Chapter 68: Star Treatment
The second half began.
The Suns and Lakers entered a scoring tug-of-war.
The eight-point lead persisted until the end of the third quarter.
Wade Dong played the entire third quarter without resting a single minute. At this point, not only Gentry but also the commentators were worried about Wade Dong's stamina.
As they said, constantly changing positions, from power forward to point guard, then to shooting guard, and back to power forward, was exponentially taxing on stamina.
Even the NBA's stamina monsters would struggle to keep up with this.
During the third quarter timeout, Wade Dong felt some fatigue. If he pushed through the entire fourth quarter, it wouldn't be a big problem, but it was still risky.
Every point in the fourth quarter was crucial. Thinking about using the "luck potion" in the final moments also consumed talent points, and using the "stamina pill" now also consumed talent points. Alternatively, using it in the final few minutes when feeling exhausted would consume the same amount of talent points.
As long as they won this game, the consumed talent points would be replenished. So, Wade Dong decided to use a blue stamina pill before entering the court.
These system rewards were all intangible. With just a thought, the talent points were consumed, and the effect was applied.
In the fourth quarter, Wade Dong appeared on the court with renewed energy.
By the seventh minute, all the players, including Kobe, started to see their shooting percentages drop, but Wade Dong's condition hadn't changed at all.
The commentator was stunned. What kind of stamina was this? After playing like this for 42 minutes, there was no sign of fatigue.
The ancient beast, Zhang Da Shuai, had stamina that was far inferior to Wade Dong's.
Seeing Wade Dong's condition still so good, Gentry was completely reassured. It seemed that in the future, there was no need to rest Wade Dong...
When the game reached the final three minutes, and one team's star player was still full of energy, the game lost its suspense!
"Beep!!!"
The referee blew the final whistle.
117-131!
The Lakers lost to the Suns at home.
The Lakers players looked dejected, and Kobe had a look of frustration on his face as he headed straight to the locker room.
Game statistics:
Wade Dong: 43 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Kobe: 36 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Nash: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
Gasol: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 1 block
Iverson: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 0 blocks
Bynum: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
The player who performed the worst in this game was Gasol. Under Wade Dong's defense, he struggled, with his offense repeatedly disrupted by Wade Dong, and he was blocked twice.
Wade Dong's stamina was no secret.
This style of play first appeared in the game against the Clippers, but the Suns swept the Clippers in four games, and each game was won easily. Additionally, Wade Dong didn't play in the first game, so everyone knew this style was stamina-consuming but didn't pay much attention to it.
However, in this game, Wade Dong played the full 48 minutes and repeatedly defended against Kobe and Gasol. There was no such stamina monster in the league.
Hill circled around Wade Dong, examining him, and asked, "Aren't you tired now?"
"Of course, I'm tired! How could I not be?" Wade Dong gasped heavily and questioned, "If you played the entire game, wouldn't you be tired?"
Hill said, "But you look very relaxed now."
Wade Dong laughed, "Bro, please, how old are you, and how old am I? Can my stamina be the same as yours?"
"Do you need to take a urine test?" Hill joked.
"See this ball?" Wade Dong kicked the basketball at his feet, "Learn from it, and roll away smoothly, okay?"
"Tsk... Can't take a joke!" Hill smiled and walked away.
The NBA rarely conducts urine tests on players because it is a highly technical sport, and the impact of performance-enhancing drugs on the game is not significant. There are some random tests during the regular season.
During the playoffs and finals, there are urine tests, but not always.
However, this time Hill's joke came true. Not long after the game ended, officials came to notify all players to take a urine test.
Before the urine test, Wade Dong felt a bit nervous.
But the next day, when the results came out, there was no issue! It seemed that the system's reward potions were truly green and harmless, with no toxic side effects.
...
Three days later, at the Staples Center.
The Lakers and Suns faced off in Game 2.
In the NBA, only two teams can be called dynasties: the Lakers and the Celtics.
This arena has seen countless championships, and numerous superstars have battled here.
As the game began, the Suns missed two consecutive outside shots, while the Lakers were on fire.
After the Lakers scored three consecutive baskets, Iverson missed another mid-range shot!
0-6!
The Suns were down by six points.
On the next possession, Nash tried to pass the ball to Wade Dong, but Wade Dong was double-teamed by Gasol and Bynum. The Lakers' strategy was clear: leave Gortat open and double-team Wade Dong.
Even if Gortat scored, it didn't matter; the key was not to let Wade Dong receive the ball easily.
Wade Dong couldn't get the ball, so Nash decided to shoot himself, attempting a runner that missed the rim.
Wade Dong fought for the rebound against Bynum and Gasol's double-team and passed the ball to Iverson on the perimeter.
Possibly due to the high intensity of consecutive games, Iverson struggled to find his rhythm and missed another shot.
Gentry called a timeout.
After the timeout, Wade Dong used his dream shake to score two points in the paint, but this couldn't stop the Suns' downward spiral.
The first quarter ended.
29-17!
The Suns only scored 17 points, with 11 of those points coming from Wade Dong, who scored against the double-team of Gasol and Bynum.
The Suns' role players struggled to find their shooting touch, and with Iverson not in good form tonight, the Suns relied heavily on Wade Dong and Nash to keep the score close...
In the second half, Wade Dong gave up the paint and started playing the shooting guard position.
The Suns needed to catch up!
But when Wade Dong moved to the perimeter, the fans were shocked!
Kobe and Blake were double-teaming Wade Dong!
Over the years, there had never been a player who required Kobe to double-team them!
Unfortunately, tonight the Suns' role players couldn't hit their shots... Finally, in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, the Suns gave up the game.
109-92!
The Lakers defended their home court and defeated the Suns.
The series was tied at 1-1!
Game statistics:
Wade Dong: 37 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
Kobe: 31 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Nash: 27 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
Gasol: 29 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Iverson played only 21 minutes in this game, shooting 3-for-11 for 6 points. The Suns' 92 points included 64 points from Wade Dong and Nash, with the other Suns players combining for only 28 points.