Chương 384: Chapter 384: Yao's Tip-Off
"Hahaha... 360 pounds. "
Yao Ming's laughter was hearty, but after he revealed his weight, his teammates were all stunned.
Wade Dong asked, "How much did Shaq weigh in his prime?"
"Hmm..."
Tracy McGrady, sitting beside him, thought for a moment before answering, "Around 365 pounds, I'd say."
Three hundred and sixty-five pounds, or 330 pounds.
Wade Dong chuckled, "Well, Yao, you're not that heavy. You're just a little heavier than Shaq, but we're taller."
Three hundred and sixty pounds was an unprecedented weight in the league's history. The news of Yao Ming signing a short-term contract with the Suns excited the fans, who were eager to see the reunion of Yao and McGrady, a duo that had been a part of many fans' youth.
"Welcome, all of you!"
Alvin Gentry also welcomed the arrivals of Yao, Nash, and Iverson.
Iverson joked, "The shortest MVP in history and the tallest number one draft pick are now teammates. Let's fight for the championship together!"
"Aren't we just here to make up the numbers?" Yao asked.
Yao stretched his waist, "Do I need to play in the game?"
"Yao, I think you can still run at least two laps on the court!" Wade Dong said.
"Hahaha..."
The Suns players joked with each other as they waited for the game to start.
...
Before the game, Yao and Iverson went through the motions of warming up on the court.
Iverson had also gained some weight, and now they were a tall, heavy-set duo. Iverson showed off a series of dribbles between his legs and passed the ball to Yao. Yao caught the ball and took a mid-range shot, which went in!
It seemed that his touch was still there.
Luis Scola, who had transferred to the Pacers the previous year, saw Yao warming up on the court and ran over to jump on Yao's back.
"Ouch! Who's that?" Yao turned his head and saw it was Scola, playfully punching him twice.
Yao, McGrady, and Scola had been teammates on the Rockets and still had a good relationship. The Pacers' star player, Paul George, also came over to show his respect to Yao, Iverson, and Nash, three veterans who had retired.
Ten minutes before the game, both teams announced their starting lineups:
Phoenix Suns: Wade Dong, Vince Carter, Yao Ming, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash.
Indiana Pacers: Paul George, David West, Roy Hibbert, George Hill, Lance Stephenson.
When Yao, Iverson, and Nash appeared on the court together, the away fans all stood up and applauded these three NBA legends.
"Beep!!!"
The game began with the referee's whistle.
Hibbert and Yao stood in the center circle, ready for the tip-off.
When the referee tossed the ball into the air, Hibbert, understanding the situation, only pretended to jump, allowing Yao to get the tip.
Yao successfully tipped the ball to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong received the ball and immediately called a timeout. Then, Yao, Iverson, and Nash came off the court, replaced by Thompson, Yi Nan, and Varejao.
After the three veterans left the court, the away fans sat down, ready to watch the game.
The fact that they came off the court right after the tip-off was within everyone's expectations. The Suns had signed these three players just to make up the numbers. Given Yao and Iverson's current conditions, their on-court performance might not even be as good as Varejao's. Moreover, as retired players, there was no need for them to risk injury by playing hard.
Even Nash, the most recently retired of the three, hadn't played a game in almost a year.
The Suns started their offense.
George encouraged his teammates, "Come on, guys! We have to win this game!"
Before the game, the Pacers had said that if they couldn't beat a weakened Suns team, how could they face the Heat in the playoffs?
George also had the pride of a superstar. Up to this point in the season, he was ranked fifth in the MVP race, which spoke to his abilities. The Pacers also had their eyes on the championship, aiming to beat the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals and meet the Suns in the Finals.
Wade Dong passed the ball to Varejao, who was playing the point guard position out of necessity.
Before the game, Gentry had arranged the Suns' tactics as follows:
Point Guard: Varejao.
Shooting Guard: Thompson.
Small Forward: Carter.
Power Forward: Yi Nan.
Center: Wade Dong.
So, in this game, Wade Dong was playing center for the Suns.
After passing the ball to Varejao, Wade Dong positioned himself under the basket. Stephenson defended Varejao!
Although Varejao was just a 'water boy' player, he had been with the Suns for over two years, growing alongside Wade Dong. He just didn't get many opportunities to play, but when he did, he could bring the ball up the court and pass it to Wade Dong in the post.
Varejao's only weakness compared to elite point guards was his lack of court vision, but his dribbling and passing skills were good enough to make him a qualified point guard.
As soon as Wade Dong got the ball, West rushed to help Hibbert double-team him. In this game, the Pacers were relatively easy to deal with; they just needed to limit Wade Dong's performance, and they would basically win the game.
Facing the double team, Wade Dong faked a move and spun out of the paint, passing the ball to Thompson beyond the three-point line.
"Swish!!!"
Thompson raised his hand and sank a three-pointer, the ball dropping cleanly through the net.
"Phew... that's a relief."
Gentry breathed a sigh of relief. Wade Dong needed help in this game, and if no one on the team stepped up, it would be a tough match.
On the Pacers' side, Stephenson dribbled the ball up the court and passed it to West, who, after a quick wrist flick, delivered the ball to George. George drove to the basket!
At this moment, Yi Nan was defending the paint.
George performed an aerial layup, gently placing the ball into the basket.
When the Suns were on offense, even when Wade Dong was without the ball, Vogel arranged for two players to double-team him, preventing him from receiving passes.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, the score was 11-14!
The Suns were trailing by 3 points.
Yao and Iverson sat on the sidelines, chatting and laughing. The Suns were chasing the longest winning streak in franchise history, but with today's lineup, even if they lost to the Pacers, the whole world would forgive them.
Gentry entered the court with his thermos, but from the start of the game until now, he hadn't unscrewed the cap.
As the Suns started to fall behind, Gentry shouted, "Wade, you can't play like this! You need to hold the ball more and attack!"
"Hmm..."
Wade Dong nodded to Gentry.
Wade Dong was well aware of this. If they started the first quarter trailing, the rest of the game would be even harder!
The Suns were different from the Pacers in that they had no player rotations; this lineup was going to play the entire game. Therefore, the teammates' stamina was also crucial. In the first two quarters, he needed to hold the ball more to reduce their fatigue.
After all, they couldn't let Yao, Iverson, and Nash play in the fourth quarter.
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