Chapter 340: Middleton's Mentality

In just three minutes...

Wade Dong used the one-legged fadeaway five times against Nowitzki, making all five shots and scoring ten points.

On the other hand, Nowitzki was blocked by Wade Dong again.

Before the end of the first half, Nowitzki had already been blocked three times by Wade Dong.

"MVP!"

"MVP!"

"MVP!"

The fans in the arena stood up and chanted 'MVP' to cheer for Wade Dong.

Many players in the league had tried to imitate Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway, including Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. However, Nowitzki never imagined that one day, his signature move would be used against him so effectively.

When Wade Dong faced Nowitzki for the sixth time, Calderon was already providing help defense.

"You still need more practice, idol," Wade Dong teased, and then he used the Dream Shake, spinning in the paint and faking out Calderon, who was completely lost.

Wade Dong then flicked his wrist.

"Swish!!!"

The ball swished through the net.

57-35!!!

The Mavericks were now down by 22 points, and their coach, Rick Carlisle, called a timeout.

"Double-team Wade Dong! With our strength, no one can guard him one-on-one. "

"Let's give it our all... It's still within our control."

Facing the powerful Suns, the Mavericks were already down by 22 points before the end of the first half, and their chances of winning were slim.

Middleton remained silent, as he was more aware of Wade Dong's strength than anyone else. It seemed that no one in the league could push Wade Dong to his limits. Last season, during the Suns' internal training games, there were times when Wade Dong felt like it and would play with the rookies like Middleton and the benchwarmers against the starters. Even then, they could still win by over 20 points.

It's worth mentioning that the starters included players like Curry, Thompson, Nash, Gortat, and McGrady.

What kind of strength was that?

...

After the timeout, Middleton received a pass from Calderon in the mid-range and made a jump shot.

57-37!!!

The Mavericks had realized that after falling behind by a large margin, the Suns were only putting in maximum effort when defending Nowitzki. Their defense against the other players, especially Middleton, was relatively relaxed.

The Suns had the ball.

Gortat's shot in the paint was contested by Nowitzki, who then grabbed the rebound and, seeing that Calderon was already running to the frontcourt, quickly passed the ball to him.

Calderon received the pass and dribbled up the court.

"Watch your back! Wade Dong is catching up..."

The Mavericks' coach shouted from the sidelines, warning Calderon.

But his warning came too late.

"Slap!!!"

Wade Dong flew in from behind Calderon and swatted the ball away.

After catching the ball, Wade Dong said to a stunned Calderon, "When you're on a fast break, don't just rush forward. Pay attention to your surroundings, or you'll get blocked."

Calderon was speechless.

He did look back, but it was when Wade Dong was still at half-court.

How did Wade Dong manage to appear behind him during his layup attempt?

Wade Dong dribbled leisurely to the frontcourt after grabbing the ball and passed to Durant, who caught the pass and made a mid-range jumper.

"Swish!!!"

The ball swished through the net.

...

The first half ended.

65-41!!!

The Suns were leading by 24 points.

Wade Dong played 16 minutes in the first half, scoring 22 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, blocking 3 shots, and making 3 steals.

In the Suns' locker room...

Gentry started with a graceful Kung Fu tea performance, which had become a routine during Suns home games. During halftime, the players would sit around the tea table, drinking tea while Gentry discussed the second-half tactics.

Recently, Gentry had taken a liking to Mahjong and was considering setting up a Mahjong table in the locker room so they could play a few rounds after the game before heading home.

"Brother Dong is going for another quadruple-double today," Gentry said, looking at the stats sheet and clicking his tongue. "When did getting a quadruple-double become so easy?"

Many things once considered impossible become more achievable when someone accomplishes them repeatedly. For example, in the 100-meter sprint, it was once believed that 10 seconds was the limit for humans, and no one could run faster. But once someone broke the 10-second barrier, more and more sprinters began to achieve sub-10-second times.

Perhaps Wade Dong's impact on the league was similar. After he achieved the league's first-ever quintuple-double last season, getting a quadruple-double seemed easier.

Just last month, in a game against the Pacers, LeBron James recorded a near-quadruple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks. Similarly, Russell Westbrook had a quadruple-double this season with 25 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 13 turnovers.

Furthermore, Westbrook also recorded a near-quintuple-double this season with 25 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 6 steals, and 13 turnovers, earning him the nickname from fans as the active player most likely to achieve a quintuple-double after Wade Dong.

In the Mavericks' locker room...

Coach Carlisle said, "We can't give up in this game. Based on our current record, we might face the Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

If we give up at halftime, how will we fare in the playoffs?"

"Let's not be discouraged," Nowitzki encouraged his teammates. "We are also a championship team, and we need to show our championship spirit. Let's treat this game as a playoff rehearsal."

Wade Dong's earlier comment about not meeting the Mavericks in the playoffs had hurt Nowitzki.

Nowitzki had met and interacted with Wade Dong at Kobe's MVP gathering earlier this year, and he found Wade Dong to be a humble and easygoing person.

But on the court, why did Wade Dong become so arrogant?

...

The second half began, and both teams had their starters on the court. Wade Dong dribbled to the three-point line and signaled for a pick-and-roll with Durant, who then drifted out to the three-point line after getting past Calderon.

"Whoosh~~~"

Wade Dong flicked the ball to Durant.

"Swish!!!"

Durant caught the pass and made a three-pointer.

On the next Mavericks possession, Middleton missed a shot, and Wade Dong grabbed the defensive rebound. He didn't forget to remind Middleton, "Your shot selection just now was poor. Calderon was wide open beyond the three-point line. You should have passed the ball to him."

"Yeah, yeah~"

Middleton immediately nodded.

Coach Carlisle sighed on the sidelines. How were they supposed to compete like this?

Middleton, as the team's second-in-command, was listening to Wade Dong's every word. How could they win with such a mentality?