Chapter 186: The Death Lineup

After the game.

The fans were excited, but they also had a lingering concern.

Winning this game relied solely on Wade Dong, which raised questions about the team's strategy. This approach of over-relying on a single player was not in line with the league's norms, and teams that did so rarely had good outcomes.

If this was Coach Kidd's strategy, the Suns' chances of winning the championship this year were in doubt.

Trading away Bynum and Dragic might have cost the Suns their championship hopes.

This would make Sarver a laughing stock in the league and elevate Bynum's value. There's a saying, "Losing isn't scary, what's scary is who's on the court and who's embarrassed." But this saying didn't apply to the current Suns; instead, it fit the recent three games of the Warriors.

In the past three games, the Suns had only won one, showing no signs of a defending champion. Meanwhile, the Warriors had won three straight games.

Myers was secretly delighted, feeling that this trade had been a huge win.

...

After the game, the Suns boarded the team bus to return to the airport.

Although they had won the game and Wade Dong had scored 60+10, the team was not overly excited.

Everyone was aware that the team had significant problems that had not been adequately addressed.

Wade Dong put on his headphones and listened to music, not saying a word throughout the journey.

The atmosphere in the team was somber.

Upon returning to Phoenix, Wade Dong drove Klay home.

Klay and Thompson had been traded to the Suns. When Thompson arrived, he bought Dudley's apartment. As for Klay, he hadn't bought a house yet and was temporarily staying with Wade Dong.

Since Li Jiajia returned to China, Wade Dong had been living like a bachelor. Now, with Klay's company, he was at least less bored.

On the way home, Wade Dong felt like he was being followed. When he parked his car, Coach Kidd also arrived at the villa, confirming his suspicion.

Wade Dong didn't bother to acknowledge Coach Kidd and asked, "Old Kidd, why aren't you at home with your wife at this hour? What brings you here?"

"Wife? Brothers are more important," Coach Kidd said casually as he parked his car. "The night is long, and I thought you might have trouble sleeping, so I came to keep you company and have a drink."

Wade Dong glanced at Coach Kidd's empty hands and said, "If you want to drink, at least bring some snacks. What are we supposed to drink without any food?"

"Don't you have instant noodles?" Coach Kidd went straight to the kitchen, rummaged around, and excitedly found some sausages. "Sausages with drinks... Tonight's feast is quite rich."

Wade Dong was speechless.

Coach Kidd didn't care about Wade Dong's reaction and cut a plate of sausages. He then brought out three cups of instant noodles, poured hot water, and started cooking them.

Klay stood dumbfounded in the living room, not understanding what Coach Kidd was doing.

In fact, when Li Jiajia was not around, the Suns players often visited Wade Dong's place. That's why Wade Dong invited Klay to stay with him when he first arrived in Phoenix and had nowhere to live.

However, Klay had only been there for a few days, and Coach Kidd's familiarity was quite surprising to him.

While the noodles were cooking, Coach Kidd went to the wine cellar and brought out a bottle of white wine. He opened it and said, "I haven't had white wine in a long time. I'm really craving it."

"You..." Wade Dong was speechless.

They were all millionaires, and who would believe that Coach Kidd couldn't afford white wine? And using instant noodles as a side dish was too down-to-earth.

But Coach Kidd's visit tonight was definitely not just for a drink; he must have something to say to Wade Dong.

"Slurp~~~"

"Slurp~~~"

"Slurp~~~"

The sound of plastic forks stirring noodles filled the room as Wade Dong and the others enjoyed their meal.

"Gulp~~~"

"Gulp~~~"

"Gulp~~~"

They even drank the soup. Only then did Coach Kidd pour the wine.

With just a plate of sausages left, the three clinked glasses and took a sip of wine. Coach Kidd then got to the point, "The new lineup has significant integration issues."

"Coincidentally, I've noticed this problem too," Wade Dong said sarcastically. "But what's the key issue? Is it the team's poor integration or the coach's lack of tactics?"

Coach Kidd ignored Wade Dong's teasing and said, "East Brother, in my opinion, no one on the Suns except you is indispensable as a starter."

Klay was confused by Coach Kidd's statement. Was he implying that Klay should be a substitute?

Wade Dong said, "If the team needs it, I can be a substitute too."

"I've never heard of a peak scoring champion being a substitute," Coach Kidd said, waving his hand. He then pulled out a stack of A4 papers with his tactics written on them. "I've been thinking about a suitable tactic for the team, and now I have a rough idea. I want to name this tactical system the 'Death Lineup'."

"Sounds good..." Wade Dong nodded. This was the same tactical system used by the Golden State Warriors in the previous era.

For this tactical system, Wade Dong had even exchanged for Coach Kerr's skill package.

Wade Dong and Klay flipped through the tactical papers that Coach Kidd had printed out.

Coach Kidd explained, "This system consists of five players who can all handle the ball and attack. Each of the five players can be the starting point and the endpoint of the offense. Our style of play should emphasize speed and counterattack, the quality of pick-and-rolls and screens. Of course, in the tactical concept I designed, three-pointers and switching are indispensable..."

Coach Kidd went on and on about the tactics he designed for the Suns. Klay remained silent, while Wade Dong nodded slightly, "This is indeed the most suitable style for the current Suns."

Coach Kidd asked, "Who on the team is particularly suitable for this system?"

"Me, McGrady, Nash, Thompson, Klay, Green, Middleton..." Wade Dong listed the names one by one. In his list, except for Nash and Klay, the other players were all-around players with both offense and defense.

As for the other Suns players, such as Tucker, Gortat, and Frye, they all had distinct characteristics and could play important supporting roles in this lineup.

"This tactic is still not mature," Coach Kidd said, "but I plan to start using it in the next game. The starting lineup I have in mind is..."

Klay's throat tightened.

He was inexplicably nervous, not knowing if Coach Kidd would continue to let him start in the new tactical system.