Chapter 401: The Playoffs Begin

Lin Hao's wedding ceremony was simple. Both sets of parents and the couple went on stage to say a few words.

They thanked their friends and family for coming, and so on.

Then it was time to eat. Lin Hao and Ge Xiaoxuan's parents seemed to understand the importance of the meal, so they kept their speeches short and didn't hold up the guests.

"Brother Dong, a toast to you and your wife!"

"Brother Dong, a toast to you and your wife!"

"Brother Dong, a toast to you and your wife!"

Wade Dong's table was full of Lin Hao's teammates, who kept toasting him.

During the conversation, Wade Dong learned that Ge Xiaoxuan and Lin Hao were alumni. They had known each other before Lin Hao joined the league, and had been dating for several years before finally getting married. As for Ge Xiaoxuan's identity, it was simple: her parents were in business and seemed to be quite wealthy, so she was a second-generation rich kid.

After toasting everyone, Lin Hao and Ge Xiaoxuan sat down at Wade Dong's table.

"I never thought you two would come to my wedding," said Lin Hao. "I'm both grateful and sorry, and I hope it won't affect your playoff performance."

"It's just a wedding toast," laughed Curry. "It won't affect our championship win!"

"Of course not," said Lin Hao's teammates. "With Brother Dong, the championship will definitely go to the Suns this year."

This season, the Rockets had faced the Suns four times and been beaten badly each time. Their record was at the bottom of the Western Conference, a far cry from the Suns' top spot.

Not long after Lin Hao sat down, his parents and Ge Xiaoxuan's parents came over to toast him.

At a wedding, this was the usual procedure. They were toasting Wade Dong, who was sitting at this table. Lin Hao's parents hoped that Wade Dong would look after Lin Hao in the league, while Ge Xiaoxuan's parents had other ideas. They were in the cotton business and wanted to establish a business partnership with the Wade Dong Group.

"Mr. Wei, Lin Hao is no longer a Chinese-American," said Lin Hao's father.

"Oh?"

Wade Dong didn't understand what Lin Hao's father meant.

"Since the day before yesterday, Lin Hao has been a legal Chinese citizen," explained Lin Hao's father. "He has regained his Chinese nationality."

Wade Dong immediately clasped his fists, "Lin Hao, congratulations!"

"Haha..."

Lin Hao was all smiles. "I've already submitted my application to join the Chinese men's basketball team. I hope to play for the country in the Basketball World Cup this year."

Wade Dong remembered that Lin Hao had told him this during a game against the Rockets. It looked like the Chinese men's basketball team would have another teammate this year.

Wade Dong, Yi Nan, Huang Yu, Lin Hao, Gu Qi, Li Pei... This year's Basketball World Cup would see the Chinese men's basketball team with a full NBA lineup. It was something to look forward to.

...

The first-round matchups had already been announced.

Eastern Conference: Heat vs. Cavaliers, Pacers vs. Hornets, Bulls vs. Nets, Raptors vs. Wizards

Western Conference: Suns vs. Mavericks, Lakers vs. Thunder, Spurs vs. Grizzlies, Trail Blazers vs. Warriors

The Mavericks, with Nowitzki, had won the championship in the first year of the Heat's Big Three. Nowitzki had almost single-handedly defeated the Big Three and led the Mavericks to the championship, becoming a legend in the Finals. Now, in the first round of the playoffs, they were facing the Suns. It was unclear whether Nowitzki could continue his legend.

On April 21, the playoffs began.

There were four games on the first day, but the focus was on two: the Suns vs. Mavericks and the Heat vs. Cavaliers.

The Heat vs. Cavaliers was particularly eye-catching. When James left the Cavaliers to join the Heat, he probably never imagined that he would face the Cavaliers in the playoffs one day.

This year, the Cavaliers were doing well, especially in the second half of the season. Adebayo had gradually grown, perhaps after opening his Ren and Du meridians by injuring Irving. Anyway, from then on, he had gotten better and better, except for his unstable shooting. He had improved significantly in all other aspects.

At the end of the regular season, Middleton had played 82 regular-season games for the Mavericks, averaging 19.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He was a strong contender for the Most Improved Player award.

At 6 p.m., the fans began to enter the arena, and the players started warming up.

"Victory!"

"Victory!"

"Victory!"

The game hadn't started yet, but the arena was already buzzing. No one thought the Mavericks could beat the Suns.

The starting lineups for this game were:

Suns: Wade Dong, Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green.

Mavericks: Middleton, Nowitzki, Calderon, Ellis, Brandon.

"Beep!!!"

The game began with the referee's whistle.

Nowitzki and Durant jumped for the tip-off, and Nowitzki tapped the ball to Calderon.

Calderon received the ball and dribbled past the half-court line. Suddenly, Wade Dong appeared at his side and stole the ball. Curry followed Wade Dong as he ran towards the frontcourt.

Calderon tried to defend, but Wade Dong shook his wrist and made a no-look pass behind his back. The ball went to Curry, who raised his hand and shot a three-pointer.

"Swish!!!"

The ball went straight through the net.

3:0!!!

"Too fast!"

Nowitzki witnessed the entire steal by Wade Dong. Wade Dong's scariness didn't come from his quick hands, but from his understanding of Calderon's dribbling style. He had predicted Calderon's next move.

In the regular season, the Mavericks could still compete with the Suns.

Although Middleton had always emphasised that the Suns would only play seriously in the playoffs, his teammates didn't believe him because the Suns were already ridiculously strong in the regular season.

But from this first oppressive steal, the Mavericks realised that Middleton was right.

Then, the Mavericks attacked.

Nowitzki received a mid-range pass from Calderon and faced Durant's defence. He chose to back him down, and Middleton took the opportunity to sneak under the basket. Nowitzki made a bounce pass, and Middleton received the ball.

Middleton received the ball and was about to shoot, but Wade Dong appeared behind him and blocked the shot with a palm.

Curry received the ball and dribbled towards the frontcourt.

Calderon, Ellis, and Brandon quickly returned to defend, but Curry acted as if there were no defenders in front of him. He reached the three-point line and shot a three-pointer.

"Swish!!!"

The ball went straight through the net again.

6:0!!!

Wade Dong's oppressive defence and Curry's aggressive offence made it difficult for the Mavericks to adjust.

After five minutes of the first quarter, the Mavericks were already down by 11 points.

Time-out.

Carlisle held the tactical board and was silent for a while before saying, "When defending, don't focus on any one player. The speed of the help defence must be fast!"