Chapter 228: The Warriors' Hope

Dudley followed the Suns players to their locker room after the game, and this unintentional action made the Suns players feel a bit sad.

It also dampened the joy of their first playoff win.

Back in the locker room.

Gortat asked Wade Dong, "Do you want to invite Dudley for some late-night snacks later?"

"Forget it."

Wade Dong waved his hand, "Let's do it after the playoffs are over."

After all, the players had different mindsets. The Suns were relaxed, knowing they were unbeatable with a healthy roster. The Warriors, on the other hand, wouldn't give up just because they were facing the Suns.

The two teams were playoff opponents, and the Suns had already won the first game in the 7-game series.

At this moment, inviting Dudley for snacks might not be appropriate.

...

The Warriors' post-game press conference.

A reporter asked, "Today, you were dominated by the Suns. Is it because the Suns are too strong?"

Jackson, "It's hard to imagine a team as well-rounded as the Suns, and with everyone healthy. Last season, the Suns were still fighting for a playoff spot, and this season, they've become the favorites to win the championship."

A reporter interrupted Jackson, "But the Suns won the championship last season."

"I know."

Jackson said sternly, "When Nash and Thompson can only play as backups, it's hard to find a weakness in this team."

A reporter asked, "Does that mean the trade with the Suns was a stupid decision?"

"!!!"

Jackson knew that this issue would be brought up again by the media when they faced the Suns in the playoffs, but he refused to answer the question.

In this game, Wade Dong played conservatively, and the other players stepped up.

Jackson was well aware that even without the trade, the Warriors would have struggled to beat the Suns with Wade Dong on the court.

Seeing that Jackson didn't want to answer the question, the reporter changed the topic, "Coach Jackson, from a professional perspective, do the Suns really have no weaknesses?"

"Weaknesses?"

Jackson thought for a moment and almost blurted out two words, 'coach!'

But he held back, as saying that would create a feud with Gentry, and the media would surely blow it out of proportion.

...

The playoffs began with four games on the first day.

Suns 109:92 Warriors.

Heat 86:81 Bucks.

Spurs 97:86 Grizzlies.

Knicks 116:114 Hawks.

The higher-ranked teams all won, except for the Suns vs. Warriors, where the other three games were close, especially the Knicks game, which went into overtime, with Anthony hitting a three-pointer to win the game.

The next day, the remaining four games were played.

Thunder 107:108 Lakers.

Nuggets 103:97 Clippers.

Bulls 113:96 Celtics.

Pacers 107:101 Nets.

The Lakers were only ranked 7th in the West, just 1.5 games ahead of the Warriors, but in the first playoff game, Kobe hit a game-winner to upset the Thunder.

...

Two days later, the Suns hosted the Warriors for Game 2.

Last season, the Suns only lost two games in the playoffs, one to the Spurs and one to the Lakers. This season's Suns were even stronger, and their goal was to break the playoff winning streak record.

Before that, several teams had achieved ten or more consecutive wins in the playoffs, with the strongest being the 2001 Lakers, who only lost one game, to the 76ers led by Iverson, who was also the regular season MVP that year.

...

Before the game, during warm-ups, Dudley and Huang Yu didn't come over to greet Wade Dong.

This game was crucial for the Warriors, as a win would boost their confidence going back home.

"Beep!"

The game began.

The Warriors adjusted their tactics, avoiding Wade Dong on the court and using Dragic and David in pick-and-rolls.

Initially, the Warriors played well, and the score went back and forth.

Wade Dong wasn't in a hurry, focusing on playmaking and defense, while Huang Yu was limited by Wade Dong. With seven minutes left in the first quarter, Huang Yu had only made one of three shots, scoring 3 points.

Curry's shooting touch wasn't great either, making only 3 of 9 shots in the first seven minutes, including 1 of 7 from three-point range.

Gentry called a timeout and made substitutions, not because the starters were playing poorly, but because it was time. The Suns naturally made substitutions, again five-for-five, bringing in their bench players.

Suns 19, Warriors 18.

The Suns' bench players came in when they were only leading by 1 point.

The Warriors also made substitutions, bringing in Dudley for David and Morris for Barnes, to strengthen their perimeter defense.

The lineup on the court made the home fans a bit confused.

The Suns: Nash, Thompson, Tucker, Middleton, and Frye.

The Warriors: Dragic, Dudley, Bynum, Huang Yu, and Morris.

It was hard to tell which team was the Suns and which was the Warriors. The Warriors' lineup, aside from Huang Yu, consisted of former Suns players, and Huang Yu was Huaxia, so he could pretend to be Wade Dong.

This was Jackson's strategy to counter the Suns, using their own tactics against them. Dragic and the others were also familiar with the Suns players.

Indeed, this lineup worked well at first.

Morris disrupted Thompson's shot, and Bynum used the Dream Shake to score against Frye.

With four minutes left in the first quarter, Nash dribbled to the frontcourt, and Frye set a screen. Nash drove past his defender, and Frye ran to the three-point line. Nash flicked his wrist and passed to Frye at the three-point line.

However, Dudley anticipated Nash's next move and stole the pass.

The Suns had practiced this type of pick-and-roll in training, so when Frye set the screen, Dudley predicted Nash's next action.

Jackson punched the air on the sidelines, "Dudley, great steal!"

After stealing the pass from Nash, Dudley quickly pushed the ball in transition and scored a layup.

Suns 19, Warriors 22.

The Warriors led by 3 points.

The Suns' bench players came in but couldn't extend the lead. Instead, the Warriors started to pull away, which was rare.

This reminded Jackson of the 2006-2007 Warriors.

That year, the Warriors, led by Nelson, completed a historic upset, becoming the first 8th seed to eliminate a 1st seed.

Could he not achieve what Nelson did?

The two teams were so similar. Nelson had previously coached the Mavericks, so he was familiar with that team.

But now, the Warriors were also familiar with the Suns, as Dudley, Dragic, Morris, and Bynum were all former Suns players, and Curry and Thompson had been coached by Gentry.