Chapter 73: The Three-Point Loving Bynum

The appearance of a Chinese person was a minor interlude.

Wade Dong's focus remained on the game. Winning one more game against the Lakers would send the Suns to the Finals.

The last time the Suns made it to the Finals was in the previous century.

...

Two days later, the Suns flew to Los Angeles.

Before the game, Wade Dong encouraged his teammates, "Brothers, if we win one more game, we can go home and wait for the Finals."

The Eastern Conference Finals were still intense, with the Heat trailing the Bulls 1-2.

This year, both the Heat and the Bulls were strong. The Heat had the Big Three, and the Bulls had Rose and Boozer. If Rose had been injured in the first round of the playoffs, the Eastern Conference would have lost its suspense.

But Rose wasn't injured...

The Suns players were all excited, especially Nash, Hill, and Iverson, the three veterans.

Iverson was about to make his second appearance in the Finals. Unlike the first time, when he carried the team alone, this time he had the wild king Wade Dong, who could lead him to victory. So, Iverson was the most confident about winning the championship this year.

Hill and Nash had never been to the Finals before.

...

At the Lakers' home court, some celebrities came to watch the game.

But their influence was far less than Zhang Yang's. Wade Dong also saw an "old acquaintance," Paul, who brought his child to watch the game.

"Hi, Paul~"

Wade Dong just greeted Paul and left.

At this moment, saying things like "Western Conference Finals" would be inappropriate.

"Beep!!!"

With the referee's whistle, the game officially began.

As soon as the game started, Bynum received a pass from Fisher and took a three-pointer.

"Three-pointer!!!"

The commentator's voice echoed through the arena, and the Lakers scored the first three points.

This three-pointer also gave Bynum confidence. He was a center who was good at shooting three-pointers, but his style of play was not widely accepted in this era.

Next, Bynum kept pulling up to the three-point line and took two more three-pointers, both of which missed...

Coach Brown stood on the sidelines, shouting anxiously, "Bynum, get back to the paint!"

Because when Bynum pulled up to the three-point line, the Lakers' interior defense was empty, and Gasol alone couldn't protect the rim.

Almost five minutes into the game, the Lakers hadn't grabbed a single offensive rebound!

13:17!

The Lakers were down by four points to the Suns.

Gentry, sitting on the bench, muttered, "He really thinks he's Wade Dong... thinking he can play any position?"

On the other hand, Wade Dong appreciated Bynum.

He even said to Bynum, "Don't be bothered by the coach. Just be yourself. Who says centers can't shoot three-pointers from the outside? This is fashion, you have to lead the way..."

"Yeah, yeah!"

Bynum nodded vigorously!

He wished he could join the Suns right now. He felt that only Wade Dong understood him, so he took two more three-pointers from the outside.

"Clang!!!"

"Clang!!!"

Both three-pointers missed!

Brown was so angry that he called a timeout and substituted Bynum, yelling at him.

"Sigh~~~"

Wade Dong sighed. No one understood Bynum!

In fact, Bynum could shoot three-pointers. Maybe he was too nervous today, and his shots were a bit off.

If Bynum could make his three-pointers from the outside, that would be the only way to defeat the Suns. Relying solely on Kobe and Gasol, the Lakers couldn't beat the Suns.

...

Although they were at the Lakers' home court, the Suns continued to widen the score gap.

At halftime, the score was 46:59!

The Suns led by 13 points.

In the second half, according to official statistics, since Wade Dong joined the Suns, the team's average score in the third quarter was the highest in the league, at 31.6 points.

This was the score even though Wade Dong didn't play in the third quarter in two games: one was the first game after he joined the league, where he came off the bench in the fourth quarter, and the other was the first game of the playoffs against the Clippers, where he was suspended and didn't play.

After the third quarter, the score difference had widened to 37 points.

In the fourth quarter, the Suns substituted their starting lineup, but on the Lakers' side, Kobe didn't come off the court. He was like a lone hero, still trying to catch up.

But sometimes, the result of a lone hero is that a single tree cannot make a forest. In the end, the Lakers lost to the Suns at home.

4:1!

The Suns defeated the Lakers and advanced to the Finals!

"You're too strong!"

After the game, Kobe also felt relieved. He hugged Wade Dong and said, "I'm very happy that, besides Yao Ming, China has produced another great player."

Wade Dong patted Kobe on the back and smiled, "In the future, more and more Chinese players will enter the NBA."

"I look forward to that day."

Kobe said, "China is a great nation, and I also have a group of wonderful fans there. I will go to China again this summer."

Gasol also came over and said to Wade Dong with a bitter face, "Promise me, next season you'll continue to play the shooting guard position, don't play the power forward position anymore. It's really tough to guard you."

"I feel very happy~"

Wade Dong smiled wickedly and then said seriously, "I play whatever position the team needs. As long as the team needs it, I can play from the point guard to the center position."

Gasol said, "If I hadn't been your opponent, hearing this, I would definitely think you're boasting."

Kobe and Gasol had just left.

Bynum sneaked up to Wade Dong and asked softly, "Brother Dong, can I have your phone number?"

"Huh?!"

Wade Dong tilted his head, looking puzzled at Bynum.

Bynum scratched his head and lowered his voice, "My contract with the Lakers expires this summer, and I want to..."

"You want to join the Suns?"

Wade Dong finished Bynum's sentence for him.

"Yes."

Bynum nodded, "I want to be your teammate. I feel that you are the one who understands me the most."

Wade Dong smiled, "You can have my number, but signing players is the team management's decision, and I can't make that call. However, there's one thing..."

At this point, Wade Dong paused.

Bynum anxiously asked, "What is it?"

"But you have to work hard this summer to improve your skills."

Wade Dong patted Bynum on the shoulder, "And quickly mature, don't be like a child."

"Brother, I will work hard!"

Bynum nodded vigorously.

Brown didn't know that as soon as the Lakers lost the game, Bynum, this big-eyed boy, had defected!

But if you can't beat them, join them. Brown would later find out about this and be very puzzled.