Chapter 348: Breaking the Single-Game Assist Record (Part 2)

The second half of the game began.

The Suns continued with their lineup of Wade Dong, Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Frye.

Even a brilliant coach like Stevens couldn't come up with a solution to counter this lineup during halftime.

So, he could only instruct Bass and Bradley to double-team Wade Dong from the backcourt, denying him passing lanes and preventing him from making passes.

Wade Dong received the ball in the backcourt.

Bass and Bradley were almost holding hands, blocking Wade Dong and not allowing him to dribble forward.

The home crowd didn't boo.

They also felt the desperation of the players. Facing a player like Wade Dong, it was difficult to contain him one-on-one without a player of James' caliber on the team.

"Hey..."

Wade Dong received the ball and, facing the double team from Bass and Bradley, turned to Celtics head coach Stevens and said, "You're letting your players defend like this; it's like you're asking for trouble."

"Hmph!!!"

Stevens folded his arms across his chest, not intending to pay any attention to Wade Dong.

If he did, he might be infuriated by Wade Dong...

With this double-team strategy, Wade Dong had many ways to break through. The simplest method was to have Durant receive the ball in the backcourt, and Wade Dong would pass the ball to Durant through the gap between Bass and Bradley.

Durant dribbled the ball into the frontcourt.

Only three Celtics players were left to defend, and they had to focus on Curry and Thompson.

This was the 'Little Genius' Durant, who was unstoppable in isolation.

The Celtics had used this double-team strategy on Wade Dong four times, and Durant had successfully scored in isolation all four times.

"Sigh..."

Stevens sighed, waving his hand to signal a change in defensive strategy.

The Celtics and the Suns had a clear gap in strength, and if they continued to double-team Wade Dong, it would indeed be challenging to play against.

Now, they could only play it safe, protect the rebound, and pray that the Suns wouldn't make their three-pointers, as there was no better strategy.

"Swoosh!!!"

"Swoosh!!!"

"G~~~"

"Swoosh!!!"

"G~~~"

"G~~~"

The most challenging aspect of the Suns' strategy was that if you abandoned defense in the paint, Wade Dong could score himself. If you didn't abandon it, with Wade Dong's ability, as long as one of the four players, including Durant, got an open three-point shot opportunity, the ball would be delivered to them immediately.

The best the Celtics could do was hope that the four players' three-point shooting percentage would drop, and if they didn't make their three-pointers, the Celtics could quickly grab the defensive rebound, and the Suns would have a hard time catching up.

A similar strategy had been used by Howard when he was with the Magic, but at that time, the Magic had Howard protecting the rebound, and four shooters on the perimeter. In the end, the Magic relied on this style of play to reach the NBA Finals.

However, the Suns' strategy also had a significant drawback: Wade Dong, as the initiator of the offense, would have little energy left to protect the rebound, and with the four players, including Durant, pulling out to the three-point line, the chances of grabbing the rebound were even lower.

If the three-point shooting percentage dropped, it would be easy for the Celtics to turn the game around.

But...

Today, the four players' three-pointers seemed to be on fire, and as long as there was an open shot opportunity, their three-point shooting percentage was over seventy percent.

Score: 115-93!!!

The third quarter ended, and the Suns still led by around 20 points.

Both teams had high scores.

Wade Dong dished out 8 more assists in the third quarter, bringing his total assists to a staggering 27.

...

Time-out.

"I get it now!"

It wasn't until this point that the Celtics realized what was happening. Stevens slapped his thigh and said, "Wade Dong is going for the single-game assist record in this game."

Rondo's face turned gloomy. His career-high for assists in a single game was 25, and Wade Dong had already broken his record in just three quarters.

"How many assists does Wade Dong have now?"

"27!"

"F**k!"

Hearing this number, the entire Celtics team was upset. Wade Dong was about to break the record on their heads again.

And it was in their home court.

Wade Dong had given up on scoring today, and it turned out he was waiting for this moment. After breaking the single-game blocks record last year, he wanted to break the single-game assists record this year?

This was something the Celtics couldn't accept. What did Wade Dong think of the Celtics? An ATM machine!!!

...

The fourth quarter began.

The Suns maintained their lineup: Wade Dong, Durant, Thompson, Curry, and Frye.

Although they hadn't had a chance to rest, the four players, including Durant, only needed to stay on the three-point line and shoot three-pointers if they received the pass, which required minimal energy. So, the four players were still full of energy.

Before the game, Stevens said, "Let Wade Dong play one-on-one. We can't let one person break two historical records on our heads."

"Got it."

The Celtics' five best defensive players took the court.

After Wade Dong crossed half-court, all four players, including Durant, were guarded, leaving only Bass to defend Wade Dong one-on-one.

Wade Dong easily dribbled past Bass and scored a layup.

Score: 117-93!!!

The point difference was about to reach 30.

However, the Celtics' defensive strategy remained unchanged, still allowing Wade Dong to play one-on-one.

After three consecutive layups, Wade Dong's points reached 20, but he felt something was wrong. The Celtics' strategy wasn't about winning; it was about preventing him from breaking the single-game assist record.

Disgusting!

The Celtics weren't willing to let Wade Dong succeed.

In fact, many historical records were unintentional, not deliberately pursued by players. It was just the level at which the games were played. However, since it was a historical record, it indicated that breaking this record was extremely challenging, and even if you tried, it would be difficult to break or even approach this record.

The Celtics gave up on catching up and abandoned their defense on Wade Dong, preventing the four players, including Durant, from receiving the ball.

Even if Durant got the ball, they wouldn't let him shoot comfortably. At the very least, he'd have to dribble a few times, so even if Durant scored, it wouldn't count as an assist for Wade Dong.

After playing like this for four minutes, Wade Dong had already scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, but he didn't have a single assist.

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

The home crowd also cheered loudly, supporting their team. In the fans' eyes, as long as Wade Dong didn't break the single-game assist record, the Celtics would win.

...

Hua Xia Live Broadcast Room.

Yu Jia: "These last four assists are going to be tough to get."

Coach Zhang: "Wade Dong is aiming for the single-game assist record, and the Celtics don't want to let Wade Dong break two historical records on their heads."

Yu Jia: "Look at this play, Durant is setting a screen for Curry, and Curry is driving to the basket."

Coach Zhang: "Curry has a chance; Wade Dong, pass the ball quickly!"