Chapter 209: Wade Dong's Encouragement

"Oh wow~~~"

The Suns' bench players were even more excited to see Curry dunk than to see Wade Dong dunk.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The away fans once again chanted "MVP" for Curry.

...

Chinese live broadcast room.

Yu Jia, "It's not easy to see Curry dunk."

Coach Zhang, "If someone told me Wade Dong and Curry connected, I wouldn't have thought it was Wade Dong assisting Curry to dunk."

Yu Jia, "Hahaha... Curry showed his skills against his former team."

...

After Curry's successful dunk, it was the Warriors' turn to attack.

Bynum found it harder to pull out to the perimeter for a three-pointer. The Warriors passed the ball around, and it ended up with Landry.

Landry tried to score in the paint against Green but missed the turnaround jumper.

Wade Dong grabbed the defensive rebound and immediately threw the ball to the frontcourt. Curry sprinted forward, received the ball, and scored on a layup.

9:5!!!

The Suns started to pull away.

Curry scored 7 points in less than three minutes.

Seeing the Suns' good start, Kidd said to Nash, "This game is probably a preview of the first round of the playoffs."

"Probably," Nash also said, "The Warriors have been playing well recently and should secure the eighth spot in the West."

Kidd turned to the bench players and instructed, "Everyone, don't let up. Treat this game like a playoff game!"

"Got it~!"

Gortat and the others casually acknowledged.

The Suns' starters were playing exceptionally well. Following the Suns' pace, the chances of the Warriors coming back in this game were already slim.

The game reached the seventh minute.

23:15!!!

The Suns led by 8 points.

During a timeout, Kidd made substitutions, replacing Wade Dong, McGrady, Curry, Green, and Middleton with Nash, Thompson, Tucker, Gortat, and Frye.

A complete line change, that was the Suns' confidence.

...

Chinese live broadcast room.

Yu Jia, "The Suns' lineup is too luxurious. Having five starters on the bench, who can handle that?"

Coach Zhang, "I once chatted with Wade Dong, and he told me that in the Suns' intrasquad scrimmages, the starting lineup often loses to the bench."

Yu Jia, "Really?"

Coach Zhang, "Wade Dong said it himself. You know, Wade Dong and I have a good relationship. We often discuss life and basketball privately."

....

"Achoo~~~"

Wade Dong had just sat down when he sneezed.

Kidd was startled and asked with concern, "Brother Dong, do you have a cold?"

"No," Wade Dong rubbed his nose, "Maybe someone is talking about me behind my back."

The first quarter resumed.

It could be said that the Suns had no disadvantage at any position against the Warriors. First, Nash and Gortat executed a pick-and-roll, assisting Gortat for a dunk.

Then, Thompson hit two consecutive three-pointers from beyond the arc.

The lead quickly grew to 15 points, forcing Jackson to call another timeout. He had already called two timeouts in the first quarter because he couldn't find a way to deal with the Suns. The Suns were just too balanced.

"Huang Yu, you need to hold the ball more and create scoring opportunities for your teammates!"

"On defense, Bynum, you need to spread out. The Suns' biggest threat is from the perimeter!"

"Double-team Nash! Double-team Nash! Double-team Nash!"

Jackson emphasized this three times. The Suns' bench lineup relied on Nash as the engine. He not only connected the team but was also the only player with individual scoring ability among the five on the court. Double-teaming Nash was the best strategy.

After the timeout.

Jackson's tactics had some effect.

Huang Yu, facing Thompson's defense, took a step back and then accelerated past Thompson with a change of direction. He followed with a Ginobili-style snake dribble and scored on a layup!

"Great shot!!!"

"Go, Huang Yu!!!"

"Go, Warriors!!!"

Chinese fans were amazing. After Wade Dong was benched, they started cheering for Huang Yu and the Warriors.

Perhaps they didn't want this Chinese derby to enter garbage time too early.

And Huang Yu did not disappoint the Chinese fans.

He scored the Warriors' last four baskets of the first quarter, finishing with 12 points.

...

During the timeout.

Nash wiped his sweat and said to Wade Dong, "This player named Huang Yu is pretty good."

"His strength is in driving to the basket, but..." Wade Dong, sitting on the sidelines, had already noticed Huang Yu's weakness but stopped himself from saying more.

Being fellow Chinese, there was no need to point this out... Besides, the Suns were playing well today and wouldn't lose this game.

Wade Dong didn't say it, but McGrady did, "But he has an obvious weakness. His shooting is unstable, and his left-hand dribbling is not very smooth. When defending him, give him half a step and force him to drive from the left side to limit his offense."

"Sigh~~~" Wade Dong shook his head.

Everyone was a top player, and McGrady also saw Huang Yu's weakness and pointed it out directly.

...

The second quarter began.

The Suns still had the Nash lineup on the court. Kidd didn't even bother changing the lineup.

The Warriors made some adjustments to their lineup, with Huang Yu, who had performed well in the first quarter, staying on the court.

As soon as the game started, Tucker, following McGrady's advice, gave Huang Yu half a step. Sure enough, Huang Yu chose to drive from the left side. After barely getting past Tucker, Huang Yu tried to pass the ball out but found that none of his teammates were in their usual positions.

This was the difference between the NBA and the European league.

The NBA was more inclined towards individual heroism, continuously amplifying the strengths of the team's stars and focusing on the team leader. Just like the saying, "When you get the ball, don't shoot, pass it to the captain." The European league, on the other hand, emphasized team cooperation, scoring through teamwork and passing, with different technical aspects. The NBA focused more on physical confrontation, while the European league emphasized footwork.

Those stars who made a name for themselves in the European league, like Ginobili and Scola, all had excellent footwork.

With no teammates to assist, Huang Yu could only rely on his individual ability to score. After a feint, he tried a left-handed layup.

"Clang~~~"

The shot missed, and Gortat grabbed the rebound.

Huang Yu was a bit frustrated. If this were the European league, after his drive, there would definitely be a teammate in the position he wanted, and he could pass the ball to help his teammate score.

Huang Yu missed the shot, and suddenly, a player from the Suns' bench stood up and shouted, "Huang Yu, this is the NBA! You need to adapt to the NBA's pace!"

Kidd, "..."

Jackson, "..."

Referee, "..."

Fans, "...."

What was Wade Dong up to? Encouraging the opponent during the game?