Chapter 131: Back-to-Back

After landing, Gortat rushed over and hugged Wade Dong.

It seemed that Gortat was even more excited than Wade Dong after completing this dunk.

This dunk was destined to become a classic.

Because James and Wade both became the background, this was very rare.

In the past, the top ten plays were always James and Wade's connection, making other players in the league the background.

This was the first time in the league that James and Wade were both in the background.

...

The big screen at the US Airways Center replayed Wade Dong's dunk again.

"Great shot!!!"

"Oh my God!"

Some fans were already holding their heads, with an expression of disbelief.

Suns' bench!

McGrady and the others were originally standing to watch the game, but when Wade Dong dunked the ball, everyone's eyes widened, and they clutched their chests.

It was as if they had been shot in the chest.

...

In the broadcast room.

Yu Jia, "Today's best dunk!"

Zhang Coach, "Wade Dong glided through the air for three or four meters and completed a behind-the-back switch-hand dunk, so explosive!"

Yu Jia, "This season's top ten plays, Wade Dong has already secured a spot."

Zhang Coach, "Wade Dong should participate in this year's All-Star Dunk Contest!"

Yu Jia, "Just that dunk alone could get a perfect score in the Dunk Contest!"

...

Completing this dunk also excited Wade Dong.

But he couldn't shout like his teammates; he had to maintain his composure, so Wade Dong looked calm and urged his teammates to get back on defense, "Defend! Defend!"

In a basketball game, offensive dunks and defensive blocks are the two easiest ways to boost team morale.

Wade Dong's dunk lifted the Suns' spirits.

The score gradually widened, and even the Heat's Big Four couldn't turn the tide.

With 1 minute and 36 seconds left in the game.

113:101!

The Heat trailed the Suns by 12 points.

The game gradually lost its suspense until the final whistle blew, ending the game with the Heat losing to the Suns on the road again.

This meant that since Wade Dong joined the Suns, the Heat had not won a single game against them, which was a significant blow to James's status as the current league's number one player.

Game statistics:

Wade Dong: 41 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks.

McGrady: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks.

James: 32 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks.

Wade: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks.

The Heat's Big Four combined for 89 points, but besides Wade Dong and McGrady, Bynum, Gortat, and Nash all scored in double figures, which was the main reason the Heat lost tonight. They failed to extend the lead when Wade Dong was resting.

"I'll be waiting for you at the American Airlines Arena in three days!"

After the game, when James and Wade Dong shook hands and hugged, James also issued an "invitation" to Wade Dong.

It seemed that James was very eager for the next match.

...

After the first two regular-season games, Wade Dong's average points per game already ranked first in the scoring table.

The regular season had just begun, and no one knew what changes the games would bring. Even Jordan couldn't guarantee he would be the scoring champion every season, but Wade Dong could.

In the third regular-season game, the Suns faced the Hawks.

The Hawks were stronger than the 76ers, but they couldn't stop the Suns' momentum, and the Suns won again.

3 wins, 0 losses!

The Suns temporarily ranked first in the West.

After the game against the Hawks, the Suns had a back-to-back game against the Heat, so that night, the entire Suns team flew to Miami.

This game was very important.

Because the Suns, as a Western Conference team, would only face the Heat twice in the regular season. If they won against the Heat again, it would give them a significant psychological advantage.

Even if they met the Heat again in the Finals this year, this psychological advantage could influence the outcome of the game.

So, the Heat couldn't afford to lose!

And the Suns had to win!

This was the determination of both teams before the game.

...

"Boo~~~"

As soon as the Suns players entered the court, they were surrounded by the home crowd's boos.

Heat fans believed that the Suns had stolen their championship last season, so they were very unfriendly towards the Suns.

Green and Middleton were a bit overwhelmed by the boos.

They had only played in college leagues before and had never imagined that the away crowd's boos could be so terrifying!

"Stay calm! Stay calm!"

Dudley saw Middleton's face change color and laughed, "This is just a small scene; you'll encounter it often in the future."

The Heat's home crowd wasn't even the most hostile to the Suns; the most hostile should be the Spurs' home crowd because last season, the Spurs were swept by the Suns, which was like being nailed to the pillar of shame.

From the preseason and the first three regular-season games, the Suns' team chemistry seemed to be good.

After all, the roster had changed, and before the season started, Wade Dong had been worried about the team's cohesion. Last season, the Suns had many veterans, and their experience gave them an advantage in the playoffs.

But this season, the Suns had become a young team.

If you didn't count Nash and McGrady, the average age of the Suns was only 25, which was far below the league average. Dudley, Gortat, Dragic, and Morris had only been in the league for four or five years, and Wade Dong, compared to this year's rookies, had only played ten more regular-season games.

During the warm-up, Wade Dong joked with Nash, "Old Nash, your performance has been declining a bit lately, are you getting old?"

"My back hasn't been feeling good lately."

Nash frowned and said, "So I'm trying to play conservatively; I'm also worried about my back injury flaring up."

"Oh~"

Since Nash said that, Wade Dong stopped joking.

This season, whenever Nash was resting on the bench, he would lie down on the ground to reduce his back pain.

The NBA is full of strong teams, and Wade Dong also needed help.

Although Wade Dong was confident he could lead the team to the playoffs alone, who wouldn't want strong teammates?

"You take care of yourself."

Wade Dong comforted him and then walked away.

Both teams were ready for the jump ball, and the game was about to begin.