jumper or a layup.
After being repeatedly beaten by Wade Dong, Davis looked dejected, his eyebrows furrowed. Wade Dong patted Davis's shoulder as he returned to defense, "Idol, welcome to the NBA!"
Davis: ╮(╯﹏╰）╭
This season, Davis had also defended against top power forwards like Griffin and Aldridge, but he rarely had to defend against a point guard. His footwork couldn't keep up with Wade Dong.
Wade Dong only needed three minutes to teach Davis a lesson.
Seeing the score being pulled away again, the Pelicans' head coach knew that even without Nash and Bynum, the Pelicans were no match for the Suns.
The third quarter wasn't even over, and the game had already entered garbage time.
What followed was a battle of the bench players.
"Beep!!!"
As the referee blew the final whistle, the game ended.
117:103!!!
The Suns easily defeated the Pelicans at home.
Game statistics:
Wade Dong: 37 points, 6 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks.
Davis: 31 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
...
Post-game press conference.
A reporter asked, "In the second half of the second quarter, during the five minutes you were off the court, the Suns were outscored by 14 points. Does this indicate that the team hasn't adjusted to the departure of Bynum and the others?"
Wade Dong replied, "The team suddenly lost four players, so there will definitely be an adjustment period. However, we adjusted quickly and had a small scoring run in the third quarter, which was key to winning the game."
"That scoring run was all you," the reporter smiled, "It doesn't have much to do with the team's adjustment, does it?"
"It still has something to do with it..."
Wade Dong touched his nose and smiled, "My teammates did a good job defending the Pelicans' offense and limiting Davis's performance."
The reporter then asked, "After Curry and Thompson join the Suns, will they be assigned to the bench? We all know their positions overlap with yours and Nash's."
"The lineup adjustments are the coach's responsibility."
Wade Dong deflected the question.
The reporter persisted, "But I heard that in the Suns, the lineup adjustments are all decided by you, Coach Kidd listens to you."
"I didn't, I haven't, don't talk nonsense."
Wade Dong first denied it three times, then smiled at the reporter, "Who told you that?"
"Uh..."
The reporter was taken aback, "I heard it from somewhere."
"Rumors can't be trusted."
Wade Dong smiled, "Don't bring this up again, or I'll sue you for slander~"
Wade Dong would never admit that he was the one making the lineup and tactical decisions for the team. If they lost, he would still have Coach Kidd to take the blame.
The trade between the Suns and the Warriors had just happened, and the reporters were eager to get some news from Wade Dong, so they asked, "Mr. Wade Dong, can I ask you another question?"
"No!"
To their surprise, Wade Dong directly refused and then confidently walked off the stage.
"Uh..."
The reporter was stunned again. Only Wade Dong would dare to treat reporters like this.
The key was that they didn't dare to get angry because a year ago, most of the media in the US had been quietly warned not to report any negative news about Wade Dong.
...
There was also a dramatic aspect to the trade between the Warriors and the Suns.
Tomorrow, Curry and Thompson will report to Phoenix, and then they will face the Warriors in the fourth game.
Before the game against the Warriors, the Suns will face three tough challenges: on February 27th, they will play the Lakers away; on March 1st, they will host the Spurs; and on March 3rd, they will play the Knicks away.
These three teams are all strong.
Whether to play Curry and Thompson, how the new lineup will react, and how to integrate the team... these are all difficult questions.
So, the Suns are very likely to lose one, two, or even all three of these games.
For Wade Dong, even if they lose all three games, if the team's chemistry improves, it will all be worth it.
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