Chapter 499: Punishment for the Players

"Oh~"

The girl was very sensible and withdrew her hand, downing the wine in her cup.

The entire nightclub was filled with the scent of hormones, and it wasn't long before Draymond Green stumbled over, "Guo Shao, I'll drink to you."

"Cheers,"

Guo Zifeng clinked glasses with Green and took a small sip of his mineral water.

"Guo Shao, are you drinking baijiu?"

"Yes."

"Baijiu is too spicy, and I still can't get used to drinking it... But I admire those who can drink baijiu, they're real men."

"There are many types of alcohol here, feel free to drink whatever you like."

The Suns players thought they were benefiting from Wade Dong's influence, but they were unaware that Guo Zifeng had arranged this gathering specifically for them. With his social skills, Guo Zifeng quickly became close with these players.

The wild party came to an end...

Stephen Curry and a few others returned to the hotel in a tipsy state, while some players left with girls and didn't return until the next day.

Due to Wade Dong's influence, the Suns players held a deep-rooted respect for the Huaxia people.

From start to finish, Guo Zifeng didn't show the slightest intention of recruiting them to the Nets. He merely wanted these players to witness the extravagance and generosity of their boss, Guo Lao Ban.

...

The Suns were about to play four consecutive away games in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets were just the first stop; the next game was against the Hawks, who, under the leadership of Coach Budenholzer, had become the top team in the East without any superstar players. This was a testament to the coach's abilities and the team's strength.

The next morning, Alvin Gentry observed the players' demeanor and frowned.

"What time did you guys get back last night?"

Wade Dong also spoke with a hint of anger, "We've only played a quarter of the season, and there's still a long way to go. Are you guys getting complacent?"

Several players lowered their heads.

Kevin Durant played with the hem of his clothes, not daring to speak. Last night, they had let loose a bit too much.

Wade Dong had guessed what had happened when these players followed Guo Zifeng. Today, they would surely be listless... This season had been too smooth, and the teammates had lost their sense of urgency.

Wade Dong had agreed to let these players go wild with Guo Zifeng, intending to use this opportunity to reprimand his teammates.

With the Suns' current lineup, every loss would make big news!

One could say that if they couldn't break last season's record of 74 wins, it would be considered a failure... Wade Dong wanted to take this chance to achieve the feat of 80 wins in the regular season!

If he were to lose Durant, Curry, Thompson, and other key players next season, it would be nearly impossible for Wade Dong to lead the team to 80 wins in the regular season, or even have a chance at it.

After he retired, he wanted to leave behind records in the league that would be hard to break.

"I'm very disappointed in you!"

"What kind of person is Guo Zifeng?"

"Damn it..."

Wade Dong's anger didn't require a lengthy speech. A few simple words were enough to convey his anger to his teammates. The task of giving a long speech was left to Alvin Gentry.

Stephen Curry was the first to stand up and apologize, "I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"

"We're sorry too..."

The teammates realized their mistake.

Wade Dong didn't say more, and it was now up to Gentry to take over.

Guo Zifeng had taken the Suns players to a nightclub, and the secrecy was well maintained. Aside from the Suns players, no one else knew about it, and there was no media exposure. The three words 'Guo Zifeng' were enough to make most media outlets back off.

...

The game between the top teams in the West and East was highly anticipated.

Ten minutes before the game, the Suns' starting lineup was announced.

"What's going on?"

"I don't understand..."

"There's never been such a strange incident in league history."

The audience was filled with questions.

Even the commentators, Yu Jia and Zhang Zhidao, were confused, and their live broadcast almost lost its composure.

Zhang Zhidao asked, "Why aren't Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Green in the starting lineup? I just saw them warming up on the court..."

Yu Jia replied, "There might be something going on, but we don't know what it is."

The starting lineup for this highly anticipated game was:

Suns: Wade Dong, Yi Nan, Carter, Warrick, Dinwiddie

Hawks: Paul Millsap, Teague, Horford, Carroll, Korver

Warrick, playing in the starting lineup for the first time in his career, was not excited but nervous... He didn't know where to put the technical statistics sheet in his hands.

With this starting lineup, it was as if Wade Dong was leading four old and weak players against the top team in the East, the Hawks.

In previous games, Warrick and Dinwiddie had almost no playing time, and even Yi Nan and Carter had averaged only 7.6 and 5.1 points per game this season.

The reason Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green, Whiteside, Tucker, and McCollum were not allowed to play was to punish them for their wild behavior the night before... So Gentry benched them all for reflection.

"Are you looking down on us?"

The Hawks, from the coaching staff to the players, wore a sullen expression.

Up to this point in the season, they had a 16-4 record and were ranked first in the East, but they felt insulted by the Suns' lineup.

Schroder was in a dilemma!

As a Hawks player, his agent when he entered the league was Luo Qingyan, and he knew that the boss behind the scenes was Wade Dong. He had prepared a gift for Wade Dong for that night, but the situation made it inappropriate to present it.

"Old Jin... It's not easy for us to play without you guys!"

Durant still wanted to make a last-ditch effort, "Let us play!"

"Sit on the sidelines and reflect..."

Alvin Gentry took a sip of tea contentedly, ignoring Durant's pleas, "You can play again when you've reflected."

Durant also felt wronged. Going to a nightclub was permitted by Wade Dong, and when you're at a nightclub, you can't just drink tea and play cards; you have to let loose and have fun.

...

The referee's whistle signaled the start of this unusual game.

Yi Nan and Paul Millsap jumped for the tip-off, and Millsap passed the ball to Teague, who then passed it to Horford.

"Swish!!!"

Horford easily scored against Yi Nan.

2:0!!!

Taking an early lead against the Suns was usually a cause for celebration.

But Coach Budenholzer wasn't happy. He stood on the sidelines and shouted, "Great job! When defending, make sure to position yourself well under the basket and don't let Wade Dong easily drive to the basket!"

"What's Gentry up to?"

Even the experienced Budenholzer couldn't figure out Gentry's strategy.

He couldn't have guessed that Gentry was benching Durant and the others as punishment for their wild night out.