Chapter 257: Thunderstorm in Oklahoma City

Unlike the Thunder players, after Wade Dong made the game-winning shot, he hadn't even gotten up from the floor, and all the Suns players rushed over to pile on top of him.

They were releasing their passion.

...

In the Huaxia live broadcast room.

"Great shot!"

Even Coach Zhang was excited. "No one can stop Wade Dong anymore."

Yu Jia: "Wade Dong saved the Suns!"

Coach Zhang: "Wade Dong maintains a 100% success rate on game-winning shots!"

Yu Jia: "On Earth, there is no player stronger than Wade Dong."

Coach Zhang: "With a 3-0 lead, I think we can start celebrating the Suns' entry into the Finals."

...

Durant and the others walked towards the locker room with dejected expressions.

Just as they had seen a glimmer of hope, they were defeated by Wade Dong once again!

Both teams' tactics were unexpected.

With the lead, Brooks chose to foul and send Wade Dong to the free-throw line.

Then, when Wade Dong made the free throw to take the lead, he intentionally missed the second one, choosing to grab the rebound and not give the Thunder any time to respond, and then he ended the game with a game-winning shot. That was truly the mark of a master.

Gentry had finished the goji berry tea in his thermos and was now lightly holding the thermos, watching the players celebrate.

Game Stats:

Wade Dong: 35 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, 5 blocks.

Curry: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.

Durant: 39 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks.

Westbrook: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.

In the playoffs, when the games are closely contested, the star players' impact becomes even more evident, and it also shows that Curry and Thompson still have room for growth.

Of course, under Brother Dong's guidance, they are improving rapidly!

...

Post-game press conference.

A reporter asked, "Brother Dong, on that last free throw, did you intentionally miss it? Was that a premeditated tactic?"

"Intentionally miss?"

Wade Dong tilted his head and looked at the reporter, "How is that possible? I missed the free throw because I was too nervous! If I made it, we would have taken the lead, so why would I intentionally miss?"

"I believe you..."

The reporter muttered.

But Wade Dong didn't want to answer this question, and the reporter didn't press the issue.

In truth, everyone was curious if Wade Dong had really intentionally missed the last free throw. Such a decision carried a significant risk.

If Wade Dong hadn't made the game-winning shot and the Suns had lost in overtime, many basketball experts would have criticized his choice!

But Wade Dong's confidence allowed him to make such a bold move.

...

June 3rd, a thunderstorm!

Oklahoma City, a city known for its mild climate, rarely experienced such heavy rainstorms.

This evening, at the Thunder's home court, the attendance was low.

About a quarter of the seats were empty, which was unusual for a playoff game, especially in the Western Conference Finals.

The low attendance could be attributed to two reasons: the heavy thunderstorm and the fact that even the fans felt the Thunder had no chance of a comeback.

At 10:00 AM Beijing time, or in the evening in the M Nation, the fourth game of the Western Conference Finals began.

Although they were down 3-0, Durant's eyes remained determined.

Before the game, Durant had tweeted: "We just need to win four more games to reach the Finals."

Within a second of the tweet being posted, it received likes and comments, and there were still people who believed the Thunder could defeat the Suns.

"Beep!"

As the head referee blew the whistle, the game began.

Ibaka won the tip-off against Gortat, and Westbrook received the ball and dribbled up the court.

Curry moved to defend Westbrook.

"Brother, give me the ball!"

Durant asked Westbrook for the ball, and Westbrook passed it to him.

As Westbrook dribbled, Wade Dong positioned himself near the free-throw line, ready to help defend if Westbrook drove to the basket.

Durant received the ball and saw that Wade Dong was still a step away. He immediately jumped and shot from just inside the three-point line!

Wade Dong knew that it was too late to help defend, so he simply extended his arms and slightly disrupted Durant's shot.

When Durant shot, he extended his legs forward slightly.

After landing, Wade Dong instinctively pulled his legs back, and seeing the ball go through the net, he ran towards the frontcourt.

...

In the Huaxia live broadcast room.

Yu Jia, with her sharp eyes, noticed this.

Yu Jia: "If Wade Dong hadn't pulled his legs back, Durant would have landed on Wade Dong's feet."

Coach Zhang: "I saw that too. Wade Dong's reaction was instinctive, and he might not have even realized it himself."

Yu Jia: "Wade Dong's consideration for his opponents deserves everyone's respect."

Since it was a televised broadcast, after Yu Jia and Coach Zhang pointed this out, the Huaxia fans also noticed it.

As the saying goes, good news travels fast!

Wade Dong's small gesture once again increased the fans' affection for him. As for Durant's shot, his landing spot was half a step inside the three-point line, and if Wade Dong hadn't pulled his legs back, he would have landed on Wade Dong's feet.

...

Curry dribbled up the court.

At this moment, Wade Dong and McGrady moved to the perimeter, and Durant and Westbrook followed to defend them.

Curry faced Harden's defense, crossed the ball behind his back to get past him, and then made a layup.

"Swish!"

He effortlessly dropped the ball into the basket.

Suns led 2-3!

This was Curry's response to Durant's three-pointer.

The Thunder attacked.

Durant drove to the paint and then bounced a pass to Ibaka, who caught it and finished with a dunk.

"Clang!"

After the dunk, Ibaka hung on the rim for a moment.

The game had just started, and the referee hesitated before deciding not to call a technical foul on Ibaka.

If they lost this game, the Western Conference Finals would be over.

So...

The Suns attacked, and Wade Dong received a pass from Curry but missed a three-pointer.

Durant grabbed the rebound and went for a fast-break dunk.

Suns trailed 2-7!

The Suns were down by 5 points at the start.

"Give the ball to Brother Dong!"

Gentry stood up from the bench and shouted.

In the previous two possessions, Gortat had inbounded the ball, and Curry had organized the offense.

Gentry always felt that Wade Dong was the on-court commander, a player who could devise tactics just by holding a tactical board, the ultimate basketball brain, and the ultimate embodiment of the point guard position.

It's just that Wade Dong's exceptional scoring ability overshadowed his skills as a point guard.