Chapter 168: The Last Shot Goes to Wade Dong
With 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score was 117:120!
The East led the West for the first time.
Popovich called a timeout!
Fans watching on TV got excited as the score was so close, indicating that both teams were going to play seriously.
In this timeout, Popovich began to seriously strategize.
After the timeout, the West made substitutions. Wade Dong, Kobe, Durant, Duncan, and Howard took the court, which could be considered the strongest lineup for the West in this All-Star Game.
The East also made substitutions. Rose, Wade, James, Anthony, and Bosh took the court, which was also the strongest lineup for the East in the All-Star Game.
Wade Dong dribbled the ball, and Rose began to defend seriously.
Other players also started running off-ball tactics, and everyone could see that they were going to play seriously.
Wade Dong made two consecutive crossovers, and Rose stuck closely to him, not giving him any space to shoot or pass.
"Hey!"
Duncan blocked Anthony and actively asked for the ball.
Wade Dong made another behind-the-back dribble, shaking off Rose's defense, and passed the ball to Duncan. Duncan received the ball and used his height advantage to turn and shoot.
"Swish!"
The ball hit the backboard and went in.
With all top-tier players on the court, Popovich didn't dare to let the East double-team Wade Dong, so Wade Dong also got a few shooting opportunities.
At this point, Wade Dong had put away his playful attitude.
Whenever he got a shooting opportunity, he would shoot decisively. In the next 5 minutes, Wade Dong made 5 out of 5 shots, scoring 10 points.
However, the score remained close, especially with James, who made several strong drives to the basket and scored each time.
With 1 minute and 36 seconds left in the game, the score was tied at 135:135!!!
The East's leading scorer was James, who had scored 37 points. The West's leading scorer was Durant with 39 points. Wade Dong had 21 points and 23 assists, a double-double.
The final 1 minute and 36 seconds would determine the All-Star MVP.
If the East won, the All-Star MVP would be James. If the West won, the All-Star MVP would be either Durant or Wade Dong.
The West had the ball. Durant drove to the basket but couldn't get past James's defense. With 3 seconds left on the shot clock, Durant hurriedly shot and missed, and Anthony grabbed the rebound.
Popovich looked grim. If this weren't an exhibition game, he might have yelled at Durant.
This time, Durant held the ball for over 15 seconds.
Being too ball-dominant was the main reason for this failed possession.
Anthony grabbed the rebound, and Wade drove for a Eurostep layup.
135:137!!!
The East led the West by 2 points.
In the final minutes, Wade was playing the hardest, as this concerned whether his brother James could win the All-Star MVP.
However, after Wade scored, Duncan quickly passed the ball to Wade Dong. Wade Dong dribbled past Rose's defense and drove into the paint, noticing that Kobe was open at the three-point line.
"Whoosh~~~"
Wade Dong made a behind-the-back pass.
Kobe comfortably received the ball and shot a three-pointer. "Swish!!!"
138:137!!!
Wade Dong's 24th assist. As he ran back on defense, he high-fived Kobe.
"Referee, I request a timeout!"
With 42 seconds left, Popovich called another timeout to strategize.
The final possession was crucial for the East. They needed to score to tie the game and also defend the West's final possession.
"We are only down by one point," Popovich said, holding the clipboard. "After the timeout, if Wade Dong is guarding Rose, Rose, you run to the baseline to draw Wade Dong away. The others follow the play to create a one-on-one situation for James against Kobe, and let James execute the final shot."
The court was filled with superstars!
Popovich believed that Popovich would also employ a man-to-man defense strategy because all the East players had the ability to end the game, and Popovich wouldn't dare to relax against any player.
After the timeout, the West indeed employed a man-to-man defense strategy. Howard guarded Bosh, Duncan guarded Anthony, Kobe guarded James, Durant guarded Wade, and Wade Dong guarded Rose.
James received the ball, and Rose and Wade started moving to draw Durant and Wade Dong away, preventing them from helping Kobe defend James.
"Slap!"
"Slap!"
"Slap!"
James dribbled the ball.
This was a one-on-one opportunity for James against Kobe, and the fans in the arena all stood up.
"7!"
"6!"
"5!"
...
With the shot clock winding down to less than 5 seconds, James stepped back and then retreated to the three-point line.
This move didn't shake off Kobe. James stepped back to the three-point line and immediately shot a fadeaway jumper, but Kobe jumped up to try and block the shot, and the ball grazed Kobe's fingertips.
At that moment, everyone held their breath.
If this shot didn't go in and the East couldn't secure the rebound, they would have to resort to fouling in the remaining 18 seconds, which would put them in a very passive position.
"Quick, grab the rebound!"
Wade Dong noticed the ball's trajectory was slightly off, indicating that Kobe's fingertips must have touched the ball.
"Clang!!!"
Sure enough, the three-pointer hit the rim and didn't go in.
Everyone rushed to the paint, including Wade Dong, but one person had a very accurate judgment of the ball's landing spot—James!
He started rushing to the paint the moment he shot, so when the ball hit the rim, James jumped up and grabbed the rebound.
"Boom!!!"
James slammed the ball into the basket!
138:139!!!
With 13 seconds left in the game, James's dunk put the East ahead by one point.
Popovich called a timeout.
"The last shot goes to Wade Dong," Popovich said, explaining, "Since entering the league, Wade Dong has taken a total of nine game-winning shots, and all nine attempts were successful!"
A 100% success rate on game-winning shots!
This was Wade Dong's most terrifying record, even more frightening than his quadruple-double, 37 points in a quarter, or 18 blocks in a game.