Chương 306: Chapter 306: Huang Yu's Improvement
As for Curry remaining on the court, even in garbage time, someone had to organize the offense.
Carter and McGrady were veterans, and it wasn't suitable for them to play that role. As for Varejao, he didn't make it into the regular rotation for this game.
The Suns had an abundance of players to choose from...
The Clippers also subbed out their starters, and after two consecutive losses to start the season, the players were dejected.
With the referee's whistle, the game ended.
The Suns defeated the Clippers 117:79, a 38-point blowout at home.
The game's stats:
- Wade Dong: 23 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks.
- Curry: 39 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks.
- Durant: 31 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.
- Griffin: 35 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.
Three Suns players scored 20+ points, with Curry and Durant scoring 39 and 31 points, respectively. Wade Dong had a relatively low 23 points, but he led the game with 13 rebounds and 15 assists.
One Week into the Regular Season
After the first week of the regular season, each team had played 3-4 games.
Five teams remained undefeated: the Suns and Warriors in the West, and the Heat, Bulls, and Pacers in the East.
The league also announced the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week.
In the West, it was Wade Dong, with the Suns and Warriors tied for first place. Wade Dong averaged 21.6 points, 15.3 rebounds, 17 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.
In the East, it was Derrick Rose, who averaged 31.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in three games.
The league also released the player stats rankings. In the scoring category, the top five were Curry, Rose, James, Durant, and Anthony. Last season's scoring champion, Wade Dong, ranked 17th in points per game, a significant drop... However, besides scoring, Wade Dong led the league in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
With a new playing style, Wade Dong showed the league what a versatile player could do.
Regular Season Game 6
In the sixth game of the regular season, the Suns faced the Warriors on the road.
At this point, only three teams remained undefeated: the Suns, Warriors, and Heat.
The Warriors' rise was somewhat surprising, especially Huang Yu's breakout, earning him the nickname 'Little Wade Dong'. This also spoke to Huang Yu's talent.
There were now four Chinese players in the NBA: Huang Yu and Gu Qi on the Warriors, and Wade Dong and Sun Xinhao on the Suns.
This Chinese derby attracted a lot of attention, and the winner would temporarily claim the top spot in the Western Conference.
Warriors head coach Mark Jackson was confident, believing he had the strongest team he had ever coached. He even thought they could beat the Suns.
Before the game, Dudley and Huang Yu approached Wade Dong for a chat, while Gu Qi, sitting on the bench, didn't come over to greet him.
Perhaps he was still upset...
In fact, before the draft, Coach Deng Hua had called Wade Dong, hoping to pull some strings and have the Suns draft Gu Qi with the 11th pick. This way, Gu Qi would earn a higher salary, and staying close to Wade Dong would accelerate his development. However, Wade Dong rejected the idea.
It wasn't until the second round was almost over that the Warriors finally drafted Gu Qi.
Just before the game started, Wade Dong walked up to Mark Jackson and smiled, "Coach Jackson, are you still interested in joining the Suns as an assistant coach?"
"When did I ever say I wanted to be an assistant coach for the Suns?" Jackson huffed.
After the playoffs last season, Jackson had gone to Wade Dong's hotel, hoping to recruit him. However, the person who came down to meet him was not Wade Dong but Coach Gentry.
Later, Jackson hinted that he wanted to work with Wade Dong, but Wade Dong misunderstood, thinking Jackson wanted to be an assistant coach for the Suns. In Jackson's mind, he was too good to be an assistant to Coach Gentry, so how could that ever happen?
The Warriors' starting lineup: Huang Yu, Dragic, Bynum, Landry, and Dudley.
The Suns' starting lineup: Wade Dong, Curry, Thompson, Green, and Durant.
With the referee's whistle, the game began.
Durant and Bynum jumped for the tip-off, with Durant tapping the ball to Wade Dong.
"Little handsome is doing well..."
Wade Dong dribbled while giving Durant an appreciative look. Last season, there were times when the Suns needed Wade Dong to jump for the tip-off.
With the addition of Durant, Wade Dong could save his energy for other aspects of the game.
"Big Brother Dong, I worked hard this summer!" Dudley, who was defending Wade Dong, said with a hint of pride.
Wade Dong pointed at Dudley's shoes, "Nice shoes!"
"Hehehe..."
Hearing Wade Dong's compliment, Dudley scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Then, Wade Dong crossed over Dudley with a single step and pulled up for a jumper.
Swish!
The ball went straight through the net.
Mark Jackson, standing on the sidelines, stomped his feet in frustration, "Dudley, you promised me you could guard Wade Dong!"
"Big Brother Dong, you're cheating!" Dudley pouted.
However, in the following plays, Dudley defended Wade Dong with utmost seriousness.
Wade Dong had to admit that Dudley wasn't lying; he must have undergone intense training during the summer.
Wade Dong had told Dudley before that while offense relied on talent, attitude could make up for a lack of talent on defense. If Dudley wanted to establish himself in the league, he needed to work on his defense. Dudley had not only listened but also trained rigorously.
Since Huang Yu's arrival, the Warriors' lineup had become more balanced.
Dragic, a disciple of Nash, was a qualified point guard, and Bynum had also improved his attitude. Now, with the addition of Huang Yu, a scoring guard almost on par with Harden, it was no wonder the Warriors had won their first five games.
Five minutes into the first quarter.
Huang Yu used a Euro step to blow past Curry and Durant, finishing with a reverse layup.
The Warriors trailed the Suns by only 2 points, 13:11.
Huang Yu's improvement was also impressive. After five games, he averaged 26.7 points, ranking fifth in the league, even higher than Wade Dong.
"You're both doing great!"
Wade Dong appreciated the progress of both Dudley and Huang Yu.
So, when he dribbled to the frontcourt, facing Huang Yu's defense, he took a three-pointer.
Swish!
The ball swished through the net.
The Warriors trailed by 5 points, 16:11.
Mark Jackson shouted from the sidelines, "Double-team Wade Dong! Don't let him score easily!"
This was the dilemma many teams faced against the Suns. Durant and Curry also required double-teaming, but with only five players on the court at a time, the defense had to focus on the most critical player, and that was Wade Dong!
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