Chapter 549: The Three-Point Rain Begins

McCollum dribbled the ball, while Nick Young defended him half-heartedly, almost as if he were just using eye contact to guard.

"Swish!!!"

McCollum easily got past Nick Young and scored with a layup!

Seeing this defensive effort, Stotts shouted angrily: "Nick, what the hell! I gave you unlimited shooting rights, and you don't even play defense?!"

This was definitely not a good strategy.

If this continued, the Suns would keep exploiting Nick Young's weak defense.

Even if Nick scored, it wouldn't help close the gap; the Lakers would still be trailing.

After all, this was the Suns' pure bench lineup.

Once Wade Dong, Curry, Durant, and Thompson returned to the court, the Lakers would have no chance!

The Lakers initiated their offense.

Wade sat on the bench and casually remarked, "Give Young a superstar treatment."

"Huh?!"

Nick Young glanced back at Wade while dribbling.

Wade's words touched him—was this what they called "heroes appreciating heroes"?

Although Nick didn't fully understand Wade's intent, his teammates grasped what Wade meant.

Soon after...

Tucker moved up to double-team Nick Young alongside McCollum; this was what Wade referred to as a superstar treatment.

Of course, Nick Young couldn't back down!

His motto was to never pass the ball. Even when faced with a double team, he kept looking for opportunities to shoot. As the 24-second shot clock wound down, Stotts yelled in frustration again: "Nick Young, pass the ball!"

"Whoosh..."

With just one second left on the shot clock, Nick Young forced a shot that turned out to be an absurd airball.

The basketball plummeted directly into Whiteside's hands.

"Hahaha..."

Durant laughed out loud. "That shot was ridiculous!"

"Lin Hao, get Nick Young off the court!" 

Stotts could no longer contain his frustration and called for Lin Hao to replace Nick Young. He had hoped to rely on Nick's scoring ability against the Suns' bench but was sorely disappointed.

Not only did he fail to defend...

But during offense, because of Wade's comment, he refused to pass even when double-teamed—did he really think he was Wade Dong?!

Regardless of anything else, it would be challenging for Nick Young to get back on the court after this performance. As he was substituted out, he muttered under his breath in discontent; he had finally earned Wade's recognition but felt deprived of an opportunity by his coach.

...

47:35!!!

By the time the starters returned to the court, the Lakers were already down by 12 points. Stotts' plan to chase points with his bench lineup had failed miserably.

The Suns attacked next.

Wade Dong orchestrated from up high and passed it to Durant, who took a mid-range jumper.

"Swish!!!"

The basketball went through cleanly.

Then Kobe drove towards the basket; noticing LeBron following up behind him, he changed his layup into a behind-the-back pass right into LeBron's hands.

"Bang!!!"

LeBron slammed it home with both hands!

"Wooah!"

After landing, LeBron pounded his chest and roared at the camera!

Warwick quietly remarked: "Does that count as Wade's defensive lapse?"

"Not at all..." 

Gentry pointed towards the court. "Look for yourself!"

Sure enough!

Before LeBron's dunk, Wade had already sprinted upcourt; Durant had inbounded from the baseline and before Lakers players could set their defense properly, Durant launched it forward...

It was a perfect play leading to an impressive dunk; after scoring there should always be some celebration—this is common among players... even legends like LeBron and Kobe aren't exempt from that. However, the Suns had seen plenty of such moments; Wade's spectacular dunks were too numerous for them not to remain calm at all times.

"Get back on defense!" 

Kobe shouted as he sprinted back towards his own basket!

But the basketball moved faster; Wade caught it at the free-throw line and took one dribble before executing a stylish one-handed dunk.

...

O'Neal commented: "I've played alongside many superstars but have never encountered anyone as composed as Wade Dong."

Barkley added: "He's only 25 years old and has been in the league for just over three years."

O'Neal continued: "If Wade plays until he's 40 years old, there won't be any room left for other players."

Barkley interjected: "Shh... remember what happened last time?"

"Uh..."

O'Neal quickly covered his mouth; during their last commentary together when they suggested that Wade should retire after winning three MVPs and try baseball instead—it nearly got them chased out of Western Conference Arena by angry fans!

...

The Lakers' offensive core consisted of Kobe and LeBron while Wade Dong spearheaded for the Suns along with Curry and Durant. Even Thompson's offensive capabilities surpassed most players on the Lakers' roster.

59:43!!!

At halftime, the Lakers trailed by 16 points.

In the Suns' locker room:

Gentry brewed tea while stating: "The Hawks and Raptors are evenly matched; I predict they'll need at least six games to determine a winner. Therefore we must finish our series in four games so that Dong can have time to return home for his child."

"Coach Gentry, you're quite insightful." 

Wade smiled slightly as he added: "Kobe is a great player—one man for one city—so his farewell game should be at home with the Lakers. That's our greatest respect for him."

Curry chimed in with a grin: "So you mean we should finish this series in four games then?"

"What else can we do?" 

Durant shrugged.

The fourth game of this Western Conference Finals would take place at Staples Center where only a sweep would allow Kobe's farewell game to occur at home; as for playing six games?

That was simply impossible... both teams' strengths were clear-cut.

...

As the second half began,

Kobe brought up the ball and immediately took a pull-up three-pointer!

"Swish!!!"

The basketball went through cleanly.

Next up was Durant going one-on-one against LeBron; his mid-range shot missed but Hill grabbed the rebound. Kobe received it and sprinted upcourt again before stopping just beyond three-point range for another pull-up three-pointer.

"Swish!!!"

The basketball went through again.

59:49!!!

In mere moments, the Lakers had cut down their deficit by six points.

"Hey?! Are we starting a three-point contest?" 

Gentry excitedly jumped up from his seat. "Let it rain threes!"

The Suns had an abundance of three-point specialists—this was their favorite scenario.

Immediately,

Curry, Thompson, Durant, and Wade Dong set up beyond the arc like artillery!

"Swish!!!"

"Swish!!!"

...

"Swish!!!"

In less than six minutes' time, the Suns hit 9 out of 15 three-point attempts.

86:63!!!

The gap widened significantly; all players on the Lakers' bench sighed heavily knowing how well they understood this team after facing them so many times before.

Trailing by 20 points in third quarter meant essentially conceding defeat...