章節 394: Chapter 394: Group B Wins, Securing a $10,000 Bonus
Draymond Green had his hands firmly around Varick's neck, demanding the truth, "Tell me, did you really make a biased call?"
"It's not fair... Brother Dong, help me!" Varick pleaded, patting Green's arms.
The more desperate Varick became, the less he could admit to his foul call.
This was all just friendly banter among teammates. Green wasn't genuinely threatening Varick, and even if they knew Varick had made a bad call, the members of Group C wouldn't have taken it to heart. After all, this was just an informal intra-squad game, and it was only right to give the veteran players some face.
It was only after Wade Dong's comment, 'You really got it,' that Curry realized what had happened.
"Alright, alright," Alvin Gentry stepped in to defuse the situation. "Draymond, if you did that to a referee during a real game, you'd be suspended for a year."
Curry added, "Old Jin, you should step in and judge this."
Gentry thought for a moment and said, "If Dong's group wins against Group A, then that 24-second violation call won't matter. But if Group A wins, we'll have you play them again!"
"That's more like it!"
Green released Varick with a laugh and even patted him on the back, saying, "I'll be sitting on the sidelines watching you. If you make another bad call, I'll beat you up again!"
...
Without Wade Dong, Group B was arguably the weakest of the three teams. Yao Ming and Steve Nash had already retired, Yi Nan had played three years in the CBA, and P.J. Tucker was a bench player for the Suns, known for his aggressive defense but only playing around ten minutes per game.
Nash dribbled the ball into the frontcourt, leaving Yao Ming in the backcourt for defense, just as Wade had instructed.
This created a 4-on-5 situation in the frontcourt. Nash passed the ball to Wade, and immediately, Kevin Durant and Tracy McGrady double-teamed him. "You can't beat us this time," they said.
"Not necessarily," Wade replied, dribbling and looking for an opening.
Breaking through the defense of Durant and McGrady, both tall and long-limbed, was a challenging task.
Seeing that Wade didn't have a clear shot, Nash circled back, received the pass, and faced Allen Iverson's defense. With a simple spin move and a change of direction, he took a mid-range jump shot.
Swish!
The ball went straight through the net.
The two retired veterans were being courteous, and Iverson wasn't putting in much effort to defend Nash.
Group A's turn to attack.
Hassan Whiteside was seriously trying to box out Yao Ming, wanting to prove himself against the legendary player. However, McGrady didn't give him the chance. He received a pass from Durant and drove to the basket, backing down Yao Ming. With a half-turn in the air, he flicked the ball with his off-hand.
Swish!
McGrady's soft touch ensured the ball gently dropped into the basket.
As Wade had said, in these friendly games, the defense wasn't taken too seriously until the final shot, and 21 points could be scored very quickly.
Group A and Group B had only been playing for five minutes.
The score was 17-13!
Group A now had the lead, and they only needed to score two more baskets to win two games in a row and claim the $10,000 bonus.
Durant shouted to Gentry, "Old Jin, bring out the bonus! I'll stop Dong's shot, and we'll win."
"It's not that easy," Wade said with a smile. He faked a move to the right, spun the ball around his waist, created space, and took a fadeaway three-pointer.
Swish!
The score was tied at 17-17.
Both teams were back at the starting line, but Group A had the ball. Iverson dribbled into the frontcourt, crossed over Nash, and drove to the basket for a layup.
Unfortunately, Iverson overestimated his own leaping ability and underestimated Yao Ming's height.
Yao Ming swatted Iverson's layup away.
Yao Ming had just blocked a shot?
"Wow, amazing!"
Curry and Thompson, regardless of the ongoing game, rushed to surround Yao Ming, making him feel like the center of attention.
Yao Ming couldn't help but laugh. He had barely made a presence in the past five or six minutes, and now he had a block to his name.
The ball didn't go out of bounds but was grabbed by Yi Nan. After Varick pulled Curry and the others off the court, the game resumed, and Yi Nan passed the ball to Nash.
As Nash dribbled, Wade quickly ran back to the frontcourt.
Just past the half-court line, two steps from the three-point line, Nash lobbed the ball towards the basket.
This was a play the Suns had executed countless times during their back-to-back championship runs.
Wade caught Nash's pass in mid-air, performed a folding layup, and slammed the ball through the hoop with his off-hand.
The score was 17-19.
Group A was suddenly on the back foot. After Durant hit a mid-range jumper, Wade dribbled into the frontcourt and took a step-back jumper in Durant's face.
Swish!
The score was 17-22.
Group B had defeated Group A.
Next up was Group C, who had just been beaten by Group A. In terms of strength, Group C was actually the strongest of the three teams, as all its members were active players, and the trio of Curry, Thompson, and Green had excellent chemistry.
In the previous game, if not for Varick's bad call, Group A would have had a hard time defeating Group C.
Curry and his teammates came forward, ready for action, but Wade and his teammates had smiles on their faces, confident in their strategy to counter Group C.
In these friendly games, it was all about camaraderie and sportsmanship.
Group C had the ball. Wade defended Curry, Tucker defended Thompson, and Yi Nan boxed out in the paint, while Green, Barton, and McCollum were left open.
There wasn't any particular strategy...
After McCollum scored a layup, Yi Nan quickly ran to the baseline to inbound the ball. Wade received the pass and immediately dished it to Yao Ming in the frontcourt.
Curry had just reached the frontcourt, intending to defend Yao Ming.
But Yao Ming simply held the ball high, looking at Curry. After Curry jumped and landed, Yao Ming calmly dropped the ball into the basket.
"Is this even allowed?" everyone wondered, a bit dumbfounded. Group B was clearly taking advantage, assuming that no one would play serious defense.
And so it went...
Whether Group C scored or missed, Nash and Wade would get the rebound and pass the ball to Yao Ming. The key was that their passes were high and long, covering the entire court, ensuring the ball reached Yao Ming and preventing Group C from intercepting it in mid-air.
The final score was 21-18.
In the end, Group B secured the $10,000 bonus using this strategy.
It was just a friendly game, and the total playing time didn't even reach thirty minutes. The real highlight was the dinner that followed.
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