Chapter 372: Triangle Offense

McCollum, Barton, Whiteside, Tucker, and Varejao checked in.

This was arguably the Suns' weakest lineup.

On the bench were Wade Dong, Curry, Thompson, Durant, Carter, McGrady, and Green.

Trailing by only about twenty points, the Trail Blazers still had a chance to catch up, so their starters remained on the court.

Coach Gentry took a sip of hot tea and asked Wade Dong, "Brother Dong, between Barton and McCollum, which player should we focus on developing?"

"What do you think?"

Wade Dong turned the question back to him.

"Pffft..."

Coach Gentry spat out the tea leaves back into his thermos and said, "Barton was a lottery pick and has already played in the league for a year, but he hasn't shown any standout performances. I think McCollum is a good kid."

Wade Dong replied, "Both players have potential. Let's develop them together."

Whether or not they were a focus of development, it mainly meant giving them more playing time and more guidance from the veterans on the bench, like Carter, McGrady, and Wade Dong.

Coach Gentry continued, "But these two are both guards with similar heights and playing styles, and they play the same position. It's not realistic to develop them together."

Wade Dong smiled and said, "You just said that McCollum is a good kid."

"Do you agree with me?"

"I do!"

"Then I understand."

Coach Gentry screwed the lid back on his thermos and turned his attention back to the court.

The five players on the court were already struggling against the Trail Blazers' starters. At the end of the third quarter:

Suns 83, Trail Blazers 97!

The deficit had been reduced to 14 points.

...

Coach Stotts said, "The Suns will definitely bring their starters back in the fourth quarter, but their rhythm will be disrupted."

"Before Brother Dong comes back in, we need to be quick with our help defense under the basket. These five players don't have much scoring ability, so this is our best chance to take the lead."

"Lillard, Aldridge, Gortat, and Batum, you four stay on the court. Frye, replace Matthews."

"..."

"You're all young and talented players. I believe in you."

After explaining the tactics in detail, Coach Stotts encouraged his players.

On the Suns' side, as soon as Varejao came off the court, Wade Dong asked, "Did you enjoy the game?"

"I had a blast!"

Varejao's expression was proud, "Although I didn't score any points or grab any rebounds, assists, blocks, or steals, I did what I was supposed to do."

"Emmmm..."

After listening to Varejao, Coach Gentry thought for a moment and said, "Thompson, replace Varejao. This lineup needs a reliable scorer."

...

The fourth quarter began.

Coach Stotts wasn't worried when he saw Thompson replace Varejao; it was within his expectations. In the last three minutes of the third quarter, the Suns' lineup on the court had defensive capabilities but lacked offensive prowess. McCollum, being young, struggled without the passing of McGrady and Curry. Even when he was open in the corner, it was difficult for his teammates to get him the ball.

Bringing in Thompson was the right move, and Coach Stotts was relieved that Durant or Curry wasn't substituted in, which would have made things more challenging.

The Trail Blazers were on offense.

Lillard drove to the basket, easily getting past Barton, and went for a dunk. Whiteside hadn't yet dropped back to defend the basket.

Suns 85, Trail Blazers 97!

The Trail Blazers were about to reduce the deficit to single digits.

Then, McCollum missed a mid-range jumper, and Gortat grabbed the defensive rebound. He passed the ball to Lillard, who dribbled up the court and took a three-pointer from beyond the arc!

"Swish!"

The ball swished through the net.

Suns 88, Trail Blazers 97!

Coach Stotts saw the deficit shrink to just 9 points and shouted excitedly from the sidelines, "That's how you play, Lillard!"

Then, Thompson missed another three-pointer.

Lillard hit another three-pointer.

Suns 91, Trail Blazers 97!

In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Lillard scored 8 consecutive points, reducing the deficit to just 6 points.

Carter, seeing Lillard's performance, had a look of appreciation in his eyes, "He's a big-hearted player with a lot of grit. He's suited for tough games."

Coach Stotts was both excited and nervous, glancing repeatedly at the Suns' bench.

The Suns had led by over twenty points, but now the Trail Blazers were only down by 6. Shouldn't Coach Gentry bring his starters back in?

In his opinion, the Trail Blazers needed to catch up, but not too quickly. It had only been a little over two minutes into the fourth quarter, and the Trail Blazers hadn't fully built up their momentum. If Coach Gentry brought his starters back in at this point, there would be too many variables in the remaining nine minutes.

The Suns were on offense again.

Thompson dribbled, and McCollum set a screen for him, getting past Batum. Thompson took a shot but missed.

This time, Whiteside grabbed the offensive rebound, but Gortat disrupted his putback attempt under the basket. Aldridge secured the rebound and passed it to Lillard.

Lillard dribbled up the court and took another three-pointer without hesitation.

"Swish!"

The ball swished through the net again.

Suns 94, Trail Blazers 97!

The Trail Blazers were now down by only 3 points.

"Timeout..."

Coach Gentry couldn't sit still and called a timeout.

"Brother..."

As Coach Gentry was about to put Wade Dong back in, Wade Dong waved him off, took the tactical board, and said, "Your five players aren't working well together."

Then, Wade Dong drew a position on the tactical board.

Thompson stood at the 45-degree angle from the three-point line, Whiteside was near the left mid-range area, McCollum was at the top of the arc, and Barton and Tucker were on the right side for support.

Wade Dong explained, "McCollum, you pass the ball to Thompson, then cut to the basket. If you can't receive the ball for a layup, quickly move to the other corner. Thompson can pass to Whiteside for a post-up if Gortat is defending the low post.

If Frye is defending the low post, Whiteside, pass the ball back out to Barton on the wing. Tucker, move from the key to the perimeter. Barton, pass to Tucker on the perimeter, and Whiteside, move from one low post to the other, forming a sideline triangle with McCollum, who cut to the other corner."

"Huh? What?"

McCollum and the other four players were stunned. Wade Dong's offensive tactic was a classic triangle offense, where McCollum, Thompson, and Whiteside's movements formed a baseline triangle. In this play, all three had scoring opportunities, and it was up to them to adapt and make the best decision.

"What's wrong?"

Wade Dong looked at the five players who were standing there dumbfounded, "Is this tactic too simple for you to understand?"

This was one of the triangle offense variations that Coach Jackson had mastered, leading the Bulls and Lakers to multiple NBA championships.