Chapter 81: The Chicken Soup Coach

133:132!

The Suns narrowly won against the Heat by one point.

The Finals series stood at 2:0 in favor of the Suns.

The Suns seemed to smell the scent of the championship trophy.

Game statistics:

Wade Dong: 46 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 10 blocks

James: 40 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Iverson: 41 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks

Wade: 43 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

In one game, four players scored over 40 points, which was extremely rare.

James recorded a near triple-double with 40+11+9, but all his stats paled in comparison to Wade Dong's performance.

A quadruple-double of 46+17+11+10 was rarely seen in history, let alone in the Finals, and Wade Dong also made the game-winning shot.

...

After this game, some fans were even more excited than the Suns players.

For example, Zhang Xiaosi took all his savings and bet on the Suns winning before the playoffs started.

If the Suns really won the championship, he would be set for life. He wanted to drink, eat meat, and show off in front of his wife.

...

In the post-game press conference, reporters had nothing but praise for the Suns' performance that night.

Especially in the next day's "Sports Illustrated," almost half of the content was dedicated to praising Wade Dong and the Suns.

Game-winning shot!

Quadruple-double!

"Sports Illustrated" was one of the Daisy family's businesses, so any news about Wade Dong was exaggerated and praised, let alone his performance that night.

It seemed like "Sports Illustrated" was turning into the Suns' weekly magazine, but for Wade Dong and Suns fans, this change was happily accepted.

After the game, the Suns flew back to Phoenix.

The next day, the team forgot about the victory and focused on preparing for Game 3 of the Finals.

Coach Gentry looked a bit dejected. During lunch, Wade Dong walked over to him with his tray and asked, "Coach, you seem a bit down."

"I didn't sleep well last night," Gentry said, rubbing his hair. "I was thinking about something all night."

"What is it?"

"I feel like I'm not much use as a coach anymore..."

"I won't let you talk about yourself like that!" Wade Dong frowned. "How can you say you're useless?"

Gentry was speechless and corrected him, "I said I'm not much use, not useless."

"What's the difference?" Wade Dong tilted his head, looking at Gentry. He already guessed why Gentry was feeling down.

It was partly his fault. Ever since he got the top-level coaching skill packs from two coaches, Wade Dong couldn't help but suggest tactics to Gentry, and his tactics were often more effective than Gentry's.

Gentry said with a long face, "Now, you're the one arranging tactics during games. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a spectator."

"Coach, this is my fault," Wade Dong apologized and then said, "I just have a few creative suggestions from time to time, but during the game, you are still the soul of the team. You always call timeouts at the right time and encourage us when we're behind. And your tactics..."

Wade Dong went on and on, and Gentry's mood finally improved.

Gentry finally smiled, "Thank you, Wade Dong. I didn't realize I was so important. You've helped me regain my confidence."

"You've always been important."

Wade Dong remembered something and put down his chopsticks, "By the way, I have a gift for you."

"A gift???" Gentry looked at Wade Dong curiously as he left.

A moment later, Wade Dong returned with a book in his hand and gave it to Gentry, "This is a collection of inspirational quotes. After reading it, you'll definitely become an even better coach."

Gentry curiously opened the book and asked, "What does this book talk about?"

"It's about motivational quotes for success."

Wade Dong flipped to a page and pointed to a quote, "Look at this one, it's so good."

"Truly wise people know what to do and what not to do...

Everyone has their own way of living, there's no need to copy others.

Some people may seem successful on the surface, but you never know how many tears they've shed in private; some people may seem to struggle, but they actually live freely and happily.

Happiness has no standard answer, and joy is not limited to one path; stop envying others and reflect on your own heart."

Gentry nodded, "That's really good. I can relate to it. Thank you, Wade Dong. I really like this gift."

"You're welcome."

Wade Dong said, "When you've memorized the whole book, you'll become one of the greatest coaches in NBA history."

Looking at Gentry holding the "Collection of Inspirational Quotes" like a treasure, Wade Dong muttered, "From now on, I'll handle the tactics, and you can be a great motivational coach..."

Of course, he didn't let Gentry hear that.

...

Two days later, the Suns hosted the Heat at their home court.

That night, many celebrities came to watch the game, including some players.

Stoudemire was there, and before the game, he chatted with Nash for a bit.

Rose also came to watch the Suns' game. He specifically sought out Wade Dong for a chat, and the two hit it off immediately.

Rose had a strange feeling that Wade Dong had saved him once.

But this was the first time he had met Wade Dong, so the feeling was both real and strange.

As the game was about to start, the Suns players encouraged each other in the tunnel, and the Heat players were also ready to go. They couldn't afford to lose this game. If they lost and fell behind 0:3, the Heat would have no hope of coming back.

"Number 3, Allen Iverson!!!"

"Number 13, Steve Nash!!!"

"Number 7, Wade Dong!!!"

The DJ introduced each player as they entered the court, and the cheers from the crowd grew louder and louder.

Wade Dong was the last to enter, bending down in a charging pose as he ran onto the court. He high-fived his teammates and took his position on the court.

"Beep!!!"

With the referee's whistle, the third game of the Finals between the Suns and the Heat officially began.