Chapter 346: The Arrogant Wade Dong

"Boo..."

As the players entered the court, Wade Dong was greeted by boos from the away fans. 

This city had its pride, and although Dong broke the historical blocks record in a Suns home game last year, it was against the Celtics.

This was something the proud Celtics fans couldn't accept. ✮

Moreover, in that game, Jared Sullinger was so intimidated by Dong that he cried, affecting his performance in subsequent games.

There was no forgiveness after such an insult.

...

Starting Lineups:

Phoenix Suns: Wade Dong, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green.

Boston Celtics: Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass.

This game had a high viewership rating in China.

The Celtics' revenge mission was highly anticipated, as no team would want to be humiliated by allowing a player to score 32 points, grab 26 rebounds, dish out 11 assists, and block 18 shots in a single game.

Especially not the proud Celtics.

The fans' attention was on whether Dong would explode again or if he would be crushed by the Celtics' formidable defense in their home court.

"Beep!!!"

The referee's whistle signaled the start of the game.

Durant and Sullinger jumped for the tip-off. Durant tapped the ball to Curry, who passed it to Dong, and then ran to the frontcourt.

"Turnover! Turnover! Turnover!"

The home fans started booing again, as they truly disliked the fact that Dong had broken the historical record against the Celtics. 

Avery Bradley, defending Dong, immediately provoked him, "This is not the place for you to run wild."

"Huh, big words," Dong shrugged. He performed a crossover in front of his body, then pulled the ball back with his left hand.

Getting close to Bradley, Dong spun and easily got past him. He dribbled to the free-throw line, saw Durant cutting to the basket, and immediately lobbed the ball towards the hoop.

"Bang!!!"

Durant caught the alley-oop and slammed home the dunk!

The defender on Dong was not the 6'10" center Shawn Bradley, who had already retired.

This was Avery Bradley, who entered the league in 2010. Standing at 6'3", he played the point guard position and was known for his tough defense, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team once. This was Bradley's pride.

In this aspect, Dong couldn't compare, as he rarely made it to the second team in either the All-Defensive or All-NBA teams.

The Celtics had the ball.

Dong defended Rondo, who dribbled and directed his teammates' movements.

Dong noticed Rondo's hand signals and signaled Durant, who understood and widened his defense to focus on Jeff Green.

As expected...

Rondo dribbled and found Green, then made a bounce pass to Green in the mid-range area. 

"Clap!"

But Dong had anticipated Rondo's pass, and Durant stole the ball, then took off with his long strides towards the frontcourt.

When he reached the paint, Durant noticed that Dong had also caught up, so he threw the ball back to Dong, waiting for him to perform a spectacular dunk.

"Huh?"

After receiving the pass, Dong turned and saw that no Celtics player was chasing him. He waved his hand at Coach Stevens on the sideline, "Is this your defense?"

"Damn!"

Stevens was also puzzled as to why his players didn't chase after Durant. He scolded them, "What are you guys doing?"

Dong stood at the three-point line, waiting to attack. He only started dribbling when Bradley and Sullinger came to defend him, then passed the ball to Durant under the basket, who caught it and easily laid it in.

...

"Boo..."

Although there were still boos, they were much quieter.

The fans wanted the Celtics to crush the Suns, but the Celtics' lack of aggression was embarrassing for the fans.

Strictly speaking, the Celtics players couldn't be blamed for this play. Dong had anticipated Rondo's pass, and when Durant stole the ball and started the fast break, the Celtics had no chance to catch up, so they gave up chasing.

However, what surprised the Celtics players was Dong's arrogance.

You give up chasing, and I won't attack... I'll wait until you come back, then pass the ball to Durant for the dunk.

The score was now 4-0!

The Suns had a smooth start.

Stevens called a timeout!

"Jeff, why didn't you chase after Durant?!"

"Where's the intensity you showed before the game?!"

"With this defensive attitude, how can we beat the Suns?!"

"Everyone is thinking about revenge, but in less than a minute, Dong has already humiliated us!"

"...."

Stevens stood on the sidelines, shouting at his players, trying to ignite their fighting spirit.

...

The timeout ended.

The Celtics' defensive intensity had noticeably increased.

Five minutes into the first quarter.

The score was 19-13!

The Suns led the Celtics by 6 points.

Jeff Green had made three consecutive mid-range jump shots, and he was the Celtics' offensive core.

The Suns had the ball.

After getting past Bradley, Dong faced the tight defense of Green and Bass, making it difficult for him to shoot.

"Clap!"

Facing three defenders, Dong passed the ball to Green, who then passed it to Thompson on the three-point line.

"G!!!"

Thompson caught the pass and attempted a three-pointer, but the ball hit the rim.

Sullinger grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Rondo, who dribbled towards the frontcourt.

Dong started chasing from under the basket...

When Rondo reached the three-point line, Dong was just crossing half-court.

Rondo drove to the basket and went up for a layup...

"Clap!!!"

Dong flew in from behind Rondo and swatted the ball against the backboard.

Rondo, "????"

Just a couple of days ago, in a game against the Heat, LeBron James had blocked Rondo in a similar manner, and that block made it to the top ten plays of the week. Now, just a couple of days later, Dong had done the same to Rondo.

Sullinger shivered!

That feeling was terrifying... He had cried after being blocked by Dong last year.

Stevens gritted his teeth, thinking, "Why are my players less aggressive than Dong?!"

The scariest players are those who not only have more talent than you but also work harder.

After the block, Dong grabbed the basketball and landed.

Rondo turned and charged towards Dong, trying to snatch the ball from him, but Dong nimbly spun away.

Dong dribbled to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Durant.

"Swish!!!"

Durant received the pass and made a mid-range jump shot, swishing the net.