Chapter 500: Coach, I Can't Play Anymore

The Suns were on the attack, and the Hawks quickly retreated to defend.

Warrick dribbled past mid-court and started looking for Wade Dong, but Horford and Carroll immediately double-teamed Dong, chasing him and not allowing him to receive the pass.

Carter came out to receive the pass, and Warrick passed the ball to him.

With this lineup, Yi Nan moved to the 5 position, battling Millsap in the paint, while Carter's mid-range shot missed.

Millsap grabbed the defensive rebound.

Teague dribbled up the court, and the Hawks' teamwork was excellent. Korver ran to an open spot, and the ball was passed to him.

Swish!

Korver raised his hand and sank a three-pointer, the ball swishing through the net.

5:0!

Durant watched anxiously and urged Gentry, "Coach, we can't play like this. We need to get on the court and relieve some pressure from Dong."

"Don't worry."

Gentry shook his head again, showing no intention of putting Durant and the others on the court.

The Suns attacked again.

Warrick's playmaking made the Suns' offense chaotic. After all, these five players had never played together, and it was a back-to-back away game, so Warrick was completely unprepared.

Slap!

The pass was stolen by Teague again.

The Hawks' five players sprinted down the court, and with another beautiful pass, Korver sank another three-pointer.

8:0!

"The defensive rhythm is too chaotic!"

Durant and the others sat on the bench, looking anxious.

Wade Dong still didn't stay back to receive the pass. He continued to let Warrick organize the offense, but this time, Dinwiddie set a screen for Dong, allowing him to receive the ball smoothly.

Whoosh~

Dong lifted the ball as if to shoot, easily shaking off two players.

Then,

Dong drove to the basket, and the three remaining Hawks players quickly collapsed towards the paint. But in Dong's eyes, only the basket remained.

He dodged Horford in mid-air and scored a layup against Millsap and Carroll.

Beep!

The referee blew the whistle, calling a defensive foul on Millsap!

"Good shot!"

Durant and the others stood up from the bench.

Dong had just scored against five defenders and drawn a foul, showcasing his ability.

Swish!

Standing at the free-throw line, Dong effortlessly sent the ball into the basket.

8:3!

The Suns' biggest problem wasn't the players' abilities but their on-court chemistry.

Dong, Carter, Yi Nan, Dinwiddie, and Warrick had never played together, and their offense and defense lacked any tactical cohesion.

The Hawks kept scoring through team play.

19:7!

With five minutes left in the first quarter, the Suns trailed by 12 points. Only Dong and Carter had scored, with Dong having 5 points and Carter 2.

"Coach, we've all reflected!"

"We won't go to nightclubs anymore..."

"Let us play!"

Durant and the others' tone had turned into a plea.

Dong glared at Durant, "Keep your voices down. Do you want everyone to know about last night?"

"Uh..."

The others fell silent.

Especially the two players who had left with the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls, they couldn't help but cover their mouths.

Curry looked at Dong with his big watery eyes, "Dong, look at my eyes."

"I won't!"

Dong turned his face away.

Curry and Thompson were the most well-behaved. After the game, they returned to the hotel, drank the least, and didn't take any girls with them.

"Dong..."

Gentry also looked at Dong.

Last night's visit to the nightclub was tacitly approved by Dong. Durant and the others had just gotten carried away. Gentry felt that the punishment was enough, and he couldn't keep Durant off the court all night, could he?

If so... Dong and the four others would have to play the entire game.

Dong wouldn't have a problem, but what about the veteran Carter? What about Warrick? Dinwiddie? Yi Nan? They would surely lose badly!

"Continue!"

Dong didn't say anything. He just waved his hand to signal Warrick to keep playing.

Warrick was also frustrated...

He was just a technical statistician, and it was difficult for him to play as the starting point guard.

Even more frustrated than Warrick were the players on the bench, who could only sit there and not contribute in the slightest to the team's efforts.

...

In the Huaxia live broadcast room.

Zhang Zhidao, "Why isn't Gentry putting Durant on the court? What's he thinking?"

Yu Jia, "I've been commentating for many years, and this is the first time I've encountered such a situation!"

Zhang Zhidao, "It's definitely not because of an injury. Even if Durant doesn't play, Curry and Thompson should be on the court. The Suns' offense is completely stagnant."

...

After the timeout, Dong had the ball outside the three-point line, with Teague and Korver double-teaming him.

Dong took a probing step, and the moment the ball hit the floor, he pretended to dribble, then stepped back behind the three-point line.

Swish!

Dong rose up for a three-pointer against Korver and Teague, and the ball swished through the net.

19:10!

Korver and Teague had given their all on defense.

Korver's three-point shooting percentage this season was an astonishing 49%, ranking third in the league. But Dong's shot still made Korver envious, thinking that if he had Dong's skills, his salary would triple.

"Go, Suns!"

"Go, Suns!"

"Go, Suns!"

Durant and the others watched anxiously but were also bored, so they could only stand on the sidelines and cheer for their teammates.

Dong's three-pointer couldn't change the Suns' trailing situation.

The first quarter ended quickly...

37:21!

The Suns trailed by 16 points.

This was the first time since the start of the season that the Suns had trailed by more than 10 points in the first quarter. It was quite a disaster.

Warrick panted as he walked to the sidelines.

Green pretended to care about Warrick, and as he walked up to him, he pinched some soft flesh on Warrick's waist.

"Ahh!"

Warrick cried out in pain.

"What's wrong?"

Dong and Gentry both looked at Warrick.

Green winked at Warrick, who hesitated and said in a low voice, "Coach, I can't play anymore. Can you find someone to replace me?"