Chapter 422: Wade Dong vs. Duncan

Popovich's post-game comments made everyone feel his helplessness.

After the game, blaming a fan for the loss was something Popovich had never done before.

Gentry's arrogance gave the Spurs a chance to win at home, but that chance was killed by a fan who was just talking big. In the second half, Wade Dong was like a god descending from the heavens.

Facing the Spurs' double-team, triple-team, and quadruple-team defense, Wade Dong still managed to score 60 points in just 20 minutes.

"I've never seen such a powerful player; he doesn't belong in this era."

Duncan spoke from the heart in a post-game interview, "After this season, I'll choose to retire. I don't want to face Wade Dong on the court."

...

Sixty points in half a game!!!

This indeed made other players feel hopeless.

But Duncan wanted to retire???

Wade Dong had just returned to the hotel and felt a bit sad when he heard the news, so he took out his phone and played Snake for a while.

He also wanted to persuade Duncan, but he didn't have Duncan's phone number.

...

Two days later, the Spurs hosted Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

"We need Duncan!"

"Duncan, please don't leave us!"

"Air Devil, the Spurs' eternal god!"

The home fans had all heard that Duncan wanted to retire, and fans filled the AT&T Center inside and out. They wanted to persuade Duncan to stay, and if Duncan really chose to retire this summer, this would be his last game in the league.

O'Neal, Nash, Nowitzki...

Duncan's words after the last game were resolute, and you could hear his determination to retire, so many NBA legends came to the game tonight.

Before the game, O'Neal still had a stern face as he said to Wade Dong, "Brother Dong, give me some face and go easy tonight... Let the Spurs win this game."

"Do you want to watch another Western Conference Finals game?"

Wade Dong raised his eyebrows, "But you can't buy tickets to the US Airways Center."

"Ahaha..."

O'Neal chased after him, "If you don't give me tickets, I'll sit at the entrance of the US Airways Center and cry for you to see!"

Before the game, the starting lineups were announced.

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

Spurs: Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Leonard, Bonner.

Gentry didn't continue using the previous 'five up, five down' lineup to counter the Spurs, out of respect for Duncan's retirement game.

Even if he retires this season, it won't change the fact that Duncan is the best power forward in history.

Both teams were already on the court.

Seeing Duncan standing in the center circle ready to jump ball, Wade Dong waved his hand, indicating to Durant to move away, as he wanted to jump ball with Duncan.

"Ah..."

The home fans disliked Wade Dong, but seeing him take the initiative to jump ball with Duncan, their hearts were touched.

"Beep!!!"

The referee threw the basketball into the air.

Wade Dong and Duncan jumped together, but Duncan touched the basketball first and passed it to Parker.

"Defense!"

Wade Dong waved his hand, signaling his teammates to quickly defend their positions.

After falling into position, the Suns still played a 3-2 zone defense, with Wade Dong, Curry, and Durant in front, and Green and Thompson in the low post defending Duncan.

This wasn't intentional, but a defensive strategy against the Spurs' one-man inside and four-man outside lineup.

Parker lobbed the ball, and it landed in Duncan's hands.

...

Facing Green and Thompson's double-team, Duncan made a small spin move, using his height advantage to hook the ball into the basket.

"Swoosh!!!"

The ball swished through the net.

2:0!!!

Wade Dong held the ball and attacked, with Durant setting a screen and rolling to the basket, receiving Wade Dong's pass and dunking with one hand.

Trailing by a large margin of 3:0, the Spurs had lost hope of advancing to the Finals, and they were just making a last-ditch effort, but due to Duncan's retirement decision, the Spurs' atmosphere was a bit gloomy.

Parker and Ginobili just kept making plays for Duncan.

In the last highlight of his career, Duncan was giving it his all, and Green and Thompson together couldn't contain Duncan.

...

"Swoosh!!!"

Duncan scored another high-percentage shot.

97:96!!!

The Spurs took a one-point lead, with five minutes left in the game, and Duncan had played 37 minutes, scoring 43 points, the highest in the game so far.

"Time-out!"

Wade Dong called a time-out after getting the ball.

As he walked back to the bench, Wade Dong said, "I'll be guarding Duncan in a while, and you can see how I set up the tactics."

"You can set it up yourself..."

Gentry opened the thermos and calmly took a sip of tea.

"Huh?!"

Wade Dong frowned, this old man was getting lazier and lazier.

Seeing Wade Dong's expression, Gentry took out the tactical board, "Curry gets the ball at the top of the arc, Thompson you run along the baseline and take the defender with you, Durant cuts to the middle, create a one-on-one opportunity for Brother Dong, and immediately pass the ball to him."

...

After the time-out, the Suns attacked.

Just as Gentry had set up the tactics, Wade Dong had the ball in the low post, creating an opportunity to single out Duncan.

According to Wade Dong's habit, he should have used Duncan's high-percentage shot to score, but facing Duncan's defense, it was too difficult! Duncan was tall and long-armed, and his high-percentage shot didn't require a high jump, so Wade Dong would easily be disturbed by Duncan.

So Wade Dong could only use a fake move to shake off Duncan, and then use a low-handed layup to put the ball into the basket.

This was also one of Duncan's common moves, but Wade Dong jumped higher to prevent being disturbed by Duncan.

Then the Spurs attacked.

Duncan received the pass in the low post, and Wade Dong defended him one-on-one, while the Suns players all spread out and didn't come up to help defend.

Duncan turned his back to Wade Dong and took two steps into the paint, and then made a high-percentage shot!

"Swoosh!!!"

The ball grazed Wade Dong's fingertips and fell into the basket.

This is why Duncan is called 'Big Basic Skills', even Wade Dong, in a one-on-one low post defense against Duncan, found it very difficult.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Wade Dong and Duncan's one-on-one battle brought the atmosphere in the arena to a climax.

They went back and forth, and the score rose alternately!

For almost four minutes, it was just Wade Dong and Duncan's endless one-on-one, and even if they missed, they were still fighting for the rebound.

"Time-out!"

With 57 seconds left in the game, Popovich called a time-out.

104:105!!!

The Spurs were only one point behind, and the ball was in their hands, so they had a good chance of winning this game.

Popovich needed to set up the tactics well...

After all, this was the Western Conference Finals, and if the Spurs really won this game, they might win the next game, and the game after that, and the game after that, and then they could advance to the Finals!