Chapter 279: Man and Ball as One

In 7 seconds, the Heat had caught up by 6 points.

The Heat's momentum was fully ignited, and the home fans' cheering drowned out Kerr's tactical instructions.

"It's okay."

Seeing Thompson's dejected expression, Kerr patted his buttocks and comforted him, "Everyone makes mistakes, and this is the Finals."

Thompson's defensive mistake and missed free throws almost cost the game.

The reason was that he was too nervous.

After all, he was a young player, and this was his first time in the playoffs, all the way to the Finals. It was inevitable to be nervous, and how many players like Dong Ge were there in history?

"Will the Heat continue to use the intentional foul tactic?"

Kerr was also pondering this question, as the next 16 seconds were crucial, and the coach's judgment couldn't afford to make a mistake.

After a moment of contemplation, Kerr said,

"The Heat will continue to use the intentional foul tactic. McGrady, you'll inbound the ball. Nash, Curry, Dong Ge, and Gortat will stay on the court.

Nash, you should actively draw defensive attention, and Gortat will set a screen for Dong Ge without the ball. You should run like this...

Ensure that Dong Ge receives the ball, and the rest is up to Dong Ge."

Why is Kerr considered the luckiest coach in the league? His tactics only need to ensure that Dong Ge receives the ball, and what Dong Ge does with the ball after that is up to him.

...

After the timeout, if this was the last timeout of the game, the Suns would basically win this game.

"Dong Ge, come on!"

Before going on the court, Kerr didn't forget to encourage Dong Ge, "You're the best player in the world."

"Get lost..."

With 16 seconds left in the game and a 3-point lead, the Suns chose to inbound the ball, which would also expand the range of their dribbling.

Curry, Nash, and Dong Ge all had free-throw percentages above 90, and this season, only three players in the entire league had entered the 180 club, and all three of them were on the Suns!

The Heat's defensive strategy was the same as before, trying to prevent Nash, Curry, and Dong Ge from receiving the ball, and their defensive focus was also on these three players.

Nash and Curry started running.

James defended Dong Ge, and Gortat moved towards the paint. Dong Ge made a backdoor cut towards Gortat, and James tried to follow Dong Ge, but he was blocked by Gortat.

"Whoosh~"

McGrady made a long pass, and the ball reached Dong Ge's hands.

Spoelstra stood on the sidelines and shouted, "Foul quickly!"

Without Spoelstra's reminder, the Heat players also knew that they must foul Dong Ge immediately. James rushed towards Dong Ge, but Dong Ge was too fast, and he zigzagged to dodge James and ran towards the Heat's paint.

Four seconds had passed.

After reaching the paint, Dong Ge didn't choose to shoot but waited for James to pounce, then made a clever spin move to dodge James and dribbled to the three-point line!

Seven seconds had passed.

Wade rushed over, but Dong Ge lowered his body and dribbled past Wade, running towards the free-throw line!

Ray Allen and James also rushed over, but Dong Ge skillfully dodged them and then dribbled and turned, slipping through the gap between Ray Allen and James.

"Damn!"

The Suns players were all stunned!

This was such terrifying body control. If it were them, they would have struggled to dodge James and Wade's fouls without dribbling, but Dong Ge was one with the ball, and after eleven seconds, the Heat players hadn't even touched Dong Ge's jersey.

"Dong Ge should play American football! He would change that sport!"

This thought arose in many people's minds.

Thirteen seconds had passed, and like a hawk chasing a chick, Dong Ge was forced into a corner by five Heat players. Then, Dong Ge jumped and took a fadeaway jumper!

The fadeaway was at a large angle, and Dong Ge's body was almost parallel to the ground, with half of his body outside the three-point line.

The ball glided through the air, like a raft on a river.

Swish!!!

The ball swished through the net! Although he didn't use the 'Lucky Potion', Dong Ge relied on his superb shooting ability to make the shot.

Dong Ge also fell to the floor.

The score was 100-94!

With 0.7 seconds left in the game, the Heat had lost hope of winning.

Spoelstra didn't call a timeout.

After the Heat inbounded the ball, the game ended.

"Dong Ge, you're amazing!"

The Suns players all rushed over and tackled Dong Ge!

James and Wade left the court dejectedly... It was a thrilling game, but in the end, the winner was still the Suns.

Game statistics:

Wade Dong: 43 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 10 steals, 4 blocks.

Curry: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks.

James: 39 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.

Wade: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

Wade Dong was just one assist away from a quadruple-double. Such a near-quadruple-double stat would be enough for other players to boast about for a lifetime, but fans were still dissatisfied with Dong Ge's performance and even wanted to criticize him.

...

Post-game press conference.

James looked a bit dejected, "We've thought of many tactics to limit Dong Ge, but they're still ineffective. We can't imagine that there's such an unstoppable player in the world."

A reporter asked, "Do you think there's no hope for this year's Finals?"

"Of course not!"

James said, "We've also beaten the Suns. In that game, Dong Ge scored 47 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but we still won."

"Dong Ge may be unbeatable, but basketball is a team sport!"

"We have the confidence to win the next three games!"

Reporter, "Come on! James."

...

After the game, the Suns flew back to Phoenix to prepare for Game 5 of the Finals.

There has never been a case in the league where a team led 3-1 in the Finals and then lost. Dong Ge had broken numerous records, but this was one record he didn't want to break.

In fact, this year's Finals, especially the two games in Miami, had been quite eventful.

Wade Dong only averaged 31.7 minutes of playing time in the two games, less than Curry and McGrady. This was mainly because he was stepped on in the third game, which led to him sitting out the second half of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter.

In the fourth game, Dong Ge also faced foul trouble and had to sit out for ten minutes in the second quarter.

Fortunately, the Suns narrowly won the two away games and only needed to win Game 5 to claim their second championship trophy in team history.