Chapter 375: Yi Nan's Desire to Return to the NBA
"Yes, thank you."
Stotts also agreed, "If it weren't for the critical moments where my players had stamina issues, we would have had a chance to win this game."
"Of course, you guys are strong too."
After the game, both teams remained harmonious.
Following the post-game press conference, Wade Dong packed his things and prepared to leave the arena when Gortat and Frye came to greet their former teammate.
These two were much more familiar with the home team's locker room than the away locker room.
"Hey, you two are in the wrong place," Green joked, trying to push the two out of the locker room.
After some banter with their old teammate, Gortat and Wade Dong bid farewell and were about to leave. The Trail Blazers had a back-to-back game against the Spurs in San Antonio later that night.
"Bro!" Gortat had just left when McCollum caught up with him.
Gortat stopped, "What's up, kid? Do you need something?"
"Well, bro..." McCollum rubbed his hands together. "Didn't you move to Portland? I heard you still have a house in Phoenix."
"Yes." Gortat nodded.
"Are you selling that house?" McCollum asked.
"No way!" Gortat shook his head firmly but added, "If you want to live there, I can rent it to you."
"I want to buy a house." McCollum muttered quietly, but after some thought, he said, "Thanks, bro. I'll contact you."
"Sure." Gortat and McCollum exchanged phone numbers and then headed for the team bus.
...
After defeating the Trail Blazers, the Suns went on a 7-game winning streak.
The longest winning streak in Suns history was 21 games, set in the previous season, ranking fourth in history. The top three streaks are:
33 wins by the Lakers in the 1971-72 season.
27 wins by the Heat in the 2012-13 season.
22 wins by the Rockets in the 2007-08 season.
The Rockets' 22-game winning streak occurred when Yao Ming was still on the team. The Heat also had a 27-game winning streak last season but eventually lost to the Suns in the Finals.
In Suns history, besides the 21-game winning streak led by Wade Dong, the next longest was the 17-game streak in the 2006-07 season, led by Steve Nash.
...
March arrived, and spring was in the air.
After the All-Star break, the Suns went on a tear.
They consecutively defeated the Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Raptors, Knicks, Pistons, Rockets, and Grizzlies...
By mid-March, the Suns had achieved a 19-game winning streak, the longest of the season and the second-longest in franchise history.
Meanwhile, in China, the CBA Finals had just concluded.
Yi Nan's team failed to defend their championship title, and his contract with the team had also expired.
In fact,
Now that the playoffs were over and Yi Nan's team didn't win the championship, Yi Nan felt embarrassed to contact Tian Zhen again.
...
March 21st.
The Suns hosted the Bulls at home.
Since Rose's injury, the Bulls' performance had plummeted, and they were now ranked sixth in the East, with Li Pei's 'lucky charm' seemingly ineffective.
However, Rose's two injuries this season weren't major.
This game against the Suns was Rose's second game back from injury.
In the previous game, at home, Rose played for 23 minutes, scoring 21 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing out 6 assists with 2 steals, leading his team to a victory over the Clippers.
Before the game, Thibodeau stated that he would continue to limit Rose's playing time, and Rose might not even play in this game.
Although the Bulls were ranked sixth in the East, they were still likely to make the playoffs.
With the playoffs approaching, Thibodeau needed a healthy Rose for the postseason, and the Bulls had little chance of winning against the Suns.
The player most excited to be in Phoenix was Li Pei, who had arranged to meet up with Tian Zhen and his brother after the game.
When Rose was injured, Wade Dong called to check on him, and this time, before coming to Phoenix, Rose had texted Wade Dong, hoping to have dinner with him after the game.
At the US Airways Center, Rose hugged Wade Dong when he saw him, saying, "Brother, I've missed you!"
"Hmm..."
Wade Dong patted Rose and teased, "You seem to be in good shape. Are you planning to score 50 points tonight?"
"Hahaha..." Rose laughed. "I think I can get 60."
"Boss!" Li Pei also came over.
Ten minutes before the game, the starting lineups were announced:
Suns: Wade Dong, Carter, Durant, Curry, and Green.
Bulls: Boozer, Gibson, Noah, Asik, and Jimmy Butler.
Rose was not in the starting lineup, and Thibodeau would decide whether to play him based on the game situation.
The referee blew the whistle, and the game began.
Durant and Noah jumped for the tip-off, and Durant tapped the ball to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong dribbled to the frontcourt to attract the defense, and when Carter was open in the corner, Wade Dong passed the ball to him.
Swish!
Carter rose up for a three-pointer, and the ball went straight through the net.
As soon as Carter released the three-pointer, Wade Dong and Curry started running back on defense.
The Bulls inbounded the ball, and Gibson dribbled to the frontcourt, passing the ball to Boozer in the post. Boozer received the ball and used his physical advantage to push off Green, then turned and hit a fadeaway jumper!
Clank!
The shot bounced off the rim.
Wade Dong rushed in, grabbed the defensive rebound, and immediately passed the ball to the frontcourt!
Durant sprinted to the frontcourt, received the pass, and made a layup!
5-0!
In the next seven minutes, Wade Dong, Durant, Curry, and Carter took turns scoring, and even Green hit a three-pointer.
The Suns had excellent shooting touch tonight.
With only seven minutes played in the first quarter, the score was 27-13!
The Bulls were already down by 14 points.
Thibodeau told Rose, "You won't play in this game!"
"Okay!" Rose nodded.
With the first quarter not even over and the Bulls trailing by almost 20 points, it would be difficult for them to beat the Suns even if Rose played. Additionally, with Rose just returning from injury, it was a good decision to rest him for this game.