Chapter 133: Green's Foul

"Substitution!"

Wade Dong signaled the referee for a substitution during James's free throw.

McGrady and Wade Dong high-fived, and McGrady sat on the bench as Wade Dong entered the game.

In regular-season games, McGrady had about 10 to 15 minutes of playing time per game, which was the result of discussions between the coaching staff and McGrady.

This was basically the limit of McGrady's physical endurance.

High-intensity competition could easily wear out McGrady's injury-prone body. If he couldn't make it to the playoffs, signing the veteran would lose its purpose.

After Wade Dong entered the game, Wade also came back on.

"Clank!"

"Swish!"

James made one of his two free throws, and the Suns inbounded the ball.

Wade Dong walked to the corner, received the ball from the referee, and passed it to Dragic.

Dragic organized the offense, passing the ball around, but the team couldn't find a good scoring opportunity, so the ball ended up with Wade Dong.

Wade defended Wade Dong tightly.

Wade Dong had his back to Wade, faked a shoulder move, and let the ball bounce off the ground.

Fadeaway jumper!

"Swish!"

The ball went cleanly through the net.

Sports Illustrated had written an article before the season, listing Wade Dong's most difficult moves to defend.

The crossover was only ranked fourth!

The dream shake was third.

Wade Dong's three-pointer was second.

The Sports Illustrated reporter believed that Wade Dong's most difficult move to defend was his fadeaway jumper.

This showed how terrifying Wade Dong was!

If the title hadn't been about Wade Dong, it would have looked like a ranking of the league's most difficult moves to defend.

...

After Wade Dong entered the game, the Heat and the Suns engaged in an offensive battle.

With 6 seconds left in the first half.

59:62!!!

The Suns trailed the Heat by 3 points.

Nash, standing at the baseline, passed the ball directly to Wade Dong. With only 6 seconds left, any coach's tactic would be to go one-on-one. Passing the ball at this point could easily run out the clock.

After receiving the ball in the backcourt, Wade immediately stuck to Wade Dong, trying to steal the ball from him.

But Wade Dong had the "Irving Dribbling Skill Package," so there was no way Wade could easily steal the ball!

Two consecutive crossovers, spin!

Wade Dong shook off Wade, and with 2 seconds left, Wade Dong was two and a half steps away from the three-point line. He had to attempt a three-pointer.

Wade tried to block Wade Dong from behind.

"Swish!"

The ball went cleanly through the net!

Wade Dong flipped his hand, looking at his palm, pretending to be surprised.

Since the Olympic final, Wade Dong had felt his three-point shooting touch getting better and better, and his range was also increasing.

This shot was two and a half steps away from the three-point line, almost at the mid-court line. Wade Dong made the shot without using the "Lucky Potion," which made him somewhat disbelieve himself.

62:62!!!

The first half ended with the Heat and the Suns tied.

...

Halftime.

After a commercial break, the Chinese broadcast began showing highlights from the previous game between the Suns and the Heat.

In the last game, James, Wade, and Nash all had impressive plays, but what left the deepest impression on the fans were Wade Dong's two shots.

Some fans had already watched these two shots dozens of times before this game.

The first shot was at the beginning of the game when Wade Dong did a behind-the-back pass, leading to a perfect assist for Bynum's three-pointer.

The other shot was the best play of the game.

Wade Dong glided through the air, switched hands to avoid Wade and James's block, and dunked the ball!

"Wow!!!"

Even after watching it many times, the fans still let out a refined exclamation when they saw it again!

...

In the second half, the intensity between the Suns and the Heat increased.

Both teams treated this game as a preview of the Finals, and neither wanted to lose. Especially the Heat's Big Three, if they lost this game, their record against the Suns with Wade Dong would be 0-6!

This was simply humiliating!

Especially since a well-known American media outlet had ranked the Heat as the top championship contender before the regular season started!

Wade Dong was fouled hard twice on layups by the Heat's interior defense!

With 9 minutes and 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter, James did a power dribble and layup. Just as the ball left his hand, Green rushed over and wrapped his arms around James!

"Beep!!!"

The referee blew the whistle, signaling a defensive foul on Green!

Green's action was not aimed at the ball but directly at James. Wade Dong had also been fouled multiple times by the Heat in the second half, but none of the fouls were as aggressive as Green's.

Green and James both fell to the ground.

As soon as James got up, he rushed towards Green, pointing his finger at Green's nose, "Are you looking for trouble?!"

Green's foul was aggressive, partly because he saw the Heat players constantly fouling and harassing Wade Dong, which made him angry.

But he was still a rookie, and when James pointed at his nose, Green didn't dare to look James in the eye and backed away in fear.

"Slap!"

Just as Green was about to back down, Wade Dong appeared beside him, putting his arm around Green's shoulder and looking at James.

At this moment, the referees and players from both teams intervened.

James saw Wade Dong protecting Green and didn't bother Green anymore, standing at the free-throw line to take his shots.

Green whispered to Wade Dong, "Bro, I was just angry seeing them foul you all the time."

"This is the NBA," Wade Dong patted Green's shoulder and smiled. "If you're not tough, others will bully you!"

"Did I do something wrong?" Green asked softly.

"No," Wade Dong smiled. "As long as you don't intentionally harm your opponent, playing tough is fine."

Green's foul was aggressive, but after the foul, he also held onto James, and they both fell to the ground.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

With anger, James made both free throws!

97:93!!!

The Heat led the Suns by 4 points.

...

However, with Wade Dong and Nash each hitting a three-pointer, the Suns tied the score again.

Then, both teams continued to trade baskets.

With 27 seconds left in the game, the Heat had the ball.

115:117!

The Heat still trailed the Suns by 2 points.

The Heat called a timeout to set up their strategy. After the timeout, the Heat chose to inbound the ball from the baseline, and James received the pass.

"Watch out for Allen at the baseline!"

Wade Dong tightly defended James but didn't forget to remind his teammates!

At this moment, the Heat's lineup was James, Chalmers, Wade, Allen, and Bosh. Bosh ensured the offensive rebound, but the other four players all had the ability to shoot threes.

Especially Allen, who was one of the top three-point shooters in history!

With 27 seconds left, the Heat had two options: score a two-pointer to tie the game and go into overtime, or attempt a three-pointer to win the game!

Of course, both options depended on stopping the Suns' final possession, as the Suns would have at least 3 seconds to attack.

"Come on, idol, take the shot yourself!"

Wade Dong, while defending James, also tried to provoke him into taking a shot.