Chapter 385: I Don't Drink Starbucks Coffee.

After five minutes, when Warrick brought the ball up the court again, Wade Dong, facing a double team, could only receive the pass after moving out from under the basket.

But as soon as Wade Dong got the ball, George and West closed in for another double team.

Wade Dong faked twice, barely finding space to shoot, and then took the shot.

Yi Nan and Carter immediately moved in to contest the rebound after Wade Dong's shot.

"G~~~"

The ball bounced off the rim.

Vogel, seeing this, said to his assistant coach, "Against such intense defense, only a god could make every shot."

"But..." ✼

The assistant coach reminded him, "Do you remember the 2012 Olympic final?"

Vogel fell silent.

That was indeed true. Anyone who loved basketball would never forget that 2012 Olympic final. In the fourth quarter, Wade Dong played like a god, making every high-difficulty shot. It was this performance that led the Chinese men's basketball team to a 33-point comeback victory over the American team, winning the Olympic gold medal.

"That kind of performance won't happen again."

Vogel paused, as if to encourage himself, "Besides, this isn't the Finals. Wade Dong won't go all out like that."

As Vogel and his assistant were talking...

The ball bounced off the rim, and Hibbert, Yi Nan, and Carter all jumped for the rebound.

But someone was faster than them!

Wade Dong knew the shot wouldn't go in as soon as he released it, so he rushed to the basket as soon as he landed. By the time the ball bounced off, Wade Dong was already in the air, grabbing the rebound.

With an opponent and two teammates in between, Wade Dong slammed the ball through the hoop!

The score was now 13:14!!!

The Suns were only one point behind.

"Get back on defense!"

After the dunk, Wade Dong urged his teammates to quickly get back on defense.

However, the Suns' lineup struggled to contain the Pacers' offense. George, having received the ball, chose to isolate Yi Nan and made a fadeaway jumper.

The score was now 13:16!!!

...

The first quarter ended.

The Suns led the Pacers by one point, 32:31!!!

Wade Dong had an impressive first quarter, making 8 out of 15 shots and scoring 21 points, keeping the Suns in the game.

George, sitting on the bench, said, "Wade Dong is just too strong!"

"What are you afraid of..."

Stephenson, however, grinned and said, "Relying on Wade Dong alone won't beat us."

Stephenson's words echoed the Suns' concerns. 

Although the Suns led by one point going into the second quarter, this wasn't a good sign. The Suns' biggest problem was the lack of player rotation.

Putting aside Yao, Iverson, and Nash, who had retired and might not have much left in the tank, the fact that they joined the team at the last minute without any practice with the Suns' players would definitely cause issues on the court.

So, these three were really just there to fill the roster.

After the jump ball, the three of them were taken off, and even Gentry had no intention of putting them back in. This exposed the Suns' biggest problem.

Stamina!!!

The first three quarters were fine, but in the crucial fourth quarter, the players would definitely face stamina issues.

The Pacers' starting five, with Hibbert, Hill, and West maintaining their form and George and Stephenson showing significant improvement, had been almost fully present for the season, which was the main reason they were ranked second in the East. This starting lineup had no obvious weaknesses, and the second half would be when they would truly shine.

"This game is tough, but we can't give up!" Gentry said.

"You're right, Coach," Wade Dong agreed. "In the second quarter, just focus on defense. I'll take care of the offense, and the most important thing is to conserve energy!"

Iverson added, "If needed, we can also play a few minutes."

"Good!"

Wade Dong nodded with a smile.

...

The second quarter began.

The Pacers brought in Granger, Scola, Mahinmi, and Watson, leaving only George from their starting lineup.

This was the Pacers' confidence—they had players to rotate, while the Suns did not.

Scola, posting up against Yi Nan, still had his fancy footwork, but his shot was contested by Yi Nan and bounced off the rim.

Wade Dong grabbed the rebound and dribbled up the court.

Three Pacers players were already in position to defend Wade Dong, but he had no intention of passing. With a spin move, he went right through Granger and Mahinmi for a one-handed slam!

The score was now 34:31!!!

This offensive play saved Carter and the others some energy, as they had all stayed back and hadn't even run to the frontcourt.

The four of them watched as Wade Dong took on three defenders!

From then on, Wade Dong switched to killer mode. He relentlessly attacked the basket, as this was the most effective strategy, and even if he missed a layup, he could draw a foul.

Carter and the others focused all their energy on defense.

With two minutes left in the second quarter, the Suns still maintained a 6-point lead.

"MVP!"

After another successful layup by Wade Dong, the 'MVP' chants echoed through the Conseco Fieldhouse.

This was something they had only seen on TV before, but now, in person, the Pacers fans witnessed the might of the league's top player.

The score at halftime was 57:51!!!

Wade Dong scored another 23 points in the second quarter, leading the Suns to a 6-point lead at halftime.

Wade Dong had scored 23 of the Suns' 25 points in the second quarter, bringing his total to 44 points in the first half.

...

In the away team's locker room, a staff member brought in some coffee to share with the players. "This is Starbucks coffee, just delivered. Have some to stay alert."

When the Suns played at home, they liked to drink tea during halftime, so the staff thought it was for staying alert. Since there was no tea available in the away locker room, they ordered some coffee after the start of the second quarter.

"I don't drink Starbucks coffee!" Wade Dong said, taking the coffee from the staff and, with a one-handed shooting motion, throwing it straight into the trash can.

"Huh???"

His teammates were puzzled as to why Brother Dong didn't like Starbucks coffee, but after seeing him throw it away, they also threw their coffee into the trash, saying, "Starbucks coffee doesn't taste that good anyway."

"The service is also bad..."

"They won't even let you use the bathroom..."

"No to gambling, no to drugs, no to Starbucks coffee..."

After all the coffee was thrown away, Gentry told Carter and the others, "Focus on recovering your energy. The second half is when the game will truly be decided."