Chapter 542: You Guys Play Well, I'm Going to Take a Nap
43:17!!!
The Trail Blazers were down by 26 points.
An interesting fact is that Blake's three-pointer was the first successful three-pointer for the Trail Blazers in this game; during the first quarter, the entire team had attempted nine three-pointers and missed all of them.
"Be aware of Blake and Frye's positions on defense," Wade Dong reminded his teammates from the sidelines.
Sure enough, after Durant made a mid-range shot, the Trail Blazers continued their offense. After three passes and two cuts, the ball reached Frye. As soon as Frye received it, Yi Nan came out from under the basket to help defend.
"g~~~"
Frye forced a three-point shot but missed!
Whiteside grabbed the defensive rebound and passed the ball to Curry, who dribbled straight to the front court, getting past Blake and Frye before taking a fadeaway shot under the basket.
"Swish!!!"
The basketball went through cleanly.
47:17!!!
The lead had now reached 30 points.
Wade Dong stood up to stretch his waist and walked toward the scores table to replace McCollum.
"Wade Dong is coming in so quickly?" Stotts' face darkened; it was already hard enough, and just two minutes into the second quarter, Wade Dong was coming in to finish off the game!
"Dong wants to finish early so he can take a nap," Gentry said cheerfully while holding his thermos. Wade Dong looked a bit tired upon entering; he must have just returned from China and rushed straight here from the airport.
Every time he returns from China...
Wade Dong likes to clock out after three quarters and then catch up on sleep; this has become his habit.
...
After Wade Dong entered, he bypassed Lillard's defense, received a pass from Curry, and took a quick mid-range jumper!
"Swish!!!"
The basketball went through cleanly.
Stotts shouted, "Watch out for Wade Dong; his off-ball movement is top-notch!"
A player like Wade Dong is truly terrifying!
All of his skills are elite in the league; even his off-ball movement is unmatched by any player.
Lillard was getting anxious!
Faced with Wade Dong's defense, he once again chose to shoot just outside the three-point line.
Airball!!!
Lillard threw an absurd airball that landed directly in Yi Nan's hands. Yi Nan paused for a moment before passing it to Durant.
"Buddy, you can't shoot like that!"
Wade Dong shrugged at Lillard and leisurely strolled forward, stopping just outside the three-point line with a hand signal for the ball.
"Whoosh~~~"
Durant passed the ball to Wade Dong.
From just outside the three-point line, facing Lillard's defense, Wade Dong used exactly the same move to shoot!
"Swish!!!"
The basketball went through cleanly.
52:17!!!
This was undoubtedly a playoff disaster; in just one and a half quarters, the Suns had already built a 35-point lead. The Trail Blazers had made multiple substitutions and adjustments but to no avail!
Gentry pretended to ask his bench players, "Wade Dong's return was unexpected; we adjusted quickly—why can't the Trail Blazers adjust?"
"Are you serious?" Thompson retorted. "We knew Wade was coming back yesterday; you included him in your pre-game strategy!"
"Oh..."
Gentry took a sip of tea. "I forgot about that."
For all teams facing the Suns, even if they lead by thirty points, it feels unstable. But if it's the Suns leading by 30 points, then that game loses all suspense.
71:29!!!
At halftime, the Suns led by 42 points.
Lillard received one-on-one tutoring from Wade Dong during the first half with 15 attempts making only 1 basket for 3 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 steals, and 0 blocks. In contrast, Wade Dong faced double teams many times but made 15 of 21 shots for 37 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
...
In the visitor's locker room,
Gentry spoke quietly while chatting with players because Wade Dong had found a corner and was already sleeping.
"Dong is really tired; everyone don't disturb him!"
"Yeah, he sat on a plane for over ten hours just to make it here for this game without even warming up!"
"Those who said the Trail Blazers would beat us at home have been completely proven wrong!"
"Hahaha..."
The halftime break was short. As the second half was about to start, Gentry walked over to Wade Dong.
"Uh..."
Even though Gentry was very gentle in his movements, he still woke Wade Dong up slightly as he opened his eyes!
Gentry draped his suit jacket over Wade Dong's shoulders and whispered, "It's too cold; I brought you a jacket so you won't catch a chill!"
"Thank you~"
Wade Dong nodded. "I won't be playing in the second half."
"You rest well; we've got this in the second half."
After Gentry said this, he felt curious; it wasn't Wade Dong's first time returning from China for a game, but this time he looked particularly fatigued—he wondered why that was.
Wade Dong was genuinely exhausted!
On the day his child was born, he didn't sleep at all that night. Most of his time afterward was spent with Li Jiajia and their newborn child. The newborn often cried at night as well, keeping Wade Dong busy... These days he hadn't managed to get any decent sleep at all.
Although he always flew first class, his sleep on planes was very light—this was also why he felt so sleep-deprived.
...
As the second half began, fans noticed that Wade Dong was missing!
"Huh?!"
The Trail Blazers certainly noticed this as well; Carter replaced Wade Dong on the court.
They felt insulted; did Wade Dong think so little of them? Not only did he not play in the second half but he couldn't even be bothered to show up...
"You all saw it; Wade Dong is missing!"
Stotts seized this opportunity to motivate his players. "This is an insult to us; we must close this gap in scoring during the second half!"
"Go! Go! Go!"
Lillard and his teammates encouraged each other as they took to the court for the second half.
...
"Beep!!!"
With the referee's whistle signaling the end of the game,
127:73!!!
The Suns won by a massive margin of 54 points against the Trail Blazers and took a commanding series lead of 3-0.
Game Statistics:
- Wade Dong: 37 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
- Durant: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
- Curry: 33 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
- Lillard: 29 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal
- Aldridge: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists