Chapter 319: Gentry's Technical Foul

The Heat took advantage of the Suns' poor shooting and continued to score from various players.

The first quarter ended with the Heat leading the Suns by 11 points, 32-21.

LeBron James had 7 points, Dwyane Wade 5, Carmelo Anthony 10, Chris Bosh 5, and Chris Paul 5. The Heat's Big Five played the entire first quarter without any substitutions.

On the Suns' side, Wade Dong had 13 points, Kevin Durant 5, Vince Carter 3, and Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 0 points on 7 shots.

The second quarter began, and the Suns made some substitutions. Their lineup now consisted of Wade Dong, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, P.J. Tucker, and Hasheem Thabeet.

The Heat's Big Five didn't play the entire game either. Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul took a rest, and the current lineup was LeBron James, Norris Cole, Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem, and Chris Bosh.

The Heat attacked.

LeBron James' mid-range shot was off, and Hasheem Thabeet grabbed the rebound, passing it to Wade Dong.

Wade Dong dribbled to the frontcourt, facing the defense of Norris Cole and Michael Beasley. He crossed over both of them, and as Udonis Haslem came to help, Wade Dong made a behind-the-back pass to Vince Carter in the corner.

SWISH!

Carter's three-pointer swished through the net.

32-24!

The Heat attacked again.

Facing Wade Dong's defense, LeBron James passed the ball to Chris Bosh in the paint. Bosh's shot was blocked by Hasheem Thabeet, but Tracy McGrady grabbed the rebound and passed to Wade Dong.

Wade Dong drove for a fast-break layup!

32-26!

After James scored on a layup, Wade Dong hit three consecutive three-pointers.

34-35!

The Suns took the lead.

"Phew..."

After hitting three straight threes, Wade Dong breathed a sigh of relief. The 'Lucky Potion' had an additional effect; when Wade Dong's shooting touch was off, using a bottle of 'Lucky Potion' would help him regain his touch quickly.

"Damn it!"

Erik Spoelstra cursed from the sidelines.

Wade Dong had only made 3 of 9 shots in the first quarter, and Spoelstra thought his poor shooting would continue. However, Wade Dong adjusted in the second quarter and scored 11 straight points to take the lead.

"Timeout!"

Spoelstra called a timeout and brought back Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony, who had rested for two minutes.

Alvin Gentry made a single substitution, replacing Tracy McGrady with Kevin Durant.

For the rest of the second quarter, the two teams traded baskets, and the score remained close until halftime.

53-50!

The Heat led by 3 points at the half.

...

In the Heat's locker room.

Spoelstra said, "We must admit that Wade Dong is the strongest player in the league, so we will continue to double-team him in the second half.

"Yes..."

"Our switching defense is very fast, and we can effectively shut down Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. For the Suns to win, they will have to rely solely on the individual abilities of Wade Dong and Kevin Durant.

LeBron James has been doing a great job defending Durant, so in the second half, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, you two will double-team Wade Dong. You must limit him.

Remember, we are the strongest team in the league!"

"Let's go! Beat the Suns!"

The Heat's Big Five also encouraged each other.

Except for Anthony, the other four were eager to prove themselves. Chris Paul had been stopped by the Suns in the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years, and the Heat's Big Three had been runners-up for three years in a row, becoming a laughingstock in the league.

...

In the Suns' locker room.

It was a home game for the Suns, so even the locker room was different. All the players and Alvin Gentry sat around a tea table. After a graceful tea ceremony, Gentry poured tea for the players.

Only Wade Dong was lounging to the side, and Varejao brought him his tea.

Gentry then spoke, "The Heat will definitely double-team Brother Dong in the second half. To win this game, we need someone to step up and help Brother Dong!"

"Yes!"

The players nodded as they sipped their tea.

Gentry smiled, "Don't just nod, speak up. Who can step up?"

Kevin Durant raised his hand, "Me!"

"We can too!"

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson also raised their hands.

This was Gentry's strategy. The Suns players trained very seriously, and most tactics were practiced during training. With Wade Dong as the on-court coach, the Suns had excellent adaptability.

Gentry was simply analyzing Spoelstra's tactics and encouraging his players.

...

The second half began.

The Heat's Big Five had only rested for 8 minutes in the first half, but that was already good. Wade Dong, on the other hand, had played the entire first half.

Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade started double-teaming Wade Dong, not allowing him to receive the ball!

Facing Chris Paul's defense, Stephen Curry passed to Klay Thompson, but Anthony quickly rotated to Thompson, forcing him to pass to Draymond Green, who then passed to Kevin Durant. Durant's mid-range shot was off!

LeBron James grabbed the rebound and dribbled to the frontcourt, driving past Kevin Durant for a layup!

55-50!

The Heat led by 5 points.

Alvin Gentry widened his eyes and yelled at the referee, "He took six steps, for fuck's sake!"

"Hmph~"

The referee merely glanced at Gentry, not calling a traveling violation on James.

"Fuck you!"

Gentry cursed at the referee.

Varejao quickly handed Gentry his thermos, "Coach, have some tea to calm down..."

Hasheem Thabeet subbed in for Draymond Green.

Stephen Curry dribbled to the frontcourt and passed to Wade Dong, who faced the defense of Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. His shot was off, but this time, Hasheem Thabeet grabbed the offensive rebound!

"Give me the ball~"

Kevin Durant ran down and yelled at Thabeet.

Thabeet passed the ball to Durant, who received it and made a floating jump shot.

SWISH~

The ball went in smoothly.

55-52!

Subbing in Hasheem Thabeet for Draymond Green had a positive effect.

With the Suns trailing, Gentry was getting anxious.

After James scored another layup, Gentry yelled at the referee, "Open your eyes and look, how many steps did he take!"

BEEP!

This time, the referee finally responded, blowing his whistle.

Gentry was called for a technical foul!